Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 30-12-2020

WEDNESDAY 30 th December, 2020

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No paper trail No. 106228

–– for some lawyers retained by former AG Chambers in elections fiasco

US Coast Guard vessel to sail 04 into Guyana –– as part of operation to combat

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300 more 09 house lots allocated in Berbice 501 teachers added to education 11 system PAGE

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illegal fishing in the South Atlantic

Cuban reportedly killed child because she witnessed 03 mom’s murder PAGE

Most of released prisoners had less than one month remaining on sentence The USCGC Stone service’s first patrol to South America will see the engagement of partners including Guyana, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Portugal, the US Coast Guard said in a news release (Photo courtesy of navalnews.com)

Three homeless after North Ruimveldt fire

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In our December 27, 2020 edition, the Guyana Chronicle carried an article headlined “65 prisoners granted early release”.

Though the information presented in the article was mostly accurate, it did not capture the full picture with regards to the release of the prisoners.

See story on page 9.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, December 30, 2020

No paper trail

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, December 30, 2020

–– for some lawyers retained by former AG Chambers in elections fiasco

By Richard Bhainie

THERE has been a recent discovery by the Attorney-General (AG) Chambers that there is no paper trail, including contracts or invoices, to account for some of the external counsel who appeared on behalf of the former AG Chambers in the series of legal actions that followed the March 2, 2020 Elections.

This was disclosed by At-

torney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C., during an interview with the Guyana Chronicle.

Nandlall explained that attempts were made to locate the paper trails in light of the recent disclosure of the $99.6M spent by the former AG Chambers in 2019, to retain outside counsel despite being adequately staffed.

“Every effort expended to locate a paper trail of any kind including, of course,

invoices in relation to most of the lawyers who were retained in the year 2020 has proven futile,” Nandlall said.

Nandlall explained that in 2020, a number of lawyers were hired by the former AG Chambers in politically motivated cases subsequent to the March Elections.

He highlighted that some of the cases were Reeaz Holladar v Returning Officer for Region Four, Clairmont Mingo et al; Ulita Moore v

Bharrat Jagdeo et al; Misenga Jones v The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) et al and Eslyn David v Chief Elections Officer et al, all of which the former Attorney-General was privy to.

“The lawyers, most of them were from Trinidad and all over the Caribbean.

I don’t think they did work for free, but there is no paper trail for how these lawyers were hired and paid,” Nandlall said.

In one of the cases, Mohamed Irfaan Ali and Bharrat Jagdeo v Eslyn David et al, in the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on appeal from the Court of Appeal of Guyana, the former Attorney-General, who was the fifth named respondent, appeared with Caribbean-based lawyer, Justin Simon Q.C. Meanwhile, in another case, a Notice of Intention to the Court of Appeal filed by the former Attorney-General

Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C. challenging the High Court’s decision in the Misenga Jones case was through his lawyer, Maxwell Edwards.

“One is left to speculate how these lawyers were retained and how they were paid,” Nandlall stressed.

Cuban reportedly killed child because she witnessed mom’s murder JOEL Rodriguez, the Cuban man who allegedly knifed and hammered his partner and her daughter to death, has confessed to the crime and disclosed that he killed the child because she was a witness, police have confirmed.

The suspect, also known as Yoel Rodriguez Barientos, was arrested Sunday night at Amelia’s Ward, Linden.

He allegedly murdered Tara Krishnaran, 34, who was a salesgirl, and her daughter, Larissa Singh, 11, sometime between 20:00hrs on Christmas Day and 21:00hrs on Boxing Day. Charges are expected soon as investigations continue.

After receiving the report of the murders on Saturday

Arrested: Joel Rodriguez night, investigators visited the scene and discovered the mother and daughter in a bedroom at their Princes Street, Lodge, Georgetown residence by the woman’s father who also resides there.

Dead: Larissa Singh The police said that the woman was discovered with a wound to the back of the head, left side temple and left side of the face. Meanwhile, her daughter had a wound, about six inches in length, to

Dead: Tara Krishnaran her neck and what appeared to be blood on her private part. The suspected murder weapons – a blood stained hammer and knife – were also retrieved.

The bodies were taken to

the Lyken’s Funeral Home.

An autopsy conducted on the mother and her daughter found that they died from blunt trauma to the head.

According to the police report, the woman’s father said the couple had an argument on Christmas Day and since such arguments were common, he went to bed.

However, on Boxing Day, he did not check on them as he thought the woman went to work and took her daughter along with her.

Later that night, however, the elderly man realised that he was locked inside the house and went into the room of the victims when he made the gruesome discovery; his grand-daughter was lying on the ground and his daughter was lying on the bed.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that the woman, her daughter and the alleged killer lived in the house, which belongs to the woman’ father, for about eight months.

The woman met the Cuban man at the store where she worked and they were in a relationship for more than a year.

Reports indicate that the man would accompany Krishnaran to family functions but relatives noted that he appeared to be a jealous individual.

“We would be together (at a family function) and a boy could walk in, even if it was my brothers… if they just looked at her, he would get angry about it,” the relative said.

Additional $2.5B approved for COVID-19 relief grants WITH the distribution of the COVID-19 relief grant ongoing in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), the most densely populated of the country’s 10 administrative regions, the National Assembly has approved an additional sum of $2.5 billion to facilitate the completion of the exercise.

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud noted that the other regions are almost complete, and distribution is ongoing in Region Four, with communities along the East Coast and East Bank Demerara and in Greater Georgetown currently benefiting.

“This allocation is to facilitate

the current process in Region Four, which will not include the ‘pink’ slips because we are still in the process of doing the first phase in Region Four… It was the primary households that were included in the first phase; even if it’s a home, and they have three other households, they should receive the ‘pink’ slips, and they will be captured in the second phase,” the minister said.

She noted that physical verification is ongoing in Region Four, while the second phase, which involves the ‘pink slips’, is ongoing in the other regions. Ministry staffers are also visiting homes that may have been missed during the first phase of distribution.

Dr. Persaud further explained that due to the absence of accurate data, the government has had to rely on the Regional Democratic Councils and the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils to do the physical verification of these households.

“At the regional level, a list of households is compiled and certified by the Regional Executive Officer.

Based on this list, the REO submits a request for support from the Government,” the minister said. “So, it’s not done ad hoc; the request, once verified, and funds are subsequently transferred to the REO, the REO is tasked with ensuring a transparent accounting system is in place to

document and record the distribution grants,” she added.

More than 153,000 households across Guyana have so far benefited from the Government’s $25,000 per household COVID-19 relief cash grant initiative.

Some 16,075 pink slips/query forms have also been filled out.

According to Minister Persaud, the distribution is serving its purpose, in that it is alleviating much hardship in households that are struggling. Former President, Mr. David Granger has lauded the initiative.

The minister told the National Assembly that an audit of the process will be conducted.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, December 30, 2020

US Coast Guard vessel to sail into Guyana –– as part of operation to combat illegal fishing in the South Atlantic Wednesday, December 30, 04:00hrs - 05:30hrs

THE U.S. Coast Guard’s new Legend-class national security cutter, USCGC Stone (WMSL 758), in maintaining global maritime security, regional stability with a focus on Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported (IUU) Fishing in the South Atlantic, will be visiting Guyana’s waters.

Nearly half the world’s population relies on fish for 20 per cent of their animal protein. IUU fishing removes access to this valuable protein source, particularly to the most vulnerable coastal States.

Coast Guard’s flagships, will provide a presence, and support national security objectives throughout the Atlantic.

This patrol is the cutter’s initial shakedown cruise, following its delivery in November. The cutter also recruited an observer from the Portuguese navy for the operation’s duration. Operation Southern Cross is conducted in conjunction with U.S. Southern Command, charged with managing operations in Central and South America by working collaboratively to ensure the Western Hemisphere is secure, free, and prosperous,” the US Coast Guard

of the professional men and women I serve alongside. It is no easy feat to assemble a crew and ready a cutter for sea, but this crew has had to perform this difficult task while observing protective measures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The crew and I look forward to this historic first voyage, as Stone begins a storied career of service to this nation. While balancing training and qualification requirements, Stone’s crew will engage with partner nations in South America in a like-minded pursuit to curb illegal fishing tactics.”

The USCGC Stone (WMSL 758) that will be visiting and patrolling Guyana’s waters According to US Coast Guard of Homeland Security, the first-sale value of global fish production in 2018 stands at US$401 billion. IUU Fishing results in tens of billions of dollars of lost revenue to legal fishers every year.

The US Coast Guard, has noted in a statement that of the world’s top marine fish stocks, 93 per cent is classified as fully exploited, overexploited or significantly depleted. IUU fishing undermines the sustainable management of these resources, pushing them to the limits of their capacity.

The USCGC Stone service’s first patrol to South America will see the engagement of partners including Guyana, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Portugal.

The vessel on Tuesday departed Pascagoula, Mississippi on its first patrol to the South Atlantic, and will focus on countering illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, while strengthening relationships for maritime sovereignty and security throughout the region.

“The brand new Legend-class national security cutter, one of the U.S.

of Homeland Security noted.

In September 2020, the Coast Guard released the IUU Fishing Strategic Outlook, which reaffirms their commitment to global maritime security, regional stability, and economic prosperity.

“The U.S. Coast Guard is committed to the protection of living marine resources. IUU fishing threatens the health of fish stocks, and adversely impacts those who follow global norms and national laws. This is a global issue, and IUU is a problem too big for any one nation. Only by working together can we protect livelihoods, ensure ports remain economically productive, and support sustainable fisheries industry. Stone’s patrol demonstrates our commitment to the established rules-based order, while addressing IUU fishing wherever a Coast Guard cutter is deployed,” Vice Admiral Steven Poulin, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area said.

Captain Adam Morrison, commanding officer of USCGC Stone (WMSL 758), stated: “I am very proud

The Legend-class National Security Cutters are the most technologically-advanced ships in the Coast Guard’s fleet. They measure 418 feet (127 meters) long, with a 54-foot beam, and displace 4,500 tonnes with a full load.

They have a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 miles, an endurance of 60 days, and a crew of around 120.

USCGC STONE The ship’s namesake is former U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Elmer “Archie” Fowler Stone. On April 10, 1917, he became the Coast Guard’s first aviator upon graduating from flight training at Pensacola, Florida.

In 1919, Stone was one of two pilots to successfully make a transatlantic flight in a U.S. Navy seaplane, NC-4, which landed in Portugal. NSCs are 418 feet (127 meters) long with a 54-foot beam, and displace 4,500 tonnes with a full load.

They have a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 miles, an endurance of 60 days, and a crew of around 120.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Science has delivered, will the WTO deliver?

–– TRIPS waiver proposal from India, South Africa and other members

By Brajendra Navnit, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the WTO A PROPOSAL by India, South Africa and eight other countries calls on the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to exempt member countries from enforcing some patents, and other Intellectual Property (IP) rights under the organisation’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, known as TRIPS, for a limited period of time. It is to ensure that IPRs do not restrict the rapid scaling-up of manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

While a few members have raised concerns about the proposal, a large proportion of the WTO membership supports the proposal. It has also received the backing of various international organisations, multilateral agencies and global civil society.

Unprecedented times call for unorthodox measures. We saw this in the efficacy of strict lockdowns for a limited period, as a policy intervention, in curtailing the spread of the pandemic. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its October 2020 edition of its World Economic Outlook states “…However, the risk of worse growth outcomes than projected remains sizable. If the virus resurges, progress on treatments and vaccines is slower than anticipated, or countries’ access to them remains unequal, economic activity could be lower than expected, with renewed social distancing and tighter lockdowns.” The situation appears to be grimmer than predicted; we have already lost seven per cent of economic output from the baseline scenario projected in 2019. It translates to a loss of more than US$ 6 trillion of global GDP. Even a one per cent improvement in global GDP from the baseline scenario will add more than US$800 billion in global output, offsetting the loss certainly of a much lower order to a sector of economy on account of the Waiver.

Merely a signal to ensure timely and affordable access to vaccines and treatments will work as a big confidence booster for demand revival in the economy. With the emergence of successful vaccines, there appears to be some hope on the horizon. But how will these be made accessible and affordable to the global population? The fundamental question is whether there will be enough COVID-19 vaccines to go around. As things stand, even the most optimistic scenarios today cannot assure access to COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics for the majority of the population, in rich

collaboration.

Ambassador Brajendra Navnit as well as poor countries, by the end of 2021. All the members of the WTO have agreed on one account that there is an urgent need to scale-up the manufacturing capacity for vaccines and therapeutics to meet the massive global needs.

The TRIPS Waiver Proposal seeks to fulfil this need by ensuring that IP barriers do not come in the way of such scaling up of manufacturing capacity.

WHY EXISTING FLEXIBILITIES UNDER THE TRIPS AGREEMENT ARE NOT ENOUGH The existing flexibilities under the TRIPS Agreement are not adequate, as these were not designed with pandemics in mind.

Compulsory licences are issued on a country by country, case by case and product by product basis, where every jurisdiction with an IP regime would have to issue separate compulsory licences, practically making collaboration among countries extremely onerous. While we encourage the use of TRIPS flexibilities, the same are time-consuming and cumbersome to implement. Hence, only their use cannot ensure the timely access of affordable vaccines and treatments. Similarly, we have not seen a very encouraging progress on WHO’s COVID-19 Technology Access Pool or the C-TAP initiative, which encourages voluntary contribution of IP, technology and data to support the global sharing and scaleup of the manufacturing of COVID-19 medical products. Voluntary Licences, even where they exist, are shrouded in secrecy. Their terms and conditions are not transparent.

Their scope is limited to specific amounts or for a limited subset of countries, thereby encouraging nationalism rather than true international

WHY IS THERE A NEED TO GO BEYOND EXISTING GLOBAL COOPERATION INITIATIVES? Global cooperation initiatives such as the COVAX Mechanism and the ACT-Accelerator are inadequate to meet the massive global needs of 7.8 billion people.

The ACT-A initiative aims to procure two billion doses of vaccines by the end of next year, and distribute them fairly around the world. With a two-dose regime, however, this will only cover one billion people.

That means that even if ACT-A is fully financed and successful, which is not the case presently, there would not be enough vaccines for the majority of the global population.

PAST EXPERIENCE During the initial few months of the current pandemic, we have seen that shelves were emptied by those who had access to masks, PPEs, sanitizers, gloves and other essential COVID-19 items, even without their immediate need.

The same should not happen to vaccines. Eventually, the world was able to ramp up the manufacturing of COVID-19 essentials, as there were no IP barriers hindering that. At present, we need the same pooling of IP rights and knowhow for scaling up the manufacturing of vaccines and treatments, which, unfortunately, has not been forthcoming, necessitating the need for the Waiver.

It is the pandemic, an extraordi-

nary, once-in-a-lifetime event that has mobilised the collaboration of multiple stakeholders. It is knowledge and skills held by scientists, researchers, public health experts and universities that have enabled the cross-country collaborations and enormous public funding that has facilitated the development of vaccines in record time, and not a lone IP! WAY FORWARD The TRIPS waiver proposal is a targeted and proportionate response to the exceptional public health emergency that the world faces today. Such a Waiver is well within the provisions of Article IX of the Marrakesh Agreement, which established the WTO. It can help in ensuring that human lives are not lost for want of a timely and affordable access to vaccines. The adoption of the Waiver will also re-establish WTO’s credibility, and show that multilateral trading system continues to be relevant, and can deliver in times of a crisis. Now is the time for WTO members to act and adopt the Waiver to save lives and help in getting the economy back on the revival path quickly.

While making the vaccines available was a test of science, making them accessible and affordable is going to be a test of humanity.

History should remember us for the “AAA rating”, i.e. for Availability, Accessibility and Affordability of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, and not for a single “A rating” for Availability only. Our future generations deserve nothing less.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Culture of negativism THE parliamentary session of Monday, December 28 has proven, once again, that opportunistic, unpatriotic doomsayers will forever bemoan the initiatives, progress and innovations created, achieved, and planned by the current Government, and primarily, past and current presidents, even if it means development for the nation, as in most instances it does.

That is a recurring feature in their leadership culture, such as accusing former President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo of once more taking the route of beggary and denigrating his innovative, internationally-acclaimed brilliant Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), which was so unpatriotic and myopic that their rhetoric and actions were tantamount to psychological sabotage and a strategic attempt to derail the momentum of the LCDS so that it had no or minimal chance to fructify, even while it was in the embryonic stages.

The doomsayers had no intention of giving it a chance – give Guyana a chance: More to the point, give Guyanese a chance to breathe.

Former President, current Vice-President, Dr. Jagdeo’s ‘avoided deforestation’ and the framework in which it was proposed is being hailed by some of the leading experts in the field as a visionary and brilliant strategy to combat climate change, while, at the same time, providing overwhelming benefits to our people, with little or no overhead costs to this nation.

This is, in whatever way it is considered, called trade, or barter, highly acceptable in the developed world, and in every other social construct. It is exchanging, measure for measure, commodities vital to the needs

of both trading partners.

Most third-world nations do not have the wherewithal to exploit their own resources, so the capitalist system allows for developed nations to extract the treasures of undeveloped countries, on their own terms, which always prove disadvantageous to the host nations.

Our history abounds with such instances, even until now, where foreign companies extract and deplete our natural resources, leaving destruction and dislocation to local and indigenous communities.

Currently, a case in point is the oil and gas sector and all the disadvantageous contracts negotiated by the past PNC-led government.

Yes, the contempt that the developed world has perennially demonstrated for third-world nations and third-world headsof-states when negotiating trading terms (witness the EU-driven EPA) may not result in an advantageous deal for our country, but Guyana’s Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has demonstrated that even when he is battling alone, he does not compromise on a position he feels is right for this country until he achieves his goal, in whole or part.

Here, reference is made to the compromise the surprisingly honourable EU made, at the very last moment, to accommodate our former President’s position on the EPA. At the risk of denying our people benefits that may accrue to our country from visionary developmental concepts, opposition protagonists have no qualms in denigrating and denying initiatives that are programmed and driven by a PPP/C-led government so that Guyana benefits optimally from extractive/entrepreneurial activities in this

country by the superpowers, who are already benefiting from our rainforests, after having denuded their own to develop and industrialize their own countries, such as the LCDS, the EPA agreement, the Amaila Falls hydro project, and now current projects in the pipeline, especially with Guyana’s newly minted oil and gas sector.

The LCDS is complementary and not competing to the dual objectives of national development and climate change imperatives, but they fought against its fructification relentlessly, thankfully not successfully.

They disregarded the fact that, fundamentally, because of the traditionally sustainable existential methodologies used by our first peoples and several other factors, our forests have been conserved in a pristine state. This is instantly recognizable because an aerial view indicates no break in the canopy, except natural breaks, such as waterways and roadways enabling accessibility and connectivity to various remote communities, so, Dr. Jagdeo was not proposing to sell, or trade, something undefined or indeterminate.

International consultant firm, McKinsey & Company, estimated that the Economic Value to the Nation (EVN) to be the equivalent of an annual payment of US$580 million.

This is the estimated value that would accrue to the Guyanese people if Guyana fully exploits its timber potentials, its post-harvest agriculture, and its mineral resources.

Our country currently provides to the global construct immense ecological and environmental services to the internation-

al community, including the developed nations.

According to the consultants, the conservatively estimated Economic Value to the World (EVW), provided by our rainforests through bio-diversity, water regulation, and carbon sequestration, is a minimum of US$40 billion each year.

But the protagonists with anti-developmental, anti-nationalist, unpatriotic agendas have arrogated to themselves the right to stymie Guyana’s development trajectory through shooting down projected programmes and plans vital to accelerating development in Amerindian and other Guyanese communities.

Former President Jagdeo has been lauded for his brilliant and visionary approach to a conservationist developmental strategy that is projected, not only to benefit the rest of the world, but will catapult our nation into the ranks of the prosperous – not because we are a servile people predisposed to beggary, but because we have visionary leaders who can formulate strategies to combat catastrophic equations – in fiscal, natural, and social terms, through the utilisation of our own God-given resources within the international construct of survival imperatives.

The irony is that the very persons who condemn PPP/C leaders for mendicancy through its drive for debt write-offs, the LCDS and reconstruction of oil and gas contracts were the very persons who drove this nation to the bottom of the world’s developmental charts and made us beggars in the eyes of the international community.

Celebrating the holidays among pioneering Guyanese New Yorkers Dear Editor, THE holiday season among pioneering Guyanese Americans (during the 1960s and early 1970s) was extremely lonely, unlike in recent years in America.

In fact, there was hardly such a thing as a Christmas holiday or end-of-year celebration, or any sort of (friend or family or neighbourhood) get-together; the luxurious kind of fetes that were experienced over the last four decades among Guyanese families in the US with an assortment of cuisine and snacks.

As an observer, and as a kind of a Guyanese pioneer in America, I experienced them all.

Guyanese started coming to America (New York initially) just after 1965, a significant year when America opened up to the

so-called non-White countries. There were discriminatory laws against Indians settling in America prior to 1965. There were no similar laws against Africans or Blacks. Guyanese started coming to America as students after independence in 1966.

The American Christmas holiday among pioneering Guyanese was nothing like what it was in Guyana, being with family members and neighbours. It was a life lived in fear, with (undocumented) migrants unsure of the future if picked up by immigration agents for deportation. It was dull and lonesome; time spent with oneself or at work or watching TV. Christmas or New Year was like any other day; no special meals or drinks. There were no parties, fetes, or festivities. There was no eating or drinking binge, or the kind of extrav-

agant expenditures observed in recent decades among Guyanese families. The meals of the 1960s and 1970s were very basic, as in every other day. It was a meal to fill the stomach; it was a quiet holiday season until around the early 1980s, when community celebrations really took off, and paid parties or concerts were organised in the Bronx and Manhattan.

When Guyanese started becoming homeowners in the late 1970s, more elaborate parties and foods were prepared with many guests.

Immigration agents don’t invade homes looking for illegals as in the past.

When I came to New York in 1977 as a 16-year-old for medical studies, the gathering of Guyanese was rare, except at cricket matches or volleyball or picnics on Sundays, which I looked forward to because I was

very good at playing cricket. Most of the early Guyanese migrants were Indians (about 85 per cent); ‘Afros’ headed to Brooklyn, while ‘Indos’ headed to Manhattan and the Bronx. In the 1980s, Indians gravitated to Queens. Get togethers occurred only among immediate family members and friends for Christmas and New Year, and the eve of both, and maybe on birthdays or anniversaries in a small apartment. Weddings also took place in small apartments. There were no rented halls, (lack of affordability) or private homes to host fetes.

(There were no get-togethers for Guyana’s Independence or Republic Day or Indian Arrival Day; these commemorative See page 7

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Five Senior Counsel admitted to Inner Bar

THE five recently appointed Senior Counsel, including Attorney General and Minster of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, were, on Tuesday, admitted to the Inner Bar during a special Full Court sitting held at the Victoria Law Courts.

Nandlall, Jamela Ali, Timothy Jonas, Stanley Moore and Roysdale Forde appeared before Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards; Chief Justice, Roxane George SC, and judges of the Court of Appeal and the High Court.

On December 22, another Senior Counsel, Mursaline Bacchus, was inducted into the Inner Bar during a special sitting of the Full Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature in New Amsterdam, Berbice.

Prominent attorney, Ralph Ramkarran SC in presenting Nandlall’s petition said he “has a degree of passion for the legal profession that I have seen in few with that passion combined with the position he holds we expect a great leap in developments regarding the administration of justice and the development of law.”

Nandlall presented the petitions for the others.

In his address he spoke of the positive impact the profession has had on life.

“Everything that I have achieved in my life was achieved through my practice of the law,” he said,

alternative dispute resolution. She has worked with the bench in promoting this mechanism to resolve cases in the court system,” the CJ said.

helpful to the court. He is an extremely good advocate and ably represent his clients whether in private practice or …on behalf of the State,” the CJ added.

GOOD RESEARCHERS Jonas who was admitted to the local Bar in 1996, is a senior partner of the De Caires, Fitzpatrick and Karran law firm. He brings The newly appointed Senior Counsel with (seated from to left to right) Chief to the senior Bar, a high Justice, Roxane George SC; Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cum- level of scholarship having mings-Edwards, and Court of Appeal Judge, Dawn Gregory. Also picture several been mentored by the late Miles Fitzpatrick SC. judges and lawyers The CJ noted that she is before explaining that being [in] the immediate future,” thus far to the legal fraternity certain that Jonas will contina good lawyer helped him to he said. and the courts. ue this tradition of mentoring become a well-rounded AG The Chief Justice highMoore was admitted to junior attorneys. She also and Member of Parliament. lighted High Court judge, the Bar in 1970. His distin- highlighted Jonas’ capacity He used the occasion to Nareshwar Harnanan’s re- guished career encapsulated for research and well-known emphasise the importance of cent dismissal of an appli- private practice and contri- advocacy skills. the legal profession to Guy- cation filed by Jonas, chal- butions to the public service.

“He is extremely thorana’s emerging oil and gas lenging the legality of the He was a lecturer and a jurist ough and meticulous and and hotel industries. four SC appointments made serving not only here in Guy- can be relied on to be of “In the coming year, a by former President, David ana and in the Caribbean, but immeasurable assistance to complete body of new oil and Granger, last year. internationally as a Justice the court,” she added. gas related legislation will be Justice Harnanan had of Appeal in Botswana and a Further, the court heard enacted. Many are current- ruled that the President, as judge in Swaziland. that Forde was admitted to ly in draft. A completely Guyana’s supreme execuIt was noted that Ali practice in 1997 and has modern arbitration architec- tive authority, is vested with graduated from Law School distinguished himself by his ture is currently a work in the exclusive prerogative in 1989 and in the same year capacity to conduct research progress. A new legislation to confer legal practitioners she was admitted to the bar. and his advocacy in the prein relation to hotel and the with silk.

She is the second Muslim to sentation of his cases. hospitality sector will have The judge, in his ruling, be conferred with silk; the Nandlall was admitted to be enacted. These include, sided with the submissions first being her cousin, Direc- to the bar in 1998 and can legislation of condominiums, made by Nandlall, who had tor of Public Prosecutions truly be said to have made a strong houses, zoning and in contended that proceedings (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack. mark on the legal profession relation to commercial and like these would give rise “I remember her as one of Guyana not because he is industrial use of land. These to novel issues in Guyanese who did not allow anyone now twice appointed as Atare all new legislation… jurisprudence not previously to make negative comments torney General, but because which will require extensive canvassed in a significant about Guyanese students or of his capacity to bring intraining and, in some cases, way.

Guyana. She is a very able teresting public law cases to even specialised screening The CJ also gave a brief practitioner who has shown the court. beginning with law students, background about the contri- leadership in championing “He too is well relawyers and judges alike butions made by the quintet mediation as a means of searched and extremely

Meanwhile, President of the Bar Association of Guyana, Teni Housty, said that many lawyers aspire to be afforded this honour which is not to be taken lightly, since it requires hard work, diligence and a propensity for scholarship and leadership at the Bar. In October, the Office of the President (OP) announced that Nandlall and Jonas will be appointed Senior Counsel with effect from October 30.

The announcement, OP had said, followed consultations the Chancellor and President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali. “Their appointments are due to their demonstrable knowledge of, and learning in the law, and on account of their exemplary erudition and diligence in the practice of the law, and, by virtue of their distinguished contributions to the growth and development of Guyana’s jurisprudence and constitutional democracy,” the OP statement had noted.

On December 17, President Ali presented Nandlall, Jonas and Ali with their instrument of appointment during a simple ceremony held at State House.

Celebrating the holidays among pioneering ...

From page 6

occasions started occurring in the late 1980s. Indians were not interested in Independence and Republic Day, because they felt the Burnham State treated them as unequal to his supporters.

During their early years in America, for Xmas and New Year, some Guyanese went to work; they had many bills to pay, so work was more important than feting, and Guyanese took advantage of over-time (beyond eight hours and holidays) when offered. They needed to save money to send to relatives back in Guyana, and to purchase a home or invest in a business. Boxing Day is not a holiday in America; it’s a regular workday, and as such not a day for feting.

Guyanese were few and far between (in areas where they lived) during the 1960s and 1970s to socialise for holiday seasons. There were hardly friends or family members to socialize with. The migrants came largely single or maybe with a brother. There were very few females among early migrants; two in 10.

Wives did not join husbands until the male was settled, and had a private apartment for a family. Brothers and or sisters joined later.

The early migrants were relatively young; in their 20s and 30s.

Unlike recent migrants, early Guyanese were more interested in employment rather than feting, because they left several mouths behind that needed to be fed, and must send remittances. There was not much (extra) money to entertain friends at parties. However, Guyanese who lived together in an apartment

or in the same tenement building did get together to share camaraderie on Christmas, and or New Year, and or on their eves (Old Years night or Christmas Eve) if they were not working those days. There were a few buildings in ‘slummy’ parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn, South Bronx, and Flushing where Guyanese clustered in small apartments; downtown Manhattan had several run-down buildings, and ‘roach-infested motels’ that offered cheap rentals but high crimes. Indo-Guyanese and Trinis clustered in them. Rentals in these neighbourhoods were low, and immigration agents tended to avoid buildings that were crime-ridden. The migrants didn’t want to draw much attention, and ‘hid’ as much time as they could away from the public view, unsure who was an immigration agent. Any time they saw well-attired White men in the rundown neighbourhood or a well-dressed Black speaking with “an American accent” with Whites, their heartbeat increased; one was unsure if he was or they were immigration raiding officers. (The agents who cornered me on 40th Street in Manhattan asking for my immigration documents were American Blacks and Puerto Ricans. I was working as a messenger, hand delivering packages, but had my valid college ID as I was a legitimate student).

The holiday get togethers allowed people to reminisce about Guyana, sharing experiences from various villages. They would sum up money, buy drinks, and prepare basic food (dhal, rice, chicken, and alou, and or a cook

up). There were no freshly-killed animals; that came late in the 1970s and afterwards.

There was hardly any bara, phulourie, channa, dhal puri, pachounie, etc., as ingredients were not available, and they were time-consuming to prepare, and males were not quite adept (like females) at preparinghad some of them.

Fruits were plentiful, but Guyanese had lost their appetite for apples and grapes, the consumption of which Burnham criminalised.

And there were hardly any vegetables (like baigan, bora, ochro, etc. – which became available during the late 1970s and 1980s and thereafter. Korean fresh-market fruits and vegetable markets did not spring up until the late 1970s. Richmond Hill’s Little Guyana was not created until the late 1980s. Indo and Afro Guyanese used to shop at Little India in Manhattan on Lexington Ave. between 23 and 29 Streets and a few blocks East and West of that area.

The holiday parties had low-key Bollywood movie songs, as the migrants did not want to attract attention; most of them were illegal and fearful of immigration raids; officers would carry out routine raids in search of illegals, including during the holiday season.

For the holiday, small groups of Guyanese would get together in an office in Brooklyn managed by a Black Jamaican to record a message, and paid a fee for it to be wired and aired on radio in Guyana. In the 1960s, it cost $3 per airing for the message, and went up to $5 in the early 1970s; that was a lot of money at the time, considering that the weekly salary

was $60 and a can of Pepsi cost ten cents and a six pack beer was only a dollar. (US$ was exchanging around G$1.70 in 1968). Some paid to broadcast their message on Christmas and Boxing Days and New Year; phones during white man rule in the 1960s worked well in Guyana unlike during the 1970s and 1980s.

Holiday celebrations among Guyanese did not become a luxurious entertainment until many owned private homes. Only a few Guyanese could afford to purchase a home during the 1970s. At any rate, most Guyanese in the 1970s were illegal, and could not entertain the idea of home ownership. During the 1980s, as they became legal residents or citizens, more Guyanese purchased homes. Homeowners hosted parties for friends and relatives, but were careful not to play loud music, for fear of the neighbors calling the police or alerting immigration officers. Beginning in the 1990s, Guyanese home ownership became common, especially in various parts of Queens and in Brooklyn on the border with Queens, where hundreds of thousands of Guyanese now settle.

Over the last couple decades, there have been luxurious, posh, extravagant holiday parties at homes and businesses, and at rented halls, and even in hotel ballrooms, except this year of course, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

8

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Homebuilder Roadmap launched

By Tamica Garnett

FACING a number of complaints annually about millions in losses being suffered by consumers through substandard construction, the Competitions and Consumers Affairs Commission (CCAC), on Monday, launched its “Homebuilders Roadmap”, to better guide consumers through all of the processes involved in doing construction on their homes.

During a simple launching ceremony held at the Roraima Duke Lodge, it was revealed that the CCAC annually receives approximately 25 complaints, averaging $10 million, from consumers who would have suffered as a result of shoddy construction work done on their homes.

According to CCAC Director, Feyona Austin-Paul: “The commission recognised that providing a source of redress was not enough; we needed to take an approach of empowering consumers to make wise decisions before and even during the building process.”

“Today’s initiative was birthed because of the commission’s mandate to ensure the protection of consumers.

Some of the CCAC staff who worked on the “Homebuilders Roadmap”, including CCAC Director, Feyona Austin-Paul (right); CCAC PRO, Alison Parker (left) and CCAC Consumer Affairs Officer, Rusante Perry (third from left) Complaints brought to the CCAC concerning domestic construction, along with other unofficial reports, have revealed the abuses of consumers through shoddy work of contractors in this industry, some [of ]which can be considered a threat to the safety of consumers,” Austin-Paul further explained.

Persons can access the “Roadmap” electronically on the commission’s website at ccac.gov.gy or uplift a physical copy from the CCAC office at the Sophia Exhibition

Complex.

The “Roadmap” entails an outline of steps, processes and methods of constructing or renovating a home, in order to empower consumers to circumvent having to later rectify shoddy work done on their home.

It consists of six sections, namely “Acquiring a land”, “Planning with your architect”, “Approval of (Building) Plan”, “Selecting a contractor”, “Finance” and “Construction”.

“Through this ‘Home-

builders Roadmap’, homebuilders will have access to all the steps, processes, and methods of building their homes; they will be aware of legal procedures and it will provide them with access to information for the relevant authorities, requirements, documentation. For every step of the process we want to make it very simple for consumers,” Austin-Paul detailed.

In Guyana, for the most part, contractors building residential homes are largely un-

regulated, and notwithstanding Guyana having a ‘National Building Codes’(NBC), many contractors do not always follow them and with no enforcement agency, the substandard work is not detected by consumers until it is too late.

In many of these cases, the consumers do not have a written contract with the contractors, or question the contractors about their qualifications prior to hiring them. In cases where consumers would have come to the CCAC for redress, the commission would require that the contractor rectify or refund the consumer.

Consumer Affairs Officer, Rusante Perry, noted that thus far the CCAC has been able to resolve 70 per cent of the cases that has come to it, and in many cases, the contractors have been cooperative, avoiding the need for legal action.

However, in the hopes of pre-empting shoddy work, the roadmap is expected to help consumers to know the necessary requirements so that they can make the right decisions throughout the entire construction process During the ceremony, officials from the CCAC ex-

plained how the Roadmap is expected to work, and spoke of the important role it will play in making the process of home building easier for consumers.

CCAC Public Relations Officer, Alison Parker, explained that Tuesday’s launch was the culmination of extensive research, consultations and collaborations to ensure that the best possible product could be available to consumers.

The CCAC first began consultation on the “Roadmap” on November 2018.

In the crafting of the document, the CCAC would have partnered with a number of agencies involved in homeownership, including the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), the Ministry of Housing and Water, the Guyana Institute of Architects, the Mayor and City Council (MCC), the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils, commercial banks and a number of insurance companies, among others.

In giving a demonstration and explaining how the “Roadmap” worked, Perry noted that the paper will be a living document which could be continuously updated.

Speaker contracts COVID-19 again

By Navendra Seoraj SPEAKER of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, has been re-infected by the dreaded novel coronavirus (COVID-19), while his family has also tested positive for this scourge, Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, said on Tuesday.

The Speaker first tested positive for this disease in September, along with more than 14 employees of the Parliament Office of Guyana.

Isaacs told the Guyana Chronicle that while Nadir would have been asymptom-

atic during his first encounter with COVID-19, it is not the case this time, as he is displaying symptoms of the dreaded disease.

“The last time he did not have the symptoms and, on this occasion, he has the symptoms… he did not say how long he will be out for, but he has been carrying on from home. He chaired the sitting [on Monday] from home… so he is not bed-ridden,” Isaacs said during a telephone interview on Tuesday.

The Speaker, along with his family remains isolated at home, where they are being

monitored by medical professionals.

So far, based on what was said by Isaacs, no employee of the Parliament Office or Parliamentarian has been advised to get tested for COVID-19.

It was reported recently that solid evidence of persons being re-infected by COVID-19 is yet to be recorded.

And, in Guyana’s context, information related to this virus is just over six months old, so a full analysis is not possible at this time. But Head of the COVID-19 task force at the Georgetown Public Hospi-

tal Corporation (GPHC), Dr. Mahendra Carpen, had said in November that two Guyanese, after being infected once and then recovering, have again showed symptoms of this disease.

For an infected person to be classified as ‘recovered’, he/she would have to do two periodic Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests, which would have to yield negative results.

This newspaper understands that the suspected cases of re-infection remain listed as undetermined, but are being closely monitored by

medical professionals. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in April had cautioned world governments and patients who have recovered from COVID-19, that there is no “hard evidence” to prove that re-infection by the virus cannot happen.

The WHO cautioned countries against operating as if those recovered can face no new threat and therefore pose no threat to others, as this could add to the spread of the virus.

With the long-term effects of this virus still unknown, authorities in Guy-

Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir ana have been keeping tabs on patients who recovered after experiencing the severe forms of COVID-19.

A renewed sense of hope and optimism Dear Editor, THE dawn of a new year always brings with it a renewed sense of hope and optimism.

Such optimism, I believe, is not misplaced. We have, as a country, turned the corner, and are well on our way to economic prosperity. Our oil and gas potential, once a distant dream, has now become a living reality.

We have had our full share of challenges in 2020, but we thankfully

emerged triumphant and stronger.

The above notwithstanding, we still have much work to do in the coming period, in terms of consolidating our democracy, and laying the foundations for sustainable development, and the creation of a harmonious and just society. This will require the support of all Guyanese, especially our political leaders.

We have to rise above adversarial politics, and place the good and well-being of our people and country above

partisan interests.

I am optimistic, indeed excited, about the future prospects of Guyana.

I encourage all Guyanese to share that optimism, and put aside whatever differences we may have, and work together for our common good.

I take this opportunity to wish all Guyanese a Prosperous and Productive New Year!

Yours sincerely, Hydar Ally

9

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, December 30, 2020

300 more house lots allocated in Berbice

By Nafeeza Yahya-Sukar

MINISTERS of Housing and Water, Colin Croal and Susan Rodriques, distributed 300 house lots in the communities of Fort Ordinance, Williamsburg, Hampsire and Number 76 Village, East Berbice, Region Six on Tuesday.

With the most recent allocations at the Tain Campus, the ministry has surpassed the initial goal of 3,000 as was set for national allocation for 2020.

According to Rodrigues, the ministry is bent on ensuring the realisation of the PPP/C campaign promise to provide 50,000 house lots in five years.

As such, she noted that, given the short time upon assumption of office, some four months ago, the government had set a goal to distribute 3,000 lots across the country. It has since surpassed that target as some 3,600 house lots have been distributed thus far, thanks to the hardworking staff of the ministry and the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).

Minister Rodrigues noted that there are many who are anxiously awaiting their call to receive their house lots and she urged them to be patient.

“We take the responsibility and the knowledge of knowing that you are entitled as Guyanese to affordable housing and we have a mandate to provide you with, so we take that commitment very seriously and I hope that this exercise and our track record not only in the Ministry of Housing and Water but our government, all the things you have seen and read about that our government has been doing, speak for themselves. We will stay steadfast, committed to all of the promises we made to the Guyanese people and this delivery of promise, this delivery of development of improvement to your lives will be done across the board.

Our President has said and we endorsed we are a government for all Guyanese

Region Six can expect the injection of over $1.2B in the economy for infrastructural works alone.

“When you take into consideration the ongoing works and the minimal work for the allocations in 2021, we are talking about the injection of about $1.2 billion into the economy of Region Six on infrastructure works for roads, drainage, water connections and lighting. That alone, we are not talking about the housing construction, will see the creation of a number of opportunities for employment as well as wealth generation. We also therefore and I want

An allottee pulls a lot number from an envelope held

by Minister of Housing and Water, Colin Croal NO ORDINARY FEAT and that everyone will benMinister of Housing and efit under the PPP/C administration; judge us not Water, Colin Croal echoed by our words but by our similar sentiments and notaction,” said the Minis- ed that the distribution of ter within the Ministry of 3,600 house lots in a short space of time was no ordiHousing and Water.

The minister noted that nary feat.

“We could not reach to government’s achievements in the housing and water this point today if we don’t sectors over the past few acknowledge the support months were remarkable and role of the President, despite the constraints of Dr. Irfaan Ali, for ensuring when he met with the the pandemic.

“When we started, all management of the Minthe odds were stacked istry level and CHPA, he against us. We are living in tasked us to work hard a pandemic. We had to de- and he will support us .We velop our own programmes were challenged to ensure and policies and develop a we can deliver a number strategic plan on just how of houselots in this year; we are going to fulfill our hence, we worked through commitments. We have the Christmas period and done so, we have started. it is because of his support in ensuring the other supWhen we started our ‘Dreams realised title porting agencies such as distribution’, it was to en- GuySuCo, NICIL, Guyana courage homeownership, Lands and Survey Commisencourage family lives, sion (GLSC) and the varicommunity lives and we ous regions that they work want to ensure there is in collaboration with us so occupancy in all of our that we can have the lands communities so that you made available and vested can have neighbours and in a timely manner so that that within your commu- we can respond to meet that nities you can have busi- target and we are well on nesses that you can go to the way to meeting our task and you can feel like you ahead which is to deliver are part of a wholesome 50,000 houselots within community, that is our the first five years of the mission over the next five PPP/C government,” Minisyears and we do plan to ter Croal said to a resounddeliver on that,” Minister ing applause.

He added that in light of Rodrigues noted. the house lot distribution,

supply of potable water for more communities across the country as well as the construction of 200 houses as promised by President Ali. “To compliment our housing drive, in the budget for 2021, funding will be requested to provide better water service for residents in Region Six. In our work programmes, we have made provision for water connectivity, in addition to road and bridges,” he said.

He continued: “In addition to the house lot programme, you will see the construction of 200 houses in Region Six in the com-

given the pace at which the current ministers are working.

“Towards the end of 2020, the last government sought to send out letters of promises for house lots but I am not sure how those promises will be treated because our government is moving in the direction of clearing the backlog. We are moving very quickly, we are identifying new areas round the region, so, over time your desires will be fulfilled; we are aware every single person, especially if you are married and have a family, you deserve to have a home of your own and so our government has

Minister Susan Rodriques listens to the concern of a resident to echo the calls that were made earlier of encouraging persons to start the process to ensure you are on your way to building your own home,” he said.

The Housing Ministry is working round-the-clock to try and clear the backlog of over 70,000 registered applications in the system and Minister Croal asked the residents of Region Five to exercise a little patience since there are quite a few applications that are being finalised.

A ministerial outreach to the region is expected in January or early February 2021.

Apart from house lot allocations, the minister said the ministry is seeking to have fupding in the 2021 budget allocated for the

munities of Williamsburg as well as Fort Ordinance.

In fact, 100 each and those are part of what we do at the Ministry of Housing and Water, that is, to encourage public Private partnership.

So very early in 2021 you will see the commencement of the construction of those houses. We are currently in the finalising stages with our private partner.”

BIG THINGS EXPECTED Earlier, Regional Chairman, David Armogan, in brief remarks, reminisced on the days when President Ali was minister responsible for the Housing Sector and made Guyana the envy of the Caribbean with his plans. He anticipates that the same will now obtain

promised in the manifesto and is moving in that direction. We want to congratulate all who have received and want to ask others to have patience, your turn will come shortly,” he said.

Meanwhile, Versha and Shaun Leitch, both teachers were among the 300 who were allocated a house lot on Tuesday. Versha was very excited that her “dream has been realised” after applying for a house lot in 2009.

“It is a dream realised to be an owner of a piece of land, especially through the government. I want to encourage other young persons to do the same. It may take a while but the feeling of accomplishment when you finally receive it, is totally worth the wait!”

Most of released prisoners had less than one month remaining on sentence THE prisoners released recently from incarceration had less than three months remaining on their sentence, and had met the criteria necessary for release, says the Guyana Prison Service (GPS).

According to a reliable source, the majority of them had less than one month

remaining on their sentence.

It was reported recently that 65 prisoners were granted special remissions on their sentence, but according to the GPS, persons tried to misconstrue the conditions under which those inmates were released.

The prison service, in a press statement on Tuesday,

said those attempts to cast aspersion on the act of “special remissions” were seen circulating on social media.

“The Guyana Prison Service wishes to clarify that the special remission was granted as required under the Prison Act Chapter 11:01, the Laws of Guyana to deserving inmates, based

on the time served, good behaviour and rehabilitation,” the press statement outlined.

It was noted, too, that this special remission was delayed due to circumstances beyond the control of the prison service, and also arising out of the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID- 19)

pandemic.

The time remaining for the sentence served by these inmates was below three months for all cases considered. The offences for which the special remission was granted include five major crimes; nine serious crimes, and 51 minor offences.

“The prison directorate wishes to reiterate that the inmates were selected based on the time served in prison, and are considered not likely to be of a risk to society.

We hope that this information clears up any doubts surrounding the releases,” the Prison Service said.

10

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, December 30, 2020

President receives ‘Vital360’ from Guyanese cardiothoracic surgeon

PRESIDENT Dr. Irfaan Ali on Tuesday was presented with the pioneering multipurpose hand-held medical device, the ‘Vital360,’ by US-based Guyanese Doctor, Deon Vigilance.

President Ali expressed appreciation for the gift, and was treated to a demonstration following the presentation at State House.

The visiting doctor, who is the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Mercy Catholic Medical Center at Mercy Fitzgerald Campus in Pennsylvania, told the President that the device is revolutionary in the medical field.

He said that it has the capability to check six different vitals, including blood pressure, blood glucose and blood oxygen,

which can then be sent to any doctor or family member. The information can also be logged to electronic medical records.

“If you are at home and you check your blood pressure, and it is at 180/100 you know what it is, but also immediately once you know, your doctor will also know.”

Dr. Vigilance, who was involved in the early development of the device, said that it can also be used on a large scale.

“You can go to a village as well and check the health of the entire community, and keep a medical record of that so you know where your baseline is,” he said, adding: “And you can store that information, and over the years, you can see how they are doing.”

He said, too, that after eight years of

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali examines medical device presented to him by Dr. Deon Vigilance Dr. Vigilance noted that the gesture development, the product is in its final transition point, which is an FDA certi- to the President is reflective of the fact fication. The company is expected to be that the Head of State can lead the granted the necessary approval within the charge in saying “I am concerned about my health.” (Office of the President) second quarter of 2021.

Gov’t to provide training for UG students, non-violent prisoners THE Ministry of Labour will be providing apprenticeship programmes to University of Guyana (UG) students, and persons incarcerated for non-violent offences, allowing them to benefit from both classroom teaching and workbased training.

This was announced by subject minister, Joseph Hamilton, who told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the ministry has engaged the university concerning the programmes which will begin rolling out in 2021.

The minister explained that that programme will ensure graduates acquire the skills and training they will need to succeed in the world of work. “People are graduating by the hundreds at the university, but when they leave, they can’t land a job because they have no experience so how do we deal with that? And so, this programme will address that,” Minister Hamilton was quoted by DPI as saying.

Minister Hamilton added that the programme will be similar to that offered at

UG’s Medical Science Faculty, where students are required to complete internship programmes before practising medicine.

“The same thing we must do for economists, accountants, engineers so that in that one year they are honing their skills, and so when they go and apply for a job, they can bring that on their CV.” Additionally, discussions are ongoing with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Guyana Prison Service to provide a similar training programme to persons incarcerated for non-violent offences. Several training programmes are already being provided to incarcerated persons.

“I’ve discussed it with the private sector and the minister and so we have to fashion at the level of Labour and Home Affairs, how we can do this programme, maybe we do a pilot programme at Berbice since they have both male and female at that prison,” Minister Hamilton said.

This, he said, is part of the government’s plan to reintegrate people once they

Minister Labour, Joseph Hamilton leave the prison system. The training and other topics will be further discussed at a Technical Conference being organised by the Ministry for March next year.

Members of the private sector and heads of Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions are among those who will be participating in the conference.

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, December 30, 2020

501 teachers added to education system

SOME 501 teachers graduated from the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) on Tuesday, in the institution’s first ever virtual graduation ceremony.

The 86th convocation of the teachers’ training college was held under the theme, “Charting a New Normal for Teacher Education Driven

by Data Resilience and Flexibility”.

Eight per cent of the students graduated with distinction, 91 with credit, and one per cent with a pass. Some 87 per cent of the graduates were females, and the remaining 13 per cent males.

CPCE Principal, Ms. Viola Rowe Standing in for Education Minister Priya Manickchand was Chief Education Officer (CEO), Dr. Marcel Hutson,

who, in delivering the keynote address, charged the teachers to remember that they are the ones who will lead the way for the dynamic and enterprising future ahead of Guyana.

“It is wonderful to see so many of our teachers here this afternoon at the top of their game. There is great talent among them, and we expect that the standard of performance they set will transcend the classrooms they will soon occupy,” Dr. Hutson said.

He also emphasised the importance of education, and the role teachers play in the

Chief Education Officer, Dr. Marcel Hutson education system.

“It is clear that education is a vital ingredient which provides a way of escape from the vagaries of life; it is clear that

education has the ability to propel the individual and the nation out of a state of social, economic and moral decadence, since it gives you the power to realise your dreams by helping you to recognise and take advantage of opportunities,” he told the graduands in his virtual presentation.

In her report, the institution’s Principal, Ms. Viola Rowe noted that it has been a trying year for the College, given the challenges it faced in continuing to function amid the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying prevention measures.

“Educational institutions

in Guyana went into lockdown in March 2020. At that time, the College was engaged in two critical areas: Processing of January results, and completing delivery of curriculum.

The lockdown affected both areas,” Ms. Rowe noted.

“What the pandemic has done is reveal the College’s vulnerability concerning quick and active response in social health crisis. We must take a critical and robust look at the ICT department; if we have to catapult our college, ICT must be brought to the nucleus of the discussion,” she added.

Mother of teenage cancer patient appeals for help

By Alisa Lashley FIFTEEN-year-old Shaniece Nanhoe, who was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), a rare type of cancer, urgently needs money to commence radiation treatment.

Her mother, Shelly Balkarran, recently told the Guyana Chronicle that radiation treatment is her last hope, as 16 rounds of chemotherapy have failed to yield positive results.

RMS forms in soft tissue, specifically skeletal muscle tissue or sometimes in hollow

organs such as the head, bladder or uterus. RMS can occur at any age, but it most often affects children.

According to Shaniece’s mom, the doctors treating her daughter have informed relatives that $1.3 million is needed for the radiation treatment.

The woman told this publication that her daughter fell ill in July, but it was dismissed as symptoms of the common cold.

“I suggested that it was just a cold, so we watched it for a week. At that time, the eye started to get smaller, and

we saw that there was like a funny look in the eye, and after that, the jaw started to swell, and we thought maybe she has an infection,” the worried mother said.

The family took the teen to two dentists and an optometrist. They all said it was an infection and prescribed antibiotics. However, her condition worsened.

According to Balkarran, it was only after the child was rushed to the emergency room that it was discovered that she had a tumor.

The following month, the family travelled to Jamaica

where it was discovered that the tumor is cancerous. While on the island, Balkarran said, her daughter was given one dose of chemotherapy, but due to the limited money they had, the family was unable to continue the treatment.

Balkarran said she then contacted the Guyana Cancer Foundation and returned home.

The mother said that her daughter’s body recently began to reject the chemotherapy, and she is now forced to seek the public’s assistance to begin radiation treatment.

“Three cycles ago; that

is when we realised that the body is rejecting the ‘chemo’. That’s why we have no options; the cancer is now attacking her other eye. But as a mother, I have to try everything; and I’m going to fight this,” she said.

“We have spent every dime that we had. We had a little help; we had help from family and friends, but you know, medical is not cheap, and that’s why I came out to the public, and I’m begging for help… Whatever I can get, no matter how little it is I need. I’m not going to let this cancer take my daughter,”

Balkarran added.

According to the distraught mother, the cancer is moving aggressively, and as the tumor grows larger, it breaks the bones in her daughter’s face, which means that she will also need facial reconstruction surgery.

Describing her daughter as “a gift from God,” Balkarran said despite her ailment and the tremendous pain, she is “as bright as a rainbow”, and remains in high spirits.

Anyone wishing to assist the family can make contact with Balkarran on +592692- 4045.

FIU launches on-line portal for report submissions THE Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has launched an on-line portal to facilitate timely submission of reports by reporting entities as part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is according to Director of the FIU, Matthew Langevine, who during a recent interview with a section of the media outlined some of the challenges brought on by the pandemic and the unit’s response.

Langevine explained that the initiation of the on-line reporting platform came after the FIU was unable to receive reports over the counter for several months due to the pandemic.

“One of the biggest positives coming out of the whole issue with the pandemic is that we were able to put more emphasis on our on-line reporting forum. During 2020, the FIU through our partners in the United States, they funded an on-line reporting

platform where reporting entities can now submit their obligatory reports through a safe and secure online portal,” Langevine said.

He noted that during the pandemic, the FIU conducted and completed all testing in relation to the platform and it was able to become fully operational.

Since the launch of the on-line platform, the FIU received positive feedback with a number of reporting entities utilising the forum, which demonstrated the efficiency of the platform and an indication that it has been working well.

“We hope that in 2021 a lot more of the entities will be reporting through that forum and will be avoiding the need to come and visit the FIU to drop off their reports,” Langevine stressed.

Besides the launching of the on-line reporting platform, the FIU was able to develop itself and strengthen

Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit, Matthew Langevine its human personnel.

“During the period of the pandemic also, we used a lot of the time to ensure that the staff within the FIU completed a lot of on-line training programmes that were available through the United Nations Organization for Drug

Control (UNODC) and a lot of other on-line training that became available because of the pandemic,” Langevine explained.

He added: “2020 provided an opportunity because of the pandemic for us to do a lot of on-line training and so we believe our staff are becoming increasingly more prepared and competent in terms of completing the work of the FIU and making our job a lot more effective.”

The FIU was established under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act 2009 and is responsible for requesting, receiving, analyzing and dissemination of suspicious transaction reports and other information relating to money laundering, terrorist financing or the proceeds of crime.

A reporting entity is any person or entity that is involved in any of the

businesses, professions or activities listed in the First Schedule of the AML/CFT Act of 2009, inclusive of,

but not limited to licensed financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses or professions.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Region Two in need of home for abused women, children –– PPP/C councillor says

By Indrawattie Natram

PEOPLE’S Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) councillor, Veriena Rasheed, last Monday, called on the Ministry of Human Services to construct a home in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) for the accommodation of abused women and children.

Veriena was at the time addressing the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) statutory meeting for the month of December.

Speaking to her fellow councillors in the RDC boardroom, Rasheed said women and children in the region are being abused on a daily basis and, oftentimes, they have nowhere to go. She said due to the pandemic, many women are being beaten in their homes.

“Many women reach out to me. They are home with their husbands who are beating them. They can’t speak out because there is nowhere to go,” Rasheed said.

She, therefore, requested that a shelter be constructed in the region so that abused individuals can be accommodated. The shelter, she suggested can also be used to

conduct training and to empower women.

APNU+AFC councillor, Mark Mc Lean, supported the idea and he used the opportunity to highlight a disturbing trend he has noticed in recent times.

He disclosed that families are taking their elders to the Suddie Public Hospital and abandoning them. Currently, the hospital has several cases of elders permanently living in the ward since their family members are refusing to collect them.

Meanwhile, Region Two Chairperson, Vilma De Silva, also supported the call for the construction of a home for abused persons. She said the council will be working to make this idea a reality in 2021.

De Silva noted that she has a passion for women empowerment and she would be happy to see a shelter built to not only protect them, but to enhance their lives.

Regional Executive Officer, Devanand Ramdatt, said that while construction of a home may not be possible, the administration can perhaps look for an available building that can serve this purpose.

Like the Chairperson, he said the RDC will be working assiduously to address this issue in the new year.

Veriena Rasheed making comments during the statutory meeting

Three homeless after North Ruimveldt fire

The North Ruimveldt house on fire A MAN, his reputed wife and their child are now homeless after fire gutted their two-storey house in North Ruimveldt, Georgetown on Tuesday night.

The fire is believed to have started around 21:00 hrs. An eyewitness claimed that the blaze started in the upper flat of the building after a series of arguments between the man and his reputed wife.

“The two of them been arguing and arguing, and then he end up leffing. And we see she deh up deh doing something; next t’ing yuh know, we see a light. So we didn’t take it for anything, but then we see de t’ing raise up more high,” the eyewitness told the Guyana Chronicle.

Persons at the scene of the blaze said they saw the woman running from the house after the fire began to spread throughout the building.

Neighbours and residents in the area promptly entered the house and recovered most of the furniture before severe damage was done. Members of the Guyana Fire Service were summoned to the scene, but by the time they arrived, the fire had already engulfed the building. They managed to put out the blaze, but the damage had already been done.

The suspect was taken into police custody, and investigations into the incident have begun.

Alleged chain snatcher remanded A man, who allegedly snatched a gold chain from a woman’s neck, was, on Monday, remanded to prison by Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus when he made an appearance in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Keshon Alexander pleaded not guilty to larceny from the person.

The charge alleged that Alexander, on December 22, at Regent Street and Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown, stole from the person of Nelisha Williams one gold chain and pendant valued $90,000.

Prosecutor Austin mentioned to the court that, on the day in question, about 13:42 hours,

Williams was standing on Regent Street, on the western side of Avenue of the Republic, waiting for a friend. During her wait, Alexander suddenly appeared and snatched her gold chain, with pendant, from around her neck and escaped on foot. Williams raised an alarm and ran behind Alexander, who was eventually apprehended by the police and public spirited citizens.

A search was conducted on his person and the stolen gold chain was allegedly found in his pants crotch area. He was told of the allegation before being cautioned and charged.

The matter was adjourned until February 8.

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Man charged for knife-point robbery remanded

A man, who was allegedly caught with stolen items minutes after robbing another at knife-point, was, on Monday, remanded to prison by Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Zelroy Boyce pleaded not guilty to the charge which alleged that he, on December 24, at Regent Street, Georgetown, being in the company of others and armed with an offensive weapon, specifically, a knife, robbed Mohan Mootoo of one Iphone 5 cellular phone valued at $35,000, one silver band valued at $25,000 and $10,000 cash.

Prosecutor Austin mentioned to the court that, on the day in question, Mootoo, while walking down the pavement of Regent Street, was approached by Boyce. Boyce allegedly pushed him into a stand on the pavement and pulled out a silver knife from his pants waist and lashed him to the head.

It was further mentioned that Boyce pulled off Mootoo’s chain from around his neck and removed the other articles, mentioned in the charge, from his pants pocket. Mootoo raised an alarm which then caused Boyce to escape, on foot. Three traffic ranks, who were in the vicinity, gave chase and were able to apprehend Boyce not too far from where the incident occurred.

A search was conducted on his person and the stolen items were found in his possession. Boyce was arrested and charged for the offence.

The matter was adjourned until January 11.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, December 30, 2020

GWI distributes 270 ‘hot meals’ in Regions 4 and 6

THE Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) on Tuesday hosted its first ever ‘Holiday Hot Meal’ activities in Central Georgetown, in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), and New Amsterdam, Berbice, in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

This saw 150 hot meals and beverages being distributed in the capital city, and another 120 hot meals and beverages being distributed in Berbice.

Ministers of Housing and Water, Mr. Collin Croal and Ms. Susan Rodrigues joined the mobile GWI team, and assisted in the distribution of the meals and beverages, in the vicinity of the New Amsterdam Market.

GWI’s team in George-

Ministers of Housing and Water, Mr. Collin Croal and Ms. Susan Rodrigues during the distribution exercise on Tuesday town included Executive Director of Human Resources Management and Development, Mr. Elvis Jordon; Executive Director of Corporate Services, Mr. Nigel Niles and other staff. This leg of the activity was done in the vicinity of the Bourda Market.

The initiative is a collaborative one among the

company, management and board of directors who have given generously to make it a success.

GWI takes pride in its quest to fulfill its corporate social responsibility by, among other initiatives, giving back to communities, a release from the company said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Holder, Pollard, Bravo and Hetmyer Mulder, Sipamla star as Mulder, out of Bangladesh tour S. Africa complete innings By Cliftonpull Ross experienced head in opener tour, Harper said he respectKraigg Brathwaite, who re- ed their decision, adding GUYANA Jaguars left-arm gains more responsibility than that it created a lot of big victory v Sri Lanka spinner Veerasammy Per- before after being relieved of opportunities to see what

By Nick Said

PRETORIA, South Africa (Reuters) - Rookie seam bowlers Wiaan Mulder and Lutho Sipamla took two wickets each as South Africa bowled injury-hit Sri Lanka out for 180 to complete a handsome victory by an innings and 45 runs on day four of the first Test at Centurion Park yesterday.

The tourists resumed their second innings on 65 for two on a wicket that provided plenty of assistance for the seam bowlers and when dangerous opener Kusal Perera was out for 64, their hopes of saving the Test were realistically over.

Sri Lanka had suffered crippling injuries to their bowling attack in the Test and were also without middle-order batsman Dhananjaya de Silva for the second innings, a major concern for their home series against England that starts on January 14.

The tourists posted an impressive 396 in their first innings, but allowed South Africa to amass 621 in reply, and will need to find more potency with the ball ahead of the second Test that starts in Johannesburg on January 3.

“A Test match is never easy and it has been a year since we won one, so it feels good,” South Africa captain Quinton de Kock said at the post-match presentation.

“To finish how we did is very pleasing. There were a lot of demons in the wicket.

“Day one we were disappointed with our bowling performance, but we came back towards the end and then came out with the bat and showed some great character.

“Our planning was really good and that is what we will take forward to the second

Test.”

All-rounder Mulder (239) showed in Sri Lanka’s first turn at bat that he was able to get movement off the wicket with his gentle medium pace, and created a number of chances on the fourth morning before he finally got reward.

An in-swinging delivery saw Dinesh Chandimal bowled for 25, before Niroshan Dickwella edged to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock (10).

When Anrich Nortje (247) induced an edge from the blazing bat of opener Perera, the game was effectively up for the visitors with their score on 114 and five wickets down.

Dasun Shanaka (6) became the sixth wicket in the Test for debutant seamer Lutho Sipamla (2-24) as he also provided a catch for de Kock, and Vishwa Fernando was run-out on the stroke of lunch.

South Africa bowled part-time spinner Aiden Markram after the interval in tandem with Keshav Maharaj in a bid to raise their slow over rate and avoid a sanction from the International Cricket Council (ICC), but it lowered the intensity of their attack.

That allowed Sri Lanka’s debutant all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga to rack up a maiden Test half-century in only 46 balls, before he was caught in the deep off Sipamla for an excellent 59.

“We were in the driving seat scoring almost 400 runs (in the first innings), but we lost bowlers to injury and that is why it ended up like this,” Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne said.

“As a batting unit I am happy. I hope the young fast bowlers can do the job for me in the second Test.

We will need a positive mindset.”

SCOREBOARD SRI LANKA first innings 396 SOUTH AFRICA 1st innings 621 SRI LANKA 2nd innings Dimuth Karunaratne b Lungi Ngidi

6 Kusal Perera c Quinton de Kock b Anrich Nortje 64 Kusal Mendis c Rassie van der Dussen b Lungi Ngidi 0 Dinesh Chandimal b Wiaan Mulder

25 Niroshan Dickwella c Quinton de Kock b Wiaan Mulder 10 Dasun Shanaka c Quinton de Kock b Lutho Sipamla 6 Wanindu Hasaranga c Temba Bavuma b Lutho Sipamla 59 Vishwa Fernando run-out Wiaan Mulder

0 Kasun Rajitha c Keshav Maharaj b Anrich Nortje 0 Lahiru Kumara not out

0 EXTRAS: (b-4, lb-2, nb-4) 10 TOTAL: (all out, 46.1 overs)

180 Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-22, 3-85, 4-99, 5-114, 6-142, 7-148, 8-179, 9-180.

Bowling: Lungi Ngidi 10-2-38-2 (nb-1), Anrich Nortje 10.1147-2 (nb-1), Wiaan Mulder 12-1-39-2 (nb-1), Lutho Sipamla 5-0-24-2 (nb-1), Keshav Maharaj 6-3-20-0,

maul and all-rounder Raymon Reifer were among the faces in a somewhat new-look West Indies Test team who will be kicking 2021 off with a tour of Bangladesh.

Yesterday, Cricket West Indies (CWI) named the Test and One-Day International (ODI) squads for the upcoming tour which features three ODIs and two Tests.

Permaul, the Caribbean’s most successful spinner with more than 500 first-class wickets, ironically made his international debut against the Bangladeshis way back in 2012 and played a few series before going back to his roots as a class act on the West Indies regional circuit.

Now with Windies core of players fresh off the England and New Zealand tours opting out of next month’s series due to COVID-19 related concerns, the Caribbean Boys will now field a different side with more youth impetus.

CWI’s COVID-19 policy allows any player to opt out of selection for an overseas tour, only when based on the player’s own safety fears or concerns, with those decisions not having any impact with regard to their consideration for future selection.

Original Test skipper Jason Holder, T20 captain Kieron Pollard, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Test vice-captain Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran all elected to skip the Bangladesh series.

The pair of all-rounder Fabian Allen and Test wicket-keeper/batsman Shane Dowrich also opted out but due to more personal reasons.

Those missing stars have opened up a number of spots in both the Test and ODI teams.

The Test unit will be led by an

his vice-captaincy duties to focus more on batting; ahead of the New Zealand series.

In-form batsman and Windies’ leading run-scorer for 2020, Jermaine Blackwood was named Test vice-captain. Joshua DaSilva, Rakeem Cornwall, John Campbell and other are among the familiar Test stars in the mix.

The ODI team also features a fresh lineup as former Trinidad & Tobago/West Indies A team captain, Jason Mohammed makes a return and will lead the team with Sunil Ambris as vice-captain.

Two rookie players have earned their maiden ODI callup: Akeal Hosein, the leftarm spinning all-rounder and left-handed batsman Kjorn Ottley.

Meanwhile, CWI chief selector Roger Harper backed the two squads and the selectees, both new and experienced. He added that a number of those selections were warranted by last season’s CWI Regional tournaments.

“Kavem Hodge will be on his first tour with the team. He has been around for a few years and has made a case for himself and he now gets his chance.

The fact that he also bowls leftarm spin has certainly helped his cause.” Harper explained.

The CWI head selector continued, “We also have Kyle Mayers and Shayne Moseley, who have both toured with the team to England and New Zealand as reserves, being selected in the Test Squad for the first time. Moseley coming off successful ‘A Team’ games in New Zealand and Mayers who has performed well in each of the CWI regional tournaments and also the CPL, over the last year.” Harper stated.

Regarding the seasoned players choosing to stay away from the Bangladesh

the young core is made of.

“The absence of several more experienced players has certainly provided an opportunity for the left-handed Kjorn Ottley who has had a good Super50 tournament last year.

He will be very keen to make his mark. Tours of Bangladesh are never easy as they always play well in their own conditions.” he said.

“Although a number of the senior players are missing in both formats, I expect our teams to be very competitive. I expect our players to play with purpose, with passion and with the desire to prove that they belong at this level.” Harper ended.

Ideally, the three ODIs are the first matches in the West Indies ICC World Cup Super League campaign with the opportunity to qualify for the ICC World Cup 2023.

Meanwhile, the West Indies touring party is set to arrive in Dhaka on January 10 and the series will run until February 15.

West Indies Test Squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Jermaine Blackwood (vice-captain), Nkrumah Bonner, John Campbell, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Kavem Hodge, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Shayne M o s e l e y, Ve e r a s a m m y Permaul, Kemar Roach, Raymon Reifer and Jomel Warrican We s t I n d i e s O D I Squad: Jason Mohammed (captain), Sunil Ambris (vice-captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Joshua Da Silva, Jahmar Hamilton, Chemar Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Andre McCarthy, Kjorn Ottley, Rovman Powell, Raymon Reifer, Romario Shepherd and Hayden Walsh Jr.

Linden All Stars ...TURN FROM BACK PAGE

The first 10 minutes was quite eventual with the probing being initiated by the young East Coast squad which had some good shots on goal but shortly after found themselves on the receiving end.

A collision in the 8th minute almost put the East Coast goalkeeper, Shawn Adonis, out of the picture. He did recover but was evidently limping for the remainder of the first half.

That immediately put East Coast at a disadvantage since he was struggling to cover ground. Even though they controlled possession for the majority of the first half, it was the Mining Town All Stars who drew first blood.

Taking on an injured custodian who had no re-

placement, Linden’s Curtez Kellman easily lobbed his effort over the head of Adonis in the 34 thminute for the lead.

Seven minutes later the lead was doubled when Abumuchi Benjamin successfully took on a defender and the goalkeeper and easily tucked his shot in the back of the net.

East Coast was the aggressor for the entire first half while Linden played a slower, more composed game.

The second half was much of the same with a lot of chances squandered in front of goal by both sides.

East Coast implemented a make-shift custodian but his inexperience allowed two early goals that put Linden comfortably

ahead.

Omari Glasgow managed to pull one back for East Coast in the 50th minute but goals from Jermain Junor (53rd) and Benjamin (58th) regained the momentum for Linden.

Glasgow’s tireless effort down the wing must be commended since he was the backbone of the East Coast attack in contrast to the opposition’s team effort.

A penalty attempt in the 79th minute taken by Jamar Harrigan was East Coast’s second and final goal as they fell well short of Linden’s performance.

The night wrapped up with the Georgetown All Stars versus West Demerara showdown. Details of that match will be available in Chronicle Sport’s December 31 issue.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Resilient India thump Aussies in second Test to silence critics (AFP) - Stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane led India to a dominant eight-wicket win over Australia in the second Test yesterday, levelling the series 1-1 and capping an extraordinary turnaround after their record collapse in the opening game.

Rahane, deputising during Virat Kohli’s paternity leave, hit an unbeaten 27 in Melbourne -- after a century in the first innings -- as India reached the meagre target of 70 for the loss of two wickets.

It capped a remarkable comeback for an Indian side desperate to make amends after losing in Adelaide by eight wickets, when they posted their lowest ever score of 36 and were widely criticised at home.

And they bounced back without superstar and batting mainstay Kohli, who has returned home for the birth of his first child.

“Really proud of all the players,” said Rahane.

“I want to give credit to the debutants (Mohammed) Siraj and (Shubman) Gill, the character they showed after the Adelaide loss was great to see. Character was important for us.”

Kohli, watching at home in India, tweeted his congratulations.

“What a win this is, absolutely amazing effort by the whole team,” he said.

“Couldn’t be happier for

the boys and specially Jinks (Rahane) who led the team to a victory amazingly.”

‘SLOPPY CRICKET’ Under the mild-mannered Rahane, India battled hard to dismiss Australia for 195 in the first innings and then posted 326 in reply.

Rahane and Gill (35) then saw India home, but not before some nervous moments.

Mitchell Starc got a nick from the out-of-form Mayank Agarwal (5), which Tim Paine caught then Pat Cummins snared Cheteshwar Pujara for three, edged to Green at gully.

India captain Ajinkya Rahane hit the winning runs in the second Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (Getty Images)

Australia resumed their second innings on day four on 133 for six with a two-run lead, and their hopes resting on 21-year-old rookie all-rounder Cameron Green.

He made 45 as they battled to 200 before tail-ender Josh Hazlewood was the last man to fall before lunch.

Siraj took 3-37 with Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin grabbing two each.

It left India on 19 for two before they regained their composure to seal the win.

“Very disappointed, played poor cricket, sloppy cricket,” said Australia captain Paine.

“Let’s not take anything away from India; they forced us to make mistakes. They bowled beautifully, we haven’t adapted as well as we would have liked.

“Disappointed as a batting group, but two Tests to go.”

To make matters worse for

Australia, they were fined 40 percent of their match fee and docked four World Test Championship points for a slow overrate.

MATCH-WINNER RAHANE Australia had collapsed to 99 for six in the run chase on Monday before Green and Cummins knuckled down to weather 18 overs and steer them to stumps.

Green showed glimpses of his magic, cutting Ashwin and driving Bumrah beautifully for fours, while also exhibiting patience.

But in only his second Test, he was undone by Siraj, caught

by Jadeja as he looked to find the boundary with a pull shot, ending a 146-ball stay.

Cummins survived chances on 15 and 19, but when Bumrah took the new ball he finally fell, gloving a rising delivery to Agarwal.

Starc was unbeaten on 14 with Nathan Lyon caught behind off Siraj for three, and Hazlewood making 10.

Australia’s hopes rested with the tail-enders after their top order failed to fire, exposing the fragile nature of their batting in the absence of the injured David Warner.

Opener Joe Burns again flopped, out for four, to put his place in the team for the third Test next week at risk, while Travis Head (17) also disappointed and Steve Smith’s poor run continued, gone for eight.

Their troubles came despite India being a bowler down following Umesh Yadav’s

calf strain on Monday, a further setback for a team already missing Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma.

But India’s weakened attack rose to the occasion, with Bumrah at the top of his game and Siraj impressing, while experienced spinners Jadeja and Ashwin consistently posed problems.

But it was Rahane’s gritty 112 that ultimately proved

match-winning.

He came to the crease with his team in trouble at 64 for three and, against one of the world’s most potent bowling attacks, reached a 12th Test century - one that pundits rated as perhaps his most important ever.

The third Test is due to start on January 7 in Sydney.

SCOREBOARD AUSTRALIA 1st innings 195 INDIA 1st innings 326 AUSTRALIA 2nd innings Matthew Wade lbw Ravindra Jadeja

40 Joe Burns c Rishabh Pant b Umesh Yadav

4 Marnus Labuschagne c Ajinkya Rahane b Ravichandran Ashwin 28 Steven Smith b Jasprit Bumrah

8 Travis Head c Mayank Agarwal b Mohammed Siraj 17 Cameron Green c Ravindra Jadeja b Mohammed Siraj 45 Tim Paine c Rishabh Pant b Ravindra Jadeja 1 Pat Cummins c Mayank Agarwal b Jasprit Bumrah 22 Mitchell Starc not out

14 Nathan Lyon c Rishabh Pant b Mohammed Siraj

3 Josh Hazlewood b Ravichandran Ashwin

10 EXTRAS: (lb-5, nb-3) 8 TOTAL: (all out, 103.1 overs)

200 Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-42, 3-71, 4-98, 5-98, 6-99, 7-156, 8-177, 9-185.

Bowling: Jasprit Bumrah 27-6-54-2 (nb-2), Umesh Yadav 3.30-5-1, Mohammed Siraj 21.3-4-37-3, Ravichandran Ashwin 37.1-6-71-2, Ravindra Jadeja 14-5-28-2 (nb-1).

---------------------------------------------------------INDIA 2nd innings Mayank Agarwal c Tim Paine b Mitchell Starc

5 Shubman Gill not out

35 Cheteshwar Pujara c Cameron Green b Pat Cummins 3 Ajinkya Rahane mot out

27 EXTRAS: 0 TOTAL: (two wkts, 15.5 overs)

70 Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-19.

Bowling: itchell Starc 4-0-20-1, Pat Cummins 5-0-22-1, Josh Hazlewood 3-1-14-0, Nathan Lyon 2.5- 0-5-0,

BCB, RHTYSC present Clayton Lambert with ‘Tribute to Heroes’ Award

...Hetmyer, Shepherd and Permaul among players honoured FORMER Guyana/West Indies batsman Clayton Lambert was the recipient of the Tribute to Heroes Award while Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd and others were honoured recently as part of the Berbice Cricket Board’s (BCB) recent Brian Ramphal ceremony.

“You are our hero as you have always represented our county, country and the West Indies with pride, passion and commitment. Every young cricketer in the county should take a page out of your book and strive to follow in your footstep.

“We at the Berbice Cricket Board are very proud to honour you for your service and your contribution to the development of the game.” Those were the words of BCB president Hilbert Foster as the Board presented former Berbice, Guyana and West Indies player Clayton Lambert with its highest award, the Tribute to Heroes, under the annual Brian Ramphal Awards Programme.

Lambert also received the Rose Hall Town Youth

and Sports Club, MS highest award, the Dolphin Award of Excellence during a moving tribute programme held at the BCB, Charlotte Street Office in New Amsterdam.

284 runs at an average of 31.56 with a single century (104) versus England. Lambert also played eleven One Day Internationals scoring 368 runs at an average of 33.45 with

where he represented that country at the international level for a brief period at the age of forty-two years.

Foster, whose administration strongly believes in hon-

Clayton Lambert poses with some of the other awardees including Veersammy Permaul and Romario Shepherd

Lambert for over fifteen years was the mainstay of the batting lineup for Berbice at the Inter- County level and is considered the second-best opening batsman for Guyana after the late Roy Clinton Fredericks.

He played five Test matches for the West Indies, scoring

a highest score of 119 versus England.

The burly opener also scored over 8 000 first-class runs with a top score of 263 not out versus Winward Islands at Skeldon. He retired from first-class cricket in 1999 before migrating to the United States of America,

ouring the heroes of Berbice Cricket stated that the Tribute to Heroes Award is the highest one in the Ancient County and is reserved especially for persons who excelled on the cricket field and those who served beyond the call of duty as administrators and umpires.

Foster urged Lambert

to share his vast experience with the younger players and expressed gratitude to him for his investment into Berbice Cricket. Lambert recently obtained $1.5M worth of cricket gear for the BCB youth development programme.

Lambert, in a heartfelt speech, stated that he felt humbled to receive the award. He hailed the outstanding work of the Foster-led administration and committed himself to assisting more in the future.

Other awardees of the Tribute to Heroes in the past include Carl Moore, Basil Butcher, Mortimer George, Malcolm Peters, Joe Solomon, Leslaine Lambert, Roy Baijnauth, Ancel Hazel and Lennox Phillips.

Lambert received trophies, medals, gifts and a special Christmas cake from the BCB and RHTYSC, MS. Meanwhile, BCB also honoured national players Veersammy Permaul, Anthony Bramble, Romario Shepherd, Kevin Sinclair, Niall Smith and Romario Shepherd under the Brian Ramphal Awards Programme.

Permaul, who is eyeing

a return to the international cricket was recognised for been the top bowler at the regional level in 2020 while Bramble was honoured for being the top wicketkeeper for Guyana at the first-class level.

Shepherd was recognised for scoring his 1st first-class century and Hetmyer received a special award for being an outstanding ambassador of Berbice Cricket. Smith and Sinclair were also honoured for making their first-class debut during 2020.

Foster congratulated the awardees for being good representatives of Berbice and for continuing the rich tradition of Rohan Kanhai, Basil Butcher and Alvin Kallicharran. Each one of the awardees received a trophy and medal. Former West Indies player Clayton Lambert handed over the awards on behalf of the board.

Brian Ramphal is a long-standing sponsor of the BCB, who lives in the United States and is an investor in the Tech Industry. Over the last three years, he has invested over $2M in the development of Berbice cricket.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Bangladesh tour could spawn ‘fruitful careers’: Director of Cricket Adams BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (CMC) – Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams believes next month’s tour of Bangladesh could signal the start of “long and fruitful careers” for some members of the squad, once they grabbed the opportunities presented in the absence of seasoned players.

Several new players were yesterday included for their first international tour after 10 first-choice members of the Test and One-Day International sides declined selection for the January 20 to February 15 series due to “COVID-19 related concerns or personal fears”.

Two others, white-ball leftarm spinning all-rounder Fabien Allen and Test wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich, opted out of the tour for “personal reasons”.

“The circumstance with players choosing not to go is something I view as an opportunity,” Adams told

an online media conference following the announcement of the Test and ODI squads for Bangladesh.

“The subcontinent has individual challenges that over the years a lot of West Indies players have almost made a name for themselves in touring pretty early in (their careers in) subcontinent conditions.

“And I look at a group of players that will not have the experience of some of those who have pulled out, but I don’t think that they’re short on talent; and I have every confidence that with the management team that we have put around them in Phil Simmons and his support staff, we have every chance of seeing not only good performances but probably the start of some very long and fruitful careers.

“This is the approach that I personally take when I look at

a tour like this.”

The Test squad will miss captain and leading all-rounder Jason Holder, along with Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase and Shimron Hetmyer from the squad which toured New Zealand.

The one-day squad, meanwhile, has been weakened by the absence of skipper Kieron Pollard, Sheldon Cottrell, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope, Nicholas Pooran and Hetmyer.

Selectors have, meanwhile, called up the uncapped trio of Kavem Hodge, Kyle Mayers and Shayne Moseley in the 15-man Test squad while Mayers, Akeal Hosein, Kjorn Ottley, Andre McCarthy, Nkrumah Bonner, Joshua Da Silva, Jahmar Hamilton and Chemar Holder are all poised to for their ODI debuts.

Though the squads are

largely inexperienced, Adams said expectations were high based on the talent levels.

CWI director of cricket Jimmy Adams

“We’ll get to see a slightly younger group touring now under different conditions than we have here in the Caribbean,” said the former West Indies captain.

“I’d be lying if I said I

didn’t have a sense of excitement looking on what I consider to be a very talented, younger group of players under a really strong management team, and we’re expecting good performances.”

The tour will be the third for West Indies amid the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, following series away to England last July and New Zealand earlier this month.

And with players having to face the mental challenges of isolation and quarantine, and playing before empty stands in a bio-secure ‘bubble’, Adams said CWI had committed its full support to players in ensuring their good mental health was maintained.

“Life in the bubble is something that CWI has recognised can affect players and to that end, for both the England tour (earlier in the year) and for this tour

coming up to Bangladesh, part of the touring party will be a sports psychologist who will actually tour instead of staying in the Caribbean and providing long-arm support.

“We’re still in the relatively early stages on what effect this type of lifestyle and touring will have on players and it is something that we’re gathering data (on) tour by tour as we go along, through feedback from players.

“But at the very least we feel having that kind of (support) in the person of a sports psychologist on hand for the players is something that at least should help should there be any issues on tour.”

West Indies face Bangladesh in three ODIs from January 20 to 25 in Dhaka and Chattogram, and in two Tests from February 3 to 5 in the same two cities.

Premier League COVID-19 positives hit fresh high amid fixture fears Holder’s man-of-the-match cameo (REUTERS) - The Premier League recorded more COVID-19 positives than ever yesterday amid fears for fixtures across English soccer after match postponements.

The league said 18 individuals had tested positive for the new coronavirus, the most in a week this season, with bottom side Sheffield United reporting a number of fresh cases in their camp.

United’s match at Burnley yesterday remained on, with the club saying those who tested positive had entered into a 10-day period of self-isolation in line with Premier League and government guidelines.

The league conducted tests on 1 479 players and staff between December 21 and 27 but did not name the people who tested positive or their clubs.

Since the season kicked off, 131 individuals in the English top flight have test-

ed positive in 17 rounds of testing. The previous weekly high of 16 positives was between November 9 and 15.

On Monday, Manchester City reported numerous positive cases in their squad - days after striker Gabriel Jesus and defender Kyle Walker tested positive - forcing the league to postpone their match at Everton.

City’s training ground was closed as a precaution and their game at Chelsea on Sunday remained in doubt, with Chelsea boss Frank Lampard saying the match will not go ahead if it is unsafe for both teams.

The postponement was the second this season after an outbreak at Newcastle United forced the league to call off their match at Aston Villa earlier this month.

Arsenal said their Brazilian defender Gabriel had tested positive for COVID-19 and would not be available for their next

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER WEDNESDAY, December 30, 2020

COMPLIMENTS OF XTRA ENERGY DRINK – STABROEK BAZAAR (Tel: 683-9500) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD – 83 Garnett street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) ANSWERS TO YESTERDAY’S QUIZ:

(1) 6227 runs (2) 309 wickets

TODAY’S QUIZ:

(1) Who is the first Guyanese to captain the WI team?

(2) Who is the first Guyanese to score a century on his Test match debut?

ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

two matches.

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuettl was absent from yesterday’s home game against West Ham United after he had to self-isolate due to a positive COVID-19 test in his household.

Ten of yesterday’s Football League matches were postponed, including Millwall v Watford in the Championship (second tier), with fears for January’s FA Cup third round fixtures.

Wensley Tensel, club doctor at League One Rochdale, told the BBC that the authorities should consider calling a halt as infection levels increased rapidly.

“Should the season still be going on?” he asked.

“In the middle of a pandemic and the spread and all that’s going on ... we’ve got these tier four places where people can’t travel but footballers can go in and out and take things back to their family, I think it’s probably not the wisest thing at the moment.”

The Daily Telegraph reported that some Premier League chairmen had discussed informally a possible two-week ‘cooling-off’ break in the season next month.

The United Kingdom has recorded more than 2.3 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 71 000 deaths.

Countries across the globe shut their borders to Britain last week due to fears about a highly infectious new variant of the coronavirus.

fires Sixers to last-over win

GOLD COAST, Australia (CMC) – West Indies Test captain and all-rounder Jason Holder blasted 16 runs from the last over to earn Sydney Sixers a thrilling two-wicket win over Melbourne Renegades with a ball to spare, in the Australian Big Bash here yesterday.

Chasing 169 for victory at Carrara Oval, Sixers found themselves tentatively placed on 153 for eight after 19 overs, with the contest poised to go either way.

Kept scoreless off the first ball of the over by seamer Will Sutherland, Holder scampered two to deep point off the second delivery before launching a calculated assault.

With mid-off up, Holder cleared the fielder with the third delivery to find the boundary before smacking a full toss back overhead off the fourth ball, for his second straight four.

The 29-year-old then cleared the ropes at long off to end the game in sensational fashion, finishing unbeaten on 33 from 18 balls with three fours and

two sixes, to earn Man-ofthe-Match honours.

Opener Josh Philippe had earlier top-scored with 48 off 30 deliveries with eight fours, putting on 53 for the first wicket with Jack Edwards who made 21 from 19 balls.

by opener Shaun Marsh’s 67, in a 75-run opening stand with captain Aaron Finch who made 39 from 32 balls.

Marsh faced 48 balls and struck five fours and two sixes, adding a further 46 for the second wicket

West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder celebrates after hitting the winning runs yesterday

But Philippe, after adding a further 23 for the second wicket with James Vince (13), became the first of two wickets for Pakistan left-arm spinner Imad Wasim (2-20), sparking a slide that saw four wickets tumble for 42 runs.

West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite made only four before falling in the penultimate over, skying fast bowler Kane Richardson (2-21) to mid-off.

Choosing to bat first, Renegades were propelled

with wicketkeeper Sam Harper (18) before his demise in the 15th over at the hands of Brathwaite, saw the next five wickets go down for 38 runs.

Brathwaite finished with two for 42 from four overs of medium pace while fast bowler Holder, who was handed the new ball, picked up one for 41 from his four overs.

Sixers currently sit atop the eight-team table with 16 points from four wins and one defeat.

27

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Uncapped trio get stamp of approval from Harper ST JOHN’S, Antigua, , (CMC) – Chief selector Roger Harper says the uncapped trio of Kavem Hodge, Kyle Mayers and Shayne Moseley, have the potential to make a difference for West Indies in the longest format, following their inclusion in the 15-man Test squad for the tour of Bangladesh.

years and has made a case for himself and he now gets his chance,” Harper said.

“The fact that he also bowls left arm spin has certainly helped his cause.

“We also have Kyle Mayers and Shayne Moseley, who have both toured with the team to England and New Zealand as reserves, being selected in the

Windward Islands Volcanoes right-hander, Kavem Hodge

Their selection came as a surprise Tuesday following the withdrawal of six players from the Test squad, including long-standing captain and leading all-rounder Jason Holder, due to what Cricket West Indies said were “COVID-19 related concerns or personal fears”.

Harper said the two-Test tour would serve as an excellent opportunity for the three players to make their marks.

“Kavem Hodge will be on his first tour with the team.

He has been around for a few

Test squad for the first time.

“Moseley coming off successful ‘A Team’ games in New Zealand and Mayers who has performed well in each of the CWI regional tournaments and also the CPL, over the last year.”

Hodge, a 27-year-old Dominican, boasts a modest record with three hundreds in 40 first class games at an average of just 28, while taking 44 wickets.

In the last four-day season, however, he scored 454 runs at

an average of nearly 38, with one hundred for Windward Islands Volcanoes.

“He’s been knocking on the door for quite a while and this is his opportunity,” Harper continued.

“I think he had a very decent regional four-day championship earlier this year. His left-arm spin could also be a plus for the team as well especially with someone like Roston Chase missing. That could be an advantage [for us].

“Opportunities like this come for a reason so this is his chance to show what he can do at the highest level.”

Mayers, meanwhile, flourished over the last year in first class cricket, plundering 654 runs at an average of 50 with two hundreds, in the four-day tournament for Barbados Pride.

An ultra-attacking lefthander, the 28-year-old made his debut for West Indies in the T20 International series against New Zealand last month with

little fanfare.

He also failed to impress in two four-day “Tests” against New Zealand A earlier this month.

Moseley, 26, was one to shine against New Zealand A, hitting a hundred and a fifty in the second “Test” in Nelson, to back up 490 runs at an average of 35 for Pride during the last first class season.

Harper said while the trio were inexperienced, like several included in the one-day squad,

he expected to see a high level of pride in performances.

“I expect our players to play with purpose, with passion and with the desire to prove that they belong at this level. We look forward to that with a great sense of excitement and anticipation,” Harper stressed.

West Indies arrive in Bangladesh on January 10 and will play two Tests – the first in Chattogram from February 3-7 and the second starting four days later in Dhaka.

a r v B o , d a r n a d l l o H P e , t r m pull out of e y d l e o r H Bangladesh tour SEE PAGE 24

Veerasammy Permaul

… Permaul, Reifer among Test selectees in Windies new-look squads

Jason Mohammed Kraigg Braithwaite

IT was an intriguing sight to behold football once again on the highest scale in Guyana as the sport resumed with the Bounce Back Football organised

by Guyana Football Federation (GFF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and the Kashif and Shanghai (K&S) Organisation.

Prior to the commencement of the event, a huge amount of sponsors hopped onboarding to ensure the football’s successful return.

The first match of the double- header at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, featured Linden All Stars and East Coast All Stars which began at quite a fast pace.

A well contested match was expected since a chance to make the Golden Jaguars roster was at stake aside from the large incentives for the top finisher and it was either win or go home.

At the regulation time whistle the score line read 4-2 in favour of the Linden All Stars who will battle for top honors in the final which will be contested on New Year’s Day.

GFF/MCYS/K&S Bounce Back Football…

Linden All Stars storm into final with 4-2 over East Coast

Referee Colin Abel tries to avoid the battle of the number 11s between Linden (white) and East Coast (green) in the opening match of the Bounce Back Football Tournament SEE PAGE 26

TURN TO PAGE 24

Bangladesh tour could spawn ‘fruitful careers’: Director of Cricket Adams

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2020