Issuu

WEDNESDAY 9th February, 2022

‘My integrity is above board’

No.106629

– VP Jagdeo affirms, says gov’t will not be ‘caught up’ in anti-China hysteria 03 PAGE

500 employed, Rose Hall Estate factory 41 per cent complete 02 PAGE

800 small businesses to benefit from 17 $300M in grants PAGE

Foundation launched to transform UG into world-class institution of higher learning 20 PAGE

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

500 employed, Rose Hall Estate factory 41 per cent complete By Tamica Garnett

WORK on the Rose Hall Sugar Estate factory is 41 per cent complete and approximately 500 workers have been rehired at the facility. This is according to Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, who was responding to questions from Opposition Members of Parliament (MP) during the consideration of the budget estimates for the Ministry of Agriculture on Monday. That ministry has been allocated $22 billion in the 2022 budget. He also noted that work is being done on the estate’s fields to commence cultivation and reiterated that the government remains optimistic about returning the sugar industry to profitability. Mustapha explained that there are several factors affecting a definitive date for the reopening of

the estate, particularly the dilapidated state that the facility was left in when the former government left office. “We have to have enough cane in the cultivation before we can start Rose Hall. I know, in fact, that we are about 41 per cent in the factory,” Mustapha said. He added that: “We have to ensure we rehabilitate the entire factory. We have to ensure that we have enough punts, that we rehabilitate the mill duct, and ensure we rehabilitate the field equipment department. All those parts are work in progress that we are doing continuously. And I am very sure that the PPP/C will reopen Rosehall Sugar Estate.” The government is currently reopening the closed sugar estates in a phased approach, with Rose Hall being the first estate that will re-

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha open. Rose Hall, Wales, Enmore, and Skeldon estates were closed by the former APNU+AFC Government between 2016 to 2017, placing thousands of Guyanese out of work. Defending the government’s $4 billion 2022 investment to get the industry back on track, Mustapha reported to the

House that when the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) assumed government in 2020, it found that only $3.8 billion remains of a $30B bond that GuySuCo had received from the National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL). “Whatever it takes to bring back GuySuCo, the

PPP/C Government will ensure that we make the resources available,” he said. He reminded that the government is focused on the bigger picture and looking at GuySuCo beyond sugar, given the vast impact that the industry has on the wider society and economy. “GuySuCo encompasses many other things than sugar. Today, GuySuCo is the largest single employer locally; GuySuco makes a lot of contributions socially; we have the various sports ground that GuySuCo used to look after; we have the D&I services in the communities; the village economies; thousands of persons who indirectly depend on GuySuCo,” Mustapha said. Pointing to one example, he noted that it costs the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) approximately

$1.8 billion in some areas to cover drainage and irrigation services previously provided by GuySuCo. The minister noted that the government is working towards having the industry at least break even and then become profitable. This is particularly being done through the investment in increasing the production of value-added products. “We are moving to ensure we add value-added component to the production. Eventually, GuySuCo will make a profit. We are enhancing packaging plant at Blairmont. Looking to build a new packaging plant at Albion. We are looking at ethanol production, looking to produce high grade molasses. These are the value-added production that will help GuySuCo to break even and eventually make a profit,” he said.

‘My integrity is above board’

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

public official far exceed his/ her income, it could trigger an investigation and there could even be a penalty of a year imprisonment for false or no declaration. Unlike successive People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) governments,

Vice-President Jagdeo said officials of the former A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) administration did not submit statements to the Integrity Commission. He described the Coalition’s record in this regard

as sordid and maintained that PPP/C officials have submitted their statements consistently and in accordance with the law. Although noting that he consistently submits his statements to the Integrity Commission, the Vice-President went a step further to say that he has two local bank accounts and documents to justify his acquisition of assets. “My earnings are accounted for whether it comes from government pension, income from rental… the statements are with the bank… all of my assets have gone through the banking system,” Vice-President Jagdeo related. The senior government official said he does not possess a foreign bank account, but had owned an apartment in New York, which he sold after maintenance of the property became a liability. This apartment, he said, was acquired in 2013 for his convenience during his time out of office, when he would have to intransit in America on his way to other countries

ed to Taiwan, was able to benefit from a $1.5 billion loan from China. The government had terminated a day-old agreement which had initially granted approval for the establishment of a Taiwanese trade office, here in Guyana. The approval for the office raised questions relative to Guyana’s relationship with the People’s Republic of China, which considers Taiwan to be a breakaway province under the “One China” principle. Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Elisabeth Harper, had said that

Guyana has not recognised Taiwan as a State. She added: “We continue to accept the One China policy and our diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China remains intact.” This decision, however, did not grant Guyana any special concessions, Vice-President Jagdeo clarified. “To say we got a loan after reversing the decision is not true… there is no new loan with China at this point in time,” Vice-President Jagdeo said. Guyana formally established diplomatic relations

with the People’s Republic of China on June 27, 1972, under the leadership of former President, the Late Arthur Chung. This landmark arrangement saw Guyana becoming the very first English-speaking Caribbean country to establish diplomatic relations with China. Over the last few decades, the two countries have enjoyed friendly and mutually beneficial ties that hinge on cultural connections dating back to colonial immigration. Similarly, since the late 1980s, Guyana and the United States have

–– VP Jagdeo affirms

IN defending his integrity amidst allegations of his involvement in corrupt practices, Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo has said that he is capable of accounting for his earnings and every asset within his possession. Leveraging an interview conducted by a journalist from United States-based Vice News with Vice-President Jagdeo, Leader of the People’s National Congress/ Reform (PNC/R), Aubrey Norton, called on the government official to disclose his earnings and assets. This was asked of the Vice-President even after he defended questions from the Vice News journalist about his affiliation with a person named Su, who allegedly works as a conduit between him and Chinese companies as it regards infrastructural projects. “If he wants to disprove

the allegation, then he can make these bank accounts that he is talking about open to the public,” Norton was reported as saying on Tuesday. In a direct response to the leader of the PNC/R, Vice-President Jagdeo, during a press briefing on Tuesday evening, said: “I will excuse his unfamiliarity with the law… I will excuse his ignorance of the law.” The law he was referring to is the Integrity Commission Act, which stipulates that every person in public life must submit a declaration of their finances on or before June 30, every year. “From 1999-2015 [and even after], the government and officials [of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic] have submitted, every year, their statements of income and assets to the Integrity Commission,” Vice-President Jagdeo related. Should the assets of a

Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo

for various projects. The Vice-President said confidently that he has a clean slate, and this was proven even during the period when the Coalition administration was in office, as they had launched investigations into his bank accounts and assets but found nothing. “The PPP/C was subjected to SARA and SOCU, and the worst they could find is that I bought the land at lower than market price… I said already that the price was higher than the market value for land,” Jagdeo related. Even so, the Vice-President maintained that any allegation of corruption could be investigated by the Guyana Police Force (GPF). Responding to the matter of Su and allegations of taking bribe from contractors, Vice-President Jagdeo said: “Those things are not true… they would never find anyone who can say they have given me a bribe directly or indirectly. I never took a bribe.” He said confidently that there could be no evidence of him receiving a bribe because it never happened.

been working together to advance development on many fronts, The two countries, according to the US State Department, promote democracy and respect for human rights; empower youth, women, the private sector, and civic/ opinion leaders to formulate grassroots responses to social and economic challenges; support new initiatives to improve the health of the Guyanese people, and, through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), enhance the security and prosperity of the region.

Guyana will not be caught up in ‘anti-China hysteria’ THE relationship Guyana shares with China and the United States of America will remain cordial and mutually beneficial, Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo has affirmed. Guyana has shared close ties with both nations for decades, but the country’s relationship with China was questioned recently by an interviewer from United States-based Vice News during an engagement with Vice-President Jagdeo. The senior Guyanese official was quizzed on the purported “massive award” of projects to China under his watch. The journalist even went further to ask the Vice-President if he had accepted bribes from Chinese contracts. Owing to the structure and types of questions, Jagdeo was convinced that the journalist had a pre-determined agenda, but he used the opportunity to clarify that Guyana does

not favour Chinese investors nor has the country been privileged to special loans from the Asian nation. The Vice-President was keen on stating that Guyana believes in having friends once the country stands to benefit from the relationship. “…we do not want to be caught up in a cold-war type of atmosphere with Chin and the US,” Jagdeo said, adding: “The government will not be caught up in an anti-Chinese hysteria.” Guyana, like 180 countries, including the United States and countries within Europe, subscribes to the “One China” policy, but it does not restrict the country from building relationships with other nations. The Vice-President believes that the Vice News journalist was not well informed about the nation and its ongoing and potential projects, since she related that Guyana, after reversing a decision relat-

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

GPHC says Dr. Cummings’ claim of racism unfounded

THE Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has rejected claims by former Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings, of racism within the surgical department and surgical training programme at the hospital. Dr. Cummings, during her contribution to the budget debates on Thurs-

day, February 3, 2022, alluded to “significant disparities along ethnic lines” within the surgical department and surgical training programme at the hospital. The hospital, in a statement, said that it was unfortunate that Dr. Cummings had made allegations of racism in the training programme, which is jointly delivered

February 05, 2022

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by the University of Guyana and the Institute of Health Science Education (IHSE). In making her remarks, Dr. Cummings specifically identified the post-graduate training programme in surgery. “Dr. Cummings failed to recognise that all batches of recruitment for the post-graduate programme in surgery since 2015 were done during the period that APNU+AFC was in government and for most of that period Dr. Cummings served as a Minister in the Ministry of Health. “The process for selection for all of the post-graduate programmes

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APNU MP Dr Karen Cummings offered by the GPHC through the IHSE and UG are solely merit-based on

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established admission criteria and overseen by a diverse selection panel which comprises of esteemed personnel from various entities, including the University of Guyana and international partners,” GPHC said. The hospital added: “The IHSE/UG operate a competitive surgical programme with a rigorous application process that requires that the applicant satisfy multiple requirements prior to admission. At no stage of this process is information related to the race of the applicant requested or considered by the IHSE, UG or the GPHC.” The GPHC has since extended an invitation to Dr. Cummings to provide any evidence to the claims she has made. Since 2015, the IHSE has admitted a total of 33 successful applicants, including the last intake of six applicants in May 2020, into its postgraduate

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surgery programme. “As stated before, all the recruitment batches and all the successful applicants were during the time Dr. Cummings was a Minister in the Ministry of Health or when she served for a short period as Minister of Foreign Affairs. All the 33 students accepted in the programme occurred while the government in place was led by the party Dr. Cummings now represent in Parliament. “The GPHC has confidence in the selection process. As far as remuneration is concerned, these are guided by clearly documented Human Resource guidelines that are compliant with Public Service regulations. “The GPHC prides itself in being a diverse team of an exceptional cadre of healthcare professionals which mirrors the composition of our multicultural society,” the release concluded.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

$96 Billion approved for Public Works Ministry with heavy scrutiny

BY no surprise, the $96 Billion allocation to the Public Works ministry, the largest of any allocation in Budget 2022, was subject to heavy scrutiny from the political opposition, Tuesday after-

Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill noon, in the Committee of Supply. Responding to questions on the capital and current expenditure falling under his purview was Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill. Under the Appropriation Bill 2022, the Public Works ministry will receive $88 Billion for capital expenses including major development projects, and $8 Billion for current expenditure. The Committee of Supply, chaired by Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, will now consider the estimates and expenditure of Budget 2022 before the Bill is referred to and voted on by the National Assembly. New Demerara Harbour Bridge A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Member of Parliament (MP), David Patterson questioned the status of the contract awarded in relation to the new harbour bridge across the Demerara River. Minister Edghill explained that the public tendering process saw participation from international companies which saw an evaluation of the bids, and a ‘no objection’ from the Cabinet of Ministers for the lowest bidder, in keeping with procurement laws. Negotiations were opened for the completion of the contract, he explained, not-

ing that the local negotiating team—which comprised legal, engineering, financial, and management expertise— signalled to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) their intention to terminate the negotiation process. Minister Edghill explained that the experts found the arrangement would not have served Guyana’s best interest, which lead to an engagement of the number two lowest bidder. MP Patterson, a former minister for public works under the David Granger-led APNU+AFC government, pressed Minister Edghill on whether the new Demerara River bridge will cost US$600 Million. Objecting to the speculation, Minister Edghill re-

APNU+AFC MP, Annette Ferguson minded that the first bidder’s price was US$256 Million. He said that in the negotiations of terms, the intention is to drive the cost down. With the placement of the new bridge, Minister Edghill said some land acquisition and displacement would be necessary as happens with major development projects. He, however, committed to following the Laws of Guyana and ensuring acquisitions are made at market value. Minister Edghill asked the Committee to be patient as he was not intending to release to many details which could provide excessive details on budgeted amounts relating to the development, thus restricting contractors from taking advantage of the process through excess information provided. UN Agencies Rent Turning attention to rental paid for housing vari-

ous agencies of the United Nations (UN) in Guyana, APNU+AFC MP Annette Ferguson questioned the sum allocated under the budget line for rental of buildings including cost and location. Minister Edghill reminded the Committee of Guyana’s responsibility to host UN agencies, but bemoaned the arrangement under the previous APNU+AFC government which left Guyana in a position of paying more money to house UN agencies in one compound which had less space than the buildings which they previously occupied. He insisted that a more prudent arrangement, which could save Guyana billions of dollars in the long-term, would be to identify a portion of government land and construct a complex for the UN agencies. The Minister said if this arrangement were explored now, however, government would have to pay one year’s rent to the other contracting party. “We appreciate and welcome all the UN agencies operating in Guyana, and we will be working to ensure they are in an energy-efficient, cost effective facility where they can all be comfortable,” Minister Edghill said emphatically. Civil Aviation Authority A $384 million subsidy to the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) raised

APNU+AFC MP, Jermaine Figueira concerns for APNU+AFC MP Annette Ferguson. Ferguson served temporarily under the APNU+AFC government as minister within the ministry responsible for public works. In a detailed response, Minister Edghill reflected

that when the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government demitted office in 2015, more than $1 Billion was left in the authority’s bank account. He said the party returned to government in 2020, they met a deficit in that account. Added to that, the COVID-19 pandemic which affected the amount of global flights also affected the authority’s ability to generate revenue from navigating flights that were utilising Guyana’s air space. Minister Edghill, further justifying the contribution to GCAA, said the authority could have lost its International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) compliance if it did not maintain a reserve fund of a particular level. “The reduction [in the contribution to GCAA] this year is an anticipation that overflights will pick up,” Minister Edghill explained,

adding that he has already received reports that there has already been an increase in the use of Guyana’s air navigation services which marks somewhat of a recovery. Berbice River Bridge MP Patterson raised a red flag that the same allocation was made to the Berbice Bridge Company from 20202022. He questioned whether this was an indication of low traffic in Regions Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) despite government’s claim of development in that area. Minister Edghill rebuffed that the Berbice Bridge Company is a Public/Private Partnership (PPP) and reminded that the Bridge’s administration is currently engaging the court relating to a matter of acquisition which occurred during Mr Patterson’s time as minister for public works. Minister Edghill commu-

nicated that a line of communication has already been opened with the bridge’s administration underscoring his government’s commitment to not acquire private investments unnecessarily. He said also that an arrangement will be met in the best interest of all parties. Roads, bridges, sea defence maintenance MP Ferguson questioned what she called the 100 per cent increase in the budget line for maintenance of roads. She asked about a pot hole located in Meadow Brook Gardens and when this would be fixed. Minister Edghill debunked the claim, noting that the increase is only $600 million from $1.5 billion in 2021 to $2.1 billion in 2022. He clarified that it is not the responsibility of the See page 11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Guyana’s International Profile GUYANA’S profile as a significant player on the international stage was given a boost with the emergence of the country as an oil-producing nation. With Guyana set to be among the highest per capita oil producer in the near future, the country has been attracting much attention not only from investors but from the global community as a whole. Interest in Guyana, however, long predated oil. Ever since the country attained internal self-government and with the rise of nationalist leaders, attention was focused on the political and ideological orientation of the PPP Government which created history by sweeping the polls in the elections of 1953, the first to be held under universal adult suffrage. The PPP regime, a mere six months later, was overthrown from office after the British Government felt uncomfortable with the leftist-orientation of the PPP. The Constitution was suspended and the PPP under the leadership of the charismatic Dr. Cheddi Jagan forcibly removed from office. The suspension of the Constitution catapulted the then colony into the international spotlight as it represented one of the few countries in the hemisphere where a left-wing political party won political power through constitutional means. Attention in the country was again high after the PNC regime took office in 1964 through, what was described by former

British Prime Minister Harold Wilson ‘as a fiddled constitutional arrangement’, one unknown in the entire British Commonwealth. The British Government took a decision to change the electoral laws to allow for a change from the first past the post to proportional representation which allowed for two or more political parties to form a coalition government. The PNC and the UF joined forces to remove the PPP from government in 1964 and under the leadership of Forbes Burnham, the PNC regime began a process of rigged elections which lasted until 1985. Under pressure from the Carter Centre, the Hoyte administration agreed to hold free and fair elections after nearly three decades of undemocratic rule. Guyana, during that period, was under close observation by the international community, albeit in a negative way as many countries and international institutions refused to do business with the country. Guyana at one time was considered a ‘pariah’ state with the IMF describing the PNC administration as “uncreditworthy”. And not to be ignored was the outpouring of condemnation by the international community after the APNU+AFC once again attempted to steal the March 2020 elections. The bogus results fabricated by the Secretariat of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) were eventually overturned, thanks to the intervention of the Courts and the international community and

Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali was sworn-in as the duly elected President of Guyana. Guyana under the leadership of President Ali has once again taken its rightful place as a democracy in the global community of nations and is today a key player in international relations both at the regional and international levels. Some $278M has been allocated to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, which according to subject Minister, Gail Teixeira, is intended to raise the country’s profile and promote Guyana as a leader on issues that are at the top of the PPP/C Government agenda. That sum, she said, will allow for the participation of Guyana at international conferences, preparing reports to various international levels on treaties which have been ratified by the Guyana Government and the acquisition of technical support. The main intention, according to the minister, is for the country to play a vital leadership role internationally in governance, human rights and anti-corruption. The budget also makes provision for $1.6B, which according to Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd, will ensure the enhancement of Guyana’s presence abroad while at the same time building capacity of staff based locally and abroad. According to the Foreign Minister, the sums allocated will greatly facilitate the diplomatic work of the ministry as it seeks to lift Guyana’s profile in the international arena. In fact, the

Guyana Government is reportedly seeking to have a place as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council which, if successful, will further raise the country’s international profile not only in the region but in the world at large. St. Vincent and the Grenadines is the only country in Latin America and the Caribbean to have been elected so far to serve as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and Guyana’s election to that 15-member Council will place the country at the helm of global leadership at the United Nations. Guyana had already held the position as Chair of the United Nations General Assembly and as Chair of the Group of 77 (G-77) which is the largest intergovernmental organisation of developing countries in the United Nations which has as its overall objective the advancement of South-South co-operation and for the countries of the South to promote their collective economic interests and enhance their joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues within the United Nations system. Under the dynamic and energetic leadership of President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Guyana is once again winning the respect of the international community. The country may be relatively small in size, but certainly large in terms of visionary thinking and ideas on how to advance the cause of humanity.

VICE Media seems a literal personification of its name

Dear Editor,

Guyana’s Vice-President, Bharrat Jagdeo, released the unedited video of an interview with VICE Media, during which a claim that “Mr. Su had told them that through his broker and with the payment of bribes, deals could be cleared by the Vice-President and there was no trace of money to Jagdeo”. This made me laugh out loud. Needless to say, this is a prime example of what Guyanese call ‘salawallah’ and could lead to a fool being parted from his money; but Guyanese love our tabloid journalism as much as anyone else, and Su trends well. Jagdeo makes annual declarations to the Integrity Commission. VICE seems to hold a stereotypical view of Guyana as a backward third-world country and their attempt to paint us as a people

who take advantage of the Indigenous tribes exposes their lack of willingness to do proper research. Guyana’s Amerindian Act of 2006 treats Indigenous peoples’ issues frontally. It is regarded as the best piece of legislation in South America, Latin America, and the Caribbean. One of the most notable benefits from the Act is the Land Titling Department within the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, which is directly responsible for the land ownership of Amerindians in Guyana to move from six per cent to 14 per cent of the entire country as of 2014. A VICE agenda was also revealed with the constant attempts to use false information about infrastructure projects to imply a bias towards Chinese companies exists and is improper. This was painful to watch as the assertions included the USD200M Schoonard to Parika road which is still in design stage

and has not been tendered as yet and the Linden to Mabura Road which was awarded via public tender to a Brazilian contracting firm; that this caused the journalist no pause in the follow-up question about Chinese contractors was enlightening. What was puzzling during the entire interview was the fact that all of what Jagdeo said is available in the newspapers; the Amaila Falls Hydro tender and bid details, the Demerara Harbour Bridge tenders, the public procurement process is well known and sole-sourcing is reserved for emergency work only; so where then did VICE do research or get such patently false information? The One-China policy is clearly upsetting to VICE which was clearly surprised to hear that the Unites States is the biggest investor in Guyana currently. However, VICE had an agenda to stick to and, despite the facts, forged ahead. To boldly ask a loaded question

such as “did you take a bribe” of a senior government official implies one has evidence of a bribe and leaves a taint despite no evidence being proffered to counter the blunt denial. It is yellow journalism at its finest. VICE is known for sensationalism and utilised similar tactics in other countries (notably Trinidad & Tobago). Finally, back to “Who is Mr. Su?” The answer may be a (Chinese) man taken out of context or a convenient whipping boy for the anti-China sentiment prevalent in North America post COVID-19. Jagdeo has consistently pointed people with allegations of corruption in the direction of the Guyana Police Force while in and out of office. It remains the best policy. Yours sincerely, Robin Singh

OP-ED

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

By Manuel Otero

EDUCATION is an essential public good. Without high quality, inclusive and equitable training, countries will not succeed in breaking the cycle of poverty that is leaving millions of children, youth and adults behind. This reality acquires even greater importance, given the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. Countries will need to rehabilitate their economies and to overcome the severe consequences of the pandemic. Education is key to this process.

Education: an essential tool for agriculture in the 21st century

Agriculture, rural territories and their integration with urban centres stand to play a critical role in this agenda. Realising the potential of rural areas will call for innovation and technology to trigger virtuous cycles of economic growth, job creation and the bridging of social divides. In Latin America and the Caribbean, agriculture is a central activity and one of the few sectors that remained active after the outbreak of COVID-19. In the coming years, the sector will take another qualitative leap, incorporating the benefits of dig-

An interview or a ‘gyaff’ session? Dear Editor, ON a daily basis, Guyanese hear all sorts of ‘gyaff’ and we recognise that it is a ‘gyaff’. Listening to the Vice Media interview with Vice-President, Bharrat Jagdeo, it was clear that the reporter came with nothing but ‘gyaff’. Imagine a reporter, from an international company, comes to Guyana and just accepts what she is told and then takes that as a line of questioning to the Vice-President of a country. The one question from the reporter that caught me was her claim that her source told her that: “The Vice- President says he can change the Constitution” to guarantee that contracts go to certain people. The level of ignorance from the reporter is shocking. Every Guyanese citizen knows that any change to the Constitution of Guyana requires a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly; that means all the current PPP/C Members of Parliament and a majority of the APNU/AFC Members of Parliament. Also, what does the Constitution have to do with contracts? Our laws on the tendering process – another thing the reporter did not seem to know about – are clear. So, was this a serious interview or a ‘gyaff session’? Yours sincerely, Alvin Hamilton

italisation and other technological advancements. This change will be inevitable and will necessitate the development of new capacities, because agricultural digitalisation can assist in increasing the supply and quality of food, even while maintaining a harmonious relationship with the environment. In tandem with these processes, the rural population and upcoming generations will need access to proper education, which will enable agro-industrial transformative processes to capitalise on the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Technology in and of itself will not drive these changes, but rather human talent and duly empowered organisations. Therefore, once rural activity implements the digitalisation agenda, we must then take steps to ensure that education enables the rural population to assume a leading role. In recent years, in a

joint effort, international organisations, such as the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), in collaboration with private sector allies, such as Microsoft, have issued a warning regarding the urgency of addressing the problems of rural connectivity and digital skills development. In the Latin American and Caribbean region, there is a 34 percentage point gap between connectivity access in urban and rural areas. Digital skills development among rural dwellers is also limited, with only 17.1 per cent of the population having acquired specific digital skills. Furthermore, in Latin America, only 33 per cent of schools have access to adequate broadband or Internet speed. In rural areas, in eight of 10 countries, less than 15 per cent of schools have sufficient broadband access or Inter-

net speed. Education has been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, with the closure of schools and abandonment of schooling. According to UNESCO, 3.1 million youth and children in the region have fallen out of the education system. This scenario points to the challenges facing a rural education agenda. It is therefore a matter of priority to align actions with future demands and to drive the development of agro-technical education by modernising rural educational institutions to prepare qualified resources among rural youth, fostering rural retention, linkages with the production sector and the integrated and inclusive development of rural areas and their people. We must prepare leaders to transform our agrifood systems. Thus, providing better opportunities through first-class education in agro-technical schools should be

IICA Director-General, Manuel Otero prioritised. This is the path to laying the foundation of a new rurality: better education, full connectivity and a population that is equipped to make intensive and intelligent use of new technology, thereby transforming rural areas into zones of opportunity and engines of economic development. (Manuel Otero is Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Our Amerindian people will not be ‘museum pieces’ to satisfy global perception Dear Editor, THE global experience, as it relates to Indigenous People, is not the Guyana experience. The recently aired interview with Vice-President, Bharrat Jagdeo and a representative from Vice Media Group (the America/Canadian media company) demonstrated that this fact is not clear in the minds of those who would try to paint Guyana in a negative light. As unfortunate as it is to say, it is a mindset of one too many in the developing world when it comes to developing countries like Guyana. The interviewer asked the Vice-President whether or not enough was being done to protect Indigenous people in Guyana and the Indigenous way of life. First off, much has been done to support the rights of Amerindians in Guyana: 1. Legislation to protect our Amerindian

people -- the Amerindian Act. 2. The creation of a constitutional commission – the Indigenous People’s Commission (IPC). 3. Land titling that has moved from Amerindians having an absolute – meaning forever – ownership of 6 per cent of Guyana to about 14 per cent. And work is still ongoing in this area. 4. Guarantee of not only right to land but sub-surface rights, meaning rights over the minerals in the ground. 5. Presidential Grants to all 215 Amerindian communities to support advancement as the communities see fit. 6. Agriculture Support via vehicles, vessels and equipment to increase production. 7. Re-injection of over $700 million into the village economies of Amerindian communities with the Community Service Officer (CSO) programme. And there is planned expansion of

this in 2022. These are only some examples of the work that we see being done. What was instructive from the interview was the interviewer asking about preserving Indigenous culture – meaning having our people remain living in the way developed countries think of our Amerindians. This is disrespectful. As the Vice-President rightly said, Amerindians across the country have opted for integration and for preserving their heritage – both aspirations being supported at a national level with Amerindian Heritage Month and the work of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. He said: “They want – the doctors, the lawyers and the accountants in our society – they want to live that life and they want to live in the city too… the communities get to choose what they want… this is not a dictatorship… once you have a titled land, it

is absolute, forever… they will always have that opportunity to live off the land and utilise the resources, if they wish. If they wish! Not because we want to keep them as museum pieces to satisfy some global perception that they are preserving an Indigenous way of life. The people must make their own decision. That is what we believe. The government has to give choices – if you want to go that route, you have our full support, but if you want to integrate you get full support.” What Guyana has done for our Indigenous people surpasses the record of many countries around the world and we, as a people, will not let global perceptions and misconceived notions diminish that. Yours sincerely, Hon. Alister Charlie, Member of Parliament

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Rehash accusations spewed by the usual suspects

Dear Editor,

RECENTLY, I came across an interview on Facebook done by the Vice-President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo. In the interview, which can be found on his official Facebook page, the Vice-President was made to defend against accusations of corruption and bribery put forward by the foreign journalist. These accusations were rehash of the same anti-PPP narratives spewed by the “usual suspects”. Dr. Jagdeo, being the consummate politician that he is, handled the blindside

in his famous erudite, articulate, confident, and no-nonsense style. On the other hand, the foreign journalist of Vice-News came across as a political plant with an agenda -- that much is clear. She understood her assignment but not the subject. She was out of her depth and for a moment had one closed their eyes and followed the interview, she could have easily been mistaken for ‘Lall the Tik Taka’ with her lines of questioning and accusations. Anyone who is familiar with Vice News’ production would know that they are only interested in the “we gotcha” sound bites and therefore we applaud the Vice President for airing the interview in

its entirety (Granger would never. And as for Nagamootoo, your guess is as good as mine as to his whereabouts). Vice News is going to chop and screw this interview to propagandise a narrative of third world corruption and bribery, of Chinese banks predatory lending to developing nations, and to cast aspersions on Guyana’s newfound oil wealth – much in the same manner that is being done locally by the “usual suspects”. The political opposition, their shills along with other anti-PPP special interest one-man groups, continue the unfounded charge of “corruption” or the perception of corruption in Guyana the same way ill-equipped parents employ fairy tales of jumbie in the minds of their young to instill fear. The negatives of such brainwashing paralyse one from venturing beyond his/ her ignorance. Sure, the child will behave in a particular manner favourable to their parents, but, at the same time, the mind is conditioned to reject out of fear and without challenging anything and everything which resembles the jumbie. Politically, in the context of Guyana, the jumbie has come to represent

progress, particularly, exponential transformational growth and development symptomatic of past and present PPP/C governments. And, so, mindlessly, the “usual suspects” have abandoned reasoning and objectivity in their conclusions or they must attach some sinister motives to the growth and development of Guyana under the PPP/C Government in their conversations. It is time they abandon such pervasive, backward thinking as it only serves to undermine our cohesion. As the Oil and Gas industry shapes up under this new PPP/C Government, and as billions are earned from this new revenue stream so too one can expect the amplification of corruption charges against the government in the months and years to come. Our destiny is at stake, we have suffered long enough, thus we must guard against outsiders, with support for special interests locals, looking to destabilise and stoke division in our nation of six races. Respectfully yours, Brian Azore

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Toward a Shared Future for Today’s Majority in Tomorrow’s One Guyana By Earl Bousquet I noted (with pleasure) Tuesday’s Chronicle report that Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, has disclosed that The President’s Youth Advisory Council is due to be established by the end of March with a $60 million budget to take it through its first year. She said a Technical Co-ordinating Committee established last year has completed the Terms of Reference and President Irfaan Ali will meet the ‘youth arms’ of different political parties to encourage them to participate. The President had himself indicated in his 2022 New Year Address: “I want to hear their (youth) views. I want to learn how they think. We should shape the future of our ‘One Guyana’. I want to dialogue with them about the kind of country they wish to inherit and how they will advance it. The next generation must be better than this one. If not, our country will regress, not progress.” You rarely hear Heads of Government speaking of youth in such glowing terms, except when addressing youth rallies or conferences, especially ahead of national elections. But the establishment of the President’s Council is a manifesto promise of the PPP/C during the 2020 election campaign -- and the administration having put money where the President’s mouth has spoken, it can be expected this will be more than just words. The fact that the initiative will involve bringing together the youth arms of opposing political parties sent me waltzing down memo-

ry lane over four decades ago when the PPP’s Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) and the PNC’s Young Socialist Movement (YSM), together but separately represented Guyana at regional or international youth conferences. One such occasion was the XI World Festival of Youth and Students in Havana in 1978, a global gathering that’s had everlasting influence on the direction of progressive politics in every Caribbean nation and territory represented – the likes of Cabinet Ministers Teixeira and Frank Anthony, as well as PNC Leader Aubrey Norton, will well remember. Guyana’s two major parties will again have the never-too-late chance to ensure co-operation instead of competition or confrontation, to not just represent youth and students, but more importantly, to start charting the course toward A Shared Future for Today’s Majority in Tomorrow’s One Guyana. This is an opportunity for the youth sections of the political parties to bounce-off and eventually agree on why and when the millions allocated in 2022 for initial exploration of future co-operation should become billions for the national majority. If the President’s Youth Advisory Council is to advise him on related matters, its initial meetings will also necessarily examine how best to ensure the views, concerns and interests of non-political youth and student bodies across Guyana will also eventually be presented to and considered by the Council despite geographic disadvantages. Entities have been created to tap the creative potential of Guyana’s youth and President Ali

has assured University of Guyana graduates his government is ready to create conditions for them to choose to turn their degrees and qualified passions into paychecks at home, instead of being lured by the attractive invitations that feed the brain-drain and already drained Guyana (and the rest of CARICOM) of too many of the region’s best brains, partly because they were never attracted to stay at home and engage in nation-building as a career. One can never overstate or underestimate the importance of youth to any nation as the ever-present majority in every sector -- at school and at home, sports and work, in the disciplined and health services, among the self-employed and unemployed and as the most-skilled and least-utilised minds in the society, minds always bubbling with innovative ideas that never went beyond passing exams and winning science contests at school. Young men and women in Guyana, like everywhere else, wake up every day looking forward to their dreams and challenges ‘one day’ turning into opportunities for a lifetime. Helping skilled young people transform ideas from plans to projects should be among the primary aims of every government genuinely interested in bequeathing the future to the youth to whom it will belong, not when they grow up into adults, but by affording them guaranteed opportunities today to broaden their future horizons. Every young person enabled to create at least one other job is as important to the healthy future of any economy as any other new enterprise being undertaken by a first-time or existing

investor, big or small, from the ice cream vendor upgrading to a parlor and the hairdresser opening a salon, to the young start-up entrepreneurs with eyes and minds on new areas of business and the young traders-to-be looking at how best to harness the use of cryptocurrencies. Every student successfully encouraged to channel energies into nation-building will be an encouragement to others. Fact is, almost 90 per cent of the world’s youth live in developing countries (like Guyana and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Latin America); and nearly one billion will enter the job-market in the next decade – and ensuring they gain meaningful economic opportunities is essential to reducing poverty and ensuring secure, stable societies. They need to be integrated into national economies and Guyana is best placed in CARICOM today to set the example of what can be done, not only with oil and gas, but with whatever political will governments and parliamentary parties can jointly summon and deploy in the interest of the common national good. A President taking steps to be advised directly by youth on how they see their roles in the nation’s future is a good starting point too valuable to waste and participating political parties simply cannot afford to allow this to pass as a ‘use or lose’ opportunity. The Guyana President is also responsible for the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) and here too, the opportunity also exists to share with the region how to genuinely integrate youth into the national economy Let the Forward March begin!

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

$96 Billion approved for Public ... From page 5

public works ministry to fix streets located in communities, a responsibility held by the local government bodies. “The billions of dollars [that] city council collects, they have a responsibility to maintain the roads in the city of which they have been doing zero,” the minister chided. He said the current allocation is for the maintenance of main access roads which has increased since there are more access roads to be maintained with massive capital injection and infrastructural work set for 2022. Returning to the issue raised by MP Ferguson about the pothole in Meadow Brook Gardens, Minister Edghill urged that she make contact with him and provide a description of the situation. “I’m sure I can do something about it,” he committed. On sea defence, MP

any eventuality,” he insisted. It was a query from APNU+AFC MP Jermaine Figueira which left the Minister perplexed. MP Figuiera inquired whether as part of the budgeted allocation for maintenance of bridges, the Wismar/ Mackenzie Bridge would be maintained. Minister Edghill expressed his disappointment APNU+AFC MP, David Patterson Ferguson questioned the $310 million increase from 2021 to 2022, prompting Minister Edghill to respond that the state of the sea defence when his government took office from the APNU+AFC was crisis level. He said the allocation takes into consideration climate change, changing weather patterns and Guyana’s vulnerability along the coast and rivers. “We are prepared to deal with

APNU+AFC MP, Amanza Walton-Desir

in the question since the bridge in question does not fall under his ministry but instead is a toll bridge held jointly between the Linden Mayor & Town Council and government’s privatisation unit, the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL). The bridge toll, Minister Edghill explained, is intended to pay for the bridge’s maintenance as well as social

services to the community. “The fact that we are developing the corridor all the way from Corentyne, connecting with the Deep Water Harbour at the Berbice River mouth, we are coming all the way to Georgetown, we are upgrading the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway, we are building the road to Mabura, we are getting the bridges from Mabura all the way to Lethem, we know that that

bridge that links Mackenzie and Linden would have to be expanded and developed. There are studies that have been done, and at the appropriate time, the capital investment will be made to get that fixed. But right now, the capital investment is being made for the more important bridge which is the new Demerara River crossing,” Minister Edghill said.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

$660M approved to continue work on Guyana-Venezuela border case

THE Committee of Supply, on Monday, approved $660 million for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to pay for legal fees in the Guyana-Venezuela border case which is currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). During the debate of Budget 2022 last Friday, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hugh Todd, gave assurance that the government will not rest in its efforts to preserve Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Following the ICJ ruling on the jurisdiction in the case on the Guyana-Venezuela controversy, Minister Todd shared that the ministry has been making all efforts to submit Guyana’s Memorial on the merits of the country’s case by March 8, 2022.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Hugh Todd Guyana moved to the ICJ with its case in March 2018, challenging the non-participating Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, over its disagreement on the legal validity

and binding effect of the October 3, 1899 Award. Venezuela had maintained that the ICJ was without jurisdiction to hear the case and had not participated in the matter. However, in the December 18 last 12-4 majority ruling, the ICJ upheld that it has jurisdiction to entertain Guyana’s contention concerning the validity of the 1899 Award about the frontier between British Guiana and Venezuela, and the related question of the definitive settlement of the land boundary. This, the court said was in keeping with a recommendation with United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres. In January 2018, Guterres, acting within the authority bestowed upon him by the Geneva Agreement, chose adjudication by the Court as the final means for resolving the controversy. The ICJ pointed out too, that both Guyana and Venezuela had agreed to the 1966 Geneva Agreement which showed that both

parties had accepted the possibility of the controversy being resolved by means of judicial settlement. Guyana maintains that a judicial settlement of the matter is the only recourse remaining as it has exhausted all other measures. Meanwhile, the Foreign Affairs Minister highlighted that his ministry will continue to be a responsible member of the international community, enhancing Guyana’s profile at the regional and international levels. He recalled that, in 2021, Guyana was able to negotiate and conclude a number of bilateral cooperation agreements in areas including education, technical and scientific cooperation, security and defence, petroleum, investment, and air services. The Foreign Affairs Ministry, will, in the months ahead, continue to propose, negotiate and conclude bilateral agreements that will produce benefits for the country. (DPI)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

National athletes injured in Mandela Avenue accident

TWO national athletes were injured in an accident between a car and a truck on Mandela Avenue, Georgetown, on Monday night. They have been identified as national volleyball player, 22-year-old Kristoff Shepperd, of Nowor-Never, Mahaicony, and national table tennis champion and Olympian, Chelsea Edghill, 24, of lot 222 Meadowbrook Gardens. Also injured in the collision was Nickasie Lewis, 23, of lot 167 Freeman Street East La Penitence Georgetown. The three injured persons were in motorcar PPP 6198 that was driven by Kristoff Shepherd. The

National volleyball player, Kristoff Shepperd truck with registration GWW 3741 was driven by Omkar Pertab, 31, of lot 41 Resource Canal Number Two, West Bank

National table tennis champion and Olympian, Chelsea Edghill Demerara. According to police report, the truck driver said he was proceeding north along the western

carriage way of Mandela Avenue, while the car was proceeding east along the northern lane of Homestretch Avenue. Further, he said that the driver of the car was attempting to turn right onto the eastern carriageway of Mandela Avenue, but ended up in the path of the truck. As a result of this, the front right-side portion of the motor lorry collided with the right-side portion of the car. Due to the collision, both vehicles were

damaged. The driver of the motorcar, along with the two occupants, was removed from the vehicle in a conscious state by the Emergency Medical Technicians. They were then placed in an ambulance and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation’s Accident and Emergency Unit, where they were examined by a doctor on duty. The two occupants were treated for abrasions about their body and

later sent away, while the driver of the motorcar was treated for head injuries and admitted as a patient in a serious condition. A breathalyser test was conducted on the driver of the motor lorry and .000 per cent BAC was found in his system while a notice of intended prosecution has been served. Police said the motor lorry driver remains in custody assisting with the ongoing investigations.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Safe for persons with HIV to get COVID vaccine, Health Minister says PLUGGING the need for all persons to be vaccinated especially those with underlying illnesses, Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony, opined that it is safe for persons living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The Health Minister, speaking during the daily

COVID-19 update on Tuesday, said with HIV being an underlying illness, persons living with the virus should be encouraged to build their immune systems against the deadly COVID-19 virus. Dr Anthony said an estimated 9,081 persons live with HIV in Guyana. He added that while these persons were receiving treat-

ment, approximately 2,400 of them stopped their treatments during the pandemic, which has made it difficult for them to be located. He said that in the public health sector, some 6,681 persons are being supported. Of that number, Minister Anthony continued, approximately 5,224 of them have received the first dose of

the COVID-19 vaccine, and 3,839 have received the second dose and are fully-vaccinated. As far as booster shots are concerned, the Minister said some persons living with HIV might have depressed immune systems and should therefore get their booster COVID-19 vaccines. Dr Anthony shared that

although the COVID-19 vaccination rate in Guyana is relatively high, it could be better as it relates to immunising persons living with HIV. In some countries, he noted further, two booster shots have been recommended for persons living with HIV. Asked whether persons with HIV have worse side effects resulting from the COVID-19 vaccine, Dr Anthony responded in the negative. “It’s like any other patient. Generally, when you get vaccinated, depending on your individual make-up, some people might experience a little pain at the site of the vaccine. Some might get a little bit of fever,” he explained. For children under 12-years-old who do not have the legal capacity to consent to taking the vaccine without a parent, Dr Anthony noted that where there are children living with HIV, parents should ensure the child has received their antiretroviral medication and are able to suppress the HIV virus. “If they are doing that, then the chances of the HIV virus (sic) compromising their immune system is relatively small… [and] they need to follow all the public health measures we put in place including wearing mask, and sanitising and keeping social distance,” Dr Anthony said. Approximately 1,867 vaccines have been administered within the last 24 hours

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony for adults, children between 12 to 17, and booster doses, the Health Minister confirmed based on data available to him. He said the data reflect that older persons have presented themselves to receive the vaccine. So far, 426,841 persons have received the first dose vaccine for the adult population, with 318,677 persons receiving their second dose. For children between 12 to 17 years, 32,921 persons have received first dose vaccines with 23,466 persons receiving second dose vaccines. In the last 24 hours, 141 new COVID-19 cases have been recorded. Currently there are approximately 5000 persons with COVID-19 in Guyana, a significant decline from the beginning of the year. Dr Anthony expects this number to continue to decline in the coming weeks and months.

Man dies after falling from roof

A 64-year-old man has lost his life after purportedly falling from the roof of a Yorkshire Hall, Mahaicony property, which is owned by his employer, Totaram Piralall. According to police report, Omrowa Samlall, of Lot 209 Block 12, Non Pariel, East Coast Demerara, fell to his death around 11:30 hrs on Friday. Piralall, in his report to the police, claimed that he was in his bond when he heard one his workmen screamed loudly. Shortly after this, the workman rushed to the bond to report what had happened. Upon receiving the news, Piralall rushed to the scene, where he saw the victim lying motionless on the ground. The businessman, along with two of his workers, picked up Samlall and rushed him to the Mahaicony Public Hospital, where he was seen and pronounced dead on arrival. The body is at the hospital’s mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination, as investigations continue.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Pomeroom man freed of 2014 manslaughter charge

LEVOY LaCruz called “Jagan”, who was on trial for the 2014 fatal stabbing of his drinking buddy Reafeal Orin Danns,was, on Tuesday, acquitted of the crime by a jury. LaCruz, 29, of Lower Pomeroon River, Region Two, was on trial at the Essequibo High Court before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow for manslaughter. He had denied that, on September 8, 2014, in the county of Essequibo, he unlawfully killed Danns.

After deliberating for two hours, the 12-member jury found LaCruz not guilty. The state was represented by prosecutor Tiffini Lyken while attorney-at-law Latchmi Dindayal was on record for the accused. In his defence, LaCruz claimed that Danns attacked him and he was forced to defend himself. According to police reports, on the day in question, around 22:00 hours,

Appeal Court to rule on murder conviction, 80-year sentence

Levoy LaCruz called ‘Jagan’ Danns and LaCruz were imbibing when they got into an argument. LaCruz allegedly armed himself with a kitchen knife and stabbed Danns to his chest. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Charity Hospital.

TODAY, the Court of Appeal is expected to hand down its judgement in the case filed by Balram Singh, who is currently serving 80 years behind bars for the brutal murder of taxi driver, Bhomeshwar Sukhdeo. In 2015, Balram Singh was found guilty by a 12-member jury for the murder of Sukhdeo, who was killed between January 19 and January 27, 2010. Singh was sentenced by Justice Navindra Singh at the

Demerara High Court. Singh, through his attorney, Nigel Hughes, appealed the conviction and sentence, arguing that the trial was unfair, and that the judge erred in law. The appeal is being heard by Chancellor (ag) of the Judiciary, Yonette Cummings-Edwards, and Justices of Appeal, Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud. The Guyana Chronicle had reported that the taxi driver was last seen

Balram Singh alive on January 19, 2010. Subsequently, a search was launched for him and his car. On January 27, 2010, his car was found at a vehicle body workshop in Herstelling New Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD). His burnt body was later discovered at Mocha Arcadia Access Road, EBD.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Evo Business Solutions to help businesses get international certification GIVEN the rapid growth of Guyana’s oil and gas industry, Evo Business Solutions is looking to work with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to boost their product and service quality to an international standard. Incorporated in January 2022, the company provides management system support services to both local and international companies that are already involved in or wish to

be a part of the oil and gas sector. The company also targets businesses that are looking to ensure their products attain the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) standard. The HACCP standard focuses on the production of safe food by organisations in the food supply chain. Since officials in the oil and gas sector are only looking to work with companies

that have attained the quality ISO 9001:2015 standard; the health and safety standard ISO 45001:2018 and the environmental standard, IOS 14001:2015, Evo’s Operations Director Shamar Quintin is encouraging businesses to become internationally certified so as boost their competitiveness. “So, these standards are all international standards that companies should become certified to, to demonstrate

confidence in their products or services being offered,” Quintin told the Guyana Chronicle during a recent interview. He explained to this publication that a gap assessment will first be done to ascertain what the businesses have in place as it relates to the ISO standards. The deviations are then highlighted and whatever is required for certification is communicated to the business.

If the business is committed, Evo Business Solutions helps the business to bridge the gaps by securing the relevant documentation. “This includes training, documenting all practices and working until a level of maturity is reached, until they decide whether or not to maintain business with us or if they will continue to do so on their own,” Quintin added. After all of this is done, the business is then cer-

tified by the relevant third-party certification agency. Further, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by Evo Business Solutions Inc. and Management Systems Solutions Inc. (MSSI) on December 6, 2021, to effectively cater to the needs of Guyanese companies seeking to attain the various ISO and industry-specific certification standards, such as API Q1 and Q2.

Carpenter drowns in Tempe Canal POLICE are investigating the death of 28-yearold Ramesh Ramphal, who purportedly drowned in the Temple Canal, West Coast Berbice. According to reports, Ramphal of Lot 142 Britannia Village, West Coast Berbice, purportedly went with his girlfriend, Rushelle Craig, for a swim in the canal on Monday.

Craig told detectives that they were on the western side of the canal when Ramphal walked over to the eastern side and backflipped into the said canal. After waiting for about ten minutes with no sign of her boyfriend, she hurried to his home a mile away and informed his relatives that he did not resurface. A search party was formed and they found

Ramphal stuck in the mud at the said area where he allegedly back-flipped into. The man was escorted to the Fort Wellington Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The body has since been transferred to Bailey’s Funeral Home, where a post-mortem examination would be conducted.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

800 small businesses to benefit from $300M in grants

IN a bid to stimulate the growth of small businesses and budding entrepreneurs, the National Assembly has approved government’s proposed $300 million for the Small Business Bureau’s (SBB’s) Development Fund. Speaking on the floor of the Assembly’s Committee of Supply, Minister

of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, assured the body that the budgetary allocation will be spent in a transparent and accountable manner. Minster Walrond said, “We have a very robust application process, as well as follow-up with the small business applicants, and when they are

Social protection key to COVID-19 recovery, FAO says SOCIAL protection schemes have played a key role in helping the world’s poor recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and should be expanded, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, told the 60th Session of the United Nations Commission for Social Development in New York. Even before the pandemic broke out, the world was not on track to meet its commitment to end hunger and malnutrition by 2030. Since the first reported case of COVID-19 two years ago, progress in reducing poverty has slid back, while hunger has increased quickly across all regions. There are currently around three billion people who cannot afford a healthy diet, and FAO estimates that an additional one billion people would join their ranks if a shock

were to reduce their incomes by one-third. Experience from more than 200 countries has shown that countries with strong social protection systems were better able to respond to the burgeoning demands for immediate assistance. Examples of social protection schemes that have worked include cash transfers, school and child feeding programmes, the sale of basic food baskets at discounted prices, as well as tax and debt relief for vulnerable businesses and households. “We must recognise, share, scale up and build on these successful measures,” Qu said. The Director-General also called for measures specifically targetting agrifood systems, which are central to the livelihoods of 4.5 billion people, and for people living in rural areas in particular, where more than 80 per cent of the world’s extreme poor people live. These include the creation of off-farm jobs, the promotion of entrepreneurship and economic diversification, as well as investments in human capital and rural infrastructure to increase the productivity of small-scale producers. “Rebuilding from the pandemic will require increased and targeted investments in rural development. For this, it is critical that our agrifood systems should be transformed to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient, and more sustainable,” Qu said. Convening annually in New York, the Commission for Social Development is the key United Nations body in charge of the follow-up and implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action, which was agreed in 1995 to establish a new consensus to place people at the centre of sustainable development. The main theme of this year’s meeting is “Inclusive and resilient recovery from COVID-19 for sustainable livelihoods, well-being and dignity for all: eradicating poverty and hunger in all its forms and dimensions to achieve the 2030 Agenda.” (FAO)

Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister, Oneidge Walrond

given their grants, we also continue to do training and developmental training.” “We have methods of verification. We do site visits before the grants are given. Project proposals are done. The invoices have to be submitted for the exact amounts…. It is a very robust system of verification,” Minister Walrond explained. While noting that the bureau, over the past year, had made history in meeting its grant distribution targets, Minister Walrond said 2,000 entrepreneurs will benefit from training opportunities to enhance

their businesses in 2022. The training programmes will cover areas such as business plan writing, small business management, record keeping, WhatsApp for business, financial management, and marketing, among others. Since 2020, the SBB Fund has grown by $200 million. In the 2020 and 2021 budgets, $100 million and $250 million were approved, respectively. Budget 2022 is themed: “Steadfast Against All Challenges, Resolute in Building Our ‘One Guyana’.”

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

$88M approved to review Guyana’s fifth oil development –– Natural Resources Minister NATURAL Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat, has announced that $88 million has been approved for a consultancy firm to review the field development plan of Guyana’s fifth oil development-Uaru. This news was shared on Tuesday, during the consideration of estimates and expenditures for the Natural Resources Ministry in the Committee of Supply. In January 2020, ExxonMobil announced that Uaru-1 was the 16th discovery in the Stabroek Block. The well encountered approximately 94 feet (29 meters) of high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoir and was drilled in 6,342 feet (1,933 meters) of water. In April 2021, Uaru-2 was announced by the oil giant. Drilling at Uaru-2 encountered approximately 120 feet (36.7 meters) of high-quality oil-bearing

Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat reservoirs including newly identified intervals below the original Uaru-1 discovery. The well was drilled in 5,659 feet (1,725 meters) of water and is located approximately 6.8 miles (11 kilometers) south of the Uaru-1 well. The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometers). ExxonMobil affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) is the operator and holds 45 per cent interest in the Stabroek Block. Hess Guyana Exploration Limited holds 30 per cent interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds 25 per cent interest. This development in Guyana increases the potential to as many as 10 floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels with an increase of the estimated recoverable resource given by operator, EEPGL. The Government of Guyana stands committed to the sustainable development of Guyana’s oil and gas resources to ensure that the benefit from this sector transforms all traditional productive sectors to enhance the lives of all Guyanese. Importantly, government, earlier this week, selected Bayphase – a United Kingdom consultancy – to review the field development plan of the country’s fourth oil development, Yellowtail. Just last week, Vice -President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, stated that the government is putting all systems in place for the approval of the Yellowtail, with completion anticipated for March. Yellowtail is Guyana’s fourth and biggest oil project in the Stabroek Block and is proposed by ExxonMobil’s local subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited. (DPI)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Macron says Putin pledges no new Ukraine escalation

FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron has told reporters that President Vladimir Putin assured him that Russian forces would not ramp up the crisis near Ukraine’s borders. “I secured an assurance there would be no deterioration or escalation,” he said before meeting Ukraine’s leader. However, Russia said any suggestion of a guarantee was “not right”. Russia has denied any plans to invade Ukraine, but it has assembled more than 100,000 troops near its borders. US officials believe Russia has assembled 70 per cent of military forces needed for a full-scale invasion. The tensions between Russia, Ukraine and the West come nearly eight years after Russia annexed Ukraine’s southern Crimea peninsula. Moscow accuses the Ukrainian government of failing to implement the Minsk agreement -- an international deal sponsored by Germany and France to restore peace to the east, where Russian-backed rebels control swathes of territory and at least 14,000 people have been killed since 2014. President Macron this week is on a diplomatic tour of national capitals. He arrived in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Tuesday after almost six hours of talks with Putin in Moscow on Monday. At a news conference with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, Macron said there was now the chance to “make these negotiations move forward” between Russia and Ukraine, and that he could see “concrete solutions” to reducing tensions. Zelensky meanwhile called on Putin to take serious measures to reduce tensions. “I do not really trust words, I believe that every politician can be transparent by taking con-

crete steps,” he said. Macron then flew to Berlin, where he joined the leaders of Germany and Poland in expressing their joint support for Ukrainian sovereignty. The leaders met as part of a summit of the Weimar Triangle group, formed 31 years ago after the end of the Cold War, to help deal with challenges now facing Europe. Putin hinted on Monday that some of Macron’s proposals “could form the basis of further joint steps” - although they were “probably still too early to talk about”. A French official later told reporters that the two leaders had agreed that Russia would pull troops out of Belarus at the end of exercises taking place near Ukraine’s northern borders. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov however denied any deal had occurred -- although the troops were expected to return to Russia at some point, he said. President Macron’s diplomatic push later moved to Berlin for a meeting with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and Polish President Andrzej Duda. US President Joe Biden met the German leader in Washington on Monday and threatened to shut down a key Russian gas pipeline to Germany, called Nord Stream 2, if Moscow invaded Ukraine. Chancellor Scholz -- on his first trip to Washington since becoming chancellor and facing criticism for his response to the Ukraine crisis -- was however more ambiguous about the pipeline than Biden. Western countries have already rejected a number of Moscow’s demands, including that the NATO defence alliance rule out Ukraine becoming a member, and that it reduce its military presence in eastern Europe. (BBC)

Putin hinted that progress had been made during his first Moscow summit with a Western leader since the crisis started (BBC/EPA photo)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Foundation launched to transform UG into world-class institution of higher learning By Tamica Garnett

THE long-awaited University of Guyana Foundation (UGF) which will be focused on creating a substantial long-term endowment fund for the university was officially launched on Tuesday. With a huge gap in need for funding, the establishment of the foundation is considered pivotal, not only to the advancement of the university, but a great benefit to the wider Guyanese economy. The ceremony saw remarks and presentations by Chairman of the UGF and Chancellor of the UG, Professor Edward Greene; Vice-Chancellor XI, Professor Paloma Mo-

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand hamed-Martin; Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, and several trustees of the Foundation’s Board

as well as representatives from UG’s Alumni and Student Associations. During his remarks, Professor Greene noted that the university’s administration had identified a number of major grand challenges for the Foundation. The grand challenges include investing in human capital for a sustainable future with special reference to student centeredness, securing a green sustainably responsible university to serve a green Guyana and sustainable planet, modernising essential systems and services by leveraging technology, and the acceleration of innovation through centres of excellence and research

UG Vice Chancellor, Professor Paloma Mohamed-Martin institutes. “These particular set of grand challenges and priorities were composed by

a group of very dedicated members of the board led by Professor Collin Ramsay. As we move forward with how we will meet these grand challenges we are dealing with promoting both UG’s mission and vision, representing UG’s short and long term goals, supporting UG’s development with partners and expanding on the base of associates alumni,” Professor Greene explained. The UGF will be working separately and in tandem with UG’s Philanthropy, Alumni, Civic Engagement (PACE) Office as well as the UG Alumni Association (UGAA). Making clear distinction between PACE and UGF, Professor Mohamed-Martin noted that the two departments will have one aim but different mandates; however, she noted that there will be absolute synergy between PACE and UGF. Professor Mohamed-Martin, during her presentation, spoke briefly on the background of the Foundation The Foundation has been eight years in the making. It was incorporated in November 2021 after the University Council, in June 2018, approved its establishment, based on a proposal by Professor Mohamed-Martin, who was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (PACE) at the time. In October 2020, the Council approved and appointed the first set of trustees of the Foundation’s Board. Those included former UG Chancellors, Professor Compton Bourne and Professor Nigel Harris MD; Attorney-at-Law, Chandra Persaud; overseas-based entrepreneur, Gabriel Cunje; Securities Fund Manager and Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute, Fidel Hinds; accountant, former Bank CEO and Chair of the Guyana Stock Exchange, George Edwards, and Professor of Actuarial Science, Colin Ramsay. Professor Mo-

Chairman of the UGF and Chancellor of UG, Professor Edward Greene hamed-Martin also praised the contributions of the late business icon, Dr. Yesu Persaud, who she noted was a huge supporter of the creation of the Foundation. She underscored that the university needs to raise funding through its own efforts and notwithstanding government’s subventions and fees from students, there still remains a huge gap in the financial need of the university. Putting this into numbers, she noted that while the university received $3.5 billion in subvention from government in 2022, the university actually needs $11 billion. Minister Manickchand said UG is ideally positioned to have a transformational impact on the lives of Guyanese and further the country’s ability to attain national developmental objectives. “It is vital that the university expands its reach to have greater national access and participation while concurrently improving its regional and international footprint and standing. It is within this dynamic country context that the UGF is being launched as a key partner supporting efforts at building a viable premier tertiary institution with universal appeal,” she noted.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

After two years of pandemic, labour market recovery insufficient –– in Latin America and the Caribbean, says ILO

THE economic growth recorded in 2021 was insufficient to recover labour markets in Latin America and the Caribbean, says a new report released by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). According to a release, the Labour Overview of Latin America and the Caribbean

notes that after two years of the crisis, the region faces high unemployment and the prospect of an increase in informality. “The labour outlook is uncertain, the persistence of infections due to the pandemic and the prospect of mediocre economic growth this year could pro-

long the employment crisis until 2023 or even 2024,” said Vinícius Pinheiro, ILO Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. “An employment crisis that is too long is worrying because it generates discouragement and frustration, which in turn has repercussions on social

stability and governance,” Pinheiro added. The new edition of the Labour Overview of Latin America and the Caribbean offers a look at the worst employment crisis since the ILO Regional Office first began publishing the annual report in 1994. The strong economic

recovery recorded in 2021, with growth above six per cent, was not enough to recover the jobs that were lost. Of the 49 million jobs that had been lost at the worst point of the crisis in the second quarter of 2020, 4.5 million have not been recovered. About four million jobs correspond to people who have become unemployed due to the pandemic crisis. At the beginning of 2022, it is estimated that there are about 28 million people looking for employment without finding it, the release said. The average regional unemployment rate at the end of 2021 has been estimated at 9.6 per cent, which represents an improvement from the 10.6 per cent it reached in 2020, but a setback compared to the eight per cent that was recorded for 2019, which in this case is used as a reference to calculate the impact of two years of the pandemic. The ILO highlights that the forecast of much lower economic growth in 2022, just above two per cent, is a clear indication that it will take the region longer to get out of the COVID-19 crisis. Under these conditions, and considering the persistence of the pandemic, the ILO estimates that the unemployment rate this year could fall between 0.2 and 0.3 percentage points, remaining above nine per cent. This would be insufficient to return to 2019 levels when, in any case, the labour market situation was far from positive in a region that was already

trapped in a scenario of slow growth, with low productivity and high levels of informality and inequality, the release noted. “In Latin America and the Caribbean, the pandemic had a more severe impact because of ‘social comorbidities’ such as informality and inequality,” Pinheiro explained. He added that when the crisis began, “they contributed to the loss of jobs and income, without adequate social protection regimes to sustain people at such a difficult time.” The ILO report highlights that after the beginning of the pandemic, the crisis manifested itself in an atypical way and instead of affecting formal occupations more, it was reflected in a greater loss of informal jobs that left millions of people without income. In some countries, the rate of informality even fell. REVERSED But since then, the situation has been reversed. The countries with available data indicate that between 60 and 80 per cent of the jobs recovered until the third quarter of 2021 had been in conditions of informality. The rate is already 49 per cent, similar to what it was before the pandemic, and indicates that one in two employed people are in informality. The report also highlights that the unemployment rate for women remains high at 12.4 per See page 23

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

After two years of pandemic, labour ... From page 22

cent since 2020 and it did not improve in 2021, which contributes to amplifying the impact of the crisis on gender inequality at work. “The most intense impact among women in the region is associated with the greater presence of women in economic sectors strongly affected by the crisis such as hotels and restaurants, and in other service activities and the household sector. On the other hand, the higher incidence of informality among women,” said the report. The regional youth unemployment rate continues be of concern and remains at unprecedented levels, warns the ILO. Before the pandemic, it hovered around 18 per cent and was already considered too high. But with this crisis it quickly exceeded the limit of 20 per cent and still remains at a level of 21.4 per cent. The Labour Overview also includes data on urban-rural differences in employment, occupation in sectors of activity and occupational category, evolution of minimum wages and average incomes. “Employment growth in 2021 was particularly significant in sectors

such as construction (16.7 per cent), trade (9.1 per cent) and transport (6.7 per cent), which contrasts with what was observed in 2020, when these sectors registered strong contractions,” said the report. The ILO’s Regional Specialist in Labour Economics, Roxana Maurizio, emphasised that in the current scenario it is imperative “to adopt a broader agenda of comprehensive and far-reaching policies focused on people and, in particular, on the creation of formal employment”. “Without a coherent set of measures to generate jobs, the impacts of the crisis will be prolonged and will leave deep social and labour scars in Latin America and the Caribbean,” added Maurizio, who coordinated the ILO team of specialists tasked with preparing this report. DIGITAL TRANSITION AND LABOUR MARKETS The 2021 Labour Overview of Latin America and the Caribbean concludes with a special analysis of the challenge posed by digital transitions and the acceleration of trends caused by

the pandemic, including the greater presence of teleworking and the evident increase in services based on digital platforms. This new scenario poses significant challenges

for policymakers to take advantage of the opportunities offered by these transformations and avoid potential disruptions in labour markets. The report warns of the need to adapt the con-

tent and scope of vocational training to improve the fit between the supply and demand of qualifications, be better prepared for the skills required in the future and reduce the disruptive impacts of

technology. It also highlights the need for public policies to help remove the obstacles and ensure that this transition leads to the creation of more and better jobs.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, February 9, 2022

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday February 9, 2022

Jamaican fails in CAS appeal (CMC) – Jamaican Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian has failed in her bid at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to compete in the two-woman bobsleigh event at the Beijing Winter Olympics. The Ad hoc Division of the CAS on Monday denied her application to overturn a decision by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) which she felt allocated spots for the Olympics based on an inaccurate points tally and gave France the spot instead of Jamaica.

Fenlator-Victorian, who is already in the women’s monobob event, had asked CAS to set aside the IBSF’s athlete point ranking table; recalculate the point rankings based only on races that actually occurred and without retroactively double-counting any races; and grant the final two-woman quota spot to Jamaica. She also requested the ISBF and International Olympic Committee (IOC) for an additional quota spot to be given to the French team to permit greater inclusion of female athletes in

the Beijing Winter Games. However, the three-member arbitration panel that heard the matter via video conference on Sunday evening dismissed the application on Monday. It said the full award with reasons will be published shortly. Fenlator-Victorian, 36, who is competing in her last Olympics, had said in a statement when she filed the application at CAS that she was “appealing to protect my rights and the rights of my country to participate fully in the Olympic

Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian

Games”. “Representation matters

so much, we need to raise silenced voices as well as make space for diversity,” she said, adding that there should be more room for female participation. “There are 60 s pots available for male competitors in the two-person bobsled and only 40 spots available for female competitors in the equivalent event,” Fenlator-Victorian had lamented. In addition to her monobob entry, Jamaica has a four-man bobsleigh in the upcoming Winter Games.

Hosein hoping to prove himself in second ODI today (CMC) – West Indies all-rounder Akeal Hosein is hoping to prove himself as the total package as the Caribbean side heads into the second One-Day International (ODI) against India with a focus on playing better shots in an effort to level the three-match series. The regional squad lost the opening match at Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday by six wickets, after putting just 177 on the board - being bowled out in 43.5 overs. And as they head into today’s game hoping to make a comeback, the 28-year-old Hosein. who broke into the West Indies cricket team last

year. said he will demonstrate that he is a complete all-rounder. “I think I’m 50-50 perfect proper batter, proper bowler,” he said during a virtual media interaction yesterday ahead of the second ODI. “Over the last couple of years, I have played CPL (Caribbean Premier League), different formats and what not, and there is where you might find yourself flexed around in the order or may not be given an opportunity with bat, which is fine. But I definitely see myself as a total all-rounder and it’s just about working my way up the ladder, and hopefully,

the world can see that I am a genuine all-rounder.” Despite West Indies’ defeat in the opening match, Hosein said his teammates were going into their mustwin game with a positive mindset and focused on making a strong comeback. He said the game plan, regardless of what situation they found on the field, was to “just be positive and get ourselves in proper positions to play strong scoring shots”. “That’s definitely something we are gonna stick with no matter the surface or condition. I think once we do those things we’ll be able to get through it,” Hosein said.

Pan Am/Caribbean MMA... MA, headed by Gavin Singh, in 2021 received its conditional affiliation to the IMMAF, pending approval of vote at their AGM. Jamaica and Barbados were also approved, joining Trinidad and Tobago, The Bahamas and St Lucia as the countries from the Caribbean that are members of the IMMAF. Fraser believes that the Guyanese federation should be supported while committing his organisation’s support in ensuring that the combat sport sees growth. “We are going to supply the coaches to add to the value of the coaches who are here and also the athletes. So we’re going to work out a strategic plan on how we’re going to have this done every quarter to have that done,” Fraser said. Guyana, for the first time, participated at the IMMAF’s World Championship which

was held in Abu Dhabi, and according to Fraser, while Ijaz Cave and Corwin D’Anjou didn’t get the results they wanted, they would have created enough enthusiasm and set a solid platform for the country to become a mainstay at other international tournaments. “The GYMMAF is the fastest-growing federation in the Region. Under 18 months in a pandemic, has accomplished a lot. They might not have won a medal at the world championships, but I’m proud to say as a Caribbean man and as a representative for the IMMAF, that Guyana has a bright future,” the Trinidadian Fraser proclaimed. Guyana was the lone CARICOM country represented at the IMMAF’s World Championship this year. D’Anjou competed in the Welterweight category, while Cave featured in the Light Heavyweight division.

(From page 39)

This year’s event was the largest for the IMMAF in its 10-year history, as over 450 athletes from 57 countries gathered to compete for a chance to be crowned the best in the world in their respective categories. It is also the first World Championships since the advent of COVID-19 in 2020.

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Meantime, questioned by journalists about the possibility of making it into the big-ticket Indian Premier League (IPL), the highest-ranked T20I bowler for West Indies said his focus was on the current series. “These two games are very important for me because they will determine the series for us – if we win these two games we win the series. To speak about the IPL, I’m not really focused on that, I’m focused on the task at

hand right now,” said Hosein who is playing in India for the first time. However, noting that “the IPL is the best league around”, he added: “I think once I do the right things and perform well for my team, other doors will open so for me, definitely … the focus is now and trying to win these two games here and winning this ODI series.” The third ODI will be played at the same venue on Friday.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday February 9, 2022

Dottin nominated for ICC Player-of-the-Month Podium finishes (CMC) – West Indies Women opening batter Deandra Dottin has been nominated for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Player-of-the-Month for January. The ICC yesterday identified her among the nominees in the women’s category, along with Sri Lankan

Chamari Athapaththu and Heather Knight of England. The ICC highlighted Dottin’s breath-taking batting performance in the ODI series against South Africa last month. She scored 187 runs in two matches against the Proteas, including an unbeaten 150 at the Wanderers. Her

innings consisted of 18 fours and four huge sixes. Unfortunately, rain interrupted the match and no result could have been achieved, even though West Indies had reduced South Africa to 87-5. Despite that, the ICC said, Dottin’s performance “lit up the series”.

The winner of the award is decided by the independent ICC Voting Academy and fans. The academy holds a 90 per cent share of the vote, while fans registered with the ICC vote via the ICC website account for the remaining 10 per cent. The winner will be announced next Monday.

for Ramdhani siblings at ACAC Provincial Tournament in Canada

Guyana’s top badminton players, Priyanna and Narayan Ramdhani continue to impress at university level in Canada

GUYANA’S top male and female badminton players, Narayan and Priyanna Ramdhani, registered podium finishes when they competed in the Alberta Colleges’ Athletics Conference (ACAC) Interlock Number-Two Tournament on Sunday at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), in Alberta, Canada. Representing Olds College, Priyanna Ramdhani gained a bye to the quarter-finals. She advanced to the semi-finals after defeating Abbey 21-4, 21-9. Against a tough Jasleen Kaur in the final four, she displayed solid technique and won the first game, but eventually lost 21-14, 4-21, 13-21. Priyanna was able to rebound to defeat Cecilia Wolski (21-7, 21-9) in the third-place battle. She also teamed up with college-mate Abbey and gained bronze in the women’s doubles. Meanwhile, Narayan Ramdhani, who represented

number one seeds, Kings University, also gained a bye to the quarter-finals, where he defeated Tye Belanger 21-9, 21-10. He then marched into the championship clash after beating Brandon Gendre 215, 21-8 in the semis, before losing a close and well-contested battle against Smit Patel 18-21, 20-22. The two players are now tied with one win each after the two ACAC tournaments. Narayan won at his university and Smith at his university (NAIT). In the mixed doubles battle, Narayan teamed up with Abigail Ledda of Kings University to win the title. The Interlock Number-Three ACAC Provincial Tournament will be held in Olds, Alberta, February 1920, 2022. That tournament will determine the athletes who will represent the Alberta Colleges Athletics Conference (ACAC) at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (Nationals) to be held in March.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday February 9, 2022

No Broad or Anderson for West Indies tour summer - will be the senior seam-bowling options in the Caribbean, supplemented by Mahmood, Fisher and Craig Overton. Fisher, a former England Under-19, made his Yorkshire debut in 2013 as a 15-year-old but has suffered greatly with injury since then. He was involved on the England Lions tour of Australia and has a

Stuart Broad and James Anderson in discussion (Getty Images)

THE fallout from England's disastrous Ashes tour has moved from management to the dressing room with James Anderson and Stuart Broad, the country's two leading wicket-takers in Test cricket, left out of the squad for the forthcoming tour of the West Indies. Neither Anderson nor Broad, together the most-successful new-ball pair in Test history, will travel to the Caribbean for the three-Test series after an interim selection panel of Andrew Strauss, Paul Collingwood and James Taylor decided to give opportunities to a younger set of pace bowlers, including uncapped pair, Saqib Mahmood and Matthew Fisher. Anderson, who is third on the all-time list of Test wicket-takers with 640, topped the averages for England in Australia, taking eight wickets at 23.37 from three matches. Broad, with 537 wickets in his Test career, claimed 13 at 26.30 to move past Bob Willis and Ian Botham as England's most prolific Ashes bowler. Strauss, England's interim managing director, said that the newly convened selectors, who reportedly took input from the Test captain, Joe Root, wanted to "draw a line" under the defeat in Australia, but stressed the call to omit Anderson and Broad "does not mean the end for them as England players", with that decision set to confront the new management team that the ECB will hope to have installed by the summer. England's first Test squad selected since last week's sacking of Chris Silverwood, the head coach and chief selector, saw eight players dropped after being involved in Australia - as well as Anderson and Broad, Jos Buttler, Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Sam Billings and Dom Bess all missed out. In the absence of Buttler,

whose Test career like that of Burns and Malan may well now be over, wicketkeeper Ben Foakes has been recalled, while Durham opener Alex Lees is set for a debut as one of only two openers in the party, alongside Zak Crawley. Despite England opting to begin the process of moving on from Anderson and Broad, their problems against Australia largely centred on a brittle batting line-up, which failed to top 300 in the series and made scores of less than 200 on six occasions. Burns, Hameed and Malan - England's second-leading run-scorer behind Root - have all paid the price, but there was a reprieve for Ollie Pope, who averaged 11.13 from six innings. "With the start of a new cycle, it has allowed the selection panel to refresh the Test squad with a particular focus on competing away from home," Strauss said. "We felt that it was time to draw a line after the Ashes defeat, look forward and give some impetus with an influx of new players. "In respect of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, I want to emphasise this does not mean the end for them as England players. We feel that it is important to look at some exciting new bowling potential and give some added responsibility to other players who have featured previously. “No one doubts the quality and experience that James and Stuart bring to the England set-up. It will be up to the new managing director and permanent head coach to decide on whether they will be involved this summer and beyond. "This selection of this squad is the start of a process and a journey to get England Test cricket back to where it needs to be, and the hard work starts now." Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and Ollie Robinson who only made his debut last

solid first-class record, picking up 20 Championship wickets at 19.65 last summer. The inclusion of Lees, who captained the Lions in Australia, had been widely tipped, having resurrected his career after leaving Yorkshire for Durham in 2018. He is likely to make an immediate step up to Test cricket, with the other batting options - Pope, Jonny

Bairstow and Dan Lawrence all candidates to bat alongside Root in the middle order. Jack Leach is set to continue as the first-choice Test spinner but uncapped Lancashire leg-spinner Matt Parkinson has also won a recall, having previously toured South Africa in 2019-20. Collingwood was installed as interim head coach

on Monday, following the sackings of Silverwood, assistant coach Graham Thorpe and England men's managing director, Ashley Giles. England depart later this month to play World Test Championship fixtures in Antigua, Barbados and Grenada, having managed just one series win in the Caribbean since 1968.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday February 9, 2022

BCB Youth players named ahead of Level 3 clinic THE Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) has named players who will be part of an upcoming Level 3 clinic. A number of upcoming Youth players have been selected by the BCB Junior Selection Committee to be part of the batting clinic to be conducted by England-based Level 3 coach Nolan McKenzie. The venue chosen for the clinic will be the historic Albion Cricket Club ground. Also, the board advises that players walk with vaccination cards, drinking water and gear. Group A- Saturday 12th 13:00hrs-16:00hrs Romario Ramdehol, Adrian Hetmyer, Razam

Kobeer, Vishal Williams, Navin Bodwah, Shoaib Gaffoor, Jayden Edwards, Gavin Kisten, Afraz Budwah, Devin Lallbehari, Devindra Samaroo, Sanjay Algoo, Tameshwar Mahdeo, Rampertab Ramnauth, Salim Khan and Rashaad Gaffoor. Group B- Sunday 13th 13:00hrs-16:00hrs Avishkar Persaud, Kevin Kisten, Nyron Hicks, Damion Cecil, Rampersaud Ramnauth, Jonathan Rampersaud, Mahendra Gopilall, Jermey Sandia, Tomanni Caesar, Zeynul Ramsammy, Vettori Latchman, Romesh Bharat, Christopher Deeroop, Colis Noble, Sohail Mohammed and Matthew Pottaya.

Some of the BCB youths

National volleyball player remains critical following car accident POPULAR National volleyball player, Kristoff Shepperd, remains a patient of the Georgetown Public Hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in critical condition, following an accident at Mandela Avenue on Monday evening. According to reports, Shepperd was driving motor car PPP 6198 with occupants Olympian and National table tennis champion, Chelsea Edghill and Nakacia Lewis, when he collided with a sand truck GWW 3741. The trio had just left an activity at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

A Guyana Police Force statement said the truck driver was proceeding north along the western carriageway of Nelson Mandela Avenue, while Shepperd was proceeding east along the northern drive lane of Homestretch Avenue. The Police report, which was recounting the incident based on the truck driver’s statement, said upon approaching the intersection, Shepperd was negotiating a right turn onto the eastern carriageway of Mandela Avenue to proceed south and ended up into the path of the truck.

As a result, the front right-side portion of the truck collided with the right-side portion of Shepperd’s car. Shepperd and the other two occupants were removed from the vehicle by the Emergency Medical Technicians, placed into an ambulance and taken to the GPH Accident and Emergency Unit, where they were seen and examined by a doctor on duty. The driver of the truck, according to police reports, remains in custody and is assisting with the investigation. Edghill and Lewis were discharged after being treated for minor injuries.

Meusa flawless to National... “He did not make many mistakes, he played very strongly.” Mohamad was also impressed with the development of 2020 Junior Blitz champion Keron Sandiford. “Sandiford took me all the way down in my game. He played exceptionally well. I was a bit surprised at his game.” The teenager finished with 4.5 wins. Overall, Drayton finished

fourth with six points while current GCF president Frankie Farley placed fifth. Eleven-year-old Tejasvarun Kandavel also finished with 5.5 points and was adjudged as the best junior. He registered wins against Sandiford and a major upset against seasoned senior Loris Nathoo. The Marian Academy student, who was also able to draw against Jessica Callender, has been dedicated

(From page 39)

to his GCF training over the last year. Callender ended with five points to finish as the top female player, while Pooja Lam, who also ended on five points, but lost to Callender, finished as the second-best female. Over two dozen players took part in the event, which was supervised by John Lee and assisted by Anand Raghunauth (FIDE trained arbiters).

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday February 9, 2022

Harpy Eagles ‘pumped and ready’ for Volcanoes showdown THE Regional four-day Championship returns today in Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago, after two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Five-time champions Guyana Harpy Eagles face Windward Islands Volcanoes in their first game at the Queen’s Park Oval. With over two months of preparation under their legs, captain Leon Johnson stated at a virtual pre-match briefing, they are “pumped and ready” to get back on the field and play first-class cricket. Rain has been quite prevalent in the twin-island republic and in Johnson’s assessment of the conditions, the experienced skipper explained they are “very similar” to what they have known – a bit of grass, good for batting on days two and three

and will spin deeper into the match. As regards the balance and options available in the squad, the captain admitted “variety is missing” since the selectors went the route of selecting three left-arm spinners, Veerasammy Permaul, Gudakesh Motie and Antony Adams, and no outright off-spinner. “It is missing, the variety, but over the last couple of years, we have done well with our two left-arm spinners. The left-arm spinners are the guys who would have performed well in the trials and it is only fair they have a go.” He added, “We have three right-arm pacers as well but we don’t look at these things ... if they are the best three spinners available to us, well so be it.” From the opposing camp,

new head coach, Barbadian Shirley Clarke, said they have opted to invest early into their young players and they will look to exploit the weakness of some of Eagles’ players who don’t have overwhelming first-class experience. Meanwhile, defending champions, Barbados Pride, will face Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Kensington Oval, and Trinidad & Tobago Red Force host Jamaica Scorpions at Brian Lara Cricket Academy. All matches are scheduled to commence at 10:00hrs. Guyana Harpy Eagles squad: Leon Johnson (captain), Keemo Paul (vice-captain), Chandrapaul Hemraj, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Vishaul Singh, Akshaya Persaud, Anthony Bramble, Tevin Imlach, Veerasammy Permaul, Gudakesh Motie,

Meusa flawless to National Blitz Championship title

2022 champion Wendell Meusa won all his games

Preteen Tejasvarun Kandavel upset the likes of seasoned player Loris Nathoo and former junior blitz champion Keron Sandiford

Jessica Callender finished as the top female player at the championship

CANDIDATE Master Wendell Meusa stormed to championship honours when the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) National Blitz Championship was held on Saturday afternoon. The former senior National champion finished with nine points in the nineround Swiss (five minutes plus one-second increment) online battle. Irshad Mohamad, who

finished with eight points, placed second overall, while another Candidate Master, Ronuel Greenidge, placed third with seven points. Despite his dominance, Meusa, 33, said he felt “a bit rusty” during the clashes, since it was his first tournament in almost two years. Although he expected the 2019 National Rapid champion, FIDE Master Anthony Drayton to be his strongest opponent, it was Mohamad

who pushed him to the limits. The former Guyana Chess Federation president, who won the 2021 April Open Chess Tournament (Blitz and Rapid) had an upper advantage but lost on time. In an invited comment, Mohamad, whose only loss was to Meusa, said that the eventual winner played well and that he had him thinking a lot, hence the loss of time. (Turn to page 38)

Guyana Harpy Eagles will start their four-day campaign today against Windward Islands Volcanoes at Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad

Nial Smith, Clinton Pestano, Shimron Hetmyer, Keon Joseph, Antony Adams. Windward Islands Volcanoes: Kavem Hodge

(captain), Keron Cottoy (vice-captain), Denis Smith, Devon Smith, Kimani Melius, Alick Athanaze, Ryan John, Larry Edward, Ken-

neth Dember, Shermon Lewis, Preston McSween, Teddy Bishop, Darel Cyrus, Josh Thomas, Ackeem Auguste.

Pan Am/Caribbean MMA president lobbies support for GYMMAF

- Fraser hails Guyana’s Amateur MMA success

Executives of the GYMMAF, along with Pan Am MMA Federation president, Jason Fraser (second from right), following a press conference yesterday

By Rawle Toney PRESIDENT of the Pan Am Mixed Martial Arts Federation (MMAF), Jason Fraser, is keen on seeing Guyana develop as one of the best in the Caribbean. Fraser, speaking at a press conference yesterday, lauded Guyana’s participation at the recently-concluded Mixed Martial Arts World Championships, and has committed

his support towards the development of the sport across the Caribbean. The Guyana Mixed Martial Arts Federation (GYMMA) was unanimously voted in as one of the 20 new member-associations affiliated to the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF), following the global amateur MMA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM)/ Congress in Abu Dhabi last

month. Guyana was represented by Dr Sawan Jagnarain at the AGM/Congress which was held at the Millennium Al Rawdah Hotel. The IMMAF’s AGM/ Congress featured 120 delegates at the event, which was chaired by Densign White, the Federation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The 18-month-old GYM(Turn to page 35)

Hosein hoping to prove himself in second ODI today PAGE

Harpy Eagles ‘pumped and 39 ready’ for Volcanoes showdown PAGE

National volleyball player 38 remains critical following car accident

Akeal Hosein

PAGE

Guyana Harpy Eagles captain Leon Johnson

National volleyball player Kristoff Shepperd

Dottin nominated for ICC Player-of-the-Month 36 PAGE

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022