Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 31-12-2021

FRIDAY 31st DECEMBER, 2021

No. 106591

Minister Walrond: APNU+AFC believes it has monopoly over Afro-Guyanese and can bully them

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Recalcitrant Opposition parliamentarians to be sanctioned SEE PAGE

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- House Speaker says replica of Mace ensured legal passage of NRF Bill

Senior ministers of the Government of Guyana addressing reporters at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Thursday (Adrian Narine photo)

Mace protector: ‘I would do it again if I have to’ SEE PAGE

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Dr. Singh: New Bill corrects deficiencies of APNU+AFC’s NRF Act SEE PAGE

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‘Anti-patriotic, anti-national’

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- Minister Teixeira says of Opposition MPs’ efforts to ‘stymie development’

Private sector bodies, human rights association condemn Opposition’s ‘unparliamentary’ behaviour

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

APNU+AFC believes it has monopoly over Afro-Guyanese and can bully them

- says Minister Walrond MINISTER of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, has called out the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition for apparently believing that they have a “monop-

oly” over Afro-Guyanese.

The Coalition, the minister said, believes that AfroGuyanese must automatically support them.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, the minister was ref-

erencing an incident where an employee of Parliament Office, Ean McPherson, was called a derogatory racial slur by APNU+AFC Member of Parliament (MP), Maureen Philadelphia.

“This young man, lying down on the ground, unable to defend himself is being verbally assaulted and called the vilest of names and so

what does this attitude says?

This attitude says that as an Afro-Guyanese you have to automatically support the APNU+AFC, that is what you should do and when you don’t you are assaulted, insulted, berated and called all kinds of houseslave,” she said.

Wa l r o n d r e g i s t e r e d strong condemnation

of what she summarised as the “attitude” of the APNU+AFC, labelling it as “disturbing” and “bullyism” and expressed that “the public should not take it lightly and it is not funny.”

The minister shared her own personal experience, noting that she was subject to the same kind of condemnation from the APNU+AFC when she was appointed a minister of government under the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), before she was even given a chance to prove her competency.

“From day one I was berated about being a houseslave and being unworthy because I have exercised my right of self-determination and decided that I want to support who I want to support and what I want to put my support behind,” she said.

RIGHT TO SELFDETERMINATION She explained that “freedom is the right to self-determination” but “that right of self-determination, according to the APNU+AFC can only arise when it’s showing support for them.”

However, the minister made it abundantly clear that no one should have to apologise for supporting whoever they choose to.

Wa l r o n d h i g h l i g h t ed that the behaviour of APNU+AFC MP Philadelphia in the National Assembly on Wednesday evening is the same behaviour the political party displays within communities, locally and abroad.

She mentioned that the APNU+AFC must be of the view that they exercise a monopoly over the Afro-Guyanese population whereby the specific demographic must vote along racial lines for the party or be subject to derogatory treatment.

“If it’s not political then why are you not a house slave when you support their party?” she asked, noting that by the APNU+AFC allowing themselves to abuse McPherson because he did not allow Opposition MP Annette Ferguson to steal the ceremonial Mace, is testimony to their ideology.

In a country where the politics have been divided along racial lines for decades, the minister highlighted that more Afro-Guy-

Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond at the press conference on Thursday which was held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown (Adrian Narine photo) anese are supporting the PPP/C because of the party’s policies, and therefore, the APNU+AFC is threatened politically.

“It is not about policy; this is a political move – them feeling that they are desperate and so they lash out, they feel desperate, it’s all motivated where they are feeling vulnerable politically,” she said.

“We saw that display with that young man on the ground who has nothing to do with a party but was just there doing his job and he was insulted and bullied and denigrated and if there was no one there he could have been terribly injured,” she added.

The minister registered that she has not seen any “outcry” from civil society groups about the attack of McPherson and called for total condemnation of the behaviour of the APNU+AFC. “I do want to sound an alarm for this kind of behaviour. We cannot condone it. I want to call on civil society to see this behaviour for what it is. As an AfroGuyanese, I plead with all of us to not allow our discourse to continue to descend into this,” she said.

“All of us have to stand up for our Afro-Guyanese people and speak out against this kind of behaviour and this kind of thuggish-ness and this kind of bullying and I really think that this behaviour in itself is racist and discriminatory,” she added.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

Recalcitrant Opposition parliamentarians to be sanctioned - House Speaker says replica of Mace ensured legal passage of NRF Bill

By Rehana Ahamad SPEAKER of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, said that the persons responsible for violently snatching his Mace during the 34th sitting of the Twelfth Parliament held on Wednesday night, will not go unpunished.

At a press conference hosted virtually on Thursday morning, Nadir, accompanied by Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, could not say specifically what sanctions would be instituted, but confirmed that they would be coming. “…the one who grabbed the Mace and the other who assisted, we have that fully recorded,” Nadir told reporters.

The Mace is the most significant symbol in the National Assembly, representing the authority of Parliament – the Speakerand is only handled by the Sergeant-at-Arms.

In expressing his disgust over the ruckus created by the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Opposition, Nadir said that the situation represented an attack on the authority of the Parliament.

Although Nadir steered clear of mentioning the Mace-grabber’s name, a viral social media video shows that it was APNU+AFC Member of Parliament, Annette Ferguson, who initiated the brazen act.

In the scuffle between Ferguson and the staff of the National Assembly, the parliamentarian was assisted by her colleagues, who could not be clearly identified from the social media videos.

Meanwhile, the attempt on the Mace was not the only attack that the Parliament suffered on Wednesday night.

According to the Speaker, another APNU+AFC parliamentarian went as far as to infiltrate the parliament’s control room and unplug all the internet connections, thereby stopping the live stream of the proceedings.

This particular trans-

gression was not captured on camera, but the culprit is also likely to face punishment.

The chaos in the National Assembly erupted after the Opposition refused to allow debate on an important piece of legislation, which seeks to strengthen transparency and accountability as it relates to withdrawals and spending of Guyana’s oil revenues.

The Opposition, through its Parliamentary Chief Whip, Christopher Jones, asked that the 2021 Natural Resources Fund Bill be sent to a Special Select Committee.

Speaker Nadir responded to the request in the negative, saying that he prefers to listen to the arguments on both sides before determining whether or not the Bill should be sent to a select committee.

As the Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, took to the podium, his presentation was interrupted by members of the APNU+AFC Opposition who kept banging on their desks and chanting the words, “no thieving Bill must pass.”

The uproar continued for several minutes, even as Minister Singh pressed ahead to make his point. As the chaos grew, the Speaker arose from his seat and asked that order return to the House. “I am on my feet,” Mr. Nadir cautioned.

However, protest from the Opposition escalated, with Opposition MPs, armed with placards, converging at the centre floor of the dome of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, where sittings of the National Assembly are being held.

The Speaker, in a bid to carry on the business of the House, advised Minister Singh to proceed, but the commotion eventually forced Speaker Nadir to call for a short suspension, during which, the Opposition continued its protest.

Upon his return, Dr. Singh was asked to continue his presentation, but, in doing so, he was cornered by the opposition MPs who contin-

Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, was shielded by parliament staff, as chaos ensued in the House, on Wednesday night ued their attempt to distract him. Despite the prevailing circumstances, the minister did not relent.

At that point, Dr. Singh’s colleagues on the government’s side of the House proceeded to form a human protection barricade around him, while the Parliament staff did the same for the Speaker.

Within that time, a brazen attempt was made on the Mace. This “unprecedented” act was foiled by the Speaker’s Personal Assistant, Ean McPherson, who managed to secure the instrument, which he held on to tightly as he laid on the floor of the conference centre.

Another video posted on social media shows another APNU+AFC parliamentarians verbally abusing McPherson, using racial slurs. The man has since lodged an official complaint with the Ethnic Relations Commission, and his actions have received the “greatest respect and appreciation” from the Speaker.

LEGALLY PASSED By the end of the fiasco, the new NRF legislation was passed. However, there have been concerns that the Bill was illegally passed, since the Mace was not in

place.

That was clarified by the Speaker, who explained that while McPherson was securing the original Mace, a replica was properly inserted to entertain voting on the Bill.

He further confirmed that all instruments and “ingredients” were in place to ensure the legal passage of the landmark legislation, including all members of the majority People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government being at their seats when the Bill was put to a vote.

Nadir noted that a rep-

lica of the Mace was nothing new, and is practised in countries in the United Kingdom as well as Canada.

Meanwhile, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, at a press conference on Thursday afternoon, said that the actions of the Opposition were not spontaneous. She maintained that the live feeds are proof that the members of the PPP/C government, in no way, provoked the Opposition’s action.

She noted, too, that the restraint demonstrated by

her party colleagues on Wednesday night and during the 2020 six-month-long elections debacle was an indication of the high levels of leadership that exists within the PPP/C. On the contrary, she accused the Opposition of “having no boundaries.” “…and that should be of concern at this time,” Teixeira noted.

She expressed hope that the actions of the Opposition would result in the MPs facing charges, whether they are brought outside or within the confines of the parliament.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

New Bill corrects deficiencies of APNU+AFC’s NRF Act - adds extra layers of security, Dr Singh says

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh (Adrian Narine photo) THE Natural Resources Fund (NRF) Bill which was presented in the National Assembly by the People’s Progressive

Party Civic (PPP/C) and passed on Wednesday evening, corrected the deficiencies of the NRF Act promul-

VARIOUS sections of society, including organisations representing a wide cross-section of the private sector, have come out in support of the government forging ahead to pass two critical pieces of legislation: the Local Content Bill and the Natural Resources Fund (NRF) Bill.

One such grouping is the reputable Private Sector Commission (PSC), which said that it was able to examine and analyse the merits and demerits of the Natural Resources Fund Act of 2019 as against the repeal, which was passed on Wednesday by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government “We note the removal of the unbridled authority that was entrusted in the Minister of Finance in the Act of 2019, and the disaggregation of some of these responsibilities to other authorities and oversight bodies,” the PSC said in a press statement on Wednesday.

The body also acknowledged the new provisions which require that all monies intended to be used from the fund be transferred to the Consolidated Fund, thereby

allowing space for parliamentary oversight on the spending of the oil revenue. This, the PSC recognised, is a move that “fosters greater accountability and transparency.”

“It is evident that the bill in its current form subscribes in large part to the Santiago Principles and thus we hereby support the tabling and passage of the legislation,” the PSC said.

The Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC) in a similar statement also welcomed the repeal of the “inadequate” NRF 2019 Act. “We believe this bill is necessary and GOGEC fully supports the Natural Resource Fund Bill 2021. Guyanese stands [sic] to be better off with the enactment of this bill, especially the poor and vulnerable,” the chamber noted.

It also went further to point out each major component of the bill, which essentially ensures greater accountability, transparency and prudent governance of the fund in the interest of the people of Guyana.

“The Natural Resource Fund Bill 2021 did not propose the removal of any component from the 2019 Act per se,

gated by the A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) administration.

Not only did the Bill correct those deficiencies, but it also added extra layers of security to ensure proper spending of money from the fund and added mechanisms of oversight to ensure transparency and accountability, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, said during a press conference on Thursday.

“The Natural Resource Bill brought to the National Assembly by the People’s Progressive Party represents a Bill that is vastly superior to the Natural Resource Fund Act that the APNU+AFC unlawfully enacted in 2019,” Dr. Singh said.

During the press conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Dr Singh reminded the media that the initial NRF Act was passed in the National

Assembly in 2019 by the then APNU+AFC administration after they were toppled by a motion of no-confidence tabled by the then PPP/C Opposition in December, 2018.

“Given that that sitting took place after the passage of the no-confidence motion, that Bill suffered the fatal defect of what I would describe as constitutional illegitimacy by the fact that it was considered by a National Assembly that should have been dissolved by that time,” Dr. Singh said.

The Finance Minister reminded that the PPP/C condemned the APNU+AFC’s NRF Act and shared grave concerns not only because of how the Act was passed, but also in relation to the contents of the Act, and had committed to amending the Act once elected to office.

The concerns identified by the PPP/C included the excessive powers enjoyed by

the Finance Minister; that there was no governing body for the fund; the complicated formula that governed transfers from the fund and the provisions which allow withdrawals from the fund without parliamentary approval.

The PPP/C Bill dramatically reduced the powers of the minister; added a board of directors; made it compulsory for parliament to approve spending; added a provision that every receipt must be published in the Official Gazette and be reported to the National Assembly, among other measures to add extra layers of security.

“There’s a lot of talk of the Santiago Principles. I would like to say unequivocally that the APNU+AFC Act was not in conformity with the Santiago Principles. To begin with, it did not have a governing body … the Santiago Principles clearly speak of a governing body,” Dr Singh said.

He added: “They know that our provisions strengthen the framework, but their objections to the passage of the NRF Act are grounded in one single motivation. They do not want the fund to be deployed for the purposes of national development.”

Dr Singh related that the objections raised by the APNU+AFC are similar to those which they raised in relation to the Amaila Falls Hydro Project, as they want, for political reasons, to deny the people of Guyana benefits flowing from the operationalisation of the Natural Resources Fund.

“Its most unfortunate that it is yet another example of the APNU+AFC [being] willing to take all manner of actions to actually frustrate and undermine the national good and the advancement of positive national objectives, it’s perhaps typical APNU+AFC behaviour,” he said.

rather, the bill seeks to replace certain components in the current act that conforms [sic] to international best practices – following the Santiago Principles,” the GOGEC recognised.

It also appreciated the fact that the bill mandates monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting, coupled with several layers of internal and external audits.

“The Bill is inclusionary of all key stakeholders in national development, particularly, civil society groups, women representation, the private sector, the political opposition, professional associations, and labour representation,” the chamber noted.

It was also pleased by the fact that the membership of the independent oversight committee will be drawn from the private sector, labour movement, religious groups, from the professions, and the National Assembly.

“The formula for the transfer of funds into the Consoli-

dated Fund is simplified and included in the bill. Everyone will be able conduct an analysis of the transfers into the Consolidated Fund. The Central Bank will be pivotal in the management of the funds,” the GOGEC noted.

The body was also in favour of the provision which stipulates that all withdrawals be tied to the development needs of the country and the development agenda of the government of the day.

Also adding its voice to the passage of both pieces of legislation was the Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association (GMSA), which did not hesitate to commend the concerted efforts of the government to finalise and pass the Local Content and NRF Bill.

“These legislations are critical to having sound and effective management of the extractive sectors for Guyana’s economic growth and stability. The associa-

tion therefore extends full support of the passage of the “Local Content Policy for development of Guyana’s petroleum economy” and the Natural Resource Fund Bill 2021 legislation,

with precedented anticipation that each bill will provide avenues for rapid progression of the manufacturing and services value chain,” the GMSA said in its statement.

Business community lauds passage of NRF, Local Content Bills

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

Groundbreaking Legislations AMIDST the noise and chaos generated by opposition parliamentarians, two groundbreaking pieces of legislation were passed by the National Assembly on December 29, 2021. Coming just a mere three days away from the commencement of the New Year of 2022, this day will be remembered with shame as a result off the conduct of the APNU+AFC parliamentarians who descended to the lowest levels of parliamentary conduct as they sought in vain to prevent the passage of the Natural Resources Fund (NRF) Bill.

The Local Content Bill was earlier passed by the House with some amendments but it was the attempted obstructionist stance by the APNU+AFC parliamentarians that took the spotlight, albeit in a perverse and unsavory way.

Regarding the Local Content Bill, 10 of the 14 amendments made by the parliamentary opposition were incorporated in the new legislation, an indication of the extent to which the PPP/C administration was willing to go in the interest

of making accommodation to opposition concerns and inputs. Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat, who piloted the landmark bill in the National Assembly, highlighted the point that the natural resources of the country belong to the people of Guyana and expressed the administration’s openness to accommodate any suggestions that will add value to the legislation. Among the several amendments agreed to by the government side of the House, was a proposal by APNU+AFC parliamentarian David Patterson for the inter-agency committee to be replaced by a Local Content Oversight Committee. Other amendments agreed to were the inclusion on the committee of a representative each from the National Toshao’s Council, the Guyana Bar Association and a member from the parliamentary opposition. As pointed out by the Natural Resources Minister, the Local Content legislation is not intended to be cast in stone but has room to accommodate any new developments in terms of local capacity.

But it was during the

course of a presentation by Senior Minister of Finance in the Office of the President, Dr. Ashni Singh in support of the Natural Resources Fund legislation that the APNU+AFC Members of Parliament showed, as it were, their true colors and began to disrupt the parliamentary proceedings in the most uncouth and unbecoming manner. Not only was an attempt made to grab the Speaker’s Mace but they converged uncontrollably at the centre floor of the dome of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre where the National Assembly was being held.

It was indeed a difficult moment for the Speaker of the House to bring back some level of order and civility in the face of a prolonged period of obstructionist tactics employed by the political opposition to disrupt the proceedings of the House. The Speaker and his parliamentary staff did a commendable job to manage the business of the House and after several disruptions Parliament eventually recommenced and the bill was finally passed.

The passage of the NRF Bill now paved the way for greater transparency and accountability in the use of revenues generated from oil.

The bill in essence replaces the deficient NRF Act which was hastily put together by the previous APNU+AFC administration and rushed through Parliament without inputs from the then PPP/C parliamentary opposition and other key stakeholders.

As part of the new legislation, any Finance Minister who fails to disclose receipts of oil revenues within a three-month period could face imprisonment up to 10 years, a clear move to guard against past excesses that transpired under the previous APNU+AFC regime when a US$18M signing bonus from ExxonMobil was hidden from the public.

The new bill, which now has to be assented to by President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, will make it possible for withdrawals from the NRF to be made but under rigorous terms and conditions including several layers of interrogation including pre and post-parliamentary scrutiny as previously indi-

cated by the President. The new legislation stipulates that withdrawals from the fund can only be used to finance national development projects or respond to major natural disasters. Additionally, those projects will have to be included as components of the national budget which will be subjected to parliamentary debates and approval.

Despite being dubbed as “the thieving bill” by the political opposition, the safeguards in terms of accountability and transparency as embodied in the legislation make it difficult, if not impossible, for the revenues generated from oil to be abused or spent arbitrarily or at the whims or fancies of any individual.

Among the elements of the 2021 bill are built-in mechanisms to ensure that withdrawals from the fund beyond a certain level be capped to generate savings for future generations.

Accordingly, in the first instance, the country will be allowed to withdraw the full amount now existing in the fund following which amounts would decrease

progressively to a minimum of three per cent of any amount in excess of $2.5 billion.

Importantly, under the new legislation, the excessive powers previously given to the Finance Minister will be curtailed and greater oversights of the fund will be exercised by a Board of Directors which will be drawn from a wide range of stakeholders including, civil society, the private sector and a person nominated by the political parliamentary opposition.

Guyana is now in a much better place with the passage of the two bills. The entire nation stands to benefit from the oil resources which would have a transformative impact on the economy and by extension the lives of the Guyanese people as a whole. President Ali and his PPP/C administration deserves full credit for having advanced the legislative agenda of the country to a point where the benefits of our oil and gas revenues will be optimised in a most transparent and accountable manner.

Passing of the Local Content Bill was long overdue Dear Editor,

I WATCHED the parliamentary discussion from beginning to end on the Local Content Bill which was finally passed into law.

I am satisfied that the legislation and laws which were tabled and passed benefitted from the widest consultative process. In fact, it was one of the most robust and effective pieces of legislation passed in the National Assembly this year.

The argument and criti-

cisms of the Act in this respect ended up being nonsensical and void.

The fact that this Act benefitted from the input particularly of the Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change Coalition says more about its content and aims than the politics that I saw being practiced at Wednesday’s sitting.

There is nothing bad or flawed about the bill or Act that precludes it from making sure Guyanese benefit from

our oil wealth and resources by securing the opportunities, jobs and employment that flows from the sector.

The point is, the previous administration did not do the work and things that were necessary to have a local Content Act in place but this government did not make this mistake.

I am, however, a bit ashamed of the previous administration and their stance on the Act in the National Assembly. The APNU+AFC parliamentarians seem to be

clutching at straws and redundant in their criticisms of the local Content legislation and Act. This much is true, when one listens to the presentation of Parliamentarian David Patterson and Annette Ferguson who appear to be battling the enemies within to sound as though they are well-versed, knowledgeable and competent. In fact, he appears to be not at all because Parliamentarian Anil Nandlall and Ashni Singh exposed this fact by delving into the potency of his arguments.

The entire government acknowledged that it was time for the law and no amount of political grandstanding would be allowed to delay this Act from becoming law.

The time for people of this country to have the necessary opportunities and jobs available to them is now under the strictest regulations which guarantee that jobs or opportunities will not be taken away or shipped elsewhere. The companies, licensees and contractors

must buy their supplies from locally owned and operated Guyanese businesses according to the Act which now makes it a crime if they do not. This move by the government is a step in the right direction and good economic stewardship.

I wish to endorse this Act and say that the PPP has delivered another promise to the people of Guyana.

Yours sincerely, Attiya Baksh

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

NRF Act is more transparent and weakens gov’t control over funds

Dear Editor,

I DID not pay much heed to the NRF Act passed by the preceding Coalition Government. That legislation was passed after the government lost a no-confidence motion on December 21, 2018. It is my view that the legislation, whether good or bad, was unconstitutional similar to the Constitution that arose out of the rigged referendum of July 1978.

In parliamentary democracies, when a government loses a no-confidence motion, the life of parliament ends. New elections are called. No bill or unfinished business can be taken up. The government resigns and new elections are scheduled. That is the practice internationally including in the Caribbean.

But in Guyana, the Coalition violated the sanctity of constitutional, parliamentary, and electoral democracy by holding Parliament, intro-

ducing bills, and debating and passing legislation after it lost a no-confidence motion. Those legislative acts could not and should not be considered as constitutional especially that two thirds of the Parliament did not agree to the recall of Parliament as required by the Burnham Constitution. Be that as it may, aspects of the legislation have been retained in the new NRF Act. Local content (oil and gas development) and resource fund (proceeds from oil and gas) legislation are long overdue from the President Ali administration. If anything, the government should be criticised for moving too slowly on this front. Thus, I applaud the government for establishing legislative policies in both areas.

The PPP, while in opposition, was not allowed a role in its drafting or to suggest amendments. The Coalition also ignored the media and civil society. And didn’t the

Coalition legislation also give government majority control over the NRF in the bill it passed in Parliament post-no confidence motion?

And isn’t the new NRF bill simply a correction of some of the flaws of the Coalition’s legislation?

In my studies of comparative politics, the nature of any political system gives control over funds to the government (ruling party or coalition). The Guyana Constitution empowers the government (whether controlled by PPP or PNC or a coalition) through majority control in policy making.

The Constitution allows the government to make appointments to various commissions and agencies. The majority selects the Chair.

It is the law. The law of majority control in NRF can only be changed if there is support for an entity free of government control as say in Norway as an example. The Coalition had an opportu-

nity to pass such legislation before the NCM in December. It failed to do so for selfserving reasons. As I read from your reports, the NRF Act permits appointments to the oversight committee by other constitutional bodies as well as from civil society.

As I understand the new NRF legislation from your reports, it is really an amended Act of the Coalition’s legislation. And it seems like it is an improved version.

There is more transparency than the Coalition’s. It removes certain powers from the minister. Also, Parliament has the last say on how much money will be withdrawn from the fund. Money can only be used for infrastructure and only when there is an emergency. Emergencies are largely naturally occurring. A government cannot create an emergency. Also, appointees have to be qualified in the field to be on the oversight committee. The legislation makes everyone

Diaspora group supports local content and NRF legislation

THE New York-based Guyana Democracy Project (NYGDP) group released a statement extolling the passage of legislation requiring local content in the emerging oil and gas energy sector and strengthening National Resource Fund (NRF). Noting that the preceding administration did not prepare a local content bill for the nascent energy industry, the NYGDP said such legislation to include Guyanese as the primary beneficiaries of the oil and gas sector is long overdue and applauds the government for taking bold, decisive steps to mandate inclusion of Guyanese in the industry. The release also noted that the NRF passed by the preceding administration had many loopholes that are subjected to abuse. The NYGDP saluted the government for these two important pieces of legislation closing loopholes and giving Guyanese greater economic opportunities in the oil and gas sector. It states: “The time for action on local content legislation and activating the NRF have long passed so as to ensure domestic economic participation and development and preventing abuse of the fund.”

The NYGDP said that several countries that recently found oil and/or gas have prepared local content laws on varied aspects of production and shore base support – on contracts, bidding practices, and materials used in the in-

dustry including supplies of food. Such legislation boosts local job creation and domestic private sector, facilitates technology transfer, and builds a competitive local workforce.

The organisation said the local content legislation is consistent with the group’s mission to promote good governance, accountability, and democracy (consultation with a wide-cross section of society) in Guyana. It claimed that it studied the Local Content Bill and reviewed comments from civil society, NGOs, and critics and has determined that the bill will meet its specific objectives: include Guyanese partners with foreign investors, create jobs, improve governance and accountability, and promote social and economic development, among other positive outcomes.

The NYGDP statement commended the government for accepting 10 of 14 amendments proposed by the opposition. It also praises the government for engaging with and accepting suggestions from the private sector and civil society.

The organisation noted that no matter what bill is prepared, debated, amended, legislated, there will always be sections of the population not pleased with it. But it stated: “The local content and NRF bills are a very good start.

The local content legislation is a way forward for the oil and gas industry”.

On the NRF, the NYGDP said:

“Essentially, the main features of the PNC/R bill remain intact, except for the governance structure. Unlike in the previous bill, the Minister of Finance would not have sole authority over the fund.

A governance Board of Directors will be set up to manage the fund. All funds will be placed in the Consolidated Account. The Minister of Finance could be jailed if he failed to make public the receipt and withdrawal of funds. And a formula is laid out for the allocation of oil revenues for budget support to promote development projects. These are laudable features.”

The NYGDP stated that “both legislative acts are living documents that can be changed with time. And it is anticipated that the legislations will undergo change as the government and local investors develop capacity in the sector”.

The release added: “Guyanese that NY GDP consulted with in the diaspora say they are pleased that bills addressing local content and NRF have been approved by Parliament. They are pleased with provisions in the legislations. And as such, we join with other groups in Guyana in supporting the legislations. We call on all forces in Guyana, including the opposition, to support the legislation on local content and NRF that will benefit all Guyanese. We should put aside politics and back these pieces of legislation.”

on the oversight committee accountable. There is also penalty for violations of the clauses of the legislation. If there is violation, they can be prosecuted. I note that under the Coalition, some US$18M was hidden from the public and from Parliament. No one was held accountable for it.

The Ministers of Finance, Natural Resources, Foreign Affairs, Attorney General, etc., all said they knew nothing about the US $18M when the media made it public and queried them. They were all privy to the information that they hid the money from the public. Under the new law, such behaviour would lead to prosecution of those culpable in such secrecy and lies.

The new NRF Act also mandates that figures relating to oil flow would continue to be released by the Central Bank for public knowledge.

Overall, it seems, from reading reports, that there is greater independence, transparency, and account-

ability under the new NRF legislation. But as we say in Guyana, ultimately the proof of the goodness of the pudding is in the tasting. We will know over time whether it is a good legislative act.

We have to monitor it and ensure government as well as opposition abides by it. Civil Society and media must work together to hold government and opposition accountable.

To assess the legislation, we will also have to look at responses from international institutions. The IMF and IDB were critical of the previous NRF legislation as it did not go far enough to protect against abuses of the fund. The NRF legislation builds on criticisms and critiques. We have to wait for the views of IMF, World Bank, and IDB on this new NRF Act and address weaknesses identified.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

Mace protector: ‘I would do it again if I have to’

Personal Assistant to the Speaker, Ean McPherson, displays a copy of the letter he submitted to the ERC against Maureen Philadelphia and other Opposition MPs (Delano Williams photo) THOUGH some may call him a national hero, Personal Assistant to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ean McPherson, who protected the Parliamentary Mace during Wednesday’s altercation in the National Assembly said he is just a patriotic Guyanese doing his job and he would do it all over again if he had to.

McPherson said he was kicked, scratched, threatened, and verbally harassed

with racial slurs by Opposition MPs when he tried to protect the Mace after Opposition MP, Annette Ferguson grabbed and attempted to remove it from the chambers, during the reading of the National Resource Fund Bill. Nonetheless he said he was just doing his job.

“I am not a hero, I am a patriotic Guyanese. I am a person who is being paid by the State so I was basically doing my job,” the 53-yearold said.

McPherson, who has military training and is a former member of both the Guyana Police Force and Guyana Defence Force, has been working at Parliament for the past year under Speaker Manzoor Nadir. He said his military experience kicked into gear when the situation unfolded.

“All I did was react after they acted. I didn’t grab the Mace first. I am the protector of the Mace; when they act then I react. While performing duties assisting the Speaker what happened I noticed Ms. Annette Ferguson grab the Mace and tried to remove it, so I tried to protect the Mace knowing the seriousness of the Mace, our national treasure. I held on to the Mace and I was flung to the floor,” he recounted.

McPherson spoke with the media on Thursday in the compound of the Ethnics Relations Commission (ERC) moments after he delivered a letter over racial slurs that were hurled at him

by Opposition MP Maureen Philadelphia and others during the altercation.

In videos circulated on social media of Wednesday’s situation, McPherson can be seen in one video trying to retrieve the Mace from Ferguson, while in another video he is seen in the corridor of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) securing the Mace between his legs, as Philadel-

phia stands over him hurling racial epithets at him, when they could not get the Mace from him.

McPherson explained that he was actually dragged into the corridor.

KICKED IN THE RIBS “I was kicked in my ribs, my foot would show you where fingernails (scratched me), because I was literally dragged down the corridors. They throw me on the ground, drag me take me outside and then Ms Philadelphia start to abuse me with a series of racial words like ‘house slave’ but the one that caught me was ‘house negro’, so I prepared a letter and dropped it upstairs and showed my concern about how I was treated,” he shared.

Though he identified Philadelphia and Ferguson, by name, as being among those who assaulted him, McPherson said that while he does not know his other perpetrators by name, he can identify them by face.

“I don’t know them by their names but I can identify them easily,” he said.

Notwithstanding what he has been through, McPherson said he would do it again in a heartbeat. On dropping off the letter to the ERC, McPherson said, notwithstanding there not being a commission in place, he wishes to see the situation investigated.

“I know there is no com-

Opposition MP, Maureen Philadelphia, stands over Ean McPherson hurling racial slurs at him as he protects the Parliamentary Mace mission in place but they will ment Chamber, the Speaker do some investigation. That is preceded by the Sergeantis why I gave a hard copy to at-Arms bearing the Mace ensure that it is there. What on his right shoulder. When I want is for the world to the National Assembly is in know that it is time that we session, the Mace is placed move away from racial slurs on the Clerk’s table, with and calling people names,” its head pointing towards he said the government side of the An integral part of the chamber.

House’s business, the ParliaWhen the Assembly mentary Mace is necessary meets as a committee of the to be in place before busi- whole Assembly, the Mace ness can be conducted in the is placed below the Clerk’s National Assembly. table. When the Mace lies According the informa- upon the table, the House tion from Parliament, on en- is in session, when under, it tering and leaving the Parlia- is a Committee.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

14 PWDs complete training in ICT - Dr. Vindhya Persaud encourages them with assistive aids, tablets

Dr. Persaud presents an assistive aid to one of the participants MINISTER of Human and wheelchairs to the Services and Social Se- first batch of Persons curity, Dr. Vindhya Per- with Disabilities (PWDs) saud, this week distribut- who completed a specialed assistive aids, tablets ised ICT (Information

and Communications Technology) training recently.

The good gesture was to assist them in continuing their studies and practice at home. Upon completion of the course, through Nations University, they were encouraged to continue making an effort to educate themselves.

Hazel Sears, one of the beneficiaries of the training, especially enjoyed learning how to type and is looking forward to more training opportunities, because she said there was still a lot left for her to learn about software and programmes that are specific to PWDs. One of the visually impaired participants, Colin Caesar, stated that it was

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud listens to the concerns of this participant a life-changing experi- thoroughly enjoyed doing ally impaired users to read ence that opened up the so. He, like many other the screen, such as through world of further studies trainees, also benefitted a text-to-speech output) and work to him. from guidance on how to In offering congratulaIt was the first time use the JAWS software. tory remarks to the parthat Omar Ramjit, an- (JAWS is a computer ticipants, Minister Persaud other participant, used a screen reader programme noted that the ministry TURN TO PAGE 11 computer and he said he that allows blind and visu-

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14 PWDs complete training in...

FROM PAGE 10 was offering varied free courses to persons living with disabilities which were expected to benefit over 600 PWDs. “I know it wasn’t an easy one for you and required tremendous sacrifice and I hope that, with the training, you can go on to do so much more for yourselves,” she offered.

Commenting on the practicality of the training, Dr. Persaud continued: “ICT is so widely used now in the world, especially under the COVID-19 pandemic situation but it’s not only about the training; this can go toward making you independent. Our intention is to help you to start your own businesses and to help you in as many ways as we can in the New Year.”

Early in 2022, Minister Persaud plans to engage PWDs so as to bring them up-to-date on all of the ini-

tiatives and programmes that the ministry has planned for the future. A major one is the operationalising of the centre that is being built in the Mahaica Hospital compound.

At that facility, the ministry will continue to offer technical and vocational skills and PWDs will have somewhere to host their events. “You can now have a place and a space to call your own,” Dr. Persaud said.

The ministry is also working on collaboration with the Small Business Bureau to have that facility available to PWDs so that they can benefit from funds to start their own businesses.

Acting Technical Officer of the Difficult Circumstances Unit, Satesh Rajpat, offered that the ministry has been training persons with disabilities in various areas, the predominant one being ICT.

The training encouraged PWDs to continue to educate themselves despite the current challenges, Rajpat

noted.

According to him, 14 PWDs were able to complete the first set of train-

ing and other classes will start soon in guidance and counselling, sewing, mobility and a host

of other skill areas. The classes are small in size to offer personalised support.

Human Services Minister, Dr. Vindhya Persaud offering congratulatory remarks to the PWDs who completed the training

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

COVID-19 prevention campaign to intensify

- as citizens prepare for the new year AT the end of the year, it is rather common for Guyanese to engage in gatherings, but with the COVID-19 pandemic still prevalent, health authorities and enforcement officers will be monitoring events and activities to mitigate the spread of the virus.

During Thursday’s edition of the COVID-19 update, Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, said that the government is committed to ensuring that all COVID-19 protocols, mainly those governing businesses and entertainment spots, are in place and enforced.

“You will see more… joint services patrols, and we want people to be safe. We want the public to please abide by the rules and once we do that, we will be safe,” the

minister said.

Minister Anthony went on to caution Guyanese, saying that the violation of those protocols could most likely result in an increase in cases and even the welcoming of the Omicron variant to Guyana.

“What we don’t want is after these holidays, we start seeing an increase, a big spike in cases. If we do have that then depending on how many cases, it can quickly overwhelm the system,” he said.

The minister reiterated that with the pace at which the Omicron variant is spreading, citizens are reminded to use surgical and N95 masks as opposed to cloth masks.

Minister Anthony said that cloth masks are far less effective in high-risk environments,

Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, sharing masks at the La Penitence Market as the holes in the mask which allow for breathing are “relatively big” so particles can easily pass

through.

“My advice to people is that if you believe that you are at a higher

risk of [contracting] COVID-19, the environment in which you find yourself, then you

should wear that N95 mask or procedural surgical mask,” he advised.

(DPI)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

Stepdad in Neesa Gopaul Labourer remanded for shooting matter feels aggrieved and wounding policeman - turns to CCJ for help

JARVIS ‘Barry’ Small, who is currently serving a 45-year sentence for the 2010 murder of his exgirlfriend’s 16-year-old daughter, has now moved to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to appeal his conviction and sentence.

In 2015, Small and his ex-lover, Bibi Shareema Gopaul, were found guilty of murdering Neesa Gopaul, by a jury at the Georgetown High Court. They were later sentenced by Justice Navindra Singh to 106 and 96 years, respectively.

The pair subsequently filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal challenging their conviction and sentence, but were only successful in getting their respective sentences reduced.

The appeal was filed

by Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes and Associates on behalf of Small, while Gopaul was represented

by Attorney-at-Law Arud Gossai.

The attorneys had asked the court to reverse and/or set aside the convictions, on the grounds that the sen-

Jarvis ‘Barry’ Small

The late Neesa Gopaul

tences were too severe, given the circumstances of the case. They also argued that the trial was unfair, and that the judge had erred in law.

However, in September 2021, the Court of Appeal upheld the conviction, but commuted the duo’s initial 202-year sentence to 45 years.

Dissatisfied with the outcome, Small has now moved to the CCJ seeking to overturn the Court of Appeal’s decision. Recently, Gopaul had also moved to the CCJ and filed an appeal as well.

Prior to the murder, Small and Bibi were in a relationship, and at one time they’d both lived together at Leonora, West Coast Demerara, along with her two daughters, the eldest being Neesa.

Neesa’s body was found submerged in a suitcase in

the Madewini Creek in the vicinity of the Emerald Towers Resort on October 2, 2010, at about 14:00hrs, and at the time was believed to be headless.

A post mortem examination later revealed that the body was not headless but was, instead, clobbered beyond recognition.

Dumbbells similar to those found in a gym owned

by Small were found tied to the suitcase in which the body was found.

In addition to the body, a passport bearing the name Neesa Lalita Gopaul was also found. The teenager was reported missing just days before the gruesome discovery was made.

Subsequent to the discovery of the body, Bibi and Small were arrested and were later charged for the crime.

A 26-year-old labourer was on Thursday remanded to prison on three criminal charges, including shooting at a police officer and wounding him.

Quivon Wilson appeared before Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and pleaded not guilty to the three charges.

Particulars of the first charge allege that on December 24, 2021, at Tabatinga in Central Rupununi, Wilson discharged a loaded firearm in a public place, and that on the same date and location, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Police Constable Rawle Harvey with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or cause grievous bodily harm.

The last charge alleges that on December 25, at the

said Tabatinga, Wilson had a .38 revolver in his possession without being the holder of a licence to carry it.

In the circumstances, he has been remanded to prison until January 11, 2022.

According to reports, Wilson is a known character to the police, and has a pending matter before the Lethem Magistrate’s Court.

At about 23:45 hours on December 24, police were on foot patrol in Tabatinga when they got word that Wilson was discharging a firearm in the vicinity of Jag’s Nightclub.

On going to the scene, they were just in time to see Wilson, who was riding pillion on a black-and- white ‘XR’ motorcycle, registration number and rider unknown, discharging rounds in the air,

only to quickly ride off after seeing them.

But Wilson was not yet done, as he would later return with a silver handgun on the said motorcycle to the nightclub, and when approached by Constable Harvey and another policeman, discharged a round in their direction.

Unfortunately for Constable Harvey, the bullet hit him in the right knee, but his colleague was able to wrest the firearm from Wilson and arrest him.

Under caution, Wilson allegedly told the police that the reason he’d behaved the way he did was because one of his drinking buddies had slipped some ‘Molly’ into his drink, unbeknownst to him.

He also apologised for his unsavoury behaviour.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

‘Anti-patriotic, anti-national’

- Minister Teixeira says of Opposition MPs’ efforts to ‘stymie development’

By Jared Liddell MINISTER of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, has condemned the conduct of A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) who caused “massive disarray” during Wednesday’s sitting of the National Assembly.

Describing the parliamentarians’ behaviour as “anti-patriotic and anti-national,” Minister Teixeira said the “treacherous” actions were a pre-planned and direct effort to stymie national development.

Not only did the Opposition MPs disrupt the sitting of the House, but there were also attempts to “snatch” the symbolic parliamentary mace.

Their efforts were intended to hinder passage of the Natural Resources Fund (NRF) Bill which essentially replaces the “inadequate” NRF Act which was hastily promulgated by the then coalition administration in 2019.

Soon after its passage, the 2019 legislation was heavily criticised by several stakeholders, including the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB),

one of Guyana’s leading financial partners, which described the Act as being one that “departs from good practices.”

Speaking during a press briefing at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Thursday, Minister Teixeira blasted the Opposition MPs for their protest action, which she described as baseless.

She said that since the bill was initially tabled on December 16, 2021, there has been no attempt by any Opposition MP to offer amendments to the proposed bill or to raise any specific issue that they intend to have addressed by the government.

“The intention last night to stop the Bill, in my mind, is anti-national, it is anti-patriotic, because what they tried to do is stop a Bill that could bring benefits to our people from people. It could open up and provide more money in the economy, in the financial system of the government to allow for improvement in the quality of life of our people in every corner of Guyana.

“We don’t have the money to do that ourselves, but this is our revenue that has been sitting there and we haven’t been able to touch it and

this could do well for our country,” Minister Teixeira said.

PREMEDITATED She said that the events that unfolded on Wednesday at the National Assembly were premeditated and pre-planned, noting that the Opposition MPs carried out strategic strikes to “cripple” the House.

“What happened on December 29, was preplanned, organised, and orchestrated prior to the events of December 29.

People came in with whistles. People came in with placards. People came in and knew where to go to the control room to disrupt the internet to disconnect the internet, the microphones as well for example… so we were totally disabled in the international community.

There was no internet.

The control room had been invaded and disconnected and disrupted.

This was terrorist tactics,” Minister Teixeira said.

Speaking specifically on the significance of the mace, she highlighted that it is a symbol of the authority of the National Assembly and, as such, any attempt to remove it unceremoniously is an attempt to undermine and overthrow the authority

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira (Adrian Narine photo) of the National Assembly which is the country’s legislature.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK Minister Teixeira told the Opposition MPs to “do your homework,” advising them to use their platform as parliamentarians to hold the government accountable and not to use it to disrespect the National Assembly.

She reminded them

that Opposition could effect change by utilising scrutiny and research to identify any potential inadequacies that would affect the people of Guyana instead of making “unfounded and baseless” comments that cannot be substantiated by evidence.

“We were in opposition for five years. We kept the government’s feet on fire, not by this

behaviour of going to steal maces and stuff, but by aggressive, active questions on corruption, exposures on scandals on the Demerara Harbour Bridge, on the Jubilee Park, on the scales, on and on and on.

“We did our homework and we used parliament effectively as an opposition should within the standing orders, within the constitution, within the laws,” Minister Teixeira posited.

She added: “And so what we have in parliament now is MPs who aren’t even reading the Bills. It was very clear in the debate on local content that MPs are speaking who had not read the bill… there is also a petition that went to parliament that they had not read the bill either.”

She advised the Members of Parliament that if they intend to criticise the bills brought by the government before the National Assembly, that they should “do it from some basis of fact or evidence.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

Essequibo man dies in fire that ravaged his house

THE Guyana Fire Service (GFS) is investigating the circumstances which led to a fire on the Essequibo Coast, which ravaged a house and claimed the life of its owner, 57-year-old Ramdass Samdass.

According to a press release from the GFS, firefighters were alerted of the fire at around 13:26 hrs and water tender numbers 77 and 88 were dis-

patched from the Anna Regina Fire Station to the Lot 91 Walton Hall location.

The flat structure, which was occupied by Samdass and his wife, Serogene Persaud, was completely destroyed by the blaze, along with everything in it. The origin of the fire is still unknown, but the GFS confirmed that investigations are underway.

The fire service expressed condolences to the relatives and friends of Samdass, and urged citizens to equip their homes with smoke detectors and fire extinguishers and to be careful when

cooking or using electrical appliances.

“Unplug electrical appliances after use and do not leave them plugged in for prolonged periods. Do not overload power

strips or electrical circuits. Ensure stoves are turned off properly after cooking and ensure matches or cigarettes are put out completely when smoking,” the GFS advised.

Dead: 57-year-old Ramdass Samdass

The remains of the flat structure on the Essequibo Coast, which was ravaged by a fire of unknown origin, on Wednesday

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

Going out tonight?

Do the town! But do it safely!

Many of those much-anticipated Old Year’s Night parties are happening tonight, and although these violate the coronavirus restrictions, we have learnt by now that telling Guyanese to stay home during the holiday season is essentially “throwing water on duck’s back,” because our countrymen and women have proven time again that they are in denial when it comes to contracting the virus.

So, it’s safe to say that when the clock strikes 12, many will be gathered at their Churches for prayers, while others will boldly venture into the clubs and parties to usher in 2022.

There are also those who will first attend Church, and then change into their glitzy party attire.

For the benefit of the social butterflies among us, we at the Buzz have decided to remind you of basic precautions Photo credit: Hardwick Hotel

to take while you’re out; it is our hope that while you have fun, you are also being safe. This is not to say that we are waiving our stance, because we do believe that staying home is the best option to help save lives and slow the spread of coronavirus. But, if you must go out, we urge you to make a conscientious effort to be safe, not just for yourself, but to also safeguard your families.

To begin with, try to constantly wash or sanitize your hands. We know that you must probably be sick and tired of listening to the constant hands washing advice from the Ministry of Health, but trust us when we tell you that adhering to these can save your life.

Logically, if the virus is not on your hands, it cannot get into your mouth, nose or ears, so be sure to avoid the pleasant hugs and handshakes; we know how much it would hurt,

but it would save both you and your relative or friend from future heartaches.

Also, have you thought about those random surfaces such as counter tops and stair rails that so many of us effortlessly slide our hands on and lean against? Be wary. Make an effort to use them only when absolutely necessary, and sanitize soon after.

On a lighter note, this means that you may have to keep a tab on how many drinks you have tonight so that you may remain in perfect balance, and we’ll alert to employ these precautions. And, let’s face it, the less intoxicated you are, the less you would need to rely on the rails for balance.

Also, have you thought about how you’re going to maintain social distancing at the party? Well, it is an absolute imperative As we mentioned before, washing your hands will do the trick to a great extent, but picture someone screaming to your face, “Haaa-ppy New Year!”

Of course, in a COVID-free world, this would be an exciting scenario, but in these times, the experience could kill you, so be careful. Wear your mask, even if it won’t add flattery to your outfit.

So as you can see from the foregoing, protecting yourselves simply call for meticulously following basic steps that we’re sure you already know about. But what other considerations can you keep in mind? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists some safer ways to celebrate the holidays: • Protect those not yet eligible for vaccination such as young children by getting yourself and other eligible people around them vaccinated.

• Wear well-fitting masks over your nose and mouth if you are in public indoor settings and you are not fully vaccinated. Even those who are fully vaccinated should wear a mask in public indoor settings in communities with substantial to high transmission. Outdoors are safer than indoors.

• Avoid crowded, poorly ventilated spaces.

• If you are sick or have symptoms, don’t host or attend a gathering. Consider using a self-test before joining indoor gatherings with others who are not in your household.

A positive self-test result means that you have an infection and should avoid indoor gatherings to reduce the risk of spreading disease to someone else. A negative self-test result means that you may not have an infection. Repeating the test with at least 24 hours between tests will increase the confidence that you are not infected. “There are several ways to enjoy holiday traditions and protect your health. Because many generations tend to gather to celebrate holidays, the best way to minimize COVID-19 risk and keep your family and friends safer is to get vaccinated if you’re eligible,” the CDC noted.

Be advised that we’re not trying to scare you with these tips. We’re not anti-party and we definitely would like to be out and about having fun, but we’re also cognisant of our new reality, and the need for us to take every precaution possible.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

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Fasten your seatbelts, 2022 is near!

By Naomi Parris

There’s always something so very magical about entering a new year, and as we approach January 1, 2022, the feeling is still the same.

However, in a coronavirus-filled world, many of us can’t help but acknowledge the fact that as we cross into tomorrow, many of our loved ones and the people we knew would not be joining us.

The last two years have undoubtedly been difficult, but as Guyanese, we have always found a way to laugh ourselves through the difficult times, while hoping for better days. So far, we have adjusted and adapted to a new way of life, which, unfortunately, will follow us into the new year.

Notwithstanding this,

we have fastened our seatbelts and we are just about ready for the ride, but before we board that train, let us stay awhile more in 2021 to reminisce on the few good things that the year has brought.

For me, I’d like to look back at our journey here at the Buzz. I first joined the Buzz team in the height of the pandemic in 2020.

Like many of you, I too had to quickly adjust, especially as a frontline worker. Fortunately, I was afforded the opportunity to work from home. This meant that most of my interviews were done via WhatsApp or over the telephone since it was critical for us to remain indoors and practice social distancing as much as possible; at that time, we were still learning about the virus which we all TURN TO PAGE 22

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

Fasten your seatbelts, 2022 is...

FROM PAGE 21 thought could never reach the shores of Guyana; until it came knocking at our doors.

At the time I tried my best to keep the enter-

tainment stories flowing, because it felt as though I was adding a little light to the nightmare that begun.

We brought you all the motivating stories, and we were sure to include

bits and pieces that would make you giggle. We felt that it was necessary as so many of us tried desperately to nurture hopes of a brighter tomorrow.

Looking back, I’ve

realised that while it was not in the customary way, we did share some notable moments together.

We featured the exciting festivities of Mashramani, Guyana’s 54 th and 55 th Independence, Diwali, Emancipation and shared so many stories positive stories with you.

And lately, just as the world began to return to some level of normalcy, owing to us being vaccinated, I had the pleasure of taking you, fans of the Buzz on some of my most exciting journeys across the country.

We journeyed across the stained brown and redish soils of Potaro-Siparuni (Region Eight); we trekked through the lush

trees and forested lands in the Mazaruni, seeking out its hidden gem, the breathtaking Marshall Falls.

We even visited the quiet community of Kamarang, tucked away in Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region Seven). We also explored the historic treasures and all the intriguing artifacts left behind by our ancestors on the Essequibo River.

We shared our love for music, poetry, theatre, travelling and adventures.

Despite the challenges 2021 was a wonderful journey. Going forward, I would like to urge you, our dear valued readers to not allow the this new normal to constrict or keep you from being great. Of

course, you must take the requisite precautions as we manoeuvre this frightening pandemic, but even then, dare to be great; take risks, try new things, embrace the pursuit of excellence and say no to mediocrity.

Although a tad-bit sceptical, I am excited for what 2022 has in store for both my families; the one along the East Coast of Demerara, and the one that allows me to communicate with you.

On behalf of the Buzz family, we extend heartiest New Year wishes; we are all facing 2022 together; masked-up, and armed with our sanitisers. Happy New Year, Guyana.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

Guyanese Cricketer goes to Bollywood

Guyanese cricketer Tagenarine Chanderpaul will now have Bollywood credits under his belt, with the release of the film ‘83’, which is expected to be a blockbuster, depicting India’s historic Cricket World Cup victory against the West Indies in 1983.

The young Chandarpaul,

son of legendary West Indian batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, has played the role of former West Indies cricketer, Larry Gomes in 83.

Chandarpaul, age 25, was quoted by News Room Sport as saying that being part of the movie was a great opportunity which he stumbled while playing a four-day

cricket tournament in St. Lucia in 2018.

“During a practice session a scout came to the ground and asked who wanted to try out for the film. To my surprise a few months later I received a call that I had been chosen to play the part of Larry Gomes,” Chandarpaul said in his

Tajenarine Chandarpaul (left) pose with iconic Bollywood duo, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone (Taken from News Room Sport)

interview with the online news house.

He contined, “It was an honour to meet the Bollywood actors, former Indian players and witnessing how things transpire on a movie set. A wonderful experience and movie to be associated

with. I’m very grateful for the opportunity.”

The film stars Bollywood power couple Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, who play former Captain of the Indian cricket team, Kapil Dev and his wife.

The movie was released in Guyana on Boxing Day, and according to social media postings, it is currently playing at Caribbean Cinemas. We at the Buzz cannot wait to catch a glimpse of Chandarpaul on the big screen.

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Western Tigers, GDF to collide on New Year’s Day -Thrilling semi-final sets stage for GFF/K&S Super 16 ‘dream’ final

PRE-tournament favourites Western Tigers and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) prevailed in their respective semi-finals on Wednesday evening, to set up what many are calling the ‘dream’ finals of this year’s Guyana Football Federation (GFF)/Kashif and Shanghai Super 16 year-end tournament, on January 1, 2022.

Playing at the National Track and Field Centre at Leonora, in front of capacity crowd managed by the country’s National COVID-19 Task Force, Western Tigers came from behind to defeat the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Football Club (FC) 2-1, while GDF, similarly edged Den Amstel 3-1 on kicks from the penalty spot.

The opening game was a contest many local pundits had hoped for, taking into consideration that they are being coached by two iconic figures in Guyanese football.

Former National captain and Assistant National coach, Charles ‘Lilly’ Pollard, is at the helm of the West Ruimveldt outfit which boasts several of the country’s top national players, while GPF FC was coached by one of the most successful National coaches, Wayne ‘Wiggy’ Dover; a proven and tested tactician who also had an abundance of talent on his roster.

As forecast, the game came down to the decisions made on the sidelines by the two coaches, just as much as it did on the pitch.

The gruelling contest between the two sides saw a goalless first half, until Jermain Junor broke the deadlock in the 65th minute with a beautiful

Trayon Bobb (R) and William Europe following their goal-scoring performance for Western Tigers

goal.

Several changes made by both coaches saw Pollard replace Andrew Murray, Kevon Woodley and Joshua Browne, with William Europe, Randolph Wagner and Ralph Edwards, while Dover inputted Darren Benjamin and Oswald Cornett for Trevon Pluck and Kevis Fraser.

The changes for Pollard proved to be fruitful,

'Political' decision to sack Pybus one of the worst in recent Windies cricket history

CRICKET West Indies (CWI) Director from Barbados, Calvin Hope,

believes the decision to sack the Richard Pybus-led coaching unit just weeks ahead of the 2019 ICC World Cup remains one of the ‘worst decisions made in recent times.’

In 2019, only a few weeks after replacing the Dave Cameron administration, the Ricky Skerritt-led regime controversially decided to sack Pybus and his entire coaching staff, with the ICC tournament less than a month away.

The move raised even more eyebrows at the time, because it came after the team had, very much against heavy odds, defeated a higher-ranked touring England 2-1 in a Test series, only weeks prior and tied top-ranked England 2-2 in a subsequent One Day International series.

On the back of several disappointing performances in recent months the

decision has, on occasion, come back under the microscope and to the fore for discussion.

“It was not even bad, it was one of the worst decisions to have even been made in recent times in West Indies cricket,” Hope told the Mason and Guest radio programme.

“Here you were, you had just begun to see some green shoots in the performance of a team. It doesn’t matter who was in charge before or anything like that and it was basically a political decision,” he added.

The West Indies finished 9th at the ICC World after winning just 2 matches and losing 6.

Hope and Guyana’s Anand Sanasie were part of a two-man team that challenged Skerritt and vice-president Kishore Shallow for the leadership of CWI last year.

(Sportsmax)

as Europe equalised in the 85th minute. Trayon Bobb’s goal two minutes later (87twh) turned out to be the icing on the cake and just what Pollard needed to see - his team playing on New Year’s Day. Meanwhile, Den Amstel backed by a vociferous home crowd, produced a stunning display of football, but, the 2019 Year-End Super 16 Champions, proved why they claimed the trophy on January 1, 2020.

Chris Macey sent GDF ahead on the stroke of halftime (45th) to give them a 1-0 lead heading into the final stanza.

However, back-to-back goals from Gideon Payne in the 51st and 59th minute provided the story-book comeback for Den Amstel and their highly enthusiastic fans.

But not to be outdone, GDF fought back all guns blazing and that resulted in Ian Dooker equalising in the 87th minute.

Several valiant efforts by Den Amstel were thwarted by resolute defending by the GDF. The 2-2 score-line at the end of regulation forced extra periods to determine a winner, but with both teams holding their own at both ends of the pitch, it came down to kicks from the penalty spot.

Leo-Orion Lovell couldn’t connect for Den Amstel, while Sherwin Caesar scored to give the GDF the 1-0 advantage following their first kick.

Gideon Payne connected to level the score 1-1, but former National Youth captain and Collegiate TURN TO PAGE 28

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27

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

Clinical India complete facile win INDIA’S bowling unit put on a clinical display on the final day as the visitors went 1-0 up in the Test series, having become the first Asian team to defeat South Africa in Centurion.

The visitors were the favou-

rites to get the job done going into Day 5 having already picked up four wickets. But they had to ward off the threat posed by a resolute Dean Elgar and also rain, in order to complete the victory. With rain out of the vicinity

at the start of the day, they were in control of their destiny.

However, when Mohammed Shami dropped Dean Elgar early in the day, South Africa appeared to slowly take the initiative away from the visitors. The

SCOREBOARD INDIA first innings 327 INDIA 2nd innings Lokesh Rahul c Dean Elgar b Lungi Ngidi

23 Mayank Agarwal c Quinton de Kock b Marco Jansen 4 Shardul Thakur c Wiaan Mulder b Kagiso Rabada 10 Cheteshwar Pujara c Quinton de Kock b Lungi Ngidi 16 Virat Kohli c Quinton de Kock b Marco Jansen 18 Ajinkya Rahane c Rassie van der Dussen b Marco Jansen 20 Rishabh Pant c Lungi Ngidi b Kagiso Rabada 34 Ravichandran Ashwin c Keegan Petersen b Kagiso Rabada 14 Mohammed Shami c Wiaan Mulder b Kagiso Rabada 1 Jasprit Bumrah not out

7 Mohammed Siraj b Marco Jansen 0 Extras: (b-17, lb-4, nb-6) 27 Total; (all out, 50.3 overs) 174 Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-34, 3-54, 4-79, 5-109, 6-111, 7-146, 8-166, 9-169.

Bowling: Kagiso Rabada 17-4-42-4 (nb-6), Lungi Ngidi 10-2-31-2, Marco Jansen 13.34-55-4, Wiaan Mulder 10-4-25-0.

SOUTH Africa 2nd innings Aiden Markram b Mohammed Shami 1 Dean Elgar lbw Jasprit Bumrah 77 Keegan Petersen c Rishabh Pant b Mohammed Siraj 17 Rassie van der Dussen b Jasprit Bumrah 11 Keshav Maharaj b Jasprit Bumrah 8 Temba Bavuma not out 35 Quinton de Kock b Mohammed Siraj 21 Wiaan Mulder c Rishabh Pant b Mohammed Shami 1 Marco Jansen c Rishabh Pant b Mohammed Shami 13 Kagiso Rabada c Mohammed Shami b Ravichandran Ashwin 0 Lungi Ngidi c Cheteshwar Pujara b Ravichandran Ashwin 0 Extras: (lb-2, nb-5) 7 Total: (all out, 68.0 overs) 191 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-34, 3-74, 4-94, 5-130, 6-161, 7-164, 8-190, 9-191.

Bowling: Jasprit Bumrah 19-4-50-3 (nb-2), Mohammed Shami 17-3-63-3 (nb-1) Mohammed Siraj 18-5-47-2, Shardul Thakur 5-0-11-0 (nb-2) Ravichandran Ashwin 9-2-18-2.

Chief selector Bailey hints Hazlewood might return for Sydney Test JOSH Hazelwood missed the last two Ashes due to a side strain injury. But, it looks like the pacer might make a comeback in the fourth Test scheduled to start on January 5 in Sydney.

The Australian pacers have dominated the English batters all through the three matches and Hazelwood’s inclusion might give them an extra edge.

Australia have gone in with three different pace attacks in the first three Tests. The first Test was the only one where the trio of Hazelwood, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins bowled together. In the second Test, Australia brought in Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser. In the third Test, Scott Boland was picked ahead of Hazelwood, who was still struggling with the injury. Starc is the only pacer to play all three matches.

Chief selector George Bailey has mentioned that the panel would not stop Hazlewood from featuring in the fourth Test if he feels fit enough to compete.

“I’ve got pretty good faith in Hoff knowing his own body and trusting his own. He’ll build up as he would before any sort of Test. He’ll talk a lot with (assistant) Andrew McDonald and (physio) David Beakley to see how he’s going. If Hoff’s confident and he says he’s right to go I think we’ll back him in. He’s earned that trust,” Bailey said in a press conference.

In the next two Test matches, Australia are

Aussie pace Josh Hazlewood

likely to have a squad containing all the five pacers. Also, all of them have performed exceptionally well in the three Tests and the selectors might have a huge headache deciding the pace attack for the next two Tests.

“That’s a headache. It’s a great headache.

I’d much rather have that headache and some tough decisions to make than scratching our heads trying to find a solution to a problem, so I’m looking forward to working through that one and some hard conversations to have at some stage, but would love nothing more than to have a full squad to be able to pick from. Obviously some hard conversations are to be had at some stage,” Bailey added. (CricTracker)

A clinical performance from the bowlers helped India go 1-0

boundaries were also flowing regularly and the hosts made a positive start in their quest to pull off a win that appeared unlikely by stumps on Day 4.

But just like it was the case late on the fourth evening, it was Jasprit Bumrah who gave India a very important opening.

Elgar, India's biggest threat with his stoic defence, was trapped leg-before-wicket by the pacer

and the visitors broke through.

Quinton de Kock threatened for a short period by racing away to 21 but he attempted to cut a delivery that was too close to the stumps and ended up getting bowled. These two wickets completely shifted the momentum towards India once again and the visitors only made things harder for the South Africans from there. Shami got

into the act immediately after de Kock's dismissal as he managed to find the outside edge of Wiaan Mulder.

Going into lunch, South Africa's hopes completely rested on a determined Temba Bavuma.

But with 123 runs further needed, Bavuma clearly needed a bit of assistance from the other end.

India ensured he didn't get that as Shami wasted little time in sending Marco Jansen back to the pavilion once play resumed in the second session. And in the very next over, R. Ashwin finished off proceedings by picking up the final two wickets off successive deliveries.

This was their fourth win outside Asia in 2021 and certainly a step in the right direction in their quest to win a maiden Test series in South Africa. (Cricbuzz)

28

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

Ross Taylor announces international retirement - Bangladesh series will be his last Test before finishing with ODIs later in the season ROSS Taylor has an nounced he will retire from international cricket at the end of the current home season with the upcoming series against Bangladesh being his last Test cricket before he finishes with the ODIs against Australia and Netherlands.

Taylor, 37, currently has 110 Test caps and is New Zealand's leading run-scorer in both that format and ODIs. He made his international debut in an ODI against West Indies in March 2006 before playing his first Test against South Africa in November 2007. His top score of 290 came against Australia in Perth.

Taylor, who was at the crease alongside Kane Williamson when New Zealand secured the World Test Championship earlier this year, had previously spoken about making the 2023 World Cup but has decided now is the time to call it a day and not be available for the South Africa Tests later in the season.

New Zealand are due to tour Australia for three ODIs from late January then play Netherlands back at home.

"It's been an amazing journey and I feel incredibly fortunate to have represented my country for as long as I have," Taylor said. "It's been such a privilege to play with and against some of the greats of the game and to have created so many memories and friendships along the way.

"But all good things must come to an end and the timing feels right for me. I want to thank my family, friends and all those who have helped me get to this point.

"There'll be plenty of time for more thank-yous and

Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson share a moment after making New Zealand World Test Champions (Getty Images)

reflections later in the season - but for now I want all my energy and focus to be on preparing and performing for the Black Caps this summer."

New Zealand coach Gary Stead said that Taylor would finish his career as one of the country's greats "Ross has always been a hugely respected member of the side and we're thankful for his contributions to the Black Caps over an incredible career," he said.

"His skills and temperament as a batter have been world-class and his ability to perform at such a high level for so long speaks volumes of his longevity and professionalism.

"His experience has held the side together on countless occasions and his catching record speaks for itself.

There's no doubt we're going to miss him when he's gone.

"Seeing him hit the winning runs in Southampton to help win our first ICC World title is a moment I will never forget and I'm sure it's the same for many of the fans.

"I know Ross is really focused on performing well in these remaining series and

going out on the right note."

Williamson, who will miss the Bangladesh series due to his ongoing elbow injury, paid tribute to his longtime team-mate and batting partner.

"Ross has been at the core of the side for so long and can be extremely proud of having brought the game in this country to a better place," he said. "He's a world-class player, our best with the bat over such a long period of time and personally it's been a pleasure to be involved in so many partnerships with him across the formats.

"We've shared some pretty cool moments together most recently the World Test Championship Final which was obviously really special.

As a senior player and a leader in the group he's been a fantastic support person for me, especially out there in the field being able to tap into his experience.

Taylor said he would remain available for Central Districts until the end of the season before making a decision on whether to continue playing domestic cricket. (Cricinfo)

Western Tigers, GDF to... football standout, Jeremy Garett, scored to keep the Army’s control on the proceedings.

Down 1-2, goalkeeper Keanu Lawrence missed his chance but luckily, GDF’s Jeffrey Pereira did the same.

The scores remained 1-2 with the GDF still in control. When Kevin Dundas missed his chance for Den Amstel and National defender Colin Nelson netted, the scores pushed to 1-3 for the Army who will make a return to their second year-end final in consecutive tournaments.

FROM PAGE 26

Coach Joseph ‘Bill’ Wilson and his troops will now look to cash-in on the tournament’s $2M first-place prize, but in his way would be his former student, Charles ‘Lilly’ Pollard and a flamboyant Western Tigers unit.

They will meet on New Year’s Day (January 1, 2022), while the third-place game will see Den Amstel and the Guyana Police Force renew their rivalry for bragging rights and $500 000. Second-place will pocket $1M while $250 000 will go to the fourth-place team.

29

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

Cricketers benefit from Trophy Stall donations

TWO Under-17 cricketers Tomesh Hemraj and Lutesh Singh of No. 72 All Stars Cricket Club, Upper Corentyne Berbice, were the latest beneficiaries from the ‘CRICKET GEAR FOR YOUNG AND PROMISING CRICKETERS IN GUYANA’ project.

Despite limited cricket on the field due to COVID-19, the youngsters were rewarded at the clubs Annual Awards Ceremony for their performances on the field, education and discipline. Hemraj was voted the best wicketkeeper/batter and Singh for his all-round performances.

Both trophies were donated to the project by Ramesh Sunich, Owner/Managing Director of Trophy Stall of Bourda Market and branches across the country.

The trophies were pre-

sented to Ajay Ramdhari, a representative of the club,

by Miss Chitra Bedissee, Manager of Trophy Stall and the Port Mourant Branch.

Ramdhari explained that this award ceremony was to help keep the players motivated more than anything with the hope of not losing too many young talents during this prolonged COVID-19 period.

He thanked the sponsor and the partners of the project for their fine gesture. Miss Bedissee said that her company is happy to be part of this initiative and to make a difference in the lives of our young people and at the same time to provide an opportunity to improve their skills.

Anil Beharry, a partner along with Kishan Dass in this initiative, thanked Ramesh Such of Trophy Stall for his support and encour-

From left: Chitra Bedissee, Manager Trophy Stall Port Mourant, hands over trophies to Ajay Ramdhari, a representative of No. 72 All Stars CC

aged all young cricketers and youths in general to stay focused, train hard, stay disciplined and educate themselves. He expanded by saying that education plays a

major part in one’s success.

Total cricket-related items collected so far: $40 000 cash, 2 trophies, 2 cricket boots, 12 pairs of batting pads, 14 bats, 9 pairs of bat-

ting gloves and 4 cricket bags. To date, 21 young players from Essequibo Coast, Pomeroon, Georgetown, East Canje, Lower East Coast, Berbice and now Upper Corentyne area have already benefitted from a junior gear bag, 2 trophies, 8 bats, 6 pairs of batting pads and 6 pairs of batting gloves.

In addition, Rose Hall Estate Cricket Club benefitted from a pair of stumps and bails while two clubs in the Pomeroon area received two used bats.

This project is a joint initiative by Kishan Das of the USA and Anil Beharry.

Cricket-related items, used or new, will be distributed free of cost to young and promising cricketers in Guyana. Skills, discipline and education are important characteristics of the recipients.

Talent-spotting is being done across the country and club leaders will also assist in identifying talent.

Persons who wish to make a contribution can contact Anil Beharry or Kishan Das. Beharry and Das take this opportunity to thank Javed and Imran of West Indian Sports Complex, Option Group of USA, Hilbert Foster, Bish Panday of P and P Insurance Brokers, Sean Devers, Trevis Simon, Årïêl J. Tïlkú, Aaron Beharry, Leanna Bachan and Imran Saccoor, Devon Ramnauth, Teddy Singh, Romash Munna, Ravi Etwaroo, Ravin Harkishun, Surendra Harkishun, Allan Mangru, Vishal Mahabir, Sherman Austin, Huburn Evans, Rajendra Sadeo and Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall.

Thompson-Herah wins AIPS athlete-of-the-year honour

JAMAICA’S triple Tokyo Olympic Games gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah has been named the AIPS Best Female Athlete of 2021.

This follows a poll by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS), where a panel of 529 journalists from 114 countries voted for the Champions of 2021. Joining Thompson-Herah in receiving the top honour is Polish footballer Robert Lewandowski, who has been named the AIPS Best Male Athlete of 2021.

Sprint star Thompson-Herah, who was named the World Female Athlete-of-the- Year at the World Athletics Awards 2021 earlier this month, retained her Olympic 100m

Triple Tokyo Olympic Games medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah

and 200m titles in Tokyo and added a third gold medal in the 4x100m relay.

She also ran world-leading times of 10.54 and 21.53 over 100m and 200m respectively, moving to second on the

world all-time lists for each discipline.

She topped the AIPS poll with 605 points, ahead of Spanish footballer Alexia Putellas (490 points) and Venezuela's world triple jump record-holder and Olympic champion Yulimar Rojas (346 points).

Other athletics stars joining Thompson-Herah and Rojas in the top 10 are Kenya's Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon and Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, who claimed 5 000m and 10 000m titles in Tokyo as well as 1500m bronze.

Joining Lewandowski in the top 10 for the men's award are Norway's Karsten

SA wicketkeeper-batter de Kock retires from Test cricket

SOUTH Africa wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock, 29, has retired from Test cricket to spend more time with his family. de Kock and wife Sasha are expecting their first child soon.

"This is not a decision that I have come to very easily," he said after South Africa's 113-run defeat by India.

"My family is everything to me and I want to have the time and space to be able to be with them during this new and exciting chapter of our lives." de Kock made his Test debut in 2014 and scored 3 300 runs at an average of 38.82, scoring six centuries and 22 fifties in 54 matches.

Quinton de Kock made his Test debut in 2014 and scored 3 300 runs at an average of 38.82

He apologised for making himself unavailable for a match at October's T20 World Cup

rather than obey an instruction from Cricket South Africa (CSA) that all players should take the knee as a gesture in support of racial equality and justice.

"I love Test cricket and I love representing my country and all that it comes with," de Kock added.

"I've enjoyed the ups and the downs, the celebrations and even the disappointments, but now I've found something that I love even more.

"I'm fully committed to white-ball cricket and representing my country to the best of my ability for the foreseeable future.

"See you in the ODIs and T20s." (BBC Sport)

Warholm, who was named the World Athletics Male Athlete-of-the-Year, plus his

fellow world record-holders and Olympic champions Mondo Duplantis of Swe-

den and Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya. (AIPS for World Athletics)

30

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

Manchester United in top six after beating Burnley

Manchester United scored three first-half goals for the first time in the Premier League since January as they swept Burnley aside at Old Trafford to move back into the top six.

Scott McTominay's eighth-minute curler from the edge of the area was United's quickest top-flight goal since the Scot scored twice in the opening minutes against Leeds more than 12 months ago.

Jadon Sancho's deflected effort doubled the hosts' advantage before Cristiano Ronaldo - who had wasted a glorious chance after being sent clean through when the game was still goalless - tapped into an empty net after McTominay's shot had been touched on to a post by Burnley keeper Wayne Hennessey.

Aaron Lennon took advantage of a poor first touch from Eric Bailly to pull one back for the visitors with a clinical finish into the bottom corner.

However, in their first game since 12 December, Burnley lacked the stamina or the guile to trouble United further and remain in the bottom three.

The victory extends United's unbeaten run since the dismissal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to eight matches, although as they are only two points closer to the top of the league than the bottom, they still have some way to go if they are to start to create a meaningful legacy to the feats of Sir Alex Ferguson, who celebrates his 80th birthday on New Year's Eve. Small signs of progress There were two moments of small detail that were of major significance to the hosts in an opening period that represented the best 45 minutes of Ralf Rangnick's short time in charge.

The first came very early, when Mason Greenwood was beginning to run inside from the right wing. Edinson Cavani told him to stop and hold his position. It was the kind of authority United have lacked amid the recent arm-waving and general "whinging" as Gary Neville put it.

Greenwood obeyed, became more effective as a result and created space for others at the same time.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his eighth Premier League goal of the season

The second element was Sancho. The England man has been a shadow of the player who impressed so much at Borussia Dortmund, but the way he demanded the ball from Luke Shaw before steering into the far corner what would have been his first goal at Old Trafford had it not flicked off Burnley skipper Ben Mee was a welcome sign of confidence Hennessey's heroics Although Rangnick made six changes to his starting line-up, the combination of injuries and positive coronavirus tests that deprived Burnley boss Sean Dyche of seven first-teamers was more of a blow.

The absence of England keeper Nick Pope was Covid related and meant only a second

Premier League appearance since lockdown for former Crystal Palace keeper Hennessey.

The Wales international produced a couple of eye-catching saves, one of which prevented McTominay finishing off a length-of-the-field move in the second half.

Given the opposition and the time his side have been without a game, Dyche may not be too dispirited by the outcome. Sunday's trip to fellow strugglers Leeds is far more significant in the wider scheme of things.

Manchester United's next game is against Wolves at Old Trafford on Monday, 3 January (17:30 GMT). Burnley are next in action against Leeds at Elland Road on Sunday, 2 January (14:00)(BBC Sport)

Matthews nominated for ICC Former WI coach Radford laments Women's ODI Player of the Year inconsistency in fitness standards

West Indies Women’s all-rounder, Hayley Matthews, is part of a three-woman shortlist nominated for the ICC One Day International (ODI) Female Cricket of the Year award.

The past year saw the talented 23-year-old put in brilliant performances with both the bat and ball. In 14 matches Matthews scored 380 runs at an average of 29.23, with one century and one half-century. She claimed 18 wickets at an average of 22.44 and had an economy rate of 3.33.

Matthews was named Player of the Series when the West Indies Women faced Pakistan in a five-match ODI series in July. She scored 168 runs, which included a century, and took seven wickets in a series that the Caribbean team won 3-2.

The player was not as impressive

Haley Matthews has put out brilliant performances with both bat and ball

against South Africa but returned to full form in the following series against CRICKET QUIZ CORNER Pakistan. Matthews (Friday December 31, 2021) started the series with a half-century COMPLIMENTS OF CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD and three wickets 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown in the first ODI and (Tel: 225-6158) followed that up with a four-wicket Answers to yesterday’s quiz: haul in the second game.

(1) 415- Neil McKenzie & Graeme Smith (SA vs The all-roundBANG, Chattogram, 2008) er ended the series with a knock of 49 (2) 198- Joe Root & James Anderson (ENG vs IND, Nottingham, 2014) in the final match, which helped her Today’s Quiz: side complete a whitewash.Also (1) What is the highest first wicket partnership in in contention for ODIs to date? the award are Pakistan’s Fatima (2) What is the highest tenth wicket partnership in Sana, and EnODIs to date? gland’s Tammy Answers in tomorrow’s issue Beaumont.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Ex-West Indies batting coach Toby Radford has again criticised the lack of consistency in fitness standards for selection to West Indies squads, and believes a more equitable process is required in order for the best players to emerge.

The Welshman, who left the West Indies setup in 2019 as part of an overall coaching overhaul of the men’s senior side, said it too often appeared as if fitness waivers were being used conveniently to ensure the selection and non-selection of players.

“I don’t think there’s a consistency with the fitness testing and the way it is being used,” said Radford.

“It seems to me if they want to pick a player, they give a waiver to a certain player. If they don’t want to pick a player, they suddenly give the excuse that the guy is not fit and there’s no proof when the test was done or how it was done.

“And I hear lots of different stories. I don’t think it’s consistent … if they want to get a player in, suddenly they waive the fitness test. If they don’t want a player in, they blame the fitness test and use that as an excuse.

“I don’t think it is a hard and fast method for selecting and non-selecting and we saw that recently with the World Cup. There were people on there (squad) I’m sure they didn’t pass a fitness test and I think we all know that.

“But then they were other people at other times who were not picked and they said they failed the fitness test. It doesn’t look consistent to me.”

Over the last two years, CWI has drilled down on fitness standards, leading to several players missing out on selection for international tours.

And player fitness proved a source of heated debate ahead of the recent Twenty20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates when experienced players were handed fitness waivers while the likes of rookies Sherfane Rutherford and Odean Smith failed to meet the standards and were ruled out of selection.

Radford said transparent fitness standards would ultimately eliminate the inconsistency which currently characterised selection.

Fast bowler Odean Smith was a leading bowler during CPL 2021 but ignored for the T20 World Cup on fitness grounds

“I would like to see a really above-board, robust selection process. And if you’re going to use fitness which is a massive part of the game, you’ve got to be consistent with it,” he argued.

“Everybody has got to be treated the same way, tested the same way and whatever the results are, the decision that’s made for ‘A’ has to be the decision made for ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’, ‘E’, ‘F’ and ‘G’ as well.

“At the moment, it’s being used however they want to select.”

He added: “For testing to be fair, everybody should be in the same place on the same day doing the same test, and you can all see them doing it.

“When you start doing it at different times, and this person had a waiver and that person’s got a waiver, it gets messy and then it’s open to people looking at it (process) and saying ‘what went on here?’. And even if it was fair, it doesn’t look fair.”

31

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

History-makers at ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cups EOIN Morgan is best known for leading England to ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 glory but after scoring a hatful of runs when representing Ireland, he is the leading run-scorer in ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cups.

Morgan would become Ireland’s youngest-ever senior international but before that he starred in both the 2004 and 2006 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cups.

Morgan’s first World Cup game came against the West Indies and batting at No.3 he managed just five runs from 16 balls as Ireland came agonisingly close to an upset.

The men in green were six runs short of chasing down the West Indies’ 265 for eight with Kevin O’Brien’s 95 not enough to get them over the line.

Morgan fared little better next time out, scoring 12 in a heavy eight-wicket defeat to Pakistan before misfiring against Papua New Guinea, as he was trapped lbw for 11 off 18, albeit in a winning cause.

He cashed in against Uganda, notching a century and finishing with 117 off 129 balls as Ireland’s 329 for nine proved to be far too many for their African opponents.

Morgan showcased his all-round ability against Canada, first making 44 off 57 balls as Ireland posted 265 for nine.

He was then named player-of-

the-match after taking three catches and two for 26 from ten overs with his right-arm medium bowling – something he would leave behind as he headed into the senior ranks.

Morgan was run-out for 14 against Bangladesh as his side were bowled out for 141 and went on to lose by eight wickets.

But he rounded off his first tournament with 65 from 69 balls against Australia in the plate semi-final, top-scoring for Ireland as they went down by 49 runs to a side captained by Tim Paine.

Morgan finished with 268 runs from seven innings with an average of 38.28 but would kick on to greater heights when he returned to the international stage two years later as Ireland captain.

It was an unlucky 13 for Morgan to start with at the 2006 edition in Sri Lanka as Ireland collapsed to 97 all out in reply to Zimbabwe’s 215 for seven in their opener.

Three days later Morgan chipped in with 28 but was unable to prevent his side losing a nail-biter by four runs against an England side led by Moeen Ali. Morgan hit his straps with 86 off 107 against Nepal the following day but his side were still beaten by 60 runs having conceded 234.

A century followed against New Zealand on Valentine’s Day as his Ireland side crossed the 300-barrier

Eoin Morgan

but despite Morgan’s 124 off 126 balls, his side lost by three wickets.

After bowling out Namibia for 115, Ireland won by six wickets with Morgan contributing 27 before he made 60 not out to steer his side to another victory by the same margin as they chased down 166 to beat Uganda to round off the campaign.

Morgan’s tally of 338 runs from six matches made him the second highest run-scorer of the tournament, only 11 behind India’s Cheteshwar Pujara, and his combined haul of 606 runs across the two tournaments makes him the most prolific youngster with the bat.

Morgan may have shown his prowess with the ball as a teenager,

but it is Zimbabwe’s Wesley Madhevere who is the leading wicket-taker at ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cups.

The off-spinner is no slouch with the bat, often opening the innings for his country, making him a prolific all-rounder.

A prodigious talent, Madhevere featured at the 2016 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup aged just 15.

And in keeping with the phrase, ‘if you are good enough, you’re old enough’, Madhevere kicked off his tournament by taking five for 24 to help dismiss Fiji for 81.

Madhevere took another wicket in the 129-run defeat to England next up, recording impressive figures of one for 53 from his ten overs given his opponents racked up 288 for four from their innings.

He was back in the wickets with two for 48 in the narrow tworun defeat against the West Indies before chipping in with one for 40 in the six-wicket win over Canada.

Another wicket came in the heavy victory over South Africa before he capped a fine tournament at such a young age with a miserly spell of none for 24 off ten overs in the five-wicket defeat to Afghanistan.

With ten wickets from his first tournament at 21.20, Madhevere returned in 2018 and again started

with a bang.

He bagged the player-of-thematch award after taking three for 19 to help bowl Papua New Guinea out for 90 before smashing 53 not out from 44 balls to deliver a 10-wicket triumph.

Madhevere snarled with another wicket in the defeat to Australia before the 10-wicket reverse to India was followed by figures of two for 11 from six overs with the ball and 47 with the bat in the win over Namibia.

He missed out with both bat and ball against Sri Lanka before bouncing back in phenomenal style, taking four for 24 and smashing 93 in the 138-run win over Canada to round off the tournament.

Madhevere was named ICC’s rising star of the tournament after taking 10 wickets at 12.80 and returned for his third consecutive U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2020.

However, it took him until the third game against Scotland to pick up his first wicket, with one more coming in a win over Canada before he came to the fore in the defeat to England with four for 42 from 10 overs.

Madhevere finished off with two for 18 against Scotland in the 11th place play-off to take his tally to 28 and leave him as the man to beat when it comes to the world’s best young bowlers. (ICC Media)

Amory burst futile as Windies Under-19s suffer narrow defeat KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC) – Off-spinner Onaje Amory’s brilliant four-wicket haul proved futile as West Indies Under-19s slumped to a narrow one-wicket loss in a low-scoring affair here yesterday.

Defending an inadequate 107 in the third Youth OneDay International at Cumberland Playing Field, West Indies made a fist of it, largely courtesy of Amory’s four for eight off four overs, but came up short as South Africa Under-19s got home in the 19th over.

Opener Ethan Cunningham top-scored with a breezy 25 off 23 balls but it was number nine Liam Alder, who struck a 12-ball unbeaten 24, which made the difference in the run chase towards the end.

Earlier, the hosts were bundled out cheaply for 106

in the 39th over, opener Shaqkere Parris top-scoring with 27, Teddy Bishop getting 26 and Giovonte Depeiza chipping in with 24.

Leg-spinner Dewald Brevis (3-6) and fast bowler Hendrick Coetzer (3-25) both claimed three wickets apiece to hurt the innings while leftarm spinners Alder (2-23) and Asakhe Tshaka (2-25) supported with two wickets each.

Parris, who faced 47 balls and counted four fours, put on 37 for the first wicket with Matthew Nandu (10) but once they were separated four wickets tumbled for 14 runs as Coetzer ripped through the top order to leave the innings tottering.

Bishop, who hit three fours off 52 balls, repaired the innings in a 46-run, fifth wicket stand with Depeiza, as West Indies Under-19s staged

a recovery.

However, both perished

in the space of four balls with the score on 97 as the last six

wickets went down for nine runs.

SCOREBOARD WEST INDIES U19s S. Parris lbw b Coetzer M. Nandu c wkp. Maree b Coetzer T. Bishop lbw b Tsaka A. Auguste b Coetzer J. Johnson lbw b Tsaka G. Depeiza b Alder C. Bowen-Tuckett not out J. Carmichael b Alder J. Layne c Copeland b Brevis I. Thorne c Smith b Brevis O. Amory lbw b Brevis

SOUTH AFRICA U19s 27 10 26 0 2 22 5 0 0 1 0

Extras: (b-4, w-8, nb-1) 13 Total: (all out, 38.3 overs) 106 Fall of wickets: 1-37, 2-48, 3-48, 4-51, 5-97, 6-97, 7-98, 8-99, 9-105.

Bowling: Maphaka 6-0-23-0, Coetzer 9-125-3, Tsaka 10-0-25-2, Alder 10-3-23-2, Brevis 3.3-0-6-3.

J. Smith c Johnson b Layne 0 E. Cunningham stp. Bowen-Tuckett b Nandu 25 V. Kitime c Johnson b Nandu 13 D. Brevis lbw b Carmichael 6 G. Maree b Amory 10 G. Van Heerden c Carmichael b Amory 9 M. Copeland b Amory 0 H. Coetzer b Amory 8 L. Alder not out 24 A. Tsaka c Carmichael b Layne 0 K. Maphaka not out 0 Extras: (b-9, lb-4, w-3, nb-2) 18 Total: (9 wkts, 18.3 overs) 113 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-38, 3-50, 4-54, 5-72, 6-72, 7-83, 8-90, 9-101.

Bowling: Layne 4-1-26-2, Thorne 2-0-10-0, Nandu 3-1-6-2, Carmichael 5-0-38-1, Amory 4-2-8-4, Depeiza 0.3-0-12-0.

Off-spinner Onaje Amory finished with four wickets

In reply, fast bowler Johann Layne removed opener Jade Smith without scoring to the third ball of the run chase to rock the visitors before Cunningham, who struck three fours and a six, rallied the innings in a 38-run stand with Valentine Kitime (13).

Nandu broke the stand with his off-spin leading to a slide where eight wickets crashed for 63 runs but Alder smacked two sixes in his knock to break the hosts’ resistance at the death.

South Africa lead the four-match series 2-1.

Western Tigers, GDF to collide 26 on New Year’s Day

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 31, 2021

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- Thrilling semi-final sets stage for GFF/K&S Super 16 ‘dream’ final

GDF FC will face Western Tigers in the final for the GFF/K&S tournament following their dramatic win against Den Amstel in their semi-final match

GCB in full gear ahead of CWI Regional 4-Day 2022 season THE Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), in keeping with its promise to play national matches within the three counties, as against the centralised location of Demerara, has scheduled two of the three matches in the GCB Best-of-the-Best Redball 4-Day Tournament.

The tournament will involve a pool of earmarked players participating in competitive matches, with the initial match at least being played ahead of the selection of the first national team to participate in the CWI Regional 4-Day Tournament 2022.

President of the GCB, Bissoondyal Singh, noted that though it may appear that the inclement weather has necessitated the need for use of suitable venues outside of Demerara, the consideration to return Inter-county, national trials and practice matches to other counties is keeping with the

The GCB is gearing up for a solid upcoming season according to president Bissoondyal Singh

strategic plans of the GCB. Singh also stated, “We are happy to announce that despite our challenges which have seemingly emanated from previous franchise arrangements, GCB is going ahead with its planned programmes.

Although our funds are limited, we intend to create the competitive

environment necessary to provide the players with optimal opportunities for game-readiness and match-form; and the national 4-Day team with the best chances of winning the CWI Regional 4-Day Tournament 2022.

The first two matches are scheduled for the Albion Community Centre ground, Berbice, and given the need to have cricket played throughout the counties, the second match scheduled for Albion, is subject to change based on weather conditions while the third and final match is being arranged for the Guyana National Stadium, Providence”.

The dates for the three GCB Best-of-the-Best Redball 4-Day Tournament are January 5-8, 2021, January 12-15, 2021 and January 18-21, 2021. The two teams for the first match will be announced no later than January 3, 2022.

'Political' decision to sack Pybus one of the worst in recent Windies cricket history PAGE

26 Richard Pybus was sacked just weeks ahead of the 2019 ICC World Cup

Amory burst futile as Windies Under-19s suffer narrow defeat

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2021