Guyana Chronicle E-paper 9-27-2020

27th September, 2020

, No.106135

New 'fly-over' harbour bridge in three years

Disfigured, rejected teen secures 14 subjects at CSEC

SEE PAGE 03

–– Expressions of Interest to be sought from today, community consultations soon

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Visually-impaired pupil defies odds, excels 16 at NGSA PAGE

Cash-grant initiative begins in Regions One, Nine 31 PAGE

Lowenfield confronted on criminal conduct

President, Dr Irfaan Ali, points to the spot where the bridge will pass over, during a discussion with Nandy Park residents on Saturday.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar (third right), pays keen attention to the discussion (Adrian Narine photo)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

‘Actors’ exploiting circumstances of health workers

–– says President Ali, assures all Guyanese will have better standard of living

By Navendra Seoraj

GENUINE concerns of health workers have been radicalised and exploited by persons referred to as “independent actors” by President Dr. Irfaan Ali, who maintained that his government is committed to improving the prospect and livelihood for nurses, doctors, clerical and frontline workers, even outside of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The President’s remarks come one day after some nurses attached to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) staged a protest in the ‘East Street Parking Lot’ on Friday morning, calling for more pay.

It was reported that the frontline workers, who could be heard chanting “No money, no work”, called on the Ministry of Health to provide them with an equitable working wage, as well as a risk allowance for the ‘extraordinary’ job they have been doing on a daily basis,

particularly in the COVID-19 fight.

“Issues that the nurses and doctors raised were under active consideration, so I think that there are a lot of other factors we have to look at… But five years ago, or even a year ago, their situation was far worse.

“What I have seen in this strike are a few actors; and I have a strong monitoring team looking at the type of narrative being built on social media,” said President Ali while responding to questions from reporters on Saturday.

The President is confident that there are strong independent actors who are looking to exploit these circumstances.

But regardless of the motive, the President maintained that government, as part of its five-year programme, is looking at improvement on a macro level.

“We are looking at assistance in the housing programme, not only increases in salary… better working conditions, better add-on benefits… nurses with children would benefit from the cash incentive,

the cash grants, they will benefit from the uniform allowance, and the removal of VAT on electricity and water,” said President Ali. Government, in the recently-presented 2020 Budget has allocated some $150 million for frontline health workers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The President said he understands that every category of worker wants more, and wants better.

And, he assured that the government has better to deliver, and that the authorities are committed to ensuring that all categories of workers have a better standard of living, better opportunities, and greater prospects in the future.

REQUEST FOR DUTY-FREE CONCESSIONS When asked about the specific requests made by health workers, President Ali said he saw some requests which were outside of the scope of

what the country could afford, like the request for duty-free concessions across-the-board for nurses.

In one instance, health workers even argued that government, in the immediate term, is able to invest $5 billion into the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) but cannot meet their demands.

This comment was met with a passionate response from President Ali, who said: “They are saying we are spending money on the reopening of sugar, and using it as justification for their action, but where was the solidarity when more than 7,000 sugar workers were sent home?

What was the situation then? Where was the solidarity when more than 1,000 bauxite workers lost their jobs?”

The President noted that there was no socio-economic analysis of the impact on the closure of those sugar estates.

“You can see the socio-economic impact of the closure of the estates in those communities, and we cannot See page 10

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

New ‘fly-over’ harbour bridge in three years –– Expressions of Interest to be sought from today, community consultations soon

By Navendra Seoraj GUYANA’S infrastructural transformation is expected to be catalysed by the construction of a new ‘fly-over’ Demerara Harbour Bridge which will stretch from Nandy Park on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) to La Grange on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD).

The new four-lane high-span bridge, which is scheduled to be completed in three years after the commencement of work, will replace the existing structure which was built in 1976, over four decades ago.

“There is no time and we cannot have too many time lapses… the current bridge is limping along

and that is a nice way to put it,” said President, Dr. Irfaan Ali following an inspection of the site for the new bridge, on Saturday.

Hundreds of vehicles traverse the existing structure on a daily basis, and, with a growing population, this traffic will only increase.

President Ali, who was accompanied by Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill and Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, during the inspection, said the existing harbour bridge received limited maintenance over the past five years.

“Over the past five years there has been limited maintenance of that bridge and it is becoming a big bother for com-

muters… the amount of man hours that is lost is tremendous… so we are pushing ahead with this,” said President Ali. In further justifying his seriousness about the speedy commencement of construction of the new bridge, President Ali said government will be seeking Expressions of Interest (EoIs) starting today. The appropriate advertisement which will be published in the newspapers, daily, until December 2020.

The President explained that it is a public advertisement and anyone would be able to put in his/her expression.

“We have to complete this bridge within four years, and in my estimation, within three years we should be having that

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, inspects the site for the new Demerara Harbour Bridge (Adrian Narine photo)

An area in Nandy Park where the new bridge will pass over (Adrian Narine photo)

bridge, a fixed four-lane high span bridge,” said President Ali. While the bridge is the main focus, the President said the transportation plan is not just a “connection plan” as the project will also include “service/ feeder” roads to support the main highways.

“The alignment would connect to a four-lane alignment on Haags Bosch or Bagotville Road and that will be developed into a four-lane facility between the new four-lane (Ogle-East Bank bypass road) and what will be the older four-lane,” said the President, noting that there will be possibilities for other alignments.

The interconnections created by the new project will allow for a smooth

flow of traffic and even create an alternative linkage between the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) and EBD. Considering those benefits, President Ali said the site presents a fairly good development path, as the bridge has to come with a “gradual gradient,” and will ‘fly over’ the main road and land into Nandy Park.

COMMUNITY CONSULTATIONS Given that the bridge will pass over residential properties, the President said an inter-agency committee, which will come into effect this week, will be tasked with meeting residents and identifying all the areas See page 9

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

Trump picks Barrett to succeed Justice Ginsburg

President Donald Trump on Saturday nominated Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, and she pledged to become a justice in the mold of the late staunch conservative Antonin Scalia - another milestone in Trump’s rightward shift of the top U.S. judicial body.

Trump’s announcement during a flag-festooned White House Rose Garden ceremony - with Barrett, 48, by his side and her seven children on hand - sets off a scramble

by Senate Republicans to confirm her as the President has requested before Election Day in 5-1/2 weeks as he seeks a second term in office.

If confirmed by the Senate to replace liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died at age 87 on Sept. 18, Barrett would become the fifth woman ever to serve on the court and would push its conservative majority to a commanding 6-3.

Like Trump’s two other appointees, Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, Barrett is young enough that she could serve for decades in the lifetime job, leaving a lasting conservative imprint. Barrett is the youngest Supreme Court nominee since conservative Clarence Thomas was 43 in 1991.

Scalia, who died in 2016, was one of the most influential conservative justices in recent history. Barrett previously served as a clerk for Scalia on the high court and described him as her mentor, citing his “incalculable influence” on her life.

“His judicial philosophy is mine too: a judge must apply the law as written. Judges are not policymakers,” Barrett said.

On the court, Scalia voted to curb abortion rights, dissented when the court legalised gay marriage - he called it a “judicial putsch” -

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2020 ― 01:30hrs - 03:00hrs

14:30hrs - 16:00hrs

and backed broad gun rights, among other positions.

With Trump’s fellow Republicans holding a 53-47 Senate majority, confirmation appears certain, though Democrats may try to make it as difficult as possible.

nominate one of our nation’s most brilliant and gifted legal minds to the Supreme Court,” Trump said.

Trump noted that she would be the first mother of school-age children ever on the court. Along with her

Judge, Amy Coney Barrett

An emboldened Supreme Court conservative majority could shift the United States to the right on hot-button issues by, among other things, curbing abortion rights, expanding religious rights, striking down gun control laws, halting the expansion of LGBT rights, and endorsing new restrictions on voting rights.

Barrett, a devout Roman Catholic who earned her law degree and taught at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, was appointed by Trump to the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2017 and is a favourite of religious conservatives, a key Trump voter bloc.

“Today it is my honour to

lawyer husband, her children, two of whom were adopted from Haiti, were in the audience.

Barrett also praised Ginsburg, saying the late justice was “a woman of enormous talent and consequence” and mentioned Ginsburg’s long friendship with Scalia.

MOVING AHEAD Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a statement praising Barrett and pledging to move forward quickly with the confirmation process. But Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden repeated his call for the appointment to be made by the winner of the Nov. 3 election.

“The Senate should not act on this vacancy until after the American people select their next President and the next Congress,” Biden said.

Democrats are still furious over McConnell’s 2016 refusal to consider President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nomination of Merrick Garland because it came during an election year. This marks the first time since 1956 that a U.S. President has moved to fill a Supreme Court vacancy so close to an election.

“The stakes for our country are incredibly high, rulings that the Supreme Court will issue in the coming years will decide the survival of our Second Amendment (which guarantees the right to bear arms), our religious liberty, our public safety and so much more,” Trump said.

“I urge lawmakers and members of the media to refrain from personal or partisan attacks” on Barrett, Trump added.

Abortion rights advocates have voiced concern that Barrett could cast a vote for overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion nationwide. On the 7th Circuit, she has voted in favour of one of Trump’s hardline immigration policies, embraced gun rights and authored a ruling making it easier for college students accused of campus sexual assaults to sue their institutions.

“Donald Trump and

Mitch McConnell have made it clear they will pull out all the stops to jam through another right-wing Supreme Court nominee - even if that means breaking their own rule pertaining to election-year appointments,” Democratic Senator Ron Wyden said.

The White House ceremony was decorated with American flags arranged in a way similar to the day when President Bill Clinton nominated Ginsburg in 1993.

There was tightly packed crowd at the ceremony, most not wearing masks despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Barrett is expected to begin the traditional courtesy calls on individual senators on Tuesday. Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings will begin Oct. 12, Trump said.

Democrats are set to make the fate of the Obamacare healthcare law a key part of the confirmation fight.

Barrett could be on the bench for the court’s Nov. 10 oral arguments in a case in which Trump and fellow Republicans are seeking to invalidate the 2010 law, formally called the Affordable Care Act. “Justice Ginsburg must be turning over in her grave up in heaven,” top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said, “to see that the person they chose seems to be intent on undoing all the things that Ginsburg did.”

(Reuters)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

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CXC under fire

SEVERAL education ministries across the region have written to the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) requesting an investigation into what has been described as “widescale anomalies” with the recently released Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) results, although Registrar and Chief Executive Officer Dr Wayne Wesley has disagreed with the assessment.

The disclosure that ministries across the region have requested investigations into anomalies was made at a virtual CXC press conference from Barbados, hours after Jamaica’s Ministry of Education announced that portfolio Minister Fayval Williams, had written to CXC Chairman, Sir Hilary Beckles requesting a thorough investigation.

Dr Wesley told the Jamaica Observer that while he would not respond to the decision taken by Jamaica, the council is prepared to and has addressed concerns raised by numerous ministers and ministries in the region.

“We would have received requests from several ministers and countries across the region and we are addressing them as they come. So we are responding to all requests that we have received,” he said.

Jamaica’s education ministry, in a statement Friday, said that many students received what they labelled as “inaccurate” results. Several results also came back “ungraded” or “absent”.

The ministry, said the minister, has also sought to ascertain from the council the circumstances that led to results being sent directly to students before schools and the ministry.

This, the minister said, prevented the ministry from identifying, in advance, anomalies or errors in results.

In the letter sent to the CXC chairman, Williams said: “It is in the interest of the Caribbean examination ecosystem that confidence remains in the system. As such, a transparent investigation must commence immediately.”

But Dr Wesley doubled down on the council’s position, noting that it does not agree that there are anomalies with the results.

He said, however, that in the instances where students received results which said “ungraded” or “absent” the

council is “working with the ministries of education in that regard and the local registrars to have those corrected because what it indicates is that the SBAs [School-Based Assessment] are required or some component of that SBA was not submitted”.

In some instances, students were reported to have received “straight A” profiles but were given a failing grade or received less than satisfactory profiles but were given a grade I result.

He said that individual students should request a query on the matter.

Asked if the council had verified whether or not there was a technological glitch in the system, Dr Wesley said internal checks were made and no issue was found.

“That is why I can respond to you about the [profile] with all A’s and getting a G grade. There’s no such grade. I can respond to you about the other issues that are there and I’m saying we have to be very responsible that whatever we are responding to is something that we can verify.

“All our data that we have reviewed, all of the things that we have looked at and ensured that our processes and systems are in place has not revealed what is being said. I’m asking to provide us with the information so that we can address them. Where ministries and local registrars have done so we have addressed them,” he said.

At the same time, the registrar noted that he was satisfied with the service provided by the council in light of the results amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. “...Of course there is also room for improvement and we will be doing that, but certainly with our approach this year, and what we have done to respond in the face of this pandemic, was always with the interest of the students in mind. We are satisfied and I’m quite sure you would also recognise the improved performance of students this year,” said Dr Wesley.

Dr Wesley, speaking Thursday morning with the Observer’s sister radio station The Edge, told Top of the Morning host Richie B that where there are concerns there is a mechanism for students to have the requisite queries done, to determine whether or not there is any inconsistency with what they have received.

In explaining how one student who received an A,

A, C profile and got grade 1 for a particular subject, while another student who sat the same subject got an A, B profile but received a grade 2, Dr Wesley said, “The profile grades represent a band so it depends on where in the band that student would fall that would determine a 1 or a 2, and those close profiles that would determine the issue falling along the boundaries and that is why you perhaps would get a differential like that.”

The CXC registrar said he “would not necessarily” classify that kind of disparity in results as an inconsistency.

“You know how bands work, you might fall at the higher level of the band or the lower level that will determine your composite grade to be different,” he

said.

Meanwhile, the Opposition People’s National Party’s Dr Angela Brown Burke, shadow minister of education and training, said dialogue between the leadership of the CXC and stakeholders, including students, parents and school administrators, is a necessary process in order to address mounting disquiet about the exam grades.

“This process of dialogue would be helpful in identifying any areas that could benefit from reconsideration, including any inconsistency in grading, comparison of student profiles and their performance. An examination of the curriculum and what was expected might also be a useful tool in this analysis,” Dr Brown Burke said.

(Jamaica Observer)

Colombia passes grim milestone of 800,000 coronavirus cases

Coronavirus cases in Colombia, which is nearly a month into a national reopening after a long quarantine, surpassed 800,000 on Saturday, a day after deaths from COVID-19 climbed above 25,000.

The Andean country has 806,038 confirmed cases of the virus according to the health ministry, with 25,296 reported deaths. Active cases number 78,956.

Colombia began more than five months of lockdown in March. It is now in a much-looser “selective” quarantine phase which allows dining at restaurants and international flights.

Concerts and other large events remain banned and land and water borders are closed.

Intensive care units in Bogota, home to a third of Colombia’s cases, are at about 50 per cent capacity, according to local health authorities. (Reuters)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

Break the silence on child abuse

CHILD Protection Week 2020 was held under the theme, “Breaking the Silence on Child Sexual Abuse”. The week of activities promotes the safety and well-being of children. It ran from September 6 to 12, 2020.

The National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) coordinated National Child Protection Week.

Guyana’s Child Care and Protection Agency (CC&PA) Director, Ann Greene, during a virtual rally, revealed that between January and August 2020, the agency responded to 529 cases of child sexual abuse, with Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) recording the highest rate of abuse, with 4.6 per 1000 children affected, followed by Region One (Barima-Waini) with 3.8, and Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) with 2.7. Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud posited that families and communities should network to provide safe havens for children, to ensure that they enjoy a childhood that is free from abuse. The event was the highlight of observances being held under the overall theme, “Protecting Children and Empowering Families to cope with the Global Pandemic”.

During the rally, the minister also reiterated urgent calls for adults to listen and believe children who report all forms of sexual abuse. She revealed that the ministry has optimised its efforts to ensure that parents are aware of the danger, and are knowledgeable about ways of protecting their children.

In May 2012, this newspaper reported the worry level of abuse of children in Essequibo. According to the report, Jonathan James was only 10 years old when his biological father and stepmother locked him in an air conditioned room, and made him stand on an ‘X’ as punishment for his ‘crime’ of wetting his bed. Jonathan is reported to have died of dehydration.

Neesa Gopaul’s fate was brutally determined by those she trusted.

A few years ago, travellers who have transited Charity during rush hour have seen children, seemingly no older than 11, linger around bars or restaurants, begging for morsels of food or money to purchase same. When asked the reason for begging, one of these children had said that his mother sent him to beg, because his father abandoned them.

The news report revealed that within prox-

imity of Moruca, on the Pomeroon River, a girl child was reportedly being severely molested and raped by her grandfather, a former teacher. For those knowledgeable of this particular situation, the girl lived with her grandparents, but, sadly, the destitution and lack of sustained sobriety of those adults left these children vulnerable, unprotected, and neglected.

In another instance, it was revealed that a report was made to the Moruca Police Station about the need to investigate parents about the progressive delinquency of their daughters and granddaughters. However, a perpetrator was locked up and released shortly after.

These children are coerced into destructive situations by trusted elders during their formative years, flayed by covert and overt abuse. They are emotionally abandoned by parents, who are themselves devoid of moral compasses through their own childhood experiences, and gradually learn to accept rejection and public vilification and ridicule as characteristic of their human identity. In a vicious cycle, victims who are deprived of love, kindness and understanding generally inflict their childhood torment on others, because compassion, sensitivity to the feel-

ings of others, and a moral compass were amputated from his/her psyche since childhood. This psychological decimation is a main contributory factor to violence, crime and an ethos of lawlessness within families, communities and ultimately national societal landscapes. Sexual exploitation, physical and emotional torture, humiliation, betrayal, incest and neglect traumatise children to the point of dehumanising them. However, trauma is not synonymous with insanity; but the psychological and emotional scars can lead to substance abuse, prostitution and escalating self-destructive actions, oftentimes with disastrous consequences for societies. During the virtual confab, Ms. Greene urged more persons to become advocates for children’s rights, and to support efforts to ensure safe childhoods.

Her call for the establishment of a special victims’ quick-response unit in police stations, staffed with specially-trained police officers, social services officers, including child protection officers and public health officers to facilitate speedy investigations and bring child sex abusers to swift justice must be heeded.

As an emerging nation we must never forget our old friends GUYANA has always been friends with many other nations, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, to name a few. In many ways these historical and influential relationships with these powerful nations have given us protection for our sugar, bauxite, and other resources.

We may have had a few fallouts in the past, but most of these countries have always been there to hold our hands and walk us over the proverbial “troubled waters.”

Since independence, the United Kingdom has been like a guardian mother looking out for our protection and democracy, through contributions to our battles against crime and to our national and human development. And, as we have seen in recent times, the energy and power they placed for the democratic freedom of the citizens of this country. For this and more, I say that the United Kingdom deserves a standing ovation and applause from Guyana.

I must also recognise the former NonAligned Movement set up by the five international founders: Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah, Indonesian President Sukarno, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, and President of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito. The Non-Aligned Movement has played a very important role in the development of our consciousness of freedom of thought, where no predominant country with money and power can brainwash us into being maniacs of their regime. It also served its role in our development as a free country.

Cuba has been a great friend of Guyana, and we owe them a great debt of gratitude for

their medical brigade, scholarships in tropical agriculture, medicine, post-graduate medicine, and so much more. I firmly believe that we must never allow ourselves to forget our comrades. As we are building this greater and more powerful relationship with the United States of America, we must not forget those nations that have helped us to develop and grow.

As for China, without a doubt, they have also been one of our greatest friends in the form of aid to our country, friendship in morality and scholarships in various industries, and professions. I can say the same for the land of my ancestors, India, also known as Hindustan. I am always amazed at the rapid development of so many fields of endeavour and science from the dawn of known civilisations to modern times.

The famous Chinese silk trade route that spans the globe, bringing scientific discoveries, art, and commodities for trade. This, at the same time, brought ideology, knowledge, wisdom, and technology to the world, from nations such as Arabia, Persia, Greece, and Rome— in other words, the whole world.

I personally have a deep respect and love for China and I feel that we must be ever grateful to them for being there as a shoulder on which we can lean. However, I would like to take this opportunity to call upon my very good friend and mentor in universal peace and international diplomacy, the Hon Ambassador Cui Jianchun, to suggest to his government to always have an oversight of Chinese projects in Guyana. As for basic commercial goods and major traffic arteries such as highways, bridges, dams, tunnels, railways, subways, and airports, they must be

of the highest quality and not of the third level, as I know exist in China’s industrial supplies. I reiterate, it would be noble if Ambassador Cui Jianchun encourage China to look over these projects and to ask its government to provide the requisite proper guidance to the companies coming to Guyana. I say this from the experience of doing business with China. I know that China produces different quality of goods. There is the first quality, in which you pay a little higher, the second quality where you pay less, and the third quality where you pay the lowest and get the lowest quality. For this reason, I am worried about our airports for the fact that we have paid for the best, and China Harbour and Engineering Company offers us a third or worse standard, thus affecting the identity, prestige, and honour of the People’s Republic of China. If anything, they are expected to make sure we get what we paid for and maybe a little extra. This is why I am calling on our good friends in China to watch over Chinese projects done in Guyana, so as to ensure we get what we are paying for. With this, I also urge the Government of Guyana to ensure that we do not always go for the cheapest, but for quality, not only in the construction of highways, byways, tunnels and trains, but also in the provision of local services, etc. It is difficult to enter into contracts with the lowest bidder and to demand the highest quality service in any industry, be it foreign tenderers or local tenderers.

The Government of Guyana must also ensure that no international bank or countries from which we borrow money must ever be able to hold and seize our assets; our lands, our airports, etcetera. If we cannot afford to pay in the future,

the loan will have to be re-negotiated, so they cannot hold any of our assets as we have seen in some countries where major airports, etc., are being taken over because they were unable to pay debts that have been borrowed. The clause of the contract must explicitly state the aforementioned.

Additionally, oil companies and foreign investors should never own lands and properties.

Instead, they should be made to partner with Guyanese, who will own the lands, build and give them service as partners, so that our citizens can have independence and wealth. Otherwise, these foreign companies with their capital reserves, as capitalists, will take away all our lands, opportunities, and we, as Guyanese in our own country, will become third, fourth, or fifthclass citizens and end up working as employees in what is called local content by foreign-owned corporations and industries.

I end this missive by expressing the fact that I look forward to strong relationships in large-scale projects such as modern rail, city subway, or overhead trains that will encircle the city, providing cheap and comfortable public transport using natural gas and or self-generated electricity or electricity from our hydropower. I wish God could have given me another 20 years or so to see the great progress our new government is going to make in getting Guyana to look like Singapore Turn To and Dubai, in which Page 8 we become leaders, invest, enjoy a high standard of living

SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

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Every child must grow up in a loving, safe and secure family and community Dear Editor,

IN the month of September, we celebrate our indigenous peoples, Education Month and also a time of the month we highlight child-protection matters. The period September 20th to 26th, 2020, marks the observance of Child Protection Week under the theme: “Protecting Children and Empowering Families to cope with the global pandemic.” The global pandemic rages on – with more than 31 million reported cases worldwide -- of which Guyana reported 2,437 as at September 22, 2020. In this global pandemic, empowering families to protect their children remains a significant challenge, since child protection is not only about safeguarding your children from violence, but it is also ensuring that children are given all the support, care and love they need to grow up to achieve their dreams and aspirations. Nevertheless, the challenge of protecting children from violence and abuse not only remains, it has taken on heightened importance.

Strategies for prevention of child abuse have been significantly reduced, particularly for children who do not have access to social media. Prior to the pandemic, ChildLinK and other non-governmental organisations as well as government agencies engaged children in sensitisation sessions in several mediums, including primary and secondary schools. The sessions were very interactive and focused on topics such as child abuse, anger management and gender-based violence, among others. In ChildLinK’s Child Rights Alliance (CRA) project, we sensitised 6,190 children from 2016 to 2018 in several schools. We found that one in every 20 children who participated in the sessions reported some form of abuse. It is evident that these sessions are important to increased reporting over the years. The Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) reported

2,815 reported cases of child abuse in its 2015 annual report. That number increased to 4,917 in 2018 – a 75 per cent increase in reported cases. The presence of NGOs in schools was of significant influence and safeguarded many children from abuse. In these sessions children outlined what topics they would like to know more about and in one session a teen who was sexually groomed and subsequently abused by her biological father, revealed the abuse to her friend in school.

While many would like to think that children are ‘safe at home’, that is not always the case. ChildLinK’s 2018 report, ‘Cries in the Dark: Child Sexual Abuse in Guyana Today,’ found that in 84 per cent of the 334 cases we examined, the perpetrator was either a family member or someone known and trusted by both the child and/or the parent. Children need their peers/friends, teachers and social educators to support their protection from abuse; nonetheless, a bigger responsibility rests with family members, neighbours/community members and the wider society to take more action against those who abuse children. In a recent case that we shared in a previous article that occurred during the pandemic, a man known to the family of a teen observed the teen’s mother leaving her at home to go to work. After the man saw that the mother entered a mini-bus, he went to visit the teen and spoke to her while she was standing at the door. The perpetrator eventually forced his way into the home and sexually assaulted the teen. Perhaps we need to find out more about those in our neighbourhood.

Sensitisation sessions are also held with parents to improve their parenting skills and knowledge of parenting in the 21st century.

Many parents admitted that they did not have good rapport with their children – especially the teens. They admitted that the sessions helped them to improve their communication skills with their children and by extension, helped them forge a closer relationship with

their children. Imagine how better this relationship could have been had the parents had access to this information earlier! Perhaps we need to find an earlier time in an adult’s life to talk about parenting before they actually become parents.

Parents and all adults, ChildLinK and our partners encourage you to make your home a safe space for your children. The COVID-19 related change is difficult for them too, but your children are dependent on you to support them through this difficult period. We continue to call on community members to report any known cases of child abuse. We encourage faith leaders to encourage your members to uphold positive moral values that are common in all faiths – those values that recognise every individual, especially children, should be loved and treated with compassion. While many social service providers adjust their intervention strategies by utilising social media apps and tele-counselling, parents you are encouraged to utilise these opportunities to improve your parenting and caring for your children.

ChildLinK is working to create a Guyanese society where every child grows up in a loving, safe, and secure family and community. The Recovery, Safeguarding, and Reintegration initiative is supported by the Delegation of the European Union to Guyana and partners with the CPA and several agencies to reintegrate children into safe families and educate the wider society on the prevention of child abuse. Please write us with your comments and questions. Let us know how you would like to get involved in protecting children in your community by emailing us at admin@childlinkgy.org.

Report child abuse by calling the CPA on 227-0979, the closest Police station, or ChildLinK on 233-3500 or email: admin@ childlinkgy.org.

Yours faithfully, Shaquita Thomas Communications Officer ChildLinK Inc.

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As an emerging ...

and import general labour like Singapore and Dubai, but with processes and immigration policies in place, so that our country is well secured against migrant labourers Turn From or workers. The government has to be cognisant of the fact Page 6 that we cannot give approval for foreigners to open stores

SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020 on Regent Street or Water Street, but to create manufacturing industries with good sense that will not destroy our environment by polluting the atmosphere or our waters. Foreign investors should also be encouraged to partner in all kinds of industries with some Guyanese, instead of giving away all the opportunities, lands, and tax concessions that Guyanese are never entitled to, so that our people

can prosper as well.

This is my grand vision, Your Excellency President Dr. Irfaan Ali, Vice-president Dr.Bharrat Jagdeo, and Prime Minister Brigadier Mark Phillips, of a bigger, more beautiful, glorious Guyana.  Sincerely, Hajji Dr. Roshan Khan Snr

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

New ‘fly-over’ harbour bridge ...

From page 3

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali was accompanied by Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill and Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar during his inspection of the site for the new Demerara Harbour Bridge (Adrian Narine photo) which will require attention.

The President said there is no specific time limit for those consultations, as they could last for the entire life of the project.

Residents were elated by the President’s visit and were even more excited about the announcement of the plans for the new bridge. Some of the residents even said a new structure over the river is long overdue.

Both Ministers Edghill and Indar said the project is a key aspect of development and will provide much-needed relief to the travelling public.

The APNU+AFC administration, after it assumed office in 2015, had said that it would be feasible to have the existing bridge untouched and to construct another link somewhere in the vicinity of the existing link.

The former government had commissioned a feasibility study, which was awarded to Dutch Company, Livense CSO. The awarding of that contract was

marred in controversy, with Auditor General, Deodat Sharma flagging major breaches of Guyana’s financial laws.

The move by the Audit Office to “investigate” the project came after the completion of an investigation by the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) in 2018.

The PPC report made clear that there were indeed deviations from standard procurement procedures.

It was noted that several companies had submitted bids for the project, with 12 companies being shortlisted.

The report added that only two of the 12 companies made proposals. As a consequence, the bidding process was annulled.

In November 12, 2016, the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) approved the move for the project to be re-tendered, but that was not done. The company ultimately got the contract with Cabinet’s blessings.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

‘Actors’ exploiting circumstances ...

From page 2

apologise for bringing back those jobs; we cannot have apologies for subsidies we will put into bauxite and mining…

Then they said the budget is a private sector budget… How do we create growth and employment opportunities? So those are the narratives I find to be convenient and divisive,” President Ali said.

He added: “When you are running a country or running a system, you cannot only look at one category of worker; you have to look at the broad spectrum, because what you do will affect what you do in another area.

“But I am committed to ensuring that

the prospect of workers is better, and by the end of five years, I can assure the nurses, doctors, farmers and everyone would understand the full and positive impact of what we have in the Manifesto for them and their families.”

Although those workers had an opportunity to convey their concerns, the management of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) said the protest, which was instigated and organised by the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), was done without proper industrial relations practices and procedures in accordance with the Public Utilities Undertaking and Pub-

lic Health Service Act Chapter 54:01.

ILLEGAL PROTEST The hospital advised against taking inappropriate advice, and abandoning their duties to support further ‘illegal’ protest action until every avenue provided for in the relevant legislation is exhausted. Until such time, further protest action(s) remain illegal, and may attract punitive action.

“In the interim, we recommend that proper industrial relations practices and procedures be observed by all, in accordance with the Public Utilities Undertaking and Public Health Services Act, and request that all healthcare practitioners continue to do their jobs in a professional manner, and await the provisions contained within the 2020 National Budget,” said the management of GPHC. The administration thanked all staff members for their service in providing quality, efficient and equitable care to patients, but the entity remains deeply concerned that amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers from the GPHC have resorted to

measures that can only aggravate the current situation, and place additional challenges on the fragile public health system.

“Management wishes to state that protecting our staff as this pandemic evolves remains our top priority, consequently, we have in the past and continue to provide appropriate Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) in order to equip our staff members so they can provide safe, efficient and effective care to our patients, while at the said time doing so in a safe environment,” said the hospital.

Management of the hospital also said it has and continues to provide risk allowances to staff members, in accordance with the provisions catered for in Public Service Circular NO PS: 20/19.

Amidst the increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases, there is heightened concern among healthcare workers, so the hospital assured its employees that every effort will be made to ensure that they feel supported, protected and appreciated for their hard work and dedication to their patients.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

Agriculture can redefine tourism in a more sustainable way

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the tourism sector hard and international travel in particular has suffered a blow, particularly impacting rural people whose livelihoods may rely on foreign visitors. But with every challenge there is an opportunity, and this is one to build tourism back better: more sustainably, more fairly, promoting non-traditional, rural destinations and creating more resilient livelihoods for local communities.

One way of doing this is through ‘agritourism’. It has recently become popular with travellers, who get to experience local and traditional cultures and cuisines. Agritourism benefits farmers and rural communities too, providing an opportunity to diversify their economic activities and create new demand for their agricultural products.

Like with all tourism, careful management is required, however, to prevent potential negative impacts on the environment, agricultural resources, biodiversity and the lives and cultures of the people in these areas. Sustainability is key.

With this in mind, FAO and the World Tourism Organization of the United Nations (UNWTO) will work together to promote sustainable agricultural tourism as a promising way to boost rural development.

The FAO-UNWTO partnership will begin by promoting agritourism in FAO’s Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) sites, all of which represent not only stunning natural landscapes but also agricultural practices that create livelihoods in rural areas while combining tradition and innovation in a unique way.

Here are just four examples of GIAHS sites where sustainable tourism can enhance development, combat poverty and give youth new work opportunities.

SOAVE VALLEY VINEYARDS, ITALY Rolling hills, ancient farmhouses and vineyards as far as the eye can see.

An iconic landscape of Italy. Soave, a small region between Verona and Venice, is well-known for its wine – in fact, the traditional vineyards of the local variety of grape, Garganega, have provided income to more than 3 000

families for 200 years.

Farmers in the region still use traditional methods of training the vines, a vineyard management method balancing the growth of the vine with the quality of the fruit to produce optimum results. The end result? One of Italy’s most famous wines - vino Soave. Despite its typically small or micro estates, this area has succeeded in ensuring a sustainable income source for the grape growers, wine producers, and bottlers, even during the most challenging periods thanks to cooperation and innovation. For example, in order to raise net values of wine and maintain their price, the area obtained European Protected Designation of Origin in 1968, recognising the product for its unique qualities across the world. In addition, the farmers have established cooperative wineries and created a complex compensation system that guarantees their members a fair income each year, despite the fluctuations in the market prices.

Now, the region is continuing to innovate by promoting local tourism that employ a number of employees at hotels, restaurants and wineries, generating good revenue for the region.

SATOYAMA AND SATOUMI, JAPAN The Noto peninsula is a microcosm of traditional rural Japan, where mountains, forests and coastal areas are all interlinked in one incredible agricultural system. Hilly terrain is interspersed with wide valleys and fields, all of which is surrounded by a volcanic rock coastline. The peninsula is characterised by a mosaic of satoyama, terrestrial-aquatic landscape ecosystems, and satoumi, marine-coastal ecosystems.

Unique to the Noto peninsula, traditional methods of farming and forestry, such as rice drying, charcoal and salt making, traditional fishing and water management, have been practiced in this area for centuries. Noto's communities are working together to sustainably maintain the satoyama and satoumi landscapes and the traditions that have sustained generations for centuries.

The government has designated the region as a

special green-tourism zone and efforts are being made to raise awareness of the site and promote tourism from urban areas.

CHILOÉ A GRICULTURE, CHILE In southern Chile, there is an area characterised by islands and large tranquil stretches of coast, upon which lie hundreds of brightly coloured houses.

This is the Archipelago of Chiloé, an area of natural beauty and tradition where farmers have dedicated their time and work for millennia. In 2011, it was also designated as a GIAHS site due to its unique biodiversity and agricultural methods In the past, rural women carried out biodiversity

conservation activities in their family vegetable gardens and small plots, the potato as one of the most important. In fact, it is the potato that the lives of many Island dwellers are centred around. It is linked to their cultural traditions, ancestral social practices, beliefs and mythology many of which in the dawn of the third millennium are still in use. Currently, the local government is developing rural touristic services related to farms, food products and handicrafts.

These mountainous areas in the southern provinces of China are known for their stunning landscapes - but did you know that the people there use some of the world’s most innovative ways to cultivate rice?

Ancient settlers in this

area built terraced fields for water conservation, making it possible to grow rice in hilly areas. These fascinating agricultural methods are still in use today, and to encourage tourists to visit the region, understand the traditions and help revitalise the rural economy, China is promoting eco-tourism. New eco-tourism projects are one of the government’s strategies to alleviate poverty in these rural areas by helping local communities diversify their incomes. Airbnb and the local government are working together to train local communities on tourist management and accommodation.

September 27 is World Tourism Day, and this year it falls at a

tough time. This year’s theme, Tourism and Rural Development allows us to explore a new kind of tourism outside of big cities and discover the role it can play in supporting rural communities. GIAHS sites encourage the public to appreciate the agricultural traditions, even in their own regions, and recognise their historical and cultural importance.

Focusing on the role that sustainable tourism can play in driving development and strengthening livelihoods particularly in rural areas, this pandemic is helping us rethink the sector – and giving us a chance to ensure that incredible sites remain alive for another 1 000 years to come. (FAO)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

Understanding Energy…

Lessons learned from Guyana’s neighbours INTERNATIONAL oil investors are increasingly looking offshore for bigger development opportunities in less explored and potentially lucrative basins.

The emerging oil region that includes Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname is one such place, and it was a major topic at last week’s Caribbean Oil-andGas Virtual Summit 2020.

Obviously given the fragile state of the oil market amidst a COVID-19 impact-demand downturn, contract terms that allow

companies to economically develop resources are critical. Speakers at the conference, including Rystad Energy’s Sonya Boodoo, were quick to point out the critical importance of reasonable contract terms.

It is good to know that, according to findings from energy analysts at Rystad, Guyana’s government income, including profit sharing and revenue, will be the highest of all three countries studied. Under three different oil-price scenarios -- $40, $60 or $80 per barrel

– the Stabroek Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) yielded more revenue for the government than either Trinidad and Tobago or Suriname. According to these price points, Guyana’s government will eventually see between US $96 billion and $310 billion in total oil income during the duration of the project.

Rystad Energy compared the three neighbours, since the international industry increasingly sees the “Guyana Basin” as a region worth watching.

While Trinidad and Tobago

and Suriname have a history of oil and gas production, and Guyana does not, it is helpful to understand their legacy in the oil and gas industry. It is also insightful to examine what lessons their paths offer for Guyana, about how to maximise revenues and benefits in the long-term.

Trinidad and Tobago is a long-time natural gas producer, and a model for other countries in the region that are looking to use natural resources as an avenue to jumpstart economic development. But

the country is grappling with a long-term decline in oil-and-gas reserves, and is pinning its hopes on new gas fields to turn its economy around.

While Trinidad and Tobago is known for enforcing strict fiscal contract terms, this stance has, unfortunately, discouraged some investment in highcost exploration areas, as the country’s former Energy Minister, Kevin Ramnarine has pointed out. While the country has an abundance of skilled workers and industrial and energy infrastructure, without new oil-and-gas discoveries, they can sit unused, leaving the future far from certain.

Meanwhile, Suriname is emerging from several decades of political instability that has made it difficult to attract investment, but is rapidly building on its legacy as a small but consistent onshore oil producer. Rystad Energy forecasts that the country could increase oil production 30-fold within two decades, almost entirely offshore.

Suriname’s new government is eagerly encouraging international investment in its burgeoning offshore region as a way to revitalise the economy. Three major discoveries have already been made by the international oil producer, Apache, at Block 58, which sits just across the maritime border from Guyana’s own Stabroek Block.

Now Suriname is attempting to lure international companies already interested in the Guyana Basin that may have been spooked by Guyana’s prolonged political battles, and the regulatory delays that have stalled the Payara project.

With these two cases in mind, it’s important to

remember that drawing investment for development in the oil and gas sector can be a zero-sum game.

Delays in the Payara approval have already cost the Guyanese government dearly. According to research done by Rystad, the government has already lost about US$300 million in net project value, due to the delay in approvals for the Payara project. If the project is delayed further, several hundred million more may be at risk, due to a “domino effect” of subsequent delays. But the new government has made it clear that talks are progressing to get Payara approved.

Guyana seems to have gotten it right initially, with a contract that encourages exploration and facilitates game-changing discoveries. But accessing the full potential of resources will eventually require tens of billions of US dollars, and other countries like Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname are chasing those same funds. When one country makes investment and development too challenging or costly, there is all too often an alternative country eager to participate.

It’s important to note that if Guyana can sustain broader investor interest, there remains enormous potential beyond the Stabroek Block. Blocks like the Kaieteur and Canje areas are still being explored, and could offer significant sources of revenue. These sites will require substantial additional investments, however, and Guyana must maintain a business-friendly atmosphere to attract investors.

It is incumbent upon Guyana’s new government to sustain that kind of stable business environment, where investment can still flourish.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

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Private sector proposals on local content should be carefully examined ― energy chamber president commends appointment of local-content panel, says work will be monitored

ADEQUATE local participation in the new oil-and-gas sector will depend heavily on strong local content regulations implemented by the Government of Guyana, which has already received several proposals regarding local content from private sector organisations.

President of the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber, Maniram Prashad has called on the government to carefully examine those “local-content proposals”, and establish critical regulations so that no Guyanese is left behind.

It was reported that the former APNU+AFC administration had created a local content policy after many consultations with various stakeholders.

This policy framework recognises the broader goal of the previous administration to

optimise national income from development of the country’s sovereign hydrocarbon resources, and prudently invest these revenues to transform the economy to the benefit of all Guyanese, now and in the future.

The policy was designed to deliver both short-term opportunities for Guyanese citizens and Guyanese suppliers, and longer-term capacity building by raising the standards of Guyanese industries to be internationally competitive.

Prashad, however, believes that the previous administration had created the policy without meaningful consultations, and had ignored the advice and recommendations given by local-content experts.

Considering what obtained in the past, the Chamber’s

president said the new government made the ‘right’ move by appointing a “Local-Content Panel”, which comprises ‘knowledgeable and experienced’ individuals from Guyana and abroad.

Among some of the persons on the panel are president

of the Guyana Manufacturers and Services Association (GMSA) Shyam Nokta, who chairs the panel; former Trinidad and Tobago Minister of Energy Kevin Ramnarine; former Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge; and Energy Consultant Dr. Anthony Paul.

President of the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber, Maniram Prashad

Prashad said the work of this panel will be monitored by the Chamber, and assistance will be provided when the need arises.

“It is important that all Guyanese benefit from our oil and gas industry; the benefit must trickle down to all Guyanese, especially the poor and vulnerable,” Prashad said.

It was reported that Guyanese have enjoyed immense benefits from its traditional economic sectors over the years, but a new entrant, in the form of oil and gas, presents new benefits, which Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat believes could be better accessed, once there is proper local-content legislation.

The lucrative oil and gas sector, which officially came on stream in 2015, has been productive, but there has been

no regulatory/legal framework in place to guide the utilisation of local content in the sector.

Despite the aims and objectives of the policy, Minister Bharrat is of the firm view that a policy is not enough.

“The previous administration spoke about first oil; oil and gas, and all this talk about the industry, and there is no local-content legislation; no draft of it… There is a localcontent policy, but you need a legal framework to ensure that things happen,” said the minister during an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle.

He said that having a policy is not enough to hold a major player, or any player, in the oil-and-gas sector accountable, as there is nothing binding or regulating their operations.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

$5.6M in auxiliary support for children in State care HUMAN Services and Social Security Minister, Dr. Vindhya Persaud has announced that some $5.6 million will be used to enhance the mental health and wellness of children homed at state-run facilities.

The money will be used to provide support services from trained psychologists, teachers, sport professionals, and others.

Speaking during debates in the National Assembly on Thursday, the minister said hundreds of children suffering from trauma and other conditions are living in State facilities.

They include those at the Children and Family Care Centre, the Mahaica Children’s Home and at the Joshua

Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr. Vindhya Persaud

House Children’s Centre. Dr. Persaud said the support services are to ensure they are not left behind, but become productive members of the society.

“We want these children to have teachers come in and work with them, whatever areas they are lacking in, whether in subjects like, English or Mathematics, they must be given that time to understand and grow.

For those who are athletic, we are bringing in professionals to help them develop that skill,” Minister Persaud said.

The minister explained that the professionals being sought for the children will not be contracted employees, but will be called in and

paid based on the service needed at the time.

“I recently visited the Children and Family Care Centre and met with children who are very talented and love dancing, football, playing chess.

It is very important that we support them to develop their [talents]. Once this is done, we will be producing well-rounded individuals back into society,” Dr. Persaud said.

She added that they need extra-curricular activities for recreation as well as to learn and enhance their social skills, and the Ministry will ensure that those in State care have these opportunities.

(DPI)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

Visually-impaired pupil defies odds to do well at NGSA

By Vishani Ragobeer

DANIEL Phillips, a young boy who was visually impaired when he wrote the 2020 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), has done himself and his family proud and is hoping to be a preacher one day, to help others.

Daniel was a student of the Mae’s Annex School and earned 439 marks, which se-

cured him a spot at the Charlestown Secondary School. What is quite noteworthy, however, is that Daniel was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in June, which subsequently rendered him temporarily visually impaired, just one month before he was scheduled to sit the NGSA on July 1 and 2.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), multiple sclerosis is a common

neurological condition that can affect the brain and spinal cord. The United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) stated that this condition can cause a wide range of potential symptoms, including issues with vision, movement of the arms and legs, sensation, and/ or balance.

The young boy has been receiving treatment at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, under

the care of esteemed Guyanese neurosurgeon, Dr. Amarnauth Dukhi.

“We never knew he had this disease though; when he was in Grade Three, he could spell 25 words right tonight and in the morning when he go to school and the teacher asks he, he would get zero right,” Daniel’s mother Aerlene Alberts said.

In the weeks leading up to the NGSA, Daniel was advised by his doctor against attending classes and sitting the examinations. This was because the use of electronics for online schooling would have adversely affected him.

On July 1, the first day of the NGSA, his mother recounted that she received a call from no less than the headteacher of Mae’s School, who encouraged her to bring her son to write the examinations. The headteacher informed Aerlene that the Ministry of Education had sent specially formatted papers to assist him in writing those examinations.

I HAVE FAITH Though he was not entirely prepared to sit the examinations that day, the proud mother related that Daniel told her: “Mom, I can do it. I have faith that I can do it.” And so, without any time to even iron his uniform, Daniel and Aerlene rushed to the Middleton Street School so that the young lad would be able to write his examinations alongside his colleagues.

“He was blind completely when he was writing the exam, so they (the invigilators) helped him to write the exams,” Aerlene said.

The young boy noted that he experienced headaches during the NGSA; that, coupled with his inability to see the test papers, constrained him significantly.

Daniel Phillips receiving an award for being the Most Improved Pupil of his school in 2017

“He was hoping to get 500 marks and get a really good school, but he said, ‘Mom, I tried my best’ and that was enough for me,” Aerlene related, gushing with pride.

Though Daniel did not do as well as he wanted to, he is not daunted. He hopes that one day he can become a preacher so that he can deliver the word of God to help others; just as he believes the Lord has helped him. He is a baptised Christian who believes that God could heal him completely.

Nowadays, while his sight has returned almost entirely, Daniel suffers from intermittent headaches. His mother also shared her observation that her son sometimes experiences temporary memory loss.

Previously, the young boy attended the Port Kaituma

Nursery School, in Region One. Alberts, however, highlighted that she wanted Daniel and his sisters to have access to better educational opportunities, so she made the sacrifice to send them to “town” schools.

The boy’s mother said, “I have a little business, I does sell plastic in the interior and I does try to make ends reach for them.”

Since being diagnosed, each month Daniel has to visit the doctor for a checkup on his condition. He also has to diet to help with his treatment. His mother related that Dr. Dukhi informed the family that he may have to travel abroad for further treatment; this worries the mother just a bit, as she does not have the money to do so.

Joint technical group to bolster efficiency in agri sector THE Agriculture Ministry, in collaboration with the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), will formulate a joint technical working group to coordinate efforts of the private and public sectors to improve efficiency in key agencies.

This is according to Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, who was at the time speaking at a GMSA webinar on Wednesday.

The targeted agencies include the Agriculture Ministry, the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), the Food Safety Authority, the Food and Drug Department, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards, GRA and GO-INVEST.

“I am giving you my commitment and the commitment of the government to achieve this sectoral change. We have begun radical shifts in policies, especially investments, as was announced in the budgetary measures in Budget 2020,” Minister Zulfikar said.

Despite the challenges of COVID-19, the minister said it is an opportune time to be involved in agri-business. This sector, he said is too important to Guyana for it to be left behind.

“Agriculture has always been an important contributor to our economic growth and social development. It contributes 20 per cent to the national GDP, approximately G$70 Billion to the foreign earnings, and employs 17 per cent of our population,” the minister said, adding: “We must continue to engage and

keep the dialogue going on how we can work together to build and sustain a prosperous agriculture sector.”

Meanwhile, during his budget presentation, Minister Mustapha reaffirmed the government’s commitment to reverse damage done and resuscitate the agriculture sector which was poorly managed by the APNU+AFC administration during its tenure in office.

Government is also looking to pursue agro-processing in a bid to reduce food loss and increase farmers’ income.

Efforts will also be made to maintain and sustain national food security and safety in the context of improving the quality of the livestock products and reducing domestic market prices to meet the need for the most vulnerable.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

Koberimo villagers urged to join GPF

POLICE Commander Superintendent Jairam Ramlakhan has urged residents of Koberimo Village, North West District, Region One to join the Guyana Police Force (GPF) during a recent community outreach there.

Superintendent Ramlakhan, who was accompanied by a team of officers, explained the new recruitment procedures, pointing out that applications must be submitted to the regional police commander, who would conduct the first interview and do background checks.

Following his explanation of the recruitment process, the commander said several follow-up visits will be made to the community in the coming weeks as

he listened and recorded a number of concerns raised by the residents, which he promised will be addressed promptly.

The superintendent also urged all residents to observe the COVID- 19 guidelines.

Meanwhile, at Mabaruma, a Station Management Committee was elected and Superintendent Ramlakhan ensured that each member received a copy of the committee’s Standard Operating Procedures.

The committee seeks to promote and enable a better working environment for police officers at the said station. The members pledged to do their best in collaborating with the police to fulfil the mandate of the committee.

Commander Ramlakhan interacting with members of Koberimo Village, North West District. There he discussed issues relating to COVID-19 and other relevant topics

Commander Ramlakhan and the elected members of the Mabaruma Station Management Committee.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

Lowenfield confronted on criminal conduct –– opts for silence, released on station bail

CHIEF Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield was on Saturday released on station bail after he was arrested by the police to have a confrontation with a witness pertaining to electoral fraud investigations, but opted to remain silent, police confirmed.

Lowenfield, along with others, is being investigated for criminal conduct in the aftermath of the March 2, 2020 elections.

“As a consequence, on September 26, 2020, at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, police investigators arrested Mr. Lowenfield and put several allegations to him in the presence of his attorney.

After being told of the allegations, Mr. Lowenfield exercised his right to remain silent,” police said.

Thereafter, police said, a confrontation was Chief Elections Officer held between him and a witness, and once again, Keith Lowenfield Lowenfield opted to remain silent.

Having concluded other aspects of the investigative process, Lowenfield was released on station bail, on condition that he reports to the CID Headquarters on September 28, 2020.

The police are continuing their investigations.

Lowenfield is on $450,000 bail, after he was placed before the court for alleged fraud and misconduct. The trial is expected to start on October 26.

The charges in question were filed by Desmond Morian and Daniel Kanhai on June 30, 2020.

In his private criminal charge, Kanhai is alleging that Lowenfield, between March 5 and June 23, 2020, at Georgetown, in the Georgetown Magisterial District, County of Demerara, State of Guyana, conspired with person(s) unknown to commit the common law offence of fraud.

He reportedly did so by representing to the Guyana Elections Commission, tables attached to his Election Report, dated June 23, 2020, that inaccurately reflected the true results of the said election, with intent to defraud, knowing the said tabulation to be false.

Morian is also alleging that Lowenfield, between March 5, 2020 and June 29, 2020, while performing his duty as the chief elections officer of GECOM, without lawful excuse or justification, willfully misconducted himself at Georgetown, within the Georgetown Magisterial District, by ascertaining results of the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections for Guyana, knowing the said results to be false. The said willful misconduct amounts to a breach of the public’s trust in the office of the chief elections officer of the Guyana Elections Commission.

The second charge which was filed by Morian against Lowenfield claims that he, with Region Four District Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, altered results that had been declared in March for that district.

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has launched a ‘comprehensive’ investigation against the chief elections officer and Returning Officer for Region Four, Clairmont Mingo, after it received formal reports of alleged criminal misconduct by the duo.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

THAG ‘talks up’ tourism as vehicle for empowerment

By Vishani Ragobeer PRESIDENT of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Mitra Ramkumar, has emphasised that tourism remains an avenue for empowerment and income for rural and hinterland communities and marginalised populations.

On Sunday, Guyana joins the rest of the World in observing World Tourism Day. This year, the annual observance is commemorated under the theme: “Tourism and Rural Development”, drawing specific focus to the importance of tourism “outside the big cities”.

According to the World Tourism Organisation, this year’s commemoration comes at a critical moment as countries around look to tourism to drive recovery, including in rural communities where the sector is a leading employer and economic pillar.

“For rural communities, indigenous peoples and many other historically marginalised populations, tourism has been a vehicle for integration, empowerment, and generating income,” Ramkumar said.

Furthermore, he asserted that tourism is a “lifeline” which offers many young Guyanese the opportunity to earn without having to leave their home communities, specifically those in the hinterland regions. He also highlighted that tourism provides avenues for low-income households and families to generate wealth.

THAG President, The tourism sector Mitra Ramkumar has been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with questions as to how long it will take for the sector to recover still definitively unanswered.

According to the most recent World Economic Outlook (WEO) report published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the tourism-dependent countries in the Caribbean have been hard-hit.

Tourism-dependent countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, the Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, are expected to record negative growth in their real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by a massive 10.3 per cent this year. In 2021, there will be an expected growth of 4.8 per cent.

According to IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, the high dependence of Caribbean economies on tourism, a sector she describes as “one of the most dramatically impacted,” contributes to the countries’ particularly high level of impact. For some countries, 50 to 90 per cent of their GDP and employment is dependent upon this sector.

While Guyana, a nascent petrostate, was pegged to escape this regional recession alongside Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, the other commodity producers, Guyana’s tourism sector has been adversely affected.

Importantly, before 2020, Guyana earned numerous accolades as an ecotourism destination. In fact, the country was selected as the world’s best ecotourism destination in 2019. However, Guyana’s ecotourism ‘hotspots’ are largely located in the country’s rural and hinterland regions and communities, which makes this year’s World Tourism Day observance particularly apt.

“The industry has really faced a shutdown, so we’re talking about hundreds of people losing their jobs; hundreds of millions in revenue lost,” Ramkumar said, months ago when the full extent of the pandemic had not yet hit Guyana.

During the 2020 Budget debates earlier in September, Minister of Tourism, Industry, and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond pointed out that 62 per cent of the tourism and hospitality industry are either closed or have downsized as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions.

As a relief measure, Value Added Tax (VAT) on hinterland travel was removed; this is expected to help boost local travel and tourism. Several business incentives, given through the budget, are also expected to have a ripple effect, boosting the tourism sector too.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

Two young ‘tech’ teams to represent Guyana on global platform TWO young, talented teams will represent Guyana at the global platform of the Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge 2.0 after emerging as finalists at the country level earlier in September 2020.

Team ‘Youths with Purpose’ and Team ‘Green Creatives’ proposed technological solutions to tackle youth unemployment and hurdles in business development respectively.

At the final global judging process, they will compete for a chance to benefit from funding and mentoring to roll-out their solutions.

Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge 2.0 was launched in Guyana in January 2020 with a call to young Guyanese to develop their own solutions to real-world problems. It is a collaborative effort between UNICEF and the UNDP, and is focused on education and training, and entrepreneurship.

Starting initially with 10 teams, five finalists ad-

UNICEF Country Representative, Irfan Akhtar hands over a Generation Unlimited token to Delecia Fraser of team ‘Youths with Purpose’. At left is UNDP Resident Representative, Jairo Valverde Bermudez vanced, then the final two were selected. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges, the teams remained dedicated in developing their ideas to address social challenges, and improve the lives of young people.

Many have described this process as adventurous as well as engaging, given the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was truly a learning experience; we learnt so much, and we did things we thought we never could have done,” said Delicia Fraser of Team Youths with Purpose, an all-female team. Highlighting the percentage of Guyanese aged 15-24 recorded as unemployed, team member Jasmine Clement explained their proposed solution, which is a web platform called Gambit.

“As a developing nation, the prospects to reduce this percentage is attainable if provided with the correct mentorship and networking opportunities, a task that cannot be done by the government alone,” Clement said.

She further explained that the web platform will facilitate this, and provide services such as resumé building, and job and entrepreneurship opportunities.

Team Green Creatives’ Khadidja Yasmeen Ba, in describing the Green Thumb Creatives “app” her team will focus on, highlighted that young Guyanese See page 21

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Two young ‘tech’ teams to represent Guyana ...

From page 20

entrepreneurs often experience a stunt in growth, due to the lack of information and guidance in a centralised location.

“Most of these small businesses are informal, which hampers their ability to access loans or grants through government agencies, developmental partners, and other potential stakeholders,” she said. The “app” aims to provide a central hub for information, and registered users will have access to mentors, sources of funding, necessary paperwork and how to fill them, and open-source business development guides.

Partnerships with organisations and government will increase opportunities available to users, Ba added.

NEED A PLATFORM “Young people have lots of potential; all they need is a platform, a stage where they can unlock their potential and demonstrate their skills,” said acting UNICEF Country Representative, Irfan Akhtar.

“It’s about showing the talent that young Guyanese people have,” added UNDP Resident Representative, Jairo Valverde Bermudez.

Generation Unlimited, established in 2018 as a global multi-sector partnership, aims to support young people in piloting their ideas, with the goal of developing scalable and sustainable solutions in the areas of education, employment and civic engagement by 2030. It draws on

UNDP’s Jairo Valverde Bermudez hands over a token to Nareema Khan of team ‘Green Creatives’ as UNICEF’s Irfan Akhtar looks on the expertise of young people, representatives from governments, multilateral organisations, the private sector, and civil society to inspire urgent investment in education, skills training, and empowerment for adolescents and young people aged 10-24 years. The Youth Challenge calls on young innovators to design solutions to improve education, employment and civic engagement. It aims to inspire young people with brilliant ideas, but without the resources to bring them to life. Generation Unlimited forms part of the United Nations’ Youth 2030 Strategy, and will complement and build on existing programmes that support adolescents and young people.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, it works for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.

On the ground in about 170 countries and territories, UNDP works to eradicate poverty while protecting the planet.

UNDP helps countries to develop strong policies, skills, partnerships and institutions so they can sustain their progress.

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Lack of reserve capacity contributing to blackouts –– efforts in train to fix problem, says Min Indar

By Telesha Ramnarine MINISTER within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, has described the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) as an organisation without any reserve capacity, so should the simplest of setbacks be encountered, it results in blackouts.

Residents have been complaining daily of the blackout situation in some quarters, especially those ‘fairy light’ type blackouts that so often damage household appliances, leaving residents without any form of compensation.

“What you have in GPL is an organisation that has zero spare reserve.

Any issue you have on any given day with those generating sets result in power outages. The demand is so high and you have no new infrastructure generating,” Indar told the Guyana Chronicle recently.

“So any tripping in any line, any wire burn, any engine trips out or [is] damaged, or any mechanical issue, [result in] blackout,” he pointed out.

“And we put out these expressions of interest to get additional generating capacity, with the Giftland thing, with the EoI for the 30 megawatts. Because the monies that were spent with the $52M U.S. Wartsilla to buy five sets, those are not going to be installed until around April 2021. That is when the civil works are supposed to be completed and then you will install and test and so forth,” he informed.

The minister said during the time between now and April 2021, the best option would be to put in additional capacity in the form of an immediate-term measure.

“So between now and then what are we to do?

Just hold up our hands and get blackout all the time? No, we have to do something.”

UPGRADING NEEDED He called attention to the fact that the country has a lot of ailing infrastructures such as roads, bridges, and sea defence. “ Yo u n a m e i t , w e have it… and most of the infrastructure for GPL needs updating in various parts of the country,” he said, adding, “We have the transformational proj-

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar ects that we want to see get out. So I am going to make sure that I am part of that… the infrastructural transformation.”

Meanwhile, during the budget debate earlier this month, Indar stated that in the past three years alone, the power company racked up $8.7B in losses.

As it is presently, the national grid is providing 120 megawatts of electricity, an amount which is equal to consumer demand of 117-120 megawatts of power. This means there is no room for reserve power. “This is why we are finding blackouts everywhere, every day… there is zero revolving capacity… every time an engine goes down, people get blackout… there is no revolving capacity!” he said.

The company, which is said to be at a financial disadvantage, will now have to purchase power from private producers instead of benefitting immediately from the five generating sets which have been purchased by GPL. “The previous government had lent GPL US$50 million to buy five generating sets… each weighs 150 tonnes and they are somewhere in Finland… the other part of that contract was $994 million for civil work that would take 10 months to get done,” he explained.

Since the job is only 15 per cent completed, the money spent there will not benefit Guyana until next year. But the power company has been left at a financial disadvantage because US$2.3M of the US$50M was taken from its coffers.

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Carnegie teachers receive CBET training AS the Carnegie School of Home Economics (CSHE) continues to make training teachers a priority, the first batch of teaching staff on Friday completed a staff development workshop in the Implementation and Delivery of Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET).

The second batch of teachers, according to CSHE Principal Sharmaine Marshall, will be trained in this area as well over the next two weeks.

“The CSHE has a rich track record of academic excellence and high quality of learning for all. Strides are made to maintain this tradition through continuous staff development,” Marshall told this publication on Saturday.

According to her, the CBET training has equipped the teaching staff to deliver competency-based education, hence, preparing their students to satisfy the needs of the related industries.

CSHE Principal, Addressing the Ms. Sharmaine Marshall graduates, Director of the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET), Floyd Scott underlined the significance of competency-based education, and emphasised that CBET makes teaching relevant and responsive to the country’s need, and industry requirements.

This training, Scott affirmed, equips CSHE teachers to help others excel so that competition can be created. “Speaking with the teachers, President of Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana, Mitra Ramkumar said that tourism creates the opportunity for students to employ their skills garnered from Carnegie,” Marshall related.

“Ramkumar further stated that many hotels, bars, resorts, and lodges currently employ students from Carnegie, and that the hands-on practical training achieved through the Carnegie Hibiscus Restaurant makes students more attractive to operations within the tourism industry,” she added.

Also present at the ceremony was chairperson of the CSHE Board of Governors, Patricia David, who was happy that the administration and staff See page 26

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took the step to look into the training.

“She said CBET is a proven methodology to deliver technical and vocational education and training as it focuses on what the learner should be able to do after a learning activity. She also urged the lecturers here to bear in mind the fundamental components of CBET,” Marshall informed.

Facilitator Krishn Sharma expounded on the need for CBET at CSHE, and pledged his support to the continued ad-

vancement of CBET at the institution.

Marshall, in her closing remarks, thanked the enthusiastic participants for their active and positive participation in the training, and encouraged the staff to put into practice what was learnt.

“CBET is an effective mode to deliver technical and vocational education and training.

Its flexible modular-based system allows learners to obtain as many modules as they wish to lead to the certification they need,” she said.

Staff of the Carnegie School of Home Economics

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Reddock saddened by NGSA performance

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-- struggling single mom confident daughter will utilise every opportunity to achieve dream of becoming a judge

By Naomi Marshall

ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD Christina Reddock did not gain a spot at any of the top schools in Linden, Region 10. In fact, she was placed at the Harmony Secondary School but not withstanding her challenges, she remains resolute about her future.

“I feel sad about my results because I got low marks and I wanted to attend Mackenzie High School, but I will try to do my best at Harmony Secondary School,” Reddock

told the Guyana Chronicle.

For Reddock, who attended the Regma Primary School, growing up in a single-parent home was not easy, especially during the period of preparing for the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).

According to Reddock’s mother Vanessa Archibald, working and singlehandedly taking care of five children is not an easy task.

“When I have to work sometimes I would have to get somebody to keep them, because I don’t want to leave them home alone, so it is

not easy,” Archibald, who is a security guard, told this publication.

The woman said that obtaining school resources for Reddock during the examination preparation period was difficult because of many reasons.

“When she was preparing for the NGSA, I did not have enough resources for her to prepare effectively. Sometimes she needed textbooks and I could not get it [SIC]. Christina use to try though,” Archibald said.

The 41-year-old mother added that E-Learning for her daughter also had its difficulties, because of lack of adequate technology in her home.

When school work was sent to Archibald’s phone, Reddock was unable to complete the work effectively because her mother would have to be at work; likewise, she was unable to take part in any Zoom sessions conducted by her teacher.

Additionally, Archibald stated

Vanessa Archibald

SEE PAGE 28

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Cyclist killed on Liliendaal Railway Embankment A 62-year-old pedalcyclist lost his life Saturday after he was struck down Friday night along the Liliendaal Railway Embankment, Greater Georgetown.

Dead is Frederick Blue, called “Feds” of Lot, 30, Second Street, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.

Reports indicate that the pedalcyclist was proceeding either east or west along the southern side of the

road when he was struck down by an unknown motor vehicle, which was proceeding west along the said side of the road. The motor vehicle drove away after hitting him.

As a result of the collision, police said the pedalcyclist fell onto the southern parapet of the road and received injuries to the head and body.

He was picked up in an uncon-

scious condition, bleeding from the head, placed in an ambulance and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), where he was admitted in a critical state.

Fredericks subsequently died at around 03:25 hrs on Saturday.

The body is currently at the GPHC Mortuary awaiting autopsy as investigations continue.

Reddock saddened...

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that she did not send her daughter to the two weeks of ‘in class teaching’ prior to the NGSA “because I was afraid that she would contract the COVID-19 virus, so I only sent her to do the exams.”

Nevertheless, Archibald is confident that her daughter, who enjoys writing and

playing with her baby brother, will make the best of attending the school that she got with the aim of becoming a judge.

The Lindener described her daughter’s personality as “bubbly” and said that her strong areas are mathematics and science.

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Disfigured, rejected teen secures 14 subjects at CSEC Exam

By Jeune Bailey Van Keric TEENAGER Rickey Risaul Somwaru's life changed overnight five years ago, when his father set him alight, but the pain, disfigurement and rejections, after that harrowing event, did not deter him from excelling at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate

hind him and focus on life ahead.

Since receiving his grades a few days ago, the young man has registered at the University of Guyana, Tain Campus, where he would read for an associate degree in biology.

It is another step closer to Somwaru achieving his dream of becoming a medical doctor. His passion for medicine was born under

Rickey Risaul Somwaru

(CSEC) examinations.

Somwaru, 17, who secured 14 subjects, grades one to three at CSEC, credits his success to his resilience and ability to remain focused in the face of adversity.

On May 7, 2015, Somwaru went to the Rose Hall Estate Staff Club to urge his father, Ravindra Somwaru, who was drinking with associates, to return home. The father did but continued drinking when he returned home. When the alcohol was finished, Ravindra attempted to leave the house to buy more alcohol but the boy protested and closed the door of the house.

This act by the son infuriated the drunken father who took off his boots and flogged the child with it.

Not satisfied, he poured methylated spirits on the boy, scratched a match and threw the lit stick at him, causing the child to suffer severe burns about the body.

Somwaru remembers the incident very well but has decided to put it be-

unfortunate circumstances.

Somwaru’s interest in medicine took root during the many months he spent at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Boston, USA, where he was treated for second and third degree burns to his face, neck, chest, upper extremities, and both thighs. The injuries were listed as life-threatening and disfiguring to the skin.

Initially, he faced challenges regarding moving the neck, arms and mouth but gradually his situation improved. Though the journey was difficult, especially when persons would stare or because his wounds oozed, and, on those days, he opted to isolate himself from others in the classroom, not wanting them to smell his burnt flesh.

PAST DOES NOT DEFINE YOU Somwaru lives by the mantra, “Your past does not define you, as one has to live with the scars."

He often feels embarrassed, frustrated and de-

pressed to look at the scars on his body, which he emphasised would remain with him for the rest of his life.

Added to this, the young man has had to deal with rejection from some of his friends and peers at school and being mocked at times, stared and laughed at, much to his annoyance, due to his physical appearance.

Somwaru does not see himself as a normal child because of his inability to play and participate in activities such as cricket and football at school and

within the community he resides.

His participation is impeded due to the fact that he had to endure six different types of laser and surgical procedures. He was also advised by his doctor, Leo Sheridan Roberts of Shiners Hospital for Children in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, to desist from engaging in strenuous activities.

The young man was also advised to wear long sleeves clothing to protect against the sun and sand as such elements could aggra-

vate his burns.

His mother, Shanta Bhim is overjoyed with her son's success. ”Ricky is a resilient child. For him everything seems so effortless. I am so grateful for the young man he has become,” she said.

Although, the teenager’s wounds are visible, he was never treated differently at home. However, due to the corrective surgeries overseas, he can now close his mouth, his neck can rotate, and the hands and elbows are now movable.

However, continual surgeries must be performed on him during yearly visits overseas for the next 10 years for him to get to some state of near normalcy. Somwaru was unable to travel this year because of the global pandemic, COVID-19.

As for Rickey's father, he remains incarcerated. He is serving a 20-year sentence which was imposed on him after he was found guilty of the sick act by a jury panel in 2017.

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Cash-grant initiative commences in Regions One, Nine

By Navendra Seoraj GOVERNMENT, as part of its efforts to cushion the economic effects of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, has rolled out its $25,000 cash-grant programme in Regions One (Barim a - Wa i n i ) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

President Dr. Irfaan Ali

The commencement of this programme comes one day after the passage of the $329.5 billion budget in the National Assembly.

The passage of this budget cleared the way for the new People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration to offer much-needed relief to Guyanese amidst the global pandemic, and to simultaneously start the process of “rejuvenating” the productive sectors.

Speaking about the commencement of the cash-grant programme, President Dr. Irfaan Ali said distribution of the grants started in Regions One and Nine.

“The full team has gone from the Centre along with the region, so distribution will commence this weekend,” said the President in an in-

vited comment on Saturday.

Judging from the team’s plan, President Ali said it will take about six days to complete the distribution exercise in the initial regions, but distribution will start in other regions during the new week.

The President said the full programme will be activated across the country this week, and every household will benefit.

This initiative is seen as a welcome one by many persons, especially because economic activities were stymied because of the necessary control measures which were implemented to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Businesses have struggled to break even; persons have lost their jobs and even their livelihoods, but President Ali had committed to

getting the economy back on track, starting with the implementation of measures and projects included in the 2020 budget.

Budget 2020 includes a $25,000 cash transfer to every household; a $15,000 cash grant and a $4,000 uniform voucher for schoolchildren; $800 million for the Amerindian Development Fund; $5 billion for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo); a two-week, tax-free bonus for members of the Joint Services; and $150 million for frontline workers, among many other things.

President Ali had also said that the government, after re-prioritising and re-programming fiscal measures, has managed to add $20 billion in relief to the “pockets” of Guyanese, at a time when

the nation is faced with the effects of COVID-19, and the recently-concluded protracted electoral process. The conduits of relief include revised tax measures, and sweeping incentives.

The broad objectives of those measures, which feature in government’s emergency budget, are to stimulate economic activity; get persons back to work; increase Guyana’s productive capacity; reduce the cost of doing business; improve efficiency; and facilitate growth and development of businesses.

“These measures will have an immense impact on people’s welfare and well-being… as these measures would also address directly issues of cost of living and living standards,” President Ali said.

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Two more succumb to COVID-19

TWO persons have succumbed to the dreaded novel coronavirus (COVID-19), taking the death toll to 76.

The victims are said to be a 36-year-old male from Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and a 45-year-old man from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica). Both persons succumbed recently to the

dreaded disease while receiving treatment at a local health facility.

The Ministry of Health has expressed condolences to the families of these persons, and pledged to make every effort to provide all the necessary support during this difficult time.

Officials of the ministry have since contacted all relatives and

persons to facilitate contact tracing and rapid assistance to everyone who might have been exposed to the victims.

Health authorities have so far tested 13,453 persons, with 10,728 proving negative, and 2,725 positive. Some 16 of those cases were recorded within the past 24 hours.

Of the total positive cases, 1,535 persons have recovered, and 76 have lost their lives. The remaining cases include 232 persons in institutional isolation, 872 in home isolation, and 12 in the COVID-19 ICU.

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Authorities have said that cases are being detected because more tests are being done. Sample taking was also increased across the country, because the authorities believed that many cases were going “under the radar”.

This suspicion had prompted the authorities to distribute more sample kits across the country, especially to regions where the infection rate is high. Most of the cases have so far been recorded in Regions One (Barima-Waini), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequ-

ibo).

“We are sending out more kits, so there will be an increase in sample collection… The testing itself has components; one is sample collection, and then there is the processing of samples,” said Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony in a recent report.

The actual testing will be done centrally, at the National Reference Laboratory, because regional facilities lack the capacity and technical skills needed to get it done. While the government hopes to improve capacity in those regions, the immediate need for sample testing takes precedence, especially with the high number of asymptomatic cases.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly-discovered coronavirus. Most people who

fall sick with COVID-19 will experience mild to moderate symptoms, and recover without special treatment.

The WHO had said that 81 per cent of the persons who contract COVID-19 will have mild symptoms, while 14 per cent will have severe symptoms, and five per cent will need intensive care.

But the COVID-19 disease has proven to be “a real killer,” especially in cases involving persons who have co-morbidities such as diabetes and hypertension among other ailments.

Persons were encouraged to take extra precautions because there is no approved cure or specific treatment for the disease.

Guyanese were also reminded to observe the protocols established in the COVID-19 emergency measures.

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ExxonMobil’s receptiveness to Payara discussions would not determine conditions

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-- President Ali says gov’t remains firm on several issues, but finalisation expected soon

By Navendra Seoraj TREMENDOUS progress has been made in the discussions surrounding ExxonMobil’s Field Development Plan (FDP) for the Payara project, but President Dr. Irfaan Ali affirmed that the company’s receptiveness to those discussions will not determine the conditions imposed by the Government of Guyana.

“It is not whether Exxon (ExxonMobil) is receptive, it is our conditions and we are pushing forward,” said President Ali while responding to questions from the media on Saturday.

The Payara Project, located in the eastern half of the Stabroek Block, is expected to see the drilling of up to 45 development wells which could take up to five years, with drilling initially pegged to begin in 2020 and initial production by early 2023.

The project marks EEPGL’s third field development in the Stabroek block and targets 180,000 to 220,000 barrels of oil per day, with anticipation to produce approximately 5,700,000 to 6,600,000 barrels of crude oil per month.

A review of the Payara Development Project was previously conducted by the Bayphase Oil and Gas Consultants contracted by the Department of Energy (DoE) under the previous administration.

The new People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C)

administration, however, decided to review the work already undertaken by the DoE to ensure that the interests of all Guyanese are protected and are in keeping with international transparency and accountability standards. The current review is being done by a team of international experts headed by Canadian Queen’s Counsel, Alison Redford.

In providing an update on the ongoing discussions, Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, had said ExxonMobil’s legal and technical teams are engaging experts from the Department of Energy (DE) and the Attorney General Chambers for the crafting of a legal agreement which outlines strict guidelines for the company’s offshore operations.

President Ali, in sharing his views on those discussions, said: “We have made tremendous progress…we are strong on a few issues, especially related to the environmental impact; fine for gas flaring; issue of reinjection of water…those are things we are strong on, but they (stakeholders) are making steady progress and very shortly we can have a full assessment.”

REVIEW TO BE MADE PUBLIC Minister Bharrat had told this publication that when the process is completed, the review will be made public so that a comparison can be done between the review conducted by the interna-

President Dr. Irfaan Ali

tional experts and that of Bayphase.

The completion of the process within September should allow for ExxonMobil to meet its development timelines, inclusive of a Final Investment Decision (FID).

President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge, has explained that a delay beyond September could lead to a multi-month delay – as much as nine to 12 months – due to the limited installation windows for offshore weather systems.

He acknowledged: “It’s very close to the deadline that we need to achieve in order to keep it on course so we don’t lose traction and have to restart the clock

from the point of view of the contractors and installation windows, but I think there’s

a will on all sides to make that happen…we’re working through the final details in or-

der to reach alignment on the conditions of the licence for the developer. I would say we are getting close. We haven’t dotted every ‘i’ and crossed every ‘t’ but I think that both sides are working incredibly hard to reach that closure so that we can get there.”

ExxonMobil is now firmly established in Guyana, operating an office in Georgetown with numerous ongoing exploration and development operations offshore. ExxonMobil Guyana has made 18 discoveries since May 2015 and began production in December 2019 from the Liza Phase one development project.

The company is the operator of the Stabroek, Canje and Kaieteur Blocks offshore Guyana. Since 2015, ExxonMobil has increased its estimated recoverable resource base in Guyana to more than eight billion oil-equivalent barrels

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FROM BACK PAGE

Caribbean back virtual ... though we would have had disagreements on a number of issues, I am happy to declare that we are a unified force,” Ninvalle declared.

The countries to have agreed to the hosting were: Antigua, Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Grenada, Guyana, Ja-

maica, St Lucia, St Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and US Virgin Islands.

On Friday, Bahamas, Dominica and Anguilla would have sent in approvals.

The upcoming Congress marks the first time that AIBA will be staging the important event without voting delegates

being physically present. The Congress agenda includes the election of the president. So far, Domingo Solano of Dominican Republic and Azerbaijan’s Suleyman Mikayilov have thrown their hat into the ring.

It is widely expected that Secretary of the Russian Boxing Federation Umar Kremlev

Cathy Freeman was ...

Cathy: Her Own Story.

By the following morning, a debate had swelled back home in Australia, after Australia’s Chef de Mission for the games, Arthur Tunstall, issued a statement publicly reprimanding the star athlete over her use of the Aboriginal flag.

“She should have carried the Australian flag first up, and (we should have) not seen the Aboriginal flag at all,” he told media.

Quietly defiant, Freeman tied the two together and paraded them once again after her historic victory in the 200m just days later.

As explored in a new documentary, Freeman,

which airs on the ABC tonight (Sunday, September 13), the Aboriginal flag represented pride to the sprinter, but also the struggles and hardships of her ancestors.

People like her grandmother who was a member of the Stolen Generations.

People like her great-grandfather, George Sibley, who refused to hand control of his wages over to police, and so was banished to the Palm Island penal settlement along with his wife and their five children.

“When I think about all the injustices and innocent people whose lives were changed forever, it makes me really sad,” she tells the filmmakers. “But it also makes me determined.”

“THE MOST INSPIRING PART” The groundswell of support for Freeman’s decision is credited with encouraging the government to recognise the Ab-

will shortly announce his intention of seeking the top seat.

AIBA has 203 affiliated countries drawn from the five confederations. Europe with 51 affiliates has the largest block followed by Africa with 50. Asia (44), Americas (42) and Oceania (16) make up the other confederations.

FROM BACK PAGE

original flag as an official flag of Australia in 1995.

Prime Minister Paul Keating went a step further, stating at the time, “The Games revealed the overall sentiment of Australians is for the reconciliation of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.”

That was truly on show just months before the 2000 Sydney Olympics, when more than 250 000 Australians marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to call for reconciliation.

It remains the largest political demonstration in the history of this country.

The Olympics themselves celebrated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture throughout, showing the rich history to the world.

Yet under the International Olympic Committee’s rules no Indigenous athletes are allowed to

hold the flag aloft.

Any athlete who carries or wears a flag other than their national flag risks falling foul of Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, which states, “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”

Breaches are considered on a case-by-case basis and risk disciplinary action, including disqualification.

Cathy Freeman did it anyway. It proved to be a worthwhile risk.

“To be a Kuku Yalanji woman, to have a place in the history of this country, surely in sporting context but in a social justice context — matters that are so important for the future of this country,” she said, “that’s the most inspiring part for me”.

(Mamamia.com.au)

FROM Indigenous people’s PAGE 63 contributions ...

This brought lots of ap- goalkeeper Anthony Beres- nandez, Errol Solomon,

plause from the fans who were watching. I still vividly remember that’.

The 69-year-old Ramascindo added that the late Clyde ‘Woolly’ Forde and schoolmate Eric Phillips were also part of the team back then, but due to his mother’s declining health, he was forced to return to Mabaruma after completing his ‘O’ level exams; so his plans to join a club in the city and continue his football career were curtailed.

Ramascindo in a telephone linkup with Chronicle Sport, yesterday, indicated that David Couchman from Linden was the first Indigenous person he can remember who played for Guyana at the senior level, and after him for juniors was Michael Pierre.

Another player with Mabaruma roots, to distinguish himself at the Junior National level is Elroy Parks who became the second person of Indigenous ancestry to lead the country when he led the U-20 team in 1998 World Cup qualifiers at home and in Antigua and Barbuda. His deputy, the late Neil Hernandez was also of Indigenous roots but from Bartica.

The first National football captain with Indigenous ancestry is the 1979 youth team’s

ford, whose grandmother on his Dad’s side is from the Wai Wai tribe, Morawhanna in Region One.

National football captain with Indigenous ancestry is the 1979 youth team’s goalkeeper Anthony Beresford

Also on that 1979 youth team was Ivan Persaud whose roots are in Whyaka of Region 2. Persuad who has been head of the National Swimming Association since 2014 also had a stint of pro football in Suriname in the 70s.

The little village of Hosororo, however, distinguishes itself from all others as they have produced the most national players: Goalkeeper Ronald Her-

Sherwin Solomon, Elton Browne, Romario Welcome, Jonathon Peters and Christopher Valenzuela.

Another village of great significance is St Ignatius of Region 9 which delivered four brothers to National selections, perhaps unprecedented: Peter and Franklin (seniors), Daxton (U-23) and Anthony (U-19) Parks. Also coming out of Region 9 was midfielder Emrik Williams while Orville Daniels played National U-17.

From Region 10 there were also brothers Denis (senior) and Kenneth Solomon (Junior), Rupert and Bing Charter as well as Bartica-rooted goalkeeper Vibert DeFreitas of the 70s and Clifford and Kenneth Brewster of the late 90s.

The Region 7 capital also produced Junior and Senior National Christopher George and now-retired FIFA referee Roland Persaud. Moruca of Region 1 also gifted to the National women youth team, Analisa Vincent and Matthews Ridge has provided the current Public Relations Officer of the Guyana Football Federation, Debra Francis.

The above list is subject to additions which are most welcome @ raabtawa_2005@yahoo.com

SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

61

Lakers beat Denver Nuggets 114-108 in game four

… one win away from NBA Finals LOS Angeles Lakers moved to within one win of the NBA Finals with a 114-108 victory over Denver Nuggets in game four of the Western Conference finals in Orlando.

Anthony Davis scored a game-high 34 points while LeBron James added 26 points nine rebounds eight assists.

Jamal Murray top-scored for Nuggets with 32 points but

missed all of his three-point efforts.

Lakers lead the best-ofseven series 3-1 with game five today.

“I feel like we played with a lot of energy tonight,” Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope told TNT. “Game three, I feel we had a lack of energy starting the game.

“I thought tonight we came

out strong. We kept a lead the whole game.”

Lakers closed out their previous two - against Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets - in five games.

They look set to meet Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, as they also hold a 3-1 over Boston Celtics lead in the Eastern Conference finals with game five on Friday.

After Thursday’s match, James paid tribute to Breonna Taylor - a black woman who was shot multiple times as police officers stormed her home in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 13.

Two white officers have not been charged over the shooting, while a third, also white, was charged with endangering 26-year-old Taylor’s neigh-

bours.

“The emotions were very high. We have a team-mate who is from Louisville, so as heavy as it has been on us, it’s even heavier on him,” said James.

“We lost a beautiful woman in Breonna; that has no say so in what’s going on right now.

“We want justice no matter how long it takes.” (BBC Sport)

Anthony Davis top-scored for Lakers with 34 points

Australia win first cricket match Down Under in six months SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) - Cricket Australia’s world champion women’s team saw off New Zealand yesterday in the first international cricket game to be played in either country since March.

Australia won their first Twenty20 international in almost seven months by 17 runs at Allan Border Field in

Brisbane.

Ashleigh Gardner anchored Australia’s innings of 138-6 with a superb 61 from 41 balls on the two-paced pitch that proved hard to score from, before Megan Schutt took 4-23 to restrict New Zealand to 121-7.

The match represented a significant moment for cricket in Australasia in the midst of

the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both teams have been in isolation for at least the last two weeks in bio-secure hubs, with all other international teams likely to follow suit over the southern hemisphere summer.

New Zealand Cricket have said they spoke extensively with CA over their biosecurity measures, with their own

This date in boxing history: TERRENCE Alli will be remembered as one of the top 10 boxers from Guyana. In the 80s and early 90s he made a name for himself and Guyana by frequently being showcased on sports television Network ESPN. Alli won the vacant United States Boxing Association (USBA) light-

weight title on September 27, 1986. The quick-fisted Guyanese, arguably the best lightweight fighter from these shores, won by Unanimous Decision over Puerto Rican Miguel Santana.

The bout was staged at Caesar Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City in New Jersey and was the first of two meetings the two

Terrence Alli won the vacant USBA lightweight title on September 27, 1986

had. Undefeated at the time of the encounter, Santana dropped to 19-1 following the encounter.

Alli had had three fights before securing his second challenge for a world title. In July 1987 he was unsuccessful against Jose Luis Ramirez while attempting to capture the World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight crown.

The contest was held in France and the Guyanese lost via Unanimous Decision. Alli joined the pro ranks in 1979 and had his first two fights on home soil. His next nine battles were fought in Trinidad and Tobago before he shifted camp to North America.

Based in the USA, Alli returned to Guyana in September 1996 to fight youth sensation Andrew `Six Head’ Lewis. The event was held at the world-famous GCC ground and was promoted by Keith Bazilio’s People’s Syndicate Promotions.

Lewis needed just two rounds to finish the ageing warrior. Alli then had three more bouts before permanently hanging up his gloves.

His career spanned 18 years and he boxed a total of 549 rounds for an average of 30 rounds per year. At present he resides in Mahaicony.

plans for their international programme being approved by the New Zealand government on Friday.

CA, however, have not confirmed the rest of their fixtures for their international programme, which includes a men’s four-Test series against India. They postponed a one-off Test with

Afghanistan and a men’s one-day series with New Zealand on Friday.

The delay in finalising the schedule has provoked a bitter public dispute with Channel Seven.

The broadcaster has threatened to tear up its 2018 contract, complaining that coronavirus restrictions on travel

will dilute the competitiveness of games, especially in the Twenty20 Big Bash League.

Seven and pay television company Foxtel agreed a six-year broadcasting rights agreement worth A$1.2B ($880M) with CA in 2018.

Seven’s share of the agreement was worth about A$450M.

62

SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

Dottin shines again but Windies suffer series defeat DERBY, England (CMC) – Deandra Dottin’s second half-century in three innings proved futile as West Indies Women produced another haphazard run chase in a 20-run defeat to England Women, to slip to another series defeat here yesterday.

Asked to chase for the third straight Twenty20 International of the five-match series, West Indies’ approach was again muddled and the target of 155 always looked out of reacg as they crawled to 63 for two at the half-way stage to see their required run rate balloon to over nine runs per over.

Yet again, Dottin was the only bright spark amidst the gloom, carving out an attacking 63 off 56 balls, striking nine fours and a six at the top of the order.

Notably, Hayley Matthews was the only other player to pass 20 but her 21 required 23

deliveries and when she was dismissed at the start of the 13th over, West Indies were already facing a Herculean task.

Dottin, who only returned from a year-long injury layoff last February, was the top-scorer in the first two games with 69 and 38 and now has 170 runs at an average of 56 to be the leading scorer in the series.

Deandra Dottin hits out during her top score of 63 in yesterday’s third Twenty20 International.

The 28-year-old Barbadian had earlier snatched two wickets in her first bowl since her return to the side as the hosts rattled up 154 for six off their 20 overs after choosing to bat first at the County Ground.

Natalie Sciver carved out 82 off 61 balls to propel England while captain Heather Knight chipped in with 29 as they revived the innings following a poor start and then

a stumble during the middle overs.

For the second straight game, the tourists were well positioned to restrict En-

Deandra Dottin hits out during her top score of 63 in yesterday’s third Twenty20 International

Gill’s match-winning 70 guides KKR to emphatic win over SRH KOLKATA Knight Riders (KKR) cruised to a 7-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) yesterday on matchday eight of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, thanks to a match-winning knock from Shubman Gill.

Earlier in the day, SRH skipper David Warner won the toss and welcomed KKR to bowl first.

The Hyderabad side got off to a terrible start after they lost both their openers.

Pat Cummins bowled a terrific spell early on to dismiss Jonny Bairstow (5) inside the powerplay.

Warner and Manish

Pandey then tried to form a partnership for SRH but also did not last for too long as Varun Chakravarthy’s spin bowling helped KKR find a breakthrough.

Chakravarthy’s tossed up delivery was misjudged by Warner (36) who ended up giving away an easy catch to the bowler.

However, Pandey then took over the charge and propelled SRH towards a defendable total.

Manish also bagged himself a well-fought half-century, 51, before Andre Russell sent him back to the dressing room with a full toss.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER Sunday, September 27, 2020 COMPLIMENTS OF XTRA ENERGY DRINK – STABROEK BAZAAR (Tel: 683-9500) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD – 83 Garnett street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) ANSWERS TO YESTERDAY’S QUIZ:

(1) Rishabh Pant-24 dismissals : 18 catches; 6 stumpings (Delhi Capitals) (2) 185 – first wicket (Jonny Bairstow & David Warner (SH) (1) (2)

TODAY’S QUIZ:

What was the result of the first match in IPL 2020?

Who was declared Man of the Match?

ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

gland for a modest total before the floodgates opened in the last five overs and the home side managed to score 57 runs.

Wriddhiman Saha (30) and later on Mohammed Nabi’s unbeaten 11 helped SRH end on 142-4.

In chase of a target score of 143, KKR got off to a poor start and lost Sunil Narine for a duck.

Star all-rounder Rashid Khan immediately struck right after and dismissed K K R s k i p p e r D i n e s h Karthik for a duck as well.

However, Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana then formed a quick partnership as they fought their way back into the game.

Rana played a lightning innings of 26 runs off just 13 balls before Natarajan dismissed the KKR batsman off a brilliant delivery, leaving KKR on 53-3.

Eoin Morgan then came in and used his experience to settle the game for the Kolkata side and formed a match-winning partnership of 92 runs.

Gill was the star man of the day, as the youngster bagged an excellent half-century to his name off 51 balls.

Both Gill (70*) and Morgan (42*) stayed unbeaten in the end and guided KKR to 145-3 to win the match by 7 wickets.

Towering fast bowler Shamilia Connell (2-13) was brilliant up front, knocking over openers Tammy Beaumont (1) and Danni Wyatt (11) in the space of five balls in the third over to reduce England to 13 for two.

Sciver entered at three to bolster the innings in two critical stands. First, she posted 59 for the third with Knight who struck three fours in a 24-ball knock, before feathering a drive at off-spinner Stafanie Taylor behind in the 11th over.

When two wickets fell for 11 runs in the space of 13 balls, Sciver added a further 66 for the fifth wicket with Fran Wilson (16 not out) before becoming one of two wickets to perish in the final over from Dottin, after striking nine fours and a six.

Dottin then gave West Indies early momentum, dominating a 30-run opening

stand, off 21 deliveries before losing partner Lee-Ann Kirby (3) and new batsman Shemaine Campbelle (5) in quick succession.

On 35 for two in the fifth over, the innings was lifted by a 48-run, third-wicket stand between Dottin and Matthews but the stand required 47 deliveries and by the time Matthews was plumb lbw to leg-spinner Sarah Glenn, the required rate had climbed to beyond ten.

Dottin tried to accelerate the scoring with two boundaries on either side of the wicket off Glenn at the start of the 16th over, but holed out to deep square in the next over off seamer Katherine Brunt to all but end the Windies hopes.

England lead the series 3-0 with the fourth match carded for tomorrow at the same venue.

United earn dramatic win at Brighton with late Fernandes penalty

BRIGHTON, England (Reuters) - Manchester United beat Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 away in the Premier League on Saturday after an incredible finale in which Bruno Fernandes struck the winning goal from the penalty spot in the 100th minute of the game.

F e r n a n d e s ’s w i n n e r, which came after referee Chris Kavanagh had initially blown for fulltime, concluded an enthralling match which saw Brighton hit the woodwork five times and have a penalty overturned after a VAR review, while United had a goal ruled out in each half for offside.

Brighton’s Neal Maupay gave away the decisive penalty with a handball as he tried to block a late header from United captain Harry Maguire, which led to a VAR review after Kavanagh had signalled for the game to end.

Kavanagh eventually gave the penalty after consulting the pitchside VAR monitor and Fernandes lashed into the net from the spot, moments after Solly March had levelled for Brighton in the fifth minute of added time.

Brighton took a deserved lead when Maupay coolly slotted in a penalty in the 40th minute after a foul by Fernandes but the visitors soon levelled with an own goal from Brighton defender Lewis Dunk.

A brilliant solo strike from Marcus Rashford had

given United the lead in the 55th minute, after Rashford and Mason Greenwood had goals ruled out for offside, and Paul Pogba was relieved to see a possible penalty for a foul on Aaron Connolly overturned by a VAR review.

the least. Sometimes life isn’t fair and it feels like that at the moment,” he said.

“All the little things have gone against us but we were really good for 90 minutes and we have to take that forwards. We deserved some-

Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was happy to admit his side had ridden their luck.

“We got away with one.

Maybe one point we deserved, we didn’t deserve more. But the character deserved more,” he told reporters.

“Last season we had too many draws, so that is a big plus for us.”

Brighton coach Graham Potter could not believe his team had lost after creating so many chances and drawing level so late.

“It’s a sore one, to say

thing from the game to say the least.”

Midfielder Leandro Trossard, who hit both posts in the first half and hammered the crossbar in the second, added: “We had a lot of chances and to lose like that is the worst feeling you can get. It was one of those days, the ball didn’t want to go in.”

United’s match winner Fernandes made no apologies.

“Maybe they deserved more, but the point is score goals not hit the bar. Sometimes you have to have some luck.”

SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 27, 2020

63

Indigenous people’s contributions to football in Guyana

By Ras Wadada

EVER since the establishment and introduction in 2006, of the month of September for the Indigenous people of Guyana to celebrate their heritage, the most followed among the many planned and executed activities is arguably the crammed weekend of sports which is normally held on the final weekend.

In fact, it is believed that the unending football rivalry between Region One and Region Nine could very well have been the catalyst for this now looked-forward-to Heritage Month by Guyanese of all ethnicities.

The records will show that these two regions have provided the most National players of the ‘Beautiful Game’, with Region One Hosororo supplying the most and St Ignatius, four brothers among others.

The icing on the cake, however, belongs to the Town of Bartica, in Region Seven, whose daughter Dianne Ferreira-James stands head and shoulders above all, not only within Indigenous people, but nationally and regionally.

The retired FIFA referee has officiated at every tournament within the Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) and she is the only referee from the Caribbean to carry the whistle for a World Cup football final - 2002 U-20 Women, USA versus Canada in Edmonton.

Two years later, in Greece at the Athens Olympics final between USA and Brazil, Ferreira-James had to abandon her official status (fourth referee) to blow the whistle in the final

half, as Swedish referee Jenny Pamquivst took ill and could not continue.

She had the honour of pointing to the centre after USA scored the winning goal for a

2-1 victory. Her other World Cup final where she carried the whistle was in Russia, 2006 where North Korea prevailed over China in the Women’s U-20. She would also add 2 Gold Cup finals to her list of career achievements.

Elroy Parks (left) and Gordon Ramascindo

Retired FIFA referee Dianne Ferreira-James

The multi-talented athlete has also distinguished herself as a player for Guyana, captaining at Cricket, Football and Volleyball while also representing the Guyana Police Force, which she served for 14 years, at the Caribbean Police Games in the 800m and 1500m.

Speaking to Chronicle Sport via WhatsApp, from her adopted home in The Bahamas, the holder of a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Business Administration, revealed that former FIFA referee Gerald Laurie is the person who transformed her from an athlete into a referee: “He personally trained me when I began in 1997, while some credit must also go to the late Everad Babb,

another Guyanese FIFA referee.”

The current Physical Education teacher for Grades 7 to 12 at St Anne’s High School in The Bahamas also explained that her early retirement at age 42 was due to recurring injuries, “I had to listen to my body which was telling me it was time to quit as I was getting injured too frequently.”

The soon-to-be 50 years old, mother of a son who also represented Guyana at youth football, is still very much involved with the sport as one of CONCACAF’s top Referee Instructor and Assessor.

Currently there are two aspiring female FIFA referees in Nicola Joseph from Paramakatoi and Odessa Caleb from Port Kaituma in Region One. The man considered to be the forerunner of national footballers of pure Amerindian descent is Gordon Ramascindo, who hails from Region One’s Mabaruma. According to one of his then schoolmates at the famed Queen’s College, the legendary Gordon ‘Ultimate’ Brathwaite, ‘He was the best defender I recall. My ability to defend was learnt from admiring Gordon Ramascindo whom I never saw got beaten by anyone in a ‘one-on-one’ situation. He was in a higher class at QC, but he was the most solid defender I came across in my early days.”

Ramascindo made his debut for Guyana at centre-half in the mid-60s under Dutch coach August Wootar.

“I remember,” he says with a hearty smile, TURN TO `fly-butting’ the ball out PAGE 60 of danger while playing defence in Nickerie.

Secretary of the Russian Boxing Federation, Umar Kremlev

THE Caribbean has voted overwhelmingly for the upcoming AIBA Congress to be held virtually. This was disclosed by Americas Boxing Confederation (AMBC) Vice-President and Chairman of the Caribbean Steering Committee for Boxing, Steve Ninvalle.

Ninvalle was at the time appearing on popular Jamaica radio programme Power Play hosted by Cliff Williams on Power 106 FM. He revealed that by Thursday evening (the time of the programme) a total of 13 countries had given their

thumbs up for the virtual hosting of the Congress.

Last week AIBA president Dr Mohamed Moustahsane had written to all National Federations seeking opinions on virtually hosting the Congress, which had been set for Budapest, Hungry on December 13 and 14 but was disrupted by the advent of COVID-19.

National Federations were given a deadline of last Friday to respond.

“To date 13 countries have agreed to the virtual hosting. “I expect that others will do the same before the deadline expires. While we

fully support the new way in staging the Congress we will ask to be assured of the confidentiality of the votes,” Ninvalle told Power Play.

The respected high-ranking regional boxing administrator said that there is an overwhelming expectation that the region will continue its “established and tested” united stand leading up to TURN TO the AIBA PAGE 60 elections. “ E v e n

AMBC Vice-President and Chairman of the Caribbean Steering Committee, Steve Ninvalle

TTFA seeks to rescind withdrawal of case against FIFA

…vows to take suspension to CAS

THE embattled Trinidad and until the 23rd. courts unless specifically Tobago Football Association In explaining its reasons provided for in the FIFA (TTFA) William Wallace-led for choosing to suspend the regulations.” executive has sought per- TTFA, FIFA on Thursday said According to Keith Look mission to reverse the with- “The suspension was prompted Loy, a former member of Wildrawal of proceedings, in the by the former leadership of the liams’ TTFA executive, the case brought against FIFA, TTFA lodging a claim before reason for returning the case currently before the T&T (the TT High Court) in order to the court is in order to chalHigh Court. to contest the decision of the lenge the FIFA suspension at Earlier last week, a TTFA FIFA Council to appoint a the CAS. membership meeting that was normalisation committee for “We filed an injunction held saw its membership un- the TTFA. at the CAS against the susofficially vote to cease the This course of action was pension. But to ensure we TTFA action against FIFA in in direct breach had legal standing to do so, the court. of article 59 we had to have a legal matter Ousted TTFA president of the FIFA before the local courts. Had Williams Wallace and his S t a t u t e s , the case been withdrawn from executive reluctantly agreed, which ex- the court, there would be no and action was taken to withp r e s s l y legal standing in the local draw the suit before the court p ro h i b i t s high court,” Look Loy told the on Wednesday. recourse to Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.

The body, however, “There would be no legal ordinary missed the deadline to withstanding because they have draw the lawsuit by two no case before the court, minutes and were as a which means they have result suspended by accepted FIFA’s impoFIFA. sition of the normalOriginally, the isation committee.

TFFA had been We do not accept this given until the 16 and thus had to withto withdraw the draw the withdrawal action, but FIFA application to file such had given a furan injunction against ther extension Embattled TTFA president William Wallace FIFA.”(Sportsmax)

SEE PAGE 63 & 61

Azerbaijan’s Suleyman Mikayilov

Cathy Freeman was warned not to carry the Aboriginal flag at the Olympics … She did it anyway

ON the evening of September 25, 2000, Australia stopped for 49.11 seconds.

We, along with the billions who tuned in from around the world, watched as one of our greatest-ever athletes, clad in a head-totoe body suit, strode across the 400m finish line, metres ahead of her competitors.

After a buildup unlike any in our sporting history.

Cathy Freeman had won gold at a home Olympics.

With her shoulders free of the weight of expectation, Freeman wrapped them in two symbols of pride: the national flag of Australia and the Aboriginal flag, gently twisted together.

But that victory-lap act put it all at risk. Carrying the flag of her people was in breach of International Olympic Committee Rules.

Freeman knew. According to media reports, she’d even been warned against it. But she did it anyway.

THE VICTORIA CONTROVERSY The morning of her 400m final at the 1 9 9 4 C o m monwealth Games in Victoria, Canada,

Cathy Freeman pulled a carefully folded Aboriginal flag from her kit bag and handed it to her coach.

She wanted it waiting at the finish line, just in case.

Freeman wanted to carry her people and her culture with her through each success. As a child, she’d been made to feel embarrassed to be Aboriginal and, at around the age of 10, wasn’t given a first-place trophy she’d won, “apparently because I was Black”.

That day in Canada, Freeman claimed her trophy; her first individual Commonwealth gold medal in a games-record time of 50.38secs.

Beaming, she jogged around the track, the flags of both her country and her people held proudly over her head.

“I wanted to shout, ‘Look at me. Look at my skin. I’m black, and I’m the best.’ There was no more shame’.” Freeman said in her biogra- p h y ,

Cathy Freeman celebrates her Sydney Olympic gold medal win with the Aboriginal and Australian flags (Credit:Nick Wilson/Allsport)

TURN TO PAGE 60

Indigenous people’s contributions to football in Guyana

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2020