Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_13_07_2022

WEDNESDAY 13th July, 2022 PRICE

$100

VAT INCLUSIVE

No.106782

US donates additional 12,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine to Guyana

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–– VP Jagdeo urges local private sector stakeholders, says resources available but accountability necessary

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Create structure, accounts to access greater financing –– affirms that banks will be engaged to improve the process of accessing funding

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Work moving apace on the alternative four-lane East Bank Demerara road link (Adrian Narine photo)

117M multi-purpose building New NTC Chairman: ‘We have a 10 to be constructed for CDC 02 government that wants to listen to us’ PAGE

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A Christian devotee and ‘Jack of all trades’ joins the centenarian club 14 PAGE

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$117M multi-purpose building to be constructed for CDC

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 13, 2022

— authorities mull establishment of disaster-response facilities in every region

By Jared Liddell IN a bid to enhance Guyana’s capacity to respond to natural disasters, the gov-

ernment has invested $117 million for the construction of a new multi-purpose building at the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) Headquarters at Thomas

Lands, Georgetown.

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, in his address at a simple contract signing ceremony, said that this type of investment is

necessary to improve the efficiency the CDC. The new 6,400 square feet facility comprise an administrative office space, a bond and warehouse, and other response facilities which will be used to store and pack relief items.

The Prime Minister noted that the CDC must have a

central and easily accessible site to store necessary disaster-relief equipment and other materials that would benefit persons across the country who might be affected by a natural disaster.

“Seeing that we just use a lot of facilities that don’t belong to the CDC [for storage], we recognise that the

priority project will be to have this bond constructed right here, close to the office complex, and close to the operations centre of CDC. Now that is what led to us undertaking this $117.8 million project,” Prime Minster Phillips said.

The project which is exContinued on page 7

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Create structure, accounts to access greater financing –– VP Jagdeo urges local private sector stakeholders, says resources available but accountability necessary –– affirms that banks will be engaged to improve the process of accessing funding

By Shamar Meusa

WITH significant investments being made in various sectors across the country by various companies, Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, has urged the local private sector to broaden its horizons in order access greater financing and be able to invest in the country.

The Vice-President issued the charge during his remarks at the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association’s (GMSA) mid-year business dinner on Tuesday.

During his address to the gathering at the Ramada Princess Hotel, he said that the local private sector needs to explore new and innovative methods of accessing greater financing.

He said: “The private sector needs to improve its financing, its horizon… many companies don’t want to provide and create the structure and the accounts that would allow them to access greater financing.”

Dr. Jagdeo said that many businesses are unwilling to explore partnerships and or become public which could serve as the best vehicle for companies to raise funds outside of debt financing.

He went on to say that a number of other things need to be done in order to access financing, and those include transparent and accurate record keeping.

In emphasising his point, the Vice-President said it is not just about the government providing funding to businesses, but also about the private sector enhancing accountability while broadening its horizons as it relates to access to funding.

He said: “So it’s not just about the government providing a fund to businesses which could happen in the future once the resources are available, but it’s about the private sector taking steps to improve its own accountability at the company’s level and opening up its horizon in terms maybe accessing financing of a different nature… so we’re open to the idea but much more work needs to be done at that level.”

Even as he encouraged businesses to be innovative, Dr. Jagdeo assured stakeholders that the government is doing its part under the Local Content Legislation to ensure that Guyanese businesses benefit tremendously from the oil and gas sector.

He said that the government has already started to look at this as it relates to how to get a greater flow of financing to local companies, some of whom might already have contracts with oil and gas companies.

With that, the Vice-President noted that he has already asked the Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, to

meet with bankers and further remedy the situation.

It was then that he added that changes are required in the area of bank supervision rules.

Dr. Jagdeo said: “We are looking at this, we may even need to change the bank supervision rules but we if the current commercial banks are not fit-forpurpose or they are not aggressive enough, we have already licensed one new merchant bank.”

MERCHANT BANKS To this end, he remarked that they have also received applications for several merchant banks that will specialise in possibly discounting invoices and even providing limited financing based on contracts signed with multinational companies here.

Dr. Jagdeo said that the administration plans to be very liberal in licensing these institutions and added that within the near future several new institutions of that nature could be seen here.

Meanwhile, with all this said, the Vice-President related that the government is on track to doing all that was promised, noting that the administration is a predictable one that is following a pattern.

“We laid out that pattern and plan a long time ago and we are following it progressively,” Dr. Jagdeo said.

Similarly, he noted that the government is creating a framework which would allow the people and the private sector to access more opportunities by reducing administrative burdens and

creating avenues for greater sources of financing.

The Vice-President told the gathering: “We are creating the framework for that that would allow our people particularly the private sector to access more opportunities and effectively utilise those opportunities by reducing administrative burden, creating the avenues for greater sources of financing and providing the infrastructure necessary for them to grow if they put the energy into it.”

Vice-President, Dr. Bharat Jagdeo

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Global peace ambassador arrives in Guyana on July 15 –– as part of ‘I Stand For Peace’ tour

THE Government of Guyana is gearing up to welcome to Guyana, Global Peace Ambassador and Humanitarian Leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who arrives here on Friday, July 15, as part of his international “IStandforPeace” tour.

Gurudev will be at the National Cultural Centre on July 15 at 18:30 hours for the Guyana leg of his campaign.

The public is invited.

Gurudev launched the IStandforPeace Campaign at the UN Headquarters in Geneva during a “Unity & Collaboration in a Post-Pandemic World” Seminar. The

Campaign has been waged across major cities in Europe, North America, South America, and Africa and is gaining momentum, with more than one million persons signing the peace pledge.

“People come together when there is crisis; when they feel threatened; or when they are wise; when they understand we are all interdependent. Can people not come together for something positive? Something that is creative? Something that can create harmony in society?

Yes. They can. Provided that they are strong mentally and are not swayed by the `socalled news,” Gurudev said.

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M 09 11 15 18 21 22 16 July 06, 2022

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He believes that peace is the baseline of our existence and that intentions are the basis of all actions.

“If we put our attention, and the collective intention, towards standing for peace, then peace will prevail. The very intention of standing for peace helps direct one’s energy towards actions that will bring peace,” Gurudev said.

Gurudev is the founder of the Art of Living and the IAHV, with more than a million volunteers on the ground responding to humanitarian crises around the world, including the Russia-Ukraine war, where within 24 hours, they rescued, housed, and fed

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hundreds of fleeing Ukrainians. All over the world, his volunteers are on the site of natural disasters or man-made disasters to offer the humanitarian help needed in the hour and to offer trauma relief to rebuild the lives of those affected. In the US, volunteers have been responding to the gun crisis by standing in solidarity with communities ravaged by the violence.

In Guyana, Art of Living Teachers and volunteers have taken a multi-pronged approach in responding to the mental health challenges.

The Art of Living’s signature Wellbeing programme SKY Breath Meditation is

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offered to individuals in diverse communities affected by stress and other mental health issues. Funds are raised in partnership with local and overseas donors to prepare and distribute food hampers and clothing to the less fortunate, among other initiatives.

The government has noted that the intention of the IStandforPeace Initiative launched by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is aligned with its recently launched “One Guyana campaign.”

The government encourages all Guyanese to stand for peace with Global Peace Ambassador Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

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Global Peace Ambassador and Humanitarian Leader, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Operations continue at Uitvlugt estate despite workers’ strike

THE Uitvlugt Sugar Estate, on Tuesday, continued grinding operations to keep up with the current demand for sugar despite workers’ strike action.

This was according to Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), Sasenarine Singh, during a telephone interview with

Staffers of the Uitvlugt Sugar Estate going about their daily duties in January 2021

CEO of GuySuCo, Sasenarine Singh the Guyana Chronicle.

The sugar corporation, in a release on Tuesday, said that the estate has a sugar production target of some 10,800 tonnes.

This new production target comes as the estate recently completed successful machinery trials following the installation of a new gearbox which was said to be a critical part of the estate’s operation.

It was noted in the press release that, on Monday, there were some 223 punts of cane which were ready to be crushed.

Singh said that despite the strike action that workers took, the factory was still able to grind over 100 punts of cane.

He said the leadership of the factory met on Monday with the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) and they came to a clear understanding that the factory would begin grinding on Tuesday morning.

However, on Tuesday morning the management of the estate realised that there was a gathering of workers outside of the factory. Recognising this, the estate activated an emergency plan which saw the estate bringing in a “skeleton” staff. Following the activation of this plan, an

additional 137 punts came in on Tuesday.

“We can’t have that cane sitting at a factory for hours because one of the participants in the relationship decided they didn’t want to participate in the programme and they decided to violate the agreement of trust,” Singh said.

With that, he remarked that this emergency plan ensured that all critical stations at the factory were manned throughout the

day and as a result, grinding was done. With the plan in place, grinding was expected to continue throughout the night and into today.

The factory, during the first half of the year, was not grinding, so it was crucial for the process to commence as scheduled, to be able to keep up with the current demand for sugar.

Against this backdrop, Singh said that they have been asking for

full co-operation from the union as there is one common objective which is to rebuild the sugar industry in Guyana.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 13, 2022

The early universe

We’re still searching for answers to the question of whether humans are alone in this universe.

With the recent images published by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), it’s difficult to accept that we are alone even with the absence of evidence to support life existing elsewhere.

NASA’s James Webb Telescope captured new, high-definition images of distant galaxies. The agency’s Twitter account started the tease on Monday evening with a snapshot of a cluster of galaxies.

Under the image, the agency wrote: “Webb’s image is approximately a grain of sand held at arm’s length, a tiny sliver of the vast universe…

Webb’s image is approximately 4.6 billion years ago, with many more galaxies in front of and behind the cluster.

Much more about this cluster will be

revealed as researchers begin digging into Webb’s data.

“Light from galaxies took billions of years to reach us. We are looking back in time to within a billion years after the big bang when viewing the youngest galaxies in this field,” NASA explained.

Launched in December 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s most powerful telescope, costing some US$10 billion. Named after James E. Webb, NASA’s administrator from 1961 to 1968, the telescope’s deep space mission is a collaboration among the European Space Agency (ESA), Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and NASA. Webb was head of NASA during the ‘Project Mercury’ which investigated man’s ability to function in space, the ‘Gemini Program’ which was the precursor to the famous mission to the

moon, and lastly, the ‘Apollo Program’ which put the first man on the moon.

Billions of dollars are spent annually on space programmes around the world to help humanity understand our own existence and the cosmic environment we exist in, from a scientific standpoint. With every image we capture, with every galaxy sighted, it somehow feels that we move further and further from an actual answer as the universe rapidly expands at a rate faster than our exploration.

Added to that, we come closer to the reality that even the language used to define and describe the world, galaxy, universe and all its processes is inadequate when considering how limiting the human understanding of space and time is. We might not have even invented the correct words, concepts, and theories as yet.

The Guardian quotes NASA’s Dep-

uty Senior Project Scientist, Jonathan Gardner as saying, “Webb can see backwards in time just after the big bang by looking for galaxies that are so far away, the light has taken many billions of years to get from those galaxies to ourselves.”

Webb might not answer all of our burning questions, but it proves one thing immediately, and that’s the power of human ingenuity, our collective ability to think through, invest and test innovations that solve big problems.

For copyright reasons, this newspaper may not, now, carry images from NASA from the Webb telescope, which were unveiled by US President Joe Biden.

All are encouraged, however, to visit NASA’s website for a look into how much this universe exists beyond the boundaries of our very imagination.

Time to review the process of licensing drivers

Dear Editor,

Attn: COP/GRA Commissioner/Min. Benn I, Hajji Dr. Roshan Khan consider this matter to be of great importance to Guyana, to the saving of lives and to the creation of a new era of driving standards and traffic control in this nation. I selected this caption particularly to capture the audience, more importantly the persons named above including the president, the Vice President, our Cabinet and all decent law-abiding citizens of this country.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen with eyes to hear and ears to see (these words are intentional for action). Let me start by saying the most famous driving school ever in Guyana was RK’s Institute of Motoring -- after decades I had to suspend the business and I will tell you why. Ninety per cent of the students wanted us to get their licence for them, as freelancers were doing by wildcat instructing and corrupted alliances allegedly with various police officers involved in the issuance of licences and tests and at times with or without GRA conspirators.

At the GRA, up to three years ago, corrupted personnel were allegedly charging $40,000 and now it is $60,000 in 2022 or the police allegedly charges about the same, to pass you and give you the certificate to go to the GRA. The alleged corrupt persons, the purchasers of the driver’s licence know that the licence will be ineffective in three years, they told me.

Those who have done this, told me and they laughed about it. This is prevalent with minibuses, private cars, and for addition of motor lorries or a motorcycle it’s $20,000.

It is a whole nasty industry of thievery and deceit.

Many of the students were willing to pay the driving school fees to learn proper driving and to pay the corrupt transaction to acquire the licence easily. RK has a name behind it and we cannot succumb to such desperate behaviour to tarnish our name, our persona, our dignity and honour.

In the National Commission of Law and Order I raised this matter and then Minister Rohee was taken aback, to understand how endemic the thievery and deception was and still is. Most of the persons who are involved in nasty accidents never attended a driving school, they acquired their licences by deceit and dishonesty and I hold the various testing stations in Guyana the officers responsible.

Recently, on the East Coast of Demerara, one of my drivers wanted a lorry licence added to his car licence and was told $40,000, another wanted a motorcycle licence added and was told $20,000; I even raised this with a traffic Chief.

I think Senior Police Officers are overwhelmed with the corruption, deceit and thievery which is endemic in Guyana and the Guyana Police Force in particular. Citizens’ lives and family’s lives are endangered as we have one of the most atrocious traffic situations in the Caribbean. I am laughing as I

am writing Mr. Editor. I will not mention the name of the senior officer who created the worst madness in acquiring a licence because he is a gentleman and usually an excellent police administrator and law enforcer.

This senior officer, according to my information and investigation, at the whim of his tongue changed the entire system of theory education, theory tests and has created a platform of absolute corruption and madness.

It might appear studying and testing on a website would control corruption. But haha!

It would lead to more corruption as there would be fake tests and police officers would end up doing the tests during regular hours or after hours. As they always have facilities to find keys or make copies of keys. I know for a fact that driver’s licences are delivered to persons homes even though these persons would have never been present at a testing site. This I know!

For any officer to make such changes at his own behest without consultation with stakeholders and possibly without approval from the minister and involving the police administration, in my opinion, is unacceptable.

It is like taking by the throats or the noses of persons who are driving donkey carts, fish venders, school dropouts, cane cutters, etc… and flinging them into the world of technology, when some of them have never even touched a computer. They might not even understand websites and to throw them into that world as if they are all technically inclined is painful to think of.

I know in the past with the regular system we had there were some people who could not read and write but they understood the basic care, courtesy and caution of driving but they were lacking the capacity to read and write.

There was a system and I pray that system was and still is in place up to recent times, if not it could and should be resuscitated with immediate effect.

To take those persons and put them to study the theory on a website and to print from a website will just send them mad.

Persons operating Internet Cafes, etc…, they will bleed the poor people. I mean the poorest people of their monies to print and to study with them and what will happen when it is time to do the test?

At this juncture these poor people will be forced to fork out between $60,000- $100,000 and even more for some policemen to do the test for them in secret and see to it that they get the certificate for licence or GRA, a similar amount for three years, all without any theory and practical driving education.

I have made my points! I know this letter will draw much attention especially if the editors use my caption and I hope that all the newspapers print this letter, of course I will vociferously deal with it on the RK’s “In the Raw/ RK’s Guyana Free” Media.

Sincerely, Hajji Dr. Roshan Khan Snr. In the Raw/ RK’s Guyana Free

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 13, 2022

$117M multi-purpose building...

From page 2 pected to commence soon has an estimated completion timeframe of just 24 months.

The contract for this project was awarded to Avinash Contracting and Scrap Metal Incorporated while Innovative Engineering Consultancy Services has been tasked with supervising the project to ensure all financial deadlines are met.

Prime Minister Phillips said that the government has been investing heavily to equip the CDC to cater to natural disasters across the country. He reminded that a previous administration of the PPP/C government had invested heavily in the establishment of a similar CDC multi-purpose facility at Timehri.

That facility continues to be utilised as a storage area for major items that are distributed by the CDC during various outreaches.

The government had also commissioned a $112 million multi-purpose building at Lethem in Region Nine.

“These extensive facil-

Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips

Director General (ag) of the CDC, Major Loring Benons

ities are important investments in effectively managing natural disasters in Guyana; they are designed to facilitate from bond space to office space, operations centres, and an area for the comfort of the staff. So, there is a comprehensive approach to disaster management by government in the area of disaster management,” Prime Minister Phillips said.

The plan, as outlined by the Prime Minister, is to have CDC facilities in every region across Guyana in order to provide easy and efficient disaster-relief response where

it is a need.

Director-General (ag) of the CDC, Major Loring Benons, echoed the Prime Minister’s sentiments, noting that in the past, there was some difficulty facilitating the storage and packaging of necessary resources that would be distributed to bring relief to disaster-struck citizens.

He noted that the government’s investment into this new facility is “timely” and will allow for the improved functioning of the CDC. “The signing of this contract, therefore would not only allow for the centrali-

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An architect’s rendition of the completed $117M CDC multipurpose building

sation of storage once upon completion. It is expected to facilitate easy loading and offloading of to provide

adequate space for packing of hampers and convenient access for the staff and general public during emer-

gency response activities for the delivery, packing and uplifting of relief provision,” Major Benons said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Minister Benn backs Hicken’s appointment as Acting Police Commissioner

MINISTER of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, has defended President, Dr. Irfaan Ali’s decision to appoint Clifton Hicken as Acting Commissioner of Police, saying that it was done in the interest of the preservation of law and order, and the national security and territorial integrity of Guyana.

He made his position clear in a statement which formed part of Hicken’s affidavit in defence to the constitutional challenge filed by Opposition

Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn

Acting Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken

Opposition Chief Whip, Christopher Jones

Chief Whip, Christopher Jones.

In his Fixed Date Application (FDA), Jones is seeking to overturn Hicken’s appointment which he claims is “unreasonable, ultra vires the Constitution, common law and is illegal, null, void and of no legal effect.”

He is also seeking a declaration that the President’s decision to appoint Hicken violates Articles 211 (1) and 211 (2) of the Constitution of Guyana. Jones is also claiming that there were no consultations between the

President and the Leader of the Opposition as required by the Constitution prior to Hicken’s appointment.

However, Minister Benn expressed belief that there is insufficient evidence furnished by Jones to support the challenge.

In the circumstances, he is asking the court to refuse all the orders being sought and challenged, with substantial costs.

Minister Benn, in his statement which was handed over to

Continued on page 9

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Minister Benn backs...

From page 8

Acting Chief Justice, Roxane George, S.C., on July 11, said that except for a rank holding the position of Senior Superintendent of Police, Hicken is currently the longest-serving member of the Guyana Police Force and is therefore qualified and experienced to perform the functions of the office of Commissioner of Police.

He added that former Commissioner of Police (ag), Nigel Hoppie, proceeded on pre-retirement leave on March 30, and at that time, there was no constituted Police Service Commission, nor was there a person holding the post of Leader of the Opposition.

The Minister further submitted that having regard to a number of factors, including the preservation of law and order, the preservation of peace, and the due enforcement of all laws and regulations within Guyana, in the nation’s best interest and in the interest of national secu-

rity, the president reasonably opted to make the appointment rather than leave a vacuum in command and superintendence of the force.

“I do verily believe that His Excellency formed the opinion that it would be inimical, if not catastrophic, to the public’s interest, law and public order, national security and the territorial integrity of Guyana, to leave a vacuum in the office of the Commissioner of Police while he awaits a Leader of the Opposition to be appointed…” the minister said.

He submitted that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has long claimed a large portion of the sovereign territory of the State of Guyana and, in recent times, this claim has been followed up with actions in certain border communities and territorial waters, including unlawful presence.

“This threat to Guyana’s territorial integrity is compounded by the fact that there is a constant flow of persons from

Venezuela into Guyana, which requires both the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force to be engaged in daily monitoring of the situation, as well as be ready to take action, when necessary, in order to protect Guyana’s territorial integrity as well as to protect national security and public order,” Benn emphasised.

Minster Benn believes that this appointment was intended to be of a “transient nature” until the PSC and a leader of the Opposition were appointed.

“I do verily believe that the vacancy which existed in the Office of Leader of the Opposition was in no way occasioned by His Excellency -- the President -- nor by the public, but rather through acts or omissions of the Coalition Opposition of which the Applicant [Jones] professes to be a member. I am advised by the Honourable Attorney General, Mr. Mohabir Anil Nandlall S.C., MP, that it would have been a gross dereliction of constitutional duties

on the part of His Excellency, the President, to undermine and jeopardise the public’s interest, national security, public order, the rule of law and the territorial integrity of Guyana, to have left the office of Commissioner of Police without an occupant,” the minister said.

Among other things, he said that on April 13, 2022, Aubrey Norton was elected as Opposition Leader and on April 29, the President commenced a “process of meaningful consultation’’ with him for the

appointment of members for the PSC, Judicial Service Commission and Teaching Service Commission.

These consultations ended on May 30, 2022, which resulted in the appointments of the PSC commissioners on May 31. The president then held a consultation with the PSC chairman Patrick Findlay, to appoint a person to act in the office of Commissioner of Police.

Findlay, after consulting with his fellow commissioners, had no objection to the President

nominating Hicken for that post.

In a letter dated June 29, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, outlined to Norton the reasons why Hicken was appointed back in March. The letter also invited Norton to give his opinion on the subject.

The case comes up on Wednesday, July 20, for arguments before the Chief Justice.

The state is being represented

by AG Nandlall, while Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde is on record for Jones.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 13, 2022

‘We have a government that wants to listen to us’ — new NTC Chairman tells colleague Toshaos

bice), Derrick John, was elected ChairTOSHAO for Morok- man of the National abai Village in Region Toshao Council (NTC) Five (Mahaica Ber- on Monday, and he

By Tamica Garnett

called on all the Toshaos to make full use of “a government that wants to listen to us.”

John replaces Nich-

New NTC Chairman, Derrick John

olas Fredericks, Toshao of Shulinab village.

Toshao of Aishalton village in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), Michael Thomas, was elected Treasurer while Toshao of Karrau Village Region Seven, Shane Cornelius, was elected secretary of the NTC executive.

There was a tie for the position of Deputy Chairperson between Jerry Boyle, Toshao for Warapoka village, and Timothy Andrews, Toshao of St Cuthbert’s Mission Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), with the tie expected to be resolved at a later date.

John and others were elected on Monday by the 20 members of the NTC executive committee.

Making remarks during the opening ceremony of the NTC Conference on Monday, John stressed that the central government would be the greatest in the development of the Amerindian communities, and as such the Toshaos must work along with the government “We have a government that wants to listen

to us, that cares for us that is willing to support us. Let us count ourselves fortunate,” John expressed.

John was at the time speaking before an audience that included the President, Toshaos from all the Amerindian villages across the country, members of the Cabinet, and members of the diplomatic corps.

Held across five days, the NTC brings together Amerindian leaders from over 212 hinterland communities. It is a platform for them to engage government officials and other stakeholders on issues about the development of their communities.

This year the event is being held under the theme “Good governance and fast-tracking Amerindian development” During his remarks, John noted that even as Toshaos calls for good governance from those in the central government, they too must exert good governance in their respective villages’ management to achieve development truly.

“Good governance is the key for development. I believe that we cannot see development

if we, as indigenous leaders of all scope do not practise good governance. It is the catalyst for true development,” he said.

According to John, together, Amerindians must fashion a pathway so that, as indigenous people, they can benefit from the country’s resources.

“As we look around right across our country we have seen the vast transformation that is taking place. Let us be part of this national transformation, we can do it and we will do it because we have great leaders among us, with the good stewardship of our President [Dr. Irfaan Ali] we can say we are moving ahead as a country. We have a leader who cares, who is there for us,” John said.

John noted that, in the Amerindian communities, many issues need resolving, and, as Toshaos, they must solve the problems maturely.

“Some issues are common to all of us, some are unique from village to village let us be civilised and mature so that we can bring solutions to the challenges we face in our villages,” he related.

John encouraged the Toshaos also to use the National Toshao Council (NTC) Conference to resolve the issues.

“We are here because we want to see more. We have to use this platform to make proposals. We must lead a pathway for future generations to come,” he said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Over 60 per cent of hinterland communities receive water coverage — 30 new wells being completed in 2022

By Tamica Garnett

IN less than two years, the government has installed 20 new wells in hinterland villages across the country, increasing water coverage to the Amerindian communities from 46 per cent to 63 per cent.

clean water by every single Amerindian community.

That is the plan,” the President explained.

He continued: “In less than two years, we have completed 20 new wells, and by the end of this year, we will complete another 30 new wells. This by itself is a

Seven recently, almost every Amerindian Community talked about the improvement in the water sector.

What was more heartening is that they spoke about a new approach in the consultation, a caring nature. Just from Region Seven,” the President commented.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali addressing indigenous leaders in the presence of diplomats and special invitees (OP photo)

In addition to the 20 new wells, 30 new wells are scheduled to be completed this year as the government continues to strive to take water coverage in hinterland communities to 75 per cent by the end of this year.

The ultimate goal is 100 per cent water coverage for Amerindian villages across the country by 2025.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali shared this on Monday as he made remarks during the opening ceremony of the National Toshao Council Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).

At the time, the President was referencing headway being made in several major developments within Amerindian communities, much of which, he says, goes under-reported as focus is customarily placed on negative things “If you look at water, we have been able to increase our coverage in less than two years in terms of access to water and Hinterland Community from 46 per cent to 63 per cent, and the target is to take it to 75 per cent by the end of this year.

Our plan is that by the end of 2025, we must have 100 per cent access to safe and

headline story for any international media because this is what needs good news.

[But] you will never see it in the headlines.”

The NTC brings together Amerindian leaders from over 212 hinterland communities. It is a platform for them to engage government officials and other stakeholders on issues about the development of their communities.

Singling out one example of massive expansion being made to Amerindian communities in the water sector, the President pointed to Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) where some 4,000 residents from communities in the Middle and Lower Mazaruni, in Region Seven, are set to benefit from improved water supply through a $440M programme to implement new programmes and to expand existing water systems.

The President recently made a Region-wide visit to Region Seven, where several residents from Amerindian villages highlighted the developments that have taken place in terms of expansion of water supply in their villages. “[When] I was in Region

Moreover, the President also reiterated that under his government, the water provided to hinterland communities would remain free.

“We have made it clear that for Amerindian villages, water will remain a social good. What that means is that for your villages, as long as we’re here you will not have to pay for that water; that is a cost that the government will absorb. For you and your community, it will be treated primarily as a social good, not as an economic commodity,” the President declared.

The President noted that ensuring clean, potable water to hinterland communities is part of the government’s overall plans to improve the quality of life for Guyana’s Amerindian population and the rest of the country.

“Our target for water is very simple to ensure that there are safe, reliable water that improves your quality of life,” the President said.

He pointed out that access to potable water in Amerindian villages is even linked to a better quality of life and empowerment for women and girls since they are disproportionately affected.

“The persons who are most affected are the women and the girls because they had to wake up to get the water to do the cooking.

They have to spend hours every day just to secure safe water for the family. When we can take away that lost time from women and girls

they can then use that time to empower themselves.

They can use that time to get their education. They can then be more equitably contributing and being part of our society,” the President related.

Further, President Ali said: “those are the as-

pects of these investments that sometimes we lose because we just want to look at the numbers. But when we speak about the quality of life, this is what we’re talking about, this is what enhances the quality of life.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Political analyst calls out civil society ‘forces’ on attempts to create ‘instability’ — accuses some groups of being more ‘conspiratorial’ than mainstream Opposition

ACKNOWLEDGING that the government is working within the confines of a democratically elected administration, political analyst, Freddie Kissoon, has said that based on his analysis, it is not the public policies and initiatives that

are causing instability in Guyana’s society, but rather there are anti-government “forces” in civil society who are looking to derail progress.

“The people who stayed silent on the no-confidence [motion- 2018] and attempted rigging of elec-

tions [2020] have been harassing an elected government,” Kissoon said on Monday evening, during the Gildarie-Kissoon programme streamed on the Guyanese Critic’s Facebook page.

The events he referred to were the passage of a

no-confidence motion in the National Assembly, which toppled the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) administration, and the subsequent general and regional elections which ran for five months after polling day

Political analyst, Freddie Kissoon

on March 2, 2020, because of purported delay tactics by members of and persons allegedly associated with the then government.

The electorate, after casting their votes, had to endure an unimaginable wait for the results of the elections, as they witnessed alleged unlawful acts and a slew of legal challenges.

And although this was the case, Kissoon contended that traditionally vibrant groups within civil society have not yet held discussions on the matter nor have they written about it in the way they ought to.

In defending his point, he made reference to one newspaper which has interviewed or facilitated releases on various matters from around 10 civil groups.

“Those bodies have not even alluded to the no-confidence vote… not one touched on the most disgraceful attempt to rig an election,” Kissoon lamented.

Despite the purported silence from those groups, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has spared no effort in fulfilling his commitment to investigate the 2020 elections.

The President recently announced that a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the elections will be chaired by retired Justice of Appeal Stanley John, and will include former Attorney-General, High Court judge and acting Justice of Appeal in the Eastern Caribbean, Godfrey P. Smith, S.C.; Former Chair and Chief Elections Commissioner of India, Dr. S.Y. Quraishi, and, Former Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Carl Singh OR CCH.

The members of the CoI are expected to examine the post polling day period, when there were alleged attempts by the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) to rig the March 2, 2020 elections.

The inquiry is also anticipated to provide a foundation on which the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) could fix the electoral system.

Additionally, the findings will be used to hold persons accountable, especially if they are found to have been involved in illegal activities.

Given that such “pertinent” matters have not been discussed by sections of civil society, Kissoon has maintained the view that there exists some people who simply have an agenda against the government and want to create instability because they are anti-government.

“There are dark forces more conspiratorial than the mainstream Opposition,” the political analyst contended.

This is the case although President Ali has insisted on a governance modality that is driven by grassroots involvement.

He has repeatedly said that the approach of his administration to decision-making is one of stakeholder engagement, which could pave the way for the realisation of the One Guyana vision.

“Together, we are going to embark on the journey of prosperity with all of you; the achievement of peace and prosperity; this is a golden opportunity to attain that objective. We will succeed and make proud all those whose struggles were important in achieving our independence.

“The future belongs to us. The naysayers wish to break our stride, but the evidence is overwhelmingly clear that Guyana is surely… on a fast track to peace and prosperity.

Let us keep it that way under the umbrella of One Guyana,” President Ali had said during his address to the nation on Independence Day.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Global threats to agri-food systems need complex approach — FAO Director-General says at G20 meeting

(FAO) THE challenges undermining global food security call for a complex approach embracing investment, policy reforms and better use of resources, QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) told a key meeting of the G20 on Sunday.

“Recent global events, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the climate crisis, multiple conflicts around the world and the war in

changes in the international prices of a basket of commonly-traded food commodities, averaged 154.2 points, down 2.3 per cent from May, but it remained 23.1 per cent higher than in June 2021, Qu noted.

FAO calculates that the increase in the food import bill for the 62 most vulnerable countries amounts to 24.6 billion US Dollars in 2022, and it affects 1.79 billion people.

In response to this growing challenge, FAO

To address the complex challenges, Qu Dongyu said the international community needed to implement a package of measures (FAO photo)

Ukraine, have all heavily affected agri-food systems in multiple ways,” Qu told the G20 Sherpa meeting of senior government representatives.

Qu cited the recently launched 2022 edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) Report, which confirms that world hunger has increased again in 2021, reflecting growing inequalities across and within countries.

It says 828 million people suffered from hunger in 2021, an increase of 46 million from 2020, and 150 million from 2019 before the pandemic.

UKRAINE CONFLICT DEEPENS CHALLENGES The war in Ukraine has added to an already challenging situation and could lead to an increase of 13 million more chronically undernourished people this year, and 17 million more in 2023, according to FAO estimates.

Another global challenge is rising inflation, with world food prices increasing since mid-2020 due to many factors. The FAO Food Price Index at 160 points, reached an all-time high in March 2022.

Last month, the index, which tracks monthly

has developed a proposal for a global Food Import Financing Facility, which aims to assist countries in financing their food purchases to minimise any risk of social unrest. “This proposal should be implemented by the IMF (International Monetary Fund) under their balance of payments financial mechanism,” the FAO Director-General urged.

Among the other challenges, average fertiliser prices have also increased significantly, almost tripling since mid-2021, together with rising energy prices.

Changes in trade routes and current constraints will further increase the global fertiliser price. If countries producing major food staples, such as rice, are not able to get enough fertilisers in the upcoming planting season, this could affect the global supply of food.

Trade reduction and interruption of the supply chain are of major concern, the Director-General said. At the end of May, 22 countries had implemented export restrictions through 39 measures ranging from bans to export taxes affecting almost 16 per cent of agricultural exports, on a kilocalorie basis.

PACKAGE OF MEASURES NEEDED

To address these challenges, Qu said the international community needed to implement a package of measures: -Invest in countries most in need that are most affected by the increase in food prices. In addition to providing timely food aid, we must also focus on boost-

ing productivity by paying more attention to producing nutritious food locally. Currently only eight per cent of all food security funding in emergencies goes to assist agricultural production.

Investing in agriculture and rural livelihoods is strategic, and seven to 10 times more cost-effective than tradition-

al assistance.

-Put policies in place that both increase productivity and protect natural resources, and that are specific to regional needs. Transforming agri-food systems to deliver healthy, nutritious diets, and with more equitable outcomes, will require significant finan-

cial investment, estimated at 8 per cent of the size of the agri-food market. We also need to accelerate the African Continental Free Trade Area by speeding up the normative work on food safety standards, and by reducing tariffs and non-tariff barriers. Intraregional trade as well as investment should Continued on page 16

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 13, 2022

A Christian devotee and ‘Jack of all trades’ joins the centenarian club

THE relatives and friends of Berbice resident John Rudder, known as “Bro Johnny” and “Brother Rudder”, held a thanksgiving service on Tuesday to celebrate his 100th birth anniversary.

Rudder, who was born on July 12, 1922, at Kortberaadt Village, East Bank Berbice, was in high spirits given the kind gesture and he wasted no time in excitedly recalling the early years of his life.

“I became a Seventh-day Adventist at age 19 years. They called me a mad man, as they perceived that I was too young to serve God,” he chuckled during the celebration which was held at the Mount Pisgah Seventh-day

Adventist Church in Glasgow, East Bank Berbice.

His father, John Snr, would journey via foot or bicycle to the now defunct Friends Sugar Factory, many miles away, where he was employed as a “pan boiler.”

He held that position throughout his working years so as to maintain his wife and five children.

Rudder is the fourth child and the only one alive.

He attended the Friends Primary School and later commenced working at the Providence Sugar Estate as a cane harvester.

This “Jack of all trades” is known for his expertise with the shovel and cutlass, and was even credited for starting kitchen

gardens for the fatherless and the widows in nearby villages.

During his early 20s, he met and married Kulsum, with whom he made five children. However, she died during childbirth, leaving him to raise their children who were still very young at the time.

As a young widower, he devoted his time to serving his church, which led to visits to Georgetown, where he met his current wife, Margaret Rudder nee Haynes. Together, they made five children.

In addition to his ten children, Rudder has 45 grandchildren, 145 great-grandchildren, and 70 great-great-grandchildren.

During the thanksgiving service, Rudder, who became an elder in the church at age 25, was described by the many well-wishers as a mentor, who encouraged believers to “keep the faith”, and as a pioneer of Adventism in East Bank Berbice villages. He also worked within the Mahaica district, East Coast Demerara, and was able to establish a church at Belmont.

Mayor of New Amsterdam, Winifred Heywood, who graced the event with her presence, called on the government to recognise the contributions of centenarians who have laboured tirelessly and have laid a foundation for all Guyanese.

Pastor Arthurmous Ju-

lien recited parts of the Holy Scriptures which focus on the

greatness of God and the fragility of man.

John Rudder

Mayor Winifred Heywood expresses best wishes to John Rudder, Berbice’s newest centenarian

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Race baiting, expressions of racism stirring tension in society

— political analyst says POLITICAL analyst, Freddie Kissoon has said that there has been an evident attempt by sections of society to stir trouble in society using an ethnic criteria simply because they perceive the government is not of their culture of ethnic liking.

“After 2020, I have seen the direction people have gone in and it is disturbing because it takes anti-Indian tones,” Kissoon said during the Gildarie-Kissoon programme streamed Monday evening on the Guyanese Critic’s Facebook page.

While Kissoon did not single out a specific individual or group,

there have been recent reports of condemnation for statements made by persons within the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC).

Only recently, there were reports that a senior member of the Opposition, while addressing protestors at Buxton, had said: “Black youngsters go to a commercial bank for a loan and they are denied. An East Indian person, the same age, got the same thing like the young black man, go to the same commercial bank, but he getting the loan….that is the reality of this country.

“You go to predominantly

East Indian villages in this country and you would see rapid development, nice roads, nice street lights…but you go predominantly the African villages – bad roads, poor drainage, no street lights, no recreational facilities for them… that is the reality of this country.”

Other high-ranking coalition members have also been called out for questionable statements that were made during the recent protest at Buxton, which was purportedly orchestrated to disrupt a government outreach in the community.

Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C., has since said that there are laws that cater for issues regarding racial hostility.

On that note, the Attorney-General warned that statements by various politicians are under review, as those could no longer be considered as just irresponsible.

Vice-President, Bharrat Jagdeo, had said too that the APNU+AFC coalition must drop racism as a tool and get on board with the government’s national development agenda.

“It is a dead end if they don’t

drop the racism…there is room for inclusion, providing that you work for the people…you can’t bully people and you can’t lie to people….currently, we have an ineffective Opposition Leader… more often than not, he has a shallow understanding of crucial sectors,” Jagdeo said.

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, had also weighed in on the issue, noting: “The attempt

to weaken any embryonic efforts at building a One Guyana will not succeed…efforts at building a ‘One Guyana’- a ‘One Guyana’ for all of us as a people where we will work towards equitable distribution of goods and services; where we will work for the development of the regions of our country…that is our goal and if you don’t agree with it, I’m sorry. You’re lost.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 13, 2022

US donates additional 12,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine to Guyana THE Ministry of Health, on Tuesday, received an additional 12,000 doses of the US-made Pfizer vaccine for persons 18 years and older.

This is following a commitment made by the United States (US) government to procure COVID-19 vaccines for Guyana’s population.

Speaking during the handing-over ceremony, Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, said the timely donation will significantly boost the ministry’s immunisation campaign.

He said the donation continues a series of endowments from the US which include the donation of personal protective equipment (PPE), delivery of five ultradeep-freeze freezers to store the Pfizer vaccines, and tents for vaccination purposes.

Also, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been establishing programmes, and

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony workshops that seek to address vaccine hesitancy across Guyana.

“I think we can see this as a very strong commitment because when other countries are struggling still to have access to vaccines, we basically have all the vaccines that this country really would require,” Dr. Anthony said.

The minister noted that an additional 50,000 doses are expected to arrive in Guyana shortly. He is urging persons to get vaccinated with the primary doses, as well as boosted to battle the deadly virus.

“With the support of the US Government, we have been able to strengthen our programme, reach a lot of people, save a lot of lives, prevent hospitalisation, and I think that’s what this relationship is showing that, once we work together, we’ll be able to prevent deaths and prevent diseases,” Dr. Anthony said.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, said the US Government stands committed to assisting the government and people of Guyana in the fight against COVID-19.

“We are just thrilled to be doing this here today. As you know, having the vaccine doesn’t mean getting vaccinated so we continue to encourage people to come out, get your shots, get your jabs, if you’ve already gotten your initial vaccinations, please get your boosters, It’s very important,” she said.

The ambassador further noted that the assistance from the US is facilitated through the State Department, USAID, the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and the Department of Defence.

Also attending the ceremony was Director of Primary Health Care, Dr. Ertensia Hamilton and a Representative of PAHO/WHO. (DPI)

Global threats to ...

Form page 13

be accelerated in all regions of the world.

-Ensure better and more efficient use of available outputs and inputs to produce more with less. This must include water, as water stress remains a priority, with 1 billion hectares of agricultural land facing severe water constraints; 800 million hectares of rain-fed cropland and pastureland severely affected by recurring drought.

We need to use the best available technologies and regulations for efficient gains in the way we use water in agriculture. Reducing food loss and waste is key, as the current high amounts of loss and waste could feed around 1.26 billion people per year.

Fertilisers also need to be used more efficiently, with the aid of technology and science based re-distribution

of applications across the production process, supported by fast implementation of detailed soil maps to assist the most vulnerable countries to use their fertilisers efficiently.

The FAO Director-General said key accelerators for all these points are innovation, science and technology.

Investment in research and development is the highest marginal utility for profits.

Technological and social innovation can reduce market failures and improve market functioning.

Digital agri-food systems should be scaled up to help the transformation of family farmers.

Coordinated action within the G20 as well as beyond, “is critical to facilitate the smooth functioning of global food markets and to secure food supply for all,” Qu said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Oil and Gas sector: 24 Guyanese to receive training in Canada Arshad Mohamed, said he was happy to have been chosen from over 600 candidates and was very happy to be among the selected 24.

Trainee Selena Simon said she felt accomplished knowing all she went through while growing up.

Martin Cheong, General Manager of SBM Offshore

IN efforts to grow SBM Offshore’s local team in Guyana, on April 19, 2022 the second cohort of recruits began onboarding into the trainee technicians programmes.

They are expected to spend one year in Canada, receiving extensive training as electrical, mechanical, instrumentation, and operations technicians.

This is according to a Facebook post made by SBM Offshore, which stated that the programme would equip the trainees with the skills and knowledge required on board the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) units that SBM Offshore is operating in Guyana.

Martin Cheong, General Manager of SBM Offshore, said that SBM has always seen the provisioning of local content capacity development as a critical aspect of operations in Guyana.

“This programme supplements that goal of truly building our integration into the Guyanese community and the oil and gas sector within Guyana,” Cheong related.

Human Resource Manager, Onecia Johnson, said that SBM was committed to building local capacity so Guyanese can take leading roles in the country’s

oil and gas sector.

“The recruitment process for this programme saw over 600 applications being submitted. The selected recruits will now be immersed in extensive training to prepare them to take their place offshore,” Johnson said.

Joshua Gouveia, a trainee technician, said he was excited about the opportunities awaiting him.

“So far, being here with SBM and physically going through these different sessions with them, I would have realised that the company is greatly leaning along the lines of progression for its young people and progression for its staff. It’s a case where I know that a lot of opportunities will be there and will be available as time goes by, so I’m really excited for the opportunities here that SBM would have to offer,” he said.

Another trainee technician, Preya Singh, said that she was excited to do something that she had wanted to do since high school.

“It makes me feel great, but the part that I liked the most about it is that I will be representing women and women aren’t really known to be in this field,” Singh related.

Additionally, a trainee,

“We’ve dedicated a lot and me as an individual put a lot of work into it, hard work,” Simon related.

Yogendra Callendar, a trainee technician, said he looked forward to the experience.

“The knowledge is going to be a lot to compre-

hend within a short period of time. The experience mostly is that we get the work on this huge, huge vessel that is playing a big role for us,” Callendar said.

He added: “I am looking forward to not just learning, but the friends I’m going to make the

people I’m going to meet, the cultures that I’m going to be embarking on, the things that I’m going to be understanding from a different point of view and different aspects and to grow, not just myself alone but as a team being a team member or team leader.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Man allegedly involved in ‘romance scam’ granted bail A 24-year-old man, who is accused of collecting a large sum of money from a woman as part

of a “romance scam”, was, on Tuesday, released on $90,000 bail after denying involvement in the crime.

Jaffon Hinds of Lot 106 Downer Street, Grove, East Bank Demerara, was charged by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) and appeared before Magistrate Zamina Ally-Seepaul at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on three counts of conspiracy to commit a felony.

He was granted $30,000 bail on each count. The matter was adjourned until August 15.

According to a release from SOCU, it is alleged that Hinds, who is a Production Administrator at Caribbean Containers Incorporated, collected the sum of $502,340 from the victim, on three separate occasions.

He was alleged to have acted as a third party for another person who befriended the victim via a Facebook connection.

“The victim claimed she sent the money to the Jaffon Hinds using Western Union money transfer after she was instructed to do [it] by her Facebook boyfriend, who promised her a huge package with lots [of] expensive items,” the release said.

According to SOCU, the victim never received any package and her “Facebook friend” has since ceased contact with her. The matter was reported to SOCU and Hinds was arrested.

Back in April, SOCU Head, Assistant Commissioner Fazal Karimbaksh had warned of a sharp rise in cases where suspected Nigerian nationals, who are in the country illegally, as well as some outside of Guyana, were working with local accomplices to carry out scams and pyramid schemes on unsuspecting persons.

Karimbaksh indicated that “Package Delivery” and “Romance” scams became more prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic as scammers targeted primarily women via several social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and

CHARGED: Jaffon Hinds

WhatsApp, as well as online dating sites.

He explained that the modus operandi used by the scammers is to befriend unsuspecting women via the digital platforms using fake profiles of Caucasian men with luxury vehicles and large sums of cash.

“After communicating with the victim for some time to build trust with their `new friend’ or `love interest’, the scammer promises the intended victim some form of assistance,” he said, while noting that in most instances it is supposedly a package containing valuable gift items, such as designer clothing, jewellery, televisions, cell phones, other electronic devices and money.

The Head of SOCU explained that “The victim is usually contacted by a local associate of the scammer, confirming the arrival of the package and requesting their personal contact and other information. The intended victim is subsequently contacted again and requested to deposit money to a specified local bank account or send via a Money Transfer Agency or the Guyana Post Office Corporation.

“They inform the victim that the payment is required to cover brokerage fees, customs duties, penalties and/ or shipping charges for the package(s), which are supposedly found on inspection to contain high valued items. Once the payment is made, the scammers discontinue all contact with the victim(s) who are being robbed of hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday July 13, 2022

Reggae Girlz storm into 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup with 4-0 win over Haiti MONTERREY, Mexico (CMC) – Jamaica punched their ticket to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in commanding fashion on Monday night, with a 4-0 win over Haiti that featured a Khadija Shaw brace.

The result in the Reggae Girlz final match of Group A of the 2022 CONCACAF Women’s Championship (CWC) meant they have qualified for a second straight Women’s World Cup, making it the second time in history that a Caribbean team have qualified for a Women’s World Cup. Haiti have finished in third place and will advance to next February’s 10-team 2023 Women’s World Cup Playoff in New Zealand for another chance to reach Australia/New Zealand.

The blistering pace at the start of Monday’s game at the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey

made for a back-and-forth affair. Haiti’s Melchie Dumornay almost scored the opener with a dazzling solo run from her own half that ended with her shot ringing off the post.

Jamaica were the ones to break the deadlock as some nice work from Shaw set up Trudi Carter, whose right-footed shot beat Haiti goalkeeper Nahomie Ambroise to make it 1-0 to the Reggae Girlz in the 26th minute.

Haiti went right to work to try to find an equaliser and Roselord Borgella had it all there to get it in the 52nd minute off a Jamaica turnover, but instead swung her shot wide of the post.

Haiti continued to push forward in search of a goal, but it left space behind for the Jamaican attack and Shaw was happy to take advantage of it by firing in a right-footed shot to double

Jamaica’s lead to 2-0 in the 58th minute.

Nevertheless, Haiti kept pushing and almost pulled a goal back in the 63rd minute through a blazing effort from Dumornay, only to see Jamaica goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer parry the ball onto the post and eventually out of play.

However, the night belonged to Shaw and Jamaica and after a Haiti handball in the area, the Manchester City striker stepped up and fired in her third goal of the CWC from the penalty spot for a 3-0 lead in the 70th minute.

They then capped off their magical night nine minutes later with a wellplaced header from Drew Spence off a free kick to complete the winning 4-0 scoreline, earning their first-ever CWC win against Haiti in three attempts.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday July 13, 2022

USA Cricket’s attitude towards players is ‘shocking, embarrassing and outright wrong’ – Dr Vincent Adams

By Peter Della Penna DR Vincent Adams, a member of the USA Cricket Committee appointed in August 2020, has levelled scathing criticism at the board for its handling of recent financial and governance issues, including prioritising a payment of US$300 000 to ex-CEO Iain Higgins ahead of money owed to the national team players.

Adams has fired off a series of emails in recent days, copies of which have been obtained by ESPNcricinfo, in which he has labelled the transition from the expelled USA Cricket Association to USA Cricket in 2018 as a "humungous mistake".

"It is a grave disappointment to those of us who spent over two years replacing USACA with USAC," Adams wrote in an email on July 7 to USA Cricket operations director Richard Done in which the rest of the board of directors are also copied.

"Even with so much less resources, USACA's problems never came close to this dishonorable and unprincipled behaviour of USAC's leadership. The sad truth is that several members of the board and senior officials feel the same, but some would rather stay quiet, selfishly compromising themselves for small perks."

Adams, 72, is a former Guyana opening batter who made his first-class debut as a 19-year-old in 1969 in a side captained by Joe Solomon that also featured Alvin Kallicharran. He only played five first-class matches though, after injuries from a car accident derailed his career.

He migrated to America a short time later and became an engineer, eventually obtaining a doctorate from the University of Tennessee. He has spent the last two decades as a senior government employee in Ohio working for the United States Department of Energy and is highly respected in the US Cricket community.

Prior to being on the Cricket Committee of USAC, Adams was appointed by the ICC in 2016 to be a part of a "sustainable foundation" advisory group tasked with helping to streamline American cricket governance following USACA's

principle of financial management, even in running cake-shop operations. So, the clearly continued demonstration of incompetence and uncaring attitude towards the players by USAC's management, are not only shocking, but also embarrassing and outright wrong!"

The payment issues are

Former Guyana opening batter Dr Vincent Adams

suspension in 2015. When USACA was expelled by the ICC in 2017, the sustainable advisory group's chief task was to write the constitution for the new governing body that would take over.

Adams' email message comes after a lengthy thread in which Srini Salver, a former USA batter who currently serves as the male athlete rep on the board, sent a string of emails starting on June 30 questioning why a number of USA players are still yet to receive match fees despite competing in eight home ODIs in Texas, played as part of ICC Cricket World Cup League Two from May 28 through June 15.

Adams - who is a member of the cricket committee along with Salver, former USA men's captain Sushil Nadkarni, former USA women's player Nadia Gruny and former New Zealand international Jeff Crowe - then fired off the first wave of criticism at USA Cricket for their inactivity toward rectifying the player payments.

"The habitual non-payment of players has been a major sore point for the (Cricket Committee), and we directed that it must be of the highest priority to ensure that players get their moneys on time and must not be treated any way differently to USAC's staff in this regard.

We also directed all trips, matches, tournaments, etc., incurring these expenses, must not receive prior approval without the guaranteed available funds to cover these expenses. I recognise that this may be out of your control, but it is more than obvious that the CC's decisions mean nothing!

"Besides what appears to be the continued disparate treatment suffered by the players, this is a very basic

the latest in a series of disputes over the handling of USA player central contracts.

Not long after securing ODI status in April 2019, USA's players became the highest paid in the Associate world that summer. USA Cricket touted in a press release that their highest central contract was in excess of $90 000.

But by the summer of 2020, USA Cricket slashed every player's salary by at least half, putting everyone on a flat $1800 per month pay rate citing the lack of matches and tight finances during the COVID-19 pandemic.

USA's international fixtures resumed in September 2021 and yet their players'

pay has not been restored to pre-pandemic levels.

One email response from Salver on July 7, following the message from Adams, highlights the $300 000 payment which the USA Cricket board has approved for Higgins, even though some USA players are yet to be paid (Turn to page 28)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday July 13, 2022

GFF/DBU/UEFA Assist/Women Development League

Santos stormed back from behind to beat Bartica All-Stars CONTESTING the feature game of a double-header in the Guyana Football Federation/Women Development League, sponsored

by the Danish Football Union and UEFA Assist, last Saturday at the Bartica Community Centre ground, City side Santos

showed some determination and grit when they upstaged home team Bartica All-Stars 2-1 after finding themselves with nine play-

Fruta Conquerors’ Nikasi St Jules (#6) powered her way past these Potro Strikers players to score her side’s final goal in their 10-1 win last Saturday

ers from the 35th minute.

In testing conditions, and having to deal with the boisterous fans, Bartica AllStars took the lead on the half-hour when they were awarded a penalty. The shot was originally blocked by Santos goalkeeper, but the alert Ohara Oselmo pounced on the rebound to slot the ball home.

The reaction of some Santos players did not go down well with the referee as they were not in favour of the kick from the penalty mark and the subsequent jostling with the goalie and Oselmo.

As a result the referee issued a straight red card to Santos’ Afena Baptiste for violent conduct.

Baptiste’s exit brought initial pressure on the team and if that was not enough, five (5) minutes later, another Santos player, Akeelah Vancooten, arguably their best player, was given marching orders.

However, despite being on the back foot for the remainder of the half, Santos were able to weather the storm. They came out with renewed vigour in the second half, and while they were minus two players, it was the Bartica All-Stars who lacked

Santos and the Bartica All-Star players in battle last Saturday at the Bartica Community Centre ground

the energy to stave off the resurgent City ladies.

Fresh players were introduced by Santos technical staff, and it brought the desired results. Otalia Thompson knotted the score in the 51st minute at the end of one of the many early runs into the home team’s final third.

Santos capitalised on that momentum and a mere three minutes later, they took the lead for the first time in the match when Rayanna Harris rocked the back of the nets with a well-taken shot.

The lead was never relinquished even as Bartica All-Stars tried their utmost to claim another goal in the final moments of the match.

At the final whistle, it was sheer delight for Santos girls and even as they left the ground to join the speed boat back to the city, they were still rejoicing.

In the first match, it was another easy triumph for Fruta Conquerors which trounced Potaro Strikers, 10-1. For the conquering Conquerors, Sandra Johnson led with a hat-trick (13th, 59th, 60th). There was a brace each for Jessica Teasdale (11th, 41st) and Nikisa Wayne (12th, 58th).

One goal each was re-

corded by Shennel Daniels (10th), Shanic Thornhill (24th) and Nikasi St Jules in the 82nd minute. Potaro Strikers got their consolation goal from Jonell Pollard in the 46th minute.

Also on Saturday, at the St Cuthbert’s Mission ground, home team Pakuri Jaguars romped to their first win of the League with a 7-0 triumph over the visiting Essequibo All-Stars.

Over at GFF National Training Centre, (NTC) Providence, East Bank Demerara, the Guyana Defence Force (4-0) got past Orealla Falcons, who fought well against the more experienced GDF team. The consistent Abiose Heywood netted a hat-trick with the other goal coming off the boot of Anastasia Horsham.

In the other match at the NTC, New Amsterdam United and Coomaka United of Linden battled to an exciting 1-1 stalemate. Sasha Loo broke the deadlock for New Amsterdam United in the 18th minute, but their joy was curtailed one minute later when Coomaka United’s Jade Simmons found the back of the nets.

Neither side troubled the scoreboard again.

USA Cricket’s attitude towards players...

(From page 27)

their tour fees.

This further enrages Adams, who then sends another email, just hours later, saying that while a CEO should be paid what he has earned "whether it is $1 or $1 million", he took issue with the process by which the payment was approved, and that it was prioritised over outstanding player fees.

"The blatant pooh poohing of our own constitution is also a blatant disregard

of the IRS 501C3 laws," Adams writes, which relates to USA Cricket's status as a non-profit corporation that allows it to be exempt from paying federal income tax.

"It's time for the IRS to be informed of the innumerable questions surrounding USAC's failure to follow the rule of law, its conflict of interests, and dysfunctionality.

"It obviously also demands that it is time for the public and the cricketing

community to be made aware of these worrisome misgivings that affect them, so that they could hold the USAC board members accountable for their actions, especially now at these elections.

“It's a burning shame that all of the guardrails we put in place to make USAC a model operation representative of the greatest country, are so brazenly being torn down by this board." (Cricinfo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday July 13, 2022

India hammer England by 10 wickets after Bumrah takes 6-19 LONDON: Reuters) - India captain Rohit Sharma notched up a sublime fifty as the tourists thrashed England by 10 wickets after a career-best performance of 6-19 by Jasprit Bumrah in the first one-day international of the threematch series at the Oval, yesterday.

Rohit (76 not out) and fellow opener Shikhar Dhawan (31 not out) made light work of England's 110, knocking off the victory target with 31.2 overs to spare.

Earlier, England had a horror start after being put in to bat when Bumrah rattled Jason Roy's stumps with an in-swinger and then deceived Joe Root two balls later with a delivery that nipped away.

Both players failed to get off the mark.

Ben Stokes also perished for a golden duck in the following over, edging behind off Mohammed Shami (3-31), before Bumrah accounted for Jonny Bairstow (7) and Liam Livingstone

Jasprit Bumrah now has the best figures by an Indian fast bowler in men's ODIs in England (AFP/Getty Images)

(0) to leave England reeling at 26-5.

"Looking at the overhead conditions and the pitch, the toss was a right call to make.

We used the conditions upfront really well," said Rohit.

"There was some swing and seam upfront and we exploited them well."

Captain Jos Buttler (30) and Moeen Ali (14) led a brief recovery but both were

dismissed in quick succession before a 35-run ninth-wicket stand between David Willey (21) and Brydon Carse (15) pushed England past 100.

The home side were eventually bowled out in 25.2 overs for their lowest total against India in 50over cricket. Their previous lowest - 125 - came at Jaipur in 2006.

"We have some guys in the form of their lives in Tests coming here and getting nicked off," said Buttler.

"Jasprit is a great bowler to come up against. He has bowled fantastically well today and deserves these figures."

"I won't be panicking ... in the last seven years our batting has been our super strength in ODI cricket and the guys in the teams are some of the best players to ever play the format for England so we don't want to panic."

The second match of the series takes place at Lord's tomorrow.

EU countries sing UEFA's praises in rebuff to Super League (REUTERS) - From Spain to Ireland to Italy, European countries gave full-throated support to UEFA over the rebel European Super League at Europe's top court, praising its open model as well as its social and educational importance.

The comments from the countries at a two-day hearing at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) underline the high stakes involved for UEFA and other sports bodies with monopoly power and lucrative media rights.

The countries' endorsement of UEFA, in effect a call to preserve the status quo, suggests the Court would need to take into account the social and economic aspects of the case, and not just the legal and antitrust arguments.

UEFA found itself in the docks after the Super League accused it of abusing its power to block rival events and penalise players and clubs.

The Super League collapsed barely two days after its announcement last year as elite English, French and Italian clubs pulled out fol-

lowing outcry from fans and governments, leaving just Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus involved in the project.

Hungary said UEFA represents the values of the European Sports Model in terms of protecting the physical and moral integrity of players and merit-based competition.

"These are values which UEFA and FIFA follow, both in the organisation of sports and the reallocation of revenues," Hungary's lawyer Ester Gyarmati told the 15-judge panel on the second day of the hearing.

UEFA's restrictions clearly infringe EU competition law but are justified to safeguard the European Sports Model, Austria's lawyer Franz Koppensteiner said.

MALTA'S LAWYER TOOK A POP AT SUPER LEAGUE "The Super League only took into account the narrow interests of its clubs, it ignores the open nature of competition based on merits," Malta's lawyer Andria Buhagiar said.

Romania's lawyer said the case was an existentialist

one.

"This cartel cannot co-exist with the organisation of UEFA and FIFA without leading to the certain death of open competition," its lawyer Emilia Gane said.

The European Commission, which acts as the competition enforcer in the 27-country bloc, took a more nuanced stand, saying there should be checks and balances on monopoly power.

"The exercise of regulatory functions must be subject to limits, obligations and control to prevent such bodies from distorting competition," its lawyer Carlos Urraca Caviedes said.

He said the European Sports Model was one way to run a sport but alternative governing bodies could be another.

Urraca Caviedes, however, criticised UEFA and FIFA's sanctions against players.

"It does not seem sanctions excluding players from participating in UEFA, FIFA are necessary or proportionate to protect those principles," he said.

The Court will issue its ruling next year.

Clear Waters powering Everest CC campers THE annual Everest Cricket Club (ECC) live-in cricket camp is back after a 2-year’s absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The five-day camp which begins today is catering for 40 eager associate members who have signed up for a cricketing experience that will change the way they see the beautiful game.

The unique cricket academy-style camp is being held under the theme: ‘Prepare today for a better tomorrow’, will see the young cricketers between the ages of 9 and 19 being exposed to indoor and outdoor events associated with being a professional cricketer.

On the outside, the campers will go through cricket drills including warm-up, cool down, batting, bowling and fielding under the guidance of camp leader Saheed

Mohamed and camp coach Travis Mohamed. The indoor sessions will seek to widen their knowledge of the game with modules such as captaincy, field placing, careers in and around cricket and discipline.

When the camp whistle is blown today, there will be welcome remarks by President of ECC and the Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, representatives of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA), Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), the coaches and camp mother, Christine Oudkerk.

Over the course of the camp, there will be presentations from the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Narine Singh on the importance of core exercise, health and fitness and Police Commander Orin Porter on the significance of

discipline.

There will also be motivational speeches by cricket administrator, Shaun Massiah, senior national player Akshaya Persaud and international super stars, Keemo Paul and Gudakesh Motie who were all successful youth players.

The live-in camp is a calendar event which executives and members take pride in organising and executing for the prestigious cricket club.

The success of the camp could not have been possible without the support of corporate Guyana. On Tuesday, Managing Director of Clear Waters, Ricky Lucknauth, handed over 20 cases of bottled water to president Nadir at the Camp Street club. Clear Waters has been fuelling the camp since the inception in 2018 and is pleased to contribute to the success of the young

cricketers once again.

Other donors include Sterling Products Limited, Narine’s Liquor Store, Parliament Office, Bounty Farm Limited, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Toucan Industries, General Marine, Metro, Mattai’s Food Market, Ariel Enterprise, Ravin Radiator Works, AP Ranch, Bakewell, Cost Cutters, China Wholesale and Gain Mart.

On Sunday, day five, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, will be the featured guest at the closing dinner which will also include a prize-giving ceremony.

Before dinner, the participants will have a fun day alongside their parents and members of ECC including softball cricket matches and a cookout, all at the Everest Cricket Club, Camp Road and Carifesta Avenue.

Ricky Lucknauth (centre) makes the presentation of 20 cases of Clear Waters to ECC president Manzoor Nadir (right) on Tuesday, while Clear Water salesman, Euford Saul looks on

30

Mo Farah says he was victim of child trafficking (REUTERS) - Multiple Olympic and world champion, Mo Farah, was brought to Britain from Djibouti at the age of nine and was forced to do housework and childcare in exchange for food, he told the BBC. The 39-year-old Briton, who was born in Somalia, added his name had been changed to Mohamed Farah from Hussein Abdi Kahin in the fake travel documents used to fly him to Britain by a woman he had never met before.

Once he arrived in the UK, the woman took him to her home in Hounslow, west London, and tore apart a paper with the contact details of his relatives. Her family did not allow him to go to school until the age of 12.

“For years I just kept blocking it out, but you can only block it out for so long,” he said in the BBC documentary, which will be broadcast this week.

“Often I would just lock myself in the bathroom and

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday July 13, 2022

Black Caps secure three-wicket win to seal Malahide series NEW Zealand secured a three-wicket victory over Ireland to clinch the threematch ODI series at Malahide.

George Dockrell's ODIbest of 74 off 61 balls helped the hosts to 216 after a top-order wobble.

Finn Allen and Tom Latham both scored half-centuries in New Zealand's response.

Michael Bracewell, who hit a record-breaking 24 in the final over in Sunday's opener, hit an unbeaten 42 to see the Black Caps over

the line.

The third ODI takes place on Friday (10:45 BST).

The sides will then meet for a three-match Twenty20 series in Belfast, which begins on July 18.

With New Zealand winning the opener by one wicket thanks to Bracewell's fireworks, Ireland set out to level the series but endured a difficult start as the visitors' bowlers dominated, to restrict them to 216 all out.

Matt Henry, Bracewell and Mitchell Santner took

two wickets each as New Zealand established a stranglehold on a tricky pitch at Malahide despite Dockrell's 74.

Setting the tone with a wicket maiden that included the dismissal of Paul Stirling, Henry also removed Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie to leave the hosts 5-2.

Henry and Jacob Duffy, making his ODI debut, turned the screw on Ireland as the hosts managed to reach only 19-2 after the first powerplay. (BBC Sport)

V-Net pledges support to young spinner Chulai LEFT-arm spinner Golcharran Chulai, who was selected in the Guyana Under-17 squad for the upcoming Regional Under-17 tournament in Trinidad and Tobago, has gotten some support from V-Net Communications ahead of the July 17-28 competition.

Britain's Mo Farah reacts after the Men's 10 000m as he fails to qualify for the 10 000m at the Tokyo Olympics.

(Reuters/Molly Darlington)

cry. The only thing I could do to get away from this (living situation) was to get out and run.”

His physical education teacher Alan Watkinson contacted social services and helped him find a foster family in the Somali community after Farah told him what he was going through.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Wednesday July 13, 2022) COMPLIMENTS OF CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) 42 ODI matches (2) WI 21 Today’s Quiz: (1) Who is the first WI to captain the side in an ODI game against BANG? (2) Who was the captain of Bangladesh?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

“I felt like a lot of stuff was lifted off my shoulders, and I felt like me. That’s when Mo came out – the real Mo,” Farah said.

“I had no idea there were so many people who are going through exactly the same thing that I did.

It just shows how lucky I was.

“What really saved me, what made me different, was that I could run.”

He said in May his elite track career could be over after he finished runner-up in the London 10 000-metre race and ruled out taking part in this month’s World Championships.

Farah, who completed the 5 000 and 10 000 metres double at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, will, however, run a marathon for the first time since 2019 when he takes part at the London Marathon in October.

Chief Executive Officer of V-Net Communications, Safraz Sheriffudeen, (left) hands over a pair of cricket boots to Shylinder Chulai, father of Golcharran Chulai

Left-arm spinner Golcharran Chulai

According to a release to the media from V-Net, Chulai, who hails from Wakenaam, was among the top bowlers in the recently concluded Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Inter-Coun-

ty tournament, and even copped man-of-the-match against the Rising Stars Under-17s.

The National Under-17 squad are currently encamped at the La Bonne Intention Cricket Facility, East Coast Demerara.

According to a statement from the 25 Delph Street, Campbellville, Georgetown entity which specialises in data and voice communication, the young man’s talent has been recognised and management felt it was

imperative to offer some support, in keeping with its programme of supporting youth cricketers.

The entity offered words of encouragement and wished Chulai all the best in his endeavours, and as part of the sponsorship, he was enrolled into the Everest Cricket Club (ECC).

In early May, V-Net sponsored the needs of four Essequibo youth cricketers to play the sport in the city through the ECC.

GFF/Blue Water Female U-15 Tournament

Chase Determinators, East Ruimveldt take full points CHASE Determinators and East Ruimveldt Empress pilled off contrasting wins when play in the GFF/Blue Water Female U-15 Tournament, organised by the Guyana National Women’s Football Association (GNWFA), continued last Saturday at the GFF National Training Centre,

Providence, EBD. Chase Determinators squeezed past Tutorial Thunders by the narrowest of margins, 4-3, in a pulsating encounter. Martha Chance accounted for three of the goals with the other scored

by Angela Perez. Tutorial Thunders got their goals from Ceryah Pearson with a dou-

ble and Shenelle La Fleur.

East Ruimveldt Empress were in royal form as they waltzed to a comfortable 3-0 triumph over Campbellville United, on account of a brace from Dellana Small and her teammate Miranda Cox backed up well with the other goal.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday July 13, 2022

Indian High Commissioner charges Olympiad chess team to 'make nation proud' GUYANA’S National Chess players were charged by the Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr K.J Srinivasa to make their country proud when they take centre stage at the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad, which is scheduled for later this month to early August in Chennai, India.

The High Commissioner met with the delegation who had visited the Indian Embassy to secure their visas.

Along with speaking about the importance of putting their best foot forward, he also gave a brief history of the game which started in India.

The team also took the opportunity to share their goals heading into the tournament, while noting that the major goal of the Olympiad is to provide much needed experience and exposure to

the relatively young side.

According to information from the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF), “Team Guyana are also aiming to improve the country’s overall ranking in the sport. Guyana are currently ranked at 146 in the world but are hoping to break through to the top 100”.

The release noted that the Olympiad also gives untitled players a chance to win titles and titled players the chance to gain higher titles from winning matches.

Twelve-year-old Anaya Lall, who is the first deaf chess player to represent Guyana at this event, has to be accompanied by her mother who will act as a translator. Mrs Lall’s travel is being supported by the Deaf Association of Guyana and through a GoFundMe Campaign (https:// www.gofundme.com/f/guy-

Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr K.J Srinivasa, (middle) met with executive members of the National Chess Federation and the Olympiad team this week

ana-chess-federation).

High Commissioner Srinivasa was impressed with the team, and especially with Anaya for her exceptional performance as she goes on to make history for Guyana.

He noted as well that India has made significant im-

provement in the care and support for persons with disabilities over recent years.

President of the Guyana Chess Federation, Frankie Farley said that the High Commissioner’s “guidance and pep talk was indeed inspiring to me and to the

entire team. The High Commissioner of India extended his hospitality and gave his confidence and assurance that our team will excel at the Olympiad. It is necessary that our team leave the shores of Guyana with a combination of high spir-

its and optimism that I'm certain will transfer into success”.

The 10 chess players have been training for the tournament with Slovenian Grand Master Georg Mohr ahead of their departure later this month.

T&T youth football teams could be forced to miss two regional tournaments

T&T stun Guyana to move top of the table

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (CMC) – Trinidad and Tobago’s youth football teams could be forced to miss two major upcoming championships due to visa challenges and financial constraints, the T&T Football Association (TTFA) has disclosed.

The association said in a statement that after much deliberation, it is facing the possibility of taking “the very tough decision” of withdrawing from the upcoming CONCACAF Girls Under-15 Championship in Tampa, Florida which kicks off on July 31, and the Caribbean Football Union Boys Under-14 Challenge Series in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic next month.

“A number of factors have contributed to this decision, including challenges in securing the necessary travel visas to the United States along with financial constraints for air travel to the United States and the Dominican Republic,” the TTFA said.

“Tampa, Florida was confirmed as the venue for the Girls Under 15 Championship on June 6, 2022 and despite our best efforts to

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (CMC) – Trinidad and Tobago pulled off a miraculous victory over Guyana to storm to the top of the points table on an eventful day of action in the CWI Women’s U19 Rising Stars tournament, on Monday.

Playing at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, the home team were bowled out for just 69 off 12.3 overs.

They rebounded and bowled out Guyana for a mere 29 off 9.5 overs to win by 40 runs in dramatic fashion.

The bowling heroics for Trinidad & Tobago came from Shalini Samaroo who picked up 3-7 from her three overs. She was well supported by Samara Ramnath (2-5) and Kiara Ruben (2-3).

The result was the third win for Trinidad & Tobago and they have moved to 14 points from four matches at the top of the standings.

Over at the Diego Martin Sports Complex, Barbados recorded a comfortable win over the Leeward Islands. Batting first, the Bajans rattled up 172-4 off their 20 overs. Captain

communicate with all relevant stakeholders, even prior to that date, we have been unsuccessful in obtaining US travel visa appointments for 20 players and staff, while being cognizant of the well-documented backlog of applications for US travel visa matters, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The association said it has also been engaging with the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago for assistance in obtaining the necessary funding for air travel to the two tournaments.

“We have acted in good faith and proceeded with the preparations for the respective tournaments through our High Performance Programme for the respective age groups over the past few months,” the TTFA stated, adding that it would continue to explore available options.

Over the past two years, several T&T teams have competed in various tournaments ranging from the Senior Men’s and Women’s World Cup qualifying campaigns, the Under-20 Men and Women, the Under-17 Women, the Beach Soccer Men and Futsal Men’s qualifiers.

CWI Women’s U19 Rising Stars

Trinidad & Tobago have moved to 14 points from four matches at the top of the standings

Tristan Holder made 36 off 37 balls with three fours, as she shared a breezy stand with Asabi Callender who top-scored 44 not out off 41 balls, which included six boundaries. The total was boosted by 57 extras.

In reply, the Leewards put up a fight but closed 49 runs short as they ended on 123-6 off their 20 overs.

Opening batter Kimberly Anthony top-scored with 37 off 21 balls with six

fours and a six to get the innings off to a flying start.

After she fell, the momentum slowed and the Bajans bowlers took control.

A superb all-round performance from Zaida James guided Windward Islands to a comfortable win by eight wickets over Jamaica and lifted them to third on the table with 10 points from four matches.

The left-handed opener played a classy knock of 52

not out as she demonstrated her experience and skill as she looked a cut above the other batters in the match.

She faced 53 balls and counted eight boundaries as Windwards made 97-2 off 15.3 overs, in response to 96-5 off 20 overs by the Jamaicans.

Earlier, James bowled well to record figures of 4-2-11-1 while Neisha Cherry was the best bowler with 4-1-10-2.

Three gold medals for Guyana at Junior CASA

Gold medal winner Nicholas Verwey (right) in battle with Michael Alphonso in the U-17 final

THE individual segment of the Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Junior Championships wrapped up yesterday afternoon at the Georgetown Club Courts, and locals Shomari Wiltshire, Nicholas Verwey and Avery Arjoon won gold in their respective categories.

Wiltshire lived up to expectations and won the Boys’ Under-19 gold in his final year as he defeated the number two seed, Barbadian Darien Benn, 11-6, 11-5, 11-5 in quite a clinical fashion.

However, in the Girls’ U-19, Guyana’s Kirsten Gomes battled hard but had to settle for silver as she went down to Barbadian Sumairaa Suleiman in a five-set thriller, where the Bajan came from behind to win 11-7, 11-4, 8-11, 4-11, 9-11.

Over in the Boys’ U-17, Verwey won his first Caribbean individual gold medal when he defeated countryman Michael Alphonso.

Verwey, the number-one seed, came from behind to win 10-12,

Women Warriors out of 2023 World Cup contention MONTERREY, Mexico (CMC) – Trinidad and Tobago have failed to make it into 2023 Women’s World Cup, falling 1-0 to Panama in what was a must-win Group B finale in the CONCACAF Women’s Championship (CWC) on Monday night.

It was the Women Warriors’ last chance at securing qualification for the World Cup in Australia/New Zealand.

Marta Cox was the heroine for the winning side at the Estadio Universitario, notching a goal late in the first half to deliver the three precious points to Panama, who will take part in the 10-team Inter-Confederation Playoff next February by virtue of their third-place finish in the group.

The first goal chance of the day went the way for Trinidad and Tobago, as a free kick from Karyn Forbes in the 18th minute looked to be destined for the top left corner of net, only for 2018 CWC Golden Glove winner and Panama goalkeeper Yenith Bailey to soar to her right to make the save.

There would be a goal before halftime and it came off the boot of Cox in the 43rd minute when she received a pass from Lineth Cedeno, eluded a defender then beat Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Kimika Forbes for a 1-0 Panama lead.

Panama came out for the second half with the same intensity and intent on finding a second goal to put the Soca Warriors on the ropes.

Trinidad and Tobago managed to absorb the pressure and then started putting the Panama defence on their heels a bit, as play opened up entering the final 20 minutes.

In the end, though, Bailey and the Panama defender were able to nail down the clean sheet victory to book their playoff spot.

11-3, 11-7, 11-6, and top the former Caribbean Under-15 champion.

For the U-13 Girls, Arjoon won gold when she defeated Joise Thong of Trinidad and Tobago in a gruelling five-set match that went 8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9.

Attention now shifts to the team segment which starts this morning at both the Georgetown Club and the National Racquet Centre.

Guyana are in the hunt to regain the title after last winning the overall crown in 2016.

Boys Under-19 winner, Shomari Wiltshire

Girls Under-13 winner, Avery Arjoon

Reggae Girlz storm into 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup with 4-0 win over Haiti 26 PAGE

Khadija Shaw (left) was a key player for Jamaica to overcome Haiti and qualify for the second time ever for the FIFA Women´s World Cup (Photo: CONCACAF)

Indian High Commissioner charges Olympiad chess team to 'make nation proud' 31

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 2022