Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_02_05_2022

monday 2nd may, 2022

No.106710

Eid-ul-Fitr greetings to all Guyanese, especially the Muslim community

Make space for youths – Minister Hamilton tells trade union leaders

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These teachers were at their creative best during the Labour Day parade on Sunday (Delano Williams photo)

PNC/R puts 03 Misenga Jones on the breadline PAGE

Interest of the people will come 14 first –– says VP Jagdeo PAGE

with regard to talks on establishment of National Oil Company here

Squash athlete dies in Sandy Babb 11 Street accident PAGE

Dead: Ian Mekdeci

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Make space for youths

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–– Minister Hamilton tells trade union leaders

AS the country celebrated the contributions and achievements of workers on Sunday, Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton called on the leaders of trade unions to “make space” for youths in trade unionism.

The Labour Minister opined that young people in Guyana are not passionate about the union movement, due to there being no space for growth in those organisations.

He explained that trade unions in Guyana must make way for the succession of new leadership to better serve the workers of Guyana.

“Nothing can continue robustly unless you create the conditions to allow for new leadership and succession planning and that is another issue with trade unionism where the persons have taken over the unions and they are union leaders and whatever for life and therefore young people have no

enthusiasm to participate, because they don’t see themselves graduating upwards to become a leader in trade unionism and those things you have to correct,” he stated.

The Labour Minister opined that local trade unions have “fallen from grace” in recent times, noting the significant decline in local trade unions.

According to Minister Hamilton, Guyana which once boasted more than 100 trade unions, today has only about 18 registered trade unions.

NOT A CASTIGATION “As I speak to you, we just have about 18 registered trade unions.

So, you see how far trade unions have fallen from grace and people see this as comments that Hamilton makes to castigate.

I’m not castigating, I’m making a point.”

Minister Hamilton stated that there is a defi-

laborate to do training in some specific areas to develop skillset or reskill people, maybe retirees who we have to reskill because they have retired.”

Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton nite need for trade unions to improve on their performance, pointing out that since taking office several training opportunities available for workers have not been taken up by trade unions.

The Labour Minister noted, in particular, that there are several training opportunities available at the Board of Industrial Training (BIT).

The ministry, he said, has been approached by the private sector, along with religious and international organisations which

took advantage of the opportunities, while none of the local trade unions saw it fit to enquire about the opportunities for their workers.

“The Board of Industrial Training offers free training and in two years, private sector companies, church groups and international companies have come to the Board of Industrial Training to develop skillsets of Guyanese.

I can say to you not a trade union, as far as I know, has approached BIT to say let us col-

TAKE ACTION Charging the trade unions to take action to protect the rights of workers, Minister Hamilton reminded them that they have a responsibility to lobby for equitable and fair treatment of their workers, noting that the ministry has an open-door policy as it relates to worker’s rights.

He noted that while the Ministry of Labour is not a labour union, significant strides have been made by the ministry to ensure that workers’ rights are protected.

Minister Hamilton disclosed that in 2021 alone, the ministry managed to recoup over $38 million that was owed to work-

ers by their employers.

He noted that in many of these instances, cases should have been made by those unions to represent and protect the workers.

“When I became minister there were many companies that had people working 12 hours a day as a routine and they weren’t paying four hours overtime they were paying them 12 hours straight.

I regularised that and straightened that out, now they pay overtime.

There were companies who believed that they should only pay overtime after 40 hours, when the law is after eight hours, so those things we have done,” the Labour Minister noted.

Minister Hamilton noted that better must be done by local trade unions to safeguard the invaluable contributions made by workers who have played a major role in development of the country.

PNC/R puts Misenga Jones on breadline MISENGA Jones, the woman who challenged the use of votes from the recount of the March 2, 2020 elections as the basis for the declaration of the result, has been fired from her position as office clerk at Congress Place, People’s National Congress/ Reform (PNC/R) Headquarters, Sophia, Georgetown.

In a letter seen by this publication and signed by Coordinator/Administrator Aubrey Retemyer on February, 25, 2022, Jones was told as of February, 28, 2022, her service was no longer needed at the secretariat of the PNC/R. “I do hereby notify you that in keeping with item (14:1) of your con-

tract that your services may be terminated if your employer so decided,” the letter said, adding: “Let me thank you for the time you spent with us and to wish you well in your future endevours.”

According to a friend and associate of Jones, who is familiar with the situation at Congress Place, her firing stemmed from the confrontational behaviour of a PNC member who was very confrontational to international observers during the attempt to rig the 2022 elections.

“This woman and her daughter are making the lives of hard working people miserable, and she is now using her position

to bully people and push them around,” the source told the Guyana Chronicle.

In February, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton wrote the Chief Elections Officer (CEO) of GECOM to inform him that he has selected Carol Smith Joseph as a replacement for Amna Ally as Chief Scrutineer for the APNU+AFC. Carol Smith Joseph is currently before the court on electoral fraud charges as she was a central figure in the Coalition’s attempt to rig the March 2nd 2020 General Elections.

She had affixed her signature to former Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo’s

fraudulent declaration form, which gave the Coalition “victory.”

Additionally, the source told this publication that “a cleaner attached to PNC/R Headquarters also resigned after being accused of stealing. But the truth is that they are trying to get rid of all the people that[sic] were loyal to the previous leaders.”

Additionally, another staff member of the PNC/R was sent home last month after he was accused of taking a picture of electricity being diverted from a utility pole at Congress Place on Easter Monday that was shared widely on social media.

During the elections saga, acting Chief Justice Roxane George upheld the validity of an order issued by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for the national recount of the March 2 polls and said that only those results can be used to make a final declaration.

In dismissing a challenge brought by Misenga Jones to the decision by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairperson Claudette Singh to use the national recount to finalise the results, the Chief Justice specifically underscored that all the grounds of the application had already been

Misenga Jones litigated during previous challenges from the elections and that their re-litigation would have been a waste of the court’s time.

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Gov’t recommends new method of removing dead persons from voters list

THE draft Representation of the People Act which has been out in the public domain has received feedback and following consultations is expected to be tabled in Parliament.

This was disclosed by Vice-President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Friday last at a press conference at the Office of the President, where he stated that while the government had intended to have the draft out for feedback for six weeks it has been out for some three months.

It was then that he noted that a number of comments were received from several persons as he men-

tioned that the most substantive comments came from two sources, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and a group called the Electoral Reform Group.

“I’ve asked Minister Teixeira and Nandlall to meet with both groups and a team to meet with both groups formally on the legislation,” he told reporters.

The government, he said, has gone through all the other comments received and as a result the final draft will be ready once the consultations have been completed and will be tabled in Parliament.

April 27, 2022

F 07 08 11 20 24 27 15 April 30, 2022

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He also indicated that while the opposition, APNU+AFC has called for electoral reform – he had expected the opposition to participate by sending in comments. While he added that they chose not to, the Vice-President said that he hopes that they will participate in Parliament.

Meanwhile, he added that the government wants the law to be very explicit in stating that the Chief Elections Officer must secure from the General Registration Office a list of all dead persons to then remove those persons from the voters list.

“GECOM has the right now to remove peo-

30/04/22 - 06, 10, 16, 18, 21

ple from the list based on maybe a death certificate, so we want to make the process transparent so GECOM should do that on a large scale,” the Vice-President said.

He added that it must be stated in law that they must share the list of dead persons gathered for every year to the political parties and publicise the list in the newspapers.

“We want to put that into the law, so every time they remove dead people, they must share this with all the parties in Guyana and publish it in the newspapers, not just do it in GECOM on their own,” Dr Jagdeo said.

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The draft Representation of the People Act

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30/04/22- 3, 9, 12, 15, 19, 20, 21

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Trade unionists restate call for increase in national minimum wage

GUYANA celebrated Labour Day on Sunday and several leading trade unionists used the opportunity to restate their call for finalisation of the increase in the national minimum wage to $60,000.

Guyana’s main two umbrella trade union bodies, the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG), the Guyana Trade Union Congress (GTUC), held their customary rallies which saw the various workers wearing the signature red t-shirts and marching down the streets of Georgetown.

The FITUG rally started in front of the Bank of Guyana on Main and Church Streets and ended at the GNS Ground on CARIFESTA Avenue, while the GTUC rally started at Parade Ground and ended at the Critchlow Labour College on Woolford Avenue.

At the end of each rally, presentations were made by the various trade unionists to those gathered. At the FITUG rally, President of the Union, Carvil Duncan voiced his thoughts on the need for finalisation of the increase to the national minimum wage, given the rising

(MoL)’s National Tripartite Committee (NTC) officially giving its nod in January to the increase of the national minimum wage from $44,200 to $60,000, the official government order to set the increase into law has

MoL, which has been working assiduously to improve the lives of workers across the country.

Duncan during his remarks also took a moment to remember those workers who lost their lives to

“Even though we celebrate May Day, there are some workers who cannot celebrate because they lost their lives to COVID-19 and we sympathise with their family [sic],” Duncan noted.

Similar sentiments to

FITUG President Carvil Duncan

some of the workers during the Labour Day rally on Sunday (Delano Williams photo) not yet been issued.

The national minimum wage has not been increased since 2017, when it was

COVID-19 and reminded of how the labour force has been affected by the pandemic in several respects.

Duncan’s were expressed

by General-Secretary of the GTUC, Lincoln Lewis, who addressed a gathering at the

A section of the workers gathered after the FITUG rally (Adrian Narine photo) cost of living brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war between Russia and Ukraine.

“Even though we were promised an increase in the minimum wage that has not been realised and we are asking that the government consider that,” Duncan noted.

Notwithstanding the fact that the Ministry of Labour

raised from an hourly rate of $202 to $255, taking the monthly salary from $35,000 to $44,200 for a 40hour week. Comparatively, the minimum wages for the public sector is currently $70,000.

Nonetheless, apart from the wait on the national minimum wage increase, Duncan noted that he must commend the work of the

Critchlow Labour College.

“In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic created a new challenge for the safety and security of workers. The world over, more than six million lost their lives to the pandemic. In Guyana, more than 1,200 left us as a result of the pestilence. These are past, present and potential workers. GTUC takes this time to remember them and their families,” Lewis expressed.

Lewis also reminded those present that Labour Day is recognised as a symbol of workers’ continued struggle to lift their standards of living and better the conditions under which labour toils.

“The gains of our ancestors must not only be revered, but they must also be built upon and protected. We take the stand as guardians of the legacy of Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, Joseph Pollydore, Jane Phillips-Gay, Ayube Edun and others, and will stand steadfast to ensure and support the struggles of labour,

where and when necessary,” Lewis noted.

Treasurer of FITUG, Seepaul Narine, also spoke at occasion. He praised the Local Content Act and urged local workers to always display good work ethics to win the competitive edge in the work market.

“On this matter, we recognise efforts of the government to increase and improve training opportunities to ensure that our people can take up various roles. We are supportive of the Local Content Act which we believe will go a long way to address this challenge.

“We urge that every effort be made to ensure that the Act is respected, and FITUG remains willing to play an active role.

We also encourage a comprehensive examination be conducted prior to the issuance of work permits to promote the employment of qualified locals. This may require the collaboration of several agencies,” he said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 2, 2022

Longevity in Women THE world’s oldest person – a Japanese woman – died last Tuesday. She was 119 years old and reports say she had set 120 years as her target.

She got close.

Reports also stated that Japan has over 100,000 citizens over the age of 100 years and that 80 per cent are women, which brings the whole question of women’s longevity into focus.

Across the globe, women outlive men and over the past 30 years women have been living longer.

Scientists feel that estrogen in women helps to combat such conditions as heart disease, while cardiovascular illness is a chief cause of mortality among

men.

The Population Reference Bureau (PRB) tells us that, “In more developed countries, the average life expectancy at birth is 79 years for women, 72 years for men.”

However, in less developed countries where “maternal mortality reduces the difference in longevity,” women can still expect to live longer – 66 years as compared to 63 years for men.

Interestingly, the lifeexpectancy gap in developed countries such as the US “rose throughout the last century.” And researchers say that this is in part due to lifestyle choices, such as the fact that men are more likely

to smoke and take risks, which open them to injuries that may be lifethreatening.

Other behavioural factors which increase longevity in women, according to one study, are simply that women are more likely to see a doctor when they feel ill and are more inclined to adjust their diet and exercise regimen in their efforts to stay healthy.

However, from birth the disparity exists and David Robson of the BBC put a personal twist on it when he said, “As soon as I was born I was already destined to die earlier than half the babies in my maternity ward – a curse that I can do little to avoid. The reason?

My sex. Simply due to the

fact that I am male, I can be expected to die around three years earlier than a woman born on the same day.”

While poverty accounts for increased mortality in poorer countries, women still live longer than men and female babies have a higher survival rate than males, leading researchers to look beyond environmental, social and behavioural factors.

For as the Robson report says, “The survival advantage of women is seen in every country, in every year, for which reliable records exist.”

In Guyana, the female mortality rate continues to be lower than that of males – 24.7 (deaths per 1,000

births in 2020) as compared with 32.0 in males.

And because this trend is so pronounced, scientists have yet been driven to ask the question, why? Giving rise to the emerging field of ‘geroscence’ or the study of aging.

Researchers are now discovering that, along with the fact that women have stronger immune systems than men, there are other biological and genetic factors behind the longevity gap, which makes the answer to the question more complicated than it may at first seem.

For instance, one study

by Nir Barzilai, Director of the Institute of Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine,

showed that the protein levels in a man changed at a higher rate than in a woman. “Female biology seems to be more stable than male,” Barzai said.

Another study found that men lose antibodyproducing B cells in their blood after the age of 65, while women do not experience the same loss and “men experienced greater blood inflammation as they aged, a factor that is associated with serious COVID-19.”

But what about a ‘divine’ dictate which may simply have determined that because of our roles as nurturers, minders and, in particular, procreators, women need to ‘stick around’ longer?

PNC knew they lost the March 2020 elections on the very night of those elections

Dear Editor,

IN a letter to Stabroek News on April 26, 2022, Vishnu Bisram, after listing the various attempts to rig our elections from 1968 onwards and identifying the historical context in which these attempts were made, with which I have little or no disagreement, asks the question “why the effort was made to rig the outcome (the March 2020 elections) after the election rather than on Election day or before the count or during the initial count”? It’s an excellent question.

It is highly probable that the governing APNU+AFC Coalition were confident that they would win the elections with GECOM, under

the Chairmanship of Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson, along with the representation of its three Commissioners, Alexander, Corbin and Trotman.

The No Confidence Motion in December 2018 upset the applecart which required then President David Granger, under the law, to hold elections within three months of the motion. Had he done so, the APNU+AFC might well have won the elections but, instead, APNU+AFC made the mistake of deliberate delay, which is now history, resulting in GECOM coming under the Chairmanship of Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh.

There was virtually no possibility of the March 2020 elections being manipulated

or rigged under the massive presence of domestic and international observers.

Indeed, the elections were universally recognised as free and fair, even by David Granger, at the time.

Unfortunately for the APNU+AFC, when the results of the Statements of Poll (SoPs) had become publicly known from the Statements of Poll being declared at the polling stations and in the possession of the contesting parties on the evening of March 2, 2020, even though the District Four count had not yet been formally tabulated, the PNC knew that they had lost the elections.

It is clear from what subsequently transpired, that the attempts by Lowenfield, Mingo and Myers, directed

by the PNC leadership, to first delay and then rig the District Four results, were an act of desperation, exposed only because of the continuing presence of the observer teams from the Private Sector Commission (of which I was a member), the international community and the resident diplomatic community.

I witnessed firsthand, the first attempt by Mingo at the GECOM office at Ashmin’s building, to announce an entirely false result without even completing the District Four count, in the presence of the entire observer organisations.

In spite of a ruling of the Chief Justice ordering the Chairman of GECOM to continue the District Four

count using the SoPs, we know that Lowenfield, Mingo and Myers persisted in presenting a fraudulent count which finally led to a recount confirming that the PPP/C had won the elections.

As an observer of these events, the former Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, as Bisram reminds us, declared that he had never seen such a transparent attempt to rig an election and, before that, as an Accredited Observer for the Private Sector Commission at a PSC Press Conference, I said that “in all my life and career, in and out of politics in this country, I have never seen such a bare faced, ugly and deliberate attempt to rig an elections.”

It should be borne in mind that even during the

entire recount, the false declaration of the District Four count by Keith Lowenfield had been held “in abeyance” by Chairman Singh.

Had it been recognised by GECOM, David Granger would have been sworn in as the President of a rigged election count. We came that close and, even after the recount, had it not been for a successful Appeal to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and the unrelenting pressure of the international community, David Granger, again, would have been sworn in as President from a rigged election count. I hope that I have provided some answer to the question posed by Vishnu Bisram.

Yours sincerely, Kit Nascimento

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 2, 2022

North-South Dialogue: Are Developing Nations Talking to the Wind or Spinning Top in Mud?

By Earl Bousquet

LAST week, President Irfaan Ali met British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to discuss UK investment in Guyana and it’s interesting that the British press found it necessary to ask him why Guyana was interested in UK investments after it’s now got oil --and gas.

The President had to explain to a SkyNews reporter that never mind Guyana’s changed economic circumstances, it’s still part of the world and remains open to investment as it always was, including to UK investors.

He pointed out that “Revenues from oil and gas are not transformational if not utilised to create transformation” and that “the transformation we want to create must begin with the people” and that taking place in Guyana today “requires a lot of investment and new technology” -- and “UK investors have been pursuing some of those opportunities.”

The President’s meeting with Prime Minister Johnson discussed Climate Change, Energy Security and Forest Management, as well as “a stronger relationship” between CARICOM and the UK. President Ali still hopes to strengthen Guyana’s partnership with the UK -- and all other countries willing to participate in fruitful joint efforts to construct

a new global economic and trade order that urgently addresses the worsening inequalities and imbalances that have chained most developing countries to unequal and imbalanced trade and made them largely dependent on international aid and assistance from the richest nations.

The same message came from Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd last month in India, where he made the case for the G20 nations to do more to accept their share of biggest blame for creating the conditions for the way the world’s climate crisis is affecting the smaller island states and developing countries that barely contribute to the worsening effects of Global Warming.

Climate Change is the foremost environmental crisis facing the developing countries, such that Pacific nations are actually drowning, some already submerged under the rising sea levels and forcing islanders to safe grounds elsewhere.

The effects of rising sea levels affect every country with a coast, but low-lying islands and coastlines are threatened now more than ever – and countries most threatened either take or are forced to take quick new measures to highlight the uncontrollable and inescapable threats.

Guyana has a 280-mile seawall built from time immemorial to protect the low-lying capital

Georgetown and other seaside parts of the 83,000 square-mile country from the high waves and rising tides of past decades, but today’s rising sea levels in the age of tsunamis continuously threaten the entire city.

But it’s worse in the Maldives, where on October 17, 2009, the President and his Cabinet held an underwater meeting on the sea bed to highlight how bad a threat rising sea levels were to the string of small islands that are no more than two-and-a-half feet above water.

CARICOM nations, throughout their history, like all other former European (French, Dutch, German, Portuguese, Spanish, etc.) West Indian colonies have long been like talking to the wind when raising justice issues of any type with excolonial states, as reflected in the constant struggles of developing countries since the 1970s for a New International Economic Order.

Proposals for structural change and readjustment of the unequal and imbalanced global trade system and the resulting higher prices of food and fuel and forcing countries to depend more on food imports for survival have gone by many names.

Guyana’s President Cheddi Jagan, between 1992 and 1996 advocated a New Global Human Order to build political consensus and a broad-based

May should be declared Indian Heritage Month Dear Editor,

I AM delighted that we acknowledge Black History Month in February and observe Amerindian Heritage Month in September.

I feel that the largest ethnic group in Guyana, Indians, also deserves a month to celebrate its history and presence. I suggest that the month of May be declared Indian Heritage Month.

I encourage political, religious, cultural, civic and community groups to support this notion as soon as possible.

Yours truly, Dr Devanand Bhagwan

Dear Editor, LAST year I wrote the CSEC examinations and as a business student it’s very hard getting a job in my field. I’m tired of waiting on a job for about over a year it has been.

No one has answered my job applications and most times when I call the positions are usually filled. I have regretted I didn’t write a science subject for the CSEC examinations last year.

The famous superwoman Miss Lily Singh says, “When one ladder doesn’t work we should climb another ladder.” I need to have a science subject to get in to other career options which are nursing, to work in a laboratory or even with a dentist.

Therefore, I have decided to write a science subject for this year CSEC examination privately and would like to encourage other students to do the same in the future. Science

is love and can solve most of life’s problems. They say light travels faster.

That’s science. Light on many situations. I consider science important today since it has many options to a good career path and it’s useful in society tremendously because it focuses on saving lives and maintaining good health by allowing us to care for our physical selves.

Yours sincerely, Anna Garraway

I Love Science!

global partnership to combat poverty and promote human development, and at least two international conferences were held in Guyana (1996 and 2000) to encourage United Nations participation in building the needed global consensus.

Since then, Regime Change has had its usual effects of causing on-and-off starts and stops along the human development marathon at national levels in developing and small island nations, but the richest nations in the world in the G7, through their European-American transatlantic alliances in politics and trade, have always conspired to maintain their control of the levers of control that guide human development.

Developing nations have been virtually ‘spinning top in mud’ for six decades since Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago became independent and the Caribbean and the rest of the developing world continue to agitate and press for the rich nations to implement agree-

ments and promises to change and adjust for creation of a new world order.

Whether its CARICOM’s call for Reparations from Europe for Slavery and Native Genocide, or small and vulnerable nations calling for protection against Climate Change and changing weather patterns, or the World Health Organisation (WHO) calling on the G7 nations to deliver on their loud promises to make COVID vaccinations available to poor nations that can’t afford, the response has always been the same: nothing doing and nothing done.

European nations that built empires off the Transatlantic slave trade refuse to apologise and atone, the nations contributing most to negative Climate Change and its global effects refuse to assume responsibility and take proportionate actions to help defenceless victim nations and the G7 nations have simply refused to deliver on their COVID assistance promises to developing countries through

the WHO, instead using excess vaccines for booster shots – in effect, throwing second lifesaving jackets to survivors who already have, while the majority drown.

Meanwhile, Bill Gates purchased the online war game ‘Call of Duty’ for US $70 million, Elon Musk will pay $43 billion for Twitter – and the US Congress is being asked for $33 Billion to fund the war in Ukraine.

The way the world turns today always leaves developing countries having to find ways to adapt and adopt to ensure their objectives are achieved through thick and thin; and in Guyana’s case, it may be time to revisit President Jagan’s proposals for a New Global Human Order, which still have strong merit 26 years later.

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Why children need etiquette WHEN children come across as rude, impolite or uncouth, people say, ‘that’s how young people stay nowadays’.

But is it? Yes, times have changed, and we should change with the times, but is discourtesy ever acceptable? Young people spend a lot of time on devices that the average adult does not understand.

However, this does not give them the upper hand or an excuse for cultivating an ‘attitude’ which implies they have no upbringing.

Adults should not encourage children

to behave in an unruly fashion, nor should they make excuses when their child’s behaviour falls short. ‘Oh, he’s just tired; or he’s hungry’ or the classic cover-up when a child is out-of-hand – ‘he’s had a long day’. Good manners and etiquette (codes of conduct) are qualities worth preserving and maintaining regardless of how much time evolves.

Child-rearing has indeed changed from bygone days. Parents played little importance to their behaviour in front of children in the past. They lived by the

ethos - Do as I say and not as I do, and children must be seen and not heard.

Children grew with subdued emotions, thoughts and ideas, while ‘big people’ said and did things that inadvertently influenced their children’s lives and subsequent future. Children were never asked for their opinions, and rarely was a child’s point of view considered in family decision-making. On top of this subjection, sharing licks was commonplace.

Thankfully, over the past 30 years, more parents have clued into child development. They are more aware of their responsibilities as influencers and role models in their children’s lives and ultimate destinies. It is no longer just about attending school, getting good grades, looking nice and having fine family meals.

Parents realise children are dimensional and not naïve, unsophisticated beings. Children have emotions, desires, thoughts, ideas, dreams and fears just like adults – and they rely on adults to guide them.

Nowadays, we can hear children’s voices. They have international platforms to speak out about injustices and concerns.

They also recognise the role they play in the global future. Today’s children are bright, well-informed, and one step ahead of adults in many cases. Nevertheless, it will always remain the duty of parents, carers, grandparents, teachers and responsible family members, to teach children basic manners, astuteness, morals and values.

The principles of good conduct for boys and girls, men and women, do not change regardless of our era. For example, when walking with a girl, boys should walk on the outside to protect the female, and when sitting down to eat at a table, boys should show courtesy by pulling out the chair for the girl or lady.

Girls should learn that quiet speech is still a mark of refinement; loud, brawlish girls and women lack dignity. Female conduct should involve a sense of pride and intrigue – so girls are known for their charm, intellect and countenance and not just their physical assets.

Women and girls who show a lot of skin may receive attention from lecherous males. But are lustful men the type of partners that women need? Would they make faithful and reliable husbands, good fathers and be a rock to lean on in times of need? Mothers should teach their girls that skimpy clothing leaves nothing to the imagination; neither does it make a girl pretty, sensible or wise.

It may sound simple but just a plain

‘please’ and ‘thank you’ elude many young people even though parents should teach these basic manners from infancy.

When reminded or nudged into remembering their manners, the child may comply and forget to exercise the same on another occasion.

It is not a delusion of entitlement that prevents young people from displaying courtesies in this way. It is their ‘gratitude attitude’. Anything done for children or given to them deserves a show of appreciation. Adults can teach children to be grateful, not just for material things, but for nature, good health, a loving family and more.

‘I told my daughter, even if it’s just a dollar sweetie someone gives you, always say thank you. Short prayers, Amen’. Says a mother who understands the significance of showing gratitude and courtesy to others. She continued, ‘I was raised with good manners, don’t step over people’s legs, ask ‘please for a pass’.

Knock the door, and wait for a reply before entering; always say sorry if you jam someone, ask permission before taking or touching other people’s property, and show respect for others, especially elders’.

Teach children straightforward courtesies like standing up from a sitting position when introduced to someone.

They should make eye contact when they speak to people and ask for an excuse if they need to leave the room. Arriving late to any event and not offering a heartfelt apology does not go well; children must learn to be on time every time, and apologies should not be full of excuses or blame.

It is impolite for children to interrupt or ‘butt in’ when people are speaking.

Teach children to listen and wait for their turn to speak. In emergencies, when they must interrupt, they should ask for ‘an excuse’ before talking.

One last word on manners that will help the young and old alike – limit the time spent on mobile phones.

Turn them off or leave them in another room when sitting down to eat with family or spending quality time with loved ones - ensure children do the same. Bring back the art of meaningful conversation, devotion to family life and family values.

If you are concerned about the welfare of a child, call the CPA hotline on 227 0979 or write to us at childcaregy@ gmail.com A MESSAGE FROM THE CHILDCARE AND PROTECTION AGENCY, MINISTRY OF HUMAN SERVICES AND SOCIAL SECURITY

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Eid-ul-Fitr messages

CIOG: May Allah (SWT) graciously grant us Healing and Abundance My dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam and Humanity Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuh.

May the Peace, Guidance, Mercy, and Blessings of Allah (SWT) be upon us all!

Eid Mubarak, Eid Mubarak, Eid Mubarak! On this joyous day of Eid-ul-Fitr, the Executives and Staff of CIOG join with you in celebration.

Congratulations for having fulfilled the honourable obligation of fasting during the Holy month of Ramadan which was a time for patience, discipline, and cleansing. Now comes the time of celebration, reflection, and gratitude.

Let us glorify Allah (SWT) with pure love and immense gratitude for all the blessings He has bestowed upon us. The 1st of Shawwal is a day of Eid, great Joy and Reward. The Prophet (SAW)

said, When the day of Eid alFitr [begins], the angels descend on earth, where they take their positions at access points of roads, calling out with a voice that is heard by the whole creation of Allah, except men and Jin, “O Ummah of Muhammad (saw)!

Come out to your most Noble and Gracious Lord, who grants much, and pardons the major sins”.

When they (the Ummah) proceed to their places of prayer, Allah, Exalted is He, says to His angels, “O My angels! What is the reward of a worker when he has done his work?”

So they (the angels) say, “Our Lord and Our Master!

To receive his reward [for the work, in full].”

So He [swt] says, “I call you to witness that, for their fasts [during Ramadan], and for their standing in prayer at night, I have made their reward My Pleasure, and my

Forgiveness. Depart [from here], you are forgiven”’.

[Lataif al-Ma’arif] In our celebration, let us not forget those among our brothers and sisters who face difficulties and hardship, those facing the challenges of illness, hunger, and despair.

Reach out, find ways to help, comfort and sustain others, while filling them with hope and reminding them that Allah (SWT) is Gracious, Merciful and Abundant.

Today does not signal the end of worship or letting go of the concerns of the Akhirah. On the contrary, it is our duty throughout the year to build on the progress we made in Ramadan so that each Ramadan finds us stronger and closer to Allah (SWT), as individuals and as a community.

Let us reaffirm the importance of prayer. The strength of our community and the quality of our lives will be improved as more of us ob-

PPP/C extends Eid-ul-Fitr greetings to Muslim community AS the holy month of Ramadan comes to an end and Eid-ul-Fitr is being observed, on this sacred and joyous occasion the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) takes this opportunity to say Eid Mubarak to all our Muslim brothers and sisters here in Guyana and in the diaspora.

During Ramadan, Muslims made tremendous sacrifices for spiritual advancement through fasting. It is the party’s wish that the virtues of fasting and the spirituality sought would have been

achieved by all.

Eid-ul-Fitr brings joy of the feast following the month-long fast and is associated with the Zakat or charity, whereby Muslims selflessly contribute to the upliftment of mankind, es-

pecially the less fortunate.

This aids in the removal of societal barriers and, in the process, bonds of brotherhood are strengthened to help derive peace globally.

As is customary on such occasions, our party urges reflection on its significance, allowing us the opportunity to be motivated given the value and potential for individual and collective advancement.

Eid Mubarak!

People’s Progressive Party

PNCR: Let us continue to demonstrate compassion and kindness to one another ON behalf of the PNC/R, the parliamentary opposition, and on my personal behalf, I extend warm Eid-ul-Fitr greetings on this joyous occasion to all Guyanese, especially our Muslim brothers and sisters here in Guyana and in the diaspora.

The festival of Eid-ul-Fitr signals the conclusion of the holy month of Ramadan in which Muslims increased their worship and charity, and fasted the entire month in obedience to God Almighty.

Ramadan reminded us of our responsibilities to nurturing brotherhood, social

responsibility, and the commitment to self-sacrifice to ensure the less fortunate can benefit from food, clothing and shelter. As Ramadan comes to an end and as we celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, let us continue to demonstrate com-

passion and kindness to one another. Let us continue to strive for social cohesion in Guyana. Let us live up to the ideal of religious tolerance as is enshrined in our constitution.

Eid Mubarak to Guyana on this festive occasion.

May God Almighty grant us unity and harmony as we endeavour to build a Guyana free from fear and ill will and seek to nurture the goodness of Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr.

Eid Mubarak!

People’s National Congress Reform

serve the five daily prayers, which are the spiritual sustenance of the believers. We should leave aside all excuses and delays and observe our prayers, a seemingly small act that yields countless benefits and blessings. Allah (SWT) reminds us in the Holy Quran: “Be steadfast in prayer and regular in charity. Whatever good you send forth for your souls before you, you shall find it with Allah.

For Allah sees well all that you do”. (Holy Quran Surah Al-Baqara 02:110) Let us nurture harmo-

nious relationships in our families, communities, and our nation. I encourage you to invite our non-Muslim brothers and sisters to join in our Eid celebrations.

It is our duty to promote the core Islamic values of coexistence, tolerance, and khidma - to be in the service of others. Let us lovingly serve and protect all of Allah’s (SWT) Creation.

Allah (SWT) reminds us in the Holy Quran: We have appointed a law and a practice for every one of you. Had God willed, He would have made you a single community, but He wanted to test you regarding what has come to you. So compete with each other in doing good. Every one of you will return to God and He will inform you regarding the things about which you

differed.” (Holy Quran Surah AlMa’ida 05:48) May Allah (SWT) Bless and have Mercy on us all.

May Allah (SWT) Bless and have Mercy on our country and the entire world. We beseech Allah (SWT) to accept all our good deeds and forgive all our shortcomings, (Ameen).

May Allah (SWT) graciously grant us Healing and Abundance, (Ameen). I close with the pillar of reliance of trust in Allah (SWT).

Allah (SWT) is enough for us; and how excellent a guardian is He (SWT) Wa-Alaikumus-Salaam WaRahmatullahi-WaBarakaatuh.

Respectfully, Al-Hajj Shahabudeen Ahmad President CIOG

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Five nabbed with $20M in ‘ganja’

FIVE persons are currently in custody following a Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) operation at North-East La Penitence, Georgetown, on Friday, which led to the discovery of $20 million worth of cannabis.

A statement from

CANU said its officers conducted an operation at Lot 291 Broker Scheme, North-East La Penitence and found nine parcels of suspected cannabis concealed in two blue barrels in an empty room.

The narcotic was transported to CANU Head-

quarters where it was tested positive for cannabis.

CANU said the parcels had a total weight of 66.8 kilograms with a street value of approximately $20M. Five persons are currently in custody at CANU headquarters assisting with the investigation.

guyana CHRONICLE monday, may 2, 2022

Some parcels of cannabis found in one of the barrels

Construction worker killed in hit-and-run accident

POLICE are currently on the hunt for a motorcar driver who allegedly struck down and killed a 37-yearold construction worker while he attempted to cross the Better Hope Public Road, East Coast Demerara, on Saturday night.

According to a police release, the victim Lizardo Bastardo, also of the said village was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim’s body was identified by his brother, Exiobar Bastardo.

Based on investigation so far, the police said that the unidentified driver fled the scene in his white motor car, which licence plate number is known at this time.

The police said that based on enquiries, the white motorcar was proceeding west on the southern carriageway of Better Hope when Bastardo attempted to cross the said road from south to north.

Police explained that the motorcar collided with Bastardo, then drove away, leaving him motionless in the northern driving lane of the said road.

When police ranks visited the accident scene, debris from a vehicle was seen scattered on the roadway.

Bastardo’s body was later taken to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home where it is waiting a post-mortem.

Soldier in custody for robbing teen with ‘toy gun’ A SERVING member of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is currently in custody for armed robbery committed on a 17-year-old salesgirl, while the police are on the hunt for two of his accomplices.

According to a police release, the victim was robbed on Friday, April 29, between 19:50hrs and 20:00hrs at Good Hope, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara.

The teen was robbed of one ZTE cellphone valued at $40,000 and one Samsung Galaxy cell phone valued at $130,000.

According to a police report, the victim and her friend were heading home on a bicycle when they noticed three males fixing their bicycles along the Good Hope Public Road.

“As they approached where the males were, one male grabbed onto the victim’s bicycle and demanded her belongings and he took out her cellular phones, while the other two went to her friend and began to search him but found nothing,” the police report said.

The police said that a scuffle began between the two suspects and the victim’s friend. The third suspect intervened and lashed the victim’s friend to his head with a ‘toy gun.’

The suspects mounted their bicycles and made good their escape. The matter was reported to the police, who visited the area and found pieces of the broken toy gun.

Based on the information received, the police arrested one of the alleged suspects, who is a serving GDF rank and who also lives in Mahaica.

The police are currently on the hunt for the two other suspects who are still at large.

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Squash athlete dies in Sandy Babb Street accident

SQUASH athlete Ian Mekdeci, 27, died in a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Sandy Babb Street and Vlissengen Road in the vicinity of Camp Ayanganna on Sunday morning.

According to a police release, Mekdeci was a passenger in motor car #PXX 4592, which was being driven by his friend, Sheik Baksh, 31, of Dowding Street, Kitty.

The other vehicle involved in the accident, motor Jeep #PTT 4136 was being driven by Roberto Narine, 37, of School Street, Peters Hall, East Bank Demerara.

The police said that around 02:15hrs on Sunday, Narine was proceeding along Vlissengen Road while Baksh was proceeding west along Sandy Babb Street.

It is alleged that on the approach at the intersection, Baksh was crossing/ proceeding on the ‘green light’ but Narine failed to stop which resulted in a collision.

As a result of the collision, both vehi-

cles suffered extensive damage.

Baksh and Mekdeci received injuries and were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital by ambulance in an unconscious condition.

Mekdeci of First Avenue, Subryanville, Georgetown, died while receiving medical attention.

Baksh was admitted as a patient in the Emergency Unit at the hospital suffering from a broken left arm, lacerations to the head and a punctured left lung.

His condition is listed as critical.

The police visited the scene of the accident and took statements from a witness. Police will be reviewing CCTV footage from nearby surveillance cameras.

A breathalyser test was conducted on Narine, which showed 162 per cent and 151 per cent micrograms respectively, which is way above the legal limit. He is presently in custody assisting with the investigation.

The investigation is still ongoing.

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Dead: Ian Mekdeci

The motor car #PXX 4592 that was involved in the fatal accident at Sandy Babb Street

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Miner missing after Middle Mazaruni River boat mishap

A RIVER search is underway for an unidentified miner who disappeared on Saturday during a boat mishap at Gatie Falls, Semang Creek, Middle Mazaruni River.

Commander for Regional Division #7, Dion Moore, confirmed that the

incident occurred around 17:00hrs and involved a blue and white wooden boat powered by a 75 HP outboard engine.

The boat is owned by captain Garfield Benn, 41, of Tassarene Village, Issano, Middle Mazaruni River.

The police said on Sat-

urday around 08:30hrs, Benn boarded his boat with five occupants and they departed Long Island, Middle Mazaruni River en route to Semang Creek.

Two have been identified as 43-year-old Griffith Joseph Fredericks and 47-year-old Kenneth

Farmer dies after receiving several kicks during argument THE police are currently investigating the murder of 59-year-old farmer Cedrick Jones by another farmer during an argument about animals last Friday.

According to a police release, both parties are known to each other and reside in the Bashaizon, Deep South Rupununi village.

On the day in question, about 17:20hrs at Bashaizon, the suspect was consuming ‘local pine wine’ when Jones walked past him.

“Jones stopped and spoke with the suspect during which they got into an argument over animals belonging to Jones going into the suspect’s yard,” the police report said.

The police said that the suspect reportedly pushed Jones down to the ground

and kicked him several times, causing him to receive injuries. He soon after became motionless.

The matter was reported to the police and the suspect was arrested.

“I told him [Jones] to take care of his animals, that the animals are coming into my yard and damage [sic] my cassava.

Jones then charge [sic] towards me and I pushed him to the ground and kicked him, but I can’t recall which part I kicked him and he never moved,” the suspect reportedly told the police.

Jones’ body was examined and photographed by a crime scene rank before being taken to the Lethem Regional Hospital where it awaits a post-mortem.

The police are continuing their investigation into the incident.

Tancredo, both of Seventh Field, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara.

The police have not ascertained the identities of the other three, including the victim According to the police, the boat stopped at Semang Landing and later continued its journey.

However, Benn later began experiencing a problem with his leg and gave one of the occupants of the boat control of the engine.

“Whilst navigating the boat in the vicinity of Gatie Falls, Semang Creek, the said boat engine collided with a rock.

The occupants were flung overboard after which everyone with the exception of one person surfaced and were able to swim to shore,” the police said in a release.

A search party was formed and is currently making checks for the missing miner.

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Interest of the people will come first –– says VP Jagdeo with regard to talks on establishment of National Oil Company here VICE-PRESIDENT, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, on Friday, said that the government will make a decision on whether to establish a National Oil Company, based on what is in the best interest of citizens.

He made these remarks at a recent press conference at the Office of the President and noted an article which reportedly stated that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had advised against going this route.

He said while those in authority listen to advice from these organisations, the only decision that will be made will be one that is best for the country and its people.

“Often the IMF doesn’t look out for our people and I make this clear, the IMF has a different mandate; they were set up, designed as an institution to deal with balance of payment problems around the world when they were set up.

They’re not a development institution, they don’t even have expertise in oil and gas,” he said.

Jagdeo noted, too, that the government has made it clear that no foreign company will enjoy getting allocations of oil blocks offshore or onshore Guyana prior to oil being found as was done previously.

He said the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has been debating since in opposition the possibility of taking the remaining oil blocks offshore and onshore and putting same into a company. As it is currently, he noted that the government is trying to navigate a number of variables before a decision is made.

It is possible that a decision can be

Vice President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo made later in the year, he said and told reporters that in September, the authorities will decide what will be done with the other offshore blocks and at a later time decide on what will be done in relation to exploring onshore oil blocks.

During the country’s International Energy Conference in February, Dr Jagdeo had said that the government was yet to make a decision on whether the blocks will be utilised for the establishment of a national oil company or tendered for independent oil and gas explorations.

At that time, he noted too that the idea for a national oil company was still active as several “large operators” had submitted expressions of interest to partner with the government for the establishment of such a company here.

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Green Bond Transparency Platform making an impact

JUST a year after its launch, the Green Bond Transparency Platform (GBTP) has become the key reporting tool for issuers in the Latin America and the Caribbean green bond market, covering 73 per cent of the region’s market, or a total of $26.8 billion.

The platform also won the “Initiative of the Year – Green Bond 2022” award

by Environmental-Finance. com, an online news and analysis service focused on sustainable finance.

According to a release, the GBTP, launched in April 2021, is an innovative solution developed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and IDB Invest that promotes the harmonisation and standardisation of green bond reporting to increase investors’ confidence in the green

visits since it was created, provides benchmark data to all market actors, new and existing issuers, investors, public sector regulatory authorities in their decision-making process and facilitate research on the regional bond market. The GBTP is taxonomy-neutral, open, and user-friendly and thus allows replicability in other regions outside of Latin America and the Caribbean and for other types of thematic bonds, the release said.

“GBTP closes an important information gap in the green bond market, allowing investors to better track whether these bonds are delivering on their development promise,’’ said Susana Cordeiro Guerra, manager of the IDB’s Institutions for Development Sector. “It is easy to use and open to anyone to view

bond market and facilitate green investments in the region. It uses first-hand data, uploaded directly by the issuers and external reviewers under a secure environment that uses blockchain technology to report on the bond’s investment and development impact performance.

The solution is part of IDB’s growing efforts to help address climate change, one of the key priority areas defined in its Vision 2025 strategy. Last year, the bank announced an ambitious climate target to provide $24 billion for climate and green finance over the next four years, the release noted.

“The post-pandemic economic recovery in Latin America and the Caribbean needs to be green and sustainable and transparent which is why the IDB is committed to maximise its financial and technical support to help the region achieve this goal,” said Mauricio Claver-Carone, President of the IDB. “The Green Bond Transparency Platform is part of our holistic technical and financial assistance toolkit to support issuers to mobilise domestic and international investments into projects that can have an important impact on the region’s development.”

The Platform, which has received over 50,000

the information, promoting greater transparency and facilitating both reporting and analysis of the bonds.”

The “Initiative of the Year – Green Bond” Award is voted by 50 investors from around the globe and it recognises the teams who work to grow and develop the green bond market through their innovative thinking, thought-leadership, and strategic and innovative thinking.

The Platform was commended by the judges of the award, for promoting comparability in impact reporting from multiple issuers and for a focus on emerging markets, according to Environmental Finance.

“This Award is a testimony of the IDB Group’s continued support to develop the green bond market in Latin America and the Caribbean. Over the past six years, we have provided technical and financial assistance for more than 20 per cent of green bond issuances by volume in the region,” said Juan Ketterer, Chief of the Connectivity Markets and Finance team at the IDB. “The GBTP will provide crucial data for more investors to enter this market and finance key development projects in our region.”

Ketterer also added that the IDB will continue to leverage data of the Green

Bond Transparency Platform to support the development of new solutions.

In this framework, the IDB utilises the GBTP data to better understand local and

global investors’ needs to invest in this market.

“Investor appetite in green bonds has grown exponentially in the last few years,” said Gema Sacristán,

Chief Investment Officer at IDB Invest.

“We are committed to providing the best comprehensive value proposition through financial

products, advisory and knowledge to our private sector clients to continue expanding the green bonds market in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 2, 2022

Pickford keeps Everton in the running with 1-0 over Chelsea

(BBC) - With an unbroken run in England’s top flight stretching back to 1954, Everton aren’t about to give up their status among the elite without a fight.

Their critical 1-0 win over Chelsea was a full-blooded football spectacle, with fireworks and smoke bombs playing cameo roles.

But aside from Richarlison’s winner, the leading star was Everton goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, thanks to two second-half saves worthy of their own script.

When England’s number one somehow denied Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger in quick succession, Goodison Park rose in unison to cheer his efforts with a noise almost as loud as a goal.

That was recognition of what was at stake, by a crowd who played a massive part in a blood-and-thunder victory, which closed the gap on Leeds and Burnley to two points.

Everton started the day five points from safety as they attempted to maintain their 68-year stay in the top-flight.

Some pundits have debated whether they would be the biggest club to go down from the Premier League, given their history.

And, with Frank Lampard’s side staring relegation in the face, it was apt that Pickford used his to deny Rudiger with a point-blank save.

“Pickford’s saves have kept Everton’s dreams alive,”

Richarlison threw a smoke flare back towards the stands after scoring former Everton midfielder Leon Osman said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

“That [Azpilicueta] save was incredible. Pickford has been criticised in the past because he has a tendency to do something rash; but not today. It was arguably his

best-ever game for Everton in Everton’s most important game of the season.

“If Everton had lost today, you would have felt they were out of the Premier League and the fans knew how important this was.”

Nadal criticizes banning Russians, Belarusians from Wimbledon

Nadal claimed victory at the Australian Open earlier this year (BBC) - Rafael Nadal has criticised the decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from Wimbledon as a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Players from Russia and Belarus have also been barred from any of the UK grass-court tournaments by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC).

“I think it’s very unfair [to] my Russian tennis mates, my colleagues,” said Spaniard Nadal.

“It’s not their fault what’s happening in this moment with the war.”

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic has called the ban “crazy”, while Russian world number eight, Andrey Rublev, said the ban was “complete discrimination” and “illogical”.

However, some players, including Ukraine’s Elina Svito-

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lina, have welcomed Wimbledon’s action, although the former semi-finalist said Russian and Belarusian players who speak out against the invasion should be allowed to compete.

The governing bodies of men’s (ATP) and women’s professional tennis (WTA) are against the ban and are deciding how to react. One possibility is that they could remove ranking points from the Grand Slam tournament which runs from 27 June to 10 July.

“The 2,000 points, whenever we go to the Grand Slams, they are really important and we have to go to those tournaments,” added Nadal, who is a member of the ATP player council. “So we will have to see the measures that we take.

“What happens in our game doesn’t have any importance when we can see so many people dying and suffering and seeing the bad situation they are having in Ukraine.”

Nadal is set to return to action at the Madrid Open this week, having been sidelined since 22 March with a rib injury.

“Talking about the injury, I’m recovered, I feel good,” said Nadal, who won the Australian Open earlier this year.

“Talking about my tennis game and preparations, well, it’s a completely different story.

“Anyone who has broken a rib knows how limiting it is, very painful, especially the first weeks. I wasn’t able to do anything without a lot of difficulties, even to fall asleep because of the pain.

“I have improved compared to when I came here but I still have ups and downs because it’s been a long time without being in these kind of situations and it’s going to be a difficult week, for sure.”

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CSK wins as Dhoni returns

(ESPNCRICINFO) - He has had a largely ordinary season so far, but against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Ruturaj Gaikwad displayed strokeplay that has had many excited about him to help set up a win for Chennai Super Kings in MS Dhoni’s first match back as captain. This was Super Kings’ third win in nine matches this IPL. It was mostly a vintage Super Kings innings: a slow and steady start, consistent ac-

celeration through the middle overs, batters who get in going on to play big innings. Gaikwad fell one short of a hundred, opening partner Devon Conway scored an unbeaten 85 off 55, and the two added 182, the highest stand this IPL. The defence of 202 wasn’t an easy one with the absence of the injured Dwayne Bravo adding to their bowling woes, but Maheesh Theekshana and Ravindra Jadeja went for just a run a ball in the seven overs

between them to help create wickets at the other end. And, Mukesh Choudhary starred with four wickets for the defending champions.

Sunrisers eventually fell short by 13, which left them with 10 points from nine games, joint-fourth with Royal Challengers Bangalore but with a game in hand.

Slow and steady The 40 for 0 at the end of the powerplay was a typical Super Kings score. They like

their top-order batters to take their time early and then strike later. However, in doing even that, Conway was particularly slower, so Gaikwad had to be more assertive. Having seen the Marco Jansen meltdown

bounce took the top edge for a four. Markram’s third went for two sixes off Gaikwad’s bat, but there wasn’t much Williamson could do about that. The crowning glory was the off-drive off Malik for a

drop this IPL out of five catches that have gone to him, came back with the ball to have Abhishek caught at long-on and Rahul Tripathi ramping a short ball straight to short third man. That turned the

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway added 182 runs for the first wicket (BCCI) at the death in their last match, Kane Williamson bowled three of his overs inside the powerplay, just for 19 runs.

Washington injures himself again It might be the same split webbing as Washington Sundar injured himself while trying to save a boundary. He hadn’t even started bowling at that time, which left Kane Williamson a tough call to fit in the fifth bowler.

Gaikwad, Conway break free So the replacement for Wa s h i n g t o n w a s A i d e n Markram with his part-time off-spin. They let him bowl the first over, but from the eighth over onwards, Gaikwad began the onslaught. First up was Umran Malik, whose pace and hard lengths in the middle overs have given Sunrisers an edge in this IPL. Gaikwad, though, loves pace when he is in. At 28 off 23 at the start of the eighth over, he was properly in.

Gaikwad went over cover first and then over long-on to take 13 off the eighth over.

Conway dished out the same treatment to Markram in his second, finally going past a run a ball.

The quickest ball of the tournament, bowled at 154kmph by Malik, came back just as fast off Gaikwad’s bat and went between the stumps and the non-striker. A

six over long-off. Super Kings 117 for 0 in 12.

Jansen’s last-over blues Bhuvneshwar Kumar pulled things back a little with a boundary-less 13th over, Shashank Singh followed it up without incident to fulfil the fifth bowler’s quota, and Williamson went back to Jansen for the 15th. The idea, perhaps, was to not protect him from the death overs, but he didn’t bowl a great over. If his last over in the previous match cost Sunrisers 25, this one went for 20 and also brought up Conway’s fifty in the process.

A Gaikwad slowdown ensued in his 90s, and he fell for 99, trying to place a short and wide ball as opposed to hitting it hard. Bhuvneshwar Kumar - 4-0-22-0 - and Malik, who conceded just eight in the 19th, pulled things back, resulting in just 49 runs in the last five, but 202 was always going to be challenging for Sunrisers.

LUCK RUNS OUT Sunrisers had no choice but to come out with aggressive intent. It came off for the first few overs when Williamson got a free-hit that he hit for a six, Abhishek Sharma got three boundaries off edges, was dropped once, and 46 came in the first three overs.

Mukesh Choudhary, who had dropped a sitter, his third

powerplay Super Kings’ way even though 58 came off it.

The spin strangle Williamson now went into the anchoring mode, hoping the batters at the other end would take them closer before he hit out again. Theekshana’s unpredictability and Ravindra Jadeja’s accuracy, though, slowed them down.

When Markram tried to hit out against Mitchell Santner, his two sixes were followed up by a short ball pulled straight to deep midwicket.

The endgame It was now down to Williamson and Nicholas Pooran to play blinders, but this was not the day for blinders. They had left themselves too much to do - 101 in the last eight and despite a switch hit for a six and the odd boundary, they needed 78 from the last six, which was still manageable.

Dwaine Pretorius, though, benefited from all the pressure as Williamson went to ramp a ball, but was trapped right in front. Choudhary then signed off with the wickets of Shashank Singh and Washington, leaving them 50 to get off the last two.

Pooran fought, scoring a 29-ball fifty, but he had too much to do. Fifty from the last two was always going to be tough, never mind Pooran’s explosive batting.

That turned out to be the case.

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Lucknow Super Giants beat Delhi Capitals (ESPNCRICINFO) Half-centuries from KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda, followed up by a special spell from Mohsin Khan, sealed a tight six-run win for Lucknow Super Giants over Delhi Capitals on Sunday.

For Super Giants, the result appeared in doubt when their dropped catches and sloppy fielding gave Rishabh Pant’s men extra chances and bonus runs, but left-arm quick, Mohsin’s dismissals of Pant, Rovman Powell and Shardul Thakur in his last two overs appeared to end the contest.

Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav did rally at the death with an unbroken partnership of 41 in 3.2 overs, but Marcus Stoinis successfully defended 20 in the final over, conceding

Powell’s 21-ball 35 and Axar’s late burst of 42 not out in 24 balls, it was not enough. After nine games, Capitals now have more losses than wins, while Super Giants moved to second on the points table.

Rahul, Hooda impress Pant started with five different bowlers in the first five overs, but Quinton de Kock was unfazed for most of it, racing away to 23 in 11 balls, especially brutal on Chetan Sakariya. However, Thakur had him caught at point in the fifth over, bringing Hooda in to bat alongside a sedate Rahul.

Hooda started aggressively, hitting four of his first five boundaries through the covers off Axar and Kuldeep.

Rahul, meanwhile, got to 27 in 24 balls, before hammering

fell early to the seamers, mis-timing a length and short ball respectively. Shaw was the first to go in the second over, top-edging a pull off the tall Dushmantha Chameera while Warner mis-hit a pull off Mohsin to midwicket.

That brought in Marsh and Pant early, and instead of looking to rebuild, they counter-attacked. Krunal Pandya’s fourth over went for three fours and a six off Pant’s bat, and the fifth from Jason Holder went for two sixes and a four. To end the powerplay, Chameera was hit for two fours and a six.

Together, the duo had struck 53 runs between overs four to six to finish on 66 for 2 after the powerplay.

And then came the ghost wicket. Marsh, on 37, and

Mohsin Khan celebrates the wicket of Shardul Thakur (BCCI) 14, to seal the win.

It was the second time that the team winning the toss and batting first in this tournament was victorious. Rahul (77) and Hooda (52) struck a partnership of 95 in 61 balls after Super Giants opted to bat first, and it was a decision that paid off since they made early use of a surface that did not offer big bounce but stayed slow and low as the game progressed. Despite the lack of a big flurry at the death with wickets in hand, they still finished on 195 for 3.

It was a target that needed runs from Prithvi Shaw and David Warner in the second innings, and after both openers fell early, Capitals were always behind in the game.

Despite Mitchell Marsh’s 20ball 37, Pant’s 30-ball 44,

Kuldeep and the seamers in the next 11 balls to reach his fifty in 35 deliveries. Hooda, too, raced to a 32-ball fifty in the 14th over. Even though Hooda moved around in his crease, his shots weren’t audacious; he hit six fours and just the lone six.

Rahul charged along after his fifty. With Hooda falling to Thakur soon after his half-century, Rahul hit two more sixes off the seamers. But he wasn’t getting much support from the other end, with Marcus Stoinis, the No. 4, struggling to find fluency. Rahul fell in the 19th over as the third Thakur wicket, and a final-over six from Stoinis took Super Giants into the 190s.

A CHAOTIC START TO THE CHASE Warner and Shaw both

looking imperious against both spin and pace, tried to punch a skiddy K Gowtham delivery, only to miss it. The umpire gave him out caught behind, and Marsh walked back.

However, replays showed that there was no spike when the ball passed the bat, and there was no way to pinpoint what caused the sound in real time.

The dismissal came against the run of play, and Capitals were 73 for 3 after 7.1 overs.

MOHSIN DOES THE DAMAGE With Pant around, and Powell having already produced a match-winning innings from the middle order, it was still game-on after Lalit Yadav fell for 3.

The Super Giants fielders - including Captain Rahul dropped regulation catches

and slipped up in the field, and Pant and Powell made the most of the unforced errors to build another partnership.

Gowtham, playing in the XI instead of Avesh Khan, due to more left-handers in the Capitals line-up, was punished

by Powell for 6, 6, 4 as ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster gave Capitals a 24% chance of a win with six overs to go and 61 needed.

But Mohsin returned, and set Pant up with four length deliveries, including cutters,

up front. He then went full and had Pant failing to flick from around his pads, and saw his stumps flattened on 44.

Axar and Powell then found a couple of boundaries to keep the required run rate to around 12, but Mohsin’s final over provided the body blow. A length ball angling across was dragged by Powell to Krunal Pandya at deep midwicket. A few balls later, Shardul slog swept Mohsin to the same fielder, and it looked like the game was in the bag. But

Kuldeep and Axar eked out 15 off the penultimate over from Chameera to take it to the final over.

Rahul turned to Stoinis - who hadn’t bowled all day - for the 20th, and he started poorly, conceding a six off Kuldeep’s bat. But Stoinis returned with four tidy balls to take the equation out of reach. With 12 needed off one ball, Axar hit a six that was mere consolation for a side that fell one boundary-shot short.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 2, 2022

Arsenal beat West Ham 2-1

(BBC) - Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said it was the sign of a big team to be able to win ugly as the Gunners beat West Ham at the London Stadium to reclaim fourth spot in the Premier League.

The Gunners knew only a win would lift them back into the Champions League places after Tottenham beat Leicester earlier in the afternoon, but Mikel Arteta’s side responded by grinding out an important three points.

I t w a s A r t e t a ’s c e n tre-backs who came up with the goods, with Gabriel Magalhaes nodding the winner early in the second half after Rob Holding had opened the

scoring from Bukayo Saka’s 38th-minute corner.

“We didn’t play so well,” Arteta said.

“If I have to use a word it would be we won ugly. Big teams have to find a way to win ugly when they don’t play well.”

Speaking on Sky Sports, he added: “We found a way through set pieces and defending strongly. To win here at West Ham is credit to boys and shows the spirit we have.”

Jarrod Bowen did pull the Hammers level just before the break, controlling Vladimir Coufal’s cross and squeezing a strike into the bottom corner in what was a reward for a strong

Rob Holding scored his first Premier League goal on his 81st appearance

first-half performance.

But David Moyes’ outfit failed to reach those levels after going behind for a second time - and defeat leaves them seventh, three points behind sixth-placed Manchester United with three games remaining.

“I thought we had done well enough,” Moyes said.

“We conceded a couple of set pieces which we are normally very good at, both attacking and defending. We also made a few changes which left out some of the bigger players who might have been involved in those situations.

“We knew that was a risk and we got punished for it.”

Glamorgan draws with Derbyshire in nail-biting final day

(ESPNCRICINFO) - Glamorgan narrowly failed to pull off a thrilling run chase as the LV=Insurance County Championship Division Two match at Derby

ended in a pulsating draw.

Set 331 in 55 overs, Marnus Labuschagne with 85 from 87 balls and Sam Northeast’s 81 off 101 balls put Glamorgan on

course before fast bowler Ryan Sidebottom raised D e r b y s h i r e ’s v i c t o r y hopes with 4 for 50.

Sidebottom removed Northeast to reduce Glamorgan to 308 for 8 but

Barcelona hold on to beat Mallorca

Memphis Depay scored his 11th La Liga goal of the season (BBC) - Barcelona held on to beat Mallorca in La Liga to end a run of three home defeats in a row in all competitions.

Never have Barca lost four successive games at the Nou Camp, and goals from Memphis Depay and Sergio Busquets ensured history would not be made.

Depay lashed in a su-

perb opener after taking down Jordi Alba’s ball before Busquets doubled the advantage after the break from outside the penalty box.

Antonio Raillo pulled one back with 10 minutes to go for the visitors.

The Mallorca captain turned Salva Sevilla’s freekick in with his knee, but

the visitors never really threatened to find a leveller.

It means Xavi’s side return to second in the table, 15 points behind champions Real Madrid and two above third-placed Sevilla with four games to play.

Mallorca sit 16th, just one point above the relegation zone.

James Harris and Timm van der Gugten, batting with a runner, held on for the draw.

Derbyshire wicketkeeper Brooke Guest had earlier scored his second century of the game to equal a 126-year record when he became only the second Derbyshire ‘keeper to make two hundreds in a match.

Wayne Madsen also scored an unbeaten 135, sharing a third wicket stand of 276 in 76 overs with Guest, before Derbyshire declared on 349 for 3.

David Lloyd with 49 launched the chase with Labuschagne but the Glamorgan captain was issued with a Level One warning on the field for abusive language after he was given out, lbw, by umpire Paul Pollard.

Guest and Madsen batted through the morning to set up the drama that unfolded against an attack that was a bowler down after van der Gugten left the field yesterday with a hamstring injury.

Guest reached his landmark when he cut the leg-spin of Labuschagne for his ninth four to complete his second

hundred and equal the record set by Bill Storer against Yorkshire at Derby in 1896.

Madsen celebrated yet another century, his 33rd first-class hundred for the county, by cutting Andrew Salter to the boundary and the pair scored 117 runs in the session to take the lead to 268.

Derbyshire made their intentions clear after lunch with Guest dispatching a Salter full toss over the ropes at long-on and pulling Lloyd’s medium pace for another six.

The declaration came when Guest was caught behind down the leg side, leaving Glamorgan to score at more than six an over to achieve victory.

Derbyshire took only four balls to get their first wicket with Salter falling to a superb diving catch by Leus du Plooy at third slip off Suranga Lakmal.

The big wicket was Labuschagne and Sam Conners twice found his outside edge only for the ball to fly wide of the slips.

When he did offer a chance, Derbyshire failed to take it with Mattie

McKiernan spilling an edged drive off Sidebottom at first slip on 27.

That was always likely to prove costly and Labuschagne twice drove off-spinner Alex Thomson for six on his way to a 49 ball 50.

Lloyd was one away from a half-century when he played across the line at Sidebottom and was lbw; he was clearly unhappy with the decision and was issued with the warning for swearing loudly as he marched up the pavilion steps.

Labuschagne was dropped again on 74 by Guest but Sidebottom finally got him when he failed to clear cover.

Kiran Carlson’s 37 from 35 balls and Chris Cooke with 32 from 25 gave Glamorgan the momentum but Sidebottom and Anuj Dal stemmed the run flow and, crucially, took wickets.

Northeast pulled Dal for six but when he drove Sidebottom to third man in the penultimate over with 23 still needed, Glamorgan called off the chase with both teams taking 14 points after an enthralling final day.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 2, 2022

Track report arrowhead league…

Big names set big standards at opening meet of Arrowhead League

DESPITE a late start to the first ever track and field league in Guyana, it was an emphatic start to the league by some of the biggest names in Guyana’s athletics at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora.

Right out of the blocks, Guyana Defence Force’s top sprinter Akeem Stewart set the league on fire with a blistering 10.40s to set the 100 metres men’s meet record in a final that was hotly contested. Noelex Holder of Police finished in second with a time of 10.48s while Shamar Horatio finished third in 10.58s.

Switching to the women’s 200 metres, Keliza Smith of Running Brave Athletics Club was nothing short of spectacular, clocking 23.99s to win the women’s final and set the meet record ahead of Ruth Sanmoogan (GDF) who clocked 24.57s for second. Natrena Hooper of GDF finished third in 25.10s.

Nevertheless, the race of the day was arguably the men’s 400 metres with a run to the finish between Running Brave’s Simeon Adams and Hopetown Flames’ Revon Williams with clear animosity between the two.

However, it was Adams who came out on top, out-dipping, Williams at the finish line to clock 48.28s to set the meet record. Williams finished in 48.41s while Michael James of GDF finished in third with 49.30s.

Meanwhile, Javelin national record holder, Leslain Baird (GDF), made a competitive return to sports after 13 months due to a knee injury with a throw of 70.06 metres to set the meet record.

Keliza Smith comfortably wins the women’s 200 metres final at the Arrowhead League Kleon Spelling (Police) finished in second with a throw of 66.09 metres while Joshua Tappin finished third with a throw of 58.64 metres.

2022 Carifta gold, silver and bronze medalist, Attoya Har-

Bad light denies grandstand finish after Compton, Robinson anchor Kent rearguard

(ESPNCRICINFO) - Yorkshire were denied the opportunity to chase 114 in the final 21 overs of a pulsating final day by bad light as Kent secured an LV= Insurance County Championship draw at Headingley.

Umpires Graham Lloyd and Steve O’Shaughnessy took the players off the field before a ball had been bowled in the Yorkshire chase following impressive innings from Kent trio, Ben Compton (93), Grant Stewart (91) and Ollie Robinson (85 not out).

Kent looked to be in safe waters at 384 for 6 in their second innings, a lead of 104 and time running out.

But Yorkshire captain Steve Patterson was at the heart of a loss of four wickets for nine runs in 24 balls. He claimed three of them to finish with 5 for 54 in 29.3 overs, only for the 38-year-old’s return to go unrewarded.

Credit should go to Kent, though. They avoided a third defeat in four games and denied their hosts a second win in three to start 2022.

Opener Compton and wicketkeeper Robinson played similarly doughty innings, while injured all-rounder Stewart (hamstring) was far more aggressive as he struggled for mobility and required a runner.

Ben Compton’s prolific run of form continued with 93 for Kent vs Yorkshire (Getty Images) Kent started the day on 118 for 2, trailing by 162.

Compton is now the top division’s leading run-scorer with 560 and fell before lunch to leave the score at 182 for 5.

Stewart and Robinson then shared 166 for the seventh wicket, a Kent record in matches versus Yorkshire, either side of tea having come together at 218 for 6, a deficit of 62 with 56 overs still to bowl.

At that stage, Yorkshire were on top. The pair dug in initially before Stewart opened his shoulders.

His 58-ball fifty was almost twice as quick as his partner’s. Kent reached tea at 312 for 6, leading by 32 with 35 overs remaining in the game.

And they all but doubled the lead in the first two overs of the evening, including

Stewart hitting two sixes to take the lion’s share of 20 off a Jordan Thompson over.

More runs were to follow, with Stewart’s 91-ball innings featuring four sixes, all either slog swept or pulled.

But he was run out clipping to mid-on before Patterson trapped Matt Milnes lbw and had Nathan Gilchrist and Matt Quinn caught at mid-off to raise home hopes of a first 24-point haul since the final game of 2018.

Instead, they had to settle for 16 points to Kent’s 11.

Last week, Yorkshire were thwarted for the first time in as many weeks when they were unable to take 10 wickets on day four against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

Stewart suffered a hamstring problem whilst bowling on day three and required Jordan Cox as a runner when he

arrived at the crease.

Yorkshire’s bid for victory, meanwhile, was hampered by the loss of Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf, who was unable to bowl in the second innings with a side issue.

Play was watched by new Yorkshire chair, Lord Kamlesh Patel and dignitaries of one of the club’s new principal partners, Clean Slate Studioz, including owner Karnesh Sharma - the brother-in-law of Virat Kohli.

An overcast sky hung above Headingley for the majority of the day, with the floodlights turned on as early as the second over of the day.

So it was no real surprise that bad light played its part.

Yorkshire’s first breakthrough came via Patterson, who removed opposing captain Jack Leaning, his former team-mate and close friend, for 36.

When Leaning under-edged behind attempting to leave alone in the day’s sixth over, the 56th of the innings, Kent were 126 for three with a deficit of 154.

George Hill then struck twice with his canny medium pacers before Patterson’s late intervention.

The match was deemed a draw just before 5.45pm, half an hour after bad light initially intervened.

vey won her first race on home soil since returning from her success at the Carifta Games to set the meet standard in the women’s 800 metres with a time of 2:16.12s. 2022 Carifta 400m silver medalist, Narissa McPherson, clocked 2:16.36s to finish second in a tight finish between herself and her club-mate in Harvey. Finishing in third was Shaquka Tyrell with a time of 2:18.07s.

The Men’s high jump was won by Mark Jhalu with a leap of 2.10 metres to set a new meet record, finishing ahead of Isaiah Lewis with a jump of 1.97 metres.

Sanmoogan was able to win the women’s long jump with a leap of 6.18 metres to set the meet standard while Ameka Eastman won the women’s discus with a throw of 35.03 metres to put her name on the meet record as well.

The men’s 1500 metres was won by Guyana’s South American 10k champion, Marlon Nicholson with a time of 4:11.89s. Second was Anfernee Headecker with 4:12.88s while Sir Kennard Hartog finished in third with a time of 4:18.80s.

GCB conveys deep regrets to Permaul on the death of his mother THE cricket fraternity has just been hit by the sad news of the unfortunate demise of Waynumattie Permaul, called ‘Dataley, the mother of well-known National and West Indies cricketer, Veersammy Permaul.

Consequently, the president and executive members of the Guyana Cricket Board wish to express sincere condolences to Veerasammy Permaul and his family at her passing. “We trust that you gather strength and fortitude to withstand the pains and sorrow associated with this tragedy.”

May her soul rest in peace.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 2, 2022

Track report arrowhead league…

Big names set big standards at opening meet of Arrowhead League SEE PAGE

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Akeem Stewart sprints through the line to win the men’s 100m

Lucknow Super Giants CSK wins as beat Delhi Capitals Dhoni returns SEE PAGE

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SEE PAGE

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Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway added 182 runs for the first wicket (BCCI)

Mohsin Khan celebrates the wicket of Shardul Thakur (BCCI)

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MONDAY, MAY 2, 2022