Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_07_11_2020

SATURDAY 7th November, 2020

' No.106176

Over $10B in projects ‘unlocked’ SEE PAGE 03

–– shore-base expansion, other oil service facilities on the cards PPP/C ready 12 for LGE, but wants ‘fixers’ at GECOM removed

Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha President, Dr. Vindyha Persaud with others at ‘Deep Jale’, an event to usher in Deepavali, the Festival of Lights, which was hosted by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha at the Kitty Seawall Roundabout on Thursday evening (Photo by Delano Williams)

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Ex-cop extradited to US, to face 09 cocaine charges PAGE

Belgium cocaine 'bust': two shippers released, three other suspects wanted 10 PAGE

Biden edges closer to victory, Trump vows to fight

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 7, 2020

Harmon needs to take several seats back

–– Jagdeo says, contends Opposition Leader has no moral ground to talk about Walrond’s citizenship VICE-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo said Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister, Oneidge Walrond is a non-politician who renounced her US citizenship to serve her country, and has described recent commentary about her citizenship as “a storm in a teacup”.

The Opposition has criticised the legality of the minister’s appointment as a Member

of Parliament, accusing her of being a US citizen when she was sworn in as a Government minister.

Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs had confirmed that Minister Walrond lost her United States (US) citizenship “immediately” upon taking an Oath of Renunciation.

The Clerk also publicly revealed that Walrond’s certificate of loss of nationality

was approved on September 8, 2020, by Consular Section Chief of the US Embassy, Karen K. Wiebelhaus.

Minister Walrond was not a candidate for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) in the March 02, 2020 elections, but was selected to be a technocrat minister, which basically means that she has no voting power in the National Assembly.

Jagdeo, during a press con-

ference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) on Friday said many people do not want to give up anything to serve their country, but a non-politician like Oneidge Walrond did, and it should be commended.

“I think it’s a storm in a teacup; she has explained why already. She did not commit fraud,” Jagdeo said when questioned about the minister.

Jagdeo explained that Min-

ister Walrond did not sign a declaration form as is done upon submission of the parties’ list to the Guyana Elections Commission, and she did not mislead the country like others who were found to be illegal in the National Assembly.

“Harmon (Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon) out of every person in the world should be the last person to talk about this, because had it not been for Charandass, then they would have never left the National Assembly,” he said.

The Vice-President said the minister received the certificate of her renunciation a few days after her appointment.

GREAT SACRIFICE “A person who came in as a technocrat; a great sacrifice to do this. And that is the big issue. What about the persons transferring thousands of acres of people’s lands, and nobody pays attention to it. But Oneidge Walrond, who collected her certificates two days late, is a big issue in the country now?” Jagdeo questioned.

He continued: “We have to defend decent people who are trying to work.”

U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Officer, Violeta Talandis has clarified that renunciation of one’s citizenship becomes official once a person appears before the Consular Officer, requesting such under the Immigration and Naturalisation Act, Section 349(a)(5).

Walrond, an attorney by profession, said she was asked

by President Irfaan Ali, on August 5, 2020, to serve as a member of his Cabinet; an offer which she said she accepted, because it afforded her the opportunity to serve the people of Guyana.

“As an attorney-at-law, and being mindful of my status as a U.S. citizen, I sought the counsel of other attorneys on whether the sections of the Constitution prohibiting elected members from being dual citizens applied to me as a technocrat minister.

“Despite advice that this provision did not extend to technocrats, out of an abundance of caution, I decided to renounce my citizenship, to put the matter beyond all doubt and avoid any distraction to the good work of the

Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister, Ms. Oneidge Walrond

Government,” said Minister Walrond.

According to the Tourism Minister, she wrote the U.S. Consular Office on August 18, 2020, renouncing herself of citizenship to that country, with immediate effect.

“I was thereof informed of the administrative procedure I must comply with to obtain a Certificate of Loss of Nationality of the United States. I complied with that process by August 27,” said the minister.

After completing the process, Minister Walrond said she was issued a Certificate of Loss of Nationality, prior to taking the oath to serve as a parliamentarian.

The issue of dual citizenship came up in 2019, after former member of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Charrandas Persaud, crossed the floor in favour of the then Opposition PPP/C in a No-Confidence Motion against the APNU+AFC Government in December 2018.

Following legal challenges, the Court of Appeal ruled that a person holding dual citizenship was not entitled to be a member of the National Assembly.

Walrond said she was disappointed to see the extent to which persons on social media sought to attack and vilify each other, as they took positions on the issue.

Those persons were encouraged to raise their standard of interaction, as it will fortify cohesion and promote unity in Guyana.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 7, 2020

Over $10B in projects ‘unlocked’ –– shore-base expansion, other oil service facilities on the cards

By Navendra Seoraj IN just three months, the Government has managed to “open the gate” for more than US$50 million (over G$10 billion) in private investments by simply granting permits to developers, who, in some cases, have been waiting for more than two years for permission to start their operations.

As evidenced by the new Government’s approach, this could have been a simple process, but it was delayed by the former A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government, said Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo during a press briefing at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Friday.

“We have had to work aggressively with Lands and Surveys [Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission] and the City Council to issue the permits to many companies, locally-owned or significantly locally-owned, who are supplying services to the oiland- gas sector.

“Some have been waiting

and languishing for two-anda-half years to get a simple building permit, because some minister wanted to get their hands on something; and that is what was stalling a lot of projects,” Mr. Jagdeo said.

With Guyana fast becoming the new investment capital of the region, Government saw it fit to work aggressively to rectify this issue, so that more investors would be encouraged to enter the economy.

The companies which were granted approval are interested mainly in expanding or constructing shore bases or other oil-service facilities around or on the outskirts of the City.

It was reported recently that Guyana, a fledgling petroleum state, is fast becoming a magnet for major investors in the oil-and- gas sector, attracting even some Fortune 500 companies which have started to ‘migrate’ here from Brazil, and Trinidad and Tobago.

With a projected Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 26.2 per cent for

Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo

2020, Guyana, being one of the only countries in this hemisphere that is expected to see positive growth, is seen as the ideal investment destination.

It was already reported that the Government of Guyana is actively encouraging Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and offering tax concessions for priority projects through its Guyana Office for

Investment (Go-Invest).

“Already, a lot of current foreign direct investors are expanding their services to Guyana; they are even moving their headquarters to this country… These are being moved from Trinidad and Tobago, and even Brazil, to Guyana,” said Go-Invest’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Peter Ramsaroop during a recent interview

with the Guyana Chronicle.

Most of these companies are focused on offering oilfield support services to the offshore operations in the oil-and-gas sector.

Oil-and-gas services are considered to be a supportive part for the oil exploration and production companies.

They are services that include oil well maintenance, completion, production, supply, and logistical support services in both onshore and offshore activities.

These services will be offered directly to ExxonMobil, the company operating in the Stabroek, Canje and Kaieteur Blocks offshore Guyana.

Some 18 discoveries have so far been made in the Stabroek Block since 2015, but just three projects have so far been sanctioned: Liza One, Two and Payara. The operator, ExxonMobil, expects this to ramp up to around five by 2026, generating more than 750,000 barrels of oil per day. Since 2015, ExxonMobil has increased its estimated recoverable resource base in Guyana to more than nine billion oil-equivalent barrels.

Among some of the companies already servicing ExxonMobil’s operations are Schlumberger and Halliburton, both Fortune 500 companies.

And, even in the absence of a comprehensive policy, it has been reported that Guyanese businesses have been contributing to the oiland-gas supply chain, which includes services such as transportation, and even professional ones ranging from lawyers, accountants and even auditors.

It has also been reported that ExxonMobil and its prime contractors have spent over $300 million with more than 700 local companies since 2015.

Also, more than 2,500 Guyanese companies are registered with the Centre for Local Business Development, which was founded by ExxonMobil and its partners in 2017, to build the capacity of local businesses to support global competitiveness.

Biden edges closer to victory, Trump vows to fight Democrat Joe Biden edged closer to winning the White House on Friday, expanding his narrow leads over President Donald Trump in the battleground states of Pennsylvania and Georgia even as Republicans sought to raise $60 million to fund lawsuits challenging the results.

Trump remained defiant, vowing to press unfounded claims of fraud as a weary, anxious nation waited for clarity in an election that only intensified the country’s deep polarization.

On the fourth day of vote counting, former Vice President Biden had a 253 to 214 lead in the state-by-state Electoral College vote that determines the winner, according to Edison Research.

Securing Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes would put Biden over the 270 he needs to win the presidency after a political career stretching back nearly five decades.

Biden would also win if he prevails in two of the three other key states where he was narrowly ahead on Friday: Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. Like Pennsylvania, all three were still processing ballots on Friday.

Nationwide, Biden led Trump by 4.1 million votes out of a record 147 million cast.

However, his lead was much smaller in those four contested states: just 84,670 votes out of more than 16 million cast. In Georgia, he led by a mere 3,974 votes.

As Biden’s lead grew in

US President Donald Trump

Pennsylvania, hundreds of Democrats gathered outside Philadelphia’s downtown vote-counting site, wearing yellow shirts reading “Count Every Vote.” In Detroit, a crowd of Trump support-

Democrat Joe Biden

ers, some armed, protested outside a counting location, waving flags and chanting, “Fight!” Under the banner of “Stop the Steal,” Trump supporters planned 62 separate rallies for Friday and Saturday.

Biden planned to deliver a prime-time address on Friday, according to two people familiar with his schedule. His campaign expected that could be a victory speech if television networks call the race for him in the coming hours.

Meanwhile, Trump showed no sign he was ready to concede, as his campaign pursued a series of lawsuits that legal experts said were unlikely to alter the election outcome.

“Joe Biden should not wrongfully claim the office of the President. I could make that claim also. Legal proceedings are just now beginning!” he wrote on Twitter.

Trump earlier leveled an extraordinary attack on the democratic process, appearing at the White House on

Thursday evening to falsely claim the election was being “stolen” from him. Election officials across the nation have said they are unaware of any significant irregularities.

Some of Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress said he should tone down his rhetoric.

The Republican National Committee is looking to collect at least $60 million from donors to fund Trump’s legal challenges, two sources familiar with the matter said.

In both Pennsylvania and Georgia, Biden overtook Trump as officials processed thousands of mail-in ballots that were cast in urban Democratic strongholds including Philadelphia and Atlanta.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 7, 2020

COVID cruelty ― cases of women in Jamaica being abused, kicked out of their homes going to court Rights group Jamaicans For Justice (JFJ) says it is now preparing to take to court more than 20 cases of gender-based violence, some of which involve women being kicked out of their homes by their male partners.

The numbers of incidents, it appears, is being enhanced by an increase in frustration levels triggered by the stay-athome protocol implemented by the Government to limit the spread of novel coronavirus, leading to several advocacy groups pleading for more targeting of resources and programmes.

Rodje Malcolm, director of rights group Jamaicans For Justice (JFJ), said since May when the entity launched its free legal services for people affected by gender-based violence, it has seen a great demand on those services.

“During this first phase of the new initiative, Jamaicans For Justice has provided free legal advice to dozens of persons affected by domestic and gender-based violence.

We’ve provided free legal consultations over the phone, online, and in person. Beyond free legal advice, our attorneys are presently working

on 25 active cases,” Malcolm told the Jamaica Observer following Wednesday’s launch of a multimedia messaging campaign entitled ‘Violence against Women and Children in the time of COVID-19’, developed in partnership with the Canadian High Commission.

“During the next phase or our work we will be expanding the scope of our active casework to reach more persons in need,” Malcolm added.

He said there are other cases of women who have been abused but who have opted not to report the matter to the police.

According to Nastassia Robinson, JFJ’s legal officer, over the last few months attorneys have been kept particularly busy with matters concerning direct physical violence from male partners.

“We have seen child sexual abuse matters coming in specifically as it relates to girls.

We have also seen women in marriages who are either being put out of their houses, or being forced out of their homes, and are now seeking our assistance in either finding alternative residence or challenging their husband’s ability to put them out of their

houses,” Robinson said.

“Since we have launched this project we have definitely seen an increase in persons who come to Jamaicans For Justice reporting these matters,” she said further.

downloaded its template for the affidavits of support needed by the court.

Executive director of Woman Inc, Joyce Hewitt, described the levels of violence against females being brought

The rights group said, as part of its efforts to combat the issue, it has trained roughly 200 people since May on how to handle domestic abuse and gender-based violence issues and has, beyond legal services, made legal material available to the general public to make it easier to access justice on their own.

It has also provided online versions of court applications and easy-to-use templates for legal documents such as affidavits that people can download and edit. So far, JFJ says 173 people have downloaded editable versions of the application form for protection orders under the Domestic Violence Act, and 163 people have

to their attention as “more extreme”.

“Over the past few months, one of the key things that has occurred with Woman Inc with regard to COVID is, we haven’t actually seen an increase in the calls, but we have seen where the cases are much more extreme, where the level of violence is more extreme... some insidious kinds of things, such as women being forced to leave their homes,” she said.

Hewitt also noted that, because of the size of the shelter operated by Woman Inc, the facility is now “even more pressed” because of the need for people to observe the social distancing protocol.

“We are in a precarious

situation and we are doing the best we can. We are trying very hard to help every woman who comes in,” she stated.

Eve for Life’s Joy Crawford said that entity has seen a very interesting triad.

“We have been impacted

by COVID. We knew the violence would have escalated because we are in communities, and we have a mentorship programme; we have been at the forefront of seeing the impact of the violence, particularly on young women, clients who are pregnant or living with HIV or other illnesses, impacted by violence... because they can’t go and get the support that they need,” she said.

However, Crawford said the stay-at-home measures have yielded some surprising positives.

“We recently saw a very interesting dynamic where male perpetrators — who have been in these households for months and we have been trying to engage them — because they have not been able to walk out of the house, [they] are now having to face themselves, and we have a few who have said, ‘I want to address this, I want to be counselled’,” she shared.

JFJ’s Malcolm said the campaign takes on added significance because violence against women and children is particularly complicated for

society, as it is not straightforward crime and actually involves a marrying of the provision of services that respond, prevent, and protect, as well as activities that confront the attitudes and stereotypes and prejudices that create that type of violence.

The campaign, which involves a mixed media approach to gender-based violence, will, over the next two to three months, see a series of public service announcements online and on television. It also includes short features addressing violence against girls in the home and one addressing household violence.

“These products ask the questions, is your home safe, it doesn’t just mean is your home physically safe, it means is your home safe when you are not there? Is your home a safe space for someone like a child to tell you what is happening? Are your actions providing safety for your children?” Malcolm said.

One in four Jamaican women, or 25 per cent, have experienced physical violence at the hands of a male partner and several have been sexually abused.

The campaign is a deliverable under the Justice Undertaking for Social Transformation (JUST) Programme. (Jamaica Observer)

Around 150 feared dead after Guatemala storm

SATURDAY, NOV. 7, 2020 ― 10:00hrs - 11:30hrs

Guatemala’s army has reached a remote village where dozens of houses were buried by mudslides triggered by Storm Eta’s torrential rains.

President Alejandro Giammattei said around 100 people were feared dead in Quejá in the central region of Alta Verapaz.

Bad weather has hampered rescue efforts while roads are still blocked and large areas remain flooded.

Earlier, the authorities had confirmed at least 50 deaths across the country.

Eta made landfall in neighbouring Nicaragua on Tuesday as a Category Four hurricane with winds of 140mph (225km/h) and torrential rains.

It then weakened into a tropical depression as it moved into neighbouring Honduras and later Guatemala.

President Giammattei said rescue efforts were limited by the country having only one helicopter adequate for these operations.

“We have a lot of people

trapped [whom] we have not been able to reach,” he said. A state of emergency has been declared in many areas.

The president described the situation in Queja as “critical”. No bodies have yet been recovered from the area.

We n d i M u n g u í a Figueroa, 48, who lives in La Lima, a San Pedro Sula suburb, told the Associated Press: “We can’t get off our houses’ roofs because the water is up to our necks in the street.”

of Covid-19.”

He added: “We make a call to the international community to accelerate the process of recovery and reconstruction.”

On Friday, the storm was off Belize’s coast and

Bad weather has hampered rescue efforts in Alta Verapaz (BBC photo)

In neighbouring Honduras, at least 10 deaths have been confirmed, with hundreds of people reportedly waiting to be rescued from flooded areas.

On Twitter, Foreign Affairs Minister Lisandro Rosales said: “The destruction that Eta leaves us is enormous and public finances are at a critical moment because

heading out to the Caribbean Sea, charting a course to Cuba and Florida this weekend, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). (BBC)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 7, 2020

COVID-19 claims three more lives

THREE persons have lost their lives to the dreaded novel coronavirus (COVID-19) within the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 134.

The Ministry of Health has expressed condolences to the families of those persons, and pledged to make every effort to provide all the necessary support

Intensive Care Unit (ICU); 74 persons in institutional isolation; and 770 persons in home isolation.

In the wake of the proliferation of cases, the

Health authorities have identified the recent victims as being a 58-year-old male from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), another male, 56 years old, from Region One (Barima-Waini), and a 74-yearold female from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

According to available information, the persons died while receiving treatment for symptoms related to COVID-19 at a local health facility.

during this difficult time.

Officials of the ministry have since contacted all relatives and persons to facilitate contact tracing and rapid assistance to everyone who might have been exposed to the victims.

The country has recorded 64 new cases of COVID-19 between Thursday and Friday, pushing the total number of cases to 4,457.

Of those cases, 3,467 persons have recovered, while there are 11 individuals in the COVID-19

authorities have urged persons to abide by the COVID-19 control measures.

The updated COVID–19 Emergency Measures (No. Eight) will expire on November 30, 2020, unless earlier terminated, extended or amended by notice of the Minister of Health, after an assessment of the prevailing public health conditions of the pandemic.

As per these measures, all persons are required to wear face masks when

leaving their homes.

Physical distancing and adequate sanitisation are also important. The curfew is now 22:30 hours to 04:00 hours.

Persons with symptoms of COVID-19 are asked to call the COVID-19 hotline numbers: 231-1166; 226-7480;

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 7, 2020

Tajeram Mohabir

The gifted son is back Dr. Ashni Singh, former Finance Minister under the administrations of then Presidents Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar, was once again sworn in as a senior minister with responsibilities for finance, but this time under the Office of the President.

There was speculation on the PPP/C Government’s eventual choice for the vital post of Finance Minister, and the hope was palpable when the position was left open for so long, that the choice would have been Dr. Singh, the financial ‘whizz kid’, whom it was presumed was fulfilling contractual obligations before returning to Guyana.

And that hope fructified into reality last Thursday, November 5, 2020, when Dr. Singh took the oath of office, administered

by President Irfaan Ali in the presence of Cabinet ministers and other Government officials at a ceremony at the Office of the President.

President Ali remarked that Guyana is on a road of transformation, requiring a multifaceted team with youth and experience, both of which Dr. Singh has. Based on chronology, the experience he would have acquired over the years in various high-profile positions is boosted by his natural

intellectual brilliance. Guyana’s financial fortunes; fortunes being the operative word, could not reside in better hands.

According to the President, Government needs to build capacity to manage the fortunes of citizens, and create an environment in which all Guyanese can be successful.

He informed that Dr. Singh will be part of the team that will manage projects, programmes, and policies to stimulate growth, and expand the country’s economic base, and strengthen existing sectors, among others.

It speaks to the character-defining humility of Guyana’s super-achieving Finance Minister, whom is among Guyana’s brightest and most shining intellectual stars, that in his acceptance speech, he said: “I have spent almost all of my life in public service in Guyana, and it’s something that I consider a great honour. So, having been invited by the President to join his Cabinet is a tremendous honour. I consider myself greatly honoured; greatly privileged. And perhaps, most importantly, deeply humbled by the fact that he (President Ali) considered me for this appointment, and extended the invitation to me.”

It is evident Dr. Singh recognises, and

has accepted the challenges he faces with a once-again bankrupted economy, and his acknowledgment that he is entering office at a time when global economies are facing tremendous hardship, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, iterating, “I am under no illusion of the magnitude of the challenges before us, from the point of view of economic policy, implementation and management in Guyana.”

Dr. Singh had piloted Guyana’s economy, pre-elections 2015, into safe waters, but has now returned to captain an endangered fiscal vessel, wrecked by the storms of maladministration and corruption.

The Irfaan Ali administration is being lauded, even by traditional Coalition supporters, for achievements and pre-election promises being kept in its first hundred days in office. The Government has implemented programmes, and put in place measures, especially the taxation repeal, that have alleviated many of the Coalition’s punitive policies that drastically reduced spending power, and strangled the private sector, even as the pandemic is raging in the country, with all its implications and deleterious consequences to the national economy and the social order.

Guyana was once a little-known country, often mistaken for Ghana on addresses, or for the infamy of the Jonestown massacre. However, thanks to the brilliant leadership and dynamism that has characterised PPP/C presidencies, especially those of Dr. Cheddi Jagan through his UN-adopted New Global Human Order, and Dr. Jagdeo with his Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and ‘Champion of the Earth’ award, among other qualitative leadership milestones, Guyana and its former presidents are on the radar of all the powerful nations and organisations in the world.

Prior to the elections of 2015, Guyana had achieved the status of a middle-income country, from being graphed globally as poorest nation in the world after Haiti.

After five years out of office, the PPP/C once again faces the uphill task of rebuilding and retooling every sector, simultaneously. However, with the return of Dr. Ashni Singh, the “A Team” is now complete, and Guyana, which was placed back on track on August 2, 2020, will now become a runaway train of economic growth and social development.

‘I stand by my vote’ Dear Editor, HAVING stated my reasons for taking a principled position on a motion which sought to disregard the authority of the Local Government Commission at the last Statutory meeting of Council, held on Monday, October 26, 2020, I made no further public comment on this matter, even in the face of Mayor Ubraj Narine capriciously making false and inaccurate utterances against me.

(I will address those statements by Mayor Narine about me in a subsequent communication.) However, a letter, headlined, “Councillor Chase-Green

should recall how PPP/C government ran roughshod over the city” in the November 5, 2020 issue of the Stabroek News and penned by Mr. Hamilton Green, Former Prime Minister and Former Mayor of Georgetown, caught my attention.

After reading the contents of that letter, I am led to believe that Former Mayor Green might not have been familiar with all the facts of the matter at hand. And while he has, facetiously, suggested in his letter that I am suffering from a “lapsus memoriae”, it is clear to me that Mr. Green has missed certain very critical points I raised

in my letter to the press, dated October 26, 2020.

In fact, in his letter, Mr. Green failed to address the crux of the matter, which is a deliberate and illegal attempt by some members of the City Council, by way of an improper motion, to disregard the authority of the Local Government Commission.

My decision to go against the motion turns upon this very point; nothing else.

Considering, more specifically, the content of his letter, three important points stand out: The perception of my voting with the PPP/C; the Local Government Commission; and loyalty. I shall now comment on these: 1. My voting against the

motion had nothing to do with the PPP/C. I understand the intentionally deceptive strategy, by an insincere few, which is to create the perception that by my voting against the motion, I voted with that political party.

Nothing could be further from the truth; it is not factual. The message from some quarters that I voted with the PPP/C is a complete farce.

But even if the members of that party (PPP/C) voted along a similar line, what does that have to do with me? As I said elsewhere, I took a principled position on this matter.

2. Not the PPP/C or the Ministry of Local Government; the Local Government

Commission. Mr. Green is attempting to put the improper action of the Council in the context of the turbulent environment that existed in the past, which adversely affected the relationship between the Council and the PPP/C government. It does not fit well. Whilst I can clearly remember the difficulties we have had with that political administration, we should not want to use those difficulties as an excuse to flout local government laws. If we do that, then we would be guilty of the same transgressions committed by those whom we seek to criticise in the past, and even now. A more critical point is the fact that this issue is not

about the PPP/C; it is about the Local Government Commission. The Local Government Commission Act 2013 has conferred powers on the Commission to, inter alia, approve or disapprove recommended appointments by the Council. To be clear, as far as I am aware, the PPP/C did not give any instruction whatsoever to the Council on this matter; the Local Government Commission did. Ironically, at the time of its decision, the Commission was being chaired by a member of the APNU+AFC coalition. If the actions of the Chairman and at least three members of the Coalition, TURN TO PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 7, 2020

Former President Donald Ramotar replies to Tony Vieira

Dear Editor,

I WISH to thank my good friend, Tony Vieira for his letter in the Stabroek News November 1, 2020. This was in reply to an earlier letter of mine on the challenges in the sugar industry.

In the beginning, let me say that I do not disagree with Tony on his “aquaculture” proposal; my view is that it does not have to be at the expense of sugar. We can do both, and aquaculture could be pursued in other areas of our country, which will provide even greater employment and wealth creation.

Some or all of the arguments by Mr. Vieira against sugar are really managerial in content, and the need to modernise the industry. I strongly believe that sugar still has a great future; that its best days could well be ahead of it.

The biggest challenge in achieving a vibrant industry is fundamentally managerial.

For instance, Tony had told us about getting cut canes to the factory within 48 hours. This is a logistical/ managerial issue; it should not be a determinant not to plant canes.

I do not agree with him

that our high cost of production is as a result of our rainfall pattern. I think a lot of it has to do with the inefficiencies in the factories; a problem that could be solved with, again, management, and some investments in the factories to enhance their extractive capacity.

Our rainfall issue is not a problem as Mr. Vieira implies, but more of a blessing.

We get two crops per year as compared to other countries, due to our rainfall pattern.

Mr. Vieira hinted at the problems of mechanisation, suggesting that it could not be done. However, if you look at the industry in Louisiana, which has similar conditions as ours, we see quite a lot of mechanisation there. The Louisiana industry found engineering solutions to softsoil conditions.

We in Guyana can go to semi-mechanisation. At Skeldon, for instance, field design was done to do both mechanical and semi-mechanical harvesting. Enmore lands were converted to facilitate similar harvesting, and also manual.

So we see that this is not re-inventing the wheel; it was being done. It has been done elsewhere in the world, and it certainly can be done here.

Indeed we had gone a considerable way in this direction before the industry was struck by “Hurricane PNC”.

I did mention in my earlier piece that we can produce ethanol without sacrificing

to the other, as the Brazilians do.

Raw-sugar price will not always be low, since the amount of countries gong out of sugar will surely create shortages, which would send

sugar production. My view is that we should arrange our factories to be able to switch quickly from sugar to ethanol, depending on the prevailing prices.

Implicit in Mr. Vieira’s letter is the idea that ethanol-price is stable; it is not.

It is a function of the price of fuel. That is why we should be able to switch from one

prices up again.

In any case, my view is that we should steer the industry away from producing raw sugar, to the multitude of products that it can do. In my previous piece, I mentioned some of the value-added products we can pursue.

The issue is a management one, firstly. We have to have the right people for the

‘I stand by ... who sat as commissioners on the Commission and took the decision to suspend the recommended appointments by the Council, were not called into question, then why am I being unfairly and unreasonably criticised by some for voting consistent with that decision? This is not only nonsensical, but very dangerous, because we are disregarding one of the very pillars that underpins Local Democracy: The Rule of Law. 3. Loyalty: In his final paragraph, the former Mayor said: “We are very disappointed that she is being disloyal to the group to which she belongs … If her views were not carried, she should remain loyal, unless she has other options or opportunities which may or may not be so.” I must make two comments here: (i) Loyalty is easy to be

misplaced. I have always been loyal to the Council, but it was and still is constantly betrayed. It is said that those who don’t know the value of loyalty can never appreciate the cost of betrayal. It is my considered view, and I hold firm to it, that one cannot breach personal and public trust, and then raise questions on loyalty. “If you cannot value a commitment made by someone else, your own commitments lose their value too,” Ram Mohan. If the Council, of which I am a member, attempts to break the law or treat flippantly important administrative protocols, as it is attempting to do with the recommended appointment of individuals of whom we don’t even know their competencies because the recruitment process used to shortlist them was seriously flawed, then it

jobs; I am not convinced that this is the case at the moment.

We are not tapping into all the rich experience that we have available here; mainly, highly-skilled Guyanese are “kicking bricks”.

Instead, we have some persons in place who seem woefully short, or totally lacking in the skills needed for this major effort to turn the industry around.

I spoke about attitudes both on the side of the managers and workers. For the industry to go forward, sacrifices have to be made in this period. The industry is almost on its back, and, therefore, we should ask management and senior persons to take a salary cut, to show total commitment to our cause.

We can’t pay the same salaries as when the industry was vibrant.

This is important, since it is clear that the workers would also have to be asked to sacrifice, too, in terms of wages at this time; we must not put all the burden on the workers.

Moreover, we must not confine ourselves to one form of ownership; we can have a rich mix. State-owned; the factories; joint ventures; private and cooperative owner-

FROM PAGE

is at the same time betraying my trust in it to do the right thing. In the circumstance, I have no obligation to support wrongdoing, but be committed to doing what is right. (ii) Loyalty to whom? At the last Local Government polls, I obtained thousands of votes from ordinary people to represent them at the local level. I must first be loyal to them.

One final point. I am surprised that Mr. Green has commented the way he did on this issue, trumpeting the virtues of loyalty. The history of this country shows that in 1992, when the former Prime Minister had a serious disagreement with the leader, Mr. Desmond Hoyte, over the political governance of the party, he took a certain position and acted in a way that was out of sync with the position of the

ship in agriculture, and in the production of new products.

Joint ventures and/or private in a new distillery in a new refinery and other products.

There are many other forms that can be explored.

To conclude, I believe that we need a strong technical team in the field as well as in the factory, to improve processes and to cut costs.

GuySuCo could save millions in switching to liquid fertilisers, which we can produce ourselves. Another area where we can save a lot is in procurement from where we purchase inputs could create significant savings, which the industry badly needs.

Failing to tackle these problems now; the people’s problem being the most important, will only result in throwing money at the problem; it is a path to failure, and to the demise of the industry.

We must avoid that; we can avoid that, and GuySuCo can take its place once again.

Sincerely, Donald Ramotar, Former President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana

6 leader and the party at the time. In fact, the disagreement facilitated the formation of the ‘A Good and Green Guyana’ political party, with Mr. Green as its leader, and some of us (crossing over from the PNC/R) as members. No one publicly accused Mr. Green of being disloyal to the group. However, it does appear that there is one set of rules for some, and a different set for others. I close with this quote: “Loyalty is the highest virtue taught by abusers, and used as control tool,” Dr. Bill Tollefson. I stand by my vote.

Patricia Chase-Green Former Mayor of the City of Georgetown

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 7, 2020

Parameters for gas-to-energy project being defined

–– cooking gas for entire country, 200-250 megawatts of power among potential benefits

By Navendra Seoraj

WITH the aim of moving to implementation in the first half of the new year, Government has started defining the parameters for the potential gas-to-energy project, which is expected to significantly reduce the cost of electricity, and produce other spin-off benefits.

“We have already started working on the gas-to-energy project… We have been defining the parameters of the project; we have already had several meetings with ‘Exxon’, so we are clearer on the parameters,” said Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo during a press briefing at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Friday.

Among Government’s aims, through this project, is to acquire between 200-250 megawatts of power, and to have enough gas to supply the entire country with cooking gas.

Part of the new People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government’s plans

The proposed gas-to-energy project is expected to significantly reduce the cost of electricity

is to reduce the cost of energy by 50 per cent through an energy mix, which includes the conversion of natural gas from ExxonMobil’s offshore operations to electricity.

President of ExxonMobil’s local operation, Alistair Routledge was reported recently as saying that about one-fifth of the resources discovered so far in the Stabroek Block contain natural gas, most of which would be

associated gas produced with the crude oil.

It is common knowledge that natural gas can be used to generate electricity in a variety of ways, but the local plan is to establish an industrial facility that generates electricity from primary energy, which, in this case, is natural gas.

Tapping the benefits of this commodity is something Government is hoping

to accomplish soon, said Vice-President Jagdeo.

“Hopefully, we move to a project implementation stage soon; early next year. And we are hoping for a three-year timespan for that,” said the Vice-President.

Guyana is said to have one of the highest costs of power generation in the world, a factor which has discouraged many businesses from investing here.

But, immediately after, once completed, the gas-to-energy project is expected to effect a reduction in the price for electricity, as it will bring in a ‘huge’ baseload capacity at a lower price.

The base-load on a grid is the minimum level of demand on an electrical grid over a period of time.

Production of this electricity would require a power plant, the area for which Government is also working on identifying.

It was reported recently that close to 2,000 acres of land is required for the construction of a power plant to facilitate the potential gas-to-energy project.

The potential site for a power plant is being considered, simultaneously with a location for the landing of pipes, which will run directly from ExxonMobil’s operations to a designated area onshore Guyana.

“There were several studies done before by a number of different agencies, such as Public Infrastructure and

the Finance Ministry; and there are a few people who were involved in those studies, who are still there… A few of them are even part of the task force, so they have good knowledge about the project,” said Minister of Natural Resources, Mr. Vickram Bharrat, adding that preliminary information from those studies show three potential areas for the landing of a pipeline.

Among those areas are Berbice; East Coast Demerara; and Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara).

“With gas-to-energy, we will be able to produce energy at competitive rates, and this will allow us to attract a lot of investors, especially in the manufacturing sector,” said Minister Bharrat in a recent report.

He even envisages the country having one of the largest industrial parks in the Caribbean, with the advent of this project.

Who will win the US presidency?

Dear editor,

QUESTIONS keep coming in to me on who will win the US Presidency. It will take several more days to get official results. But it is clear to me, an objective analyst, that Biden would be the next President. Kamala Harris, a Caribbean (Jamaican father) and Indian-American (Indian Tamil Hindu mother), would be the next Vice-President.

Congrats are in order for both.

As I had forecast before the US elections, after analyzing opinion polls and as I examined exit poll numbers of voting of various categories of voters, as well as having examined voting returns from the counting on Tuesday evening, I concluded that Joe Biden, the Democratic challenger, would win the Presidency of the US. On three different seminars before the election, I was

asked who would win, and I replied, Biden. And right after the voting, I was asked again who would win, and I responded, “Biden.” I was also asked who would be better for Guyana and India. My response was it does not matter who wins the Presidency, US-Guyana and US-India relations would not be adversely impacted. Guyanese and Indian nationals who favoured Trump were not pleased with my response, and a few were very hostile.

I must confess, I am a Labour activist, having served as head of the branch of my union for some fifteen years.

I also taught Labour Economics for over a decade.

The UFT union historically supported Democratic candidates, with rare exception backing a Republican or an Independent. I volunteered annually for every election campaign, going back the last three decades. I toed the union line, canvassing votes

for its endorsed candidates, almost all of whom were/ are Democrats. Occasionally, in my private capacity, I volunteered for a Republican candidate that served my community's interests in Greater Richmond Hill. And in 2020, my Union supported the Biden/Harris ticket. I was given a list of names and telephone contacts in battleground states to convince to vote Democrat. That is how it was done every year, including for every Presidential election going back to Clinton in 1992. Be that as it may, my analysis of the 2020 election, or of any election, was/is not clouded by my support or campaigning for Biden or endorsed candidates. It is based on objective analysis of polls, and my own conversations with voters. I am professional and non-partisan. Like almost all other pollsters, I, too, was wrong in 2016 when I accepted the polls that Hillary Clinton

would win the Presidency.

She did win the popular votes by almost 3M votes, but lost in the Electoral College to Donald Trump.

For 2020, after examining the counting trends on Tuesday evening, and all day Wednesday, that had Trump in the lead in most battleground states, I told inquiring minds that Biden would win the Presidency, based on the mail-in ballots. The gap between the two contenders was not too huge to overcome, once the mail-in ballots were counted. Mail-in ballots tend to be heavily Democratic, while in-person ballots tend to be heavily Republican.

Mail-in ballots are usually counted last, after Election Day’s voting. Thus, Biden’s numbers kept rising after Tuesday, when the mail-in ballots were being counted.

I told the many people I spoke with in India, Guyana, America, Canada, the UK, and around the Carib-

bean on Wednesday evening that Biden would win the Presidency, although many insisted it was over for Biden. I insisted that Biden had a very good chance of overtaking Trump, once the counting of the mail-in votes came in. And sure enough, that is exactly what has happened. Except for North Carolina, which is up in the air, Biden should win all of the undeclared battleground states. However, a declaration would take some days, because military ballots from overseas would still have to come in and be counted. The deadline for those ballots varies until next Thursday, but they would have to be postmarked latest on November 3.

I’ve published several such articles on the ICDN website, as well as in the newspapers in Guyana and the West Indian website, explaining why Biden would win, based on voting trends.

President Trump could go to court to challenge the results and demand recounts, and there should be a recount in states with close outcomes. But the numbers won’t change much. There is no evidence of fraud; Biden has won convincingly. The Supreme Court won’t help him. In fact, the Supreme Court may reject his appeal. The court won’t entertain requests to throw out ballots or stop counts; Trump has lost. The only issue I have is that mail-in ballots should have been delivered or reached counting sites by Tuesday evening, at close of voting. (I will pen a piece about why Biden/Harris would be better for India, Guyana and the globe).

Yours truly, Dr. Vishnu Bisram (Political Scientist)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 7, 2020 FROM PAGE

3

Biden edges closer to victory ...

The number of Americans voting early and by mail this year surged due to the coronavirus as people tried to avoid large groups of voters on Election Day. The methodical counting process has left Americans waiting longer than they have since the 2000 election to learn the winner of a presidential contest.

A sense of grim resignation settled in at the White House on Friday, where the president was monitoring TV and talking to advisers on the phone. One adviser said it was clear the race was tilting against Trump, but that Trump was not ready to admit defeat.

The campaign’s general counsel, Matt Morgan, asserted in a statement on Friday that the elections in Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania all suffered from improprieties and that Trump would eventually prevail in Arizona.

He also said the campaign expected to pursue a recount in Georgia, as it has said it will do in Wisconsin, where Biden won by more than 20,000 votes. A margin that wide has never been overturned by a recount, according to Edison Research.

Georgia officials said on Friday they expect a recount, which can be requested by a candidate if the final margin is less than 0.5 per cent, as it currently is. Biden led by 0.1 per cent as of Friday evening.

In response to the idea that Trump might not concede, Biden spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement on Friday, “The United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House.”

The messy aftermath capped a vitriolic campaign that underscored the country’s enduring racial, economic and cultural divides, amid a pandemic that has killed more than 235,000 Americans.

If he wins Biden might face a difficult task governing in a divided Washington.

Republicans could keep control of the U.S. Senate, which would enable them to block much of his agenda, including expanding healthcare and fighting climate change.

In Pennsylvania, Biden had a lead of 19,584 votes with 96 per cent of the vote tallied. In Georgia, he was 3,974 votes ahead with 99 per cent of the vote in.

Biden, 77, would be the first Democrat to win Georgia since fellow Democrat Bill Clinton in 1992.

In Arizona, Biden’s lead narrowed to 38,455 votes with 94 per cent of the vote counted. His margin in Nevada jumped to 22,657 with 93 per cent of the tally completed.

Pennsylvania, one of three traditionally Democratic states that handed Trump his 2016 victory, had long been seen as crucial to the 2020 race, and both candidates lavished enormous sums of money and time on the “Rust Belt” state.

While many rural areas in Pennsylvania remain in favor of Trump, Democrats are strong in big cities such as Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

States have historically taken time after Election Day to tally all votes, although in most presidential elections the gap between candidates is big enough that television networks project the winner and the losing candidate concedes before counting formally ends. (Reuters)

Ex-cop extradited to the US, to face cocaine charges SHAWN Neblett, a former policeman who was wanted in the United States for a series of drug-related offences, has been extradited to that country, and will soon appear in a federal court there.

Neblett, also known as ‘Shaun Wyatt’ or ‘Dapper’, of South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, had tried to fight the extradition following his arrest by local authorities at Moleson Creek, on the Corentyne River. The arrest occurred on May 29, 2019 as he was attempting to flee to neighbouring Suriname.

The US Government had made an application for his extradition through the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty, presiding at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, subsequently commenced extradition proceedings.

Two weeks ago, Magistrate McGusty granted an Order for Neblett to be extradited.

The Guyana Chronicle un-

GGMC official survives execution attempt A COMPANY secretary employed with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) survived an execution attempt, after a gunman shot him while he was driving home on Broad Street, Montrose, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

The GGMC officer was identified as 44-year-old, Jacque Foster and the shooting occurred at 19:00 hrs on Thursday night.

Investigation revealed that the victim left his office at GGMC, Brickdam, Georgetown, in his motor vehicle, for his residence.

As the GGMC manager reached Montrose, ECD, he turned north into Broad Street, Montrose, ECD. Police said that, at that time, he noticed an identifiable man standing about 15 feet away from the corner, facing east, who appeared to be urinating.

As he drove past, the suspect turned around and pointed a handgun at him and discharged a round, hitting him on his right hand and, in the process, shattering the right side front door glass.

As a result, the victim pulled out his licenced firearm and discharged two rounds at the suspect and drove home. He was subsequently escorted to the Woodlands Hospital by his wife and treated by a doctor on duty who extracted the war head and sent him away.

No one has been arrested.

Police are investigating.

Shawn Darcy Neblett, called ‘Shaun Wyatt’ or ‘Dapper'

derstands that federal officers from the United States on Friday collected Neblett from the Lusignan Prison.

Once on US soil, Neblett will be tried in a federal court for conspiracy to import cocaine, importation of cocaine, and conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute.

On June 10, 2016, an arrest

warrant was issued in the US for his arrest. However, by then, he had already fled to Guyana.

According to the indictment, between August and September 2015, in the Eastern District of New York, Neblett conspired to smuggle cocaine from Guyana to the US. It is alleged that he arranged for the courier in Guyana to smuggle the cocaine for a

Eccles couple died from smoke inhalation, burns –– were alive when fire started THE couple whose charred remains were found in their Eccles, East Bank Demerara home earlier this week, reportedly died as a result of smoke inhalation and burns.

This was revealed during a post mortem examination, which was performed by Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh on Friday.

Dr. Singh was also able to determine that 34-year-old Leeroy King and his reputed wife, 35-yearold Cindy Moses, were alive when the fire started.

Investigators are treating the incident as a murder/suicide.

According to neighbours, King arrived at his 1139 Block ‘EE’ Eccles home around 19:15 hours on Tuesday in his motorcar, and Moses was seen opening the gate for him to enter. Shortly thereafter, however, screams were heard coming from inside the house, followed by a loud explosion.

“When I peep out, ah see fire coming out from the top

DEAD: Leeroy King & Cindy Moses

flat of the house, so we rush over and call the fire truck,” one neighbour told the Guyana Chronicle.

The neighbour explained that minutes before the incident occurred, the couple was heard quarrelling.

Both the Police and Fire Service were summoned, and when the latter extinguished the fire, police ranks entered the house and observed the charred remains of the couple lying on a bed in a bedroom on the north-eastern side of the upper-flat of the building.

It is believed that King injured his reputed wife first, before setting the house on fire. Their bodies were burnt beyond recognition.

King, the father of three young children from another relationship, was the owner of a barber shop at Diamond Housing Scheme, while his reputed wife operated a stationery outlet and salon nearby.

According to neighbours, the couple had just that weekend moved into the house.

“They went through a lot to get that house, and within a few minutes, everything gone. Only God knows what went down,” a relative told this newspaper.

According to the relative, the couple had lived a private life, but King was “jealous” of his reputed wife.

payment of $US8,000.

It is alleged that he’d met with the courier in Guyana, and packed the person’s suitcase with seven pairs of cocaine-filled shoes. He had allegedly given the courier an advance of $US300 to rent a hotel room upon his arrival at the JFK International Airport in New York.

On August 28, 2015, the courier flew to New York, and was arrested on arrival. In his possession was 1.45 kilogrammes of cocaine. The courier, when held by law enforcement officers in New York, confessed to the crime, and assisted them with their investigation.

The courier, under the guidance of law enforcement officials, called Neblett regarding the pick-up of the cocaine, but he (Neblett) sent another individual to collect the drugs.

That individual was later arrested with US$8,000 in his possession.

Brazilian wanted for murder at Balamani Backdam An UNIDENTIFIED man is dead and his drinking buddy is hospitalised from stab wounds, following a heated argument, on Tuesday, at Balamani Backdam, Cuyuni River, Region Seven.

Police said the perpetrator was identified as a Brazilian who resides in the area.

Reports indicated that the victim, his friend, Vivian Lacruz, and the suspect were at a shop at Balamani Landing imbibing, when an argument erupted between them, during which, the suspect drew a knife and dealt the victims multiple stabs about their bodies and ran away.

The victims were subsequently taken to the Bartica Hospital by public-spirited persons, and while Lacruz was treated for his injuries and referred to the Georgetown Pubic Hospital, where he was admitted for wounds to the neck and hand, his friend died from the injuries inflicted on him.

Police said efforts were being made to arrest the suspect.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 7, 2020

Belgium cocaine 'bust': two shippers released, three other suspects wanted

THE Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) has released two shippers in connection with the 11.5 tonnes of cocaine, disguised as a shipment of scrap metal, that was busted in Belgium on Wednesday.

The two shippers were questioned, statements taken and they were released after they voluntarily visited CANU Thursday afternoon.

Three persons from another agency are being sought as investigations continue into the Guyana multi-million dollar cocaine seizure.

CANU officials noted that the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Belgian authorities are collaborating on the cocaine bust.

The massive load of cocaine left a port in Guyana in October and Belgian prosecutors were able to track it, following the dismantlement

of a drug trafficking gang led by a former Belgian counter-narcotics chief, which revealed the existence of tightknit links between criminal gangs and counter-narcotics and law-enforcement officials.

Counter-narcotics prosecutors said they had tracked the transatlantic journey of 11.5-tonnes of cocaine from Guyana, on the northeastern coast of South America, and seized it upon its arrival at the Port of Antwerp.

The catch is “the largest overseas drug bust ever, worldwide,” federal prosecutors told Belgian media, estimating the street value of the drug load at €900 million.

Three police officers, a port manager and a lawyer were among some 20 arrested as part of the operation targeting the “well-structured” criminal organisation suspected of orchestrating large and “regular” drug

The cocaine that was hidden behind the scrap metal in the container.

shipments from South America to Belgium.

The shipment of cocaine

was disguised as scrap metal and placed inside a steel container which was, in

turn, packed into a sea container and loaded into a transatlantic vessel.

Some 500 to be employed through ‘village enhancement’ project THE Ministerial Tender Board’s award of some 100 contracts for the sprucing up of a number of coastal communities between Regions Two and Six could see the creation of as many as 500 jobs.

This was disclosed by Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar on Tuesday following the official signing of the contracts at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, at Liliendaal on the lower East Coast.

According to Minister Indar, the award of 75 per cent of the weeding and cleaning contracts to new entrants is tangible proof of the government’s commitment to ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity of benefitting from government contracts.

“We reached a total of over 600 bids, and a total of 100 contractors were selected,” Minister Indar said, adding: “Minister illustrated that each contractor is expected to employ, on average, a total of five persons; that means we will be providing employment for well over 500 persons. We are in Government to ensure that the procurement process is opened to all, and because

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar

of this, we have deliberately not allowed big contractors to bid in this process.”

He said that under President Irfaan Ali’s watch, this present government is about seeking to create employment, and putting money in the hands and pockets of the small man. Having said that, he encouraged the awardees to do their jobs to the best of their ability, as it is taxpayers’ money that is being used to provide a service, which is the beautification of the communities within Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); Four (Demerara-Mahaica); Five

(Mahaica-Berbice); and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

According to Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Works, Vladim Persaud, “The Ministry expects that the works will be done in keeping with the standards, therefore, the contracting service must perform excellent to be recommended for future projects.”

He urged that contractors take pride in the delivery of whatever services they are about to render, as they will not only be working for the Government of Guyana, but for the people of Guyana as well.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 7, 2020

Patrons already flocking to get back into the gyms

By Tamica Garnett AFTER seven months of having to get by as best they could with closed doors, many fitness trainers, gym owners, and gym goers, breathed a sigh of relief to see the reopening of gyms included in the most recent “COVID-19 Emergency Measures” that were gazetted last Friday.

It has been a trying past few months for the gym businesses. Like other sectors, some came up with creative ways to continue to be able to make an income, while the hardest hit of the lot had to close their doors entirely.

“It’s been a difficult time.

We had our challenges, but for the most of us we’re just ready to get back into it and get started and make the best of what the world is facing at this time,” shares President of the Guyana Gym Owners and Trainers Association, Noshavyah King.

Herself, a gym owner, King operates Genesis Fitness Gym located on Durban Street, and believes that the reopening of gyms has been long overdue.

Gyms in Guyana have been closed, by law, since March, as part of measures that were implemented to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus, which prohibited any gathering of more than five persons.

Gyms were only officially given permission to reopen from Sunday, November 1.

However, they have to operate at 50 per cent capacity and ensure regular proper sanitisation is done.

In addition to clearing for the reopening of the gyms, the curfew was also raised from 21:00hrs to 22:30hrs.

“We’ve been closed for seven months and cases just continue to climb. We think that gyms are more part of the solution, and not the problem,” she said.

“With the strict protocols and safety measures in place at the gym, we can help persons

to build their immune systems and help with the depression that a lot of persons may have been suffering from during the lockdown period. It gets persons physically active and overall healthier.”

al classes to accommodate all the members,” King explained.

ONLINE CLASSES During the months she had to close her door, King had taken her business virtually,

Owner of Fitness Paradise Gym, Jermin Jones

With months of being at home, regular gym goers are already flocking to come back to their gyms.

“Gym is practically my life. I was deeply affected by gym being closed. It was the toughest thing ever,” expressed Kimberly DosSantos, a member of the Genesis Fitness Gym On the news of gym being allowed to reopen its doors, she wasted no time and has been back at it since Monday.

“I feel very excited. I was working out at home but I didn’t have enough equipment really, and I would’ve seen the gym as much safer than being out in the park, because even prior to COVID-19 it was always a sanitised place,” she conveyed.

King said DosSantos was not the only client who was excited to get back to their normal exercise routines.

“Our group sessions start from tomorrow but already the list is over the limit due to the 50 per cent capacity; so we’re going to have to have addition-

conducting classes online.

However, this opened a new opportunity for King, as she was able to now also take her business internationally, catering to clients in London, Barbados and the USA just to name a few places.

Though not a regular gym goer, Julian Cadogan is happy with the reopening and said he’s looking forward to returning to his exercises.

“During this time I’m hoping to go to gym around 5 o’clock when I’m hoping most people won’t be there but I’m not sure which gym will be open at that time and what the dynamics will be. I’m hoping persons are flocking back to gym immediately.”

At Fitness Paradise Gym, however, notwithstanding the demand, the doors are not just about ready to reopen. Hard hit by the closures, the gym had to give up its location on Lance Gibbs Street and let most of its staff go. The gym had some

Owner of Genesis Fitness Gym, Noshavyah King

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 7, 2020

Jagdeo says PPP/C ready for Local Government Elections ― funds for preparation will be in 2021 budget, party wants fixers at GECOM removed

By Navendra Seoraj

THE governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is ready to contest the Local Government Elections (LGE) next year, and, as part of its readiness, Vice-President, Bharrat Jagdeo, has said that funds will be set aside for the holding of those elections, but he maintained that “criminal elements” attached to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) must be removed.

At the last LGE, which was held on November 12, 2018, the PPP/C was able to walk away with 61 per cent of the votes, while the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) garnered 34 per cent and Alliance For Change (AFC) four per cent of votes.

While the Vice-President affirmed that the party is not against the holding of LGE, he said the integrity of persons, still employed

by GECOM, was lost after the eventful five-month impasse, following the March 2, 2020, general and regional elections, which ended with a victory for the PPP/C. “The PPP/C wants LGE next year; we believe that we can do extremely well in LGE and we are going to be working really hard, COVID [COVID-19] or not to en-

sure we improve the lives of people in their communities across this country.

“The budget next year will have resources to prepare for Local Government Elections… but with the criminals, we have no confidence with criminals running the system… we are expecting that the commission will get rid of the criminals,” said Jagdeo during a press conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, on Friday.

Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Keith Lowenfield, along with his clerks, Michelle Miller and Denise Bob-Cummings; Returning Officer for Region Four, Clairmont Mingo; GECOM Elections Officer, Shefern February; and Information Technology Officer, Enrique Livan.

They are all accused of inflating the results of Region Four – Guyana’s largest voting district – to give the

Vice-President, Bharrat Jagdeo

Those who have been charged with offences relating to electoral fraud and misconduct in public office are: Chairperson of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Volda Lawrence; PNC activist, Carol Joseph; Deputy Chief Elections Officer, Roxanne Myers and Chief Elections

APNU+AFC Coalition a majority win at the March 2 polls, when in fact, the PPP/C had won by 15,000 votes.

“They (GECOM) do not need any evidence, the whole country knows these are criminal types who tried to steal the elections… they

cannot run any election and I hope that the commission gets rid of them… the Chair (GECOM Chair) has to fight against the criminals,” said Jagdeo.

The Vice-President said the PPP/C wants to win the LGE and to ensure that communities and people have a right to choose their leaders, but fixers cannot remain at the commission.

BRAZEN ATTEMPTS The entire Guyana and even the international community witnessed, what he called, ‘brazen’ attempts to rig the March 2 elections.

“No party except APNU, which was complicit in the plot to rig elections, would have confidence in any of them (criminals),” said Jagdeo.

The Vice-President maintained that there has to be changes at the commission, a view which was shared by President, Dr. Irfaan Ali. President Ali had said Guyana’s elections machinery will have to be ‘fixed’ before Local Government Elections are held.

In further expressing his view, the President had noted: “I am not getting into Local Government Elections now….what we have to do is fix what is there first to ensure we have a system that is working, a system that we can trust, a system that is

professional, and a system that operates in an unbiased manner, so that the people of our country can have confidence.”

Like President Ali and Vice-President Jagdeo, GECOM Commissioners, Sase Gunraj and Vincent Alexander, have both agreed that things need to be “fixed” before elections are held.

Also, when asked recently about the need for fixing the elections machinery, Chairperson of GECOM, Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh had said: “That is true, that is very true.”

Justice Singh had also said another prerequisite would be the updating of the National Register of Registrants Database (NRRD) – used for the compilation of the Official List of Electors (OLE).

Although no official decision has yet been taken at the level of the commission, Justice Singh said it is necessary to have an updated register before elections are held.

Prior to the elections, GECOM had undertaken house-to-house registration with the aim of creating a new NRRD, but this process had to be cut short by Justice Singh following the ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice which upheld the no-confidence motion passed against the then APNU+AFC Government, thus necessitat-

ing the holding of Regional and General Elections in the shortest possible time.

The commission had then embarked on an extensive Claims and Objections exercise before preparing the Preliminary List of Electors.

The data garnered from the house-to-house registration process was merged with the existing NRR database, after which the OLE was extracted. The OLE had over 600,000 voters listed.

A review of this list, which is supported by Justice Singh, was also recommended by a three-member CARICOM team which scrutinised the national vote recount.

Providing that the commission decisively chooses house-to-house registration as the method of updating the NRRD, Justice Singh said there would be concerns related to the Chief Justice (ag) Roxanne George’s ruling that the commission could only add names and remove the deceased or persons who have been disqualified.

Vice-President Jagdeo also identified this as a “constitutional hurdle” but he suggested that the commission, instead of going to house-to-house could simply use the General Register Office (GRO) to remove the names of persons who have died.

US$2.5M generators expected to ensure a ‘bright’ Christmas

By Navendra Seoraj THE Christmas season is fast approaching, and to ensure that there is enough power to take Guyana through this period and into 2021, Government has purchased a few generator sets worth US$2.5 million from MACORP. With the exception of the five megawatts of power being supplied by Giftland, the national grid is providing 120 megawatts of electricity, an amount which is equal to the consumer demand of 117-120 megawatts of power. This leaves no room for reserve power.

It is for this reason that a decision was taken a few months ago to purchase power from Independent Power Producers (IPPs), as it would add to the grid and reduce power outages.

“There is not enough power in the system; when you set aside units for maintenance, we have capacity that mirrors the peak demand…

In a couple of months, Government had to buy about five megawatts (from Giftland); that is coming into the system on an emergency basis,” said Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo during a press briefing

on Friday.

The power being supplied

by Giftland will be supplemented by the new generator sets from MACORP, which are expected to produce 10

base-load comes in,” said Vice-President Jagdeo.

The Guyana Power and Light Corporation (GPL) has acquired power generating sets worth US$41 million, but

megawatts of power.

“This will be here by the end of November for Christmas, but those units will be used then deployed, once

there is no civil work to accommodate those sets. Those new generator sets will add 46 Megawatts (MW) in total to the Demerara to Berbice

Interconnected System DBIS. “We are now working that out; the engine is here in the country, but it will have to sit and wait for several months, whilst the civil work is being

of this year, just one month before the country went to the polls.

The Vice-President said nothing was done to facilitate these sets, so a lot of

One of the GPL substations at Sophia

done to accommodate the engine… There was no planning,” Mr. Jagdeo said.

Those sets were purchased by GPL in February

work is now being done to have them installed next year.

The coastal generation of power is largely handled

by Power Producers and Distributors Incorporated (PPDI), which is also Stateowned, and contracted to operate and maintain the power plants on behalf of GPL. PPDI is responsible for a total electrical output of 106.7 megawatts within the DBIS, sourcing from four power plants, namely, Garden of Eden (22 MW); Kingston #1 (22MW); Kingston #2 (36.3 MW); and Vreed-en-Hoop (26.4 MW).

In August, Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips had said: “GPL has plans in the short, medium and long-term to have reliable electricity for all the people of Guyana, and expand the electricity.”

In the short-term, the main concern is reliable electricity and zero power outages, said the prime minister, who has since directed GPL’s CEO, Mr. Albert Gordon, to ensure that there is a reduction in power outages from now to the first quarter of 2021, and then further into the future.

He has also advised Gordon to take all the necessary steps to ensure that there is reliable electricity, and a reduction in power outages.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 7, 2020

GDF celebrates anniversary with new facilities

The new Junior Ranks’ Mess Hall at Base Camp Ayanganna

THE Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Junior NonCommissioned Officers serving at Base Camp Ayanganna received a spanking new Junior Ranks’ Mess Hall and Club on Tuesday.

It comes at a time the Defence Force is celebrating its 55th anniversary.

Additionally, at Base Camp Stephenson, the soldiers of one Infantry Battalion will enjoy the comfort of a new and modern barrack accommodation, complete with steel cupboards and other contemporary amenities.

Both buildings, which

were completed recently were officially dedicated and handed over for use by soldiers as part of activities to commemorate the 55th Anniversary.

The mess hall facility will cater to the messing and recreational needs of Privates, Lance Corporals and Corporals.

Chief of Staff (ag) Brigadier Godfrey Bess and other members of the Force’s leadership were on hand for the handing over ceremonies for both facilities.

In brief remarks, Bess underscored the importance of soldiers taking care of the buildings since both repre-

The new accommodation building at Base Camp Stephenson

sented improved comfort for them.

He added that the force’s leadership remains committed to ensuring that soldiers receive the best as this too is

expected from them as they carry out their daily duties.

Brigadier Bess also acknowledged the role of the force’s Engineering Corps which was instrumental in

providing supervision in the execution of both projects.

The accommodation building is two-storied and will house between 110 and 125 soldiers on each floor.

Plans for the rebuilding, and, where necessary, restoration of accommodation for ranks of other bases are in the pipeline.

Dharmic Sabha lights symbolic diya SCORES attended Deep Jale “Our Deepavali Light Up” hosted by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha at the Seawall Roundabout on Thursday evening.

The event was designed to take into account the COVID-19 restrictions.

The programme included music and songs and the ceremonial switching on of the

lights of a beautiful multi-diya structure. The event also had in attendance Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha President, Dr Vindyha Persaud; Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson jnr. and Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr KJ Srinivasa.

The Sabha is also hosting a virtual Rangoli competition

and is encouraging the creation of beautiful rangoli patterns at entrances of homes and businesses to welcome Maha Lakshmi.

“Prizes can be won by submitting three pictures of your design, you making the rangoli and the finished rangoli to the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha Facebook page. These will be judged

by the public on Facebook and prizes awarded,” the release said, noting that the competition is open to all.

The first virtual Diwali motorcade will be held on Friday, November 13 at 20:00 hrs. After 46 years of Diwali Motorcade, the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha will be presenting a virtual motorcade showcasing spec-

tacular floats and featuring outstanding local and international artistes in a two-andhalf hour live concert.

Ben Parag, Purnash Durgaprasad, Vishale Sookram, Suchitra Rampersaud and Artie Sookhai-Khellawan, who are based in New York, and Neval Chatelall, of Trinidad and Tobago, will join Suraj Singh, Ganindra,

Sonya Ragbeer, Sookrane Boodhoo, Mona Gowkaran, Rekha Ranglall, Richie Hansraj and Nayakumari Roopram to present beautiful songs that capture the magic of Diwali.

Below are scenes of the event on Thursday night.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 7, 2020

Big plans for Guyana’s aquaculture industry –– Satyadeow Sawh Aquaculture Station to be converted to a model farm

By Naomi Parris THE Satyadeow Sawh Aquaculture Station will be transformed into a model farm to facilitate the reformation of local aquaculture industry, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, has announced.

The minister made the disclosure at a recent visit and tour of the facility which is located at Mon Repos, East Coast of Demerara.

He said that resources will be provided to develop the station into a model farm that will meet the needs of the fishing industry.

Currently, many aqua-

culture farmers need assistance to extend their farms and they will receive the requisite help, said Minister Mustapha.

He wants the industry to contribute to Guyana’s agriculture output and is hoping that the support and the farming of particular species of fish will encourage more persons to get into aquaculture.

“Aquaculture farming has the potential to bring in a lot of revenue and many Caribbean countries and even North America and other places need these kinds of fish,” he said.

In the near future, the

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, during a tour of the aquaponics centre, Satyadeow Sawh Aquaculture Station (Adrian Narine photo)

One of the many inland species being researched at the Satyadeow Sawh Aquaculture Station at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara (Adrian Narine photo)

minister disclosed that he will develop a database of all the aquaculture farmers in Guyana and meet with them to discuss the policies that the ministry plans to implement for the industry.

Meanwhile, Fisheries Officer, Nakita Dookie, who conducted the tour, explained that the facility provides fingerlings and extension services to farmers.

In addition, persons at the station also conduct training and research as well

as visits to farms or potential farms to provide guidance on site selection, pond management and construction and species selection.

She disclosed that the facility is currently researching inland species which can potentially be farmed as aquaculture species.

“Presently, we have on the farm, Arapaima; we have Patwa that we are looking at as one of those potential species, the Red and Nile tilapia and the Tambaqui,” she said.

While the Arapaima is currently endangered in Guyana, Dookie believes that farming the species can have a positive impact.

“Moving it from an endangered and protected species to one that can be a farmed species will actually relieve the pressure in the wild. So, persons will not have the inclination to go out there and harvest the wild Arapaima when it is being farmed and readily available for purchase. I’m hoping

that’s the result of that. It’s an opportunity for us to repopulate the wild with the fingerlings,” she stated.

Dookie further noted that the facility is open to farmers or potential farmers who may have inquires or interest in the aquaculture industry.

Persons who are interested in aquaculture can visit or call the station at Mon Repos, East Coast of Demerara, or make contact via telephone 220 1508.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 7, 2020

Holder, Williamson save ...

FROM PAGE 21

their sides with them, came together and kept picking the singles, not worrying about the rising asking rate.

Kohli had to eventually take the leg-spinners off.

With 59 required off 38, Williamson tried to hit his first boundary, slog-sweeping Sundar as he overpitched. That took him to 19 off 25.

Back came the leg-spinners. Back came the boundary drought. Back it went to 41 off 25. Out came the slog sweep again as Chahal overpitched this time.

Williamson reached a runa-ball 32 with this.

Now Kohli had to go to pace. The dew began to play its part too. Navdeep Saini and Siraj took the high-risk route of bowling yorkers with both third man and fine leg up.

While it provided them cover down the ground, a deft batsman such as Williamson kept finding the boundaries and twos behind square to never let the asking rate go past nine. And Holder then killed it off with two fours in the last over. The 65-run partnership comprised just two sixes and five fours.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 7, 2020

21

Holder, Williamson save SRH (ESPNCRICINFO) - Two Test captains saw a jittery Sunrisers Hyderabad chase of 132 through, and their shirts and hair had sweat to show for it.

Brought into the side after they failed to chase 127 against the Kings XI Punjab, Kane Williamson and Jason Holder absorbed all the pressure from the spinners on a turning pitch, saw the asking rate of eight when they came together nudge 10, but finished off the game in calculated manner with two balls to go.

This was the Sunrisers’ fourth straight win in a must-win game, and Royal Challengers Bangalore’s fifth straight loss after an excellent start to their season. Sunrisers set up a virtual semi-final with Delhi Capitals for the right to play Mumbai Indians in the final..

his side couldn’t seal the playoff spot before their last match - Virat Kohli was watchful in the first over, keen not to fall to Sharma an eighth time.

Holder, though, got a glove from him down the leg side with his extra bounce. He then cramped up Devdutt Padikkal on the pull, making it a third Padikkal dismissal to a short ball this IPL. Padikkal has scored just 46 off 50 such balls.

AB PLAYS HIMSELF IN, OTHERS PLAY THEMSELVES OUT In as early as the fourth over, de Villiers had no choice but to eschew any risk. He would go 20 balls before hitting his first boundary and reaching a run a ball. It was imperative that Finch take the pressure off, but life at the pitch was a struggle for him.

He struggled to adjust to the pace of the surface, and was

Kane Williamson and Jason Holder, both international captains hug after seeing their team Sunrisers Hyderabad home vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2020 Eliminator, November 6, 2020

Having recovered successfully from the injuries during the season to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mitchell Marsh and Vijay Shankar, Sunrisers were now missing the man significantly responsible for their comeback - Wriddhiman Saha.

The Royal Challengers had to contend with their talisman Chris Morris’ absence, out with a quad injury. They made wholesale changes, punting on two leg-spinners and also getting Moeen Ali and Aaron Finch in.

On a pitch that offered both seam and spin, the bowlers from both sides were on top of their games. Eventually, only AB de Villiers and Williamson rose above the conditions, and they had to score their runs without taking risks because they didn’t have batting cover behind them.

IF SANDEEP DOESN’T GET YOU, JASON WILL Sandeep Sharma came into the match with nine wickets in the powerplay this IPL, and Jason Holder none. Opening for the first time this IPL - perhaps he wanted to try it sooner but

stifled by the accuracy of the Sunrisers bowlers. The first 10 overs featured just four boundaries, the joint-fewest in the tournament, all off the bat of Finch.

Just as he looked like he might be turning a corner with a big six off Rashid Khan, Finch holed out to deep cover with Shahbaz Nadeem defeating him with a wide one as he backed away early.

Ali walked out with a red carpet of a free hit rolled out for him, but he patted it to extra cover and ran himself out thanks to a Khan direct hit. The Royal Challengers were 62 for 4 in 10.4 overs.

AB MASTERCLASS LOOMS Between the Sunrisers and a facile chase stood the genius of de Villiers. Having scored 20 off 22 so far, with one edged boundary, de Villiers was just entering the genius phase of the innings. Without taking risks - he couldn’t afford to - de Villiers still managed to score 36 off the next 21 balls he faced.

However, Sunrisers were

excellent against the others Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar - bowling 19 balls to them without a boundary. The Royal Challengers were 111 for 5 in 17 overs.

There was still time for de Villiers to do damage. Teams know he can still win matches even from here, especially when he is 40-plus balls into an innings. T Natarajan then had an unenviable task to bowl overs 18 and 20.

He has had an unenviable task all season, bowling the really difficult overs for his side.

He came into the playoffs with 14 wickets to his name, 10 in the death overs. In the 18th he made it 12. Sundar was regulation, timing a chip too well and getting caught at deep cover.

The next one was one for the ages. A cross-seam yorker, dipping and beating the master and ripping the middle stump out of the ground. This just brought the total crashing down with just 20 runs coming off the last three.

WARNER IS SENT OFF Mohammed Siraj removed Saha’s replacement, Shreevats Goswami, in the first over, but David Warner and Manish Pandey staged a recovery after playing themselves in against the seaming ball. Pandey broke free first, and in the final powerplay over, Warner, too, cut Siraj for two boundaries. Then he survived an appeal for caught behind. Or so he thought.

The Royal Challengers took the matter upstairs. Replays showed that delivery passed the bat and pad at the same time, and there was a spike on UltraEdge. In a decision bound to cause controversy, the third umpire felt it was conclusive enough for him to overturn the on-field call. The Sunrisers 43 for 2 in 5.4 overs.

THE SPIN CHOKE IS ON That Warner wicket was huge not only because of Sunrisers’ middle-overs troubles, but because of the Royal Challengers’ attack composition.

Warner feasts on leg-spin: he averages 61 and goes at 9.1 an over against leg-spin.

Now they could unleash both their leg-spinners at right-hand batsmen.

Pandey soon fell to the pressure created. Fourteen bowls of leg-spin for seven runs. Later, he played an ambitious late-cut and toe-ended to de Villiers. Priyam Garg faced 14 balls of leg-spin for seven runs himself. Then tried to drive over cover but holed out to the boundary rider. Six overs 20 runs two wickets.

TEST CAPTAINS COME TOGETHER With 64 required off the

last eight overs, Williamson and Holder, two of the calmest

players in international cricket, two players used to carrying

TURN TO PAGE 20

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 7, 2020

West Indies clear second COVID Test

(ESPNCRICINFO) - All members of the West Indies team and support staff, who are currently on tour in New Zealand, have cleared the second of their three COVID-19 tests yesterday. They will undergo their final test next week, just before their two-week quarantine ends.

The players and support staff have been lodged at the NZC’s High-Performance Centre at Lincoln University, on the outskirts of Christchurch.

The contingent can train, attend gym sessions and socialise within three bubbles comprising a maximum of 15 members until today. From tomorrow till the end of their 14-day quarantine next week, the camp can split into two bubbles comprising a maximum of 20 members each.

Seven members of West Indies’ 35-strong playing contingent - T20I captain Kieron Pollard, Test captain Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran and Oshane Thomas - will arrive in New Zealand only

after the conclusion of the IPL, which ends on November 10 in the UAE. Out of them, Pollard, Holder, Allen, Hetmyer and Paul are part of the teams that have made the IPL playoffs. These seven players - of whom six are part of the T20I squad - will only end their quarantine on the eve of the first T20I in Auckland, which is to take place on November 27.

The rest of the tour party arrived after a 54-hour journey, including transit, from the Caribbean West Indies will play three T20Is in all, followed by two Test matches in Hamilton (December 3-7) and Wellington (December 11-15).

West Indies are the only international team to have embarked on two overseas tours since the COVID-19 pandemic brought a worldwide pause in global cricket.

Before this tour of New Zealand, they played three Tests in England in July.

(ESPNCRICINFO) - Pace bowler Kagiso Rabada has returned to the South Africa squad for the upcoming Twenty20 and one-day internationals against England.

Rabada, 25, had a groin strain in March, which is when the Proteas last played competitively because of the coronavirus pandemic.

He has since featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The first of the three T20s is in Cape Town on November 27 with the three ODIs starting on December 4.

Uncapped Glenton Stuurman is included in the 24-man party, as is fellow seamer Junior Dala, who has not played inter-

(BBC) - The All Blacks rugby team is in talks with private equity investors as it struggles with the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Zealand’s national

The move raises the prospect that the famed All Blacks name could be sold to the highest bidder.

On Thursday, New Zealand Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson told the New Zealand Herald that it had burned through 47% of its

the NZ Herald.

There has been speculation since May that the All Blacks team was in talks with private equity.

The All Blacks are threetime world champions and have a win rate of almost 80%, earning them global

FLASHBACK! Jerome Taylor takes out Martin Guptill early (Getty Images)

treasure has seen its cash reserves slashed by almost half due to lockdowns.

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) said it is now looking at alternative sources of funding, such as private equity.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER

NZ$86M ($56M; £44M) cash reserves during the pandemic.

NZR was on track to earn revenue of NZ$100M when the sport was suspended during a national lockdown.

“We are open to looking at partners who may invest in New Zealand Rugby,” he told

Saturday, November 07, 2020 COMPLIMENTS OF XTRA ENERGY DRINK – STABROEK BAZAAR (Tel: 683-9500) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD – 83 Garnett street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) ANSWERS TO YESTERDAY’S QUIZ: (1) Chris Gayle-175* (RCB) (2) James Faulkner-5/16 (RR)

TODAY’S QUIZ:

(1) Who struck the first century in IPL 2013?

(2) How many centuries were recorded in IPL 2013?

ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

New Zealand’s National Rugby team

nationally for more than 18 months because of a lengthy injury.

Wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock is captain, with former skipper Faf du Plessis also included.

South Africa squad: Quinton de Kock (captain), Temba Bavuma, Junior Dala, Faf du Plessis, Bjorn Fortuin, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Janneman Malan, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lutho Sipamla, Jon-Jon Smuts, Glenton Stuurman, Pite van Biljon, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne.

recognition.

POWERFUL BRAND The team has the most valuable brand in world rugby, according to British consultancy Brand Finance, which values it at £144M (NZ$278M).

“The All Blacks have not been slow to embrace commercial opportunities,” said Tom King at sportbusiness.com. “Their deal with kit suppliers was hailed as ground-breaking as was the 2012 shirt sponsorship with AIG which ends next year.

The All Blacks are not the first to consider finding investors.

Even before the pandemic, many rugby clubs and national teams were struggling with their finances, and private equity firm, CVC Capital Partners, has already purchased parts of the English Premiership and Europe’s Pro14.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 7, 2020

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Guyanese Walter Moore lands first coaching job in Finland … to lead FC United women’s team

By Rawle Toney APPROXIMATELY four months after getting his Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) ‘B Licence’, Guyana’s Walter Moore has landed his first job as a head coach, telling Chronicle Sport yesterday that he was offered the job to lead FC United – a Second Division Women’s football team in his home country Finland.

“It feels really good to start my career as a coach. It’s

something I had in my plans and to see it coming true is amazing,” Moore said, as he now looks to his role and adjusts to his life as a coach.

The 36-year-old Guyanese, known as one of the best left-back the country has ever produced, walked away from playing football this year, having first played professionally with North East Stars in the Trinidad and Tobago Pro-League in 2006, and last with FF Jaro in Finland’s top tier of the ‘beautiful game’.

Moore is two stops away from achieving his UEFA PRO Licence; one of the highest achievements as a coach. The former Fruta Conquerors defender noted that he’s “very excited and looking forward to the challenges ahead.”

Apart from Fruta Conquerors, locally, Moore suited up for Georgetown Football Club (GFC), Slingerz FC, Santos FC and Alpha United.

Overseas, Moore was an important piece in the Jamaal

Shabazz-coached Morvant Caledonia in Trinidad and Tobago. The Guyanese defender also played in the USL with Charlotte Eagles, Kazakhstan Premier League with FC Vostok and Astana FC, and later settled in Finland where he suited up for FF Jaro and AC Oulu.

With Golden Jaguars, Moore has been capped over 100 times, dating back to his first taste of International football at the U-15 level then his first senior cap in 2004.

Guyana’s Walter Moore – head coach of FC United in Finland

NZ series win ideal way to cap off topsy-turvy 2020 – Simmons

By Clifton Ross

want your senior players to perform but you always have that case where there is PHIL Simmons, the West Indies head a youngster or two that you would push in coach, wants to finish what has been your squad. We have been looking since the a tough, if not indifferent 2020 for all, India series to see who are the senior players with a series win against the Kiwis, cit- you want and, looking at the CPL we have ing his team’s balance as the possible seen some young players who want to put X-factor behind their quest for success. their names in for the future”.

Simmons explained to the media during Windies’ closest taste of T20 success yesterday afternoon’s virtual briefing on Kiwi soil was when Chris Gayle led that the players were preparing to endure them to a 1-1 series draw. However, a challenging T20 and Test series against Simmons was firm that his boys could the Kiwis, but he believes that they were gel competitive, given their familiarity up to the task. with each other and the form players will “The balance is always good, you bring from the CPL and ongoing the IPL.

One big blow came ahead of the series when veteran all-rounder Dwayne Bravo picked up another injury, ruling him out of the New Zealand series and was later replaced by Guyanese Romario Shepherd.

Speaking on Bravo’s future, the ex-Windies batsman-turned-coach said they will be closely monitoring Bravo’s progress. He stated that the all-rounder has some time to get fit but his recent string of injuries are concerning, due to those injuries coming in the CPL and IPL. Looking to a brighter 2021 with this bio-secure tour of New Zealand being Win-

Fudadin, Deonarine and Rikhi win USA Minor League Cricket awards

FORMER West Indies cricketers Narsingh Deonarine and Assad Fudadin and former national youth cricketer Dominique Rikhi have all won individual awards for their performances for the Franchise Exhibition Matches during Minor League Cricket in the USA. The Guyanese were all outstanding in the September and October competition for their respective teams across the country.

The 35-year-old Fudadin who was rather consistent during the competition, finished as the Most Valuable Player for the Eastern Conference and was awarded US$1000. Meanwhile, both Deonarine and Rikhi re-

ceived Best batsman awards (US$500).

Deonarine, 37, who showed immaculate form, including an 83 from 48 balls, was rewarded in the Western Conference, while the younger Rikhi excelled in the

Assad Fudadin was named as the MVP for the Eastern Conference

Eastern Conference.

The Franchise Exhibition Matches saw the very best amateur cricketers

Dominique Rikhi was the most outstanding batsman in the Eastern Conference

across the United States, as well as 36 First-Class and international players (some of whom were Guyanese), produce competitive and highly entertaining cricket.

According to information from the MLC, the project broke new ground for American cricket. Some 51 matches were played across 17 different venues, with 15,593 runs scored and 657 wickets taken, with matches covered on MAJOR LEAGUE CRICKET. Of the more than 2,400 players who originally registered for the MiLC Draft, 364 players were selected to make up 18 squads and 312 players took the field in at least one match.

dies’ last assignment on their calendar of activities for the year 2020, Simmons said having safe fun with the momentum geared towards winning both series, especially the elusive T20; was the message passed in the dressing room.

“The message we are trying to give each other is we thank God we are safe and we have been given a chance to play cricket. We want to win and play hard and enjoy what we’re doing and if we leave here winning it would be even better, because some other players and countries don’t have this chance,” Simmons concluded.

PAGE 23

Guyanese Walter Moore lands first coaching job in Finland … to lead FC United women’s team FLASH BACK! Walter Moore after his last outing for the Golden Jaguars in the CONCACAF Nations League Qualifiers

Phil Simmons West Indies head coach

Fudadin, Deonarine and Rikhi win USA Minor League Cricket awards

PAGE 23

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Narsingh Deonarine was dominant in the handful f matches that he played

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2020