Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_01_29_2021

FRIDAY

Happy New Year

29th January, 2021

' No.106256

Canada, UK join calls for release of Guyanese fishermen SEE STORY ON PAGE 03

–– Venezuelan forces increasingly entering Guyana’s maritime space, says Minister Todd

Coalition’s ganja bill ‘extinguished’

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Guyana suspends travel from Brazil for 30 days

New Sophia well to be operable next week 10 PAGE

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GWI Chief Executive Officer, Shaik Baksh, samples the water that was being pump-tested (DPI photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

Canada, UK join calls for release of Guyanese fishermen –– Venezuelan forces increasingly entering Guyana’s maritime space, says Minister Todd

By Navendra Seoraj CANADA and the United Kingdom (UK), on Thursday, joined other nations in calling on Venezuela to release the 12 Guyanese fishermen they are holding in detention.

Even as Guyana and international stakeholders continue to press for a peaceful conclusion to the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy, Venezuela remains seemingly bent on arbitrarily laying claim to Guyana’s territory, with that country’s naval forces increasingly intruding on Guyana’s maritime space.

Increased activity by Venezuelan naval vessels and other forces in Guyana’s waters started after Venezuela’s President, Nicolás Maduro, issued a decree claiming Venezuela’s sovereignty and exclusive sovereign rights in the waters and seabed adjacent to Guyana’s coast, west of the Essequibo River.

Based on reports emanating from Venezuela, the decree points to the creation of a strategic zone for national development, called the “Territory for the Development of the Atlantic Façade”, which the Bolivarian Republic envisages will provide it adequate protection, and safeguard its jurisdiction.

However, since Guyana has sovereign rights over the coast west of the Essequibo River, as far as Punta Playa, it follows, consequently, that only Guyana can enjoy sovereignty and exclusive sovereign rights over the adjacent sea and seabed.

Despite outright condemnation of Venezuela’s latest claims and global recognition of Guyana’s sovereign rights over the contested area, a naval vessel attached to the Bolivarian Republic, just days after the issuance of the decree, entered Guyana’s territory and abducted 12 fishermen, who remain detained in Venezuela.

“Following the announcement of President Maduro’s Decree of 7 January 2021, there was increased activity in Guyana’s maritime space

by Venezuelan Navy vessels and other Venezuelan State assets,” Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd, told the National Assembly, on

Detained:( from left) Joel Joseph, Nick Raghubar, Javin Boston, Orland Roberts, Captain of the Lady Nayera, Richard Ramnarine and Shirvin Oneil

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd

Thursday.

Such illegal activity, he lamented, continues to undermine Guyana’s development, by threatening Guyana’s sovereign rights over its maritime space and hindering economic activity.

The recent abduction and detainment of fishermen and their fishing vessels, the Lady Nayera and Sea Wolf, is proof of Venezuela’s intention, Minister Todd said.

Those vessels were intercepted by Venezuelan naval vessel, Commandante Hugo Chavez GC 24, off the coast of Waini Point (well within Guyana’s territory).

The crew and both vessels were illegally detained by the Venezuelan Government and are currently still in detention at Port Guiria. It was reported recently that the men were placed before a Venezuelan court and then subjected to a 45-day detention, pending an ‘investigation’.

STRONGLY CONDEMNED Guyana has, however, strongly condemned the illegal detention of its citizens and the illegal seizure of their fishing vessels by the Venezuelan navy.

Each family member too, when contacted by this pub-

lication, has condemned the act and has said that they are eagerly awaiting the return of their relatives, because, in some cases, they are the sole breadwinner of the house.

Minister Todd has since affirmed that his ministry is in constant contact with the fishermen who are being detained in Venezuela.

The minister in responding to questions from the media on Thursday, said: “Yes, we are in contact with them every day… we are dealing with the release of the crew and vessels.”

There have been allegations that the fishermen would have captured an endangered species, but this information remains unsubstantiated and a secondary concern at this time, as the main focus, according to Minister Todd, is on getting the Guyanese fishermen back.

“At the end of the day, the vessels were in our territory and we do not want to be distracted…we need to have the vessels and the crew released,” the minister said.

PEACEFUL AND DIPLOMATIC Minister Todd, prior to engaging the media, had told the National Assembly that his ministry was engaging the

The Lady Nayera, while it was docked at home, here in Guyana

international community as part of efforts to resolve the issue in the most peaceful and diplomatic way.

Individual Member States of CARICOM and the community as a whole, have denounced the action taken by Venezuela, calling upon them to release the crew and vessels.

The Organisation of American States has also issued a statement in which it points out that: “Resolution of the territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana is a matter that lies under international jurisdiction, and cannot be settled by unilateral action.

Any attempt to derail this international legal process such as the decree, issued by the Maduro regime is contrary to international law and standards, and has no legal bearing or significance.”

“We are encouraged that the international community is seized of this matter and has encouraged Venezuela to release our Guyanese nationals and their fishing vessels and to desist from actions that violate international law and threaten the peace and stability of the region,” Minister Todd said.

Guyana, he said, values highly the support which it has received and continues to receive from individual member states of the inter-

national community such as Belize, Brazil, Canada, France, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, as well as through regional and international groupings of CARICOM, the OAS, the Common-

wealth, the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States and the European Union (EU), in its strenuous endeavours to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

Guyana suspends travel from Brazil for 30 days

By Vishani Ragobeer

AS a precautionary measure to prevent the possible importation of the new variant of the COVID-19 virus discovered in Brazil, the Government of Guyana has suspended air and land travel from that country for the next 30 days.

Earlier this month, health authorities were alerted to the new COVID-19 variant, or strain, discovered in Brazil.

Since then, local authorities have tried to limit travel between the two countries.

The land border between the two countries, the Takutu Bridge, has been closed since March, 2020. Limited travel is allowed on Thursdays where goods are brought to Guyana or taken across to Brazil, and this is reportedly supervised by the authority of both countries.

Travel between the two countries has, nevertheless, presented some issues since it is an expansive border that is difficult to patrol. To address the illegal crossing that may occur, Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, said that there have been increased patrols from the joint services in both countries.

On Thursday morning, however, this newspaper was informed that the decision was made to restrict air travel, as well. The commute via air between the two counties is usually from Boa Vista, in Brazil, to the Eugene F. Correia International Airport, at Ogle on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), or vice versa.

“Taking immediate effect, as of today (Thursday) it is official that the government is restricting all travel from Brazil by air and land,” Director

The Takutu Bridge linking Guyana and Brazil

of the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF), Colonel Nazrul Hussain subsequently

confirmed with the Guyana Chronicle.

He emphasised that this is

a precautionary measure, given the exacerbated COVID-19 situation in Brazil. The Guyana Chronicle understands that the local authorities will, however, allow the continued importation of essential supplies from Brazil.

In a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Regional Chairman of Region Nine, Brian Allicock, highlighted the fears of the region, given its close proximity to Brazil and the illegal crossings occurring.

What is concerning too, Allicock related, is that it has been observed that many of the persons coming from Brazil are seeking medical attention.

It would appear as though the persons seeking medical attention are Guyanese who were living in Brazil.

It was reported that the Brazilian city of Manaus has

been running out of oxygen needed by patients, as there has been a surge in COVID-19.

Experts have said that this outbreak has been exacerbated by the emergence of the Brazil variant. Allicock related that few persons from as far as Manaus seem to be making their way to the Lethem Regional Hospital for treatment.

Minister Anthony said also that the health authorities in Region Nine have been on the lookout for any changes in the epidemiological pattern of the virus, which could potentially indicate that the strain has been imported. The Regional Chairman, on the other hand, said that the authorities in the region may have to consider a ‘lockdown’ to protect residents from becoming infected with the virus and its new strain.

“We don’t have too much capacity to deal with COVID-19 or the new strain… we’re hoping that we don’t get that type of disease over here that requires that oxygen and so,” Allicock said.

The Brazil variant is the newest variant of COVID-19 discovered; other variants were discovered in the United Kingdom and South Africa, following a type of genetic analysis known as genomic sequencing.

The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has emphasised that Caribbean countries are at a “very high” risk of importing the three known variants even with travel protocols and requirements in place. The UK has banned travel from a number of countries, including all of South America, to reduce the possibility of importing the Brazil strain.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

Coalition’s ganja bill ‘extinguished’, govt’s go to special select committee

By Navendra Seoraj LACK of scientific evidence and “deep thought” were cited by Parliamentarians on the Government side of the House, as reasons for the dismissal of an opposition-sponsored bill, which sought to amend the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, in order to remove jail time for persons found with 500 grammes or less of marijuana.

Arguing that the bill tabled by Opposition Parliamentarian, Sherod Duncan, is just an attempt to be “ultra-liberal”, Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, said: “500 grammes is insanity.”

Supported by his colleagues on the Government’s side of the House, Nandlall challenged the rationale behind the Opposition’s proposal of such an amendment, which reeks of “reckless politics”.

Decriminalisation of cannabis, also known as marijuana or ganja, has been a discussion across the world, but few countries have actually implemented policies to this effect, since there needs to be careful thought and consideration of both the benefits and drawbacks. The reason being, it is a psychoactive drug which, in many cases, is used for creational purposes.

Undoubtedly, there are sections of society which use this marijuana for religious purposes and for its medicinal properties, but the adverse effects, particularly in the youth population, cannot be omitted during considerations of decriminalisation.

Duncan, the drafter of the bill, argued that the opposition relied heavily on a report from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)’s regional commission on marijuana, which included data from Guyana and other Caribbean nations.

The Government too, through Nandlall, contended that they utilised the CARICOM guidelines for the formulation of their own bill, which was presented to the House and transmitted to a special select committee.

But, this, the Government argued, does not justify the basis for allowing persons to legally possess 500 grammes of marijuana.

The Attorney-General argued that the opposition did

Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall

Opposition MP, Jermaine Figueira

not cite a study or statistics which show that this amount of marijuana is justifiable.

“Not a single study quoted from, not a single statistic provided,” Nandlall contended, noting that the proposal was insane.

The argument that there was no scientific evidence to support the opposition’s proposal was also used by a vociferous Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson.

WASTE OF TIME “You cannot conduct experiments with people’s lives,” Ramson said, noting that it is a “waste of time” to present a bill that moves the possession of cannabis over one pound.

His contention is that there is no scientific basis to prove that the decriminalizing possession of up to 500 grammes is safe for a country. Initially, the opposition, while in Government, had tabled a motion to permit the possession of up to 15 grammes, so the ‘astronomical’ rise, as said by Ramson, is untenable.

Referencing a study done on the impact of the decriminalisation of marijuana and alcohol in Jamaica, Minister Ramson argued that decriminalisation correlates with first time and general use among the youth population.

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand

Opposition Parliamentarian, Sherod Duncan

“Worryingly, decriminalisation correlates with the likelihood of first time and general use for youths… there is also some evidence that it results in substitution from alcohol to marijuana,” Ramson reasoned.

It is for this reason that Ramson said that this is not the time to play games and experiment on the lives of Guyanese, especially young people.

Opposition Parliamentarian, Jermaine Figueira, argued, however, that the time is right for Guyana to move in the direction outlined by the Coalition. He believes that this is necessary because Guyana is “behind the time”.

The parliamentarian, however, referenced just one country where custodial sentencing for marijuana has been removed, Jamaica.

In responding to Figueira’s argument, Ramson questioned: “How can we be behind time when there is only one country in the Caribbean?”

ILLOGICAL He even went as far as to consider the parliamentarian’s argument as ‘illogical,’ noting again that there is no scientific evidence to back the opposition’s proposal, and that the people should not be used as test subjects.

Nandlall too was critical

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr.

of the opposition’s proposals, noting that topics that are of great public importance ought to be dealt with by the Government.

His firm view is that legislation to remove custodial sentencing for the possession of marijuana is a matter that

cannot be dealt with through a private member’s bill.

Let alone the medium of presentation to the House, the Attorney-General said the drafter of bill does not comprehend the difference between decriminalisation and legislation. One example referenced by Nandlall is the use of the term ‘narcotics,’ which, if passed, would have allowed for the decriminalisation of over 100 forms of narcotics listed in the act.

Additionally, the Attorney-General criticised the Opposition for its failure to address the possession of marijuana in, but not limited to, schools, public spaces, premises, roads and highways.

The Attorney-General was adamant that the opposition’s bill had severe, fundamental deficiencies, which the Government, in no way, plans to replicate in its bill.

The bill drafted by the Government has as its main policy objective, the reduction of recidivism, prison overcrowdings and the burden on the criminal justice system. It also provides for the saving of State funds, and ultimately rebuilding lives, families and communities affected by the fining and incarceration of persons, especially youths, for the possession and use of small amounts of cannabis.

The bill achieves its policy objective through removal of the custodial sentence and the monetary penalty for possession of cannabis not exceeding 30 grammes and replaces those penalties with mandatory counselling and community service, with counselling being done after an assessment of the person by a certified counsellor.

It also takes into account the detrimental effect of imprisonment on offenders and their families and balances it against the possible social effects of using cannabis and concerns of members of the population including the religious community. The draft also took into consideration the legislative reforms in other CARICOM countries.

Although the Government’s bill has broad objectives, the Attorney-General said it will be further discussed at the level of a special select committee.

The need for consensus on this legislation was also asserted by the Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, who, using a makeshift ‘joint,’ said 500 grammes is too much, but a fair amount would be derived after consulting key stakeholders.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

Tajeram Mohabir

A commendable decision

WHEN Dr Bharrat Jagdeo served as President of Guyana, the country became a global poster model for sustainable development and preservation of the natural environment. Even with oil and gas now a big part of the national equation, the Guyana Government emphasises its focus on development with a humane face, and with the natural ecosystem uppermost in State consideration of projects, plans and programmes. This vision of a Guyana that is a model on the world stage for sustainable development is a national one, that spans the length and breadth and gamut of the land. Every level of Government would want to get on board and plan its projects with the natural environment the first and most important consideration, following the example of Central Government. Two stories in the media of recent illustrate the urgency of this message, that Guyana embodies a national vision which makes it one of the most forward-thinking nation on earth today, aligning with the Paris Accord and with the global 21st century agenda for Mankind co-existing in harmony with nature.

Any Guyanese who visits Mabaruma would adore the mag-

nificent lay of the land, the pure natural wonder of its pristine beauty, verdant, fresh, alive, organic, full of natural energy. Lining the main road, where school children walk to and from school with happy steps and chatter and play, are giant, tall, flourishing trees, running parallel to each other in a marching straight line, elegant and graceful on the land, a superb sight to behold. These trees look their age. Their trunks are gnarled with their ancient history. A visitor learns quickly from locals that these are century-old rubber trees, and that fact brings a sense of awe to Mabaruma, with this story of its rubber trees dominating the main thoroughfare of the town.

Anywhere in the world, these century-old rubber trees would be a natural wonder, a cherished landmark, a showcase of the beauty of the land.

Yet, the world heard that local officials made a decision to cut these trees down, to make way for a paved roadway. Central Government had to step in to halt the exercise, with Minister Dharamlall making the right decision. While it is understandable that the town wants to install its own paved road, and to make room for further socioeconomic development, one is at a

loss that the regional and municipal officials who make these decisions would want to rid the land of this tremendous asset, this global goodwill, these weathered trees. Not only could these trees develop a cool tourism package for the town were they preserved and sustained, but they could form a uniqueness to the municipality and the region that could not be found anywhere else in the world. One wonders if the regional authorities and town council consulted with a sustainability expert, or even with Central Government, before taking such a drastic measure. Appreciating the fact that Mabaruma would want a paved roadway and other development projects as Guyana advances on its progress and prosperity, one feels certain that a roadway could be installed with these tress sustained and the natural environment remaining undisturbed. Consulting an expert would easily develop workable options. The concept of sustainable development means co-existence of progress with the natural environment, with development projects that make life easier for residents, within the ambit of preserving the natural ecosystem.

In today's world, sustainable development is about harmony between nature and socioeconomic prog-

ress. Clearing trees to make way for a necessary road is understandable, except if those trees are century-old ancient rubber trees that are rare and a national heritage, a treasure of the Guyanese soul.

People on social media came out in shock and dismay with the decision to cut the tress down, and thankfully good sense prevails to preserve this natural wonder of Guyana, for Mabaruma's gnarled, tall, giant rubber trees are one of Guyana's natural wonder, and one feels sure that one day the world would flock to the town to enjoy the miraculous sight. These trees embody part of the nation's heritage and history and high-point.

Then, parallel to this story of the distressed Mabaruma rubber trees, a news item broke in Canada of macaws and parrots and wildlife originating from the forests and jungle of Guyana, intercepted on a cargo flight that intransit Canada bound for Japan, with dead and neglected birds. Canadian authorities found 50 live exotic birds on the plane, originating from a wildlife exporter in Guyana, and Guyana is named in the news piece. “The entire shipment of these birds from Guyana through Canada to Tokyo appears to have taken over 40 hours, which is an incredible,

heartbreakingly long amount of time to keep sensitive birds like these in transit,” the CTV news quoted Animal Justice executive director Camille Labchuk saying.

For a country that positions itself to be in the forefront of global sustainable development, and a world leader in matters of the natural environment, Guyana would be well served were the relevant private sector operators such as wildlife exporters, and local officials and public service, to be sensitised to the vision of a Guyana that is forward-thinking, progressive, a global environmental leader, and that deliberately practices a national vision of humane and sustainable progress.

The world knows of Vice-President Jagdeo's passion for the natural environment, and his global advocacy for sustainable progress. This idea of a Guyana that is environmentally forward-thinking is an intangible asset for Guyana that generates enormous goodwill and international favour. At every level of the society, Guyanese would do well to recognise and practice its tenets with fervour, enthusiasm, and a deep sense of purpose for Guyana to be a standout natural wonder to the world.

New roads opening up new avenues for development Dear Editor, PRESIDENT, Dr. Irfaan Ali, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, AG Anil Nandlall, and the Agriculture Ministry have come in for praises for road projects and drainage work that makes streets passable and for easing flooding in outlying areas.

Roads are being rehabilitated or paved or patched all over the country. In addition, new roads and other infrastructure work, like digging new or cleaning existing drains by Agriculture Ministry, open up vast fresh areas for housing devel-

opment and farming. As I travelled around the country, the public showered glowing accolades on the President, the AG, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, and Ministers Juan Edghill and Deodat Indar for infrastructure projects.

The President is commended for taking the bull by the horns with regards to road transportation. He is applauded for immediately establishing new roadways along the East Bank of Demerara (Region Three).

Some time ago, the President announced a similar new road project for Region Three from Parika to the

planned new Harbour Bridge across the Demerara River that connects West Bank to East Bank. The East Coast now needs a similar road connecting with the East Bank.

While not directly involved with infrastructure or agriculture, the public recognises the AG has overall jurisdiction on legal issues pertaining to all ministries and the government at large.

He gives guidance on all legal matters including on land and contracts on infrastructure and drainage. In addition, in interaction with the public during Cabinet outreach and consultations,

the AG has given a commitment that government will rehabilitate existing and or build new roads and service communities that were neglected during the five years of the Coalition regime.

The public repose confidence in the AG giving him almost perfect ratings for performance. Nandlall has the highest positive ratings among all ministers in polls conducted in November and January.

In his media press conferences, the AG laid out President Ali’s plan on infrastructure work and housing, emphasising that the current road projects are not the ma-

jor projects planned for the future. The road from Linden to Lethem is in the cards.

The President is applauded for his vision to build new roads that open up vast areas of the country for housing development away from the main public road and the coast. It is visionary leadership. The planned new roads create opportunities for land to be transformed into house lots as well as farming and for other aspects of development.

The Diamond to Eccles Road is welcomed by residents in Georgetown and the East Bank. As they note, it will ease up traffic conges-

tion on the East Bank where there are bottle necks during peak hours. Motorists from other areas will also benefit from the new roads bypassing the busy main public road on the bank of the Demerara River. In addition, the new Diamond-Eccles access road will make available land for thousands of new house lots at the back of the industrial area on the side of the main trench that once served the cane fields of the estate. Minister Colin Croal would be pleased that land becomes available for housing development.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

Fiscal space to widen with increased debt ceiling

–– archaic cap being revised to facilitate Guyana’s developmental trajectory

By Navendra Seoraj AHEAD of a much-anticipated economic ascension, the Government of Guyana is looking to widen its fiscal space and regularise financial appropriations, which were made under the former APNU+AFC Coalition Government, by increasing the current “debt ceiling,” which was last adjusted in the early 1990s.

The orders seeking to make the necessary adjustments to both the domestic and external debt ceilings were tabled in the National Assembly on Thursday, by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government is proposing that the current domestic debt ceiling of $150 billion be increased to $500 billion, and that the existing $400 billion external debt ceiling be increased to $650 billion.

This will, in effect, increase the Government’s fiscal space [budgetary room], but, according to Dr. Singh, the increase is also being sought in order to regularise the state of public finances, which were impacted heavily by a large overdraft at the Bank of Guyana, which racked up over the past five years by the former APNU+AFC Government.

“When we assumed office [August 2020] we went about trying to take stock of the state of the public finances… this process is still ongoing, but as time has gone by, you heard us sharing some of the issues we have identified

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh

in relation to stock taking and the state of domestic finances.

“There was a discovery that the Government [APNU+AFC] had accumulated a very substantial overdraft at the Central Bank, and we have spoken publicly that this overdraft has been accumulated and rose constantly over the course of five years,” Dr. Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a sitting of the National Assembly, on Thursday.

It was reported that the Government, after being elected to office in August last year, met a net overdraft of G$93 billion at the Central Bank.

The Government is also saddled with a G$30 billion National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) bond, of which G$17 billion has been drawn down, and G$12 billion is owed to the Guyana Power and Light Incorporat-

ed (GPL).

HUGE OVERDRAFT “We inherited a huge overdraft. In addition to this, we also ascertained that there were a lot of other outstanding monies to other agencies, mainly suppliers of goods and services,” Minister Singh lamented, noting that the Government is still in the process of uncovering other liabilities.

Had all those issues been treated in the “appropriate manner,” the ceilings would have already been reached.

In explaining the situation, Dr. Singh said the previous Government tried to finance fiscal deficits through overdrafts in order to avoid the debt ceiling.

“If it had been financed by the issuance of Government securities, the ceiling would have been reached… we would have come in when the ceiling was already reached if you treat the over-

draft in the manner it was supposed to be treated,” the senior minister explained.

It is for this reason that the Government is looking to regularise the existing situation by increasing the debt ceiling.

Regularisation of the situation is needed because fiscal deficits are unavoidable, in the sense that the Government would have to borrow additional finances to fund projects which are relative to the nation’s developmental trajectory.

Additional debts coupled with pre-existing liabilities, which are still being uncovered, would undoubtedly push the ceiling to its current limit, so this necessitates an increase.

“We have outlined a comprehensive programme for transforming the economy of Guyana… we are investing in infrastructure and social services which will necessitate the contracting of new finance… so there is need for space to contract additional finance,” Dr. Singh reasoned.

The senior minister also explained that an increase is necessary since the existing ceiling caters for the size of the economy in the early 1990s and not the current and potential economy.

But, even as the economy grows, Dr. Singh affirmed that the Government will maintain the same commitment to ensuring that the country stays on a path to sustainable indebtedness and, at the same time, have the ability to invest in the required areas.

Guyana’s wood, sugar in demand in UK GUYANA’S sugar and wood species are in high demand in the United Kingdom, the Department of Foreign Trade has reported.

Local exporters are being urged to explore value-added production to take advantage of that demand and capitalise on Guyana’s preferential access under the CARIFORUM-UK Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).

The call came from Dr. Diana Glasgow, Director of the Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, during the second trade talk between the ministry and the Private Sector Commission (PSC).

The virtual discussion focused on the CARIFORUM-UK EPA and provided the private sector with crucial trading features with the UK and assess its implications for continued trade with that country.

Dr. Glasgow said the United Kingdom is one of Guyana’s key trading partners, accounting for about four per cent of this country’s export. Guyana exported about US$13 million worth of goods to the UK during the third quarter of last year.

The main exports included rice, sugar, molasses and honey, alcoholic beverages, wood and gold. These five products accounted for 98.7 per cent of Guyana’s total exports to the UK. Sugar led at 32 per cent, alcoholic beverages at 25. 5 per cent, rice 24. 2 per cent, gold 9.38 per cent and wood at 7.4 per cent.

However, Dr Glasgow said there are several areas which Guyana could take advantage of in the UK market, given their demands.

“Some of the products they are currently demanding from Guyana include wood, rum, sugar. There is scope for us to examine value-added

New roads opening up new avenues...

Other parts of the country also need new and expanded road work.

As I observed, for example, the east coast experience heavy traffic during peak hours. There are several bottlenecks on the road from town to the east coast that has a lot of traffic lights holding up traffic. Rehabilitation work was done during the previous regime on that stretch of the road.

But parts of the road are uneven especially around bridges and some areas are in disrepair. The old format of constructing roads with traffic control lights are not most effective; first world countries avoid that method where practical. There are too many

vehicles on the road from town to the East Coast. Government will have to look at overhead or underground pass for passengers or synchronise traffic lights with the flow of vehicles. Also, roads need to be upgraded and widened so as to improve conveyance.

But east coast has virtually no space in some villages running right feet from peoples’ yards. It is just a matter of time before cars end up in peoples’ yards; toddlers may end up play on the parapet of the main road. That main road has been courting disaster.

An alternative express way away from residential settlements further inland would be ideal. Government

may want to look at Aruba, for example, where land is scarce but government was able to build a major first world highway away from the main road that runs next to hotels on the beach. A similar expressway through GuySuCo lands is practical. It can tie Mandela Ave, Sheriff Street, the bypass from Eccles to Diamond, and the planned road at Agricola to the rail line. An express way will reduce commuter delays and traffic congestion on the main road. In addition, it will help to reduce accidents on the main road and by extension fatalities.

The road expansion network into the interior is in keeping with

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the sustainable policy of Dr. Jagan that was articulated during the early 1960s. Jagan had a workable vision of opening up the interior to agricultural development, animal husbandry, and dairy production. He conceived building roads in the interior as well as from farms to markets to facilitate farmers, cattle herders, and poultry producers. President Ali is following in the footsteps of Jagan in connecting the interior with the coast.

With the new roads, President Ali is sending a clear signal that government will not depend on oil and gas to drive the economy. Government is not relying on oil but is diversifying

Director, Department of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr. Diana Glasgow

activities in these areas and further exploit the preferential access that has been afforded to us under the agreement,” she said.

The European Union and CARIFORUM countries signed the EPA in 2008. The comprehensive agreement provided the basis for trade with the United Kingdom and other European countries.

Following the UK’s referendum to exit the EU, the UK and CARIFORUM embarked on rolling over the CARIFORUM/EU agreement’s terms into the CARIFORUM-UK EPA, signed by Guyana in March 2019 and ratified by Ministerial Order in December 2020.

Dr. Glasgow said other mechanisms allow Guyana and the UK to co-operate and support each other economically. The UK-Caribbean forum is a mechanism that promotes dialogue and interaction between the Caribbean and the United Kingdom.

The UK Caribbean Co-operation is an investment of £300 million in vital new infrastructure in the Caribbean, including roads, bridges, and ports to help drive economic growth and development. (DPI)

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the economy with emphasis on food production. Tens of thousands of acres of land will be opened up for farming, cattle rearing, poultry and egg production, and a growing dairy industry.

The public has expressed support for the government’s new access roads showering accolades on the work of the Ministers Edghill and Indar of Public Infrastructure and Zulfikar of Agriculture.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

90 new COVID-19 cases recorded THE number of persons tested positive for the coronavirus has increased by 90, with Region Four accounting for 60 of the newly confirmed cases, according to the Health Ministry’s COVID-19 dashboard for January 28, 2020.

The 90 newly confirmed cases were recorded in Regions, One, Two, Three, Four, Six and 10. Sixty of the newly confirmed cases were males with the remaining 30 being females.

Regions One and 10 recorded four new cases each, while Region Two, recorded one new case. Region Three recorded an additional seven new cases and Region Six recorded eight new cases.

It was reported that the 90 new cases were recorded from a total of 599 tests. The country has now recorded a total of 7,470 confirmed cases since the first COVID-19 case was reported in March 2020.

Following the recovery of the 46 additional persons, the total number of persons who have recovered since March is now 6, 6534.

There are currently 773 active cases, seven of which are being kept at the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the National Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.

Currently, there are 44 persons in institutional isolation; 710 are in home isolation and 12 are in institutional quarantine. Many of the persons infected with the virus are said to be asymptomatic, that is, they are not exhibiting symptoms.

Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, during his COVID-19 update with the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Thursday disclosed that a number of prisoners in various prisons and four prison officers in New Amsterdam have tested

positive for the virus.

The minister indicated that 33 prisoners were infected with the coronavirus at the Timehri Prison, one prisoner at the New Amsterdam Prison and a few at the Lusignan Prison.

Minister Anthony added that the four prison officers have been placed into home isolation where they will remain for a number of days until they are cleared by health authorities.

Meanwhile, the prisoners are isolated in separate parts of the prisons so that they do not infect the rest of the prison population.

“We have the medical staff from the prison services who’re monitoring them and most of them are asymptomatic; once they go through that 10-day period, they will be discharged,” Dr. Anthony said.

Meanwhile, the updated COVID–19 Emergency Measures are in force from

January 1, 2021 until January 31, 2021. They may be extended or amended by notice of the Minister of Health, after an assessment of the prevailing public health conditions of the pandemic.

As per the current measures, however, all persons are required to wear face masks when leaving their homes. Physical distancing and adequate sanitisation are also important.

The current curfew time

is 22:30h to 04:00h. Persons with symptoms of COVID-19 are asked to call the COVID-19 hotline numbers: 231-1166; 226-7480; or 180/181 for assistance.

Canada, UK join calls for ...

FROM PAGE

Canada, in a statement, said it supports Guyana in calling for the immediate release of two Guyanese vessels and fishermen detained by the Maduro regime. The United Kingdom (UK) also expressed concern about the reports that Venezuelan vessels have detained Guyanese fishing vessels and crew. The nation called for the early release of those men.

Both Canada and the UK, in commenting on the broader issue, said international law must be respected.

The UK, in particular, said it is clear that the 1899 Arbitral Award settled the border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela.

“We encourage a bilateral resolution to the controversy and support the efforts of the

UN Secretary General,” the UK said.

In March 2018, Guyana filed its application in the ICJ seeking an affirmation of the validity of the1899 Arbitral Award and the international boundary that it established.

On June 30, Guyana, in its virtual presentation in the Arbitral Award of October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela) case, said that, not only is Venezuela’s current interpretation of the Geneva Agreement illogical and erroneous, but it is in stark contrast to the interpretation the Spanish-speaking country had when it signed the very agreement in February 1966.

Represented by a battery of international lawyers, Guyana said the agreement, in unambiguous terms, empowered

03

the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General to determine an appropriate resolution mechanism to enable a peaceful settlement, which is the ICJ. The ICJ ruled on December 18, 2020, that it has jurisdiction to hear the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy case.

Guyana is seeking to obtain a final and binding judgement that the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the location of the land boundary between then British Guiana and Venezuela, remains valid, and that the Essequibo region belongs to Guyana, and not Venezuela. The case management exercise for the border controversy case is set for February 26, 2021.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

Trinidadian Saabira Ali admitted to Guyana Bar THE feeling of pride and excitement filled Saabira Ali when she was admitted to the local bar to practise law in Guyana on Thursday.

Her petition was presented

by Attorney-at-law, Jamela Ali, S.C., to Justice Priya Beharry at the Demerara High Court.

Reflecting on her journey to success, the young lawyer stated that she could not have done it without the support of her parents. She praised their sacrifice, encouragement and support that enabled her to successfully complete her educational pursuits. Saabira noted that, although her parents were not able to be physically present at her admission, they do share in her achievement.

“My parents worked hard to ensure my siblings and I were well fed, taken care of and most importantly, educated. Over the course of my study at The University of the West Indies and Hugh Wooding Law School, they provided me with every comfort and fulfilled all my needs. My only duty was to study hard and excel. My family took care of the rest. I am always in their thoughts and prayers and I always pray for their health, strength and success to name a few,” the young attorney said.

Saabira is one of three children born to parents, Shira Banu Ali and Haji Nazir Ali. Her family resides in her

Saabira Ali and Husband Sarfraz Hydaralie

home country of Trinidad and Tobago.

After completing her LLB, she attended the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) in Trinidad and was awarded her Legal Education Certificate (LEC.) Saabira said that studying, like for all students, came with its own challenges but staying committed to her goal kept her and aided greatly in her success. She noted that a career as an attorney-at-law has always been one of the biggest goals she had set for herself and being able to achieve it is just the beginning of her journey.

Although the new attorney is from Trinidad, she stated that her new life is here in Guyana. She recently tied the knot with her husband, Sarfraz Hydaralie, who she described

as her biggest support system.

She stated that the beginning of her new journey here in Guyana has been made easier because of her husband and his family who welcomed her as one of their own.

“This is the first time I have travelled to Guyana and my husband and his family ensured that I was given a welcome like no other. They wiped my tears of grief for my family and made me one of their own.

The comfort and love I have received from my husband and his family are beyond what I imagined. I gained a companion and partner, a second mother, a sister, and many brothers,” the young attorney expressed.

Verdict on appeal by men convicted for killing gold miner to be known Monday THE Court of Appeal, on February 1, is expected to hand down its decision in the appeal filed by three men, who are currently serving 80 years each for the 2012 murder of gold miner Glen Xavier.

Back in 2017, a 12-member jury had unanimously found Fizal Moore, called “Hard Mouth”; Stephan Campbell, called “Burnham”; and Roy Yokum, called “Ray Ray” guilty of murdering Xavier, while he and a ‘buddy’ of his, Orin John, were having a few drinks at the popular Cornbread Minimart,

on D’Urban Street, Werk-enRust on May 8, 2012.

The sentences were handed down by Justice Navindra Singh at the Georgetown High Court, but now the trio has moved to the Court of Appeal contending that he had erred in law, and as such, neither sentencing nor conviction can stand.

The appeal is heard by Chancellor (ag), Yonette Cummings-Edwards, Justice Dawn Gregory and Justice Rishi Persaud.

The Guyana Chronicle had reported that, on the day in question, the trio’s motive

was robbery, and the modus operandi was to ride up on Xavier and John on their CG motorcycles, and, at gunpoint demand that they hand over both money and jewellery.

And so as to ensure that they complied and did not put up a fight, the trio shot their quarry before making good their escape.

While Xavier, 32, at the time was shot in the abdomen and subsequently lost his life, his ‘pardner’, John, then 48, survived a bullet to the shoulder after spending a few weeks in the hospital.

Teens get 18-month suspended sentence for stealing cigarettes TWO 18-year-old labourers were, on Thursday, sentenced to 18 months suspended sentence after they admitted to stealing $1.2M worth in cigarettes from a Wakenaam businessman.

Kecin Dosramos of Good Success, Wakenaam Island

and Shawn Anthony called Shawn Benjamin of San Souci Squatting Area, Wakenaam Island were arraigned for simple larceny before Magistrate Esther Sam at the Wakenaam Magistrate’s Court.

The duo admitted that,

on August 27 and August 28, 2020 at Good Success, they stole 318 cartons of cigarettes from Noon Persaud called “Paya” valued $1,248,219.63.

Magistrate Sam handed the teens 18 months suspended sentence.

Suspected cocaine found in box of snacks A 30-year-old North Road, Bourda resident, was, on Wednesday, nabbed by Custom Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) following the discovery of suspected cocaine in the false bottom of a box at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport, Ogle.

According to reports from CANU, Pathrina Pilgrim is currently in custody assisting with investigation.

It is alleged that, on Wednesday morning, CANU ranks at the airport intercepted a box containing suspected cocaine before the box was loaded on a flight destined for Brooklyn, New York.

The suspected cocaine was found in two parcels each wrapped in carbon and concealed in a false wall to

Pathrina Pilgrim

the bottom of the said box.

The box contained a quantity of packets of local snacks, notably: coconut biscuit, mittai, chicken foot and one packet of uncooked vermicelli.

The two parcels were weighted and it amounted to 534 grammes. Several persons have since been

The box used to smuggle to illicit drug

contacted in the ensuing investigation.

Mason fined $100,000 for ‘break and enter’ A 33-year-old mason was, on Thursday, fined $100,000 by Leonora Magistrate Zamilla AliSeepaul, after he confessed to a break and enter with larceny charge.

Seechand Persaud of

Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, appeared before the Leonora Magistrate Court and admitted that, between January 12-14, 2021 at Tuschen, New Scheme, East Bank Essequibo, he broke into the dwelling house of

Romel Amsterdam and stole a quantity of items.

Magistrate Ali-Seepaul ordered Persaud to pay a fine of $100,000.00 or serve two months’ imprisonment.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

Minister McCoy ‘talks up’ Govt’s people-centred approach to development MINISTER of Public Affairs within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy, says the people are the focus of the PPP/C Government’s programmes and policies and it has ably demonstrated that since taking office in August.

While the Government has embarked on large-scale projects to transform and modernise Guyana, the minister said it has also been addressing challenges at the community level, which have affected people for years.

“We will never take all the confidence the people placed in us; we will never misuse it. We will never treat people in a way that suggest we have no care and concern for their wellbeing,” Minister McCoy said, during an interview with US-based

broadcaster, Farook Juman on Wednesday.

The minister said what distinguishes the PPP/C from the Coalition is its response to the people’s needs. Now, even in Opposition, the Coalition has done nothing constructive, he said. Their very action or inaction has suggested that they have no interest in the people of Guyana.

“We have a duty as a party in Government, to make sure that we never falter along those lines…. We stick to our promises. We deliver to people. We are there with them in thick and thin. We understand people’s issues, and the most important thing is that we are always doing for the people,” Minister McCoy said.

Under the previous ad-

ministration, only a small group of people benefitted.

On the other hand, the PPP/C Government presented an emergency budget in 2020 that helped all Guyanese, after just a few months.

The minister referred to the Government’s $25,000 per household COVID-19 relief cash grant, the $15,000 per student school grant and a range of provisions such as the removal of value-added tax (VAT) on water and electricity, the removal of corporate tax on private education and private healthcare, the removal of VAT on all exports and the reversal of land lease fees.

Minister McCoy also noted that the Government implemented a coordinated approach to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. This

Minister of Public Affairs within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy

was evident with the massive increase in testing and the acquisition of more polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machines to conduct the test.

The minister also highlighted the Government’s inclusive approach to devel-

opment. In preparing for the 2021 budget, President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali consulted the small political parties.

The only party absent was the APNU+AFC Coalition, which rejected the invitation, the minister said.

Minister Mc Coy added that the PPP/C Government’s inclusionary leadership style goes beyond political parties.

“We believe strongly that you cannot build a country with the absence of these things. Otherwise, we will end up speaking to ourselves if we do not include and involve people. We are working for people; we are working to develop people, it is them we have to communicate with to have their ideas and their input,” the minister said.

Since taking office, President Ali has held three massive outreaches in Region Two, Six and 10.

Additionally, Government ministers have embarked on outreaches countrywide for continuous engagement at the community level. (DPI)

New Sophia well to be operable next week

Baksh and technical officials discuss the well’s production capacity

A NEW well in the compound of the Sophia Water Treatment Plant has been pump tested, signalling its readiness to be put into operation within a matter of one week.

Chief Executive Officer of Guyana Water Incorporated, Shaik Baksh, on Wednesday, visited the Sophia facility to witness the production capacity of the well.

The activation of this well would provide a great relief to the residents of Sophia, Cummings Lodge, Turkeyen, Pattensen and surrounding areas, who have been experiencing a reduced level of service for some time.

“This well has been dormant here for well over three years in this treatment plant compound so with the collapse of the well in North Ruimveldt, we had to move expeditiously to activate this well and I’m happy to report

that the well is functioning properly and the production is good,” Baksh posited.

He added that customers can look forward to increased hours of service and water pressure in their homes, in excess of 10 feet, providing that certain factors are taken into consideration. These include repairing leaks and metering customers to promote conservation.

“I want to call on the residents of Sophia to settle their outstanding balances in a timely manner because it’s quite costly to operate this plant and provide treated water. This will help GWI to help them,” Baksh said.

GWI’s Georgetown Regional Manager, Curtis Niles, pointed out that it is necessary for customers to help the utility to identify leaks in Sophia.

“So as we come and we repair those leaks, the level of service will significantly

improve. Because of the improved pressure, lines that have been tampered with will now tend to leak so we will have three to four teams working in the community to repair those leaks and raise your level of service,” Niles explained.

The CEO expressed satisfaction that the works to activate the well and install the transmission are being done by in-house staff, while Engineer Rochelle Hopkinson noted that the well is performing beyond their expectations.

One of the water sources for the communities is the North Ruimveldt Number Two well, which is currently out of operation following the collapse of the well casing. GWI continues to work assiduously to ensure that customers in the aforementioned communities have access to an adequate supply of water within the timeframe outlined.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

Men convicted for murder appeal lengthy jail term

ON March 11, the Court of Appeal is expected to commence hearing arguments into the appeal of four persons who are seeking to overturn their 81 years’ jail sentence and conviction for the gruesome murder of 72-year-old, Clementine Fiedtkou-Parris.

Convicted for the murder are Orwin Hinds of Mocha, East Bank Demerara (EBD); Kevin October of Agricola EBD; Cleon Hinds; and Roy Jacobs of Evans Street, Charlestown, Georgetown.

In November 2015, Justice Navindra Singh, at the Demerara High Court, sentenced the quartet after a 12-member jury found them guilty of the offence.

Dissatisfied with the conviction and sentence, the men moved to the Appeal Court, arguing that the trial

Dead: Clementine Fiedtkou-Parris

was unfair, the judge erred in law and that the sentence was unduly severe. The men are also contending that the trial judge admitted evidence that was prejudicial to a fair trial.

On Thursday, the case came up before Chancellor (ag), Yonette Cummings-Edwards, Justice Dawn Gregory

and, Justice Rishi Persaud for Case Management Conference and a date was set for the hearing of arguments.

The State will be represented by the prosecutor, Teshana Lake.

Orwin Hinds is represented by Attorney, George Thomas while Kevin October and Cleon Hinds are represented by Adrian Thompson.

Roy Jacobs was represented

by Attorney, Dexter Todd.

The Guyana Chronicle had reported that the four men murdered Fiedtkou-Parris pursuant to an arrangement whereby money was to be passed from one person to another.

On the evening of June 30, 2011, two men went to Fiedtkou-Parris’ Robb Street, Georgetown house and asked for ‘Auntie’, a title by which she was called. They were directed up a sidestep and

Chain snatcher to spend one year in jail

A MAN, who relieved a woman of her chain at knife point, was found guilty of the offence and sentenced to 12 months in prison by Magistrate Delon Bess, when he made an appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

The çharge stated that Daniel Wilson, also known as “Running Brave”, on Thursday, April 16, 2020, at Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown, being armed with an offensive weapon, specifically a knife, robbed Janell Bascom of one gold chain valued, $70,000.

According to Prosecutor Brummel, on the day in question, about 12:30 hours, Bascom was standing on Avenue

of the Republic wearing her chain when she felt someone place a hand on her neck. She removed the person's hand from around her neck and naturally turned around to see who it was.

To her surprise, she met with a stranger, who was Wilson. Wilson stood a distance away from her which gave Bascom the opportunity to stare and retain his features. During her stare, Wilson immediately pulled a knife from his waist and pointed it in Bascom's direction. Stunned with fear, Wilson relieved her of her chain and made good his escape. Bascom immediately reported the matter at the Brickdam Police Station, Criminal Investigation De-

partment. Bascom provided a description matching Wilson to the police and an investigation was launched.

In response to the information received surrounding the matter, Wilson was contacted. Wilson was told of the allegation, cautioned, during which he denied robbing Bascom and was placed in custody. Wilson was placed on an identification parade at the Brickdam Police Station, where Bascom identified Wilson as the person who robbed her on the mentioned date.

Wilson, once again was told of the allegation and cautioned where he remained silent. Further investigation was conducted and he was charged for the offence.

Man put away for three months for threatening to chop father A MAN who threatened to chop his father was sentenced to three months in prison by Magistrate Delon Bess, when he made an appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

The charge stated that Richard Joseph, on Friday, July 31, 2020, at First Street, Alexander Village, made use of threatening behaviour to Gregory Joseph whereby a breach of peace was occasioned.

Prosecutor Brummel

mentioned to the court that Richard Joseph is the son of Gregory Joseph. They live at First Street, Alexander Village. The accused, Richard Joseph, has been struggling with alcohol addiction for many years and this caused some problem in the home he shared with his father.

On the day in question, about 12:45 hours, the accused went home intoxicated and an argument started between him and his brother. During the time of the argument,

their father, who was at home at the time, heard the loud shouting. As a result, he intervened to alleviate the situation by advising his sons to calm down. However, Richard instead, became upset and armed himself with a cutlass and threatened to chop his father and his brother. A report was made to the police and Richard was arrested. After an investigation was launched, Richard was charged for the offence.

as Fiedtkou-Parris emerged from her bedroom, one of the men pulled out a gun and shot her several times to the

upper part of her body.

The men then escaped into a waiting car while the injured woman was rushed

to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

Small, medium-scale miners brought in US$808M in export earnings

SMALL and medium-scale miners produced some 485,552 ounces of gold in 2020, totalling some US$808,587,118 in export earnings compared to US$619,988,745 in 2019.

This production accounts for more than 75 per cent of the country’s total gold production. The production figure, while slightly below 2019, is especially significant and noteworthy given that the mining industry, in 2020, faced severe challenges caused by the global pandemic, financial and infrastructural constraints and a difficult tax regime, the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miner’s Association (GGDMA) said in a release.

The GGDMA noted that

small and medium scale miners have maintained their commitment to the production target and continue to perform. The association therefore continues to lobby the Government for additional reliefs and tax support for the local industry to increase productivity and mobilise additional investment.

“The 2021 target for gold production has not yet been announced but the GGDMA remains confident that given the additional reliefs and tax support, our local miners will not only rise to the challenge but exceed them,” the GGDMA said in congratulating the small and medium scale miners on their performance in 2020.

Annandale Bridge #1 closes on Monday to facilitate reconstruction work

THE Ministry of Public Works has announced that from Monday, the Annandale Bridge #1 on the Railway Embankment will be closed until further notice.

According to the ministry in a release, this closure is to facilitate the reconstruction of a bridge at the intersection, and will directly affect the traffic flowing due East and due West on the Railway Embankment. The works will be executed by M & P Investments.

The release noted that motorists and pedestrians

are asked to use alternative roads.

“Please take care to pay attention to all caution and directional signs in the area. The Ministry of Public Works regrets any inconvenience caused and will be working diligently to ensure the road returns to normal functioning in the shortest time possible.

For further information please contact the engineer, Mr. Sherod Parkinson on 623-1082,” the release concluded.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

More emphasis to be placed on organic farming

GOVERNMENT, through the Ministry of Agriculture, has embarked on the promotion of organic farming within the agriculture sector.

Noting the long-term effects of chemicals on human health, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, said that he intends to place greater emphasis on organic farming in Guyana.

The minister made these remarks during a meeting with European Union (EU) Ambassador to Guyana, Fernando Ponz Cantó, on Wednesday last.

“We are doing a lot of climate-smart agriculture.

You mentioned organic farming. We are practicing this in some areas and within another few years, it should develop because large markets like Europe, when people go to the supermarkets, they check the labels to see if the products are organic.

Guyana has the potential to produce organic commodi-

ties and I am putting a lot of effort, through the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) to develop a culture of organic farming within the farming communities. In the past, the culture in our country was to use large amounts of chemicals to get your crop going. I think it’s a work in progress and over time, from a government stand point, we have to ensure we facilitate the sensitisation aspect,” Minister Mustapha said.

Ambassador Canto said that Guyana could become an exporter of organic commodities and take advantage of the growing global demand for healthier choices.

The subject minister also said that government is making the necessary investments to achieve record breaking production levels within the sector.

“Over the last five years we haven’t seen this kind of investment into the sector.

Agriculture was placed on the

develop. We are also going to be opening up lands on the Corentyne. That is about another 10,000 to 15,000 acres of land. I’m also looking at Region Two. There’s an agriculture scheme there called the Aurora Development Scheme that I’m looking to start work on,” Minister Mustapha said.

Minister Zulfikar Mustapha and EU Ambassador to Guyana, Fernando Ponz Cantó

back burner and over the last five months, we’ve seen an increased interest in the agriculture sector. Production is poised to reach record breaking points and I’m optimistic that in another five years we can double our production.

This is why government is making the necessary invest-

ments to open more lands, improve our technology, put the necessary infrastructure in place and be more proactive with our extension services. This year, I am looking to commence works to open up the second phase of the MMA. There’s about another 100 acres of lands that we can

AREAS OF CO-OPERATION Ambassador Fernando Ponz Cantó said that the EU has been working closely with government on a number of projects, specifically the mangrove restoration project.

“We can continue partnering with Guyana on climate change and the fact that the country is below sea level. I’m sure you know that the European Union has done a lot with trying to help with the sea defence and mangroves. We expect that we’ll be able to work with you a lot more on mangroves and

these types of protection for your country,” Ambassador Canto said.

Minister Mustapha said that the ministry has been doing a lot to restore the mangrove forests in several regions.

“We’ve been doing a lot of work on the mangrove restoration programme. We have a programme going on in Regions Two, Four and Six to restore those areas.

We’ve had a very good success rate. I know these plants are critical in combatting flooding and to enhance our sea defence,” Minister Mustapha said.

He also said that government is closely looking at the effects of climate change. He added that, because of the unpredictability of the weather, in 2020 the ministry had embarked on a lot of shade-house projects, through NAREI, so that farmers’ crops will not be adversely affected by the weather patterns.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

Enabling environment being created for investment in agriculture –– Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha

THE Government of Guyana, since taking office, has commenced laying the ground work to promote an enabling environment for investment in a number of productive sectors.

Over the last few months, local and international investors have begun to engage Government after signalling their interest to invest, with optimism that the ‘red tapes’ experienced under the previous administration, have been eliminated.

In keeping with this, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha met with President of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Guyana Inc. Zulfikar Ally, during which, a number of areas were discussed. Among the areas discussed was the chamber playing a more distinct role in linking Government to investors from the United States of America.

Ally indicated that the chamber had received a significant amount of investment proposals and was currently working to ensure that the proposals presented to Government were from reputable individuals and entities who were ready and serious about investing.

“We have some big US companies interested in the agriculture sector but I’ve not brought them to you yet because I met with the US Embassy and informed the officials there that all the interest that we’re having, they’re going to the ministers of government and they are overwhelmed with all of these things. We have to find a mechanism whereby we can properly screen them before we send them to meet with Government. The fact of the matter is that a lot of people want to invest but there are cases where persons or companies just want to find out what is there.

This is where it becomes difficult because in the mix, there are people who have the means to invest but are not getting the audience with the relevant persons. This is why we are working to sift this out so that when Government officials do meet with people who would’ve been recommended by AmCham, they know that all due diligence was performed and that these people have all the relevant information on the investment opportunities in the various sectors,” Mr. Ally said.

He added that AmCham,

invest in poultry production on a large scale so that Guyana would be able to tap into regional and international markets. The amount of persons we have in the industry now, we cannot afford to export so much,” Minister Mustapha said.

Minister Mustapha with AmCham President, Zulfikar Ally

Go-Invest and the GMSA will be meeting with the US Embassy shortly to establish a system whereby every US investor that signals an interest in Guyana, undergoes a screening process so as to gather the necessary background information before their interests are forwarded to the various Government officials. This, he added, will ensure that when investment proposals reach to a ministerial level of review and consideration, all the necessary ground work would’ve already been conducted.

Minister Mustapha said that he welcomed the idea and that Government remains committed to engaging all the relevant bodies when examining investment opportunities.

“Government, since taking office, has committed to working with bodies like AmCham to ensure there is a close working relationship between Government and

the private sector. If we are to really move forward with investments to benefit the citizens of this country and promote development, there needs to be some level of involvement and inclusion when making these decisions. We have received a lot of investment proposals and we are working to determine which projects fit into our developmental agenda. From an agriculture standpoint, we are looking for investors in a number of areas such as poultry, sugar, rice, dairy, soya bean and corn just to name a few.

We have the lands available for large scale production of corn and soya bean in the Intermediate Savannah in the Canje basin. In last year’s emergency budget, we would’ve included a number of incentives to promote the cultivation of these two commodities. We are also looking to develop the poultry industry. There is room for persons looking to

FACILITATING INVESTMENTS The Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest) is also working with the ministry to develop a number of investment packages that will be used as a guide for persons desirous of investing in different areas in the agriculture sector.

Chief Executive Officer of Go-Invest, Dr. Peter Ramsaroop, said the agency is working to ensure a proactive approach is taken to ensuring the right investments are pursued and investors are fitted with the relevant information on the sector.

“What we are working to do, in executing our mandate, is to be proactive by assisting your ministry with taking the necessary steps to facilitate the processes that come along with an intent to invest. We are working assiduously to properly market agriculture. We’ll go through the processes with the investors from the business side, the source of funding and so on; the things that are mandatory.

We’ll then send it back to the ministry, with our recommendation on whether it’s a viable project or not,

the criteria for investment and concession necessary so that the ministry can act,” Dr. Ramsaroop said.

Minister Mustapha said such initiatives will further promote investments in Guyana over the next five years.

“I think that, with agencies like Go-Invest taking these steps to promote investment oppor-

tunities in Guyana both locally and overseas, in another five years from now, we will see a complete transformation in the economy with the magnitude of investments coming in. The potential is there; we just have to ensure it is done in a sustainable and organised manner,” Minister Mustapha said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

'Nations' students help fund scholarships for Turkey refugees, Gambian girls SCHOOL of the Nations’ Sixth Form students, through fund-raising activities, have been able to contribute to a worldwide effort to fund 43 scholarships for refugees in Turkey, as well as Gambian girls.

The scholarships allow the recipients to pursue Advancing Business Education (ABE) diploma courses.

For over 12 years, the school has been partnering with ABE to offer Level 4 or Level 5 diploma courses.

The courses, the difficulties of which are the equivalent to year one and year two, respectively, of a bachelor’s degree, have given students all over the world the opportunity to get jobs, progress their careers and achieve degrees.

About 18 months ago, the School of the Nations “expanded its field of vision” when its director, Dr. Brian O’Toole, travelled to

The Gambia in West Africa, and Turkey to explore new collaborations. He used those visits as an opportunity to use education to make a positive difference in people’s lives.

In Turkey, Dr O’Toole met with 90 Iranian refugees who had fled their motherland to escape the deadly persecution of Bahá’ís. Some of the refugees, who had been living in Turkey for nearly seven years while trying to rebuild their lives, expressed gratitude for the ABE programme, noting that a chance at education gave them hope for their future.

“My life is still in suspense, but the ABE programme has helped me to have more hope for my future and it has helped me to be educated,” one of the refugees, whose name was given as “Kimia”, stated.

“One of the benefits of the scholarship is that it helps me to continue my education

and begin to achieve my goals. In my religion, we are taught that education is of great importance, but in my country, simply because of my religion, we are not allowed to attend university,” said “Omid”, another refugee.

He added: “These scholarships to study the ABE courses have helped many of us a lot. This ABE course offers me the possibility of a suitable job after graduation.

This scholarship has also given me the opportunity to develop my personality and put myself on the path to progress and has allowed me to enter the ABE programme and I am very grateful for that.”

The ‘Nations’ 6th Form Student Council organised a gala dinner in 2019, which included a sale of art-work from the students in The Gambia, to raise money for the scholarships,.

Director of the School of the Nations Guyana, Dr. Brian O’Toole

The Gambia, though one of the poorest countries in Africa, is home to Starfish International, a pre-eminent

NGO that works with young women from humble backgrounds, and assists them in developing their potential in a variety of ways.

Mentors at Starfish International have since come together in an outpouring of gratitude towards the School of the Nations and ABE, detailing how the programme has helped them to prepare for business, kick-start their own ventures, and guided their own students in their business endeavours.

Additionally, ‘Nations’ has just given ten scholarships to youths in Iran to study the Kids MBA programme that it offers in collaboration with ABE. “All of this was only possible because of the support of a small group of persons in the UK, Guyana, Canada and the USA who provide invaluable scholarship support to open these doors for Awa, Omid, Kimia and 40

others. Amidst the chaos of these days, it shows what pure deeds can achieve. Nor could it have been achieved without the commitment, flexibility and support of ABE – a true team effort,” Dr .O’Toole said.

Meanwhile, Steffi Sinclair, a member of the 6th Form Student Council, stated that they were taught to serve humanity.

“At Nations, we are constantly reminded that it is our responsibility to do our part for humanity as a whole…we must put service over self. If we help a few, the hope is that they, in turn, use what they know to help others. We, as the students of today, are the leaders of tomorrow and world events each day show us the need for strong moral leaders,” she said.

Windsor Forest farmers to receive much-needed assistance

FARMERS of Windsor Forest, West Coast Demerara will soon benefit from improved drainage and irrigation and a number of agricultural projects following a meeting with Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, on Tuesday.

During the meeting, farmers raised a number of issues, most of which Minister Mustapha committed to having addressed within the coming week.

Krishna Mathura told the minister that the roads in the area have been in a de-

plorable state for quite some time and both residents and farmers are faced with a daily struggle of having to traverse on the “terrible” roads.

“The road is really terrible, from the line top when you driving. I drove my car and it was in one foot of wa-

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, addressing farmers of Windsor Forest, West Bank Demerara during a meeting on Tuesday

ter; you don’t even want to look at the road,” the farmer said before adding: “It’s so bad, like how are these people going to bring out their paddy?”

Over time, Mathura said the conditions of the roads have forced him to give up his career as a rice farmer.

“I used to plant rice but because of this situation with the water and the dam and the millers, I had to leave,” he explained.

Meanwhile, another farmer, who gave his name as “Hemchan”, told the minister and those gathered at the meeting that the koker in the area is also in a deplorable state.

The man noted that the authorities in the region had begun some temporary works on it. However, he believes

that the contractor who was hired to do the work is doing a “shabby” job.

Farmers also raised concerns of poor drainage and irrigation services along with the deplorable state of the dams in the village.

In response to the concerns that were made, Minister Mustapha told the farmers that a team from the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) will return to the region with the necessary machinery to clear the dams in the farming community.

The minister also reassured the farmers and residents that rehabilitation works will be carried out to repair the all-weather roads in the area. He further informed farmers that the ministry’s extension officers

will soon form a group in the region to address their concerns.

“Very shortly, every extension officer will have a group of farmers, so that every week or every month they have to report to the Ministry of Agriculture what kind of service they are offering to you the farmers,” he said.

“Too long, we have had free riders in the Ministry of Agriculture...our extensions officers will have to be more responsive to the needs,” he added.

He also disclosed that the ministry will restore the Rice Producer Association (RPA) and Guyana Agriculture Producers Association (GAPA) to strengthen the partnership between farmers and the ministry.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

HAVING been into pageantry and modelling for some years now, Faydeha Cathylyna King believes that she has the knowledge and skills needed to help those who are young and upcoming in the field. To this end, she will soon be launching Crowned, an agency that will help prepare such ones to “shine on stage.”

King will be turning 28-years-old on the day of the launch, February 3, which will be done semi-virtually at 19:00hrs on her social media pages (Instagram: @ crowned2231 and Facebook: Crowned).

Crown will be a modelling, pageant, and body image agency/consultancy that will be working along with persons who are pursuing different interests. For instance, someone who wishes to participate in a competition can sign up with Crowned and the agency will help to prepare them step by step throughout the journey.

In an interview with the Buzz this week, King said that the agency will market the individual in the line that they’re interested in, and will help them build their portfolio to ensure that they are successful in their fields.

Furthermore, the agency will be able to provide the personalities that are needed for certain occasions; such as a model or an ambassador to market a product or event.

King will be working along with a team of skilled facilitators so that she is not the only one providing the services. People will be on board for makeup, wardrobe, talent improvement, etiquette, and runway walking services, among others. She also intends to look for other skilled

and talented persons for her team, so as to ensure one that is fully equipped to prepare individuals to “stand out.”

The former ‘Miss Berbice’ and ‘Miss Region Six’ said she has especially seen the need for this type of business in Guyana, as she’s noted that one of the struggles in the industry is lack of preparation by those who enter competitions and lack the necessary confidence to shine on stage.

Being able to travel to international pageants, you’d notice, she said, that our local representatives are not prepared for the stage, compared with participants from other parts of the world.

Also, Crowned will be able to work with persons on how to conduct themselves at certain events. Some young people may not know how to carry themselves; in terms of what to do on certain occasions, how to use certain utensils, how to dress, etc. Crowned TURN TO PAGE 20

King has been into modelling and pageantry for several years now

King wants to share her knowledge and skills with those who are new and upcoming in the business

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

Celebrating all shades of Guyanese women WHEN we think of fashion and modelling, we usually think of the tall petite girl or a strapping young man strutting down the runway in the latest pieces of clothing.

She told the Buzz that her goal is to empower and celebrate women through fashion.

She added that in this day of age it is important that women feel comfort-

A glimpse of Queens by Nefertiti

However, a new era is upon us, and more and more, people have been demanding that men and women of all shapes and sizes be included in fashion, whether it be on the hangers of boutiques or on stage at local fashion shows. One of the movers and shakers heeding that call is 27-year-old entrepreneur Tekesia Taylor.

The young entrepreneur is currently in the process of building her brand and website ‘Queens by Nefertiti’ which she disclosed will be an inclusive brand catering for women of all shapes and sizes, noted that it is extremely important for Guyanese women and girls to see representations of themselves.

According to the young woman, the website will be an online boutique that will feature stylish and trendy clothing all modelled and showcased by Guyanese women of all shades and sizes.

able whenever they are shopping and getting dolled up.

While Taylor’s business may seem just like a regular online boutique, she reassured that it is certainly not as it will be a grand online shopping platform that will not only feature her business but other businesses as well and will also give a few local Guyanese fashion designers a chance to market and sell their pieces.

She explained that the platform will provide room for the fastest and safest way of shopping as customers will make payments electronically and will be able to receive their items within a day or two.

While the business has not yet been launched, the Queens by Nefertiti team has been releasing teasers through their Instagram page to give customers a glimpse of what they can expect.

TURN TO PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

VARUN Dhawan stirred the Indian and international press recently when he decided to wed Natasha Dalal, an Indian fashion designer specialised in wedding couture.

Varun, reportedly the only actor in the history of Indian cinema to feature in eleven box-office successes in a row from the inception of his career, married Dalal at the Mansion House resort in Alibaug, a coastal town just south of Mumbai, in western India.

I…when I saw her, I felt like I fell in love with her that day,” Varun told Kareen Kapoor-Khan.

Speaking on Kapoor-Khan’s popular chat s h o w, “ W h a t Wo m e n Want,” Varun said that even though Dalal rejected him about three or four times, he never gave up hope.

Asked what it is that she has managed to get out of this relationship, he expressed: “I really got honesty in my relationship with my partner and that’s

Varun Dhanwan and Natasha Dalal on their wedding day recently

Varun met Natasha in school and never gave up hope even though she rejected him several times

Sharing the news of his marriage and photos of his big day on Instagram, he said: “Lifelong love just became official.” He and Dalal met while in school and had been close friends for many years before deciding to be married.

“The first time I met Natasha is in the sixth standard. We were friends till like tenth, eleventh, twelfth grade. We were very close friends, but the minute I saw her…I remember her walking and seeing her and actually

something which I have to kind of learn from and understand the value of that as I went about in my relationship. That’s exactly what women want – honesty, but you have to be careful when you hit them with that honesty.”

Varun said he especially appreciated having someone around whom he can depend on during his dark days. “Definitely when you fail in life which every human being will, having that one person by you who you can

lean on is the most important thing in the world.”

According to an article published in Hindustan Times, due to the Covid-19 protocols, Varun and Natasha’s wedding was a close-knit affair, with only 40-50 guests in attendance. Karan Johar, who launched him in Bollywood, was among the few from the film frater-

nity on the guest list.

Expressing his feelings about women in general, he said: “I love women, I love being around them, I love talking to them.

I have a lot of masti in me…but I love women because I just feel that they have a far better insight on things than men; the way they understand things.”

Meanwhile, Dhawan started his acting career in 2012 with Karan Johar’s teen drama Student of the Year and progressed with roles in Main Tera Hero, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, and Badrinath Ki Dulhania.

He also did action comedies like Dilwale in 2015 with Bollywood’s most-loved on-screen

couple, Shahrukh Khan and Kajol. He continued to star in Dishoom, Judwaa 2, ABCD 2, and Sui Dhaaga. Varun also was positively received for Badlapur, and October in 2018.

Born on April 24, 1987, Varun’s parents are film director David Dhawan and Karuna Dhawan.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021 TURN FROM PAGE 18

Tekesia Taylor

It was also disclosed that the platform will be more than just an online shopping space but also a blog that will provide women with shopping tips and motivational messages to promote body positivity.

While a date has not yet been set for an official launch as the platform is still in its trial phase, fashion enthusiasts can visit the business’ Instagram page @ queensbynefertiti.

TURN FROM PAGE 17

is therefore there to fill these and other needs.

Meanwhile, growing up in the countryside as the “most tomboyish Tomboy you can imagine,” King entered her first pageant as a bet at the age of 19 and won the ‘Miss Skeldon High Senior 2009.’

From Miss Berbice to Miss Region Six, both in 2010, she recognised that she loved the stage, bright lights and interesting experiences.

She decided to follow her heart and entered Model Search Guyana 2012 and placed in the top ten.

She entered ‘Miss Guy-

Faydeha Cathylyna King

ana Universe’ in the same year and placed in the top three; ‘Miss Jamzone 2013’ and came off first runner up, ‘Miss Global International, top three, ‘Miss Bartica Regatta’ 2014 Queen, Miss Caribbean Culture Guyana Queen, Miss Black San’ Guyana Queen, Miss Black San’ Int. 2018, Miss Earth Guyana 2019 and Miss Earth Int. Top 20.

King has also done runways and promotional modelling and has been an ambassador, a cheerleader, an advocate and faces for several brands, events and activities.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

Ganguly ‘stable and under close observation’ after undergoing another angioplasty

FORMER India captain and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly is “stable and under close observation” after undergoing another angioplasty, this time at the Apollo Gleneagles hospital in Kolkata, on Thursday. Ganguly had been admitted to the hospital on Wednesday after complaining of “chest discomfort”.

“Dr. Aftab Khan and the team comprising Dr. Ashwin Mehta, Dr. Devi Shetty, Dr. Ajit Desai, Dr.Saroj Mondal and Dr. Saptarishi Basu successfully performed angioplasty on Mr. Saurav Ganguly at the Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, Kolkata on January 28, 2021 and two stents were placed,” a statement from the hospital said. “The procedure was uneventful. Mr. Ganguly is stable and under close observation.”

Earlier in the month, Ganguly had been admitted to the city’s Woodlands Hospital for treatment for

a similar complaint, later described as a heart attack by doctors. He was said to have recovered after the first angioplasty.

The MD and CEO of Woodlands Hospital, Dr Rupali Basu, had said at the time that Ganguly had no known comorbidities, but a family history of heart diseases, and that he had tested negative for Covid-19. His brother, former Bengal cricketer and current Cricket Association of Bengal joint secretary Snehasish Ganguly, underwent a successful angioplasty last week, also at the Apollo Gleneagles Hospital.

One of the expert consultants, renowned cardiologist Dr Devi Shetty, had said during the discharge that Ganguly had no heart damage.

“Did he have a heart damage? No. He had a blockage and he was getting some discomfort, but at the right time he landed in the right hospital and he had the right treatment,” Shetty had said at the time. “His heart is today as strong as it was when Sourav was 20 years old. I want everyone to understand that he didn’t have a major cardiac event which has damaged his heart. He has a very, very strong heart.” (Cricinfo)

Head coach says ...

TURN FROM BACK PAGE in the nets to ready themselves for the Bangladeshi spin attack.

“We’re facing as much of our spinners and the net bowlers as possible and just trying to work out what they have to do to play against the Bangladeshi spinners,” he stated.

The Test attack has been less impacted by player absences with West Indies managing to retain their core.

Veteran seamer Kemar Roach has made the trip along with new ball partner Shannon Gabriel and Alzarri Joseph, while off-spinning all-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall is also involved.

Despite the experience, however, Simmons said it was important especially with the challenging conditions, that the faster bowlers used the fixture to streamline their approach on wickets unlikely to offer much assistance.

“It’s about knowing and learning how to bowl on these wickets,” the former Test all-rounder explained.

“Everywhere you go in the world it’s different lengths, different lines and if the wicket is flat you have to know what you want to do.

“So they have to be able to get what they want out of the game but also understand conditions and know how to adjust.”

West Indies face the hosts in the first Test at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium before returning to Dhaka, the venue for the opening two One-Day Internationals, for the second Test at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.

First Test in Karachi ...

Rabada reaches 200 Test wickets but SA mini-collapse gives Pakistan upper hand KAGISO Rabada reached 200 Test wickets but South A f r i c a s u f f e re d a l a t e mini-collapse on the third day of the first Test against Pakistan in Karachi.

The seamer, 25, took the wicket of Hasan Ali to become the third-fastest South African to achieve the milestone.

Pakistan posted 378 all out, a lead of 158, thanks to a last-wicket stand of 55 between Yasir Shah and Nauman Ali. South Africa ended on 187-4, a lead of 29, having lost three late wickets to hand the advantage back to the hosts.

With Pakistan heading into the day on 308-8, leading by 88, Rabada removed Hasan’s middle stump in the second over of the morning to reach 200 Test wickets from 44 matches.

He became the eighth South African to achieve the feat, with only Dale Steyn (39 Tests) and Allan Donald (42 Tests) doing it in less time.

Rabada is also the fourth

youngest to take 200 or more wickets, behind Pakistan’s Waqar Younis and India duo Kapil Dev and Harbhajan Singh.

37 balls, before the spinner trapped Nauman lbw for 24 to finish off the Pakistan innings.

Markram & van der

Kagiso Rabada’s strike-rate of 40.8 is the best of any bowler to take 200 or more Test wickets

After Rabada’s early breakthrough, Yasir and Nauman frustrated the tourists to extend an important first-innings lead.

Number 11 Yasir hit four boundaries and launched Keshav Maharaj over long-on for six on his way to 38 from

Dussen fight back before mini-collapse In reply, South Africa opener Dean Elgar was struck on the finger by seamer Shaheen Afridi and looked in discomfort as he was given treatment by the physio.

Elgar soon fell for 29 to

a brilliant diving catch from wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan off the bowling of Yasir.

Having managed only 47 runs in the afternoon session, South Africa upped the pace after tea as Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen shared a second-wicket partnership of 127.

However, the tourists, looking in control at 175-1, then lost three wickets for 10 runs.

Leg-spinner Yasir picked up two more wickets with van der Dussen caught by Abid Ali at silly mid-off for 64, and Faf du Plessis trapped lbw for 10.

Opener Markram’s fine knock of 74 - which included 10 boundaries - came to an end when he was dismissed by spinner Nauman, with Abid taking another simple catch.

Maharaj - not out on two - and captain Quinton de Kock - yet to score a run - will return to the middle today as South Africa look to set a defendable target.

(BBC Sport)

SCOREBOARD SOUTH AFRICA 1st innings 228 PAKISTAN 1st innings 378 Imran Butt c (sub.) b Kagiso Rabada

9 Abid Ali b Kagiso Rabada

4 Azhar Ali c Quinton de Kock b Keshav Maharaj

51 Babar Azam lbw Keshav Maharaj

7 Shaheen Afridi b Anrich Nortje

0 Fawad Alam c Temba Bavuma b Lungi Ngidi 109 Mohammad Rizwan c Faf du Plessis b Lungi Ngidi 33 Faheem Ashraf b Anrich Nortje

64 Hassan Ali b Kagiso Rabada

21 Nauman Ali lbw Keshav 24 EXTRAS: (b-1, lb-7, nb-10) 18 TOTAL: (all out, 119.2 overs)

378 Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-15, 3-26, 4-27, 5-121, 6-176, 7-278, 8-295, 9-323.

Bowling: Kagiso Rabada 27-7-70-3 (nb-3), Anrich Nortje 274-105-2 (nb-1), Lungi Ngidi 17-1-57-2 (nb-3), Keshav Maharaj 32.2-4-90-3 (nb-3), George Linde 13-4-38-0, Aiden Markram 3-0-10-0.

SOUTH AFRICA 2nd innings Aiden Markram c Abid Ali b Nauman Ali 74 Dean Elgar c Mohammad Rizwan b Yasir Shah 29 Rassie van der Dussen c Abid Ali b Yasir Shah 64 Faf du Plessis lbw Yasir Shah

10 Keshav Maharaj not out

2 Quinton de Kock not out

0 EXTRAS: (lb-1, nb-6, w-1)

8 TOTAL: (four wkts, 75.0 overs)

187 Fall of wickets: 1-48, 2-175, 3-185, 4-185.

Bowling: Shaheen Afridi 13-1-48-0 (nb-3), Hassan Ali 12-150-0 (w-1, nb-2). Nauman Ali 20-7-27-1 (nb-1), Yasir Shah 24-6-53-3, Faheem Ashraf 6-3-8-0.

No neutral umpires for India vs England Tests Man Utd ‘disgusted’ at racial abuse of Tuanzebe, Martial THE trend of home umpires officiating in Tests during the pandemic will continue in the upcoming India-England series, with the ICC appointing the pair of Anil Chaudhary and Virender Sharma to stand alongside Nitin Menon in the first two Tests.

Both matches will be played in Chennai, with the first Test starting on February 5 and the second on February 13.

While Menon, the only Indian official on the ICC’s Elite Panel, will be standing in his fourth Test, it will be the maiden Test appearance for both Chaudhary and Sharma, both of whom are part of ICC’s International Panel of Umpires. While Chaudhary has experience of officiating in 20 ODIs and 28 T20Is, Sharma has stood in just two ODIs and a solitary T20I. Chaudhary will be the on-field umpire for the first Test, with Sharma replacing him in the second. C Shamshuddin, also part of the International Panel, will be the third umpire for the first Test, and will be replaced

by Chaudhary for the following match. Former India fast bowler Javagal Srinath will be the match referee for England’s entire tour, which also comprises five T20Is and three ODIs. The ICC has not yet announced the roster

for the final two Tests, which are to be played in Ahmedabad, including a day-night Test starting February 24 followed by the fourth and final Test from March 4. It remains to be seen whether the ICC will get a neutral umpire for the second leg of the Test series.

However, England’s Richard Illingworth was recently announced as a neutral on-field umpire for the two-match Test series between Bangladesh and West Indies. But that was facilitated by the ICC only because hosts Bangladesh do not have an umpire on the ICC’S Elite Panel.

MANCHESTER United say they are “disgusted” after Axel Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial were racially abused on social media by “mindless idiots” after Wednesday’s loss to Sheffield United.

Both players started the 2-1 Premier League defeat at Old Trafford.

United midfielder Scott McTominay wrote on social media that he was “disgusted with what I have read this morning”.

players via social media after last night’s game.

“We utterly condemn it and it is encouraging to see other fans condemn this on social media also.

“Identifying these anonymous mindless idiots remains problematic. We urge social media platforms and regulatory authorities to strengthen measures to prevent this kind of behaviour.”

Anti-racism charity Kick it Out said the continued abuse of players on social

Umpires Anil Chaudhary and Nitin Menon will be officiating during the first India vs England Test in Chennai (BCCI photo)

Although the pandemic has allowed the ICC and cricket boards to gauge the performance of several match officials on the International Panel, the debate on whether the best umpires should stand in a Test series has remained a key talking point during this period.

Last December, West Indies Test captain Jason Holder had questioned why ICC was not making Elite umpires travel for bilateral series when players were being asked to adhere to bio-secure environment norms.

Menon, who became the 62nd Indian umpire to stand in Tests, in 2019, has never stood in a pink-ball Test. However, he has the experience of standing in first-class matches under lights, including the Duleep Trophy and a Sheffield Shield game.

Shamshuddin and Chaudhary are the next t w o s e n i o r- m o s t u m pires followed by Sharma and K. Ananthapadmanabhan, both of whom were added to the International Panel recently.

(Cricinfo)

Axel Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial pictured warming up before Wednesday’s game with captain Harry Maguire

Club captain Harry Maguire added: “United against racism. We will not tolerate it.”

Former United defender Rio Ferdinand called it a “disgrace”, adding: “These ignorant idiots need to be exposed so everyone can see them for what they are.”

In a statement, the club said: “Everyone at Manchester United is disgusted by the racial abuse received by

media is “completely unacceptable” and reiterated its stance that those responsible for online hate must face “real-life consequences”.

“We know that discriminatory abuse can have significant real world impact on the welfare of the victims,” Kick it Out chairman Sanjay Bhandari said.

“We will continue to work with the football authorities, law enforcement

and social media companies to try to rid football of hateful and discriminatory behaviour.”

The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), the players’ union, has encouraged Tuanzebe and Martial - as well as any other player targeted by racial abuse - to “press charges”.

“We want perpetrators to be held accountable for their online behaviour,” the PFA said in a statement.

“The accounts of those sending the messages must be banned. Their details need to be provided to the appropriate authorities to take further action.”

What is being done about online abuse?

On Monday, the UK government held talks with current and former footballers about tackling discrimination and abuse.

It comes as the government plans to introduce new laws on online abuse in 2021.

In September, Kick It Out revealed there had been a 42% increase in reports of discrimination in English professional football the previous season.

Earlier this month, the anti-discrimination charity convened talks between key football authorities, policing and social media companies to discuss how to tackle online abuse in football. (BBC Sport)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

Olympic Federations’ finances hit by Tokyo delay, but no bankruptcy fears

By Karolos Grohmann BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) - The 28 Olympic sports federations have taken a big financial hit due to the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics by a year, but even if the Games were cancelled they would not be at risk of bankruptcy, the executive director of the international federations’ association said.

The 2020 Games have been rescheduled for July after being put off due to the coronavirus outbreak, though there remains a risk they could be cancelled if the pandemic worsens.

“We are all committed

to delivering the Olympic Games this year,” Andrew Ryan, Executive Director of the Association of summer Olympic international feder-

Andrew Ryan, executive director of ASOIF

CWI inks five-year deal with ESPN+ for West Indies cricket

CRICKET West Indies (CWI) has finalised a groundbreaking new five-year deal with ESPN+ for the exclusive media and digital rights in the United States to all West Indies international home matches and regional tournaments.

CWI’s media partnership with ESPN will bring West Indies cricket to millions of households and viewers across the United States through the ESPN+ sports streaming service.

The ESPN+ partnership will feature live broadcast of every international West Indies home series covering all T20 Internationals, One-Day Internationals and Test matches within the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Future Tours Programme (FTP). commencing with the all-format Tour of the Caribbean by Sri Lanka in March, ESPN+ first year will feature series against South Africa, Australia and Pakistan in 2021 building to five home series in 2022 including tours by England and India.

“This is CWI’s largest-ever media rights agreement in the USA and is the first of several new multi-year agreements which we will confirm in the coming weeks. Broadcast media rights income is crucial to the future financial sustainability of CWI, and this five-year rights agreement is just the start of good things to come,” said CWI president Ricky Skerritt.

The new agreement also includes CWI’s marquee regional 50-over tournament, the CG

Insurance Super50 Cup, which is also aired exclusively in the Caribbean by ESPN. The CG Insurance Super50 Cup will be the first live cricket from the West Indies in the partnership, as the biggest regional rivalries and worldclass players take the stage from February 7 to 27 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground and the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua http:// www.windiescricket.com).

“ESPN is THE sports channel for American households and sports fans and we’re delighted that West Indies cricket will now be enjoyed in the homes and on the devices of millions of Americans. We have an ambitious strategic plan to grow our brand and content in North America, and ESPN is the perfect partner to help us achieve our goals,” said CWI CEO Johnny Grave.

Meanwhile, John Lasker, Vice President, ESPN Digital Media Programming said Cricket West Indies is among the best in the world and their ICC schedule over the next few years is second to none.

“Cricket has always been a priority for us with ESPNcrincinfo leading the way as the premier destination for cricket coverage and news. Adding a strong slate of CWI events to ESPN+ is just the latest example of our commitment to cricket and serving fans with the best, most comprehensive cricket content in the U.S,” he said. (Sportsmax)

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER Friday, January 29, 2021

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) 28 teams (2) Melbourne, 1971 (AUST vs ENG)

TODAY’S QUIZ:

(1) How many teams have now played T20 International cricket to date?

(2) When was the first T20 International game played?

ANSWERS ANSWER S IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

ations (ASOIF), told Reuters.

“But if the very worst comes to the worst of course federations would suffer.

Some budgets would have to go. But, by and large, federations would not declare themselves bankrupt.”

All Olympic federations receive a chunk of cash after each Games, based on the size and popularity of their sport.

The funding model used to determine their share of the revenues delivered by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) divides the sports into five groups.

Top sports such as athletics, gymnastics and

swimming receive about $40 million in group A, while smaller sports such as modern pentathlon and new Olympic sports - rugby and golf - end up with about $14 million in group E. That cash injection has now been delayed by a year.

IOC LOANS Ryan said federations had been offered interest-free loans by the IOC. “Actually only about half of the 28 federations took a loan, which is an indication of where we are,” he said.

He said loans taken out by the federations did not amount to more than about $40 million in total com-

bined.

“It is always thought that the international federations are all very dependent on the Olympic revenues,” Ryan said.

“It is still a big part.

But if you took an average across all federations (apart from the bigger-sized football federation FIFA) about 30 percent comes from the Olympic Games.”

Ryan said smaller federations, with smaller operations and staff, were less exposed to the effects of the pandemic.

“The ones with the exposure are the bigger federations that burn a lot of money from their reserves.

That is where the risk lies,” Ryan said.

“Some have very substantial reserves but they have been fighting very hard to deliver events, like handball and their (ongoing) world championship in Egypt.”

The IOC and Japanese organisers have said the Games will go ahead, even with empty stadiums and isolation of athletes.

“If a total catastrophe happened there would be painful cuts to budgets and difficult choices to make,” Ryan said. “But I don’t think there are federations thinking ‘it is all over for us’ if it was not to happen.”

Wade dropped from Australia Test squad for South Africa tour … Alex Carey and Mark Steketee have been included for the South Africa tour which is still awaiting final approval from the two boards

MATTHEW Wade has been dropped from Australia’s Test squad for the series against South Africa, and will instead tour New Zealand with the T20I side when the concurrent trips are due to take place in February and March, while Travis Head has been given a “a vote of confidence” by the selectors to earn back his spot.

The South Africa tour, which is set to include three Tests, is still awaiting final sign-off between the two boards with the series currently expected to begin in early March. The squad to New Zealand is due to depart on February 7.

Alex Carey has been included in the Test squad while Queensland quick Mark Steketee has also been called up with Jhye Richardson, who had been tipped for the South Africa trip, heading to New Zealand instead.

The T20I squad includes a host of names who have impressed during the BBL including 19-year-old leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha who has starred for Sydney Thunder.

Josh Philippe and Riley Meredith are the other uncapped players.

Wade had a disappointing series against India where he made 173 runs at 21.26 and his shot selection came under scrutiny particularly in the final two Tests when he moved back down to the middle order, having

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helped fill the opening void in the absence of David Warner and Will Pucovski. Head, who was dropped midway the India series, is now likely to return to the No. 5 position.

Matthew Wade had a disappointing Test series against India

“Matthew in our view hasn’t done enough...over probably quite a few Test matches now,” national selector Trevor Hohns said. “I’m not being unfair to him; he would recognise that fact as well. He’s holding down a batting position at No. 5, sure, he put his hand up to have a crack up the top, but holding down a specialist batting position he hasn’t quite done enough. As a senior player we expect a little 09:32 hrs Sam Barton 10:05 hrs Ibleo 10:37 hrs Talking About You 11:10 hrs Jack Sharp 11:45 hrs Artistic Language 12:17 hrs J’AI Froid Wolverhampton 12:45 hrs Amber Island 13:15 hrs Szarratu 13:45 hrs Kozier 14:15 hrs Colour Of Light 14:45 hrs Beijing Billy 15:15 hrs The Bay Warrior 15:45 hrs Contigency Fee

bit more.

“In Travis’ case he, to us, has a little bit more up side and we have given him a bit of a vote of confidence to try and win his spot back. We know Travis works very hard on his game and we consider he can probably improve so much to the extent that he can fight his way back.”

Pucovski ended the series on the sidelines again due to a shoulder injury following an impressive debut at the SCG, but he and Warner are likely to form the opening partnership going forward, although Hohns did not rule out Pucovski being considered for the middle order.

It has been determined that Pucovski does not need surgery on his shoulder and is on track to be fit for the tour. James Pattinson, who suffered a rib injury while at home over Christmas and was withdrawn from the Test squad, has returned to grade cricket. If the Sheffield Shield resumes as planned next month it is expected he will have one match for Victoria before the tour departs.

The majority of the 19-man Test squad were involved in the India series but Carey now has the chance to firmly establish himself as the eventual successor to Paine.

“When presented with the challenging task of selecting two concurrent Australian men’s squads for overseas tours, we picked our

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first-choice Test squad given the importance of the proposed series against South Africa,” Hohns said. “It is testament to the depth of Australian cricket that the NSP has been able to select two Australian men’s international squads of such quality.”

Ben Oliver, the head of national teams, said: “We do not envisage replicating concurrent Australian men’s tours in the future, but we appreciate the need to do so now to assist our friends around the world during this challenging period for international sport and given the additional time requirements of mandatory quarantine periods.”

T20I squad Aaron Finch (capt.), Matthew Wade (v-c), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, D’Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa Test squad Tim Paine (capt.), Pat Cummins (vc), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner.

(Cricinfo)

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27

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 29, 2021

Sinclair not worried about bio-secure environment

By Rajiv Bisnauth

SET to be played in a bio-secure environment, Cricket West Indies (CWI) will host its first domestic tournament since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic next month in Antigua.

Last year, CWI was unable to host the tournament after being forced to abort the last two rounds of the first-class championship, and then scrap all of its scheduled international home series due to COVID-19.

The much-delayed tournament will be played without its customary glitz and glamour, but is expected to be a welcome relief to the cricket fans regionally during the coronavirus pandemic.

All six teams will be in strict, bio-secure ‘bubbles’ upon landing in Antigua. A bio-secure environment or bio-bubble is planned to prevent the spread of coronavirus, and at the same time planned to minimise the risk of transmission of the virus from one person to another during an ongoing tournament or bilateral series.

However, at just age 21, Kevin Sinclair is a budding young off-spinning all-rounder, who will be a part of the Super50 tournament for the

second time.

Sinclair got his first crack at senior regional cricket last November when CWI assembled a West Indies Emerging Players squad to compete in the Regional Super50 competition.

dies Emerging Players will not defend their title, and Sinclair has forced his way into the Guyana Jaguars 15-man squad, as the Jaguars’ youngest member this season.

Speaking exclusively with

Kevin Sinclair played a pivotal role for West Indies Emerging Players during the 2019 Regional Super50

With all to play for and nothing to lose, the Emerging Players went on a dream run, culminating in a massive 205-run win over Leeward Islands Hurricanes in the day/night final at Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad.

Sinclair was outstanding, making 28 off 33 balls, and then claiming 4-20 as Emerging Players expertly defended 293 to lift the title.

However, the West In-

Chronicle Sport yesterday, the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club player admitted that while the bio-secure environment is probably going to be the hardest challenge we will face, personal performance throughout the tournament remains his priority.

“I’m excited to get over there and play cricket in what will be a new challenge.

But the off-the-field stuff is another type of challenge.

Bubble life is probably going to be the hardest challenge we will face out there,” he said.

Sinclair further stressed, “I want to make a mark... I want to perform in all areas once I get the opportunity.”

Further, players and officials will be tested in their respective home territories before travelling to Antigua where they will be tested again, before being placed in a bio-secure bubble.

Following a four-day quarantine players will be allowed to train while remaining in their team bubble.

Six franchises will play 19 matches in a round-robin format at Coolidge and the Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium, with the top four teams qualifying for the semi-finals.

Barbados Pride, Guyana Jaguars, Jamaica Scorpions, and Trinidad & Tobago Red Force are the four other sides doing battle for the Clive Lloyd Trophy.

The staging of the Super50 Cup is expected to be a precursor to a packed international home series that will see the likes of Sri Lanka, Australia, Pakistan and South Africa touring in the coming months.

CWI brings players up to speed on health protocols

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Cricket West Indies (CWI) says players have been fully briefed on health protocols for next month’s Super50 Cup in Antigua, paving the way for the successful execution of the domestic championship amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The tournament, set for February 7-27, is the first being staged by CWI since the outbreak of the coronavirus in the region last year, and will take place in a bio-secure bubble which has now become standard for competitive sport.

All players and officials will be tested twice for COVID-19 before departing for Antigua and will undergo testing again within days of arrival in St John’s.

Testing will continue throughout the tournament to ensure the integrity of the bio-secure bubble is maintained.

“We had a first meeting with all the players and all the participants via Zoom,” CWI cricket operations manager, Roland Holder

said.

“We had a meeting the week prior to that with the team management – coaches, team managers and cricket operations personnel – just to explain the schedule (and) talk about the schedule.

time.”

Gulston is CWI’s manager for Sports Medicine and Science while Mansingh is a member of the board’s medical advisory committee.

Six franchises will contest the Super50 Cup with

CWI cricket operations manager Roland Holder

“We spoke to the players about the protocols involved in this new COVID era because some of them may not have been involved (before). They were able to ask questions of Dr Oba Gulston, Dr (Akshai) Mansingh was also on board so it was actually a very exciting

squads and officials expected to start arriving in Antigua next Sunday.

The tournament will be played at the Coolidge Cricket Ground and the Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium, with CWI soliciting assistance from Antigua’s Ministry of Health, the Ministry

of Sport and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).

CWI said in a statement that the collaboration with these agencies would help “to orchestrate logistics and agree the safety and medical protocols for the commencement and duration of the tournament.”

Hosts Leeward Islands Hurricanes, losing finalists in the last Super50 Cup staged in 2019, will take on Windward Islands Volcanoes in the opening game at Coolidge on February 7.

Last March, the COVID-19 pandemic in the region forced CWI to abort the final two rounds of the first class championship.

The regional governing body was then also forced to scrap all scheduled home series which included tours

by South Africa and New Zealand.

The success of the Super50 Cup is expected to pave the way for international tours by Sri Lanka, Pakistan, South Africa and Australia later this year.

CWI boss defends recent ODI whitewash

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Cricket West Indies (CWI) president Ricky Skerritt has defended West Indies’ recent series whitewash in Bangladesh, pointing to the extenuating circumstances posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in a weakened squad being sent to the south Asian country.

West Indies slumped to an emphatic 3-0 defeat in the OneDay International series which ended Monday after producing a series of sub-par performances.

The Caribbean side, who also face the hosts in two Tests starting next Wednesday, were hard hit by the withdrawal of 10 first-choice players over what CWI said was due to “COVID-related concerns or personal fears” over the health situation in Bangladesh.

“How do we solve the COVID-19 problem where we can’t get all of our players playing at the same time and we have to field players, in some cases who have not played together before,” Skerritt said in an interview on Starcom Radio’s Mason and Guest here.

touring amid the ongoing pandemic, CWI has allowed players the option of declining selection without any penalties attached.

Skerritt said while players had chosen not to tour for the two previous series in England and New Zealand, the Bangladesh tour had seen the highest number of players opting out.

“What has happened with this particular tour and the two tours before which were held during COVID in difficult, challenging health risk situations, is that you could not get all of your best players on tour at the same time and this particular trip to Bangladesh was even worse,” he explained.

“Because we had more players than perhaps we had expected pulling out, and that might have to do with various things but the fact is they didn’t play.

“So the fact is we had a team that was significantly weakened in a situation where even our best teams have lost in Bangladesh over the last several years. Since 2014, we have not won an ODI tournament (away to) Bangladesh – let’s look at the facts.”

He continued: “So we’re going to play against Bangla-

West Indies fielded in an inexperienced side for the ODI series against Bangladesh “COVID-19 is a reality desh in conditions where most that some of us don’t seem to West Indies don’t like playing in understand. We have to face because the ball turns, the pitch the reality that players are is a little bit flat and not always facing tremendous stressful great for batting. decisions about their career “So we take not our strongest and whether they’re partici- batting team and the batting team pating in cricket under risky fails.” situations, even though Cricket West Indies were forced West Indies and other boards to field seven debutants in the are doing everything and more opening ODI which they lost by to minimise the risk. six wickets, after managing to “Tell me what would you do post only 122. different to get the best players There was one more debutant on the park when many of the in the second ODI in which West players are reluctant to travel Indies suffered a seven-wicket deand choose not to play? Are feat after tallying 148, and another you going to punish them? Are two debutants for the third match you going to say ‘if you don’t which the Caribbean lost by 120 play, you’re not going to play runs following another meagre again ever?’ Then you lose them total of 177, in pursuit of 298. forever?”

Skerritt said it was evident He continued: “I’ve listened from the performances that the to some of the discussions about side had not been up to scratch, COVID and I wonder if we especially with the new playbelieve that COVID only affects ers coming in short of match us individually, and only we are practice due to the ongoing fearful but players and others pandemic. shouldn’t (be).”

“I think we bowled very well, Among the 10 players declin- I think we fielded well. I’m not ing selection for the Bangladesh talking as a coach or a selector tour were Test captain Jason – I’m talking simply as a fan,” Holder and ODI skipper, Kieron he noted.

Pollard.

“And as far as I am conT h e y w e re j o i n e d b y cerned, the players gave their high-profile players like Darren best but the best clearly was Bravo, Roston Chase, Shimron not good enough for that level Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran and of cricket, bearing in mind that Shai Hope, who formed the these were players who a lot of core of both the Test and one- them had not played any cricket day units. recently and certainly were not Under its policy relating to match-ready.”

By Stephan Sookram RACING fans will have to wait an additional week for motorsport action as the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) announced yesterday that they were forced to postpone the season-opening endurance meet.

In an invited comment, GMR&SC boss contended that the event had to be shifted due to some emergency works on the track.

“We had to push back the date once more because of the works that were recently done to the track. While the actual

Endurance action has been pushed back to February 7

GMR&SC Endurance meet postponed to February 7 works are completed, we were advised by the engineers that the surface needs curing time to ensure the proper settlement of the asphalt.”

“While they (the engineers) did say to us that they we could host the event as scheduled this weekend (January 31), they also said that we run the risk of damaging the track and that we would be back at square one and that would be a waste of money,”

he added.

Mohamed stated too that the curing time was determinant on the weather at the Timehri-based facility, adding that sunshine is required.

“There was also the weather that was taken into consideration. A few days of showers was not what we wanted but we could not stop that; so all in all, we took the decision to push it back and preserve the new surface.”

Ganguly ‘stable and under close observation’ after undergoing another angioplasty

“We know that a lot of guys have been looking forward to this but I’m sure everyone that races at South Dakota can understand the reason. We all love racing and want to do it in the safest manner as well as preserve the venue for as long as possible.”

Added to that, the GMR&SC boss conelnded that competitors now have additional chances to rectify any issues to their

machines.

The three-hour event is under the title sponsorship of Secure Innovations and Concepts Inc, with other sponsors being Sherriff Security and First Class Auto.

The event is also being held in accordance with the COVID-19 guidelines which means that all participants must wear masks, sanitise and be subject to mandatory temperature tests.

Head coach says tour game crucial to Windies Test strategy

West Indies team huddle during a training session

SEE PAGE

BCCI president Saurav Ganguly 24

SEE PAGE 27

CHATTOGRAM, Bangladesh, (CMC) – Head coach Phil Simmons believes the three-day tour match starting here today will be pivotal in their preparation for the challenges expected the two-Test series against Bangladesh.

The Test squad had spent the last two weeks preparing for the series which bowls off next Wednesday but will get their first taste of competitive action when they take on the Bangladesh Cricket Board XI at MA Aziz Stad i um.

With West Indies expected to face a difficult time on flat, spin-friendly conditions, Simmons said the tour game would replicate what the Caribbean side would encounter in coming weeks.

“The main thing I’m looking for is a thought and understanding of how they’re going to bat in these upcoming games,” Simmons said in reference to the batsmen.

“They’ll be trying to put their plans into place. I’m sure every one of them has their own plans on how they’re going to play the spin, how

they’re going to play the fast bowlers and how they’re going to get runs.

“So it’s up to them in this three-day game to try and put things together and make sure they know exactly how they’re going to score when the time comes.”

West Indies’ batting has been weakened considerably with the absence of the likes of captain Jason Holder, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase and Shamarh Brooks.

Several new faces will feature in the batting

lineup as a result with Kavem Hodge, Kyle Mayers, Nkrumah Bonner and Shayne Moseley all poised to make their Test debuts.

In the preceding one-day series, West Indies featured up to nine debutants and it showed in their batting, with the touring side failing to notch a total over 200, to lose every game emphatically.

Simmons said the Test batsmen had been spending long hours

TURN TO PAGE 24

Sinclair not worried about bio-secure environment

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| FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2021