Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 07-01-2023

President Ali heads to India for official visit

PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali departed Guyana on Friday for a seven-day official visit to India.

According to a press release from his Press and Publicity Unit, the Head of State will be bestowed with the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians – the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award -- while in India.

President Ali will join 26

other persons of Indian origin/ non-resident Indians who have been recognised by the Government of India for their outstanding achievements, both in India and abroad, for this year’s awards.

The 17th PBSA will be conferred by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, as part of the upcoming Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention (Indian Diaspora Day) to

be held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, from January 8-10, 2023.

The award will be conferred during the valedictory session of the Convention on January 10.

President Ali will also participate in the Pradesh Government Global Investors Summit and other engagements with officials of the Government of India and

agencies/organisations of the private sector of India, the release said.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd; the Minister within the Ministry of Local Government, Anand Persaud, and the Director of Projects at the Office of the President, Marcia Nadir-Sharma are accompanying the President.

signed for reconstruction of North West Secondary

A CONTRACT valuing $346.2 million was, on Friday, signed for the reconstruction of the North West Secondary School, Mabaruma, Region One (Barima-Waini).

According to a press release, the contract was awarded to Aruca Investments and is scheduled to be completed in 14 months. The project consultant is Innovative Engineering Services

During brief remarks at the signing ceremony in the Ministry of Education’s boardroom, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand said that the quality of work executed on the project will

greatly impact the lives of students.

She called on the contractor to deliver quality service and complete the project within the agreed time.

The minister related that since the school was destroyed by fire, the students and teachers have been tremendously inconvenienced.

Minister Manickchand told the contractors and consultant that the completion of the school is not like any other project they have worked on, as the quality delivered and time taken to complete it can change many lives by ensuring children receive a proper education.

Education delivery in Region One will see further development with new schools scheduled to be built at Waramuri, Hosororo, and Kwebana over the next few years.

Giving a brief overview of the project, Special Projects Officer, Ron Eastman, said after extensive consultations, a design was approved for the new building. The reconstructed North West Secondary School will be a two-story building with 23 classrooms, three science labs, a sanitary block, and an accessible lift.

Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary, Alfred King said that the rebuilding of the North West Secondary School is a critical component in the ministry’s efforts to attain universal secondary education.

King said that the Ministry of Education is working on achieving universal secondary education. He related that this project is important to achieving that goal.

On September 25, 2021, the North West Secondary School was destroyed by fire.

The Ministry of Education has provided support and made alternative arrangements to facilitate the students enrolled at the secondary school until it is rebuilt.

President, Dr Irfaan Ali

An artist’s impression of the North West Secondary School

A contract valuing $346.2 million was, on Friday, signed for the reconstruction of the North West Secondary School

President Ali: Cash transfers not feasible

–– says govt’s focus is economic development, building prosperity

WHILE emphasising that Guyana’s economic development is a priority for the government, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has indicated that giving cash transfers to every household is not a feasible option.

He made these remarks on Thursday evening at a stakeholders’ discussion for 2023 and beyond that was held at State House.

At the start of the engagement, the Head of State noted that he could adopt the position of others and say let’s give every household $G1 million, but this would not feasible and must be dismissed.

“First, it’s nonsensical, because we can’t afford it even at the highest point of oil revenue, but it sounds nice; it sounds great, and we have to dismiss these things,” President Ali said.

As such, he mentioned that the leaders will have to embark on a programme of economic literacy to get the population to understand the economic framework through which policies are crafted for the betterment of the country.

President Ali urged citizens not to be carried away by things that sound lofty or nice, and in turn have no sustainability.

Further, President Ali said his government is not being carried away by those things, but is instead focused on improving Guyana’s competitiveness and productive capacity, strengthening the workforce and building prosperity that reaches every household.

He said: “As a society, we have to debunk this type of fallacy, otherwise all of us will be part of building a future that is not

sustainable.”

The government has embarked on massive nationwide development that will lay a foundation that will make Guyana’s economy resilient.

He went to add that this effort includes a massive transformational agenda, part of which focuses on infrastructure across the country.

Some of these projects include the building of the new Demerara River Bridge, a new highway along the railway embankment all the way to Unity/Lancaster, the commencement of work on the new highway from New Amsterdam to Moleson Creek, and the finalising of documents for a bridge across the Corentyne River.

President Ali said that the government is

also looking at having a new terminal at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), as the current capacity has already been outgrown.

Additionally, this transformative agenda will see the building of international standard bridges from Linden all the way to Lethem, the contracts for which have already been awarded.

“Those are works that are ongoing; work that is important in this transformative agenda,” he added.

Lowenfield, Mingo, Senior Superintendent Azore 'mum' at elections CoI –– fear self-incrimination

FORMER Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield and former District Four (Demerara-Mahaica) Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, who were charged with electoral fraud, refused to testify before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the 2020 regional and general elections, on Friday.

Attorney Nigel Hughes, who appeared on behalf of Lowenfield and Mingo, said that their testimony would be in breach of Article 144 of the Constitution, their rights against self-incrimination.

Hughes added that his clients are part of criminal proceedings before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court in relation to the elections.

Subsequently, Senior Superintendent Phillip Azore, who was scheduled to testify, took to the stand and opted to take the same course of action.

However, Azore, when questioned by Commissioner Carl Singh on whether he is aware of testimonies in the CoI

implicating him in certain events at the Ashmin building, said that while he is aware of the allegations he would opt to “still remain silent.”

On March 5, 2020, while pandemonium broke out at the Ashmin building, the headquarters of the Region Four Returning Officer where the final tabulation was taking place, Azore was appointed to replace Commander Edgar Thomas as Region Four Regional Commander.

Thomas had testified that ranks were seen guard-

ing the doors to the building and preventing persons from entering. Those instructions, he said, were reportedly given by his deputy, Azore.

He had also testified that Azore aided former Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) Roxanne Myers to “clear” the Ashmin building during a report of a bomb scare.

Thomas was reassigned and was reportedly told that Commissioner James was not pleased with his performance and not answering his cell phone

while on the ground.

Retired Police Commissioner Leslie James, on Friday, took to the stand again for further questions.

On Wednesday, James shared damning information about a fallout at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) command centre at Ashmin’s building, where his ranks “violated” his orders and simply went rogue.

James had revealed that he gave no instructions for persons to vacate the building, but for the officers to “secure” it instead.

He related, however, that he watched on the live relay as the ranks defied his orders, but he chose to do nothing.

As it relates to Thomas’s replacement, James said he made a “personal decision” to remove the senior officer.

On Thursday, Former Minister of Health Volda Lawrence; Carol Smith-Joseph and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Karen Cummings, opted to remain silent and not testify before the CoI.

So far, evidence provid-

ed to the CoI has detailed how some employees of GECOM participated in an alleged plot to divert votes to the APNU +AFC instead of safeguarding the electoral system.

The CoI has also heard from previous witnesses about the actions of Lowenfield, Myers and Enrique Livan, during the vote count. The GECOM employees are all before the court on electoral fraud charges.

Further, the CoI was told that GECOM staffers ignored specific instructions from the court, used materials that were illegal and or manipulated, and sided with APNU+AFC agents to berate observers whenever objections were raised.

Guyanese, after casting their votes on March 2, 2020, had to endure a fivemonth wait for the results of the elections, as they witnessed alleged unlawful acts and a slew of legal challenges.

During this time, the patience of the electorate was tested, as electors observed what were de -

scribed as attempts by the then APNU+AFC administration to rip the democratic fabric of the nation with “delay tactics,” which were openly criticised by Caribbean leaders and international observers.

It was only after the legal challenges and international intervention that a national recount of all votes cast was convened and the figures showed that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) received 233,336 votes, while the APNU+AFC coalition got 217,920 votes.

Senior Superintendent Phillip Azore

Former Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield and former District Four (Demerara-Mahaica) Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali

US approves world’s first vaccine for declining honey bees

THE US has approved the use of the world’s first vaccine for honey bees.

It was engineered to prevent fatalities from American foulbrood disease, a bacterial condition known to weaken colonies by attacking bee larvae.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved a conditional licence for the vaccine this week, according to the bio-

tech firm behind its development.

As pollinators, bees play a critical role in many aspects of the ecosystem.

The vaccine could serve as a “breakthrough in protecting honey bees”, Dalan Animal Health CEO, Annette Kleiser said in a statement.

It works by introducing an inactive version of the bacteria into the royal jelly fed to the queen, whose larvae then gain immunity.

The US has seen annual reductions in honey bee colonies

since 2006, according to the USDA.

The USDA says many, sometimes overlapping, factors threaten honey bee

health, including parasites, pests and disease, as well as a phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder, which occurs when worker bees abandon a hive and leave behind the queen.

Pollinators such as bees, birds and bats are responsible for about a third of the world’s crop production, according to the United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organisation.

American foulbrood disease poses a challenge for beekeepers as it is highly contagious and has no cure. The only treatment method requires burning the colony of infected bees along with the hives and equipment and treating nearby colonies with antibiotics.

The new vaccine contains an inactive version of the bacteria that causes Ameri -

can foulbrood disease, Paenibacillus larvae, according to Dalan Animal health.

The bacteria are incorporated into royal jelly feed given by worker bees to the queen bee, which then ingests the feed and keeps some of the vaccine in her ovaries, according to the biotech firm, which specialises in insect health and immunology.

It says this gives bee larvae immunity to the disease as they hatch and reduces death from the illness.

The new vaccine could mark an “exciting step forward for beekeepers”, California State Beekeepers Association board member Trevor Tauzer said in a statement.

“If we can prevent an infection in our hives, we can avoid costly treatments and focus our energy on other important elements of keeping our bees healthy,” he said.

Dalan plans to distribute the vaccine “on a limited basis” to commercial beekeepers and said the product would probably be available for purchase in the US this year.

Honey bee (GETTY IMAGES]

FPA engages gov’t on expansion of forestry sector

SENIOR Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh along with Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat on Friday met with the new President of the Forest Products Association (FPA) Ganesh Singh and the association’s Project Coordinator Mona Bynoe.

The meeting was held at the Ministry of Finance, and focused on how the government can further assist in the development and expansion of the forestry sector.

The engagement comes on the heels of the government’s recent signing of a $900 million Forestry Revolving Fund Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Demerara Bank Limited.

Management Consultant of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) James Singh was also in attendance.

According a press release from the Ministry of Finance, during the discussion, Dr. Singh posited that the government will collaborate and support the FPA, and called on its members to take full advantage of the opportunity of the revolving fund to boost their production.

He congratulated and welcomed the new President, and encouraged him to continue to engage with forestry sector stakeholders as part of their efforts to maximise the industry’s performance and improve the FPA’s status.

The new President had indicated that the FPA had already been making efforts to engage its membership during countrywide outreaches.

Meanwhile, Minister Bharrat highlighted the dismal state in which the former administration left the GFC, to the extent that it could not even pay salaries and meet opera-

tional costs.

The release said that the Commission’s status has since been improving through government’s efforts and support.

“The Finance Minister then urged the new President to work towards moving the FPA from its current bankruptcy position, and the dismal state it inherited, due to mismanagement at the FPA by previous leadership during the tenure of the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government. The FPA President had related that the Association was in a dismal financial position,” it added.

The meeting also served as a follow-up to the meeting hosted on Thursday at State House by President Dr. Irfaan Ali, where he had engaged the private sector and civil society in a “Discussion for 2023 and beyond”. Dr. Ali was accompanied by Prime Minister Mark Phillips, Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, and the

Finance Minister. During that discussion, the FPA had raised some matters that it wished to engage the government on.

In October 2022, President Ali announced a $900 Million Revolving Fund to boost Guyana’s forestry sector. He had indicated during his announcement that Government’s intention is to increase its focus on small,

medium and community loggers and had noted that Government and Demerara Bank Limited will collaborate to make available the $900 Million revolving fund to increase production in the forestry sector. On December 29, 2022, government signed the MoU with Demerara Bank during a simple signing ceremony at the Ministry of Finance. The

signing was witnessed by Bharrat, forestry sector stakeholders including representatives of the

GFC, the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) and the FPA.

The establishment of the Fund is expected to address some of the challenges faced in the forestry sector in terms of the availability of easily accessible, low-cost financing, especially for small-scale operators, the release said.

The $900 Million Revolving Fund comprises a commitment of $300 Million by the Government of Guyana, and a further $600 Million commitment by Demerara Bank Limited to address the challenges. It is expected to be utilised by individuals or companies operating within the forestry sector for the purpose of increasing production and value-added products in the sector.

Senior Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh (centre), Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat (second left), and forestry officials following the meeting (Ministry of Finance photo)

Multi-stakeholder Involvement

IN the next decade more roads, ports, and bridges are slated for construction, which would help to improve the lives of all Guyanese with the logistics resulting in reduced operating costs among businesses and investors.

Better infrastructures also promise faster trade as more resources can be transported from one point to another. Expanded options for more stable communication channels are also slated to be available with the completion of soft infrastructures, which include Internet services and telephone lines.

Guyana is leaning towards Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) to help accelerate its transformative

infrastructural development plan in the next five to 10 years and this is a reality, because of stakeholders’ involvement at every level under the President, Dr Irfaan Ali-led administration.

President Ali has reiterated his commitment to engaging all stakeholders to ensure that government’s plans and programmes reflect the priorities of the people and along with the collective ownership of the development trajectory, which he said will not only lead to greater prosperity and prospects, but will also pave the way for the opportunity to unify the people of Guyana.

Further, the government is looking to push increased

involvement of the local private sector and the diaspora in expanding the country’s economy.

The key to building Guyana as one of the strongest economies in the world starts by ensuring that the right complement of human resources with the right skillsets is being created.

This is being pushed through tertiary education opportunities through the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) initiative and the hosting of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) training programmes.

This is also being harmonized with improved working conditions, such as salary increases, for the var-

ious public-sector employees and continuous training to operate in a modernised economy.

Guyana’s economy is expanding at an extraordinary rate, fuelled primarily by the expansion of oil output and is expected to remain one of the world’s fastest-growing economies in the medium term.

Oil production, and consequently, real GDP is expected to more than double this year as increasing oil-and-gas revenues will allow financing of significant budget outlays to address development needs and tackle poverty.

And with all the forecasts available, local and international investors are

partnering with companies to help grow their businesses in Guyana, and government is fulfilling its responsibility by creating the environment and opportunities for all Guyanese and investors as the administration aims to promote macro-economic stability.

The government is putting the requisite systems in place that would see the advancement of energy and food security, as well as climate, ecological, biological, financial, technological, health, manufacturing and agro-processing services as part of its transformational agenda.

President Ali’s agenda and goals reflect the voices of stakeholders within a par-

ticipatory governance and political framework and this has enabled a range of positive effects in development, humanitarian aid and poverty-reduction programmes, notably better assessment of needs, capacities and improvements in implementation and sustainability.

Ultimately, the fulfilment of the right to positive participation can benefit society as a whole, building trust and solidarity, creating better social cohesion, contributing to more inclusive and pluralistic societies, and bringing new issues and voices into the public arena if it is to have a truly long-term and lasting effect on development outcomes.

Comprehensive water resource management plan in place – President Ali

— management committee to be re-established early this year

PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali has said that the government has a comprehensive plan in place to deal with water-resource management in Guyana.

He was at the time speaking at a stakeholders’ engagement which was held at State House, on Thursday.

He said the water-resource management committee will be re-established early this year to deal with storm water and groundwater, as well as surface-water management and development.

With over 80 per cent of Guyanese living along the coast and the massive industrial development underway in the capital city, President Ali said there is need for a massive expansion of the drainage system along the coastline.

“We have already surmised that we need a massive expansion of pumps and pumping stations across the coastline because we have to

deal with things realistically,” he underscored.

There is also a huge demand for land for housing and agriculture on the coast.

President Ali revealed that the country is almost at 100 per cent utilisation of lands available for housing.

“We’re at a critical point

in terms of land that should be left for the wet zone, land that is available for agricultural development.

“So, what we have to use

to utilise technology, utilise now the type of equipment that will enable us to take the water off of the land and that is the more dynamic pumping system in terms of getting the water off…that is going to be part of the integrated water-resource management framework that we’re working on developing,” he explained.

The private sector raised concerns about there not being enough areas to store water during a prolonged rainy season and during high tides.

Meanwhile, Vice-President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo noted that the majority of storage areas have been utilised owing to the pressure for housing.

He referenced the Hope Canal which was built by the PPP/C administration to provide drainage from the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) into the Atlantic Ocean.

VP Jagdeo said when the

government was constructing that canal, several individuals and organisations were against that project.

Had that project not been in place, the entire East Coast of Demerara and Region Five would have been under threat of flooding, he explained.

“When we started building the Hope Canal because we recognise that if every rainy season we had to release water into the Mahaica Creek it would flood the whole of Region Five, [resulting in] millions [of] dollars of [in] losses, US$$30 million one year. It costs us about $US16 million. So, in a single year loss from flooding could pay back for the Hope Canal,” the VP noted.

Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, Senior Minister in the Office of the President, Dr Ashni Singh, and other government ministers were also in attendance. (DPI)

President, Dr Irfaan Ali

384 persons to receive land titles by the end of the first quarter

IN keeping with the government’s aim to transform Guyana and improve the living standard of Guyanese countrywide, some 384 persons are expected to receive land titles by the end of the first quarter of this year.

This was a commitment made by Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal, on Thursday, during a land title distribution in Region Three.

Minister Croal said an assessment was conducted last year in the region where 13 unregulated areas were discovered.

Those include Plantation Good Hope, Vergenoegen, Philadelphia, Barnwell, Zeelugt, Greenwich

Park North, De Kinderen, De Willem, and Tuschen.

“Work is ongoing. The surveying work is ongo -

ing. And I am, therefore, committing to all of those persons within that area. Just the 384 possible per-

sons by the end of this first quarter, I want to come back with the team to Region Three to be

able to hand over those certificates of title,” the minister said.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to working with all communities and ensuring that the needs of Guyanese are met.

Minister Croal underscored: “You have a compassionate and a caring government. You have a loving president who understands your plight and will ensure that resources are available within the ambit of our total budget to bring development to you as a people.”

Minister Croal reiterated that no new squatting will be recognised and further urged persons to follow the correct procedure

to apply for a house lot.

He noted that the transformation and development in the region are occurring at a rapid pace which includes the Schoonord to Crane four-lane road project.

Some 76 persons on Thursday, from regularised sections of Greenwich Park (Railway Embankment) Stewartville/ Uitvlugt Sideline Dam and Tuschen (Railway Embankment), Region Three received their land titles.

Some 2,800 house lots were allocated in Region Three. To date, over 4,660 new lots were allocated. At the end of 2022, over 723 land titles were processed. (DPI)

IDB: Non-oil sectors performing better than expected

THE Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) says Guyana is on a trajectory of significant economic growth, with notable advancements in the non-oil sectors.

In its recent report, titled “Headwinds facing the Post-Pandemic Recovery”, the financial agency said that even though the oil sector accounts for a marginal portion of the country’s economic development, it also facilitates massive recovery in the non-oil sectors; recovery exceeding the expectations projected in the 2022 budget.

The statement notes

that Guyana’s volume of exported goods is set to increase by 50 per cent annually from 2022-2026. In April 2022, the IMF estimated a 22.5 per cent growth in this aspect.

The resulting growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is also set to promote further expansion and development in the non-oil sectors. The main drivers of this growth in the nonoil sectors are attributed to the agriculture, services, and construction sectors.

Meanwhile, it states, “Guyana rapidly moved from being a net importer of agricultural products and mineral fuels to being

a net exporter of the same commodities, with a trade surplus of 16 per cent of GDP in 2020 and 31 per cent in 2021 with the rest

of the world.”

With further expansion of oil production, these trends in trade surpluses are likely to continue.

The report also mentions the policies implemented in response to many of the challenges the country is facing, even in light of the GDP growth.

To ensure this growth is not solely dependent on the oil-and-gas market, the government has expended heavily to ensure the diversification of the economy.

First, it makes note of the added reinforcements to the Natural Resources Fund (NRF), as well as the Vision 25 by 2025 policy initiative. This initiative seeks to reduce extra CARICOM food imports by 25 per cent by 2025.

Moreover, the report makes note of the government’s efforts to foster technological advancements in the field of agriculture to promote further expansion and development in the sector.

In December 2022, the Agriculture Ministry signed a MoU with KARLICO, an Israeli company, for the development of a massive hydroponic production system project in Guyana. Such a system would provide a more environmentally friendly and efficient avenue for agricultural production.

(DPI)

One of the proud house lot allottees hammering down a stake with her name and lot number attached, last May

A section of Georgetown

Oil funds stood at US$1.27B at end of 2022 –– Finance Ministry says

WHILE noting that the fourth notification of petroleum revenues paid into the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) has been submitted to Parliament, the Ministry of Finance on Friday announced that at the end of 2022, the country had a balance of US$1.27 billion from the sale of oil.

According to a press release, Senior Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh submitted the Notification of Receipts to Parliament of all petroleum revenues paid into the Fund from October 1 to December 31, 2022, pursuant to Section 33 (2) of the NRF Act 2021.

This notification was published in the Official Gazette on January 5, 2023, and “demonstrates the People Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government’s continued commitment to the principles of transparency and accountability in the management of Guyana’s oil resources,” the Ministry said, adding that at the end of 2022, the balance in the NRF stood at US$1.27 billion.

The Ministry reminded that the NRF Act 2021 came into operation on January 1, 2022, replacing the illegitimate NRF Act 2019 which was passed by the APNU+AFC caretaker

administration.

The NRF Act 2021 allows for substantial improvement in the management of the natural resource wealth of Guyana, including the establish -

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its 2022 Article IV mission to Guyana in May-June of 2022, commended the PPP/C Government on the amendments made to the

30 WCB residents become legal land owners after 20-year wait

THIRTY residents of Plantation Hope, Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice are now in receipt of transports for their lands after waiting for more than 20 years.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C., spearheaded the distribution exercise on Friday.

In a Facebook post, he explained that approximately

one year ago, his ministry commenced a process to regularise the area occupied by 30 families.

“The families purchased house lots from the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) over two decades ago but were never issued with transports for those lands. These families have constructed their homes and are living on these lands,” he said.

Nandlall added that through the joint efforts of the Ministry of Legal Affairs, the Sugar Industry Welfare Fund (SILWIF) and the Deeds and Commercial Registry Authority (DCRA), this exercise was concluded at minimal costs to the persons affected and on Friday the “very elated families” were handed transports for these lands.

ment of a Board of Directors, which is responsible for reviewing and approving the policies of the Fund and monitoring its performance, thereby separating the management of the Fund from the Minister responsible for Finance, the release said.

It noted that another key amendment in the new legislation is that the Minister of Finance could face up to ten years imprisonment, if he fails to disclose the receipt of any petroleum revenue received by the government in the Official Gazette within three months of receipt of such monies.

NRF Act, saying:

“The NRF Act was strengthened recently. After a thorough review, and while restraining the spending of the oil receipts, the authorities amended the NRF Act December 2021. The recent amendments set clear ceilings on withdrawals from the Fund for budgetary spending.”

The release emphasised that the PPP/C Government intends to continue to “manage Guyana’s oil resources in a clear and transparent manner, to the benefit of present and future generations”.

GPHC gets new directors of medical and nursing services

THE Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has appointed Dr. Navindranauth Rambarran as the new Director of Medical and Professional Services and Leslyn Holder as the Director of Nursing Services.

According to a press release, they both emerged as successful candidates for the posts through a meticulous selection process that commenced in 2022.

Dr. Rambaran, who previously held the post of Consultant or Head of the Department for General Surgery at the GPHC for six years, and Head of the Accident and Emergency Department for four years prior, has a wealth of medical and managerial experience and knowledge.

“Dr. Rambaran is also the elected Chairman of the Medical Council of Guyana. He is well respected within the medical fraternity and among colleagues at the GPHC for his stalwart leadership and tactical management approaches,” the release stated.

Dr. Rambaran assumed his new role effective January 1, 2023.

Holder, formerly the Assistant Director of Nursing Services at the GPHC, assumed the role of Director of

Nursing Services on December 12, 2022.

She has been a registered nurse for almost 25 years, practicing nursing in Guyana and the United Kingdom before jumpstarting her career as Quality Improvement Manager in 2018 at the GPHC.

She has a background in Health and Social Care Leadership and Management and has worked in mental health, disability, and older people services.

“She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health Administration and brings a combination of administrative and functional experience to this new role,” the

release stated.

The post of Director of Nursing Services (Matron) was vacant for the past six years, leading to a significant gap in nursing management at the hospital.

Both appointments represent substantive and progressive additions to the current management team, as the GPHC positions itself as an internationally comparable healthcare facility.

“The Management of the GPHC is confident that these newly appointed directors will augment the ongoing efforts of the team to strengthen and improve the quality of healthcare being provided at the hospital,” GPHC said.

Director of Medical and Professional Services, Dr. Navindranauth Rambaran Director of Nursing Services, Leslyn Holder

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C. hands over the land-ownership document to a Plantation Hope couple (Department of Public Information photo)

Agreement signed for US$20M quarry company at Batavia

–– some 40 Amerindians to gain employment

AN agreement for the establishment of a US$20 million quarry company was on Friday inked under the purview of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs between the village council of Batavia and the Ekaa Hrim Earth Resources Management.

At a simple signing ceremony held in the Ministry’ s boardroom, Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai told reporters that the agreement comes after months of consultations and discussions with both the residents and representatives of the company.

“They [representatives] were guided by support staff from the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs and so today I am pleased that they are at the conclusion,” Minister Sukhai said adding: “The villagers have been provided along the way with full consultation. Four meetings with the villagers were held

and they were provided with information and have been satisfied that they are in good hands with the village council and the investors.”

According to the agreement, the company will be leasing land from the village council for a period of 15 years for the construction of a quarry operation.

Meanwhile, the company’s Management Director, Jesvin Pradeep Kumar, disclosed that some 40 persons will be employed once construction of the establishment has been completed.

While a date was not disclosed for the commencement of operations, Kumar disclosed that both skilled and unskilled persons will be employed at the company.

Ekaa Hrim Earth Resources Management specialises in consulting and mining of natural resources including manganese, granite, bauxite, silica sand and iron ore.

The company also has operations in oil and gas, agriculture, infrastructure and training.

Further, as it relates to how the operations will benefit the company, Batavia’s Toshao, Orin Williams said the agreement will be a “life changing” one for the residents.

“This is a very good opportunity for us to improve the lives of our residents in the village and we have seen this project as a project that will change a lot of things for our people,” he added.

Williams informed this publication that the agreement is the first of its kind for the Region Seven community

“I am happy to be the toshao that could experience this historical moment because this is the first time we have done such huge negotiations and signings of such a big contract and I happy and I know that it will benefit my village a lot,” he said.

Ekaa Hrim Earth Resources Management Director, Jesvin Pradeep Kumar; Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai; and Batavia’s Toshao Orin Williams at the signing ceremony on Friday (Delano Williams photo)

New roundabout to connect Schoonord-Crane four-lane highway

THE Ministry of Housing and Water, on Friday, posted an artist’s impression of the new roundabout that will connect the West Coast Demerara Highway to the new Schoonord to Crane highway.

To ease traffic congestion along the West Bank and West Coast of Demerara and with the speed of development in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), President Ali, in 2022, acknowledged the necessity of a new four-lane

highway.

Owing to the rapid pace of development, this highway will precede the planned construction of a four-lane highway from Schoonord to Parika on the East Bank of Essequibo (EBE).

This potential road link, President Ali said, will open thousands of acres of land for housing, massive agriculture and agro- related projects, and tourism and other related activities.

The construction of this

particular road, however, is merely a component of a broader plan to modernise the country’s infrastructure and create myriad alternative and more convenient linkages.

At the centre of those plans is the intended 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, WBD.

The new four-lane, highspan bridge, once completed, will replace the existing structure which was built in 1976, over four decades ago.

Additionally, since taking office, the government has been working to develop infrastructure throughout the country. In 2022, the $2.6 billion Mandela to Eccles highway was opened.

The road project was conceptualised by President

Ali, while he was the Housing and Water Minister in 2013. The highway now reduces traffic congestion significantly along the East Bank corridor, as well as improves accessibility for future residential, commercial, and industrial developments.

Moreover, a US$106.4 million contract was signed in June 2022, for the construction of the first phase of the East Coast Demerara (ECD) to EBD road linkage project.

At the signing ceremony which was held at the intersection of the Rupert Craig Highway and Ogle Road on the ECD, it was announced

that an India-based construction company, Ashoka Buildcon Limited, would take on the project which is expected to be carried out over 24 months.

The first phase of the road is expected to be a four-lane highway that stretches some 7.8 kilometers, with which each lane will be 3.6 meters wide, and include a median, sidewalks, and several structures along the way.

Further, last year, the Ministry of Public Works had expended some $543.6 million to build several roads in some communities along the ECD corridor.

Hess signals Guyana’s 7th oil platform to lift output above 1.2M barrels of oil

(Reuters) HESS Corp (HES.N) on Thursday said drilling results expected this month could add a seventh platform in Guyana, which would lift the nascent oil-producing nation’s output above the 1.2 million barrels of oil equivalent per day planned.

The U.S. oil producer is part of the Exxon Mobil Corp-led (XOM.N) consortium that controls all production in the tiny South American nation. The group has confirmed so far, plans for six floating production vessels in the country, home to the world’s largest offshore discovery in more than a decade.

The 2022 Fangtooth offshore oil discovery is big enough to potentially require a platform for itself, which would be Guyana’s seventh, Hess Corp (HES.N) Chief Executive Office John Hess said in a conference by Gold-

man Sachs.

Results of appraisal wells at Fangtooth, located 11 miles (18 km) northwest of the first producing field in Guyana, may be disclosed as soon as later this month, he said.

Hess uses more aggressive output projections than its operating partner Exxon for the six platforms both companies confirm: 1.2 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) by 2027.

Exxon estimates 850,000 boepd in its presentations.

Guyana currently has two operating platforms producing more than 360,000 barrels per day of oil. A third Exxon production vessel is planned to start pumping oil at the end of this year. Its construction in Asia is 93% complete, Hess said.

While six platforms have been confirmed for Guyana, the partners have sanctioned investments for only four so

far. A final investment decision for the fifth platform, for the Uaru discovery, is expected for this year, he said.

Exxon, Hess and Chinese partner CNOOC (0883. HK) have estimated 11 billion barrels of recoverable oil in Guyana, a number Hess deemed conservative.

“There are multi billion barrels remaining,” Hess said on Goldman Sachs’ estimate of 20 billion barrels of reserves.

An artist’s impression of the roundabout connecting the WCD highway to the new Schoonord to Crane Highway (Screenshot from Ministry of Housing video)-

Hess Corp’s Chief Executive Officer, John Hess

76 informal settlers receive land titles in Region Three

SOME 76 residents from regularised sections of Greenwich Park (Railway Embankment) Stewartville/Uitvlugt Sideline Dam and Tuschen (Railway Embankment), Region Three received their Land Titles during an exercise at the Greenwich Park Primary School on Thursday.

Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal presented the Certificates of Title to several residents at the activity.

Parliamentary Secretary, Vickash Ramkissoon and Regional Chairman, Ishan Ayube also handed over some of the titles during the event.

The minister stated that the regularisation process is a part of the government’s plan to transform the country and improve the living conditions of Guyanese.

“We understand that you require development for yourself and development for yourself has to start with you having the ability to own your own space,” Minister Croal said.

He further noted that the titles put the landowners in a position to provide safer and stable housing for their families.

One-hundred-seventy- four informal settlers have been residing in the three areas for years. Registration for the ownership documents was done on December 10-11, 2022, following a meeting with Minister Croal in September 2022.

Processing the remaining titles will continue with the co-operation of the other persons.

Minister Croal further noted that the Central Housing and Planning Authority recorded 13 squatting areas in the region after an assessment last year. The agency will be working to deliver titles during the first quarter of 2023. He further noted that no new squatting would be recognised, as the government is firmly against the illegal activity.

The Ministry of Housing and Water has also implemented a structured housing programme that eradicates the need for squatting. The minister said that CHPA would have to proceed with relocation and resettlement programmes in zero-tolerance zones. These programmes will be done with a humanitarian approach to ensure that all parties are

satisfied.

To this end, the minister pleaded with residents in squatting areas to do the “right thing” and to work with the government to facilitate a smooth process.

Ms. Bibi Farida Khan, who has been living at the Stewartville/Uitvlugt Sideline Dam for more than four decades, expressed satisfaction with the work of the Ministry on Thursday.

She noted that the land title now represents a legacy she can leave behind for her children and is ecstatic that she can close this chapter of her life.

“Now I get my title so I’m very happy [and] proud of the government for doing something good for us,” said Ms. Khan

Another resident of the

Sideline Dam, sixty-fiveyear-old Mr. Rohan Kishun, who has been residing in the area for close to forty-five years, also noted contentment with the work of the government. With his ownership document in hand, he now plans to renovate his home.

“Me gah mek up me place and so on and live better,” Mr. Kishun said, expressing his happiness at receiving the title.

During Thursday’s activ-

ity, the minister highlighted several infrastructure projects ongoing in the region, including the Schoonord to Crane Four-Lane Highway. Construction is also ongoing for the first 100 low income houses through a Memorandum of Understanding with

Republic Bank. Other regional officials, the Director of Community Development at the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), Gladwin Charles and staff, were also present.

Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal presents a Certificate of Title to a resident

A section of the gathering at Greenwich Park Primary School

Black Belly Sheep population grows following births

IN advancing efforts to reduce CARICOM’s food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025, Guyana has begun the expansion of its Black Belly Sheep programme.

According to information shared with the Guyana Chronicle, the country, to date, has imported 472 sheep from Barbados and the flock has since grown to 494, as a result of births.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, in an invited comment disclosed that the remaining sheep will arrive within this year’s first quarter.

A total of 500 will be in that shipment, he said.

Further, he noted that expansions are underway in the West Coast Berbice area for additional sheep farms to be established.

“The housing for the sheep is currently being constructed at the site Ellis, West Coast Berbice. The current batch of about 500 heads is being housed at [Guyana Livestock Development

Agency] GLDA, Mon Repos. GLDA is currently taking care of this batch until they move to Ellis,” Mustapha explained.

In August 2022, Guyana received the first flock comprising 20 rams and 112 ewes from Barbados. A second shipment arrived several months later.

The GLDA was tasked with weaning the sheep to ensure that they could adjust to Guyana’s climate as well as introduce them to new diets. According to the agriculture minister, the weaning process thus far has been successful.

“This is a brand and an industry that we are now creating in Guyana. We will build the Black Belly brand in the Caribbean. We have the facilities here like land space, fresh water and good breeding ground,” Mustapha said previously.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, during the launch of a Black Belly Sheep Project at Onverwagt,

–– additional pens being constructed in Region Five

WCB, back in March, had said the project was intended to pave the way for Guyana to tap into the region’s hefty food-importation bill, which sees CARICOM countries, collectively, spending some US$43 million on import of mutton alone. And even though Guyana’s food production capabilities are impressive, the country still imports approximately US$130,000 worth of mutton.

With an initial investment of US$3 million, Dr. Ali said that the Black Belly Sheep Project targets 2,000 heads of sheep, and is slated for significant expansion in order to produce at least 7,000 tonnes of mutton by the end of five years.

It is also expected to create at least 4,500 direct and indirect jobs.

President Ali had pointed out that the world import value on mutton and mutton products is US$8 billion.

CARICOM alone imports 7,900 tonnes of

mutton at US$48M annually.

Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago are the four major markets that Guyana can target.

Several farmers have signalled their interest in the project, which is one of many initiatives being rolled out by Guyana and Barbados to reduce the region’s food import bill by 2025.

The first flock of Black Belly Sheep

Linden Landslide: New houses to be completed in two months

By Cindy Parkinson

FOLLOWING the Linden landslide on Poker Street in Wismar, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice), Symon Harry, owner of B. Harry Lumber Yard and General Store is currently working on two of the damaged houses.

In an interview with this publication, Harry said he hopes the houses can be completed in two months.

“We have laid the foundations for the two houses and put on the first layer of the foundation blocks. That will be followed by the columns and flooring. I don’t have a big team that is working with me, so it may take about two months or so on average,” he said.

The lumber yard owner also requested that the three pensioners affected

by the ordeal stay near his home. He believes that he is doing the right thing by allowing them to see the progress of their houses as he rebuilds. The other affected family also continues to reside at the homes of their family members.

Harry assures the public that everyone is “alright” and all the persons affected are doing well and being cared for.

Meanwhile, the Regional Chairman, Deron Adams, told the Guyana Chronicle that he met with the families and provided some food hampers to them on behalf of the regional office.

“I met with the families, and they were happy to see us. Despite the disaster and the sadness it brought, the families were happy and relieved that we could deliver some food hampers to them,” the Re-

gional Chairman noted.

He continued by saying, “Mr B. Harry continues to use his resources to bring relief to the families as well, and so we are grateful to him. There are other stakeholders who came on board as well, but Mr Harry is dealing with the bulk of the cleaning up of the entire area and of course, the rebuilding.”

The chairman intends to “check in and follow up” with the lumber yard’s owner before the end of the week or in the new week.

He also mentioned that a team of counsellors and other professionals would go into Poker Street and meet with the affected families and the other residents.

He added that their aim is to observe and monitor the community’s ongoing work, give comfort, and help restore some normalcy

10

to the community’s people.

Taking into consideration that the disaster occurred during the last quarter of 2022, Adams said “our budget was depleted; however, for the new year, we will definitely reach out to the families and provide some assistance to them as soon as parliament approves the disaster funds for the region.”

The landslide that occurred on November 30, 2022, was reported to have been caused by Charlie Thakur, an excavator operator working for the private contractor and lumber yard owner Symon Harry.

According to reports, the operator was digging to locate a drain at the time, which he believed would have alleviated the flooding situation in the community. According to Mr Harry, the operator went too close to a pocket of water, which caused the land to shift.

He also told the Guyana Chronicle that the land in that area is known to hold excess water.

Two arrest ed after gun, narcotics found at Plaisance

Police said in a press release that, at approximately 05:15 hours, ranks from the Sparendaam Police Station, acting on information received, went to a two-bedroom house at Robert Road, Plaisance.

A search was conducted in the first bedroom of the house, in the presence of the two occupants who were there at the time (a 30-year-old labourer of the said address and a 23-year-old plumber who resides next door).

During the search, the ranks found a 12- gauge double-barrel shotgun with no serial number and four live matching cartridges.

The suspects were asked if they were li -

censed firearm holders but remained silent. They were then told of the offence committed, cautioned, and arrested.

A further search was conducted in the other bedroom in their presence, and a black plastic bag containing 286 transparent zip lock bags containing a quantity of suspected cannabis was also found,

the release added.

The two suspects were told of the offence committed and were escorted to the Sparendaam Police Station along with the cannabis, which, when weighed, amounted to 580 grammes.

The suspects were placed in custody pending further investigation and charges.

TWO occupants of a Plaisance, East Coast Demerara house, were, on Friday, arrested after a shotgun with matching rounds and a quantity of cannabis were allegedly found in the building.

One of the foundations under construction in Wismar, Linden, Region

The items recovered during the police raid (Guyana Police Force photo)

State appeals ruling on police’s authority to ‘blacklist’ persons from leaving country

THE State has moved to the Court of Appeal to challenge the recent ruling of High Court Judge, Navindra Singh, that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) does not have the authority to blacklist persons from leaving the jurisdiction.

The appeal was filed by the Attorney General, the Minister of Home Affairs and the Commissioner of Police against Police Finance Officer, Woman Senior Superintendent (ag) Marcelene Washington, who is currently before the lower court on conspiracy charges for allegedly defrauding the State by falsifying $5.1 million in food vouchers. The charges are indictable.

Washington had approached the High Court asking for a declaration that her deprivation of the freedom of movement by the GPF breached her constitutional right.

Additionally, she sought an administrative Order of Mandamus directed to the Commissioner of Police compelling him to remove her name from the blacklist at all ports of exit.

Justice Singh, in his ruling, found that the GPF cannot restrict the movement of any person around or out of Guyana unless such restriction is provided for in the laws of Guyana or pursuant to an order of the court.

In fact, he added that

since the filing of these proceedings, the Bail Act of 2022 was passed and assented to and the provisions therein, particularly section 11, are most instructive.

Section 11 makes it very clear that conditions, including conditions restricting a bailed person’s ability to travel, may be imposed by the Court granting bail.

Justice Singh, however, found that it was clear that the names of persons charged with an indictable offence are placed on a list; whether it is called a “blacklist”, or an “administrative list” is wholly irrelevant.

Additionally, the judge said by creating such a list, the GPF and/or the respondents have determined that the law authorises them to

limit the movement of such persons solely because they have been charged with indictable offences.

And, so, the judge made it clear that no such authority is reposed in the Guyana Police Force under any written law of Guyana, and they woefully misconstrued themselves.

The Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Mohabir Anil Nandlall subsequently filed a Notice of Appeal seeking to set aside Justice Singh’s decision.

Given the impact of the decision on the administration of justice, the Attorney General, on Friday, also filed a Notice of Motion for an early date to be fixed for the hearing and determination of

High-powered weapons, ‘ammo’ recovered by CID ranks

the appeal.

In the Notice of Appeal, the Attorney General is contending that the Criminal Law (Procedure) Act, Chapter 10:01 Laws of Guyana restricts persons charged with an indictable offence and who have been granted bail with surety from leaving the jurisdiction without the permission of the Court.

As such, this restriction is contemplated, and permitted by Article 148 (3) of the Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, Chapter

1:01, Laws of Guyana.

The Attorney General posits that Justice Singh’ s decision violates, and is in conflict with express provisions of the Constitution, established principles of law, and precedent.

In the Affidavit in Support of the Notice of Motion requesting that the appeal be heard and determined, Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken averred that “the ruling of the Honourable Hearing Judge has deep and far-reaching ramifications for

the rule of law and, in particular, the administration of criminal justice in Guyana.”

Demonstrating that view by way of an example, the Acting Commissioner explained that “In my position as Commissioner of Police (Ag), I have knowledge that hundreds of persons charged with indictable offences and granted bail with sureties can now flee the jurisdiction with impunity, and certainly, without the supervisory role of the High Court.”

recovered two high- powered assault weapons and a quantity of ammunition.

The GPF said, in a press release, that the illegal items were found in a haversack during an operation in Norton Street, Georgetown, on Thursday.

“The CID ranks were on patrol duty on 2022/1/5 within the vicinity of Norton Street, when they observed a suspicious male holding a bulky green and orange haversack in his right hand. As the man saw the police ranks, he began to run through an alley in a northern direction,

dropping the haversack. The ranks gave chase, but he escaped,” the release said.

It added that the ranks retrieved the haversack and, upon checking inside, they found what appeared to be an AK 47 Assault Rifle, an AR 15 Rifle, one ‘round magazine’ containing 44 live

7.62x39 ammunition, and two AR 15 magazines, one containing eight live rounds of 5.56x45 ammunition.

The said firearms, magazines and ammunition were dusted for fingerprints, then marked, sealed and lodged as investigation continues.

Commissioner of Police (ag) Clifton Hicken

Police Finance Officer, Woman Senior Superintendent (ag) Marcelene Washington

RANKS of the Guyana Police Force’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Special Patrol of Regional Division 4 ‘A’ have

The recovered guns and ammunition (Guyana Police Force photo)

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Cork 08:27 hrs Alastor 09:02 hrs Caldwell Diamond 09:37 hrs Jaspers Jack 10:12 hrs Takarengo 10:47 hrs Paladian Jewel 11:22 hrs Carrous Cottage 11:57 hrs Fancy Girl

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Aqueduct Race 1 Winter Pool Race 2 Disarmed Race 3 Blue Grotto Race 4 Today’s Flavor Race 5 Complete Agenda Race 6 Tryingmyheartout Race 7 UNO Race 8 Andiano A Firenze Race 9 Law Professor

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Bad light curtails nail-biting final day between New Zealand and Pakistan

(ESPNCRICINFO) - An epic fourth-innings century to cap off a dream comeback series. The set batter getting severe cramps, and also running out of partners. Artificial light taking over. A late wicket just after the second new ball. Eight down. Nervous expressions in the crowd. The light meter in business. Only spinners allowed to bowl. A good low catch at a crucial moment. Nine down. The umpire asking the last two batters to hurry up. Eventually, it was all for nothing, as a thrilling Test ended in a draw with New Zealand one wicket away, and Pakistan 15 short of their target of 319.

Sarfaraz Ahmed hit a career-best 118, Michael Bracewell grabbed four wickets, and the Pakistan lower order came to their rescue in a nail-biting finish in Karachi. Ten days of hard fought cricket resulted in a series scoreline of 0-0 as Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed saw off the last 21 balls of the day with all 11 New Zealand fielders crowding their bat.

The match kept turning and twisting in its final two sessions. Pakistan were 80 for 5 at one stage, with momentum in New Zealand's favour; just then, Sarfaraz and Saud Shakeel blunted them with a 123-run stand. And when Pakistan seemed to have taken one step towards the win, Bracewell got Shakeel. He was the sixth wicket to fall with the score on 203. That is when Sarfaraz and Agha Salman added 70 to drag their side back, only for the partnership to end with an acrossthe-line hoick off Matt Henry.

Sarfaraz lost Salman and Hasan Ali and eventually

himself as well as the pendulum kept swinging. Bad light won the battle in the end, with three overs still left officially; this, after play had already extended almost until 6pm local time.

Adjudged Player of the Match, and also Player of the Series for 335 runs at 83.75, Sarfaraz was playing his first Tests in Pakistan. Imagine that. At the age of 35. Making a comeback into the side after nearly four years in the wilderness. And almost leading them to one of their most famous wins ever, at the city of his birth. The fairytale wasn't to be - he turned one into leg

slip's hands off Bracewell, and became the ninth wicket to fall - but he has done his reputation no harm. Sarfaraz remains one of Pakistan's great fighters.

Karachi. Fading light. And a thrilling run-chase. It's all happened before and it was happening again. Except, at the end of the 86th over, it became clear that New Zealand were really the only team that could win. Because at that point the umpires went up to Tim Southee and said he couldn't bowl his fast bowlers anymore. The light wasn't good enough for that. He resorted to spin, but if he thought Pakistan were getting too close to the target, he could have brought back his quicks, at which point the umpires would've been forced to stop the game and call it a draw.

There could be debate around Shakeel's approach, who - like in the first innings - kept bunting and blocking his way to 32 off 146 balls even as time seemed to running out. His first real shot of intent came off the ball just before being dismissed,

when he lofted Bracewell inside out over extra cover for four. When he went hacking next delivery, Daryl Mitchell grabbed a reflex catch moving to his left at slip. Sarfaraz still had one last frontline batter in Salman for company and together they made 70 runs off just 83 deliveries.

And so commanding did Sarfaraz look against spin after the tea break, that he pummelled Bracewell's offbreaks for four and six off successive balls in the 64th over while using his trademark paddle sweep, before cracking two fours in a row in the 70th. That made Southee take Bracewell off and turn to his seamers on a fifth day pitch in the subcontinent. That's a big tick in the batting team's column.

Sodhi wasn't used after tea despite the rough outside both Sarfaraz and Salman's leg stump. Instead Ajaz Patel came on and took aim at the right-handers' pads. Sarfaraz did well to counter that and while he was at the crease the target seemed well within reach. Both Pakistan and New Zealand raced against time

but lost.

Who knew the day would end this way after Bracewell and Sodhi struck thrice together in the morning, though much of that was down to Pakistan's batters either giving their wickets away or being unlucky. An adventurous Imam-ul-Haq was bowled after skipping down the track to Sodhi - the third time in four innings he was dismissed after charging down - while Babar Azam inside-edged to the wicketkeeper Tom Latham, who did well to move to his left despite being blinded by the batter. As for Shan Masood, he too decided that jumping out of the crease was the best way to go, only to be caught at mid-off off Bracewell. But an age seems to have passed since all that happened this morningfollowed by a wicketless middle session - as ultimately, the match became a see-saw ride between two excited children, who had to go home after their parentslike the umpires in this Test - said enough was enough.

Rain thwarts Khawaja’s double century bid

(ESPNCRICINFO)Rain might have thwarted Usman Khawaja's bid for a maiden Test double-century, while Australia's push for a series sweep over South Africa has been made harder after day three was washed out at the SCG.

Khawaja remains stuck on his highest Test score of 195, while Matt Renshaw is 5 not out in his first Test match since 2018 having tested positive for Covid-19 before play on day one.

Heavy downpours lashed Sydney and negated any chance of play to continue a run of rain-affected matches at the traditional SCG New Year's Test. Forty-nine overs were lost to rain and bad light on the opening two days.

There are 196 overs

remaining in the Test and Sydney's forecast is better for Saturday with only a small amount of rain tipped before sunny conditions on Sunday.

Captain Pat Cummins will need to ponder overnight whether to declare before Khawaja has a chance to reach his double ton. Australia are keen on moving the match forward in their bid for a clean sweep of the series and to book a spot in the World Test Championship final in June.

"Think it would be pretty harsh to bowl straightaway, don't think that will happen," Khawaja said. "Will be interesting to see how the game pans out from here, there's a few options but with only two days remaining it narrows those options for us. Time is enemy at this stage. You've got to

decide how you will use that time. A result is very unlikely, let's be honest, but it's still possible so try to do best you can."

South Africa's batting coach, Justin Sammons, was unsure what they would do. "Think if Khawaja wasn't on 190-odd then I'd say they'd declare straightaway but it depends on how they see that situation," he said. "I'd imagine they'll let him go out there and try to get that double and then declare. But they could say team first, in there straightaway."

Australia's formidable innings was built on a 209-run second-wicket partnership between Khawaja and Steven Smith. It was their 10th century partnership from just 33 innings and highest stand overtaking their 188 against England at the

SCG in 2018.

Having moved past Sir Don Bradman on the career Test century list with his 30th ton, Smith fell for 104 while Marnus Labschagne and Travis Head contributed half-centuries.

A beleaguered South Africa have been out of answers as the spotlight shines on under-pressure captain Dean Elgar, who has seemingly been reactionary and conservative with his tactics.

Other than quick Anrich Nortje, who took the only two wickets to fall on day one, South Africa's attack has failed to penetrate with spearhead Kagiso Rabada particularly struggling. He has 1 for 119 from 28 overs to continue his underwhelming series.

South Africa need an unlikely victory to keep alive their slim chanc -

es of making the World Test Championship final although rain might help them avoid a series whitewash.

Sydney's forecast is better for Saturday with only a small amount of rain tipped before sunny conditions on Sunday.

The third day of the

SCG Test is dedicated to Australia great Glenn McGrath's late wife, Jane, who died of breast cancer in 2008. But the traditional prematch ceremony, which includes pink cap presentations to both teams, was moved to day four because of the weather.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER

(Saturday January 07, 2023)

CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

(1) 13 Test Teams

(2) England-163 Tests

Today’s Quiz:

(1) How many teams have been involved in ODI cricket to date?

(2) Which team have played most ODIs against the WI to date?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

Sarfaraz Ahmed attacked perfectly for Pakistan • AFP/Getty Images

Tiger Rentals Under-13 football

East Berbice registers big win on opening day

THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF)/Tiger Rentals’ under-13 football tournament kicked off last Saturday at the National Training Centre (NTC), Providence, with a total of five exciting matches that followed the opening

ceremony and march past.

In the opening match, East Berbice trampled Diamond United 6-1 in what turned out to be the biggest defeat of the day.

Diamond United scored the first, and their only goal of the game, in the

first minute of the clash through Nasio Bassant but it was one way traffic for Berbice after that. Berbice had six different goal-scorers in the game namely, Joshua Marshall, Shamar August, Allan Spencer, Xavier Andrews, Fabino Devair and Rodenzo

Badal.

Fruta Conquerors, coached by Golden Jaguar’s Jeremy Garrett, breezed past Timehri Panthers 5-2. Jason Williams was responsible for both of the Timehri Panthers’ goals while a brace from Shaquon Deon and one goal each

from Gilbert Frank, Dane Sampson and Joshua Hart accounted for the five goals for the victors.

In the other matches, Upper Demerara defeated West Berbice 2-0, Georgetown ATC edged Region Six ATC 2-1, while West Demerara

ATC triumphed over East Bank ATC 3-1.

The GFF Tiger Rentals’ tournament will be played in the group round-robin stage between clubs and Academy Training Centre teams before moving forward to the knockout round.

GHE practice matches set for next week

The Guyana Harpy Eagles (GHE) will be engaged in the first of two Four-Day Practice matches scheduled to commence on Thursday,

5-18, 2023 for the thirdround matches, March 22, 2023 -March 25, 2023, for the fourth-round matches, and March 29, 2023 – April 1, 2023, for the

Mathew Nandu, Tevin Imlach, Kevlon Anderson, Akshaya Persaud, Rampertab Ramnauth, Shamar Yearwood, Junior Sinclair, Ashmead

Nedd, Ronsford Beaton, Isai Thorne, Nial Smith, Richie Looknauth, Garfield Benjamin Tagenarine Chanderpaul X1: Tagenarine

Chanderpaul, Kemol Savory, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Mavindra Dindyal, Anthony Bramble, Kevin Sinclair, Alvin Mohabir, Gudakesh

Motie, Antony Adams, Shamar Joseph, Sylus Tyndall, Demeter Cameron, Jonathan Rampersaud, Zynul Ramsammy

Coaches scapegoats for Windies’ poor showing – Sir Andy

January 12, 2023, at the National Stadium, Providence.

The second match will begin on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, and conclude on Saturday, January 20, 2023. The matches are scheduled from 0930 hours to 1630 hours each day.

The first two rounds of this year’s West Indies Championship will be played in Grenada and Antigua from February 1, 2023, to February 4, 2023, last three rounds will be played in Trinidad from April 2023, with the respective dates being March

fifth-round matches.

The two teams identified to participate in the first GCB Four-Day Practice match were selected by the GCB’s Senior National Selection Committee under the Chairmanship of Ravindranauth Seeram.

The players who are not available for this match include Leon Johnson, Clinton Pestano, Keon Joseph, Quentin Sampson, Steven Sankar Shimron Hetmyer and Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, and Romario Shepherd.

Veerasammy Permaul X1: Veerasammy Permaul,

CMC – Players more than the coaches have to take responsibility for West Indies failures on the cricket field, former fast bowler Sir Andy Roberts has suggested.

Although stressing the importance of coaches to the development of players in the game, the 71-year old said they were getting the short end of the stick.

“They have someone to blame, they’re blaming the coaches,” Sir Andy, a former West Indies Cricket Board selector, asserted in an interview with the Jamaica Observer newspaper.

His comments came as the region waits to hear from Cricket West Indies

(CWI) who will take over the head coach role following the resignation of Phil Simmons after the Caribbean side crashed out of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup last October.

Simmons stayed on for the West Indies’ tour of Australia which also ended in defeat, and Andre Coley has since been appointed interim head coach, even as CWI awaits a report from a three-man independent panel it set up to undertake a comprehensive review of West Indies’ first-round exit from the tournament.

Sir Andy contended that coaches was being made a scapegoat for the regional side’s poor per-

formances and the attention was not being paid to what really mattered.

“How come we didn’t make five changes for the One-Day International team? We lost 2-0 in Australia; how come we didn’t make five changes to the Test team?” he questioned.

“My emphasis doesn’t depend on coaching. It depends on the players shouldering the responsibility to develop their game to the point that all the coach has to do is to make sure they go through their drills.”

Sir Andy, the first Antiguan to play Test cricket for the West Indies, suggested that the focus of coaching should be on

developing the younger cricketers, as there were too many players who lacked understanding of the fundamentals of cricket.

“We have to get this right and try to develop our players from Under-15s up to the senior level. They are the ones who have to get it right. That is where you need your best coaches, not at the Test match level. At that level, you need somebody who can plan the game, who has an eye for the game and I don’t think that we have too many students of the game playing today,” the former West Indies player said.

Veersammy Permaul

Tagenarine Chanderpaul

Barry says focus on schools important for revival of cricket

- Female cricket needs direct input from Associations

By Sean Devers

PRESIDENT of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCB) Neil Barry believes focusing on schools is important for the revival of cricket in Guyana

The former Demerara and Guyana batter shared his thoughts on this as well as what is being done to attract more females to the sport.

“I have been actively involved in getting cricket back in schools in Georgetown

The Ministry of Education has partnered with the GCA and given us permission to do coaching for primary school and that’s where we at the GCA believes the foundation is

set…where you simulate interest.

We would have exposed 200 females from 7-10 over an eight-week programme which culminated at the Queen’s College. So we are confident…and the interest shown by the females in those eight schools, it’s really eye-opening and all the coaches and all those involved were very happy with” said Barry while speaking on the ‘Sean Devers Sports Watch’ Radio programme.

“The problem in Georgetown is not that the young talented…both male and female… don’t want to play cricket; it is that they are not getting the opportunity to play.

So they then go to other things because enough

emphasis is not placed on that early development. We in the GCA recognise that there is a GCA weakness which is the reason why we have gone all the way to the bottom to bring it up.

We are hoping now that in a next few years those 7 to 10 year olds within a certain span of time will be the ones representing Guyana and even the West Indies within another five to 10 years. We are confident about that” continued the GCA Head.

“The parents and teachers were there and loved the programme. They supported and encouraged the little boys and girls who had lots of fun.

“We did put a proposal for secondary schools but the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has announced that

they are going big into schools cricket, so the Ministry, I think, is waiting on word from the GCB with regards to that.

“But we are hoping that as a stakeholder for cricket development in Guyana and a member of the GCB through the Demerara Board, that we can get more information coming to us so that we can go in and help.

“It is critical at this juncture for all of the Stakeholders in the country to understand the importance of secondary school cricket and meet, sit and find the best way forward.

“It has to be a tri-party gathering between the cricket technocrats, the Ministry of Sports, Ministry of Education and obviously the GCB, sit together

and have a nation-wide programme mapped out.

The youngsters in the schools want it and it’s now up to the administrators to deliver a programme” Barry added.

“We would have launched a female programme for youths between 12 -21 in Georgetown last year sponsored by Smalta Breweries Guy Inc and have so far registered 30 female cricketers.

“The adverse weather played a major part in us not getting the amount of training sessions that we needed. This programme was under the guidance of Clyde Butts and managed by Malteenoes president, Deborah McNichols.

“There are three other coaches that work along within that programme but the issue would have been getting the weather to be favourable and getting

venues.

“We have worked very [hard] and we must thank MYO and Queens College for making their grounds available for the young ladies. What is clear is that female cricket needs to have a more direct input from associations…not only Georgetown… but all the associations throughout the Country” said the DCB member.

Barry said that clubs cannot do it on their own and that’s why the GCA embarked on this programme and, in 2023, will move it forward and get a fixed venue for the squad.

“We will get more games and get more engagement against teams in Berbice and other parts of the country. But we are ready and the female programme is defiantly ongoing” Barry concluded.

Some of the action between Fruta Conquerors (right) and Diamond United that lost 5-2 last Saturday.

Sir Andy Roberts.