President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, First Lady Arya Ali and First Son Zayd were received in Trinidad and Tobago, on Wednesday, by that country’s Acting President, Christine Kangaloo and other officials including Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Minister, Dr. Amery Browne. The President is on an official State Visit to the twin-island republic where he will meet with Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley. Guyana’s delegation includes Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Minister, Hugh Todd; Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha; Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond; and other government officials. (Office of the President photo) gov’t
PNC calls for programmes it removed while in
PAGE 12 Silica City’s first 185 acres being cleared ‘Dion guardians‘Missed’dishonest’Bascomparents,togeteducationcashgrantstoday — ‘Innovation Village’, 400 young professionals’ homes to be built - Top Cop, Crime Chief ‘push back’ against allegations PAGE 02 PAGE 12 PAGE 05 SCHEDULE INSIDE
18th August, 2022 THURSDAY No.106818 $100PRICEVATINCLUSIVE ' 'Travel to Europe could be easier' PAGE 03
Silica City’s first 185 acres being cleared
- ‘Innovation Village’, 400 young professionals’ homes to be built
Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues (MOHW-CH&PA photo)
An aerial view of the Silica City site (MOHW-CH&PA photo)
Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues and team inspect the planned works (MOHW-CH&PA photo)
2 GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, August 18, 2022
THE development of Guyana’s first smart urban centre, ‘Silica City’, is being “aggressively” pursued by the Ministry of Housing and Water (MOHW) – Central Housing and Planning Au thority (CH&PA), accord ing to a statement from the ministry. The ministry, on Wednes day, said Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Wa ter, Susan Rodrigues, visited the site earmarked for the city’s first phase development. That development is with in the vicinity of Kuru-Kuru ru on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.Minister Rodrigues was accompanied by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Andre Ally; CH&PA’s Chief De velopment Planner, Germene Stewart; Director of Projects, Omar Narine; Deputy Direc tor Intakab Indarjeet; Deputy Commissioner of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commis sion (GLSC), Michael Hutson; and other technical staff. Minister Rodrigues, ac cording to the statement, said the inland city, which will complement Georgetown, is designed to address growing climate change risks. The establishment of Sili ca City was proposed in 2013 by President, Dr. Irfaan Ali during his tenure as Minister of Housing and Water. The city’s construction is in keeping with Guyana’s international commitment to the global Sustainable Devel opment Goals (SDGS), to the New Urban Agenda, follows the provisions of the Housing Act, and other guidelines. “We are aggressively pur suing plans for the construc tion of Silica City… [and] we are here today to advance the planning and designs for the area so that we can bring this city to an early realization,” the Minister said. She added, “Silica city will have in its first phase about 3,000 acres of land, but we are starting to do the land clearing for the first 185 acres, which will feature the ‘Innovation Village’ and the first 400 young professional homes.”Minister Rodrigues said the ministry has already begun shortlisting persons for the homes.The city’s first phase de velopment is also expected to feature a number of commer cial and industrial develop ments as well as hospitals, the statement noted. While these plans are in motion, land acquisition for phase two is also in progress through collaborative efforts with GLSC.
“I think the time has come. Guyana has now be come a developing coun try… we need facilities here and I ask you to use your in fluence and in the near future we can have Schengen visas issued in Guyana,” Prashad told the EU Ambassador, FernandoLater,Canto.President Ali, during his keynote address noted that he supports Pra shad’s request. He called for such a facility to be estab lished within the next few months.
‘Travel to Europe could be easier’
(From left) President of the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC), Maniram Prashad; EU Ambassador to Guyana, Fernando Ponz Canto and President, Dr. Irfaan Ali (Delano Williams photo)
GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, August 18, 2022 3
FIRST Lady Arya Ali, on Wednesday, received a do nation of 6,000 packets of sanitary pads to support the nationwide Menstrual Hygiene Initiative to end period poverty experienced by women and girls who cannot afford sanitary pads in Guyana. The donation was made by Senior Minister for fi nance, Dr. Ashni Singh through the ministry’s Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) with financial support from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), and as part of the project’s Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) component.Thesimple but signifi cant ceremony was held at the Baridi Benab at State House, Main Street, the of ficial residence of the First Family.Ina public statement on the First Lady’s social media page, Mrs. Ali was quoted saying the donation will boost the work already ongoing in similar regards across several administrative regions in Guyana. “I’ve repeatedly high lighted the plight of women and girls who cannot afford sanitary pads…. [T]hrough this initiative, we are aim ing to bring an end to this by ensuring every woman and girl has access to sani tary products,” First Lady Ali is quoted as saying.
Sanitary pads donated to end ‘period poverty’ among girls, women
By Tamica Garnett PRESIDENT, Dr. Irfaan Ali and the President of the Guyana Oil and Gas En ergy Chamber (GOGEC), Maniram Prashad, on Wednesday, called for sys tems to be put in place for the processing of Schengen visas in Guyana. This will end the incon venience of Guyanese hav ing to travel to Suriname to secure the short-stay visa which is required for travel to a number of European Union (EU) countries that are part of the Schengen area.While giving remarks at the launch of the EU-Guyana Chamber of Commerce, Pra shad said that he had just re turned from Suriname where he had to travel to have a visa processed. He noted that steps must be taken to bring that service to Guyana.
Senior Minister with responsibility for finance, Dr. Ashni Singh presents the donation of sanitary pads to First Lady Arya Ali at State House on Wednesday (First Lady’s Office photo)
“The request that Man iram made is an important request. It’s not a luxury for the EU anymore to take their time to grant us that facility. I think that the EU must understand that it is in their strategic interest to have that facility here in Guyana with in the next few months,” the President emphasised. The President added: “We can’t have our business people going to Suriname to spend three days then get a travel document to come back. It’s nonsense. We have to find where to get it done in the next few months, which embassy is in the position to get it done in the next few months, what do you want us to do to help you get it done in the next few months and get it done.” Noting that travel be tween the two areas will be come critical, he hinted that talks to get the Netherlands flag carrier airline KLM to Guyana are on the cards. This comes following the recent announcement that the official flag carrier of the United Kingdom, British Airways, will commence scheduled flights to Guyana in the first quarter of 2023. The government is also in the process of working on direct flights to Canada. President Ali said the call for the Schengen issuing facility in Guyana should be among the first initiatives lobbied for by the newly launched EU-Guyana Cham ber of Commerce given the kind of businesses involved and the kind of develop ment that is taking place in Guyana.“That should be the first outcome, even before we have the first elections for the chambers, because it’s important,” he states.sibilityinstitutions.awepossibilities.workaneseforseethatstatesdealtthenotofexplainedlinesaboutRespondingsaid.toquestionsthematteronthesideoftheevent,CantothattheissuingtheSchengenvisadoesfallundertheremitofEUbutisreallyamatterwithbythememberthemselves.Nonetheless,henotedheisalreadyintalkstohowbesthecanlobbyaneasiersystemforGuytoobtainthevisa.“WehavealreadystartedonthatonthedifferentTheproblemhaveisthatthisisnotresponsibilityoftheEUThisisaresponoftheEUmemberSo,inotherwords,the delegation of the EU doesn’t have the mandate to deliver any visas; we don’t have it,” Canto remarked. He further explained, “I understand that it is frus trating to have to go to Par amaribo to get the visas. We are working hard to try to find a solution. Again, it’s not our responsibility but we are trying to facilitate [a] change of the system. Who knows, perhaps without any commitment, one possibility is that someone could come periodically here and deliver the visas. We are exploring that possibility. We don’t know whether it will work.” Canto noted that the op tion of moving the issuing office from Paramaribo to Georgetown, while not en tirely out of the question, would create a lot of finan cial implications that would be problematic.“It’sacomplicated thing but it is an important one. I am fully committed to do my very best to find a solution in the longer term. I want to be very clear it is not something on which I can commit my self to anything because it is not my mandate,” Canto said. Rather than working on bringing visa facilities closer to Guyanese, the ul timate goal is to eventually see the complete removal of the visa requirement for travel between Guyana and the EU countries, he added.
4 GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, August 18, 2022 IN an effort to promote greater partnership and trade, the European Union (EU)-Guyana Chamber of Commerce was official ly launched on Wednes day at the Bel Air Springs, Georgetown residence of outgoing EU Ambassador to Guyana, Fernando Ponz Canto. While delivering the key note address, President Dr. Irfaan Ali, remarked that the launching of the chamber is a strategic part of Guyana’s overall agenda to position itself as a leader in the global arena.“We have to position Guyana and Guyana’s future in the global environment. We have a central future in the global environment,” the President noted before add ing: “This chamber will help us connect people to people, technology to technology, knowledge to knowledge, business to business, rein forcing capital and looking at ways in which we can advance the development agenda of Guyana through thisThepartnership.”President pointed to food production, fresh water supply, as well as climate, environmental and ecological services as being some of the key areas where, over the next few years, Guyana is looking to become a leading nation“Thesein. are the areas that are very important global ly and in all of these areas Guyana can be positioned within the top. It just requires thought, technology, the right approach, right regulations, systems, institutions, and balance, “President Ali said. The chamber is seen as an important element in the EU-Guyana bilateral rela tions.The President said that the government is currently working on several streams of financing for the devel opment of major areas of Guyana, and noted that part nerships like the EU-Guyana Chamber strategically posi tions businesses to be able to better access financing. The President called for greater partnerships between Guyanese and EU countries and encouraged the forma tion of consortiums to take advantage of opportunities available in Guyana and for Guyana to get greater market access in the EU. “I would say to those in Europe that this government is welcoming investors. We want to see greater collabora tion with the local investors. We want to see the building of new initiatives. We support critical thinking. Let us work together,” the President said. He used the opportunity to call on those in the local business sector to not to fo cus on shortsighted business deals but rather on the wider picture that will bring about sustainable long-term initia tives.“We have to use this op portunity. I want the business sector not to look narrowly at the transactions. This is not what these chambers are there for. It’s much more than that. It is building a system, an infrastructure, an ecosystem to support us in long-term objectives,” the President said. Also making remarks at the event was Canto, who noted that bilateral Chambers of Commerce are import ant in the advancement of collaborative economic and commercial solutions. “The foundation of these organisations is based on mutual respect and under standing in the kind of value that we share,” Canto said. Noting that the creation of the chamber comes as Guyana and the EU observe 50 years of diplomatic re lations this year, Canto said that this is a fitting way to celebrate the milestone. “The establishment of this Chamber of Commerce is probably one of the best ways to bring more [of] Guyana to Europe and more [of] Europe to Guyana. This is much more than a slogan; this is something with real concrete benefits to citizens and we are determined to work very hard for that,” Canto said. The chamber is expected to facilitate seminars, work shops, round table discus sions, and working events for members, including specific initiatives targeting the small er members.“Wearevery interested in promoting small and medium business, women entrepre neurs and those who have less resources. The small er companies have it more difficult and they are very important so we will cater to them,” Canto said. During the launch, re marks were also made by Chief Executive Officer of the EuroChambers, Ben Butters; representative of the Caribbean Export Development Agency, Damie Sinanan, and Facilitator of the EuroChamber Steering Committee, Maniram Pra shad, among others. EU-Guyana Chamber of Commerce launched
President, Dr. Irfaan Ali (left) speaking with EU Ambassador Fernando Ponz Canto (Delano Williams photo) A section of the audience at the EUGuyana Chamber of Commerce launch (Delano Williams photo)
GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, August 18, 2022 5
THE Guyana Police Force, on Wednesday, presented evidence to show that Po lice Sergeant Dion Bascom, made several false claims on social media about the in vestigation into the murder of Ricardo Fagundes known as” Paper Shorts”. Seeking to definitively clear the air, Acting Police Commissioner, Clifton Hick en, accompanied by Crime Chief (ag) Wendell Blanhum, presented a detailed Pow erPoint presentation during which they individually ad dressed specific claims made by Bascom and compared it against evidence gathered by the Theinvestigators.issuesraised by the duo included the circumstanc es surrounding the arrest of Rondel Bacchus as a suspect in the murder, allegations that a “device” had identified Mark Richmond also known as “Shop Man” as having been at the scene of the crime, and Bascom’s denial that he had leaked information to the press.“Dion Bascom is not be ing honest and is manufactur ing false or concocted infor mation out of malice against members of the Guyana Po lice Force,” Blanhum said. Last Thursday night Bas com posted a live video on social media, which he later deleted, naming several per sons in wild allegations about the murder investigation. The deleted video and other subse quent videos and a Facebook post were made following his arrest days earlier during a Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) raid of a home in Norton Street, Georgetown. In the now deleted Face book video, Bascom claimed that he believed his detention had to do with his work on the murder investigation. A popular gold dealer and biker, 42-year-old Fa gundes was gunned down on Main Street, Georgetown, on March 21. A close associate of convicted drug dealer, Roger Khan, Fagundes was shot more than a dozen times. After deleting the video, Bascom made a written post, and other videos. However, the GPF in a statement had noted that it is not without significance that Sergeant Bascom found himself per sonally compromised during an exercise carried out by CANU and that his public statement immediately fol lowed that wasandhadthroughedalsoBascomder,chusroundingstatements.againstinitiatingsinceMitchellandpersonneldinagainstBascomincident.madeallegationsbusinessmanAzrudMohamed,hissecurityMarkRichmond,SuperintendentofPoliceCaesar.TheyhavewrittentoBascomaboutlegalproceedingshimfordefamatoryClarifyingissuessurthearrestofBacasasuspectinthemurandtheallegationsbythatRichmondwasinvolved,thepolicenotthatitwasRogerKhan,hisattorney,whoapproachedthepoliceclaimedthatBacchusoneofthesuspectsthat was seen on a CCTV footage which captured Fagundes’ murder. It was also Khan who reached out to the police saying that he had information that Richmond was the driver of the getaway car seen at the crimeBlanhumscene. explained to members of the media that following Khan’s claims, checks were made for Bac chus, who was previously convicted. A wanted bulletin was subsequently issued for him on April 6 and he later turned himself in to the police, in the company of his lawyer, and not in the company of Bascom, as was claimed. The police noted that the evidence contradicts claims by Bascom that he was the one that fingered Richmond in the“Bascom’scrime. claim that ‘he brought the information about Mark Richmond to the police’ is easily debunked as a delib erate falsehood and malicious in nature,” Blanhum said. Blanhum alleges that Bas com’s preoccupation with going after Richmond did not have much to do with Fagundes murder but was more due to Bascom’s associ ation with a businessman that had qualms with Richmond’s employer.“After the search at the residence for Mark Rich mond, Bascom allegedly informed one of his supe riors that a popular business man from Essequibo was using him [Bascom] to go after Mark Richmond who is known to him. Investigators have knowledge that Bascom and the said businessman are close friends,” Blanhum said “Dion Bascom’s claims that no further action was tak en in relation to Mark Rich mond are clearly misleading and false since it was he who told investigators that it was a businessman from Essequibo who had a personal problem with Mark Richmond’s em ployer. He further indicated that the businessman wanted to useThehim.”police also refuted claims that there was a device, which was used at the crime scene to detect that Richmond had been present at the scene on the night of the murder. Bascom claimed in his video that this occurred while he was present during assess ments of the crime scene after the murder. Blanhum, howev er, said that the evidence does not corroborate this. “The GPF does not have any device to identify crimi nals at a crime scene as was falsely claimed by Bascom. Further, the GPF’s Technical Officer has vehemently de nied these claims by Bascom, as he maintains that Bascom was never at the crime scene with him. Dion Bascom is not being honest in this regard and is manufacturing false or concocted information out of malice,” Blanhum said. As it pertains to claims by Bascom that he did not leak information to the press, the police presented a Whatsapp message from a journalist, which confirmed that Bascom was his Blanhumsource.further noted that contrary to suspicions of a cover up of Fagundes’ murder, the GPF is in fact currently being assisted by an internationally recognised law enforcement agency in conducting the Fagundes murder probe, while several foreign experts/investigators also visited the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters and pro vided assistance to local po lice.Meanwhile, items recov ered from the crime scene were also sent overseas for analysis.Bascom is currently at home on sick leave, which he has been on since the he went public with his allegations. When questioned about Bascom’s future in the police force, Commissioner Hicken noted that Bascom’s public statements are in breach of the Code of Conduct of the Police Force, and as such disciplinary action in keeping with the procedures of the force will be activated. He added that the force is first awaiting a response from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) regard ing a file sent by the Office of Professional Responsi bility (OPR), which had in vestigated Bascom’s claims.
Top Cop, Crime Chief present evidence to refute allegations
Acting Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken, and Crime Chief (ag) Wendell Blanhum
‘Dion Bascom is not being honest’
6 GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, August 18, 2022
Continued on page 7
Dear Editor, IN Guyana and through out the world, Shri Krishna Janmashtmi or Gokulashtmi is being celebrated today and spilling over to tomorrow as it is a midnight celebration, the time when the Lord manifested on Mother Earth in Mathura, as Shri Krishna (the dark complex ioned Lord) and fondly referred to as Gopal ( one who plays the cowherds), or Govinda (one who pleases the cows, land and nature) or Mohan (all attractive God) or Vasudev (all prevailing Lord) or Yogi (the supreme master) or any of the remaining 108 names. Shri Krishna came into the imprisoned abode of His earthly parents, Devaki and Vasudeva and immediately afterwards, Vasudeva took him across the Yamuna River to his foster parents, Yashoda and Nanda in Gokul. Shri Krishna took the 8th Avatar (Incarna tion) of Vishnu, the Preserver (One of the Trilogy of Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh- Creator, Sus tainer, Annihilator) at a time when it was a dark era, freedom was curtailed, evil was rampant and there was a threat to his life by his Uncle, King Kansa. Even tually, good triumphed over evil, light replaced darkness and truth conquered lies when Gopal demolished Kansa and righ teousness again prevailed over unrighteousness. Some 1.25 bil lion followers of Hinduism will participate in different customs and traditions as is culturally practiced globally. Hinduism is more than just a religion and traditionally and significantly, a “way of life” that embraces religious, philo sophical and cultural ideals and practices that originated thou sands of years before the birth of Christ. Hinduism is called the world’s oldest religion and many practitioners refer to their religion as “Sanatana Dharma”, “the eternal way”, which makes reference to its origins stretch ing beyond human history as revealed in the Hindu Texts. One of the most powerful books gifted to mankind is the Hindu Text, “The Bhagavad Gita,” simply referred to as “The Gita”. President Barack Obama is a prolific reader of this text and he once reflected that the Gita is one of the books that mold ed his character and helped to influence his work towards the nation. The Gita is an 18-chap ter, 700-verse Hindu Scripture that is part of the Hindu Text, “The Mahabharata,” (Chapters 23-40 of Bhishma Parva). It is set in a narrative framework of a dialogue between Arjuna, the Pandava prince and his guide and charioteer Shri Krishna.
Former President and former Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds, also wrote to the media on this matter, fittingly noting: “With all protections in place, a winwin solution is a possibility if mutual respect could be attained and retained. Pres ident Ali’s proclamation of, and urging the develop ment of a sense and reality of “One Guyana”, within what many sense as “One World”, would be a good starting point. History is full of wrongs that could not practically be righted today.“Mutual understand ing, respect and reasonable accommodation [are] what is called for and possible now. The case could be made that all Guyana was Amerindian, just as all the Americas were held by the Indigenous peoples. We must go forward. We can hustle forward under a ban ner of “One Guyana” a part of “One World”.” There is no denying that govern ment holds to heart the best interest of Guyana’s first people, as was echoed by the newly elected Chairman of the National Toshaos Council, Derrick John of Moraikobai. These issues, however, are complex and require calculated action that is mutually respectful and beneficial to all in volved, as noted by former President Hinds.
Philosophy and politics are blood related and inseparable
Mining and Community
MINING week will be ob served this year under the theme “Emerging from adversity, transitioning to sustainability.” The annual observance will be held for one week from August 21. Considering the anguish experienced by miners un der the former coalition government through tone deaf policy making, the task was now for the Pres ident, Dr Irfaan Ali-led People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) government to ensure, in the short peri od from 2020 to now, that the mining sector, which accounts for a good portion of national income, receives the needed support to con tinue smooth operations despite crippling global pressures from disease and supply chain disruptions. Supporting the mining sector with their emergence from adversity, Dr. Ali’s government has, so far, pro vided more than $1.9 billion in direct relief for the min ing sector. This newspaper reported in June that these benefits accrued from the re moval or reduction of some taxes on products like lubri cating oils. Aside from this, government also intends to deliver an investment of $2.4 billion into upgrading roads in mining areas. When these measures were announced to stake holders of the mining sector earlier this year, it was Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, who made the announcement in the company of Natural Resources Minister, Vick ram Bharrat and officials of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Associa tion (GGDMA). From the engagement, mining stake holders were encouraged to engage among themselves and formulate a comprehen sive report which would be presented to the Cabinet of Ministers. VP Jagdeo urged them to explore possible institutional reforms, and suggestions for structural and operational changes. Just days after Guyana joined the rest of the world in observing the interna tional day for Indigenous Peoples, the issue of Chinese Landing, Region One (Bari ma-Waini) has, once again, risen into the public inter est. In a letter to the media, Chairman of the Parika/Mora Small Miners Association, Arthur Thorne, called on the GGMC to enforce the rightful ownership of the land in question at Tassawini Backdam, Chinese Landing, which belongs to Wayne Vieira.The matter, Thorne said, was even settled at the Ca ribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Guyana’s highest court. “While the case was winding its way through the courts, a person or per sons unknown raided the land and extracted reputedly thousands of ounces of gold from it. Neither Viera [sic] nor the GGMC received one cent in royalties which was hugely unfair to Viera [sic] considering all the monies he had spent to acquire and develop the property for mining and the monies he was made to spend in court,” he bemoaned.Miningoperations and indigenous communities share space in Guyana’s hin terland, and there is no con cealing that there have been disagreements in the past between mining operators and indigenous communities. Government has, consistent ly, ensured that these matters are treated with, even insti tutionalising social pressure valve mechanisms into law. The legislature, concomitant ly, has given the court, as a course of action to all parties, the power to deal with these competing interests. These laws include the Mining Act and the Amerindian Act. Approximately 30,000 Guyanese, from hinterland and coastland communities, are employed in the mining sector, according to Minis ter Bharrat recently. Some 40,000 persons indirectly benefit from the mining sec tor. Solutions for conflicts between mining operators and indigenous communities must be to the benefit of all involved. As former Local Government and Regional Development Minister and former Adviser at the Am erindian Affairs Minister, Norman Whittaker noted in a letter carried by this news paper: “Yes, there are social and economic issues associ ated with mining activities across Guyana. And while we must address these issues /concerns, the social costs must be weighed against the opportunity costs.”
On the brink of a great war on the battlefield of Kurushetra between two sets of cousins, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, over the throne of Hastinapur, Arjuna is suddenly overwhelmed with misgivings about the jus tice of fighting his brothers, uncles, friends and teacher on the opposite side. Shri Krishna’s reply to him forms the themes of the Gita, teaching him and the world the mind-body dualism, self-consciousness, the immor tality of the soul, transmigration of the soul into another body at death, the purpose of life, Nir vana/Moksha (God Realisation), performing one’s duty, inaction is impossible, bravery from fear, freedom from the cycle of birth and death through Jnana Yoga (the path of knowledge), Bhakti Yoga (the path of devotion) and Karma Yoga (the path of selfless action). Two main principles are expounded, one is, of every action carries an equal or oppo site reaction, and, the source of evil is not in actions but in the passions and desires, i.e. “The intentions behind the actions.” Two American philosophers, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Hen ry David Thoreau considered the Gita to be the pivotal Hindu text. There are eight basic and funda mental concepts today’s society can adopt, digest and practice in the applications of our lives from the teachings of Lord Krishna: (1) Attachment -Because nothing is permanent and will perish, man should quickly detach him self from material attachmentsattachment breeds misery and detachment ferments happiness, (2) False pride - Inaction is misapprehension and trying to escape responsibilities by failing to perform your worldly duties is being delusive. Not shunning your humanitarian commitments allows true liberation (3) Renun ciation – Give as much of your self as long as you can and don’t be concerned with the result and reward, (4) Lust – Conquer desire, for, a want is not always a need. Have a stable mind to understand the nature and struc ture of desires so that we can exercise control (5) Covetous ness – Selfishness blinds wisdom and when put aside, then clarity of the mind steps in. A clouded mind with selfishness is a mirror covered with mist or dust, (6) Greed – Avoid extremities and embrace moderation. Too much or too little creates imbalance in life and it can be food, sleep, physical pleasures, money and even knowledge. Moderation is the control key, (7) Anger –Rage deludes and confuses us when we fall in a fit and actions performed are futile. We cannot apply logic or reason and anger
Yours sincerely, Dr Tara Singh Guyana must avoid a ‘handout’ culture can be the reason for the down fall of even the greatest man who will later regret this mood, (8) Realisation – God is seated within. God is omniscient (all knower) omnipresent (here, there and everywhere) and omnipotent (all powerful). A human being is only a small piece of the whole and most of the circumstances are a play of a bigger entity, whole or force i.e. an unmanifested source. It is thought that the the ory of relativity discovered by Albert Einstein owed its exis tence to the wisdom contained in the Bhagavad Gita. Einstein seriously indulged in the teach ings of the Gita in his later life, believing in the efficacy of the Gita from initial stages of life. Philosophy and politics are blood related and inseparable and is influential in its “rub bing effect.” Today is a day of reflection as the celebration of Janmashtmi is a commemora tion of good over evil and the re-establishment of righteous ness over unrighteousness. Many lessons can be learnt from Guyana’s past and one of them is that truth will always ultimately prevail and people will always seek God’s blessings for happiness and blissfulness. Gandhi had remarked that every time a problem appeared as an obstacle, he turned to the pages of the Gita for its answer. Janamdin Mubarak ho… May all of Guyana enjoy the Ashirvad of Shri Krishna and remain protected under His umbrella. May the govern ment and people be influenced by the Gita’s
Also, unconditional hand outs could empower people but only for brief periods. When the funds are exhausted, recipients might still be in the same place. What is defensible is limited conditional cash grants for the creation of jobs, business startups, home ren ovation, housing starts, and education development. These are what empower people for the rest of their lives and not just for fleeting moments. And of vital importance is the role of work in people’s lives. It is work that gives people a sense of self-worth or self-es teem. Unconditional handouts produce the opposite result and could lead to a culture of dependency. Guyana must avoid this.
From page 6
Yoursteachings.respectfully,JaiLall
Rohee is the right man for the job
GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, August 18, 2022 7
Dear CLEMENTEditor, Rohee’s ap pointment as a GECOM Com missioner has garnered praise from the diaspora, New Yorkbased Guyana Democracy Project, an organisation that seeks to promote and defend democracy in Guyana. The organisation says there can’t be a more capable and experi enced person to fill the position of Bibi Shadick whose death last Saturday left a vacancy in the Commission. The organisation asserts that Rohee is very experienced on governmental matters and insti tutions, having been in politics since the 1960s. It notes: “Mr. Rohee is a very good addition to GECOM, and his appointment will benefit the body as well as the country. Rohee is solidly grounded in laws governing elections having served as Min ister at Home Affairs and the Foreign Affairs Ministries. He possesses the requisite skills – knowledge process and proce dures for the job. He is knowl edgeable in election laws and matters and skilled in organisa tional issues and will therefore provide a strong and effective role in GECOM. His decision making would be thoughtful and professional.”NYGDPnotes the presence of Mr. Vincent Alexander at the swearing-in of Rohee. It says that the presence of Alexander augurs well for the world at the commission. Alexander is the longest serving member of the body. His presence at the swear ing-in suggests that the two of them have a heathy respect for each other. NY GDP endorses the statement uttered by Mr. Rohee that the commission must reflect what Guyana represents. The commission must be a reflection of Guy ana’s diversity. Rohee also speaks of professionalism. The latter has been missing at institutions. It must hap pen at GECOM and other institutions. It is hoped that with Rohee’s appointment, GECOM can accomplish its mission without rancor and acrimony. Congratulations to Clement Rohee.YoursVishnusincerely,Bisram
Dear SOMEEditor,civilsociety groups and individuals have been asserting with uncontrollable zest that Guyana will become another economic miracle as Abu Dhabi or Singapore with the advent of its new petro leum sector. And cliches are literally spreading like wildfire so that some Guyanese now speak loftily as “their journey to prosperity”; “no one would be left behind”; “there could be no better time than now to live in Guyana”; while others say “the per capita GDP of $US) 7,000 would double in three years’ time”; “Guyana will record the highest growth rate in the world in 2022” and “Guyana would become the richest country in the Caribbe an and Latin America.” Noth ing is wrong in expressing such strong feelings, but restraint must tame one’s exuberance. To say that Guyana would have a growth rate of 58.7 per cent in 2022 is a quantitative statement that obscures the ex isting qualitative conditions. For example, how does a growth rate of 58.7 per cent translate into alleviating poverty whose level of 30 per cent would not be reduced significantly in the short-term. However, with sev eral government and private sector projects, like job creation, housing starts, education, quality healthcare, agri-diversification and expansion, being put in place covering all 10 adminis trative regions, Guyana could, within three to four years, reduce the poverty level by 50 per cent or even more. But the notion that Guyana is flooded with oil money is misleading, and this has the unintended consequence of cre ating exaggerated expectations, which could feed into frustration and anger. The data indicate that oil wealth so far has only tan gentially touched Guyanese. It is trickling down and would begin to flow in 2025. Currently, of the total amount of $(US) 1.244 billion in profit oil (from De cember 2019 to date) received by Guyana, a sum of $(US) 607.45 million has been approved by Parliament for 2022 budget support. Assuming that this full amount has been withdrawn during 2022, the uncommitted balance in the NRF as of today would be $(US) 637.277 mil lion. By year end, when Guyana would have received the five re maining lifts, the total amount of profit oil in the NRF balance is projected at $(US) 1.012 billion, assuming $(US) 75 per barrel for the next five lifts in 2022). When Payara and Yellow tail projects are brought into production (in 2024/2025), then Guyana’s share of profit oil/ royalties could reach an average of $(US) five billion per year in the current decade (assuming production of 810,000 bpd and a price of $(US) 60 per barrel), according to Financial Ana lyst JC Bhagwandin. When the other economically viable oil blocks like Orinduik, Kanuka, and Corentyne are put into pro duction, then profit oil would expand appreciably. A major challenge for the government, however, is to keep in check the growing expectations.
The focus here is not over the concerns of a lopsided con tract (that has been well docu mented), but on how observers/ critics/groups view and articulate the revenue stream that flows into the national treasury. The thought of oil money float ing around has been creating exaggerated expectations by Guyanese who have begun to show impatience and want their years-long nagging problems, fixed almost immediately. The Parliamentary motion by the opposition political par ties seeking a handout of $(G) 200,000 per quarter, per adult, for example, has not been prop erly conceived. Even if one assumes that the existing balance of $(US) 637.277 (as of August 15, 2022) in the NR is dedicated to handouts, this works out to $(US) 1,180 per adult. What the motion seeks is a handout of $(US) 3,902 per adult per year, which is three times more than the total existing balance in the NRF.
The Ghanaian oil expert who visited Guyana to review and advise on the local content law stated categorically that oil mon ey should not be given out as handouts. Many observers share this view that oil funds would benefit Guyanese not in the form of handouts but rather directly and indirectly, through quality education, subsidised housing, jobs, state-of-the-art healthcare system, neighbourhood revital isation, rescuing NIS, human re source development, agriculture expansion and diversification, development of agro-processing facilities, improvement in the services sector, public safety, better socialhinterlandroads/bridges/airports,development,andwelfaresystems.
Philosophy and politics are...
It’s easy to quarrel about and explain these inconsis tencies that come to the fore when close election fights end and the two sides start clawing and kicking each oth er over margins too close for comfort, as in Kenya today. Those with noses sunk deepest in resignation to the escapist view that ‘This is how democracy works…’ will not look beyond the nose-length margins in such electoral horseraces, only in terested in the first to past the post, by whatever standard measurement.Butwhat’s already started to happen in Kenya is just a sorry repeat of spinning the democratic top in mud and expecting clean results, as the solution to the impasse is not as much in the ballot box as in the hands of the political leaders who must choose to either benefit from the chaos, or together challenge it with the equality of their respec tiveHerestrengths.again, this is all much-easier said than done, as tradition usually wins over innovation and old ideas tend to stifle new ones, but de veloping countries need to examine what they can do to address such situations when they arise, as they will, anywhere, from time to time. Guyana adopted a Propor tional Representation (PR) system to address what were considered imperfections in the first-past-the-post ap proach, but decades later other flaws have surfaced that had to also be addressed in the hybrid system that combined old and new to create a new electoral normal that’s remained rather elusive to date. Unfortunately, all signs are that Kenya will most likely dive into another cycle of costly post-election unrest following an elec tion that was supposed to select a new president, but has produced a predictable national political stalemate of gigantic proportions, all in the name of Democracy.
Dear Editor, ON Monday, August 15th, 2022, by way of a news ar ticle in the Kaieteur News daily newspaper, former AP NU+AFC Government Minis ter, David Patterson, admitted that the $188 million rental for UN offices in Guyana was high. This admittance, though welcomed, is a bit dishearten ing because of inferences that suggest the government got a good deal when this was not the case. There is a quote that says “Lies are like cockroaches, for everyone you discover there are many more that are hidden,” and Mr. Patterson’s admittance reminds me of this. In Parliament, I answered a question from the Opposition bench on this matter, and there I relayed that under the AP NU+AFC Coalition, a 10-year lease indeed was signed with Blue Wave Apartments Inc., for the rental of a property located at 107-108 Duke Street Kings ton, Georgetown, to house the United Nations (UN) offices in one compound. At the time, I also expressed my dissatis faction with the agreement the former government entered into. Reading Mr. Patterson’s attempt in the article, to justify the then-government’s action was both sad and vexing. Allow me to draw your at tention to the Lease Agreement between Blue Wave Apartments Inc. and the Government of Guyana represented by the then Ministry of Public Infrastruc ture.In Article 4 – The tenant hereby covenants the following condition:1.Topay the Landlord the Lease Fee as set forth herein, in accordance with the following conditions:2.Years 2019 – 2025 (year one to year seven) From January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2025, Lease Fee is USD 68,882.00 per month plus the applicable VAT (cur rently 14 per cent) with the Quarterly VAT inclusive Lease Fee being a TOTAL of USD $235,576.44 payable in advance in USD.3.Years 2026 – 2028 (year eight to year 10) From January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2028, the Lease Fee will increase by one per cent for each of the remaining three years under this Lease Agree ment plus the applicable VAT payable in advance in USD. [The payment once made in US dollars shall be converted at the official commercial rate of exchange (i.e the selling rate) prevailing at the depositing bank.]Inow take you to Article 8. While the said (Article 8) in fact states that the Landlord shall, during the term of the Lease, be responsible for all major repairs to the structure of the building, Article 9, states that the Tenant is alsoMr.responsible.Patterson’s statement that “Included in this fee were water rates, rates and taxes, security from (6:00 AM to 6:00 PM) on working days, main tenance of landscaping, car parking, grounds, and other associated external structures,” suggests that was the end all. However, I draw your at tention to Article 12 of the Gov ernment of Guyana agreement, which states, “Water, Electricity, Security, and Utility. The Tenant shall pay directly all sums due during the term of this lease in respect to his consumption of electricity and all utilities consumed or benefitted from the utility company or its agent. The Tenant shall also make provision for internal and ex ternal manned security for the building and their operations once it has been handed over to them.Also, in Article 9 (2) The Tenant covenants from time to time and at all times during the term hereby granted to clean and tidy at his or her own expense all areas of the interior of the LeasedThePremises.buildingwas also leased devoid of furniture and furnish ings.Citizens, it can also be con firmed and verified that the UN in Guyana has been paying all utilities and security, and all charges as it relates to their ob ligations in the contract. I hold firm to the belief that the previous administration act ed in total disregard for citizens, whose tax-paying dollars could have been used more wisely. The evidence has been present ed, now you be the judge. Finally, I assure you that the government, under the leadership of His Excellen cy, President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, will continue to work with our international partners here in Guyana, the UN agencies in this instance, to ensure they are properly housed in a comfortable work space, “an energy-efficient and cost-effectiveMinisterBishopfacility”.Yourssincerely,JuanEdghillofPublicWorks
Democracy at a Precipice: Is Kenya Spinning Top in Mud?
It’s all about how to en sure peaceful acceptance of results in such very close, razor-thin races as just reg istered with Vice President William Ruto being declared winner with 50.45 per cent of the vote and Challenger Raila Odinga challenging the results.The battle was headed to war from Day One, with outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta supporting Odinga against his Vice President. Kenyatta and Odinga rep resent two of Kenya’s most powerful political dynasties, each being the son of the na tion’s first President and Vice President, respectively, after independence from Britain. Ruto, on the other hand, is being accused by his oppo nents of overnight enrichment by irregular means, while he says he’s only ‘a hustler’ with an impressive ‘rags-to-riches’ story.Things started really get ting rough-and-tough when, after a long delay in count ing on the weekend, four of the seven-member supreme electoral body, on Monday, disassociated themselves from the results – before they were announced -- and Odinga an nounced he’d mount a legal challenge.Naturally, Ruto is not about to rollover and concede to any challenge, while Odin ga won’t likely allow him to rule uninterrupted – and their respective supporters are already showing signs of readiness to fight-out their differences on the streets and in their neighbourhoods. The problem nations with near equal support for two major traditional parties fac es most is that human na ture doesn’t always allow for ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ in tight election races based on a simple majority, no matter howThesmall.traditional definitions of democracy require that losers and winners accept results and move on, while the winners take home all the election bacon, forming the government and the losers be ing consigned totally and only to opposition minority status.
8 GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, August 18, 2022
The Kenya situation is less about political tribalism than an inherent flaw in the traditional ‘first past the post’ Westminster electoral system practised across the British commonwealth and the wider western world, based on Eu ropean elements carved out of continental experiences and imposed on colonies now running elections by the same colonially-imposed rules and regulations, as independent nations.The Westminster model is as fraught with consistent inconsistencies often revealed in Britain itself, as in the re cent parliamentary shuffles, in a country without a written constitution, to engineer the exit of a prime minister un willing to leave 10 Downing Street and his replacement to be exclusively decided by ruling Conservative Party members, over a six-week period.
Judge for yourselves, did David Patterson tell the truth?
This works in most cases when the margin is too wide to contest, but not with close margins where opposition parties with major shares of the votes cast and most seats tend to flex their parliamenta ry muscles to give the ruling party a hard time, searching hard for any and all oppor tunities to force new or fresh elections.TheUK’s 2016 Brex it vote was won at a slim 52 per cent to 48 per cent margin, leaving Britain split right down the middle on the issue; and the recent French elections resulted in unprec edented alliances between traditionally hostile forces to virtually engineer results that have led to a parliamentary stalemate that’s virtually tied President Emmanuel Ma cron’sTherehands.have also been in stances where ruling parties win more seats with less votes, opposition parties with parliamentary majorities -even by one – ensuring gov ernment measures don’t pass parliamentary hurdles. In the 2000 US presi dential elections between Al Gore and George Bush, Bush won 271 electoral votes -- one more than the 270-towin majority, despite Gore receiving 543,895 more votes (or a margin of 0.52 per cent of all votes cast). The 50.45 per cent vs 49.15 per cent (less than one percent) margin in the Kenya vote may face a legal hurdle as the majority of the elections commissioners disassociated with the result announced by the minority. But even if the courts were to overturn, reverse or in any way change the contested results, there would be no change in the expected unrest, the announced winners now being told they legally lost.
KENYA’S processwar,civilresultsocraticwhat’sdangerousrevealingthat’sayieldedpresidentialclosely-foughtelectionhasallthehallmarksofcrisiswaitingtohappenalreadyunfoldingandoneofthemostcontradictionsinnormallycalleddemelections,butalwaysinwiderpoliticalanddivisions,evencivilafterthedemocraticisover.
In terms of ensuring best practices are followed, Min ister Mustapha explained that the bill stipulates that a regulatory body will be instituted to oversee the budding industry. “So, we’ll have a regu latory body that will have oversight of this entire in dustry. That body will com prise representatives from the Ministries of Agricul ture, Health, and Home Af fairs; the Guyana Forensic Laboratory, and other related institutions. With that, the regulatory body will employ specialists who are capable of providing the necessary guidance to potential hemp farmers in that regard. The reason for this is because this is a new industry that will have to be nurtured well. Hemp cultivation will also require some amount of control,” Mustapha added. The release noted that Minister Mustapha also said that there was room for young people to get in volved in the cultivation of hemp under the President’s ‘One Guyana’ Initiative. He explained that similar to the Agriculture and Innova tion Entrepreneurship Pro gramme that was launched in January 2022 which saw young people being given the opportunity to cultivate high-value crops using smart agriculture practices, hemp cultivation is also being considered.“Apart from the sha dehouse project, the ‘One Guyana’ Project will also see young people being in volved in the Black Belly Sheep Project. We are also looking to introduce young people to the aquaculture project with the brackish water shrimp and prawns project, and the dairy devel opment project. We are on a mission to ensure that a lot of young people are given opportunities in agriculture. The President is very pas sionate about agriculture and very adamant about having more young people involved in the sector,” he said. With the establishment of this new industry, Guyana would be poised to tap into the global industrial hemp market which was valued at $4.9 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach $10.6 billion by 2025 and $18.6 billion by 2027. Apart from bringing in valuable foreign exchange to the economy, the culti vation of industrial hemp will also create significant employment opportunities by catering to an increas ingly growing and highly desired market demand while at the same time providing for a relatively higher profit margin com pared to other traditional commodities, the release said.
AGRICULTURE Minis ter, Zulfikar Mustapha, said that the cultivation of industrial hemp will make way for newer and more lucrative industries while boosting the economy. The minister shared his views following the successful passage of the Industrial Hemp Bill in the National Assembly last Monday. With Regions Six and 10 earmarked for the initial cul tivation, Minister Mustapha explained that, in addition to the soil type being suitable for hemp cultivation, the economic activities in those two regions were severely affected following the clo sure of two sugar estates in Region Six as well as the closure of the Toucan Con nections Incorporated Call Centre in “ConsiderationLinden. was given to those two regions because of a number of factors. Two of the most im portant factors were because of the soil type and, more importantly, the economic situation in those regions. Many persons in those re gions were placed on the breadline when the previous Government closed the call centre in Linden and the two sugar estates in Region Six. The call centre fiasco was seen as an insurmountable challenge for the Granger Government. As such, noth ing much was done to re solve the issue. As it relates to GuySuCo, we know that there were political motives behind the closure of the estates. We are now working to correct these wrongdo ings,” Minister Mustapha explained.Arelease from the Min istry of Agriculture noted that the minister explained that, contrary to some of the misinformation that only selected persons will be allowed to cultivate hemp, anyone who meets the cri teria can get involved in the cultivation of industrial hemp.“The bill clearly states that anyone can apply for a hemp licence for planting or manufacturing. There are certain criteria that they have to satisfy, one of those being that the application would have to be submit ted with a criminal back ground check, have an active lease, and be involved in a share-cropper agreement, among other things. So, anyone can get involved, especially those small-hold ing farmers because it is a very lucrative crop. Young people can also get involved because this will create new opportunities for anyone who gets involved in hemp cultivation,” he stressed.
GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, August 18, 2022 9
REGULATORY BODY
Industrial hemp opens avenues
Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha
for lucrative industries
10 GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, August 18, 2022
Minister Mustapha had disclosed that once the pilot project is completed, the ministry will be looking to expand it further, so as to ensure that all farmers are registered.
THROUGH the Sustain able Agricultural Develop ment Programme (SADP), the Planning Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture on Wednesday began the roll out of its Agriculture Sur vey for the establishment of a farmers’ registrar. In a bid to improve its efforts in meeting stakeholder demands and making profit able investments, the $20 mil lion project, which is being funded by the datawillDevelopmentInter-AmericanBank(IDB),seethecollectionoffromapproximately 4,000 farmers residing in Re gions Two (Pomeroon-Supe naam), Three (Essequibo Is lands-West Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Six East Berbice-Corentyne), and 10 (UpperPersonsDemerara-Berbice).arebeingencour aged to fully participate in the agriculture survey to allow for the collection of data that will aid in the continued de velopment of the agriculture sector in EarlierGuyana.thismonth, some 100 enumerators were trained to conduct visits to the homes and farms of farmers across the regions to conduct inter views.Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha had ex plained that the pilot project will see the creation of a register of farmers, inclusive of what they produce, where they are located, and how much they are producing. “This will help us to know who are the farmers of our country; to know where they are located, and the amount of crop they are pro ducing,” Minister Mustapha had said at the time, and that the data being collected will also assist the government in crafting realistic policies and targeted projects to further develop the sector and the country.“When we set pro grammes, especially in the agriculture sector, we have to be more realistic, because we are dealing with food and food security. And today, when the world is at a food crisis, in terms of food secu rity, we have to be accurate in setting goals and setting our programmes,” the minister said.Minister Mustapha fur ther explained that without the proper data, the ministry is unable to establish and create targetted projects to assist stakeholders, and as such, the survey is of much importance.“Without proper analy sis, knowledge and proper survey, I don’t think we can set a realistic programme; a programme that is accu rate enough, so that we can capture all the activities that people are doing,” he’d said, adding: “It is also import ant to us, because when our country is at the verge of diversifying its agriculture sector; consolidating and diversifying our traditional sector, this information will help us tremendously in de ciding where to diversify, where to consolidate, and where to expand.”
Work begins to put together farmers’ register
Enumerators conducting interviews with farmers (Ministry of Agriculture photo)
Dayvishanie Naipaul heads to India to learn classical dance
DAYVISHANIE NAIPAUL has been awarded a schol arship to pursue a threeyear programme of Indian classical dance, Bharatna tayam, under the Indian Council for Cultural Rela tions (ICCR). Naipaul hails from the County of Essequibo and is a self-taught dancer since the age of five. Currently age 22, Naipaul has learnt kathak and Indian Bollywood dances and has started an academy in Es sequibo named “Dayvishanie DanceAccordingAcademy”.to a release, during her meeting with High Commissioner, Dr. KJ Srini vasa, Naipaul related that she is very grateful to the High Commission of India for the opportunity to learn more about Indian culture. She is very ecstatic about returning to Guyana to educate her students in the academy and urges fellow Guyanese and other youths to make use of the opportunity to study in India, learn more about the culture and history of India. High Commissioner, Dr KJ Srinivasa said that such scholarships enhance cul tural exchange and contrib ute to further India-Guy ana co-operation. He also informed that the High Commission of India in Georgetown is currently of fering nine scholarships un der the ICCR programme.
And while the community receives some measure of support from the Georgetown Football Club in the area of coaching, Gonputh believes that with a permanent one based there, much more can be achieved.“Wehave football and cricket taking place here ev ery weekend; we have lots of sports going on right here in our community,” the deputy village chief said, adding: “With the football, we have a club from Georgetown that comes every weekend, but it would really be nice if the government could assist us with a permanent coach.”
Dayvishanie Naipaul with Indian High Commissioner, Dr KJ Srinivasa By Naomi Parris WITH many St. Cuthbert’s Mission youths showing an interest in sports, the Dep uty Toshao, Leroy Gonputh of the Amerindian Village located in Region Four, is lobbying for permanent coaching support and up grades to several sporting facilities in the community. Gonputh, in a recent inter view with the Guyana Chron icle, said that within the last year, sports has played an in tegral role in the development of the community’s youth and children, with a few of them being given the opportunity to represent Guyana at interna tional“Theregames.has been a big boost from sports; recently, one of our girls made the na tional team to represent Guy ana in the Under-14 Football Championship in Miami,” Gonputh said, adding: “Be sides that, we had a lot of other girls who were called to trials, and we had about six young males who were called to represent Guyana.”
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jnr. St. Cuthbert’s Mission’s Deputy Toshao Leroy Gonputh
He also noted that while the community has the nec essary gear, the sporting fa cilities are in dire need of upgrading to accommodate the local athletes. “The grounds need more upgrading; recently the gov ernment donated a set of gear, like footballs and cricket bats, but our grounds need upgrad ing to match the standard of the outside grounds,” he said. Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Charles Ramson, in recent interview with this newspaper on the sidelines of the National Toshaos Confer ence (NTC) back in July, had disclosed that the government will be working on offering more support to Indigenous communities, and that with the launch of the first Na tional Sports Academy here, much support will be made available as the government works on seeing how pro grammes can be extended to the hinterland communities. “There is a big opportu nity for us to integrate the sport programmes in villages into our own national pro gramme,” Minister Ramson said, adding: “I told them that we started the National Sports Academy, which is the first time that it is ever being done in the history of the country also in the region.”
A training manual, he’d said, will be provided to offer structured training to athletes, trainers and coaches. “There isn’t a national sports academy in the region, and we have that here in Guyana. And, so far, it has been really moving well. And, to integrate them into the programme, we are going to be able to get the training manual, so that they are not just playing sports, but they can actually go in and do training as part of a struc tured programme,” Minister Ramson had told the Guyana Chronicle. The National Sports Academy, the first ever institution of its kind here, was launched in December 2021, with 12 sporting ac tivities being offered. The academy’s curriculum is one that is similar to the ed ucation system, as it allows the athletes to progress in various stages.
GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, August 18, 2022 11
Sport having a positive impact on St. Cuthbert’s youths
ATTORNEY-General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall S.C. on Tuesday accused the po litical opposition of living in “La-La-Land”, chiding Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton for now calling on the President, Dr Irfaan Ali-led administration to implement programmes which the opposition coa lition removed while it was in government. Nandlall made these remarks during his weekly “Issues in the News” pro gramme streamed on social media platform, Facebook. During a Tuesday media conference, Norton had said that the opposition A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) will “bring back free University of Guyana” while he added that a coalition government will also write off student debt and pay education sti pends to Speakingstudents.on this and other pronouncements made by the Opposition leader, AG Nandlall recognised that while the Opposition Leader sits in his press con ference to “boast” about bringing free university education, it was his party, when in government, that imposed fees and increased fees at the national universi ty by 35 per cent. The Legal Affairs Min ister also said that while Norton noted his party would remove Value Added Tax (VAT) from education, it was also the former David Granger-led administration that imposed taxes on ed ucation.Many of the issues that the Opposition Leader men tioned during his Tuesday press conference, including ensuring all children are provided with computers and that cash grants are distributed, were policies of the past People’s Progres sive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government that were all scrapped when the AP NU+AFC entered office in 2015, Mr Nandlall noted. Nandlall said: “when you listen to him speak about his policies, you re alize that this man is in ‘la la’ land; he is dreaming; he is living in another reality because every single thing he says, they did the very opposite, the exact opposite when they were in govern ment.”Nandlall believes it is important that the Guya nese public see and hear the pronouncements made by the Opposition Leader and compare that to the APNU+AFC’s performance while in government. The PPP/C, during the 2020 General and Regional Elections campaign, com mitted to improve the qual ity of education in Guyana.
Further, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali at the beginning of his tenure in office an nounced that the govern ment is working to provide free education at the Uni versity of Guyana by the end of Additionally,2024. the gov ernment has made signifi cant investments in educa tion since entering office two years
12 GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, August 18, 2022
‘Missed’ parents, guardians to get education cash grants today
classes.boththecampusthesetwhicheducationwhichincludeTheseago.investmentsthe$74.4billionwasbudgetedforthesectorin2022,ofsome$3.5billionisasidefortheoperationofUniversityofGuyana’sandexpansionofcourseofferingsforin-personandvirtual
PNC
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Additionally, thou sands of Guyanese have benefited from the Guy ana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) pro gramme through the pro vision of full scholarships for training at the cer tificate, levels.graduateundergraduate,anddoctoral calls for programmes it removed while in gov’t AG
Attorney-GeneralAnilNandlall
Floyd Haynes
THE Education Ministry on Wednesday announced that the second phase of distribution for the “Because We Care” cash grants will commence today, specifi cally for those parents who were unable to uplift theirs during the first cycle. “This phase will focus on two categories of beneficia ries: Those parents who were unable to visit the respective distribution site during the initial phase, and therefore could not uplift the grant, and those parents whose child’s name did not appear on the list, even though they are properly registered at their respective school,” the Ed ucation Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The second phase of dis tribution will take place to day, across Guyana, at identi fied distribution centres. “We encourage those par ents who fall within one of the two categories above to make every effort to uplift the grant, or to authorise a trusted individual to do so on their behalf,” the ministry said in its statement.“Parents or guardians must present a valid form of identification, such as their National Identification Card, passport, or driver’s licence. “Parents or guardians who do not possess a form of identification must be identi fied by a community leader, a teacher, or the Head Teacher of the school to be the parent or guardian of the child. “If someone is being au thorised to uplift the grant, they need to present a valid form of identification, and the letter of authorisation,” the statement further said. “This exercise is neces sary to allow those parents who genuinely could not have made it on the initial date to uplift the grant, and to ensure that the children whose names were missing on their school’s list are not disenfranchised. “The Ministry of Edu cation is happy to give this grant to students for their education so that they can be better prepared for the new school year,” the Edu cation Ministry noted.
BANKER and finan cial expert, Floyd Haynes, has expressed consterna tion that his name was in cluded on a list of speakers at a forum titled “Resist ing the emerging apart heid state” organised by the Cuffy 250 Committee. Haynes, in a letter to chairman of the committee, Dr Norman Ng-A-Qui, said he was not asked formally or informally to be part of the programme and called for his name to be removed from an advertisement cir culated by the Cuffy 250 Committee with immediate effect. “Moreover, I complete ly reject the phrase ‘resist ing the emerging apart heid state’ to describe con ditions in Guyana. In my view, this statement is a disservice to all Guyanese, as such, I wish to categor ically disassociate myself from it. More importantly, I am a firm supporter of His Excellency, the Presi dent of Guyana and I am absolutely convinced that it is not part of the Pres ident’s agenda to create any disparity based on race,” said Haynes.
Haynes distances self from Cuffy 250 event
Giving an update on the project, Minister Benn stated that construction works are moving quickly when compared to some other projects that are being undertaken. With the pace in construction, Benn noted that it should be completed ahead of its projected deadline. The expected deadline for the completion of the project is April 2023. When the Guyana Chronicle visited the site on Wednesday, as major sections of the main structure were seen in place, works were at the time ongoing in the compound and grounds of the three-and-a-half-acre lot. Minister Benn, last year, unveiled plans to move the fire service’s headquarters from the congested Stabroek Market location to Homestretch Avenue in order to ensure easier access and accommodate new firefighting equipment and resources being procured.
GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, August 18, 2022 13
CONSTRUCTION of the new headquarters for the Guy ana Fire Service (GFS) is moving ahead of schedule, with works being approximately 70 per cent complete. This is according to Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn, on Tuesday, as he addressed members of the media.
Fire Service HQ likely to be completed ahead of deadline
The contract for the construction was awarded to Mohamed’s Enterprise in November 2021 following the allocation of some $1.9 billion in the national budget that year to enhance the capacity of the Guyana Fire Service.
The new headquarters, which costs some $648 million, will see the current Central Fire Station relocated from its Sta broek Market location to Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown.
The new fire service headquarters being constructed at Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown (Delano Williams photo)
14 GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, August 18, 2022
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The five-foot statue of Mahatma Gandhi that was destroyed by vandals
By Vishnu Bisram
16 GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, August 18, 2022
A FIVE-FOOT statue of Mahatma Gandhi that stood in front of the Tulsi Mandir in Little Guyana was smashed to smitherines early Tuesday morning by unknown assailants. The same statue suffered some damages two weeks ago. CCTV footage showed it was vandalised by three Hispanics during the night. Politicians came out in their numbers to condemn the attack that was carried as news by mainstream media.Tuesday’s attack broke the statue into pieces. A sledge hammer was used to destroy it. The remaining standing piece was knocked to the ground. The Tulsi Mandir, 111 St in the heart of Richmond Hill, was built by Berbician pandit Lakhram Maraj. It is patronised primarily by Guyanese and Trinidadians. Police visited the scene and secured footage from several cameras in front the mandir, businesses, and homes. They have described the action of the vandals as a hate crime. The pandit told reporters that he cannot understand how anyone would want to hurt Gandhi or the mandir. He said it would be a challenge to raise US$5,000 to build a new statue.
atsmitherinessmashedVandalsGandhi’sstatuetoNYMandir
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18 GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday, August 18, 2022
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20 GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday August 18, 2022 CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Thursday August 18, 2022) COMPLIMENTS OF CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) NZ 2; WI 1 (2) Glen Phillips (NZ) Today’s Quiz: (1) Who scored most runs for the WI in the re cent T20 Int’l series against NZ? (2) Which NZ player compiled most runs? Answers in tomorrow’s issue American Racing Tips Saratoga Race 1 Lucky Mucho Man Race 2 Caragate Race 3 Jill’s A Hot Mess Race 4 Stage Left Race 5 Clear The Deck Race 6 Recognise Race 7 EnglishImmortalizationRacingTips 08:50York hrs Dramatised 09:25 hrs Metahorse 10:00 hrs Boosala 10:35 hrs Alpinista 11:10 hrs Golden Lyra 11:45 hrs One Nation 12:20 hrs Queen Aminatu Leicester 12:15 hrs Out Of Shadow 12:45 hrs Shaladar 13:15 hrs Zakram 13:45 hrs Fox Degree 14:15 hrs Shimmering Sands 14:45 hrs See The Sea 12:25Fontwellhrs Dynamic Rose 12:55 hrs Fortunate Red 13:25 hrs Percy’s Word 13:55 hrs Cailin Saoire 14:25 hrs L’Air Du Vent 14:55 hrs Saywhatyou want Irish Racing Tips Killarney 11:30 hrs Approaching 12:05Bear hrs Entropy 12:35 hrs Contarelli Chap el 13:05 hrs Bantry 13:35 hrs High Altitude 14:05 hrs Master Of Re ality 14:35 hrs Arabian King 15:05 hrs Cape Gentle Canadianman Racing Tips RaceWoodbine1Lady Moonshine Race 2 Lincolnville Beach Race 3 Hatmaker Holiday Race 4 Bossalina
GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday August 18, 2022 21 (BBC) - British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to buy Manchester United. News of the 69-yearold's interest follows a Bloomberg report that the Glazer family are willing to sell a minority stake in the "Ifclub.the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer," Ratcliffe's spokes person told The Times. "If something like this was possible, we would be interested in talking with a view to long-term owner ship."United, 20-time English champions, are bottom of the Premier League after losing both their opening games of the season under new man ager Erik ten Hag. The woeful start has in tensified criticism of the Glazers and their perceived lack of investment in the team.This summer has seen new signings fail to mate rialise, including a fruitless pursuit of Barcelona's Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, while superstar striker Cris tiano Ronaldo could leave Old Trafford. The club has struggled since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 and has not won a trophy since 2017. There have been mul tiple protests against the Glazers' ownership in recent years, including one in May 2021 which caused the Red Devils' home league match against Liverpool to be post poned.
British billionaire interested in buying Manchester United
Lancashire-born Rat cliffe, the majority share holder of chemical group In eos, is a boyhood fan of the club. He also owns French side Nice, Swiss club Laus anne-Sport and Ineos Gren adiers cycling team, while Ineos has a partnership with the Mercedes F1 team. "This is not about the money that has been spent or not spent," the spokesperson added. "Jim is looking at what can be done now and, knowing how important the club is to the city, it feels like the time is right for a
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is Britain's richest man according to Forbes (ESPNCRICINFO) - South Africa took a grip on pro ceedings on a rain-affected first day at Lord's, plucking out six England wickets before the weather closed in half an hour into the afternoon session. Kagiso Rabada struck twice in his opening spell and Anrich Nortje's pace brought three more to keep the home side under the cosh. Dean Elgar cited the "overheads" for his decision to ask England to make the running with the bat for the first time this summer (all four of the Tests won under Ben Stokes' captaincy have been based on a template of chasing a target in the fourth innings), and his seam attack responded with the perfect blend of skill and aggression in cloudy, humid conditions. England were grateful to Ollie Pope, whose proactive half-century made sure they were not completely sunk by the time forecast rain arrived, moments after Ben Foakes had been bowled off his in side edge, poking tentatively at Nortje in the post-lunch murk.Elgar had announced in his final press conference before the start of the series that he was "not going to entertain" any more talk of Bazball - as England's new approach to Test cricket has been dubbed - and the focus of the morning quickly be came how Stokes' team might tailor their preferred batting style to setting up a game in the face of a probing exam ination from South Africa's fourEngland'squicks. most produc tive stand was 45 added for the fifth wicket between Pope and Stokes, the only two batters to get into dou ble-figures. Both openers fell cheaply, and there was little of the buccaneering intent that brought four succes sive victories at the start of Stokes' tenure as captain. Joe Root was lbw for 8, a marginal decision backed up by DRS in the impressive Marco Jansen's second over, and Jonny Bairstow lost his middle stump to Nortje as England slumped to 55 for 4. South Africa, buoyed by winning the toss, called on Rabada as their attack leader after he "pulled up 100%" following an ankle ligament injury, and he was on the mark from the outset. Alex Lees got away with one am bitious swipe that flew over the slip cordon but fell in the same over, wafting away from his body to be caught behind.Zak Crawley, retained as Lees' opening partner despite averaging 17.75 from four previous Tests this summer, did his best to negotiate a thorough examination around off stump, largely packing away his aggressive strokes. But having squirted a thick outside edge through gully for a second boundary, he was undone by Rabada's wobble-seam delivery, which produced just enough move ment to find the edge and present a low catch to the cordon.South Africa lost a re view when asking for a sec ond look at Lungi Ngidi's lbw appeal against Pope, but things continued to go their way when Jansen struck from the Pavilion End, where he regularly used the slope to bring the ball back in to En gland's right-handers. Having declined anoth er lbw shout that ball-track ing showed would have just clipped the top of Pope's leg stump, Nitin Menon raised his finger in the affirmative to the politest of appeals against Root. The former Test captain reviewed, but in vain.
United fans are planning another protest against the American family during their latest meeting with their Anfield rivals on Mon day at Old Trafford.
South Africa take control on rain-affected day at Lord’s Kagiso Rabada removed both of England's openers on the first morning at Lord's (Getty Images)
reset."Earlier yesterday, Elon Musk, the world's richest man, said he was joking after tweeting he was going to buy United.Musk, 51, is report ed to have a net worth of $270B (£223B) according to Forbes, while Ratcliffe is worth an estimated $16.3B (£13.5B). In May, Ratcliffe made an unsuccessful £4.25B offer to buy Chelsea after owner Roman Abramovich put the London club up for sale. At the time, Ratcliffe told BBC Sport he was still a Manchester United fan and the reason he was not bidding for the Red Devils is because they were not for sale.
Everest Masters overcome Diplomatic Corps in friendly fixture
Raducanu produces masterclass to beat Azarenka
IMPRESSIVERADUCANU BUT TOUGHER TESTS AHEAD Raducanu stunned the sporting world with her unex pected triumph in New York last year, when she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title in what was only her fourth senior tournament. The victory propelled the previously little-known teen ager into global superstardom, but she has since faced the difficulties often encountered by young players in their first full season on the WTA Tour. Regularly hampered by fitness issues this year as she adjusts to the rigours of the se nior tour, Raducanu arrived in Cincinnati with a record of 11 wins and 14 losses this season. But with her fearless and accurate groundstrokes, she has so far shown a similar level in the WTA 1000 event to the one which led to her success at Flushing Meadows. Pegula, however, is likely to provide a sterner test - and a more accurate appraisal of Raducanu's current level - than Williams or Azarenka. In what was her first career meeting with 23-time major champion Williams and likely to be the last, the teenager clinically took advantage of the 40-year-old's lack of sharp ness by hitting 14 winners and making just one unforced error in a ruthless victory. After that night session, Raducanu returned to Cin cinnati's centre court against 33-year-old Azarenka and produced another dominant display.The forehand continued to be a potent weapon, while she was also helped by wayward returning from the two-time Grand Slam champion. After cruising through a 26-minute opener to record a second straight bagel, Radu canu raced into a 4-0 lead in the next set, before Azarenka finally got on the scoreboard with back-to-back holds. She offered a little more belated resistance when Ra ducanu served for the match, earning two break points and saving a match point before the Briton wrapped up victory.
Lutesh Singh (left) and Ramdat(BBC) - British number one Emma Raducanu produced another eye-catching dis play as she thrashed former world number one Victoria Azarenka less than 24 hours after beating Serena Wil liams. Raducanu continued her preparations for the forthcom ing defence of her US Open title with a 6-0, 6-2 win in Cincinnati.The19-year-old played Belarusian veteran Azarenka just 18 hours after beating Wil liams, who will retire after the US Open, 6-4, 6-0 on Tuesday. Raducanu faces Jessica Pegula next. The Briton, ranked 13th in the world, will meet the Amer ican seventh seed in the last 16 of the Western and Southern Open today. "I was playing a great match for sure and to play Vika I had to stay focused throughout," said Raducanu, who beat 22nd-ranked Aza renka to earn her first top-30 win since last year's US Open.
Everest Masters eventu ally posted 240-6. Briyon Bowen took 2-36 while Chanderpaul Ramraj and Dambuka Junior picked up oneTheeach.Diplomatic Corps, who were led by the High Commissioner of India to Guyana, Dr. K. J. Srinivasa, were pegged back early in the chase as pacer Jermaine Griffith and skipper Rajesh Singh made early inroads, removing both openers to reduce them to 9-2. The visitors never recov ered despite an unbeaten 42 from Ronaldo McGarrell and 21 from Ramraj, and were restricted to McGarrell134-7.faced 51 balls and stroked three fours and a similar number of sixes, while Ramraj hit three fours. Randy Lindore took 2 wickets for 23, while there was one each for Griffith, Singh and Sheriffudeen. The match was at tended by British High Commissioner to Guyana, Ms Jane Miller OBE, US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch, and other diplo mats.
22 GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday August 18, 2022
THE Everest Masters team overcame the Diplomatic Corps in a 25-over fixture last weekend at the Ever est Cricket Club (ECC) ground. The 106-run victory was achieved, compliments of opener Saheed Mohamed who scored a century. Mohamed put on 43 for the first wicket with Ravi Bharat (2) and added a fur ther 23 with Safraz Sherif fudeen (9) along with Basil Persaud; finally ending on 103 off 71 balls after being caught.
Sixteen-year-old latest to benefit from cricket gear donation
Emma Raducanu has won back-to-back matches against former world number ones Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka in Cincinnati
RIGHT-arm medi um pacer Lutesh Singh of Skeldon and Just Try Crick et Club was recent ly presented with one pair of cricket shoes, one helmet and an arm guard, compliments of this initiative and Davo Naraine of the UK. Young Singh, a fifth form student of Tagore TournamentInter-countyGCBingrepresentedSecondaryMemorialSchool,theRisStarteaminthe2022Under-19Cricketwhich was aborted due to excessive rains. “Thank you for this timely gesture,” the young cricketer said. Representing the ini tiative was former Berbice Youth all-rounder, Deo prakash Ramdat who stated that the project is happy to assist in the development of our young cricketers and at the same time encourage them to educate themselves and be better citizens of Guyana.This joint initiative is between Anil Beharry of Guyana and Kishan Das of the USA. Total cricket-related items collected so far: $250 000 cash, two trophies, 12 cricket boots, 19 pairs of batting pads, 21 bats, 15 pairs of batting gloves, 19 thigh pads, one pair of wick et-keeping pads, two arm guards, six cricket bags and three helmets. In addi tion to the above, $600 000 worth in gear was donated by Sheik Mohamed, for mer National wicketkeeper/ batter. To date, 30 young play ers from all three counties of Guyana have already benefited from three junior gear basg, two trophies, two arm guards, 14 bats, one box, three helmets, 12 pairs of cricket shoes, 10 pairs of batting pads, one bat rubber and 12 pairs of bat ting gloves. In addition, two clubs in the Pomeroon area benefited from two used bats. Pomer oon, Leguan and Wakenaam Cricket Committees and Cotton Tree Die Hard each also received one box of red cricket balls while RHC CCC received two, 15 white cricket shirts, one pair of junior batting pads, one pair of wicket-keeping gloves and a set of stumps and bails Cricket-related items, used or new, are distributed free of cost to young, promising cricketers in Guyana. Skills, discipline and education are important characteristics of the recipi ents. Talent-spotting is being done across the country and club leaders also assist to identifyProgressivesame. and well managed clubs will also ben efit. We take this opportuni ty to thank Javed and Imran of West Indian Sports Com plex, Option Group of USA, Hilbert Foster, Bish Panday of P and P Insurance Bro kers, Sean Devers, Trevis Simon, Årïêl J. Tïlkú, Aaron Beharry, Leanna Bachan and Imran Saccoor, Devon Ramnauth, Teddy Singh, Romash Munna, Ravi Etwa roo, Kelvin Brijlall, Ravin Harkishun, Surendra Harki shun, Allan Mangru, Dennis Mangru, Vishal Mahabir, Sherman Austin, Huburn Evans, Rajendra Sadeo, Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall, Sheik Mohamed of Star Sports Awards and Trophies and Ajay Gainda of Cricket Equipment Guy ana, Gajanand Singh, Peter Ramkissoon, Rabindranath Saywack, Roshan Gaffoor, Ameer Rahaman, Chin Singh, Denesh Chandrapaul, Dr Cecil Beharry and Latch Mohabir and family. Thanks to the media for the role they are play ing in promoting this ven ture. Distribution will con tinue. Anyone who desires to contribute can contact Anil Beharry on 623 6875 or Kishan Das on 1 718 664 0896.
Chenelle Henry dismisses Sophie Devine (ESPNCRICINFO)Shamarh Brooks scored 79 and shared a 75-run part nership with captain Nicho las Pooran which guided the West Indies to a five-wicket win over top-ranked New Zealand on Wednesday in the series-opening ODI in Barbados. Brooks reached his fourth ODI half century from 58 balls and had faced 91 de liveries when he was out in the 34th over with the West Indies closing on New Zea land's inadequate total of 190. Jason Holder and Jer maine Blackwood were at the crease when the home team reached its target with 11 overs to Earlier,spare.Akeal Hosein took 3 for 28 and Alzarri Joseph returned 3 for 36 as West Indies bowled out New Zealand in 45.2 overs after choosing to field. It was the first time New Zealand has been dismissed in an ODI since March 2020. "Watching the Kiwis bat I realized it was a bit tough going early for them," Brooks said in a television interview. "I guess credit must go to our bowlers for reducing them to a score of 190. I was just focused on going out there, getting some partnerships and getting that total off." Rain breaks punctuated the West Indies innings but couldn't disturb the steady momentum set by Brooks. The first came in the opening over of the innings and the second in the 29th when West Indies were only 42 runs from victory. At that point they were well ahead of a winning total under the DLS system. Pooran was out for 28 immediately after the second rain break but Brooks re tained a strong guiding hand on the run Hosein,chase.Joseph and debut ing spinners Kevin Sinclair and Yannic Cariah turned the tide of the New Zealand in nings with accurate bowling in the middle overs on a pitch which rewarded spinners with bounce. New Zealand made a sol id start with a 41-run partner ship between Martin Guptill and Finn Allen, who struck two sixes and a four from Holder's bowling in the sev enthAover.short rain break fol lowed at the end of the eighth over and Allen was out for 25 four balls after the re sumption. From then on New Zealand lost wickets regu larly and struggled to build the partnerships that were necessary to reach a more challenging total. Allen was Hosein's first wicket, caught by Pooran who had to run back and hold onto the ball as it came across his shoulder. Guptill fell in Hosein's next over, caught by Kyle Mayers at slip for 24 when New Zealand were 53 for 2. Captain Kane Williamson attempted to lead a recovery with an innings of 34 from 50 balls. But he lacked support with Devon Conway and Tom Latham out cheaply as New Zealand slumped to 88 for 4. Williamson's partnership with Daryl Mitchell held promise and the pair had add ed 28 for the fifth wicket be fore both were out to Joseph in the 30th over. Mitchell had made 20 from 32 balls when he was trapped lbw and Wil liamson followed when he edgedAllroundersbehind.
Michael Bracewell and Mitchell Sant ner added 40 for the seventh wicket but weren't able to tip the match back in New Zealand's favour. Bracewell was trapped lbw to give Ca riah for his first international wicket as the Trinidadian wristspinner finished with 1 for 49 from nine overs. The New Zealand lower order often comes to the rescue of the team but on this occasion there was no fightback. Santner was out for 25 with the total 189 for 8 and the last two wickets fell quickly."Obviously it was chal lenging out there to get some rhythm and some mo mentum," Williamson said. "Credit to the way the West Indies bowled. They got a lot out of that surface and executed their plans well and ultimately played a very good game of cricket." The second game will be played Friday at the same venue.
scricket.com Match Centre. FULL AllSCHEDULEMATCHmatchesat Sir Vivian Richards Stadium CG United ODI Series Friday, September 16: 1st CG United ODI, 09:30hrs Eastern Caribbe an/08:30hrs Jamaica Time Monday, September 19: 2nd CG United ODI, 09:30hrs Eastern Caribbe an/08:30hrs Jamaica Time Thursday, Septem ber:22 3rd United ODI, 09:30hrs Eastern Caribbe an/08:30hrs Jamaica Time T20I Monday,SeriesSeptember
WEST Indies Women re turn to action on home soil when they host New Zea land Women in an eightmatch white-ball tour from September 16 to October 6 in Antigua. Cricket West Indies (CWI) confirmed that the three CG United One-Day Internationals (ODI) and five T20 Internationals (T20I) will be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. The CG United ODI Series is scheduled for September 16, 19 and 22 and matches will start at 09.30hrs local time, 08.30hrs Jamaica time. The T20Is are scheduled for Sep tember 26 to October 6. All T20Is will start at 13.00hrs local time, midday Jamaica time, but the 4th T20I on Tuesday, October 4 will start at 10.00hrs local time, 09.00hrs Jamaica time. For the CG United ODI Series, West Indies will be looking to build on the progress after reaching the semi-finals of the ICC Wom en’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year. The team will then look to the five T20I matches as part of their preparations for the 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa in January.Courtney Walsh, West Indies Women’s head coach, welcomed the tour and said they will have a keen eye on the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. “I am very hap py that we will be hosting New Zealand in the West Indies. They are a very com petitive team, and this will make for a great series for our team. As it comes just after we’ve had the Women’s regional tournaments and the Women’s CPL, it will be a great fillip for our players,” WalshWalshsaid.added, “We are currently holding another specialist camp including some new players, and after the Women’s CPL we will have a second camp in An tigua. In addition, the Lead Selector was with the West Indies U19 Women’s team for their series in Florida and has identified some exciting prospects to consider. So, we should have enough cricket before the New Zealand Series starts. Every series that we play we want to win, and we will be playing a positive brand of cricket. We will also have an eye on the T20 World Cup around the corner. So, this will give the squad a chance to showcase all their skills, and also give us, the coach ing staff, a chance to look at what depth we have.” Fans can purchase tick ets online on the Windies Tickets service, presented by Mastercard at frompaying16forEC$15,sioncan17.15:00hrswindiestickets.com,tickets.fromWednesdayAugustForallmatches,adultspurchasegeneraladmisticketsonlineatUS$5orwithfreeadmissionchildrenundertheageofwhenaccompaniedbyaadult.Seniorsbenefithalf-pricetickets.The stadium ticket office will open on the day of the 1st CG United ODI. All eight matches will be streamed live on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel. Live ball-by-ball scoring will also be avail able on the www.windie 26: 1st T20I, 13:30hrs time.ribbean/12:00hrsT20I,Thursday,Timeribbean/09:00hrsT20I,Tuesday,timeribbean/12:00hrsT20I,Saturday,caCaribbean/12:00hrs2ndWednesday,caCaribbean/12:00hrsEasternJamaitimeSeptember28:T20I,13:30hrsEasternJamaitimeOctober1:3rd13:30hrsEasternCaJamaicaOctober4:4th10:00hrsEasternCaJamaicaOctober6:5th13:30hrsEasternCaJamaica
GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday August 18, 2022 23
Kevin Sinclair shows off his cap on ODI debut Aug 16, 2022 (AFP/Getty Images)
Brooks, spinners hand West Indies series lead
New Zealand Women to kick off series in Antigua
Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limited, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 226-3243-9 (General); Editorial: 227-5204, 227-5216. Fax:227-5208 THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2022 23PAGE
TICKETS for the highly-antic ipated Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) In ternational Drag Race meet this Sunday are currently on sale and patrons are asked to secure their tickets early to avoid the rush. Tickets for the event cost $2 000 for adults and $1 000 for kids and are on sale at the club’s Thom as Lands office. In addition tickets are available at Progressive Travel Agency at the Giftland Mall, Imran Auto Works; Schoonord, Silver Lining Tyre Shop; Cotton Tree, Sukhpaul Service Station at New Amsterdam and Corriverton, and all locations of A. Ali & Sons. The GMR&SC during a recent press conference mentioned that they are installing a top-of-the-line PA system so fans can be informed throughout the event. The club also acknowledges the fact that more women are becoming interested in the sport, which they welcome, so efforts are moving ahead to ensure that there will be a sufficient number of washroom facilities available, come race day. In addition, VIP ($30 000) and VVIP ($40 000) tickets recently went on sale. The VIP package features re served parking, cocktails and shots, Igloo Products for all, Burgers, Buffalo Wings, BBQ, Grilled Beef & Chicken and other finger foods. The VVIP package includes more of the same, but better placement to witness the action. VIP and VVIP tickets avail able at the following locations: John Lewis Styles (Georgetown), Igloo Ice Cream Shoppe (Provi dence), Flamboyant Supermarket (Eccles), Joseph Music Store (Vreed-en-Hoop), M&R Auto Sales (Cornelia Ida), Vick’s Fix It Cellphone Repairs (Parika), Dada’s Grill (Tuschen Pub lic Road), Tropical View Hotel (Campbell Avenue), S&S Su permarket (Lusignan), KK Gas Station (Unity), Choke Gas Sta tion (LBI), Choke Gas Station (Strathspey), Big B (UG Road), Poonai’s Pharmacy (Rose Hall Town), Pharmcare Pharmacy (Evil Eyes, N/A).
GMR&SC International Drag Race meetsellingticketsfast
Akeal Hosein, Kyle Mayers, Sharmarh Brooks, and Kevin Sinclair celebrate after Devon Conway's dismissal (AFP/Getty Images)
Brooks, spinners hand West Indies series lead
Shamarh Brooks raises his fifty, West Indies vs New Zealand, 1st ODI, Bridgetown, August 17, 2022
