Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_08_01_2022

SATURDAY 8th JANUARY, 2022

No. 106598

Tripartite committee agrees to $60,000 as new national minimum wage

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Global food prices rose by over 28 per cent SEE PAGE

- between 2020 and 2021, says the Food and Agriculture Organisation 3 - confirms situation ‘hurting the pocket’ of Guyanese but country maintains stabilise rice markets

Kingston Waterfront development moving apace: Left: Some of the works completed on the waterfront beautification project. Right: Backfilling works ongoing for the construction of the apron and vending units (DPI photos)

Battle intensifies between Norton and Harmon for Opposition Leader post SEE PAGE

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Two hinterland schools Finance Minister: ‘Not a being readied for CAPE cent withdrawn from NRF’

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 8, 2022

Legislation coming for online transactions, arbitration

By Richard Bhainie IN keeping with Guyana’s continued upward developmental trajectory, the Ministry of Legal Affairs in 2022 will continue to pursue a transformational legislative agenda tailored to equip the country with a modern statutory framework to facilitate its growth and development.

The legislation which the ministry will be pursuing includes the enabling of online transactions in the public sector, a “modern” Arbitration Bill to facilitate commercial dispute resolution and legislation which will see Guyana achieving its goal of becoming the bread

basket of the Caribbean, Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C., said.

“We have to continue to build the legal infrastructure for a modern Guyana and we will continue to reform our archaic statutory framework and remove from it the anachronistic elements of our law and replace them with modern legislation that is geared to meet the developmental agenda of our country,” Nandlall said during his weekly television programme, Issues in the News.

He added: “We can’t develop a country without a modern legal framework, we have to start to move our transactions

to e-transaction in government, that by itself requires a series of legislation that will allow for us to do transactions online in the public sector.”

The Attorney-General noted that it is imperative for the country to begin transacting business in the public sector online, such as making payments. This, he noted, requires implementing legislation to lay the foundation for such transactions and disclosed that his ministry will be pursuing same.

Further, taking into consideration disputes which will arise in the commercial arena as Guyana’s oil and gas sector picks up steam, the ministry will be looking to

implement a modern Arbitration Bill which was developed by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS The Attorney-General was adamant that he is desirous of Guyana being the first country in the CARICOM region to adopt the bill as it embraces the international principles of arbitration and will set the country on par with international standards.

“So, whenever we have disputes in the oil and gas sector or in the commercial sector at large, we don’t have to necessarily go outside of Guyana to London, Switzerland, Singapore, New York, to resolve these disputes, we are going to be able to do that here,” he said.

He noted that the bill being completed at this juncture by CARICOM is a “wonderful opportunity” and it can be adjusted to meet the exigencies of Guyana’s dynamic society as a report on the bill is also attached.

Arbitration is a form of an Alternative Method of Dispute Resolution (ADR). It is a private procedure, whereby parties involved in a dispute, submit the dispute to one or more arbitrators, mutually agreed upon, and the arbitrator makes a legally binding decision on the matter.

Because of the adversarial nature of the court system, it is usually a last-resort option for the commercial industry and arbitration is extensively preferred, due to its confidential and time-saving nature.

In addition, the Attorney-General disclosed that the government will embark on training of arbitrators as well, which will include members of the legal profession and laymen to give persons the option of choosing.

“This is something

Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C. that is independent of and in conjunction with the judiciary, because one can choose whether one choose [sic] to do arbitration within the legal system or arbitration extrinsic of the legal system, both options will be made available in the model that we are performing,” he said.

OTHER LEGISLATIONS For Guyana to realise its potential as the breadbasket of the Caribbean, legislation to see the country meets internationally accepted standards for food processing and export is also being pursued by the Ministry of Legal Affairs.

“In preparation of Guyana developing our food potential to feed the Caribbean-- because that remains our primary objective in the agriculture sector--to feed the Caribbean, we now have to build that infrastructure that will allow us to produce and package food and export in accordance with international standards,” Nandlall said.

He noted that the international requirements for the production, processing, packaging and exportation of food are high and the country has to meet those requirements, and the legislation will facilitate the country meeting the requirements.

“That would require, again, us passing legisla-

tion to modernise the way that we package food, and the way that we do agriculture, the way that we manufacture our agriculture. So, we have bills like [sic] the Food Security Bill, the Food Safety Bill that we are working on,” he said.

The ministry is also pursuing the upgrading of existing legislation in various sectors such as the Public Health Act, the Mental Health Act, the Domestic Violence Act and the Sexual Offences Act. A Sexual Harassment Bill, a Condominium Bill and a Bail Bill will also be tabled in the House, “A lot of investors want to invest in condominiums and a lot of the investors, the operators within the oil and [gas] sector, they have expressed a preference for condominium-style accommodation for their companies, we are going to lay the statutory groundwork and framework for that, that bill is already completed,” Nandlall said.

Since being elected to office on August 2, 2020, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government has embarked on a rigorous agenda to transform Guyana’s archaic legal sector through overruling outdated legislation and crafting a modern legal architecture.

GUYANA CHRONICLE

Saturday, January 8, 2022

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Global food prices rose by over 28 per cent - between 2020 and 2021, says the Food and Agriculture Organisation - confirms situation ‘hurting the pocket’ of Guyanese but country maintains stabilise rice markets THE Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has reported that food prices across the globe increased by over 28 per cent in 2021, and are continuing to rise.

In a report that was published on January 6, 2022, the organisation said that in 2021, its Food Price Index continued to trend upwards, reaching a 10year high. A few months, including December, registered small reductions.

In fact, its 2021 Food Price Index was just over 28 per cent higher than that of 2020.

The FAO’s Food Price Index is a well-recognised tool that tracks monthly changes in commonly traded international food commodities such as cereals (including rice), vegetable oils, sugar, meat and dairy.

It indicates how much countries may expect to pay for these types of commodities in global markets (import), but also what prices countries might expect to receive for their food exports.

The factors contributing to the rise in individual commodity prices are numerous, and interact

in complex ways. Food production levels (supply), particularly among leading producers, are, of course, important.

In December 2021, global poultry prices declined somewhat, primarily due to increased global exportable supplies.

However, also important to price changes are the levels of stocks on hand that are available to the market. This is often seen with cereals such as wheat and maize.

Demand also plays a role in food prices. Seasonal demand for Christmas drove temporary increases in the price of some types of meat on global markets.

Speculation also plays a part in food price fluctuations. Market speculation on expected demand, and on the potential impact of weather and environmental conditions on projected production can drive up or depress prices. The COVID-19 pandemic has further introduced significant cost increases in freight and logistics. For example, “maize and wheat prices were 44.1 and 31.3 per cent higher than their respective 2020 averages, mostly on strong demand

Autopsies: wife, husband died from gunshots to heads

Deceased: Elizabeth ‘Sasha’ Dass and her husband, Nicholas Low-A-Chee THE autopsies conduct- at close range; however, the ed on newly-wed couple, results have not returned Nicholas Low-A-Chee yet on whether gun powand Elisabeth Dass, have der residue was found on revealed that Dass died the hands of the deceased. from gunshot injury to The couple were found the head and abdomen, dead in their Sarah Johanna, while Low-A-Chee died East Bank Demerara (EBD) from gunshot injury to home earlier this week. the head.

Police said the families Police confirmed on Fri- are now in possession of day that the two were shot the bodies.

A graph of the FAO Food Price Index and tighter supplies, especially among major wheat exporters,” the report says.

For a country such as Guyana, the situation of the global food commodities will have mixed impact. As an exporter, Guyana is affected by global prices it will receive for the export of rice

and sugar. It is welcome news that rice production is progressing well.

In the cereal price index, rice registered a slight decline of four per cent in price in 2021, compared to 2020 levels, but, importantly, it continues to be higher than pre-COVID-19 levels. In this case,

the small price decline is reported to be as a result of ample global supplies and increased competition among suppliers. For its part, Guyana continues to have stable markets for its rice, and remains the number one rice-producing country in the CARICOM. As with other countries, Guyana is also feeling the impact of higher prices for imported food (processed and raw materials), feedstock and farming input supplies.

“For 2021, as a whole, the FAO Cereal Price Index increased by just over 27 per cent from 2020, and the Index stands at the highest annual average registered since 2012. Both wheat and corn, significant components imported for food manufacture in Guyana, are included here.

For 2022, we can likely expect that global and national food systems will continue to grapple with conditions that will impact food prices. In addition to seasonal fluctuations in production and demand, it is expected that backlog and interruptions in global shipping and logistics, uncertain labour availability,

the pandemic and impacts of climate and weather events will all continue to have their effect on food prices,” the FAO said.

It added that Guyana’s food system will have to continue providing safe, healthy affordable food for all, as well as to provide livelihood opportunities for our farming communities.

According to the FAO, “It is more critical than ever to follow the comprehensive path to national food systems transformation that Guyana outlined at the UN Food Systems Summit – social protection for the most vulnerable; continuous improvement in production and food distribution efficiency, to keep prices competitive; embracing diversification of agriculture with technology and digital innovation; streamlining the current and emerging value chains; pursuing trade with shorter supply chains and reducing the risk in agriculture. There are few short-term solutions that will be sustainable. The answers lie in the longer haul.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE

Saturday, January 8, 2022

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Speaker frowns upon PNC/R’s attempt to justify their unparliamentary behaviour

Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir

THE Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir has frowned upon the attempt by the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), by way of a Press Statement dated January 7, 2022, to bring his speakership of the National Assembly of the Parliament of Guyana into disrepute.

According to a release from the National Assembly of the Parliament of Guyana, Speakers, from time immemorial, due to

the nature of the work, that is, preserving order and decorum within the Assembly and disciplining members, among other things, have always been accused of biasness.

“This allegation is therefore expected. I wish to state, that as Speaker of the National Assembly, I have always conducted the business of the House in keeping with the Standing Orders of the Parliament of Guyana and other Parliamentary Procedures and

butchery fantasies aren’t a crime,” his defence lawyers told the trial, calling for his acquittal. They argued the engineer could have been killed by the cocktail of drugs he had taken.

But prosecutors said the criteria for murder had been met, in that the victim had been lured into a trap

and the killer had acted to satisfy his sexual urges and enable a further crime.

The case is reminiscent of a notorious German cannibal, Armin Meiwes, who was jailed for life in 2006. However, there was a significant difference in that Meiwes’s victim was himself interested in cannibalism.

Berlin cannibal jailed for murdering engineer A German court has sentenced an ex-teacher to life in prison for murdering a man he met on an online dating site and desecrating his body.

The judge in Berlin said Stefan R, 42, had killed the electrical engineer to “act out his fantasies of cannibalism”.

The former teacher was detained in November 2020 when some of the victim’s bones were found by people strolling in a park in northern Berlin.

The 43-year-old victim’s mother had reported him missing weeks earlier.

The two men had arranged to meet up for sex at Stefan R’s apartment in the Pankow district, where the killer taught maths at a private school. Berlin

media said he had called himself CanOpener79 on the dating forum.

The killer had previously visited online chatrooms where people discussed cannibalism. Investigators said his victim had died hours after they met and they found a bone saw and a butcher’s knife in their search of his flat.

During the trial Stefan R told the court he had the found the man dead in his living room the morning after they had sex and in a panic decided to dispose of his body.

He used a rental car to scatter the body in several places around the northern part of Pankow. Only the victim’s sexual organs were missing.

“Sexual fantasies or

Practices of the Commonwealth. Persons who are not familiar with Parliamentary Rules of Procedure would interpret the way I have been approving and disapproving questions and motions, and my rulings on certain matters, would claim that I am bias. It is my firm opinion that the PNC/R’s Press Statement dated January 7, 2022, is a weak attempt to justify the unparliamentary behaviour of the Members of Parliament who created grave disorder

during the last Sitting of the National Assembly, with a view to prevent the passing of the Natural Resource Fund Bill No. 20 of 2021,” the release said.

It must be noted, the release said, that the gross disorderly conduct of some of the members during the last Sitting of the National Assembly will not be condoned.

Speaker frowns upon PNC/R’s attempt to justify their unparliamentary behaviour

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 8, 2022

Schools Reopening THE Ministry of Education (MoE) has taken a decision to reopen schools after a twoyear hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It has been quite some time since face-to-face teaching was put on hold and online education was introduced by the Education Ministry, and even though there is no evidence to suggest that the quality of education has declined in any significant way, there can be no denying that the absence of classroom teaching has had some negative impact in terms of school-participation levels, both with respect to students and parents.

There is no denying the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic can have disruptive impacts on education delivery, not only in Guyana but worldwide.

Losing access to school as a protective space exposes children to abuse and emotional trauma, especially in an environ-

ment of unsafe or abusive homes. The economic shock of the pandemic could likely push children into poverty, thereby increasing risks of malnutrition, stress and other forms of child exploitation.

Thankfully, we have a President and a government that have put in place several interventions to cushion the impact of the pandemic, especially on working families. The COVID-19 cash-grant paid out to households all across the country and the several other initiatives such as the cash grant to parents of schoolchildren in public and private schools have proven highly beneficial to both parents and students.

The Ministry of Education has done a commendable job in terms of ensuring that the delivery of quality education is not adversely affected by the absence of classroom teaching. This is reflect-

ed in student-attainment rates both at the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) and at the National Grade Six Examinations. But it also brought out the creativity and ingenuity of the education-delivery system to ensure that our students were not placed at a disadvantage in terms of learning outcomes through a combination of online interactive learning and limited face-to-face teaching.

The re-opening of schools in an environment of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in light of the more transmissible Omicron variant which apparently has now reached the shores of Guyana, is not without its risks. But a balance has to be struck between the adverse impact of loss of classroom teaching and the likely consequences of exposing children to a school environment.

There are some, who out of political oppor-

tunism, would wish to project the decision to reopen schools as ‘reckless,’ without taking into account the other variables that mitigate against the all-round development of the child as a consequence of a long and protracted period of school closures.

This delicate balance has not escaped the attention of President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, who in a recent press conference made the point that schools cannot be kept closed indefinitely. Even as he acknowledged the prevailing health situation, President Ali emphasised that the protection of our children from the COVID-19 pandemic must be balanced with the crucial need to have children back to the classroom.

The decision to reopen schools was made after careful assessment of the existing situation and not, as the political opposition is trying to say, in a reckless and irrespon-

sible manner. In fact, a recent World Bank report drew attention to low student engagement, which if allowed to continue, could result in learning loss and school-dropout rates. These could have implications for human capital accumulation in the longer run. A similar observation was made by UNICEF representative Nicholas Pron, who posited that children could be affected by significant learning loss, if they do not return to schools due to challenges in Internet connectivity and access to online classes.

And as pointed out by President Ali, all possible measures are being put in place to ensure that our children learn in a secure and safe environment.

The President has in fact championed the cause of vaccination for all, including adolescents.

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand, has also given full assurance that the re-opening of

schools will be accompanied by a concerted effort to maintain the necessary COVID-19 guidelines to protect our children.

Guyana is not unique in the re-opening of schools. Several other countries in the Region and globally have already commenced the phased reopening of schools. According to UNICEF, prolonged school closures continue to jeopardise the futures of children worldwide and recommended the re-opening of schools as a matter of priority. The planning, implementation and monitoring of school reopening is not a simple task, but one that requires inter-agency collaboration, especially between health and education authorities. Such an approach is already being done and continuing monitoring of the situation by the relevant authorities remains a high priority.

Misinformation is undermining the sterling efforts of local healthcare workers

Dear Editor, A R E P O RT f ro m t h e PNC/R chastises the government for management of the COVID-19 crisis.

Compared to what the APNU party was doing during the COVID-19 crisis, the current government has been exemplary in educating the public, providing important information, maintaining an active dashboard, vac-

cinating and encouraging vaccinations of our people and also encouraging the opposition to add in a mutual manner to the importance of vaccinating all, especially our children and elderly.

Misinformation and confusion abounds all over the world. Fear is generated by the disunity of persons who add to the fear of persons. The points

made by the report by the PNC/R are incorrect. The government is not responsible for the increase in the cases as this increase is occurring worldwide. The truth is that while there is an increase in numbers, the fatality rate is low from the Omicron. It seems that the Omicron may actually prove to be protective functioning to improve the immunity of those vacci-

nated. The concern about children going to school is not rightly made. It says that the government was in a rush. The Honourable Minister of Education has deliberated over many months and has had consultations including the medical fraternity, for guidance. I say to our people, do not listen to misinformation. Dr. Carpen, a very busy cardiolo-

gist has spearheaded an excellent programme of providing evidence-based facts by radio, TV and he consults with a wide group of doctors including myself through a group set up by the Honourable Minister of Health. This group includes senior doctors in Guyana and overseas, many like Dr. Moti Ramgopal who is in Florida are involved in research

and tracking the course of the virus. We continue to maintain safety measures. I applaud our government for the work it has done and also wish to commend our President for his advice to the nation to avoid panic, practise safe behaviours and take the vaccines, including the booster.

Yours respectfully, Dr. Davendra Sharma

GUYANA CHRONICLE

Saturday, January 8, 2022

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The current NRF is superior in all respects

Dear Editor IT was a great coincidence that I wrote a letter to the press on the same day that the Coalition unleashed its trade mark thuggery and hooliganism in the sanctity of the Supreme lawmaking body of the land -- the Parliament, stating in no uncertain terms that even though there is a change of leadership in the PNC, ‘the leopard cannot change its spots’. This behaviour is yet another blatant affront to our democracy. I would like to now qualify this: It is easier for the leopard to change its spots than the PNC to change its intimidating, bullying and downright gutter politics mentality. The old PNC status quo no doubt can only get worse. It is power at any and all cost.

That is the way forward for the PNC. The PNC should take a page from the PPP/C’s General-Secretary Dr Bharat Jagdeo’s leadership. Never once did the PPP/C use any type of wicked behaviour to get into power.

The PNC is never interested in a compromise and the greed for power will take precedence over any rational behaviour. Let us look at the Local Content Bill. The opposition had tabled 14 amendments and of these amendments 10 were accepted. The Natural Resources Minister, Mr Bharrat was clearly objective and judicious. This bill was passed without a problem. The opposition was clearly satisfied. But

then they objected vehemently to the passing of the amendments to the National Resources Fund Bill which by far superseded the NRF Act which they passed as an illegal government in January 2019, just days after the successful passage of the no-confidence motion on December 22, 2018.

This NRF Act was passed on January 3, 2019 and Gazetted on January 23, 2019.

This was real speedy and without inputs from the then opposition and the society at large. Indeed, there was an insane haste to get their hands on the oil money.

Let us take a look at the Coalition’s NRF as compared to the PPP/C’s NRF. The Coalition’s NRF Act provided for a Public Accountability and Oversight Committee which consisted of 22 members appointed by the President.

Unfortunately, when one looks at the functions of this committee it will be seen that it is mere window dressing with no real power.

It does monitoring, assessing and evaluation, creates reports and submit reports to a large extent. The Minister of Finance is responsible for the overall management of the fund. This is where the true power lies.

The amended NRF Act provides for the appointment of the Board of Directors which has governance and management responsibilities. The board is comprised of a minimum of three members and a maximum of five. This removes the sweeping powers from the subject minister

and puts it in the hands of persons with ‘wide experience and ability in legal, financial, business or administrative matters’. One is appointed by the National Assembly and one from the private sector.

This board is in addition to the Public Accountability and Oversight Committee which is comprised of nine members, selected from the National Assembly, the private sector, the religious community, organised labour and the professions.

This committee provides non-governmental oversight of the fund so there are two tiers of transparency and accountability mechanisms, in addition to the audits.

Whilst the Coalition’s NRF provided for a bloated committee which was in effect useless, the current NRF provides the checks and balances which are vital to transparency and accountability through the board and the committee.

Another bone of contention is the withdrawals from the fund. The Coalition’s NRF ensured that the withdrawal amount is shrouded in complicated details and calculations when Schedule I is analysed. There is no clear cut calculation apart from being stipulated that the withdrawal should not be in excess of the amount approved by the National Assembly in a fiscal year.

The determination of the withdrawals amount is the lesser of the economically sustainable amount and the fiscally sustainable amount.

The former takes into consideration the ‘competitive-

ness of the economy’ and the latter, the ‘long-term sustainability of the fund’.

Both of these are determined by the Minister of Finance and are vague and subjective. The calculation of the fiscally sustainable amount, which is laid out in Schedule I, provides no clear cut calculation as is now provided by the current NRF. The current NRF sets a ceiling on the annual withdrawal from the fund at US$500 million and this withdrawal starts from 100 per cent and moves to 75 per cent, 50 per cent, five per cent and three per cent for the second, third, fourth and fifth deposits of US$500 million. The last three per cent is on excess of US$2,500 million. In the current NRF, approval is sought in the National Assembly before monies are transferred to the Contingency Fund. It must be noted that US$500 million is just around GY$105 billion (Guyana dollars) or just about one-third of

Guyana’s current budget.

This money is vital to push our socio-economic development of the country and this will also benefit future generations. But this is what the Coalition is afraid of.

This will make them more irrelevant and dashed into oblivion, given their proven track record for squandering and corruption.

Then it has been much publicised that the current NRF provides for ‘no jail term’ for persons misappropriating from the fund.

This is preposterous and barefaced coming from the Coalition since the ‘Penalties and Offences’ in the current Act is a replica of the NRF Act illegally enforced by the Coalition in January 2019. I saw APNU protestors holding placards and chanting about ‘thieving’ completely oblivious that the offenses and penalties are exactly the same under the current NRF. This is gullibility to the extreme.

This NRF Bill which is the NRF Act is by far

more superior in terms of transparency and accountability and the Coalition is cognisant of this fact but as is expected they will cry corruption and hope that the masses believe them, inciting and encouraging violence and mayhem to destabilise the government.

In conclusion, His Excellency Dr Irfaan Ali has done an excellent summation of the Coalition’s attitude: ‘They do not regard politics as a contention for better policies and governance; they regard politics as nothing more or less than a battle for power. That is why we had the display in the National Assembly of violence and intimidation – that is their default strategy; to whip up antagonism and hostility based on misrepresentation, misbehaviour and mischief. My brother and sisters, that is their game.

Your government will not play it.’

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

Two hinterland schools being readied for CAPE

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Region Nine’s 2021 CSEC top student, Akima D’Aguiar

By Tamica Garnett THE Port Kaituma Secondary School in Region One, and the St. Ignatius Secondary School in Region Nine have been identified by the Ministry of Education (MoE) to become senior secondary schools, and to offer Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) subjects.

It has not yet been confirmed whether the schools will be ready by the end of the year, but the process to get them ready for this additional level, including the sourcing of the necessary human resources, has already begun.

“The aim is to make it

possible in 2022; it might take longer, but we are working on having them onboard by this year,” said Deputy Chief Education Officer (DCEO) for Amerindian and Hinterland Development Marti DeSouza.

He told the Guyana Chronicle in a recent interview, “A number of administrative matters are being sorted out before we implement, but these two schools are the CAPE hopeful schools.

“Based on assessments done so far, we are looking at offering Business and Science subjects. We have to look closer at the possibilities, however, including the availability of adequate human and other resources.”

He noted that the new development will mean a lot for hinterland students who wish to pursue higher education. Currently, there are no secondary schools in any of the hinterland regions offering CAPE subjects to students. This means that those desirous of pursuing this level of secondary education must relocate to the coastland to attend school. “ B r i n g i n g t h e p r ogramme to them would make it easily accessible,

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 8, 2022

and definitely bode well for the children in these two hinterland regions. Not many children are exposed to CAPE in the hinterland, only a few would make the sacrifice of moving on to a school that offers the programme out on the coastland. But there are children that exit the regular secondary schools with a number of subjects but because of a host of other issues, they cannot do a CAPE programme,” DeSouza said, This move will be the latest in a slew of measures being implemented to bridge education inequality between the hinterland and coastland students. It is

something that students in particular would look forward to seeing become a reality.

“It would greatly benefit the students who would like to do CAPE, but lack the necessary means to attend schools out of the region.

More students would have the opportunity to further their education with minimal obstacles,” said former Santa Rosa Secondary School’s Reah Henry, who was the top student for Region One (Barima-Waini) at the 2021 CSEC examination.

Henry, who secured six Grade Ones, four Grade Twos, and two Grade

Deputy Chief Education Officer (DCEO) for Amerindian and Hinterland Development Marti DeSouza

Threes is looking forward to this and other educational developments coming to the hinterland region, given how restrictive academic opportunities are for students such as herself.

An aspiring surgeon, Henry knows all too well the hurdles hinterland students face in needing to travel to the coastland to further their education. She told this publication that she is currently facing her own share of difficulties in getting a university education.

“I had planned to attend the University of Guyana [UG] in January, but due to current circumstances and lack of financial resources, I wasn’t able to achieve that goal, but I am still hoping to secure a scholarship, and start attending in September of this year, as I am hopeful of pursuing studies in medicine,” she explained.

Meanwhile, 16-year-old Akima D’Aguiar, who was the top hinterland student at the 2021 CSEC, also shared her views on what the offering of the CAPE programme in the hinterland means for her community, and other students like herself.

“I know lots of hinterland students want to fur-

Former Santa Rosa Secondary student, Reah Henry

ther their studies, but they just can’t get the means of accessing it, with having to travel to Georgetown for that. So, with the students having a hard time accessing tertiary level education, being able to access CAPE will be very beneficial to them,” the former St. Ignatius Secondary School student said.

D’Aguaiar, who secured 12 Grade Ones and two Grade Twos, is currently pursuing an Associate’s Degree in Civil Engineering at UG, and wants to see fellow hinterland residents accessing the same opportunities as those living in other parts of the country.

Murder at Leonora not worthy of reporting Dear Editor,

NEWSFLASH may be deemed to be something that happened instantly and is worthy to bring to the attention of the public immediately. This may manifest via the medium of the media, whether that be the newspapers, radios, TV’s and/or FB and all the other social media.

A gruesome murder occurred Tuesday morning opposite the Leonora Hindu Temple in Leonora. A vagrant, who was resting on a vendor’s stall on the Leonora Market Road which also is the entrance to the Leonora Hindu Temple,

was brutally chopped all over the body and subsequently died. Another vagrant, who usually illegally domicile in the old, empty, dilapidated building next door to the Leonora Mandir (the former Leonora Maha Sabha Secondary School), is the primary suspect for this devious act. It must be noted that, reports were filed with the police about these dangerous characters lurking around the mandir’s compound where children and females usually visit. Also, the mandir was recently burglarised and expensive equipment was removed.

To date, this worri-

some news was not reported by any media.

There is nothing in the news to alert the public about this dangerous character at large, still running amok and seen in the neighbourhood.

There is no “Wanted” picture posted anywhere.

How can the news media miss this worrisome incident? Yet, a picketing exercise at the Leonora NIS office on Wednesday morning made the news in the newspapers. Something is definitely missing in communication.

Yours respectfully, Jai Lall

GUYANA CHRONICLE

Saturday, January 8, 2022

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Tripartite committee agrees to $60,000 as new national minimum wage

Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton; MoL Permanent Secretary, Bishram Kuppen; the Chief Labour Officer, Dhaneshwar Deonarine and other members of the National Tripartite Committee at Wednesday’s meeting THE first step to move the national minimum wage from $44,200 to $60,000 has been taken with the Ministry of Labour (MoL)’s National Tripartite Committee (NTC) officially giving its nod to the increase at a meeting held on Wednesday.

With this step now concluded, subject minister, Joseph Hamilton, will now take the issue to Cabinet for ratification. He will also seek guidance from the Attorney-General about the structure of the order he will have to give. The new minimum wage will come into effect when he issues that order.

The meeting was the committee’s first for the year. Given that the national minimum wage has been a months-long issue, the committee wasted no time to tie up an agreement on the issue.

“The committee exten-

sively engaged about the national minimum wage that has been in negotiations for several months and it was unanimously agreed upon for it to be moved to GY$60,000. With the trade union and private sector both giving their blessings, the Minister of Labour, Mr. Joseph Hamilton will take the committee’s recommendation to the Cabinet for deliberations,” a statement from the MoL said.

Discussions on the increase of the national minimum wage had started since 2020. However, with the country in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and many private businesses struggling to meet their overhead expenses, the private sector had called for the postponement of the increase given an inability to handle any increase to expenditure.

However, with most

businesses being able to return to normal functioning during last year, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) had indicated that it was ready to move ahead with making the increase official.

“A lot of the companies already pay that and more as the minimum wage, and employees need to be comfortable. For those who are below it, it will be a good boost to their income. It’s small, but people need to be comfortable to perform properly enough,” PSC Chairman, Paul Cheong had noted in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle last month.

The national private sector minimum wage has not been increased since 2017, when it was raised from an hourly rate of $202 to $255, taking the monthly salary from $35,000 to $44,200 for a 40-hour week. Comparatively, the minimum wages for the public sector is currently $70,000.

Over the past year, Minister Hamilton had continuously expressed his hope to see the increase become realised, even as he remained patient and sympathetic to the private sector’s situation.

“I have concluded several matters and this is a major one that is outstanding for me and I’m hoping that we can conclude it and bring finality to it,” Hamilton had said.

Aside from the discussion on minimum wage, Wednesday’s meeting also saw the committee discussing prospective initiatives to improve the functioning of the NTC, which includes representatives from the MoL, private sector, and trade unions in Guyana.

“The proceedings featured the renewal of the committee with a total of 18

members, 12 of which were retained from the former committee and six new members. Several fruitful discussions also took place regarding key issues,” the ministry’s statement said.

The minister noted that he hopes to have a

tripartite committee that deals with issues beyond wages and salary negotiations for workers in Guyana, including issues on occupational safety and health; equal pay for equal work; the training and retraining of both

private and public sector workers, which will enable them to properly function in their respective sectors, as well as social issues that may be affecting both private and public organisations and their employees.

APNU+AFC integrally part of COVID-19 Task Force body says health crisis should not be used for political grandstanding

THE National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) has noted misleading and inaccurate statements being attributed to some members of the APNU+AFC, which suggest that the political opposition is somehow excluded from the Task Force.

These patently false statements, the NCTF said in a release, could only be construed as an attempt to score cheap political points out of a global health crisis.

“The NCTF comprises members of the government, opposition, security forces, regulatory agencies, religious bodies, and the private sector. Specifically, the Regional Chairpersons of

all 10 administrative regions, including Regions Four, Seven and 10, which are controlled by the APNU+AFC, are members of the Task Force. Additionally, the NCTF is supported by the Regional Task Forces which are chaired by the Regional Chairmen of the respective regions, and include RDC councillors from both the Government and the Opposition. No group, agency or stakeholder has ever been denied the opportunity of participating or having their issues addressed by the Task Force. The NCTF remains open to contribution from any interest group. As a matter of fact, other concerned groups, inclusive of the tourism

sector, health sector and the trade unions have been engaged by the Task Force, which statutorily meets weekly under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister,” the release pointed out.

The National COVID-19 Taskforce said it remains committed to working with all stakeholders as it continues to promote public education and immunisation, while enforcing the COVID-19 guidelines and protocols towards the reduction and elimination of the virus in Guyana.

“The NCTF, therefore, condemns these baseless and mischievous statements by the opposition.

We urge all stakeholders to assume a more positive, responsible and mature role in support of the national efforts to tackle this global pandemic. This health crisis should not be used for political grandstanding,” the release concluded.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 8, 2022

President to headline solar energy project handover at CARICOM Secretariat PRESIDENT Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali will deliver the keynote address at a ceremony to hand over the solar photovoltaic powergeneration plant with battery and building energy management systems at the CARICOM Secretariat on Tuesday, January 11, 2022.

The ceremony will also be live-streamed on Facebook and Youtube from 13:00 hrs.

Other speakers at the ceremony will be Dr. Carla N. Barnett, CARICOM Secretary-General; Hiroyasu Tonokawa, Chief Representative to the Caribbean, Japan International Cooperation Agency; Tatsuo Hirayama, Ambassador of Japan to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and CARICOM; Brigadier-General (Ret’d) Mark A. Phillips, MSS M.P., Prime Minister of Guyana; and Dr. Armstrong Alexis, CARICOM Deputy Secretary-General.

The 400-kilowatt solar generation project on the forecourt of the Secretariat was undertaken through a US$17.8M grant agreement between the governments of Guyana and Japan, US$7M of which was earmarked for the project.

The transformation of the forecourt of the secretariat included the mounting of more than 1,500 solar panels, setting up servers and batteries, building a car port and allotting space for educational/ recreational activities. Panels and other equipment were installed in the building, and staff were trained to man the operations.

The building is expected to get all of its energy from solar-based sources on a majority of its operating days.

Overall, the secretariat is expected to have a net-zero energy balance on the basis of the fact that there will be available excess energy. That excess energy can provide power to the national grid during its off-peak operations.

It is anticipated that the benefits the secretariat will derive from the project will serve as an example of the transformation that can occur in public buildings across the region, and, by extension, an example of how the region can utilise the renewable energy resources at its disposal to move towards greater energy efficiency and resilience. (CARICOM)

GUYANA CHRONICLE

Saturday, January 8, 2022

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Residents lament terrible state of West Ruimveldt roads

SEVERAL frustrated West Ruimveldt residents have lamented the hardships they are enduring because of the deplorable state of several roads in the community.

During a visit to the area on Friday, the Guyana Chronicle spoke to a few of the affected residents. According to them, the large potholes and depressions are causing damage to their vehicles, and are hindering them from executing daily tasks.

“This road; it breaking up meh car every day when I got to pass and come through this road here. It is worse here when it floods,” Shawn Morris, a resident of Hibiscus Street said.

He noted that the terrible state of the road has seen him having to regularly fix scratches and dents on his vehicle.

Morris told this publication that while the Georgetown Mayor and City Council is aware of the situation in the community, to his knowledge, no attempt has been made recently to repair the deplorable roads.

Another resident, Rochell (only name given), said that some minor works were done in 2012. However, these were substandard, as the roads began to erode, and are now in a terrible state.

“They did it one time, but, apparently, it wasn’t done properly, because if you look around, you can see, evidently, that it is horrible. When it’s flooded, the children have to walk through the water to get to school, and taxis don’t want to come into the area,

because it is damaging their cars and stuff like that,” the frustrated woman said.

She is calling on the City authorities to do an assessment of the area, and to quickly fix the roads, as the situation is hindering the children greatly during the rainy season.

“The proper officials need to come into the area, check it out, and see how people are living,” she said, adding: “We, too, need nice roads. Ah mean, we can’t get four-lane roads, but we need roads that cars can drive through, and our children can walk to go to school, especially during the rainy season.”

Another resident, who identified himself as Ryan, is of the belief that the heavy garbage disposal trucks that traverse the area are damaging the already narrow roads.

“The roads dem bad, and it does damage certain parts of the car and suh, and one of the things that I does observe is the garbage truck. I think the garbage truck they sending in the area it too big; they have smaller trucks that they can send,” the man said.

Ryan also told the Guyana Chronicle that during the rainy season, flooding contributes to the erosion of the road’s surface, which is why he has taken it upon himself to clean and clear the majority of the drains in the community during the rainy season. He believes that the cleaning and clearing will help the water to drain faster from the roads.

“I’m the one who maintains all of this at my own expense; when I don’t have

the money to pay people to do it, I do it myself,” Ryan said, adding: “Sometimes some of my fellow villagers, who are police and soldiers, when they off-duty, I could count on them. They would come out and assist me.”

The Georgetown Mayor and City Council is responsible for fixing roads in the City.

The Guyana Chronicle contacted Trichria Richards, the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) councillor responsible for East and West Ruimveldt, and she readily admitted that she is aware of the deplorable state the roads. She said that she has made several attempts to engage the relevant authorities about the situation, but due to the limited resources available to her, there is not much she can do to address the situation.

In the meantime, she said that measures to alleviate the effects of flooding are being discussed at the level of the City Council.

Hibiscus Street, West Ruimveldt resident, Shawn Morris points to some of the damage on his car

A canter truck maneuvering brick-filled potholes in West Ruimveldt

GTA appoints LOTUS to lead global digital marketing services

LOTUS, a multi-awardwinning, public relations, digital communications and representation agency specialising in travel, has been appointed by the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) to lead its global digital marketing services following a competitive pitch process.

A release said that the scope of work will see the LOTUS team create and implement a digital marketing strategy targeted at Guyana’s core international markets: the United States and Canada; the United Kingdom, BENELUX; and the German-speaking markets (Germany, Switzerland and Austria) as well as domestic travellers in Guyana.

The strategy will help put Guyana on the map for core audience groups focusing on key tourism pillars which include nature and wildlife, active exploration, culture and heritage, birding, conservation and SAVE travel

(student, academic, volunteer, educational).

The LOTUS team has extensive first-hand knowledge of Guyana having been the in-market UK and Benelux tourism representatives of the GTA since late 2018.

In this time, the LOTUS team has established a large network of key stakeholders in Guyana and around the world and understands the vision of the GTA to create a leading, sustainably managed destination.

“We are happy to see the appointment of LOTUS following an extensive and robust procurement and review process. LOTUS’ proposal met the ambitions of the GTA to continue cementing Guyana’s place as a leading green and sustainable destination. Having worked with LOTUS through the UK market representation brief, we know that the team is diligent, dedicated and has Guyana’s best intentions as its priority,” commented

Kamrul Baksh, Director (ag) of the GTA. The account bolsters the LOTUS LATAM division at LOTUS set up in 2017 to cater specifically for clients to, from and focused on Latin America and Spanish speaking markets.

“Since we began working with the GTA in late 2018, our team has become extremely passionate about Guyana’s authentic tourism offering and own brand of sustainable destination management.

We are delighted to be appointed as the lead agency for the Guyana Tourism Authority’s international digital marketing services, especially as such a crucial time for the travel sector.

We look forward to rolling out this digital strategy to help raise the profile of the wonderfully unexplored ‘land of the giants’,” Kate McWilliams, Managing Director of LOTUS LATAM, said.

Not a cent withdrawn from NRF

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 8, 2022

- withdrawal can only be done through parliamentary approval, Finance Minister reiterates

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

SENIOR Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, has confirmed that no money will be withdrawn from the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) without Parliamentary approval.

The minister made this clarification on the sidelines of Budget 2022 meetings and preparation, a budget that will soon be presented to the National Assembly, on a date that Minister Singh has stopped short of disclosing, a

release from the Ministry of Finance said.

Minister Singh explained that though he signed the Commencement Order for the NRF on December 31 last which states: ‘I appoint the 1st Day of January, 2022 as the date on which he Natural Resource Fund Act shall come into operation’ that he wished to make it clear that no monies can be withdrawn from the NRF unless there is Parliamentary approval.

“Not a cent can be withdrawn without prior parlia-

mentary approval, not a cent has been withdrawn and not a cent will be withdrawn until approved by Parliament,” Dr. Singh said.

The new Natural Resource Fund Act was assented to on December 30, a day after its passage in the National Assembly. The law brings legitimacy to the legal framework governing the Natural Resource Fund having replaced the illegitimate and cumbersome act passed by the previous caretaker administration. This law now allows

for substantial improvement in the management of the natural resource wealth of Guyana for the present and future benefit of all citizens.

“It contains enhanced clauses (replacing defective clauses in the old NRF 2019 Act) including a significant one which provides for the establishment of a Board of Directors that will be responsible for reviewing and approving the policies of the fund and monitoring its performance thereby separating the management

of the fund from the Minister responsible for Finance.

Another key amendment in the new legislation is that the Minister of Finance could face up to 10 years imprisonment if he fails to disclose the receipt of any petroleum revenue received by government in the Official Gazette within three months of receipt of such monies which highlights the seriousness of government’s commitment to accountability and transparency,” the release said.

De-risking agriculture sector from climate change

- a step closer, regional company set to deliver proposed product in second quarter A REGIONAL insurance company is in the process of preparing country-specific proposals for consideration by Guyana and the other member states for de-risking their agriculture sectors from the impact of climate change, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha has reported.

According to Minister Mustapha, the second quarter of 2022 is being targeted for the delivery outline for the proposed insurance product for CARICOM member states.

“Guyana is now at the forefront of the effects of climate change. Now more than ever, we see the need to have some sort of risk transfer mechanism in place whereby when our farmers are faced with these perils, they can receive some compensation, thus minimising or eliminating, altogether, the need for governments to take monies from the coffers to give relief because farmers would be paying a premium.

That in itself would be a game-changer for Guyana’s agriculture sector,” the minister added.

With Guyana and other CARICOM member states’ agriculture sectors being susceptible to the impacts of climate change, the Special Ministerial Taskforce (MTF) established during the Conference of Heads of Government last year, has been playing a leading role in advocating for the development of appropriate products aimed at de-risking the agriculture sector such as agriculture insurance.

The MTF is charged with guiding the CARICOM’s

position on shaping a significantly, more resilient, wealth-generating and food secure agri-food system in the region.

The MTF is chaired by Minister Mustapha who has been working closely with regional private sector organisations to guarantee integration and meaningful collaborations when developing its Action Plan and to follow up on and monitor the implementation of a regional agri-food system strategy.

As it relates to advances with implementing a dispute resolution mechanism which includes policies regarding the removal of trade barriers for CARICOM States, Minister Mustapha said that the MTF has made significant progress in this regard and that it will be further discussed during the upcoming COTED meeting which is scheduled for some time this year.

RESUSCITATION OF TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION An enduring constraint to intra-regional agricultural trade is the existence of an Inadequate Regional Transportation system. While Guyana has the productive capacity to produce a significant amount of the food that is imported into the region, moving its produce to ports across the region in an efficient manner at a competitive cost remains a significant constraint.

Recognising this constraint to regional trade, regional officials noted in particular that there was a need to address transportation and logistics considerations in the context of efforts

to advance the CARICOM Agri-Food Systems Agenda.

The decision was therefore taken to give priority attention to proposals to incentivise private sector partnership in addressing transport and logistics requirements for implementation of the agri-food systems agenda, a release from the Ministry of Agriculture said.

To this end, the regional focus has been on the resuscitation of the Regional Transportation Commission (RTRC) targeting both air and maritime transportation.

At the level of the MTF, significant progress has been made to have this commission resuscitated with heavy policy emphasis being placed essentially on the delivery of adequate, fair, competitive, efficient transportation services at affordable costs and the sustainability of these services.

Additionally, the commission will also focus on creating an interconnected, multi-modal, accessible transportation network that actively contributes to the strengthening of the economic development of the community through trade and the movement of people, as well as, strengthening and enhancing the regulatory organisations and institutions of the transportation sector of the community, the release said.

SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS Since its establishment, the MTF has convened five meetings and has made significant inroads in several major areas of its work programme.

Minister Mustapha noted

that the taskforce was able to engage and collaborate with the Caribbean Private Sector Organisation to advance the regional corn and soya programme.

“The MTF has and continues to play a leading role along with the Caribbean Private Sector Organisation in the identification and development of a programme of support for the regional corn and soya priority commodity programme. The Caribbean Development Bank has since expressed interest in supporting the production of corn and soya beans used as intermediate inputs for feed production as possible commodities for input displacement. Initial discussions are currently ongoing with the CDB on the nature of the proposed support.

This project, as you know, has positive implications for Guyana positioning itself as

the supplier of inputs for the poultry industry. This will result, in one stroke, to help to alleviate the concern of food and nutrition security because Guyana will be able to provide its protein for poultry, which is widely consumed across the region. Further, it will also reduce the food import bill because, annually, we spend an enormous amount of money to import corn and soya beans for the poultry industry. There are also implications for things like cross-border investments,” Minister Mustapha said.

With the annual imports for proteins for the poultry sector being close to $25 million, the government sought to incentivise the cultivation of corn and soya beans in 2021.

“In 2021, $500 million infrastructural investment

to rehabilitate 18km of the road starting from the junction of the Linden-Ituni road and heading east towards the Berbice River. Additional investment will be done for drying facilities and storage silos.

“This year, the massive corn and soya bean trial farm at the Dubulay Ranch at Ebini along the Berbice River has shown remarkable results,” the release said.

The trial project saw the successful cultivation of 111 acres of soya bean, and five acres of corn being cultivated, which yielded approximately 2.3 tonnes per hectare.

The initial aim is to cultivate 56,000 acres or 22,400 hectares to be able to satisfy the local demand, after which, cultivation for export to markets in the region will be targeted, the release noted.

Alex Mendez explaining the process of cultivating the corn

GUYANA CHRONICLE

Saturday, January 8, 2022

GNBS inspectors assaulted during seizure of substandard electrical products TWO inspectors of the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) were, on Friday, assaulted at Carrefour Hardware Store, West Coast Demerara when they attempted to remove a quantity of substandard electrical fittings and equipment from the business premises, the bureau said in a release.

According to the release, the inspectors visited the hardware store during routine inspection activities where it was observed that the items did not meet the labelling requirements of the national standards.

As a result, the owner of the business was informed that the items had to be seized and removed, pending corrective actions.

However, the release noted that during efforts to seize the substandard items, the female proprietor of the establishment proceeded to obstruct the inspectors from carrying out their duties.

One of the male inspectors was allegedly assaulted in the process and the police were summoned to the scene. The female proprietor was subsequently arrested,

taken to the Den Amstel Police Station and charged, the GNBS release said.

The GNBS seized 143 pieces of power supply cords, five pieces of knife switches, 694 receptacles, 188 plugs and 248 lamp holders, from the hardware store.

Inspectors are empowered under Section 28 of the Standards Act of 1984 and its Amendment of 1997 to, without previous notice, enter any premises, inspect commodities monitored by the GNBS, and request relevant documentation.

Additionally, inspectors have the power to seize and detain products which are in contravention of the Act. “To obstruct GNBS inspectors from carrying out their functions is a contravention of the law and such abrasive actions by any stakeholder will not be tolerated.

“The GNBS, under its Product Compliance Programme monitors 17 categories of products based on compulsory national standards. The products include electrical fittings and equipment which are monitored based 31 compulsory national standards,” the release said.

13 The items seized by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards

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Battle intensifies between Norton and Harmon for Opposition Leader post

AS Aubrey Norton now sits as the substantive leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), the party’s leadership has thrown its full support behind the replacement of Joseph Harmon with Norton as Leader of the Opposition in Guyana’s National Assembly.

This was confirmed by Norton in the presence of other party senior members, during the PNCR’s press conference on Friday. Norton

said following the decision of the newly elected Central Executive Committee (CEC) this week, he is slated to meet with Mr Harmon before next Wednesday.

“The party’s central executive has decided that the Leader of the Opposition and the leader of the party should be one person,” Norton confirmed in response to questions from the media.

Just a few hours later, however, the Office of the Leader of the Opposition

issued a terse statement challenging the PNCR’s statement uttered by Norton.

“The main Parliamentary Opposition is the APNU+AFC coalition and consists of 31 Members of Parliament. The APNU partnership has an established structure and if the executive of a party in the partnership has a position and they wish to express that position; they should follow the established procedures,” the statement from the Opposition Leader’s

office read.

It further went on to assert: “The Office of the Leader of the Opposition is a constitutional office and is consequently governed by the constitution.”

While Harmon had initially contested for party leadership at the PNCR’s recently concluded biennial congress, he was defeated by Norton.

The PNCR’s CEC is also calling for the removal of former President David

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 8, 2022

PNCR Leader Aubrey Norton Granger as head of the coa- tion. It is unclear what legal lition’s list; the PNCR is a pathway would be taken to majority bloc in that coali- achieve this.

GUYANA CHRONICLE

Saturday, January 8, 2022

GUYANA’S COVID-19 infections continue to climb since the break of 2022 with 847 new cases and two COVID-related deaths recorded between Thursday and Friday, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony confirmed on Friday last.

Dr Anthony’s disclosure was made during his daily COVID-19 press briefing.

This has been a continuing trend over the past five days where Guyana has seen significantly high positivity

rates of the deadly COVID-19 virus based on the number of tests done on the previous day.

Health officials suspect the Omicron variant, which is believed to be more easily transmissible, is present in Guyana.

On Thursday, the Health Minister expressed concern at the 3,400 new cases which emerged over a three-day period, urging those persons to remain isolated. On Friday, he said Guyana’s active cases

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847 new COVID-19 cases, two deaths in last 24 hours have now climbed to 4,295.

Taking a closer look at the data from the recent announcement, Dr Anthony said persons between the age group 15-19 account for 26 COVID-19 cases; the 10-14 age group accounts for 22 cases; and the five-nine age group accounts for 21 cases.

“We are seeing these cases in this younger grouping that is really mobile, moving around from place to place probably going to the bars and restaurants… They are

Sanitation worker sanitises a public space (Delano Williams photo)

the ones we are seeing are getting infected,” the health minister said.

Turning his attention to vaccination numbers, Dr Anthony said there has been

a slight increase in the total number of vaccinated adults which has climbed to 413,376 for first dose recipients, and 298,9545 for second dose recipients.

He added that vaccination figures for adolescents have climbed to 30,829 for first dose recipients, while second dose recipients equal 21,957.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 8, 2022

Venezuelan charged for New Year’s Day murder remanded

ELITH Osorio Dominguez, a 21-yearold Venezuelan, was, on Friday, remanded to prison for allegedly beating his fellow countryman to death during an argument over raw

gold.

Dominguez appeared before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and was not required to plead to the charge which alleged that

on January 1, 2022, at Arau Mountain Top, Cuyuni River, he murdered 51-year-old Animal Sonja, who is also a Venezuelan.

Dominguez was remanded to prison until March 14, 2022.

Police had said that based on information received, Dominguez and Sonja were known to each other.

It is alleged that on the day in question, they were at Dominguez’s sister’s mining camp when an argument ensued over him allegedly owing Sonja a quantity of raw gold.

The argument became heated and Dominguez allegedly picked up a piece of wood and struck the victim to the head, causing him to fall to the ground where he remained motionless.

Dominguez thereafter made good his escape but was later arrested by police in the area.

Elith Osorio Dominguez

Man fined $20,000 for noise nuisance

SENIOR Magistrate Leron Daly, on Friday, fined an Albouystown resident $20,000 for continuously playing loud music.

Adam Blair appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to the charge of noise nuisance which

stated that, on October 28, 2021, at James and Garnett Street, Albouystown, he made loud and continuous noise to the annoyance of Karen Steven, his neighbor.

According to the court prosecutor, on the day in question, Steven had approached Blair and pleaded

with him to lower his loud music. However, he ignored her and continued playing his music.

The woman subsequently reported the matter to the police and Blair was arrested. His music system was seized and is currently lodged at the Ruimveldt Police Station.

GUYANA CHRONICLE

Saturday, January 8, 2022

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 8, 2022

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 8, 2022

Sparta Boss or Bent Street?

- Explosive final to bring the curtain down on K&S/GFF Futsal tourney

WITH the championship team taking home $1M, in the Kashif and Shanghai/Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Futsal tournament final, fireworks are expected

when Sparta Boss and Bent Street clash at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall tonight.

While Sparta Boss reached the final with an easy 7-2 victory over Leopold Street, Bent Street had to come from behind to edge Gold is Money 4-3 in overtime.

Looking at the two finalists, it would be easy for local pundits to pick Sparta Boss as favourites and rightfully so.

Their star-studded line-up is a crowd-pleaser no matter the combination of players on the court. However, Bent Street should not be overlooked.

The team’s semi-finals victory over Gold is Money should put to rest any doubt of their ability to give Sparta Boss a ‘tackle’.

Over the years, Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson, one of Guyana’s most talented players, has transitioned to dominate f o o t b a l l ’ s s h o r t e s t f o rmat. But in this particular tournament, he has made way for other young and budding talents.

Depending on the opposition, Sparta Boss would turn to former National youth captain,

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Jeremey Garrett, along with the likes youthful players Curtez Kelman and Ryan Hackett.

Nicholas McArthur, Kelsie Benjamin and Job Caesar are the other young stars on the already loaded Sparta Boss team.

On the other side, Colin Nelson, Pernell Shultz, Daniel Wilson and Jermain Junor are the players leading the charge for Bent Street. With Clive Nobrega also in the lineup, the Wortmanville/ Werk-en-Rust unit will be going for glory from

the start.

Meanwhile, the third place game from 08:00hrs will set the best platform for an expected explosive night of futsal action.

Leopold Street will do battle against Gold is Money and with $250 000 up for grabs, just like the final, fans will certainly be entertained.

Organisers are encouraging patrons to come out early, since with the COVID-19 protocols activated, space in the venue will be limited. (Rawle Toney)

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Answers in tomorrow’s issue

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 8, 2022

Bairstow century leads England fightback (ESPNCRICINFO) - Jonny Bairstow saved England's blushes and saved his Test career with a stunning SCG century to help his nation avoid the follow-on having slumped to 4 for 36 in the face of an Australian barrage on the third day.

Bairstow's century was both brave and chanceless. He copped a vicious blow on the thumb from Pat Cummins in the afternoon that left him doubled over in pain. But he brushed it off to score his second century in Australia and his seventh in Test cricket. It was his first in three years and 38 Test innings.

He roared to the rooms after bringing it up with a flashing cut over backward point in the last over of the day in an emotional moment as the England team and fans stood and applauded a rare show of fight on this tour.

He was brilliantly supported by Ben Stokes, who fought through obvious pain to make a vital 66 in a century-stand with Bairstow, while Mark Wood made an excellent 39.

It was an extraordinary day all up. Two hours were lost to rain and England went 70 balls without scoring and lost three wickets in the process. Australia dropped three catches, Stokes was bowled without the bails coming off and Scott Boland took 2 for 0 before hurting his side in a fall - he went for scans and was later cleared of injury.

Australia produced their most ragged four hours of the series as Bairstow picked them apart with excellent footwork and positive intent to leave England 158 runs behind with three first-innings wickets in hand and two days remaining.

After his top-order had literally ground to

a halt in the morning, he never let Australia settle. He moved fluently onto the front- and back-foot but didn't try and over-hit the ball on a surface that played all sorts of tricks.

He picked the gaps consistently and never missed anything straight. He was particularly savage on Nathan Lyon, with the off-spinner conceding 71 from 12 overs. Bairstow struck eight fours and three sixes in his 103 not out from 140 balls.

Stokes combined brilliantly with Bairstow as the pair batted through the middle session and put together England's third-highest partnership of the series. It was also the fifth time in Test cricket an England fifth-wicket pair had scored a century-partnership after coming together with the score at 40 runs or fewer.

Stokes has been involved in three of them Stokes did have some luck. He offered a Jonny Bairstow celebrates reaching his century (Getty Images)

life to Cummins early but Australia skipper dropped the sharp return chance. He also survived one of the most bizarre moments of the series. As he shouldered arms to Cameron Green from around the wicket, the ball hit off stump and took a significant deflection but the bails stayed on.

Australia appealed thinking it hit the back pad and he was given out lbw by umpire Paul Reiffel. Stokes reviewed and his pad was nowhere near the ball. He laughed with the Australians when replays showed it had rattled off stump without dislodging the bail to deny

Green a wicket.

Thereafter he was ultra-aggressive moving around the crease to disrupt Australia's lines and length. He was in obvious pain with every stroke causing a jab in his injured side but he had Australia rattled. He crushed three consecutive boundaries off Mitchell Starc and played an outrageous lofted cover drive for six off Lyon after being beaten in flight.

But Lyon got his revenge having been thrashed by Stokes and Bairstow either side of tea. Stokes played back to one that slid on straight and was trapped plumb in front. He walked off without looking at the umpire.

Jos Buttler meekly chipped one to cover shortly after but Mark Wood picked up the slack. He was peppered with short balls but cracked 39 off 41 including three towering hooked sixes. The short ball tactic did work eventually for Cummins, as Wood was out hooking, getting a tiny edge onto his helmet only for it to balloon to Lyon at point. Wood was initially given not out but it was overturned on review.

Earlier, play was delayed by two hours due to a frustrating drizzle before normal service resumed for England in the shortened morning session as they lost 4 for 23 despite Haseeb Hameed and Zak Crawley producing England's second-best opening stand of the series of 22.

But even that wasn't without luck. Following Crawley's reprieve off a no-ball late on the second night, he was dropped at short leg by Marcus Harris although it was a very difficult chance high to his right.

Hameed was given a life of his own with Alex Carey spilling him off Mitchell Starc

diving late to his right in front of David Warner at slip. Having left two similar chances in the previous two Tests he made the late decision to go and spilled the one-handed offering.

Both drops didn't cost anything. Starc cleaned up Hameed snaking one back through a gaping gate to crash into middle and off.

Hameed's promising contributions at the Gabba look a distant memory following five single-figure scores. Crawley played two cracking strokes in his 18, thumping a drive on the up and smashing Starc forward of square on the back foot.

But he too left a gaping hole between bat and pad for Boland to breach with some sharp movement back off the seam. It was part of a mesmerising passage where Boland and Green put a stranglehold on England. They bowled 53 balls in the lead-up to lunch without conceding a run.

Crawley fell on the 24th ball of the sequence. Joe Root succumbed on the 43rd, wafting another loose square drive off the back foot with an angled bat only to be brilliantly caught by Steven Smith at second slip for a duck. It gave Boland figures of 2 for 0 from four overs and his Test bowling average dipped to 6.11, with a career tally of 9 for 55 following his heroics in Melbourne.

Green deserved some reward at the other end and he struck with the 53rd ball of the sequence and the last before lunch.

Dawid Malan was caught at a fine leg slip trying to glance a ball that reared at his ribs. The sequence stretched to 70 balls after lunch before Stokes and Bairstow finally broke free.

Sri Lankan trio has year ban lifted

(ESPNCRICINFO) - The trio of Danushka Gunathilaka Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella have had their one-year bans on playing international cricket lifted, less than six months into the suspension period. The decision follows a request made by them - similar to the one which saw their six-month domestic ban lifted early as well, to allow them to compete in the LPL in December - while the last few months have also seen each of them undergo counselling.

"The latest decision was taken following a request made by the three players to Sri Lanka Cricket to lift the ban imposed on them, pursuant to the conclusion of the LPL 2021," an SLC media release stated. "Based on such request, Sri Lanka Cricket obtained a report

from the doctor appointed by SLC to provide counselling for the three players during their period of suspension."

They will now be eligible for selection in domestic cricket as well as for the national side.

SLC stated that if the three players end up with a disciplinary breach within the next two years, then the remainder of the suspension would also kick in, which in their case is a little over six months. "The lifted suspension will remain suspended for a period of two years, during which the three players' conduct will be closely monitored by the SLC," the release added.

The ban was enforced

by SLC following Sri Lanka's tour of England last year, during which the three were found to have breached bio-bubble protocols. The suspension meant all three

missed out on Sri Lanka's T20 World Cup campaign, though their absence paved the way for exciting talents such as Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka.

Their return to competitive action in the LPL saw each attain success, but to varying degrees. Dickwella produced explosive cameos early in the tournament before runs dried up as it progressed. But Gunathilaka couldn't quite replicate the dominance that had seen him top the charts in the first LPL in 2020. However, his belligerent display in last month's final - albeit in a losing cause - offered a glimpse into his potential. Meanwhile, Mendis, who was instrumental in Galle Gladiators' run to the final, finished as the top-scorer this time with 327 runs at a strike rate of 148.63.

"Accordingly, the three players will be able to engage

in playing domestic cricket with immediate effect and will also be available for national selection, subject to complying with mandatory fitness standards," the release concluded.

While Dickwella and Mendis will be available for selection in both red- and white-ball cricket, Gunathilaka would be there only for limited-overs internationals.

The 30-year-old has informed SLC of his retirement from Test cricket; with 299 runs in eight Tests, Gunathilaka was rarely a mainstay in the format and hadn't played a Test since 2018. The news comes in the same week that Bhanuka Rajapaksa announced his retirement from international cricket.

Sri Lanka's next assignment is a three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe in Pallekele, which begins on January 16.

All three of Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Mendis and Danushka Gunathilaka played in last year's LPL (AFP/Getty Images)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 8, 2022

Second tennis player’s Australian visa cancelled

(BBC) - Australia has cancelled the visa of Czech tennis player Renata Voracova, who had entered the country to play in the Australian Open.

She is being held in the same hotel as Serbian star, Novak Djokovic, who is appealing the cancellation of his visa.

Djokovic's initial exemption from vaccine requirements for unspecified reasons angered many Australians.

The Czech government said Voracova entered Australia on a valid exemption. She had contracted COVID-19 recently.

The government in Prague says she will now withdraw from the tournament and leave Australia.

The Australian government said yesterday that a recent infection does not mean a foreign national can travel to the country without being fully vaccinated.

More than 90% of Australia's adult

population had taken at least two doses of the coronavirus vaccine, but many still face restrictions as COVID-19 case numbers rise.

The initial decision to issue a visa to Djokovic caused anger amongst many Australians, who said that sports stars should be treated the same as everybody else. The Serbian star is known for his opposition to vaccines.

The Australian Open begins on January 17 in Melbourne.

Tensions and emotions have been high outside the hotel where Novak Djokovic is being kept. His supporters were there well after midnight.

Some wrote "stay strong" in big yellow letters on the pavement. Others lit candles.

"It's (the Orthodox) Christmas," a woman told me, visibly emotional. "He'll be alone up there. It's a farce."

There are many strands to this story. The

anger. The politics. The visa. And of course, The tennis - which is what the world number one is here for.

Djokovic fans are furious that he's been allowed to come all the way to Australia only to be told he had to leave on a visa technicality.

But other Australians are outraged that a world-class athlete who's been vocal about his vaccine opposition was granted an exemption, while their own politicians have urged them for nearly a year now to get both jabs and now the booster.

Both shades of anger are understandable and they have at least one thing in common: fury about how the authorities have handled this.

There has been a continuous tussle - and lots of blame-shifting - between the state and federal governments and Tennis Australia.

Politicians have wanted to prove that they can control who comes in and out of the

Renata Voracova was initially granted a vaccine exemption

country but in doing so they have lost control of the narrative.

It's an embarrassing situation for Australia whichever way you look at it.

Aston Villa to take Coutinho Mendy released on bail over rape, sexual on loan from Barcelona assault charges

Coutinho scored the winner in a memorable 3-2 win over Manchester City in April 2014, only to see his Liverpool side overhauled in the title race in the following weeks

(BBC) - Aston Villa have agreed a deal to bring in former Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho on loan from Barcelona until the end of the season.

The deal, which is subject to a medical and a work permit being granted, includes an option to buy the 29-year-old for £33M at the end of the season.

Coutinho joined Barcelona in a £142M move from Liverpool in January 2018.

However, the Brazil international has not had the expected impact and Barca are keen to lighten their wage bill.

Arsenal, Everton, Newcastle and Tottenham were also linked with a move for Coutinho.

The playmaker, who has scored 26 goals in 106 appearances for the Catalans, has 18 months to run on his Nou Camp contract, which expires at the end of the 2022-23 season.

His move reunites him with Villa manager Steven Gerrard, who was his captain at Liverpool.

Gerrard, who described his former teammate as a "special footballer" on Thursday, and Coutinho were key parts of the Liverpool side that fell just short of winning the Premier League title in 2014.

Coutinho scored 54 goals in 201 appear-

ances for Liverpool, whom he joined in a £8.5M move from Inter Milan in January 2013.

And in another signal of intent, Villa are ready to increase their interest in Brighton's 25-year-old Mali midfielder Yves Bissouma.

Brighton, however, are in no mood to sell the highly-rated Bissouma, who has played a key role as Graham Potter's side have made a fine start to this season.

Villa are determined to strengthen their midfield and Bissouma, who has been linked with Arsenal and Liverpool, is on a list of potential targets.

Villa are also looking to add quality in defence in the January window.

Everton's Lucas Digne has been linked with Villa after falling out with manager Rafael Benitez, who revealed yesterday that the France left-back has asked to leave Goodison Park, but the 28-year-old's lucrative salary is likely to prove a stumbling block to any deal.

Meanwhile Villa striker Wesley has joined Brazilian club Internacional on a 12-month loan deal.

The 25-year-old, who signed from Club Bruges for £22M in June 2019 and has spent the first half of this season on loan at his former Belgian side, has scored five goals in 25 appearances for Villa.

(BBC) - Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy, who has been charged with rape and sexual assault, has been released from prison on bail.

The 27-year-old is accused of attacking five women between October 2020 and August 2021.

Mendy, who attended a hearing at Chester Crown Court, had been held in custody since his arrest in August.

The France international faces seven counts of rape and one of sex assault.

He had been due to go on trial this month but it has now been put back to June at the earliest.

Judge Patrick Thompson told Mendy he must live at his home address, not contact complainants and surrender his passport.

He agreed to the conditions and replied "OK" to the judge.

The alleged offences include three counts of rape said to have happened on October 11, 2020, sexual touching on January 2 last year, two counts of rape on July 24 and two counts of rape on August 23.

Mendy, from Prestbury in Cheshire, was granted bail until January 24 for a further

Benjamin Mendy is accused of seven counts of rape

pre-trial hearing.

The left-back joined the incumbent Premier League champions from Monaco in 2017 for a reported £52M. He was first arrested and charged with offences on August 26 and had been denied bail on three occasions since.

He was suspended by Manchester City following the charges.

Mendy was joined at the hearing by co-accused Louis Saha Matturie, who has been charged with six counts of

rape and one of sexual assault.

Prosecutor Ian Unsworth QC said that another count of rape and another count of sexual assault were authorised for Matturie, from Eccles in Greater Manchester, on Thursday.

The 40-year-old will appear in court next week on the additional charges and a decision on his application for bail is yet to be made.

22

CWI, ESPN announce new broadcast partnership CRICKET West Indies (CWI) today announced a new broadcast partnership for the region with ESPN and its Caribbean Networks to become the exclusive broadcast partner for all West Indies live home international and regional cricket for the 2022 season.

The new exclusive, live broadcast partnership means that CWI and ESPN will ensure more Caribbean fans than ever will have the chance to access live coverage of the West Indies home international matches. Fans across the region will be able to see West Indies home internationals live and exclusively on ESPN Caribbean and the ESPN app starting on today (Saturday January 8) with the first game of the three-match CG Insurance One Day International (ODI) Series between the West Indies Men and Ireland at Sabina Park, Jamaica to be followed by the one-off CG Insurance T20 International (T20I) between West Indies and Ireland on January 16.

CWI’s partnership with the world’s biggest sports broadcaster will then see ESPN Caribbean airing the England Betway T20I Series and the England Test tour of the West Indies – the five-match Betway T20I series at Kensington Oval in Barbados from January 22 tp 30.

This will be followed by the eagerly-anticipated three-Test series in Antigua, Barbados and Grenada in March, which will be contested for the recently-minted Richards-Botham trophy.

Later this year, ESPN Caribbean and the ESPN app will also feature West Indies Men’s home series against Bangladesh, India and New Zealand, as well as continued coverage of the CG Insurance Super50 Cup – CWI’s marquee regional 50-over tournament. These match schedules will be made available at a later date.

The extended partnership will mean that the ESPN Caribbean channels and ESPN app will provide fans with a full live schedule of all West Indies home international matches, every ICC international tournament match featuring the West Indies, as well as the CG Insurance Super50 Cup.

Johnny Grave, CEO of CWI said: “We are delighted to grow our partnership with ESPN to include our home Internationals in the Caribbean, bringing the region’s favourite sports team, the West Indies, into millions of homes and mobile devices. This new addition to our long-standing partnership with the world’s pre-eminent sports broadcaster is providing greater access to more live West Indies international and regional cricket than ever before to fans across the region.

Making it easier for our fans to watch and follow West Indies live cricket is a crucial part of CWI’s strategy and this exclusive agreement is equally significant to help engage and energise the next generation of fans and players.”

FULL MATCH SECHDULE CG Insurance ODI and T20I Series, West Indies v Ireland at Sabina Park, Jamaica January 8: 1st CG Insurance ODI (09:30hrs local time/10:30hrs Eastern Caribbean) January 11: 2nd CG Insurance ODI (09:30hrs local time/10:30hrs Eastern Caribbean) January 14: 3rd CG Insurance ODI (09:30hrs local time/10:30hrs Eastern Caribbean) January 16: CG Insurance T20I (16:00hrs local time/17:00hrs Eastern Caribbean) Betway T20I Series, West Indies vs England (16:00hrs local time/15:00hrs Jamaica Time) January 22: 1st Betway T20I at Kensington Oval January 23: 2nd Betway T20I at Kensington Oval January 26: 3rd Betway T20I at Kensington Oval January 29: 4th Betway T20I at Kensington Oval January 30: 5th Betway T20I at Kensington Oval England Test Series (10:00hrs local time/09:00hrs Jamaica Time) March 8-12: 1st Test at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua March 16-20: 2nd Test at Kensington Oval, Barbados March 24-28: 3rd Test at Grenada National Stadium, Grenada.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 8, 2022

Sarwan is new CWI selector

CRICKET West Indies (CWI) announces the appointment of former West Indies captain, Ramnaresh Sarwan, as a selector to the West Indies Men’s Senior and Youth Selection Panels, which are led by the Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes and Robert Haynes respectively.

Ramnaresh Sarwan is a former West Indies captain who played at the international level for over a decade.

His appointment was confirmed during a meeting of the CWI Board of Directors on Thursday, January 6, and he will be stepping down from his current role as Chairman of the Guyana Cricket Board’s Senior Selection Panel to focus on this role and avoid any conflict of interest.

CWI president Ricky Skerritt, said: “I am delighted to confirm that Ramnaresh Sarwan has agreed to accept the post of selector on CWI’s Men’s Senior and Youth Panels. He is a student of the game, and knows what is required of our young cricketers in order to achieve international success. The Directors are confident that Mr Sarwan will add enormous value to the cricket system.”

Ramnaresh Sarwan, said: “I want to thank CWI

and everyone involved for giving me this opportunity to again serve West Indies cricket, as a member of the selection panels. I’m passionate about the game of cricket and especially West Indies cricket and once asked to contribute, I didn’t hesitate.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues, the Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes and Mr Robert Haynes, and the two head coaches, as well as everyone else involved in the development of this sport we love and respect so much.”

Sarwan will be a member of the Men’s Senior and Youth Selection Panels until June 30 2024, a period that includes four ICC Global Events, two T20 World Cups (2022 & 2024), the Cricket World Cup (2023) and the World Test Championship Final (2023).

Ramnaresh Sarwan played 81 Test matches, 181 One-Day Internationals and 18 T20 Internationals for the West Indies between 2000 and 2013. He scored 5 842 runs in Tests, including 15 centuries and 5 804 runs in ODIs, including five centuries. He was a member of the West Indies team which won the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy in 2004.

Twenty-three players named for medical and fitness camp in Barbados West Indies Women to participate in a medical and fitness camp

CRICKET West Indies (CWI) today announced a squad of 23 players for a medical and fitness camp in Barbados, from January 9 to 14, ahead of the departure for the four-match One-Day International (ODI) series against South Africa Women in Johannesburg.

The camp sees the return of veteran leg-spinner Afy Fletcher, following her year-long maternity leave.

Teenagers, Zaida James and Jannellia Glasgow, have again been included in a senior West Indies Women’s camp. Britney Cooper, Shabika Gajnabi and Shawnisha Hector have all been ruled out by the CWI Medical Panel for medical reasons. participate CWI’s Lead Selector for Women’s cricket, Ann Browne-John said: “The players will undergo medical and physical testing before the final squad of 18 is selected to travel. It is good to have Afy Fletcher back into the set-up. Unfortunately, three players, Britney Cooper, Shabika Gajnabi and Shawnisha Hector have been ruled out of selection consideration for medical reasons.”

She added: “What is very promising for us at CWI is the inclusion of teenagers Jannellia Glasgow and Zaida James. They’ve been a part of the senior team camps before and also played in the first-ever West Indies Women’s A Team home series against Pakistan Women last year.

Their inclusion is a continued step in the developmental pathways we have established to grow women’s

cricket in the region.”

The selection of the final 18 players who will travel to South Africa will be announced at the conclusion of the camp.

The series will feature two day-matches and two day/night matches under lights.

MATCH SCHEDULE (all matches at Imperial Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg) Day matches start 10:00hrs local time (04:00hrs Eastern Caribbean/03:00hrs Jamaica) Day/night matches start 14:00hrs local time (08:00hrs Eastern Caribbean/07:00hrs Jamaica) Tuesday, January 25: warm-up match vs South Africa XI (day) Friday, January 28: 1st ODI (day/night) Monday, January 31: 2nd ODI (day) Thursday, February 3: 3rd ODI (day/night) Sunday, February 6: 4th ODI (day) West Indies Women’s Full Squad for Medical and Fitness Camp: Aaliyah Alleyne, Reniece Boyce Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Jannillea Glasgow, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Zaida James, Qiana Joseph, Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Mandy Mangru, Hayley Matthews, Anisa Mohammed, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Kaysia Schultz, Shakera Selman, Stafanie Taylor, Rashada Williams.

23

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 8, 2022

Chess Federation set to hold U12 Rapid Championships

THE Guyana Chess Federation will run off an U12 one-day competition next week.

The DeSinco Limited National Under-12 Rapid Championships will be held online on tornelo com on January 15 from 14:00hrs.

The championship would have players battle in an Open division and a Girls’ division.

Prizes will be presented to the first-, second- and third-place finishers in both categories, the best U10 player and the best U8 player.

Under the federation's rules, U12s are

classfied as players born after January 1, 2010.

Some of the big names expected for next week's championship include: Mahir Rajkumar, Anaya Lall, Nicholas and Alexander Zhang, Arysh Raghunauth and Omar Shariff.

Junior chess has exploded online since the pandemic started. The drive has been orchestrated and continues to be proficiently executed by the likes of Anand Raghunauth, Marcia Lee, John Lee, Loris Nathoo, Taffin Khan and Davion

Alexander Zhang is one of the big names expected to compete

National player Anaya Lall is expected to be one of the top finishers

New rules for slow over-rate offenders (ESPNCRICINFO) - In its latest attempt to tackle slow over-rates, the ICC has put in place an "inmatch penalty" in T20Is designed to hit the fielding team where it could really hurt. ESPNcricinfo breaks down the new ruling.

What is the new rule?

If the fielding team fail to start the final over by the stipulated time for it to start, they will be docked one fielder from outside the 30-yard circle. So for the remainder of the innings, they will be allowed four, instead of five, fielders outside the 30-yard circle.

The rule change applies to both men's and women's T20Is. According to the new rule, which was made public by the ICC yesterday, the fielding team need to "be in position to bowl the first ball of the final over of the innings by the scheduled (or rescheduled in case of an unavoidable delay) cessation time for the innings".

In another change, teams can now take an optional drinks break of two minutes and thirty seconds at the mid-point of each innings, subject to agreement between members at the start of each series.

How slow is the new slow overrate?

Until now each team had 85 minutes to complete 20 overs. In the ICC's new playing conditions for T20Is, the fielding team need to start the 20th over by the 85th minute. Match officials will tell both the fielding team and the batters the stipulated end time at the start of each innings. Any time lost due to injuries, DRS reviews, the ball being lost or any unforeseen incident that slows the game, will affect the end

Slow over-rates will cost teams at the death in T20Is in the future (Getty Images)

time which will be reworked.

"In delayed or interrupted matches where there has been a reduction of 3 or more overs the fielding side shall be in position to bowl the first ball of the penultimate over of the innings by the scheduled (or re-scheduled) cessation time for the innings," the ICC said.

Who keeps a tab on the time?

The third umpire, through a timer. In case of any stoppages, the third umpire will rework the end time and let on-field officials know.

in?

When does the new rule kick

It will be implemented for the first time in the men's game during the one-off T20I between West Indies and Ireland on January 16.

Hasn't this been tried before?

It has. The ICC has essentially adopted an idea that the ECB brought in across its white-ball tournaments last year.

With the ICC now following suit, it won't be a surprise if bigger

T20 leagues like the IPL include the ruling into its playing conditions.

Last season, in a bid to battle tardy rates, the IPL brought in a new rule which made it mandatory for teams to finish the 20 overs in uninterrupted matches within a set number of minutes (85 minutes of match play and 5 minutes of two strategic time-outs per innings).

Before that the over-rate clock stopped at the start of the 20th over, which meant teams could not be penalised even if they went well over the limit by taking more time

through the final over - as long as it had started on time.

How might this impact teams?

The final overs of any T20 innings are acknowledged as a significant segment of play. Losing a boundary fielder at that stage thus becomes potentially critical for the fielding side. It's not outlandish to think that it could, in some cases, become the difference between winning and losing - which could hurt teams more than simple, monetary fines.

Sarwan is new CWI selector

24

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 8, 2022

Hetmyer, Imlach smash majestic tons on Day Three PAGE

… Anthony Adams grabs 5-60

22

Shimron Hetmyer

Guyanese Ramnaresh Sarwan has been named as a selector by CWI

Tevin Imlach

SHIMRON Hetmyer and Tevin Imlach made the most of day three in the Guyana Harpy Eagles four-day practice match at the Albion Community Centre ground.

Hetmyer, who ended day two on 69 went on to pile on 149 before he was dismissed for 149 by Johsua Jones. The West Indies batter spent five hours at the crease, facing 256 balls, striking seven fours and a solitary six.

Imlach, known for immense patience, resumed on 45 and reached 106 after facing 305 balls in a seven-hour-long vigil at the crease, where he had just six boundaries.

He became the first of five wickets for Anthony Adams who took 5-60 in 32.5

Anthony Adams

overs. Apart from those two sterling batting performances, Junior Sinclair (17), Keemo Paul (14), and Quintin Sampson (13) chipped in, as Keemo Paul’s XI were bowled out for 357 after starting the day on 154-2.

Kevin Sinclair (2-90), Joshua Jones (116), Kelvin Umroa (1-40) and Keon Joseph (1-22) were also among the wickets.

Leon Johnson’s XI reached stumps eight without loss with both Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Raymond Perez on four.

They trail by 95 after they made 254 in their first innings.

Day four action is scheduled to start at 10:00hrs.

Sparta Boss or Bent Street? 19 PAGE

The final of the Kashif and Shanghai/ Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Futsal tournament is on tonight Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208

-Explosive final to bring the curtain down on K&S/GFF Futsal tourney SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 2022