Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 20-06-2022

monday 20th june, 2022

No.106759

No Evidence –– linking Vice-President Jagdeo to collecting bribe in VICE News documentary

Vice President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo

–– Jagdeo to take legal action against Su Zhi Rhong for ‘slanderous claims’

$237M concrete batching plant 08 commissioned at Little Diamond PAGE

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Return and serve, invest in Guyana 02 PAGE

–– Minister Bharrat urges Guyanese living in Canada

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Members of the Jagmohan family cut the ribbon to commission the facility. Also pictured are Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill; Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, and Indian High Commissioner, Dr KJ Srinivasa (Elvin Corker photo)

Minister Indar says did not play a role in cops’ visit to SN 09 PAGE

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Return and serve, invest in Guyana

guyana CHRONICLE monday, june 20, 2022

–– Minister Bharrat urges Guyanese living in Canada

By Frederick Halley GUYANA’S Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat has urged Guyanese in Canada to return

home and serve their country, and gave them the firm reassurance that blackouts will be a thing of the past by the end of 2024.

Addressing over-

seas-based Guyanese at a ‘meet and greet’ organised by the Guyana Consulate in Toronto, Canada last Wednesday evening, Minister Bharrat said the Govern-

Part of the audience at last Wednesday’s ‘meet and greet’ in Toronto, Canada

ment of Guyana recognises the challenges faced by Guyanese, and “We cannot continue business as usual.”

Towards this end, the contract for a new power plant will be signed shortly, and construction will commence before the end of 2022, at the site of the Wales Sugar Estate.

Describing the venture as the Gas-to-Energy Project, Minister Bharrat said it entails running 12-inch pipelines off-shore for 100 miles from the vicinity of the Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown. It will be fueled by natural gas, supplied through Exxon Mobil.

Once completed, “It will make electricity far cheaper.

As a matter of fact, it will cut our electricity cost by some 50 per cent by the end of 2024,” the minister boasted.

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat during his address in Canada According to Minister Bharrat, “This is not a pipe dream; it’s a project that has already started, and the contract will be awarded to the company to start building the power plant.”

Minister Bharrat pointed out that “it will be reliable, meaning that blackout will be a thing of the past. It will be cleaner, and it will curb our emissions significantly.”

He reminded the audience that Guyana’s emissions are below net zero, “and we are cutting it even further, de-

spite being an oil producer”.

“As a country, we need to move towards value-added and manufacturing. We have the resources, but one of the biggest hindrances has been power generation, and it has always been one of our biggest challenges, not only the cost of electricity but also the reliability. We are probably paying the highest rate for electricity in this hemisphere.”

Minster Bharrat said Guyanese should be proud see page 3

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guyana CHRONICLE monday, june 20, 2022

No evidence linking Vice-President to collecting bribe –– in VICE News documentary; Jagdeo to take legal action against Su Zhi Rhong for ‘slanderous claims’

UNITED States-based media house, VICE News has failed to provide any evidence linking Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo to collecting bribes in a documentary it released on Sunday titled, ‘Guyana for sale’.

In the episode, which features a 15-minute segment on Guyana, several accusations were made, but no evidence was provided to show that Dr. Jagdeo was receiving bribes.

Prior to its release, the Vice-President had posted an entire sit-down interview he gave to a VICE News team.

During the interview, he said he would meet with persons who are interested in investing in Guyana, but has never been offered a bribe or accepted any.

In the VICE News piece released on Sunday, Dr. Jagdeo can be heard saying: “No, no, no! I’m not getting involved with business! Su is my friend; he gets all the support. Su deals with all the agreements; I don’t. My thing is that I’m in government, so I assist from the government side.”

This reportedly stems from a visit the VICE News team made to Guyana and met with a Chinese businessman, Su Zhi Rhong, who reportedly said that he accepts bribes on behalf of the

and whether he was suspicious or concerned about their agenda.

Dr. Jagdeo, in responding, said some of these media houses have a view of developing countries, and when good things happen in these countries, they have a different portrayal of it.

It is for this reason, he said, that the interview he did with VICE News was posted Online, as this news organisation has a tendency to ‘cut-and-splice’ interviews.

Against this backdrop, the Vice-President highlighted a previous issue in which ‘VICE’ was involved, whereby it photoshopped smiling faces into a genocide picture in Cam-

Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo Vice-President.

In the piece, after a sit-down with the Vice-President, Su was purportedly heard making the claim to an undercover member of the VICE News team that he accepts bribes for the Vice-President.

Late last week, while at a press conference, the Guyana Chronicle had asked the Vice- President about his thoughts on foreign media houses like VICE News coming to Guyana,

bodia.

“I played the whole interview; if you just look back at the interview, and I don’t expect anything much, the reason I did that is because they have

a tendency to cut and take you out of context. I didn’t realise that until afterwards when I read about VICE,” Dr. Jagdeo said.

With that, he mentioned that ‘VICE’ would not have been able to do that with his interview, as he’d released the entire recording. “I released the whole thing. So, where all the accusations about Su collecting bribe for me and everything else; everything is there in the public domain,” he said.

The Vice-President, in that sitdown interview, when probed by the VICE News reporter, fervently denied all of the accusations of corruption that were made against him.

Meanwhile, at that press conference last week, Dr. Jagdeo warned persons about lobbyists, pointing out that recently, two persons were locked up for collecting money from persons under the guise that they can arrange meetings with him.

Following the release of the VICE News documentary, Dr. Jagdeo, on Sunday, told several sections of the media that he will be taking legal action again Su, who is his tenant, for the slanderous claims he (Su) has made against him.

Return and serve, invest ... from page 2

of their country and be supportive of what the present government is doing to change Guyana.

“This project will obviously reduce the cost of living, and raise the standard of living. It’s our time; we have one of the largest oil discoveries in the world, with only Uganda ahead of us in the last 10 years.

The government has answered the call and it’s your time to answer the call,” Minister Bharrat said.

TRAINING Another project that will also be implemented shortly is the establishment of the Guyana Technical Training Institute, where young Guyanese will be trained to work in the oil-

and-gas sector.

“The Port Mourant Training Centre will be converted, and part of it will be the Oil and Gas Institute. Our people, especially young people, need to be part of the oiland-gas sector. Having said that, almost 4,000 Guyanese are currently employed in the sector,” Minister Bharrat said.

According to the minister, with the amount of wealth coming Guyana’s way in another few years, “we will ensure that we manage the oil-and-gas sector in a manner that every single Guyanese will benefit, regardless of what differences exist among us. We are going to manage the sector in such a way as to ensure that every single Guyanese, regardless of who you vote for.

“As a government, we govern for all Guyanese. If you govern for one section of the population, then you are in the wrong business, because any political party’s main business is to win people over to you; so, the more services you can provide to everybody, the better.”

The minister explained that with oil and gas, there are many opportunities, hence, the recent passing of the Local Content Legislation (LCL). “The LCL was designed specifically to benefit Guyanese, because we cannot have oil companies coming to Guyana and reaping our resources and Guyanese not benefiting.

And that was happening in the oil and gas sector,” he said.

FOR GUYANESE Minister Bharrat emphasised that the government’s policy is to develop Guyana for all Guyanese and the Local Content Legislation will ensure opportunities come to Guyanese.

The Local Content Legislation, the minister pointed out, forces oil vessels that operate within Guyana to come to Georgetown to purchase groceries, welding, fabrication, catering and disposable, among other items instead of going to Trinidad and Tobago as was done prior to it becoming into law.

The law stipulates that foreign companies in the sector are required to buy 75 per cent of these types of goods from Guyanese suppliers.

“The law therefore creates lots of opportunities

for our people, businesses to be established in Guyana and to provide services and although not being part of the oil and gas sector, you are a service provider.”

Urging Guyanese to return home, Minister Bharrat alluded to the fact that the labour force is once of the biggest challenges facing Guyana since the population is less than a million people.

“At the rate at which things are happening and the oil and gas companies taking up most of the skilled workers, this is creating problems with the other sectors. We want people to come back and start their own private businesses. There are so many opportunities to invest in the other sectors,” he said.

The minister stressed that while most people

look at Guyana as an oil producing nation, there are many opportunities to develop and invest in the other sectors, especially agriculture.

“We are trying to build back agriculture to where it should be. It is said that Guyana is the bread basket of the Caribbean, but have we ever realised that? I think now is the opportune time.

“We are blessed, we have land, we have skill set, we have people with experience.

I am sure you see that our President is leading from the front in Caricom and his vision is 25 by 2025. It simply means cutting our importation bill for food by 25 per cent by the year 2025.

It is ambitious but it is doable once you work towards it.”

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guyana CHRONICLE monday, june 20, 2022

Macron loses majority as French vote fragments

Less than two months after he was re-elected president, Emmanuel Macron has lost control of the French National Assembly following a strong performance by a left alliance and the far right.

He had called on voters to deliver a solid majority.

But his centrist coalition lost dozens of seats in an election that has left French politics fragmented.

The prime minister he had only recently appointed, Elisabeth Borne, said the situation was unprecedented.

A storm hit Paris as she returned to her Matignon residence from a long meeting at

the presidential Élysée palace to say that modern France had never seen a National Assembly like this one.

“This situation represents a risk for our country, given the risks we’re facing nationally and internationally,” she said.

“We will work as of tomorrow to build a working majority.”

That seems a stretch when the two other biggest groups in the Assembly are not remotely interested in collaboration. Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire was adamant that France was not ungovernable, but said it was going to require a lot of imagination. Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon was enjoying his

President Macron has fallen well short of winning the 289 he needed to keep control of the Assembly (BBC/Reuters photo)

success in bringing together mainstream parties from the left with Communists and Greens into an alliance called Nupes.

He told supporters that the presidential party had suffered a total rout and every possibility was now in their hands.

Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen and her far-right National Rally party were also in jubilant mood after turning eight seats into 89. The people had spoken, she said: Emmanuel’s Macron’s adventure was over and he had been consigned to a minority government. If the prime minister was looking to the right-wing

Republicans to help build a working majority, their message was not immediately encouraging. Party chairman Christian Jacob said the result was a “stinging failure” for a president now paying for cynically weaponising France’s extremes.

He’s not Jupiter any more, said Dominique Rousseau, professor of constitutional law, referring to an earlier nickname ridiculing Mr Macron’s supposed desire for power.

“For Mr Macron these five years will be all about negotiations and parliamentary compromise,” he told AFP. (BBC)

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guyana CHRONICLE monday, june 20, 2022

Leftist ex-rebel wins Colombia’s presidential election was under investigation.

Some 320,000 police and military were deployed across Colombia during the election amid fears that the result could spark political

Gustavo Petro, the leftist former mayor of Bogota and ex-rebel fighter, has been declared the winner of Colombia’s presidential election.

Petro, a current senator, defeated right-wing construction magnate Rodolfo Hernández in Sunday’s runoff election.

Figures showed he took 50.5 per cent of votes, defeating his rival by more than 700,000 ballots to become Colombia’s first leftwing leader.

The 62-year-old hailed what he called a “victory for God and for the people”.

“May so much suffering be cushioned by the joy that today floods the heart of the homeland,” Petro wrote on Twitter. “Today is the day of the streets and squares.”

His running mate Francia Marquez, a single mother and former housekeeper, will become the country’s first black woman Vice-President.

In a video posted to social media, Hernandez, who ran a non-traditional campaign that relied heavily on TikTok and other social media, conceded to Petro.

“Colombians, today the majority of citizens have chosen the other candidate.

As I said during the campaign, I accept the results of this election,” he said.

“I hope that Mr Gustavo Petro knows how to run the country and is faithful to his discourse against corruption,” he added.

President Ivan Duque, who was barred from seeking re-election by Colombia’s term limits, said on Twitter that he has called Petro to congratulate him and said they have “agreed to meet in the coming days to initiate a harmonious, institutional and transparent transition”.

Petro, a former member of the M-19 guerrilla movement, ran on a radical manifesto and pledged during the campaign to fight inequality by providing free university education, pension reforms and high taxes on unproductive land.

He has also pledged to fully implement a 2016 peace deal that ended a 50year long conflict with the communist guerrilla group, Farc, and to seek negotiations with the still-active ELN rebels.

The campaign marked Petro’s third run for the

Gustavo Petro is a former guerrilla and mayor of the capital city of Bogota (Reuters photo) presidency. He finished fourth in 2010, and was comfortably defeated in a run-off by Duque in 2018.

While some of his proposals have startled investors -- including a planned ban on new oil projects --many voters said they voted for him to tackle some of Colombia’s intractable problems, such as corruption, widespread poverty and a surge in political violence.

But Petro will face challenges from a fragmented congress, which includes representatives of more than a dozen parties.

“Given current levels

of polarisation and existing political, economic, social and humanitarian crises, the Petro government will face significant challenges,” Prof Arlene Tickner, an international relations lecturer at Bogota University, told the BBC. “An important first step that has already been taken by the President-elect is to initiate efforts to build a broad national coalition in order to enhance his governability.”

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Diego Molano told journalists on Sunday afternoon that the killing of an electoral volunteer in Guapi, Cauca province,

violence.

Elsewhere, 60 voting locations had to be moved because of heavy rains in some parts of the country.

(BBC)

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guyana CHRONICLE monday, june 20, 2022

Development with People in Mind

AS the Guyana economy continues to consolidate and grow, there are a number of new policy interventions by the PPP/C administration aimed not only at cushioning the impact of the rising cost of living, but also to put more money in the pockets of Guyanese, especially those in the lower-income brackets and the more vulnerable segments of the population.

The recent initiative currently being rolled out by the government to provide part-time employment opportunities to thousands of Guyanese in several regions of Guyana is one such manifestation. According to Vice-President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, roughly five billion dollars will be spent on the payment of stipends for an estimated 11, 000 persons who will benefit from the initiative.

In fact, the number of persons employed exceeded the initial number of intended beneficiaries by 1000, an indication of the number of persons who are on the labour market in search of employment opportunities. The income from such engagement is $40,000 for 10 days of employment per month, which is way

above the current daily minimum wage in the public sector.

This is indeed a commendable initiative on the part of the PPP/C administration to bring financial relief to thousands of householders, especially in the context of the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising cost of consumer items caused by the war in Ukraine. But the benefits go beyond financial considerations and provide opportunities for Guyanese to become integrally involved in the exciting task of community, and for that matter, national development. The idea of being given an opportunity to contribute to nation-building is gratifying in its own right. No wonder thousands of people, especially young people, are grasping the opportunities and are full of praise for the PPP/C administration for the initiative.

The part-time employment is particularly suitable for young people who can utilize the remainder of the working week to further their professional growth and development by going to training institutions or taking advantage

of government’s online scholarship programmes which are available to all eligible Guyanese.

And while it is true that incomes from the part-time employment may not be adequate to satisfy the full economic and cultural needs of householders, it has to be seen as a supplement to householders’ incomes, many of which have several others who are otherwise gainfully employed.

Besides, the income derived from the government’s part-time jobs are not insignificant, especially when seen against the government’s daily minimum wage and even more significant when compared to that offered by the private sector.

As noted by Vice-President Jagdeo, the employment contract is subject to renewal and could expand to an indefinite period should the situation so demand.

The fact is that the PPP/C administration inherited a dire unemployment situation from the previous APNU+AFC regime, which closed down a number of grinding sugar estates and removed from the government’s payroll thousands of workers due to vindictive and

discriminatory measures against those perceived to be members and supporters of the PPP. In addition, the economy was badly underperforming due to incompetence and political instability caused by the defeat of the previous government by way of a no-confidence vote in Parliament in the latter period of misrule.

All of that thankfully is now being corrected and there is today full confidence in the economy, as reflected in the growing wave of local and foreign investments. One immediate consequence of such a development is a much higher level of employment generation. As the growth momentum accelerates, the prospects for better-paying jobs and full employment will get better with time.

The PPP/C administration is doing an exceptionally good job in bringing relief to all segments of the Guyanese people by way of a menu of measures, including financial assistance to vulnerable groups.

This is a true indication of a caring administration, one that puts people at the centre of development.

Some suggestions for a better school system

Dear Editor,

IN a letter of mine published in the newspapers of July 11, 2015, titled: “Please revamp and modernise the education system, Dr Roopnarine,” one of the nine suggestions I made was “Appoint trained counsellors in all schools for behavioural and vocational guidance.”

Staff should also get counselling when necessary. “Counselling referral forms should be filled and given to the counsellor who should make the necessary interventions, including parent-meeting. Counsellors should be proactive and check with teachers to become cognisant of issues that need addressing.

Have proper security, including able-bodied security guards, surveillance cameras and screening students as they enter the school compound. Additionally, do not permit cellphones in classrooms. Liaise with the police for quick responses when summoned. When

I taught at RESA (Rockford Environmental Science Academy) in Illinois, USA, there was a police office in the school for students who the teachers could not handle and a room called the “Think Tank,” where such students were kept in and supervised till their parents arrived.

Have co-curricular activities (aka extra-curricular activities) such as clubs — chess, table-tennis, volley- ball, cricket, football, dominoes, debating, choir , art and craft, etc and make it mandatory for students to be a member of at least one club as part of the credits for graduation. Many of us learnt to play chess and other games in school clubs and some of us could not wait for the dismissal bell to run out and take our place on the volleyball court, while others kicked football, etc.

Invite religious and community leaders to deliver motivational speeches to the students regularly. Instill in them that other people are

poor and suffering and that they should make optimum use of their opportunities. Invite also role models, rehabilitated drug addicts and ex-convicts, single-parents who succeeded to share their experiences in an effort to inspire students.

Have remedial classes for struggling students and use various methodologies for achievement. Differentiated Instruction, the Multiple Intelligence approach to learning, the taxonomy of cognitive learning (recall, application, evaluation etc) should be implemented by all teachers, some of whom need professional development. We cannot discount the fact that there are late developers, change of family circumstances, change of attitude and other factors that can cause students to improve.

There should be alternative/positive discipline. In Belize , students are issued with a Demerit Card on which demerits are crossed off whenever there is a specific infraction,

for example, no homework or disruptive in class. Five demerits results in a detention, 15 in a suspension (which can be in-school), 25 which is the maximum can lead to expulsion after the school board meets. In between, there is counselling and parent conferences in an effort to modify undesirable practices/ behaviours.

Implement a zero-tolerance policy for bullying and gang affiliation such as signs, tattoos and association.

Have regular Parents’ Days in which parents, some lacking parenting skills, meet and are involved in good parenting practices such as monitoring and guiding their children.

From experience.

I know that parents of delinquent students hardly ever attend these sessions, but some do and it is worth the effort.

Yours sincerely, Karan Chand

guyana CHRONICLE monday, june 20, 2022

Perspective: Their Dishonour Remains

By Ron Cheong

A REMARKABLE thing is happening in the US that offers a great example for Guyanese, and hopefully augurs possibilities as the Commission of Inquiry into the attempt to rig and overturn Guyana’s 2020 elections announced by President Ali on Thursday, gets set to begin.

That remarkable portend centres on the US’s own commission of enquiry into the 1/6 attempt to overturn their 2020 election. In a break from what has mostly happened to this point, the commission is seeing a number of life-long, prominent establishment Republicans coming forward and giving public testimony against Trump’s failed attempt to cling to power by invalidating the election results, and against his role in instigating the Capitol riot.

And as the story unfolds and details are revealed, the unlikeliest of heroes emerges in the person of Mike Pence, the former VicePresident who played a pivotal role in thwarting Trump’s attempt to prevent the certification of the election results on January 6, 2021 during a joint session of Congress presided over by Pence himself at the Capitol.

In a singular act of bravery, under threat of armed insurgents who brought a noose and gallows and were chanting, “Hang Mike Pence” – he refused to leave the Capitol. The mob came within 40 feet of Pence and his wife, who minutes before were hidden by his security detail in a secret bunker in the Capitol basement.

There they remained for four and a half hours, after which, rather than allowing himself to be whisked away in an awaiting car by his security detail, Pence insisted on returning to reconvene the joint session of Congress where he presided over the certifying of the 2020 election results, declaring Democratic candidates Joe Biden the 46th President of the United States and Kamala Harris, the new Vice-President. In this tipping point in history and under immense pressure, Pence placed country, integrity and the law above President and party.

Congresswoman Liz Cheney is another Republican who put country before self-interest and the chance of jeopardising prospects of her upcoming re-election to congress. She is the Vice-Chair of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, Capitol riot. Addressing her remarks to her fellow Republicans who continue to perpetuate the lie promoted by Trump that the election was stolen by the Democrats, the congresswoman seared them with the observation: “I say this to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible: there will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonour will remain.”

DISHONOUR REMAINS Having endured a somewhat similar, traumatic assault on our democracy that has saddled our country with the stain and dubious distinction of a record five-month delay between elections and declaration

of the results on August 2, 2020, Guyana would benefit from the type of honourable examples seen above of commitment to truth, lawfulness and country. To my recollection, the only prominent member of the opposition coalition who, to his great credit, followed his conscience and spoke out against the rigging attempt was the former Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin. Hopefully, others will now follow.

There has since been some changes in leadership in the constituent parties of APNU. Some of those who tried to cling to power by spreading falsehoods about the elections are gone, but their dishonour remains. As does the dishonour of those who remain and continue to perpetuate the falsehoods.

It is tragic when the leaders people trust betray them. When those leaders, more interested in power than in the welfare of the people, deliberately mislead their followers with falsehoods. We often more readily spot such manipulation from a distance than when immersed in it.

This is another reason that the vantage position of viewing the parallel American situation with some degree of separation is so instructive.

ORCHESTRATED PLOT Make no mistake, the rigging attempt was not just some actions by errant GECOM employees projecting doctored results unto a bedsheet or attempting to suppress turnout with the “private residence” debacle, but something that was planned and executed and can be traced to actors higher in the food chain pulling the strings.

There is a trail to be followed from efforts that went into institutional hijacking, the unilateral appointment of Justice Patterson, the breaking of the Carter formula, and the creation of the Ministry of Communities which reportedly had over 50 people who didn’t work there on its payroll. And questions as to whether GECOM data was made available to accomplices.

Also, by way of reminder, there was the mysterious calls directing the then Foreign Minister to throw out international election observers; the then Commissioner of Police certifying that hundreds of voters were out of the country, until those voters started showing up and asking what was going on; the smokescreen put out about Russian hackers hacking Guyana’s manual election system and much more.

But for the efforts of countless Guyanese who worked diligently and exposed themselves to risk to preserve our hard-won democracy, the country may have well been cast back into the dictatorship of dark bygone days. Hopefully, the CoI will be able to shed light on some of the above issues.

It would also be enormously refreshing if some members of the opposition can see their way fit to put country before party, as is now playing out in the US and come forward to testify before the CoI.

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guyana CHRONICLE monday, june 20, 2022

$237M concrete batching plant commissioned at Little Diamond

DCSN Manufacturing Inc., a subsidiary of S Jagmohan Construction and General Supplies Inc., on Sunday commissioned its $237 million concrete batching plant at Little Diamond, East Bank Demerara.

The facility will be manufacturing pre-stressed concrete piles, slabs, pre-

cent infrastructural project.

She stated that the limited access together with the high cost of the concrete products pushed her company to open the facility.

Noting that Guyana is on the move, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill called the opening of the multimillion-dollar facility “timely” and “necessary.”

products, some of which are not offered on a large scale locally, could see the advancement and modernisation of strategic pieces of infrastructure across the country, mainly bridges.

He advised that all 71 local Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) should take the necessary steps to have pre-stressed

Businessman Suresh Jagmohan (second left) gives Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr KJ Srinivasa (left), President of the Guyana Manufacturers and Services Association (GMSA) Rafeek Khan, and Minister of Housing and Water, Colin Croal, a tour of the facility (Elvin Corker photo) stressed utility poles, readymix concrete and hollow blocks/pavers.

The company’s Managing Director, Chaitanya Jagmohan, disclosed that the plan for establishment of the plant came as a direct result of her father noticing a gap in access to the materials while undertaking a re-

He emphasised that with Guyana’s current plans for transformational infrastructure, there is a definite need for advanced materials that would aid in efficient and timely construction.

Minister Edghill opined that the current rate of transformation requires innovation, noting that these

and pre-cast concrete utilised for their bridges, so as to move away from the construction of wooden bridges, which have a shorter life span than concrete bridges.

Meanwhile, Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, in his remarks said that opportunities are ripe for the company. He high-

lighted several major infrastructural developments that are ongoing across the country, which would require the type of products being offered by the company.

He too said that the investment was timely, pointing out that the construction industry did very well in 2021. A large number of public and private infrastructural projects, as well as the countrywide rehabilitation works, saw the industry recording a 29.8 per cent increase in growth.

The minister stated that the local construction sector is projected to see an additional 10 per cent growth in 2022.

It was widely reported that from the housing sector to the agricultural sector, there has been the mobilisation of resources from both private and public sector

stakeholders, who are laying the foundation to capitalise on whatever growth the industry experiences.

Private projects, as reported, range from the construction of hotels and apartment complexes to shopping complexes and office buildings.

In the public sector, aside from the construction of several low-income and young professional houses, there were upgrades to highways, main roads, and miscellaneous roads countrywide. This was supplemented by the commencement of the construction of new roads.

This major investment which is being solely funded by developer Suresh Jagmohan is projected to have an annual turnover of $300 million and will provide jobs for 20-25 persons, who are technical to highly

skilled, semi-skilled, and labourers. Some of the jobs that are expected to become available include machine operators, drivers, delivery clerks, and clerks of work.

Jobs in management and finance will also be available.

Additionally, at least two qualified civil engineers will be employed to deal with mixed designs, interpretations of drawings, pre-stressed components, quality control, and concrete batching.

It is envisioned that the factory will be sustained for at least 15-20 years, or for as long as possible, given the enormous capital investment.

The two-storey steel frame and concrete building will be located at the northern side of the land parcel and will be approximately 205 feet wide and 60 feet long.

PPP/C Councillor, Zabarally Armogan, passes on PEOPLE’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Councillor at the New Amsterdam Town Council, Zabarally Armogan, 59, known as “Mr. Brown” passed away last Wednesday after a brief illness.

Armogan, according to reports, had, moments be-

fore his death, left his home at 572 Angoy’s Avenue, a former squatting community on the eastern fringe of New Amsterdam, Region Six. New Amsterdam Town Clerk, Sharon Alexander confirmed his death when contacted by the Guyana Chronicle.

Armogan joined the New Amsterdam Town Council following the Local Government election in 2018. He was one of three councillors affiliated to the PPP/C. The others are Nalini Tahal and Dr Grayson Halley. The latter demitted office due to a statutory challenge.

In addition, Armogan served within the Regional Democratic Council as a District Coordinator for the Community Infrastructure Improvement Project (CIIP), where he supervised scores of workers involved in cleaning up their surroundings and maintaining community drainage.

The CIIP Project aims to improve the aesthetics and preserve and maintain community infrastructure within Neighbourhood Democratic councils and municipalities.

Armogan leaves to mourn his widow Nargis; children, Rockey, Acklema and Trevor, other relatives and friends.

Zabarally Armogan

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guyana CHRONICLE monday, june 20, 2022

Be mindful, inclusive and compassionate to refugees, migrants –– Head of UNHCR’s Guyana office urges WITH Guyana becoming a host country to thousands of refugees and migrants who have fled the economic crisis and growing political discontent in Venezuela, Cecilie Becker, Head of the National Office of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Guyana, is appealing to Guyanese to give them the support they need to get on their feet.

In an interview with this newspaper on Sunday, Becker explained that refugees and migrants face many hardships, from the time they flee their homes to when they arrive in a host country.

“Refugees, if they have the opportunity, they would stay in their home country. They are not here voluntarily; they are here because they have been compelled to leave behind their loved ones; leave behind their personal belongings,” she said.

She added, “The host countries who are receiving the refugees when they are coming in, the more understanding they get of the reason why some people are

Cecilie Becker, Head of the UNHCR Office in Guyana forced to flee, whether it be prosecution or due to internal conflict, it helps bring up tolerance, understanding and broader humanitarian perspective, because, not everyone understands why these people are coming into their country.”

Becker noted that the lack of knowledge bout who are refugees and some of their challenges makes it even more difficult for them to adjust. While noting that the information is accessible, she said that the host population must

become aware and be open-minded and inclusive of the humanitarian situation.

“Overall, what we would like from the host population is for them to be open-minded; be inclusive, and have refugees included in their day-to-day activities,” she said, adding: “If you go to school with somebody who is here because of a situation in their home country, give them a hand.

Introduce them; take them to show your friends and include them.”

She noted that providing assistance to refugees is not just the work of the organisation or the government, hence, support is needed from all, and everyone can help in one way or another.

“We (the UNHCR) are here to support the government in providing the support to the people who are coming into Guyana. I think that having everyone understand just a little bit of what it entails to be a refugee, whether you are child, whether you are a youth, whether you are an adult, it will help to give the refugee who come into the country an easier day.

Patrons participating in the interactive exhibition on refugees at the YMCA on Sunday They are already facing a lot of barriers in terms of languages,” the UNHCR official emphasised.

According to the UNHCR, Guyana’s immigration officials in Region One (Barima-Waini) have registered and documented over 200 Venezuelan refugees and migrants, and issued government registration certificates to them.

This certificate incorporates a legal-stay permit, which is issued and renewed by the Government of Guyana. This permit allows those individuals the

chance to not just legally stay in Guyana, but also to work, earn and educate themselves.

Meanwhile, in a bid to educate the Guyanese populace on the life of refugees, and to shed some light on the UNHCR’s work in Guyana, the organization on Sunday hosted an interactive exhibition in observance of World Refugee Day, which is celebrated globally on June 20 each year.

The exhibition, which was held at the YMCA on Thomas Lands, provided extensive information

about the organisation’s work in Guyana and other parts of the world. Those who visited also had an opportunity to learn about the refugees, and some of the challenges they face.

“We have six stations; it walks you through the stage of a refugee, from the time the person flees their country, to crossing the border and coming into a new country and facing different challenges, and to finding solutions. So, this is what the exhibition is about,” Becker said.

Minister Indar says did not play a role in cops’ visit to SN MINISTER within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar on Sunday said he had no part to play in the police showing up at the office of the news agency, Stabroek News.

Minister Indar was responding to an article published in the Stabroek News on Sunday, June 19, 2022, in which the newspaper accused him of instigating the dispatch of police to the company’s office.

In a press release, the

minister stated that it was necessary to clarify the “false reporting” which he said was designed to mislead persons about his character and conduct as a minister.

“I would like to state that I did not initiate, instruct or use another agent or colleague to instruct the police to visit Stabroek News, as they have accused me of doing,” Minister Deodat said.

As such, he recalled that a reporter from the

entity called him on June 14 and indicated to him that an envelope with documents that had his signature affixed to them was dropped at their office, and further sought clarification.

Indar indicated that he met with the reporter, and provided comments on the documents that were produced, which he noted were original corporate documents and a Board resolution of a company where he once served as an officer before taking office in

government.

Further, he added that a call was made to the current management of the company, and as a result, the director spoke directly with the reporter and informed her that the documents which she had in her possession were stolen as a result of a break-in of the company’s premises on April 14, 2022.

“The company official also informed the reporter that the perpetrator was not yet arrested, and that the matter

was reported then to the police for investigation,” the release said.

The Public Works Minister went on to add that he was asked to provide a comment by the reporter, which he did, and it was reflected in the article, and as such, that is as far as his involvement went.

Indar further expressed that before he became a minister, he served in several corporate executive positions, and as a businessman for over 20 years.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar He iterated that since assuming office, he has resigned from all positions in the private sector and not-for-profit organisations.

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There but for the grace…go you or I THE next time you encounter a child who is disabled, remember no one ever asks for sickness or infirmity to befall them, and if they had a choice, there is no doubt they would choose to be the same as everyone else. We do not live in a perfect world, so it is time we faced and embraced the fact that some children are born with disabilities.

Initially, families can be heartbroken when this happens; they enter a whole new world. How do they care for their disabled child, and what does the future hold? If families are not strong, blame, accusations, embarrassment, neglect, abandonment and separation could follow. However, even the strongest of families despair at the whispers, sneers, and stares from insensitive people who fail to offer genuine compassion or give a helping hand. A wise man once said, ‘if you can’t say something helpful, say nothing’.

Healthy babies are born every day, and even with the best of care, an illness could develop, bringing about permanent physical or mental change in the child at any stage of his/her life -thankfully, this does not often happen. Severe or freak accidents can also leave children or grown-ups in life-altering conditions, rendering them unable to perform everyday functions without assistance. This misfortune could occur in any household in the world - unplanned, unwanted and the effects of which touch each family member in some way.

In bygone days, when walking past someone who was differently abled, grownups would tell children to keep their heads straight and don’t look. It could be that adults thought it wrong and impolite to stare at someone who looked different, or maybe they thought that by looking, some ill-fate, or the same unfortunate fate, might strike the onlooker.

On the contrary, many disabled children endured segregation in the past, locked up and out of sight. They were not allowed to interact with children or partake in edifying activity. It seemed as if their disability made them not less of a person but a non-person.

Even the word invalid (which means in valid) is a particularly harsh way of describing someone unwell or infirm.

Treating disabled people with scorn affirms their feelings of worthlessness and lack of esteem - no one likes to feel unwanted or cast aside by loved ones; everyone wants to feel good about themselves.

Over the years, some things have improved, albeit slowly. As information becomes accessible and shared in the public domain, more people are learning that some differently-abled people can live productive and valuable lives. Disabled people feature in movies and advertising -some (autistic children) have exceptional unique qualities and abilities.

When the emphasis highlights what a disabled person can do, learn, master and control, instead of stressing and promoting their disability, they can achieve a more fulfilling life. However, advice and guidance from a trained doctor or physician should be

sought and followed at all times.

Health complications and adjustments to everyday life surround caring for differently-abled persons. It can be exhausting, even overwhelming, at times for some parents and carers. Those who learn to manage this lifestyle understand what the process entails and cultivate strategies along the way to help them cope. While others never come to grips with the idea that differently-abled people still need to have a life – so they keep them hidden and pay them no mind.

Sometimes approaching a disabled person and deciding what to say can be awkward, especially for those (adults and children) who have never encountered physically or mentally challenged people. More advertisements and books should be provided to help children understand - differently-abled people should be embraced rather than made fun of or shunned. Some are able-bodied, and some are not. Some look and sound normal, but they have mental health issues – disabilities are not always apparent.

Children tend to be more accepting of those with disabilities - they appreciate explanations and understand our existence’s trials and tribulations.

It is easier for some people to pretend they did not see the disabled person rather than interact with him/her. Not because they want to be rude, they are just unsure how to react, although showing courtesy and consideration is the civilised thing to do. It stands to reason that a disabled person would prefer to be acknowledged rather than ignored or talked about as if they were not there.

Doctors and nurses who work with disabled children understand the background and reasons behind various types of disabilities. They can advise the best care and activities to help differently-abled people get the best out of life.

In some cases, keeping the disabled person clean, safe and comfortable is all loved ones can do. But even then, carers should perform these duties with thoughtfulness, attention, dignity and respect for the person.

Extra consideration and improvised methods of communication may be necessary if a disabled person cannot speak.

To conclude, the best way to work out how to behave, act, acknowledge, befriend or help a disabled person is to put yourself in their shoes. How would you like to be greeted? With love, enthusiasm and care?

Or with doubt, curiosity and scorn? Never assume that disabled people see their lives as a misfortune and offer them pity – bring some understanding, love and knowledge to the table.

The Ministry of Human Services & Social Security is giving special assistance to all children and adults living with a permanent disability.

If you are concerned about the welfare of a child, call the CPA hotline on 227 0979 or write to us at childcaregy@gmail.com A MESSAGE FROM THE CHILDCARE AND PROTECTION AGENCY, MINISTRY OF HUMAN SERVICES AND SOCIAL SECURITY

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20 trained to address water, sanitation and hygiene needs in emergencies

THE capacity of personnel in key sectors to prepare for and respond to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) needs during disasters has been strengthened following a WaSH in Emergency training exercise co-organised by the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and UNICEF. According to a release, the two-day activity, which concluded Thursday, focused on key areas inclusive of standardised WaSH preparedness and response plans, contingency planning, WaSH sector coordination; and identified key WaSH preparedness actions for the main crises in Guyana, among other topics.

In delivering remarks

Participants with their certificates at the end of the WaSH in Emergency training at the Civil Defence Commission headquarters, Georgetown, on Thursday Wednesday to commence the workshop, UNICEF Representative, Irfan Akhtar highlighted the vital role of clean water, basic toilets, and good hygiene practices in giving every child a healthier start in life.

In addition, he emphasised the importance of

emergency preparedness, noting that, with climate change, extreme weather events such as floods and droughts have increased in frequency and intensity, further impacting access to WaSH services, particularly for the most vulnerable populations.

He noted, too, that the

COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role of WaSH services in preventing and controlling both epidemic and endemic diseases, the release said.

“UNICEF is committed to continue to support our partners, not only in development, but in preparing for, and re-

sponding to, emergency situations and reaching the most vulnerable children and families…. This workshop is one step towards strengthening the coordination mechanism and improving our preparedness for any emergency response,” said Akhtar.

Highlighting that WaSH services are usually the first affected in an emergency, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Narine Singh, said that the training would prepare the relevant agencies to respond better.

“In all emergencies, whether they’re man-made see page 12

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20 trained to address water, sanitation ...

from page 11

or natural disasters, if we can predict them, we can prepare for them, and we can handle them,” he said while urging the participants to apply the knowledge gained to enhance their organisations’ preparedness and response systems.

CDC Director-General (ag), Major Loring, urged investment in WaSH services to ensure everyone has access to safe and potable water and basic sanitation.

“WaSH is the first line of defence against COVID-19 and so many other diseases…without WaSH, we are vulnerable,” he observed.

CRITICAL COMPONENT Abbigail Liverpool, WaSH Coordination Committee Lead, Ministry of Health, noted that WaSH is a critical component of health.

It contributes significantly to the burden of diseases of public health importance, resulting in more than 3.3 per cent of the global deaths and 4.6 per cent of the disability-adjusted life years.

She further stated that disasters and emergencies exacerbate the impacts of the WaSH-related disease burden.

Noting the Committee’s role as a coordinating body for WaSH activities, Liverpool highlighted that the Committee, which is being strengthened with UNICEF support, identified training as a priority.

Other functions of the Committee include supporting national capacity building for emergency preparedness and planning; planning and implementing sector response strategies; and identifying capacity gaps and addressing them during non-emergency. Notably,

Jainil Didaraly, UNICEF Multi-country WaSH in Emergency Preparedness Consultant for the Caribbean, making a presentation during the WaSH in Emergency training at the Civil Defence Commission headquarters, Georgetown, on Thursday harmonising approaches and a common strategy for WaSH actors aligned

with the disaster response plans, avoiding duplication of resources/activities

between the multiple actors when an emergency hits and addressing the gaps to ensure the most vulnerable are assisted, were also identified as priority.

Participants at the workshop included representatives from the CDC, Guyana Water Incorporated, the Health Emergency Operations Centre, the Environmental Health Unit, the Standards and Technical Services Unit (Ministry of Health), the Guyana Red Cross Society, the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown, the Ministry of Housing and Water, the Ministry of Education and UNICEF. Jainil Didaraly, UNICEF Multi-country WaSH in Emergency Preparedness Consultant for the Caribbean, led the interactive sessions while several agencies also made presentations.

In moving forward, partners will elaborate a

dedicated WaSH preparedness and response plan for Guyana to be added as an annex of the National Disaster Risk Management Plan and harmonise a WaSH Rapid Assessment Tool for Guyana’s WaSH sector.

In addition, the Committee will organise a workshop in the coming months on the contextualisation of emergency SPHERE standards for the Guyana WaSH sector as a result of this impactful training.

WaSH is a programmatic priority for UNICEF in Guyana, with a key goal in the Country Programme for 2022-2026 being to ensure that every child, including adolescents, has access to safe, resilient water, sanitation and hygiene services and lives in a safe and sustainable climate and environment, the release said.

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Yoga a vital tool for holistic health –– say High Commissioner, Dr Srinivasa, Minister Persaud as hundreds participate in session at ‘Everest’

THE Indian High Commission, as part of its planned activities for International Day of Yoga 2022, held a yoga session at the Everest Cricket Ground, which event saw participation

from over 70 persons.

Indian High Commissioner to Guyana Dr. K. J. Srinivasa, in his remarks at the event, said that the live yoga session was being held for the first time in two years. The

session was conducted by founder of the Namaste Yoga Studio and yoga teacher, Agnela Patel, who skillfully led the participants through a series of postures and relaxation techniques.

Indian High Commissioner to Guyana Dr. K. J. Srinivasa

Scenes from the yoga session held at the Everest Cricket Ground on Sunday (Carl Croker photos)

Dr Srinivasa explained to participants that in India, multiple events such as this will be held at 75 heritage and cultural sites on June 21, 2022, the day designated by the United Nations.

“We are also being supported by many influencers; sports persons across the world, and we have been receiving their messages of congratulations and also their active promotion of yoga,” Dr. Srinivasa said.

Former President of Guyana, Donald Ramotar, who is a regular yoga practitioner, was among the participants at the yoga session held here at ‘Everest’, and he is of the belief that yoga helps to give persons a better quality of life, as well as more flexibility.

Ramotar encouraged other participants at the event to continue practising yoga, as it will help impact their lives positively.

Meanwhile, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud also practised yoga on Sunday, and sent greetings and good wishes on behalf of President, Dr Irfaan Ali. She noted that these types of exercises are recommended to help persons get more flexibility in their joints, as it helps those with mobility issues.

“In addition to this, yoga helps us to think and to have clarity of mind; it is recommended by the medical field…. Hopefully, those of us who are here today, and those of us who have never been exposed to yoga, will become serious practitioners of yoga,” Minister Persaud said.

She added: “This journey of yoga may be one where you discover elements of yourself by finding yourself; it helps you to find yourself. And you know we always say, to contribute to the best of your abilities is to be able to know yourself best.”

During an interview on Friday, the Indian High Commissioner told the Guyana Chronicle that given the benefits to one’s mental and physical well-being, efforts are being made to make yoga popular among youths.

“Yoga is the art and science of well-being, which is a traditional practice from India. Over these years, it has grown from strength to strength, because it is good for not only your mental well-being, but also physical well-being. It helps also in your spiritual upliftment,” he told this publication.

He related that yoga is not bound by race, religion or creed, and is helpful to peo-

ple in many different ways.

“If you see the latest ‘COVID’ pandemic, it has been able to help people to fight the stress; fight depression, and fight loneliness, at the same time keeping them both physically fit and mentally active,” Dr. Srinivasa said.

He explained to this publication that yoga is also proven to help combat non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, and it also helps in improvement of memory.

“This will help the new generation and also the older generation to combat all this daily stress and strain that they undergo; help them to keep themselves fit,” Dr. Srinivasa said.

The United Nations, in December 2014, proclaimed June 21 every year to be International Day of Yoga. The concept of such a day was first proposed

by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This year is the eighth International Day of Yoga.

“Since 2015, every year, despite the pandemic, we have held International Day of Yoga, and this year, we have a theme called ‘Yoga for humanity’, because we believe that humanity can be served well,” Dr. Srinivasa said.

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Fatherhood and single dads

By Vanessa Cort

IT is heartening to know that men’s problems, and in particular those of single fathers, are being heard and tackled in our society in a way that will bring about meaningful change.

The recent announcement by Human Services and Social Security Minister Dr Vindhya Vasini Persaud that her ministry plans to establish a single-fathers support group is as welcome as it is timely.

This initiative was fuelled by a walk, organised by social activist Randy Sheppard, drawing attention to the very real issues that men all over the world encounter daily.

The pressure faced by our male counterparts was intensified recently by the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw many face job losses or reduced working hours, leading to loss of incomes or decreased wages, while expectations – that they keep their families housed, clothed and fed – remained the same.

And the underlying view, espoused by societies across the globe that men must be strong, face all the odds unflinchingly and show no emotion, has only served to compound the issue.

Generally, too, men have remained

relatively stoic, unwilling to speak of their difficulties or reveal their emotional strain for fear of being seen as weak or incapable.

However, as the walk titled, “Men helping men, hearing men, healing men,” has shown, men are becoming more active and vocal in highlighting their problems and forcing society to take notice.

While the majority of single-parent families are headed by women, who, it has been acknowledged, face myriad challenges, the same level of attention has not been accorded men, who often face even greater troubles.

Household chores and meal preparation, which come relatively easily for women accustomed to wearing multiple ‘hats’ and juggling everyday activities, often pose seemingly insurmountable hurdles for men.

In a scenario where ‘practice (definitely) makes perfect’, few men have had the practice and when called upon to do so, court, at best, failure and at worst, disaster.

Many are the sit-com tales of single fathers floundering around in the kitchen trying to prepare a meal with young children underfoot, while the older ones ‘do their own thing’, reluctant to help,

(Shutterstock photo) household chores are neglected and chaos reigns.

Some men may achieve success in the short-term, but all need help in sustaining this for the ‘long haul,’ when there is no end in sight and little outside assistance is forthcoming.

One single dad with a five year-old son said on The Fatherhood web site that, solo parenting has not always proved easy, telling single dads, “You’ll make lots of mistakes. But you’re their dad and that cannot be taken away from you”.

And Wayne Parker, writing for VeryWell Family, notes that there are few sit-

uations more challenging than becoming a new single dad with children at home.

“Whether you lose your spouse and the mother of your kids to death or because of divorce and/or abandonment, adjusting to the new reality of things is a major and life-changing task”, he tells single fathers.

His advice to those struggling with “where to start and how to even begin to get your arms around the rest” is to establish new routines for everything, from grocery shopping to keeping school papers in order.

However this is easier said than done and single dads still have to grapple with a situation for which they are usually unprepared and which their children may also find difficult to handle.

At the top of the list of parenting tips for single dads is, ‘get some support’, which is where a group such as the one planned by the Human Resources Minister will definitely be able to play its part.

It cannot only provide a forum for single dads to discuss their problems and get advice, but also gives them the unique opportunity to hear from those with more experience in the role and allow them to celebrate their triumphs, while dealing with their setbacks.

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Innovative partnerships key to global food security –– FAO Director-General says QU DONGYU, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, has underlined the importance of innovative partnerships, especially with academic institutions, in helping to promote global food security, as he addressed a Graduation Day ceremony at the University of Siena.

“Fostering innovative partnerships for a food secure world is a top priority for the United Nations, as set out in the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Qu said.

The priority is “embedded in the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31, which will guide our work over the next decade,” he added.

To reach this goal, “we need to build stronger, more strategic partnerships with civil society organisations, parliamentarians, indigenous peoples, academia and research institutions, and FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, adthe private sector, and especially with dresses the graduation day ceremony the youth - and all of you!” the FAO at the University of Siena (FAO photo) Director-General said.

Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Academic and research institutions International Cooperation, Professor are critical partners in this area. FAO Francesco Frati, Rector of the Uniis currently collaborating with over 80 versity of Siena and Professor Jeffrey of them worldwide, 10 of which are in Sachs, President of the UN Sustainable Italy.

Development Solutions Network. Sachs Also participating in the graduation also received an honorary degree from ceremony were Luigi de Mossi, Mayor the university as part of the celebration. of Siena, Ambassador Stefano Gatti, FAO has a Memorandum of UnderSpecial Envoy for Food Security, at the standing with the PRIMA Foundation,

a network of research and innovation institutions involving 19 countries in the Mediterranean that promote innovation, research, technology transfer and training support.

The University of Siena is at the heart of this, serving as the host of the Italian Secretariat of the PRIMA Foundation.

The FAO Director-General announced that, as part of the campaign ‘Together for the SDGs’, FAO is launching a web App called “Urban Actions” to inspire the public, especially young people, to learn about the 2030 Agenda and how they can help achieve the global goals in their own city.

Qu encouraged the new graduates to download the App from a ‘SDGs Wall’ which has been in place in Siena for the last few days, and learn about

the specific actions they can take.

“Together, we can make our urban areas more inclusive, safe, green and resilient to ensure they work with nature, and improve city living.”

He said Siena was making great efforts to be a sustainable city, demonstrating a balanced approach to protecting the local environment while stimulating economic growth through good urban planning, land usage, and rural and urban development.

Qu also invited his young audience to participate in the World Food Forum to be held from 17-21 October at FAO headquarters in Rome. It is the second of its kind, which will be entirely focused on empowering young people to actively shape our agrifood systems and achieve the SDGs, the Director-General said. (FAO)

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Campbell scores winning runs as West Indies beat Bangladesh SCOREBOARD

BANGLADESH 1st Innings 103 WEST INDIES 1st Innings 265 BANGLADESH 2nd Innings 245 WEST INDIES 2nd Innings (target: 84 runs) (overnight 49 for three) *K Brathwaite c wkpr Nurul Hasan b Khaled Ahmed 1 J Campbell not out 58 R Reifer c wkpr Nurul Hasan b Khaled Ahmed 2 N Bonner b Khaled Ahmed 0 J Blackwood not out 26 Extras (lb1) 1 TOTAL (3 wkts, 22 overs) 88 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-3, 3-9.

Bowling: Mustafizur Rahman 4-1-7-0; Khaled Ahmed 5-0-27-3; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 3-2-10-0; Ebadot Hossain 4-0-30-0; Shakib Al Hasan 2-0-3-0; Najmul Hossain Shanto 1-0-10-0.

Result: West Indies won by seven wickets.

Points: West Indies 12, Bangladesh 0.

Series: West Indies lead two-Test series 1-0.

Player-of-the-Match: K. Roach (West Indies).

Umpires: J. Wilson, C. Gaffaney (New Zealand).

TV umpire: R. Illingworth (England).

Match referee: J. Crowe (New Zealand).

Reserve umpire: G. Brathwaite.

Khaled Ahmed shows his disappointmen (Jun 18, 2022•AFP/Getty Images) CMC – John Campbell struck his third Test half-century but his first in 16 innings as West Indies required just shy of half-hour to complete a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the opening Test here Sunday.

John Campbell cuts en route to his third Test half-century on Sunday’s penultimate day of the opening Test. (Photo courtesy CWI Media) Resuming the fourth morning at the Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium on 49 for three and requiring only 35 runs for victory, West Indies cantered to their target in seven overs without further loss, with the left-handed Campbell punching an unbeaten 58.

Vi c e - c a p t a i n J e rmaine Blackwood finished on 26 not out, helping to anchor a 79run, fourth wicket stand which pulled West Indies around from the dire straits of nine for three late on Saturday’s third day, when seamer Khaled Ahmed(3-27) scythed through the top order.

The victory gave West Indies a 1-0 lead in the two-match series, which continues in St Lucia next week with the final affair at the Daren Sammy Cricket Stadium.

“I think obviously the coaching staff is doing a very good job. I think Kemar Roach is really leading from the front, both on and off [the field], and how we bowled first day really summed it up,” said captain Kraigg Brathwaite.

“I thought the lines and lengths we bowled early [were great]. We didn’t take long to get into stride and I thought that was superb and that basically set the tone for

the game.”

Picking up on his overnight 28, Campbell struck nine fours and a six in a breezy 67-ball knock which lasted just short of 1-¾ hours while Blackwood, on 17 at the start, counted two fours in a 53-ball innings.

A couple of boundaries in the day’s second

over from pacer Ebadot Hossain got Campbell on his way and he moved to the brink of his half-century with another brace of boundaries off Khaled, to bring the target down to single figures.

He swept off-spinner Najmul Hossain Shanto for a boundary to reach his fifty off just 63 deliv-

eries and ended the game in the same over by clearing the ropes at long off.

Roach was adjudged Man-of-the-Match for his seven-wicket match haul, including his five-wicket haul on Saturday which strengthened West Indies’ hold on the contest.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Monday June 20, 2022) COMPLIMENTS OF CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD- 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Nil (2) Shahnawaz Dahani & Mohammad haris Today’s Quiz: (1) How many ODI games the WI & PAK have now played against each other to date?

(2) How many the WI have won?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue ………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, June 20 , 2022

Salt, Roy see England past Netherlands

(ESPNCRICINFO) - It wasn’t exactly “Fireworks Friday” but half-centuries to Phil Salt and Jason Roy saw England to victory by six wickets and an unassailable 2-0 series lead against Netherlands at Amstelveen.

Set 236 to win a match reduced to 41 overs per side after a wet outfield delayed the start by nearly three hours, England overhauled the target with 29 balls to spare ahead of the final fixture on Wednesday.

Scott Edwards, standing in as captain for Pieter Seelaar -- who announced his retirement while sitting out the match with a persistent back injury -- led Netherlands to 235 for 7 with an excellent 78 off 73 balls.

England’s response wasn’t without its hiccups, losing captain Eoin Morgan and Liam Livingstone cheaply and with Jos Buttler, the star of their world record-breaking victory in Friday’s series opener, sitting out for the chase.

Roy, playing his 100th ODI after he had missed out on England’s charge when he was dismissed in the second over of the first match, helped himself to 13 runs off the first over of their reply on Sunday, including three fours off Logan van Beek, and he smashed two more off Vivian Kingma in the next.

After the eight-over powerplay, the visitors were 47 without loss, compared to 33 for 1 for Netherlands, and by early in the 11th over England had already surpassed the 11 fours Netherlands scored for their entire innings.

Roy brought up the team hundred with a deft cut off Aryan Dutt through backward point for four and two balls later he crunched Dutt for six over the longest boundary at deep midwicket.

Two fours in three balls off Bas de Leede brought Salt to his 50 and he drove and swept three consecutive fours off Dutt before Roy chimed in, advancing and

crashing Dutt over mid-off to the boundary. Having shared a 139-run opening stand with Salt, Roy got carried away next ball however, and gifted a catch to Shane Snater at short third man, clearly angry with himself to be gone for 73 off 60.

Salt, too, left with a sense of promise unfulfilled but that was only by the lofty measure of his century in the first match. Eyeing back-toback tons, he followed Roy out a short time later for a still-admirable 77 off just 54 balls, beautifully bowled by Dutt as he tried to step down to the spinner.

England were 168 for 2 before Morgan made his second duck in as many innings, top-edging Tom Cooper to Snater at backward point. It extended a lean run for Morgan who has been troubled by injuries this year and managed just one international half-century in 18 months.

Livingstone, who had shrugged off the calf muscle tightness which took him from the field during Netherlands’ futile chase in the first game, came in ahead of Buttler.

His quick-fire 66 in the previous match suggested England were still on track to romp to victory but his stay was brief on this occasion when he provided Tim Pringle with his maiden wicket on international debut. Left-arm spinner Pringle, the son of former New Zealand and Netherlands medium-pacer Chris Pringle, sent down a gem that enticed Livingstone forward, beat the outside edge and pinged to top of off stump.

There was still no sign of Buttler when Moeen Ali came to the crease and there were hearts in mouths when Dawid Malan, another centurion from the first fixture, was given out lbw to Dutt but he survived on review with Hawk-Eye showing the ball was headed over the stumps.

Moeen levelled the scores with six then four off Pringle and after a plucky maid-

Jason Roy and Phil Salt added 139 for the opening wicket•Jun 18, 2022•Getty Images en from van Beek, Moeen clubbed the winning runs with a four off Snater through square leg.

Earlier, David Willey had dismissed Vikramjit Singh cheaply for the second time in the series before Adil Rashid

entered the attack in the ninth over and struck almost immediately, tempting Max O’Dowd into a slog-sweep with Malan leaping a long way to his left at square leg to pouch a sharp catch.

Brydon Carse, in the England side for Sam Curran who is managing his return from a back stress fracture, then struck with his second ball to remove Cooper, pinned lbw by a nip-backer that struck in line with middle and leg stumps and looked to be clipping the top of leg.

With just one run to his name, Edwards overturned his lbw dismissal to a Rashid delivery which was shown on review to be spinning past off stump by just enough to earn him a reprieve. He shared a 61-run stand with de Leede, whose enterprising 34 included whacking Rashid over cow corner into commentary box window.

Edwards moved to 47 by slogging Livingstone over the fence - the ball dropped short of the commentators’ perch this time - and he brought up

his fifty with a mow down the ground for six off Carse.

With the crowd finding their voices following a subdued start given the earlier delay to proceedings, they roared to life when Willey beat Teja Nidamanuru’s attempted straight drive with one that shaped in a little to peg back his middle and off stumps, ending a 73-run stand with Edwards.

Edwards prompted more cheers as he reverse-scooped Willey over third man for six to move past his unbeaten 72 scored in the first match.

He was eventually run out by an excellent direct hit by Willey running in from deep midwicket and throwing down the stumps at the striker’s end as Edwards, returning for a second, dived in vain.

Pringle was out for a second-ball duck, outdone by an excellent googly from Rashid, and it fell to Snater and van Beek to bump up the Netherlands’ total, Snater snatching 17 off 10 while van Beek managed 30 off 36.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, June 20, 2022

Rain forces no-result in South Africa/India match

(ESPNCRICINFO) The deciding day of this series started with the teams locked at 2-2, and 2-2 it remained after rain had the final say. Persistent drizzle in Bengaluru delayed the start of the fifth match by 47 minutes, and initially reduced the contest to 19 overs a side, but only 3.3 overs were bowled. Despite the Chinnaswamy’s stellar drainage system, the rain did not abate long enough for mop-up operations to begin for even a fiveover shootout.

South Africa may be the more disappointed of the two sides after Lungi Ngidi, playing in just his second T20I in almost a year, removed India’s openers in successive overs. Ngidi spent the whole of IPL 2022 on the bench, but used the

A short but heavy burst of rain delayed the start of play by 47 minutes • BCCI

time to hone his craft and has developed a particularly good slower ball. He used it to remove Ishan Kishan, who was through his drive by the time the

delivery arrived. It was full on offstump and took it out with Kishan perhaps still contemplating the 141kph ball that had been called wide just before. In

his next over, Ngidi stuck to the offcutter. Ruturaj Gaikwad advanced down the track and tried to clear the inner ring but hit the ball off the toe-end of his bat, to Dwaine Pretorius at mid-on. Only one more ball was bowled when the rain returned and the players left the field.

The capacity crowd chanted “RCB” as they waited but not even the chant of their IPL franchise could bring their adopted home-town hero

South Africa Racing Tips Grenville 08:10 hrs What A Blast 08:45 hrs Capetown Affair 09:20 hrs Burmese Tiara 09:55 hrs Fearless Kitty 10:25 hrs Gimme A Rainbow American Racing Tips Finger Lakes Race 1 Star Manger Race 2 Never Early Race 3 Hot Take Race 4 Twisted Sunsez Race 5 Half Day Pam Race 6 Easy Play Race 7 Gimmedamoney Race 8 Tootsie’s Song

Dinesh Karthik to the crease. Karthik had scored his first T20I half-century in Rajkot and was keen to play in front of the Bengaluru crowd.

Doubtless so was Keshav Maharaj, who was captaining for the fourth time in his 13-match T20I career, after Temba Bavuma was ruled out of the match with an elbow injury. South Africa made three changes to the XI that lost two days’ ago, one forced by Bavuma’s

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absence.

Reeza Hendricks was brought in to open the batting, Kagiso Rabada recovered from a groin niggle to return to the attack in place of Marco Jansen and South Africa included Tristan Stubbs as an extra batter while dispensing with the second specialist spinner, Tabraiz Shamsi. Stubbs has yet to bat in international cricket after making his debut in the series opener in Delhi, where South Africa won the game without requiring him.

India played the same XI throughout the series, lost every toss and had to defend in all five matches. After losing the first two, they hit their stride and won the next two. If they had been victorious in this match, they would have become the first team to win a bilateral T20I series from 2-0 down. Instead, it’s South Africa, who have held on to a record. They have never lost a T20I series in India, and have not lost a white-ball series in the country since 2010.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, June 20 , 2022

Leguan Secondary School crowned circle tennis champions

LEGUAN Secondary School were crowned champions of the West Demerara Essequibo-Islands Circle Tennis Sub-Association and Al Sport and Tour Promo-

59-5 off their 25 deliveries, with Emmanuel Armstrong hitting 24, Devika Hiralal 10 and Harish Bodhram 10.

Leguan’s turn in the middle saw them hit off the required runs in 17 deliver-

Leguan Secondary School were crowned champions of the event

Leguan’s Jameel Sahoye collects his Player of the Tournament award tions 56th Independence Anniversary Mixed team tournament, which concluded recently at the Uitvlugt Community Centre ground.

Parika Salem Secondary batted first in the championship clash and scored

ies to reach 61-2.

Player of the Tournament Jameel Sahoye led the attack with 23, while Remesh Seeram added 22.

West Demerara Secondary finished third, Essequibo Islands Secondary fourth, Zeeburg Secondary

fifth, Uitvlugt Secondary sixth and Vergenoegen Secondary seventh.

AWARD CEREMONY Several awards were presented to the outstanding players and teams.

Sahoye was rewarded with his Player of the Tournament award, while Kareen Nalim from Parika Salem finished with the Best Bowler (female) award.

The Most Disciplined Team award went to the winners, as well as the Highest Team Score award, while the Most Uniformed team was Parika Salem.

A special prize was also given to Teacher Devika

Best Bowler (female), Kareena Nalim and her Parika Salem team-mates

Hiralal from Parika Salem.

The event was sponsored by Ansa Mc Al

Trading Guyana, GTT, Te a m M o h a m e d , D e partment of Youth in the

MCYS, the Ministry of Housing and the Ministry of Natural Resources.

22

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, June 20, 2022

Women’ Super 50 tournament..

Barbados beat Jamaica via D/L to secure semi spot (CMC) - Kyshona Knight struck a half-century as Barbados beat Jamaica by 11 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, to reach the semi-finals of the Women’s Super50 Cup. In a contest reduced to

32 overs per side on Saturday because of rain at the Guyana National Stadium, Barbados were dismissed for 121 with two balls left in the innings, with Knight top-scoring with 50 off 75 deliveries.

She put on 57 for the

first wicket with captain Hayley Matthews (16) to pull the innings around from a poor start when twin sister Kycia perished to the third ball of the day without a run on the board.

Kyshona, who struck

half-dozen fours, added a further 22 for the third wicket with Alisa Scantlebury (6), but her dismissal in the 21st over was part of a dramatic slide which saw Barbados lose seven wickets for 25 runs.

Captain Stafanie Tay-

Left-hander Kyshona Knight lor led the attack with three for 13 while fellow off-spinner Vanessa Watts (2-24) and seamer Chinelle Henry (2-25) supported with two wickets apiece.

In reply, Jamaica were teetering on the brink on 106 for nine in the 26th over when the rains returned to halt the game, with Barbados ahead on DLS. Opener Rashada Williams top-scored with 29 from 41 deliveries while Henry was unbeaten on 28, but off-spinner Matthews (3-16) and fast bowler Aaliyah Williams

(3-22) kept Barbados in control with three wickets hauls.

The best stand of the innings came when Williams, who struck five fours, was involved in a 38-run, third wicket partnership with Taylor (13), pushing Jamaica up to 58 for two in the 13th over.

Once fast bowler Shakera Taylor bowled Taylor in the 13th over, however, the Jamaica innings declined rapidly.

On Sunday, Guy ana’s game against Trinidad and Tobago was rained off without a ball bowled.

23

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, June 20 , 2022

Verstappen holds off Sainz to stretch championship lead (FORMULA 1) Max Verstappen claimed his fifth win in the last six races at the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix, withstanding a late onslaught from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, as Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton took his second podium of the season in P3.

Verstappen was looking well-placed for a comfortable victory over Sainz at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, when a Safety Car was called on Lap 49

of 70, after Yuki Tsunoda hit the Turn 2 barriers after exiting the pits.

Racing resumed with 16 laps remaining, Verstappen holding off the attacks of the fresher-tyred Sainz to claim his sixth victory of the season, and his 26th overall, as Sainz took his fifth podium of the year, although the Spaniard’s wait for his first victory continues.

Hamilton had been scathing in his assessment of the Mercedes W13 on

Friday, but the car looked handy on race day in Canada, as the seven-time champion completed the podium, his first rostrum appearance since the Bahrain season opener.

George Russell backed up his teammate in P4, while Charles Leclerc was able to recover to P5 for Ferrari, having started 19th after a raft of power-unit element changes.

Despite starting P2 after a sensational qual-

ifying on Saturday, Fernando Alonso finished a frustrated P7 behind his Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon, as Valtteri Bottas led home his Alfa Romeo teammate Zhou Guanyu, for P8, Zhou taking his second-ever points score.

Hometown hero Lance Stroll rounded out the top 10 for Aston Martin.

A slow stop for Daniel Ricciardo contributed to his finishing just outside the points in P11 for McLaren, ahead of

the Aston Martin of Sebastian Vettel, with Alex Albon taking 13th for Williams.

Pierre Gasly encountered problems early on, and was left to come home 14th for AlphaTauri, ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, who also had a slow stop; Williams’ Nicholas Latifi, and Haas’s Kevin Magnussen, the Dane dropping from P5 on the grid to P17 after a tough day in Canada.

Tsunoda was joined

by Haas’s Mick Schumacher, and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez in the retirements category, both Schumacher and Perez pulling up at Turn 8 early doors with technical issues.

F o r Ve r s t a p p e n , though, there were no such problems, as he further stretched his lead at the top of the standings, with what was only his second-ever Montreal podium.

Campbell scores winning runs as West Indies beat Bangladesh

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, June 20, 2022

SEE PAGE

18

Khaled Ahmed shows his disappointment (Jun 18, 2022•AFP/ Getty Images)

Verstappen holds off Sainz to stretch championship lead SEE PAGE

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Max Verstappen

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