Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_23_10_2022 by Guyana Chronicle

Promoting the vision of unity

' S ee Inside No.106884 SEE PAGE 2

The “One Guyana” bridge along Vlissingen road linking the walkway (Ministry of Public Works photo)

Stakeholders eager for construction of new Demerara River Bridge - foresee endless opportunities with new structure Application process opens Tuesday for steel, cement housing subsidy $489M in marijuana, two shotguns found at DeVeldt SEE PAGE 5 SEE PAGE 4 SEE FULL STORY ON PAGE 3

Stakeholders eager for construction of new Demerara River Bridge

foresee endless opportunities with new structure

By Cindy Parkinson

STAKEHOLDERS are anxious ly awaiting the construction of a new bridge across the Demerara River, as they strongly believe that such a development would unlock endless opportunities for economic advancement.

With the construction of the bridge, the government is hoping to address traffic woes along the East Bank of Demerara, and en hance interconnectivity between Regions Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara), thereby boosting the prospects for further growth and development.

The US$260 million contract for the construction of the bridge has been awarded to China Railway Construction Corporation Limited.

It is expected that the proposed facility will be a 2.65-kilometerlong hybrid bridge that will feature four lanes with two carriageways and a cycling lane. It will have a lifespan of about 100 years, with a driving surface of about 23.6 meters, or 77.8n feet.

The new cross ing will take the place of the exist ing bridge, which has been in op eration for more than 40 years.

Due to mechanical and oth er issues, the current struc ture needs hundreds of mil

lions of dollars in repairs eve ry year.

Even though the majority of the Guyanese population praised and welcomed the government’s initiative, the Sunday Chronicle reached out to a few members of the private sector who shared their views on the new bridge and how it will be of benefit to them.

One of the proprietors of Har lem’s Abdool Hakh & Sons Rice Milling Complex, Nafeez-UlHakh, applauds the Government of Guyana for having considered a much-needed structure, which he believes is long overdue.

“I know that this venture will benefit us tremendously. As it is right now, we are restricted by the weight limit at the bridge, and in some cases immediate crossing is not allowed. Most naturally, this affects the amount of rice that can be transported within a specific time-frame.

“With the recent accident on the Harbour Bridge, we could not have supplied our customers, and missed an entire shipment. These are just a few of the inconvenienc es and losses that we are faced with on a regular basis. I cannot wait for us to get the new bridge, so that all Guyanese can benefit from it. I am also asking that the toll for the new bridge be at an affordable cost for all, especially for trucks,” Hakh said.

after the recent accident.

“The cost of cooking gas went up by a lot, because the trucks could not have gone to George town. With us getting the new bridge now, that will benefit al most all the business es in Essequibo, and not only the gas sta tions. Most of us go to Georgetown every week for business, and we are tired of the traf fic congestion on the way there and return ing. Plus, you have to make sure that you keep up with the opening and closing times to avoid being stuck in traffic,” Narine said.

Lisa (the only name given), who lives in Georgetown but owns a small clothing store at the Parika Market, said: “I am happy that we are getting this new bridge. Many days, because of traffic, I am late getting to my store, and would miss my customers sometimes. This will help us a lot, because I buy my clothes in Georgetown, and take them to sell at my store in Parika. I have a lot of load, and crossing with the boat is a hassle. Thanks to the President and his government for this.”

Earlier this month, the DHB was closed to vehicular traffic, because a fuel tanker crashed into it, causing significant struc tural damage in the sum of over $1 billion.

2 SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 23, 2022

Ovinash Narine, the son of Sham Gas Station on the Esse quibo Coast, would like to thank the government for its “swift” ac tion to get the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) up and running

Abdool-Hakh-and-Sons-Harlem-WCD

Application process opens Tuesday for steel, cement housing subsidy

THE Ministry of Housing and Water through the Central Housing and Planning Author ity (CH&PA), will, on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, open the appli cation process for the Steel and Cement Housing Subsidy Pro gramme, which was announced by President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, during the International Build ing Expo 2022.

This programme would see homeowners constructing homes at the value of $6 million or less receiving one sling of cement, along with the steel to be used for the foundation of the home, while home builders in $6 million to $25 million categories will receive two slings of cement to aid in the con struction process.

President Ali, at the expo, had said that these initiatives are be ing implemented to continue the government’s aggressive agenda of making homeownership more affordable and to boost the quality of life of Guyanese.

Forms for this programme could be uplifted from the Ministry of Housing and Water on Brick dam, and at all Regional Housing Offices.

Applicants must have copies of their and co-applicants’ valid forms of identification, the approved house plan from the relevant au thority, the approved loan from a financial institution, if applicable, as well as proof of ownership of the land acquired such as the transport or certificate of title of agreement of sale.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the CPHA, Sherwyn Greaves, had said this month that the gov ernment is expected to invest ap proximately $700 million into the programme by the end of the year.

Geaves had said that the mo dalities for the programme had been worked out and the ministry was then moving to the tendering stage, where it would be seeking out suppliers to provide the materi als to qualified persons.

He said: “So, let’s say for ex ample as we are in Region Seven here today, we want all the suppli ers of cement and steel in Region Seven to be given a chance to ten der for this programme.”

Greaves pointed out that once a person owns the land and has a housing plan, and approached the bank for a loan to commence construction, they will be supplied with the materials.

Qualified persons will be is sued with a voucher to purchase the materials at selected merchants.

“Persons must be aware that we will have officers following up to ensure that they receive what they are supposed to receive and they utilise it to the fullest,” the CEO said.

Greaves related that the programme is ongoing, so those persons who are yet to ap proach the banks for loans or are still waiting to identify their lands will benefit from the pro gramme.

4 SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 23, 2022

B 7 12 19 21 22 23 9 22- 10, 2022 22/10/2022: 1 5 10 20 26 22/10/2022: 6 3 5 22/10/2022: 4 2 3 22/10/2022: 2 5 13 16 19 20 21

$489M in marijuana, two shotguns found at DeVeldt

A JOINT effort has re sulted in the discovery of $489 million worth of marijuana and two shot guns at DeVeldt Savan nah, Berbice.

According to a release, officers and ranks of the Guyana Police Force’s ma rine section and narcotics branch, along with ranks of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), acting on information, conducted a narcotics eradication exercise along the Berbice River.

During the exercise, the members of the Joint

Services discovered one marijuana farm, two camps, and two drying areas.

The farm measured about four acres, with about 20,000 cannabis plants measuring from six inches to two feet high.

A 37-year-old farmer of Stewartville, West Coast Demerara, was found on the farm attending to the cannabis plants.

When the ranks searched the first camp, a suspected twelve-gauge shotgun, loaded with three live cartridges, one Guy

ana passport, one identifi cation card, and one birth certificate belonging to the farmer who was arrested, were found.

Searches were also conducted on the second camp, where a suspect ed twelve-gauge shot gun along with four live twelve-gauge cartridges were found.

Searches were then conducted on the two dry ing areas and a quantity of dry cannabis was found with an estimated weight of about 800 pounds. The estimated weight of the

cannabis plants is 400 pounds. The total street value of the cannabis found during the opera tion is $489 million.

A gasoline plow, sev eral farming tools, and a spray can was also found in the camp. The plants, camps and drying areas, spray can and farming tools, were all destroyed by fire.

The farmer was es corted to Central Police Station, where he was placed into custody. The firearms and ammuni tion have been lodged.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 23, 2022 5

A joint effort has resulted in the discovery of $489 million worth of marijuana and two shotguns at DeVeldt Savannah, Berbice

Consolidating Democracy

TWO recent developments have demonstrated that de mocracy in Guyana is not only alive and kicking but also becoming increasingly consolidated. This strength ening and consolidation of our democracy augurs well for the upward trajectory of our economic and social life, which has now entered a new and exciting phase following the discovery of oil and gas in commercial quantities.

The first of these two re cent developments is the re cent ruling by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) that the Court of Appeal in Guy ana does not have jurisdiction to hear an appeal filed against the decision of Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, S.C., to dismiss the APNU+AFC supported elections petition.

The CCJ, which is the country’s final court of ap peal, ruled in favour of an application filed by AttorneyGeneral, Anil Nandlall, S.C.

and Vice-President, Dr. Bhar rat Jagdeo, in his capacity as General Secretary of the ruling People’s Progressive Party.

The ruling by the CCJ is yet another blow to the APNU+AFC coalition which is seeking to challenge the results of the March 2, 2020 General and Regional elec tions, which was declared in favour of the PPP/C by the Guyana Elections Commis sion (GECOM).

This is not the first time that decisions taken by the courts in Guyana were over turned by the CCJ. Guyanese are all too familiar with the no-confidence vote which went all the way to the Car ibbean Court of Justice after the APNU+AFC sought to use the local courts to jus tify its baseless challenge that 33 does not constitute more than half of the 65-seat membership in the National Assembly!

Other hallmark decisions

include a ruling by the CCJ that then-President David Granger acted in breach of the Constitution when he sought to unilaterally appoint Retired Justice James Patter son as Chairman of the Guy ana Elections Commission.

Several other important decisions were also made regarding the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elec tions, which caused several to wonder as to the likely outcome of the elections, and for that matter, the entire con stitutional and governance landscape in Guyana were it not for the fact CCJ is now our highest and final court.

The other matter of sig nificance from a govern ance perspective is the an nouncement by the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Ni gel Dharamlall, that Local Government Elections will be held on March 13, 2023.

The announcement of a date for the elections which

were delayed due to the ob structionist tactics of the political opposition, has now placed both parties to the coalition in a dilemma as to whether they will participate in the elections, and if so, whether they will go alone or in partnership.

All of the 10 towns and 70 Neighborhood Demo cratic Councils NDCs) will be required to face the polls on March 13 next year. The decision to hold the elections were made by the minister after the GECOM indicated its readiness to conduct the polls within a specified win dow of time.

The fact is that both of the opposition parties are literally afraid of facing the electorate whether as a coa lition or in their individual capacities.

The AFC, in particular, is noticeably elections-shy no doubt due to its past dismal performance when it barely managed to scrape a few

seats at the NDC level. Now that the party is apparently in a much weaker position, the political stakes are much higher as the party run the risk of being wiped out com pletely in terms of regional representation. Going alone will mean that it could no longer hide under the fig-leaf of the APNU+AFC coalition and in the process mask its likely underperformance at the polls.

The opposition PNC is also challenged to recover from its relatively poor elec toral showing. During its 28 years of authoritarian rule, local elections were held only once in 1970 and it was only through massive elec toral fraud that it managed to hold on to power at the local elections. The PPP/C, on the other hand, have made significant inroads in what was once perceived as PNC strongholds including Linden and Georgetown.

The political dispensation

has since changed and the PNC is no longer in a posi tion to, as it were, call the political shots in its favour. The announcement of a date for Local Government Elec tions by Minister Dharamlall is a step in the right direc tion and will serve to further consolidate democracy and democratic rule at the grass roots level.

The PNC seems bent on pursuing a path of mislead ing its supporters and feed ing them a false narrative of being cheated out of power when the facts prove other wise. Meanwhile, prepara tions are put in place for the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the events surrounding the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections. One could only hope that the findings of the Commission would put to rest some of the lingering, even though unfounded allegations made by the op position PNC.

Diwali significance, rituals and customs

Dear Editor, THERE are many reasons, meanings, significance, cus toms, traditions, practices, stories and events attributed to the celebration of Diwali or “The row of lights.” All demarcate a specialty that associate within the realms of commemorating the ob servance of this glorious and momentous occasion. They incorporate a fusion of accept able norms, beliefs, faiths and hope, all of which enhance an enriched culture.

1. Goddess Lakshmi’s Birth day: The Goddess of Wealth and the consort of the Vishnu Bhagwan is Lakshmi, one of the principal deities of the Hindu re ligion and the Supreme Being in the Vaishnavism Tradition. Ac cording to the Puranas, she was first incarnated on the new moon day (amaavasyaa) of the Kartik month during the churning of the ocean (samudra-manthan). She is one of the most popular of goddesses, and thus strongly associated with Diwali.

2. Lord Vishnu Rescued

Shri Lakshmi: On this very day (Diwali day), Lord Vishnu dis guised in his fifth incarnation as Vaman-avtaara (the dwarf avatar and Vishnu’s first incarnation) rescued Shri Lakshmi from the prison of King Bali and this is another reason for worshipping Ma Larkshmi on Diwali.

3. Shri Krishna Destroyed Narakaasur: On the day preced ing Diwali, Shri Krishna and his consort Satyabhama, destroyed the demon King Narakaasur of Pragjothispura, who had invaded the three worlds, tak ing great pleasure in torturing the beings there. Shri Krishna rescued 16,000 women from his captivity. The celebration of this freedom went on for two days including the Diwali day as a victory festival. The second day of Diwali is Naraka Chaturdasi.

4. The Return of the Panda vas: According to the great story ‘Mahabharata,’ it was ‘Kartik Amavashya’ when the five Pan davas (brothers Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sa hadeva) returned from their 12 years of banishment as a result

of their defeat at the hands of the Kauravas at the game of dice (gambling). The subjects who loved the Pandavas celebrated the day by lighting the earthen lamps.

5. The Victory of Shri Rama: According to the ‘Rama yana,’ it was the new moon day of Kartik when Lord Ram, Ma Sita, and Lakshman returned to Ayodhya after vanquishing the demon King Ravana and conquering Lanka. The citizens of Ayodhya decorated the entire city with the earthen lamps and illuminated it like never before, and so, the festival of Diwali is celebrated in honour of Shri Rama’s victory.

6. Coronation of Vikrama ditya: One of the greatest of Hindu kings, Vikramaditya was crowned on the Diwali day. The legendary emperor, who may have been a historical figure or based on one, is thought of as the ideal king, known for his generosity, courage, and patron age of scholars. Thus, Diwali be came a historical event as well.

7. Special Day for the Arya

Samaj: It was the new moon day of Kartik (Diwali day) when the 19th-century scholar Maharshi Dayananda, one of the greatest social reformers of India and the founder of Arya Samaj, attained his nirvana. Dayananda’s great mission was to ask humankind to treat one another as brothers through practices of nobility.

8. Special Day for the Jains: Mahavir Tirthankar, con sidered to be the founder of modern Jainism also attained his nirvana on Diwali day. Mahavira abandoned his royal life and left his family to become an ascetic, undertaking fasting and bodily mortifications. At the age of 43, he achieved the state of Kevala Jnanan and began teaching the philosophy of Jainism.

9. Special Day for the Sikhs: The third Sikh Guru Amar Das institutionalized Di wali as a Red-Letter Day when all Sikhs would gather to re ceive the Guru’s blessings. In 1577, the foundation stone of the Golden Temple at Amritsar was laid on Diwali. In 1619, the sixth Sikh Guru Hargobind,

who was held by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, was released from the Gwalior fort along with 52 kings.

10. The Pope’s Diwali Speech: In 1999, Pope John Paul II performed a special Eucharist in an Indian church where the altar was decorated with Diwali lamps, the Pope had a ‘tilak’ marked on his forehead and his speech bristled with references to the festival of light.

11. Bhai Dooj: Nowhere is the bond of brotherly-sisterly love glorified with such gran deur as in the Indian culture. Hindus celebrate this special relationship twice every year, with the festivals of Raksha Bandhan and Bhai Dooj. - when sisters sermonize their love by putting an auspicious tilak or a vermilion mark on the forehead of their brothers and perform aarti on him by showing him the light of the holy flame as a mark of love and protection from evil forces. Sisters are lavished with gifts, goodies, and blessings from their brothers. Bhai Dooj comes every year on the fifth

and last day of Diwali which falls on a new-moon night. The name ‘Dooj’ means the second day after the new moon, the day of the festival, and ‘Bhai’ means brother. Bhai Dooj is also called ‘Yama Dwiteeya’ as it’s believed that on this day, Yamaraj, the Lord of Death and the Custodian of Hell, visits his sister Yami, who puts the auspi cious mark on his forehead and prays for his well-being. So, it’s held that anyone who receives a tilak from his sister on this day would never be hurled into hell. According to one legend, on this day, Shri Krishna after slaying the Narakasura demon, goes to his sister Subhadra who wel comes him with the holy lamp, flowers, and sweets and puts the holy protective spot on her brother’s forehead. Yet another story behind the origin of Bhai Dooj says that when Mahavir, the founder of Jainism, attained nirvana, his brother King Nandi vardhan was distressed because he missed him and was com forted by his sister Sudarshana.

6 SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 23, 2022

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The PPP/C government’s righteousness conquers the PNC’s immorality

Dear Editor,

LAST week started on a bright note, ushering in the beginning of the season for the Hindu “Festival of Lights,” referred to as Deepavali or Diwali which means “a row of lights.” At this time, society is calling on the public to desist from the indiscriminate and illegal use of fireworks, while echoing the cause for a ban on lewd music as championed by Jamaica, the land of reggae music.

The weekend was sprinkled with various light-ups, cultural shows and motorcade parades by various organizations throughout the country. There was an unwel coming “light up,” as fire par tially destroyed Guyana Stores in Georgetown.

The CCJ led the CoA from “darkness to light” when it quashed the decision of the local appellate court. President Ali and First Lady hosted a cultural even ing at the State House to usher in Diwali.

The CoA had taken juris diction to hear APNU+AFC’s second election petition, which was dismissed by Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George. The United Kingdom has lifted the visa re quirement for Guyanese with a valid passport travelling to that country up to six months, but not to the European Union.

Another boat incident oc curred in the Essequibo River when some 20 passengers had to be rescued from a sinking boat off the island of Leguan.

Guyana earned its largest quarterly earnings since oil pro duction began with a total of $102.8 billion (US$493.1 mil lion) going into the Natural Re source Fund. World Food Day was celebrated under the theme, “Leave No One Behind,” through “Better Production, Better Nutri tion, a Better Environment and a Better Life.”

Guyana also observed Inter national Day of the Air Traffic Controller. Some 7.1 million people have left Venezuela since 2015 due to an ongoing economic and political crisis. Thousands have arrived in Guyana seeking shelter, food and employment.

As Scotland humiliated the West Indies in their first T20 World Cup game, and, West

Indies boomeranged to whip Zimbabwe, 18 cricket academies are planned for Guyana. Gen eral Equipment Guyana Ltd and Suzuki Marine along with the Guyana Coast Guard and Sealand surveys, led a clean-up campaign along the Kingston seawall, col lecting some 50 bags of plastic trash with the help of about 60 volunteers.

There has been a seven per cent increase in road fatalities this year, 85 deaths in compari son to 79 last year. “LoGo” math may explain how 213 votes were recorded when 211 ballots were cast in the PNC’s Georgetown District Election on October 2.

The government has set March 13, 2023, for the next Local Government Elections.

Former President, Mrs Ja net Jagan was remembered at a ceremony commemorating her 102nd birth anniversary. The United Kingdom suffered another prime ministerial loss when Liz Truss announced her resigna tion after only being in office for six testing weeks. The HPV vaccine will now be available to women up to 45 years of age. The jam-packed holiday weekend is filled with Diwali motorcades, concerts, fishing competitions, cricket and other sports and laughter at the theatre. Whatever you participate in, be it anything, everything or nothing, do be safe, spend a moment with this Sunday column to digest the quotes and enjoy the long holiday weekend:

1) Head of Hindu-Swayam

sevak Sangh/ Hindus for Self less Services (HSS), Ravi Dev, said at the 8th Annual National Diya Light-Up: “Dharma is that which upholds and that which sustains… ask if your action will uphold society, will it uphold our nation, will it sustain our nation? If the answer is yes, do it and if the answer is no, then, abjure from your practice.” Food for thought for many in today’s society to consider their words, deeds and actions.

2) At the Diwali Light-up at Rahaman’s Park, President Ali told the crowd: “We’re trying to uphold and sustain a society that is wedded in peace, that presents hope to its people, and that brings dignity to life that you live within

Local Government Elections to be held on March 13, 2023

Dear Editor,

A DEFINITIVE position on the advancement of our democracy at the local level has been concretised by Ni gel Dharamlall, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development.

The minister responded to a letter from Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Com mission (GECOM), Justice Claudette Singh, who wrote informing him of GECOM’s readiness to hold the elections between March 13 and April 24, 2023.

The pronouncement and communication between the Chairperson of GECOM and the minister is in keeping with the Local Authorities (Elec tions) Act, Chapter 28:03, which empowers the Minister of Local Government to ap point a date for the holding of LGEs.

Certainly, the indicated selection of March 13, 2023, is the earliest option of the date range provided by GECOM. This choice signals the strong est commitment of the gov ernment to ensure delivery

of the intent of our nation’s constitutional position in ac tion and spirit.

Testimony to the driving commitment is the budget-bybudget provision of financial support to approve GECOM’s needs toward this end. More recently, the government has committed a $2.9 billion al location to GECOM for pre paratory work and to ensure the successful planning and execution of LGEs.

Minister Dharamlall’s re sponse mirrors the message of President, Dr Irfaan Ali ,who is consistent in his public clarification that the PPP/C is committed, focused and obligated to deliver on this critical and necessary require ment, not only as a part of the party’s core manifesto agenda, but also in keeping with the motto of having our citizens intimately involved in key decisions concerning the ad vancement of the communities where they reside.

Indeed, President Ali has been at the forefront of com munity empowerment and it is clear that his undertakings

are not clouded by empty promises.

On the contrary, the nation is witnessing the indication of excuse-driven withdrawal-ofsupport syndrome by opposi tion elements. Recently, the Alliance For Change (AFC) said it would be boycotting the March 2023 Local Gov ernment Elections (LGEs) over concerns about a padded voters list, while the People’s National Congress Reformled A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) stayed clear of saying what it would do.

It is widely known that an yone reacting to Cathy Hughes submission of the Ramjattanled cahoots, could practically make a no-case submission. The party has practically be come a ‘small group’ that cannot prevent its own erosion.

Likewise, it is not that there is much potency from the PNC at the local level, except for some central areas that they may wish to hold on to. Although the PNCR has not confirmed, one would believe that there are greater consid erations in knowing where

their support base stands at this key juncture.

Their representatives participated in the updat ing process for the list and have not done much within the applicable legislation to truly discredit its verification standings. Further, without this mid-term guideline, the Norton administration is gen uinely aware that they would be shooting themselves in the foot as it relates to effective planning.

The preparation and exe cution of a proper work plan is essential for avoiding pitfalls in the roll- out of transparent processes; this is very impor tant for the holding of success ful and credible LGEs, where the results stand for verifica tion on a strong platform of integrity. The Chief Elections Officer Vishnu Persaud and his team did an excellent job in preparing a work plan with de tailed day-to-day preparation and holding of the elections.

It is anticipated that with the minister’s announcement of the elections date, the in terested ‘parties’ will work

along and align activities with GECOM’s Nomination Day for their representatives.

Notably, GECOM is in the process training and preparing Election Day staff. It follows that key employment functions will have to be finalised, par ticularly as it concerns presid ing officers, assistant presiding officers, poll clerks and ballot clerks, along with information officers at every polling booth.

Nevertheless, the commis sion will have to be extremely careful with the ‘management staff’ at GECOM. Although the 2020 National and Region al Elections went smoothly during Election Day, the cause for concerns emerged from the inefficacies of some members of the secretariat and particu larly, some members of the ‘management staff’ that really made genuine efforts to derail the elections.

Hence, it is imperative that the leadership at GECOM be absolutely careful with the em ployment of men and women with integrity, who will be honest and willing to hold free and fair elections.

The build-up to the 2020 National and Regional Elec tions was filled with PNC commissioners making all sorts of excuses in their efforts not to go to the polls. They questioned the voters list; they created issues in respect to ID cards; they catapulted a not-so-fit and proper person as Chairman of the Commis sion, and started an exercise of House-to-House Registration with the intent of prolonging their time in power, but this was subsequently aborted.

It is recognised that they also installed secretariat staff who were not inclined to up hold a free and fair elections processes. The PNC never genuinely wants to face the polls under a transparent set ting.

All the efforts to delay the LGEs must be prevented and we must have elections as scheduled by GECOM. Guyana is on the rise and we must have democracy at the grassroot level, so let us have the LGEs on schedule.

Yours respectfully, Neil Kumar.

Diwali significance, rituals and...

FROM

Since then, women have been revered during Bhai Dooj.

12. Dhanteras: The festival of Dhanteras falls in the month of Kartik (sometime during Oc tober or November) on the 13th day of the dark fortnight. This auspicious day is celebrated two days before Diwali. On Dhanteras, Shri Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, is wor shipped to provide prosperity and well-being. It is also the day for celebrating wealth, as the word “Dhan” literally means

wealth and “Tera” comes from the date 13th. In the evening, the lamp is lit and Dhan-Lakshmi is welcomed into the house.

Alpana or Rangoli designs are drawn on pathways including the goddess’ footprints to mark the arrival of Lakshmi. Aartis or devotional hymns are sung eu logizing Goddess Lakshmi and sweets and fruits are offered to her. Hindus also worship Lord Kuber as the treasurer of wealth and bestower of riches, along with Goddess Lakshmi on Dhanteras. This custom of

worshipping Lakshmi and Ku ber together is in the prospect of doubling the benefits of such prayers. People flock to the jewelers and buy gold or silver jewelry or utensils to vener ate the occasion of Dhanteras. Many wear new clothes and wear jewellery as they light the first lamp of Diwali while some engage in a game of gambling.

13. Naraka Chatur dashi: An ancient legend ascribes the occasion to an interesting story about the 16-year-old son of King Hima.

His horoscope predicted his death by snake-bite on the fourth day of his marriage. On that particular day, his newly wed wife did not allow him to sleep. She laid out all her ornam ents and lots of gold and silver coins in a heap at the entrance of the sleep ing chamber and lit lamps all over the place. Then she narrated stories and sang songs to keep her husband from falling asleep. The next day, when Yama, the god of Death, arrived at the prince’s

doorstep in the guise of a Ser pent, his eyes were dazzled and blinded by the brilliance of the lamps and the jewel lery. Yam could not enter the Prince’s chamber, so he climbed on top of the heap of gold coins and sat there the entire night listening to the stories and songs. In the morning, he silently went away. Thus, the young prince was saved from the clutches of death by the cleverness of his new bride, and the day came to be celebrated as

Dhanteras. And the following days came to be called Narak Chaturdashi (Naraka means hell and Chaturdashi means 14th). It is also known as Yamadeepdaan the ladies of the house light earthen lamps or ‘deep’ and these are kept burning throughout the night glorifying Yama, the God of Death. Since this is the night before Diwali, it is also called ‘Chhhoti Diwali’ or Diwali minor. (To be continued)

Yours respectfully, Jai Lall.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 23, 2022 7

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The PPP/C government’s righteousness...

that society. And this is exactly what Diwali symbolizes.” The removal of darkness has to come with the illumination of light within so that there may be out ward brightness.

3) Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha told farmers at Albion: “Guyana must act now and create the environment to achieve our potential of feeding the CARICOM Region.” With the FAO’s (UN) theme, “Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life for all,” the “One Guyana” strategy is in keeping with the World Food Day goal and reduc ing the food-import bill by 25 by 2025.

4) President Ali told resi dents at Leguan: “The mission of this 1,000 Men is to work in every single community to eradi cate hunger, to work in every community to uplift those who are emotionally [and] socially af fected.” The programme is estab lished to reverse the strategy used to deal with problems faced by young boys and men in society.

5) President Ali informed the nation at the Berbice Expo and Trade Fair: “Not only in fossil fuel, but also in renew able energy. The potential of the Amaila Falls Hydro project, the catalyzing of our gas field, to be an important part in the supply of energy around the Guyana Shield corridor.” Transforming Guyana into an energy leader is an important development pillar of the PPP/C Government.

6) Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said: “This is an accident that could have been avoided, had they listened to instructions… if people telling you something and you’re not responding… what does that suggest?” The minister is con templating submitting the BoI to the Commissioner of Police for a criminal investigation. “Sabo tage,” someone wrote.

7) Canadian cyclist Charles Lemieux said: “Every country I’ve been to, it was my first time. I didn’t know of Guyana, so I’m trying to get to Georgetown and stay a few days there.” On a global expedition, he is biking through Guyana and country-

hopping his way back to Canada.

8) Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony, said: “If we start at the National Ophthalmol ogy Hospital, we were able to rehabilitate the hospital. It was in a very bad state when we came back to government. The microscopes, theatres, services that were being offered were very minimal. All the microscopes in the theatre were not really work ing.” Again, clearly a reflection of poor management from the previous PNC administration, which did not care for the people but were only concerned about the party members’ welfare.

9) Haiti’s country director for the UN’s World Food Pro gramme, Jean-Martin Bauer remarked, “Haiti is facing a humanitarian catastrophe. The severity and the extent of food insecurity in Haiti is getting worse.” Across Haiti, almost five million are struggling with malnutrition. The previous PNC government had once driven Guyana to a lower poverty level than Haiti. Thanks to the PPP/C government, Guyana now has one of the strongest economies per capita in this hemisphere.

10) Minister Edghill an nounced: “The contract was won by China Railway First Group. It is the same company that won the bid for the four-lane project on the eastern corridor.” The two-pronged project is in the mo bilization stage – after a US$184 million contract was signed.

11) Captain of the 18th Chi nese Medical Brigade, Dr Chu Xuehui remarked: “We checked on their well-being and if any dispense is affecting anyone, our duty is to provide help for those in need. We have travelled thou sands of miles to be here and we want to do as much as we can.” In addition to eye, heart and lung tests done by the Chinese team, the 18th Brigade also donated COVID-19 supplies and gifts to the Joshua House Children Centre.

12) Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, S.C., informed global leaders at the 145th Inter-Parlia mentary Union Assembly held in Rwanda, “Women are the source of life and the reason for our existence…. Women have

repeatedly shown in almost every area of human endeavour that they are equal to men.” The PPP/C government’s policies are aligned with their theme, “Gender Equality and Gender Sensitive Parliaments as Drivers for a more Resilient and Peaceful World.”

13) Paul Kagame, Rwanda’s President, stated: “We cannot be satisfied when women perform over two-thirds of the world’s work, produce over half of the food we eat, yet just a meagre 10th of global incomes belong to them….” While one-third of Guyana’s parliamentarians are women, the Guyana constitution guarantees that every citizen is given equal treatment and pro tection against discrimination.

14) Popular panel discussant from the diaspora, Dr Asquith Rose, wrote: “The answer is yes; Guyana has a Populous Nationalist Leader/President in His Excellency Dr Irfaan Ali.” His answer is based on the President’s positive outlook for the country, its citizens and the numerous policies he has implemented since taking office in 2020.

15) World Wildlife Fund’s Regional Director for Africa, Alice Ruhweza, appealed: “We are calling on the rich nations to provide financial support to us to protect our nature.” Deforesta tion, human exploitation, pol lution, and climate change were the biggest drivers of the world’s populations to have declined by more than two-thirds since 1970, as forests have been cleared and oceans polluted.

16) President Ali announced at the 16th Berbice Expo and Trade Fair, “Region Six is well positioned to be the centrepiece for growth and development.” A new economic hub will be devel oped at Palmyra which will in clude a commercial zone, hotels and shopping malls, a national stadium, a municipal airport and a national training institution to equip persons in the oil and gas hospitality.

17) Minister Mustapha while celebrating World Food Day informed the nation: “The cur rent strategies and policies of the agriculture sector are interlinked with the government’s manifesto of making agriculture attrac tive and thriving for everyone.” While championing “food secu rity and leaving no one behind,” the PPP/C government has 20 ongoing projects on hand which

include rice and coconut produc tion increase and expansion, the development of corn, cattle, soya beans, lettuce, carrot, cauliflower and broccoli and the Black Belly Sheep project.

18) President Ali told the Food and Agriculture Organi zation (FAO), “An increase in climate finance by at least 590 per cent is needed. Adaptation fi nance remains far below the scale necessary to respond to existing and future climate change.” He called on the FAO to establish a special adaptation fund for the Small Island Development States (SIDS) and the low-lying coastal areas.

19) Vice President Dr Bhar rat Jagdeo told Essequibians, “We are not the type of govern ment that sits on our hands. We have a vision for this country. It’s being laid out a very long time ago, the vision of where we want to take Guyana and what kind of country we want it to be.” The PPP/C government had to lift this country out of the doldrums in 1992 when the PNC government ran it to bankruptcy after being in power for 28 years. Through prudent stewardship, the PPP/C government left office in 2015 with Guyana enjoying a financially sound bill of health. From 2015 to 2020, the PNC government again made a com plete mess of the economy and the PPP/C government is again tasked with the job of restoring financial stability.

20) Minister within the Housing Ministry, Susan Rod rigues, informed agency heads and consultants: “What we’ve done, and which the President has put a lot of emphasis on, is in the issue of a single-window system.” The PPP/C government is moving away from a paper to an automated system in order to process all applications, permits, registration and other complianc es at a single window, especially for the oil and gas industry and the CH&PA.

21) President Ali noted: “These are services that are ex ternalized because we have to learn to work together. We cannot operate in a mega economy if we don’t bring together consortiums.” The PPP/C government wants to establish an association of local entrepreneurs consisting of cooks and chefs to supply food and food items to the FPSO vessels.

22) Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond said, “Our focus, as

always, is to sell Guyana as a lucrative investment destination. We want to encourage invest ment that will allow cheaper airfares and increase travel and destinations options.” The Guy ana Government participated in the World Routes Forum in Las Vegas, Nevada, to pursue more airlift agreements that will bring increased travel options for Guyanese and cheaper flights.

23) VP Jagdeo told rice farm ers in Region Two, “We are here to work with the rice farmers, to genuinely improve your stocks and production. Every single day we are out there fighting for farmers; fighting for every Guyanese. So, we are in this together….” Over 1,500 rice farmers benefitted from a $275 million fertilizer voucher, which was aimed at relieving the pro duction cost in the region.

24) President Ali declared, “This decision demonstrates the strength of our economy, signals the ease of travel, deepening of cooperation and collaboration between the UK and Guyana and will bring great value to our growing private sector.” The UK has lifted the visa requirement for Guyanese travelling to England with a valid passport up to six months for business or leisure.

Guyana accounts for 21.6 per cent of all of the UK’s trade with the Caribbean, being the largest trading partner with 516 million pounds in 2021.

25) British High Commis sioner Jane Miller noted, “This visa lift is a real sign of the con fidence that the UK has in the growth of our relationship and together with the direct flight that will be happening at the end of March, we believe this change is going to be transformative for our really strong relationship.” The British High Commission had banded with the ACE in the fight to uphold democracy for Guyana, during the PNC’s attempt to rig the General Elections in 2020.

26) Minister Bishop Edghill warned: “Guyana is not a coun try that lacks laws, our problem is in the enforcement of those laws.” Greater enforcement of the traffic laws will be imple mented and clamping down on mini-buses flouting the traffic rules will be reinforced.

27) President Ali surmised, “I am of the view that the condi tions are less oppressive to our Guyanese fishermen.” Some amount of progress has been made regarding Guyanese being issued fishing licences to fish in Suriname’s waters. Since being elected into power, Presidents Ali and Santokhi have knitted a closer bondage between Guyana and Suriname.

28) Minister Bishop Edghill tutored a student: “Since its [PPP/C party’s] return to office, the government has made it its duty to transform the maritime sector to ensure that it is pre pared to operate in a modern economy. Ms Desir is obviously not adept with the current state of the maritime sector, or inter national affairs, for which she has responsibility for Opposition constituents.” Instead of trying to correct the President, the coalition needs to edify them selves first. The country formerly

known as Turkey, is still Turkiye.

29) President Ali announced, “I’m very pleased to walk through the entire community [Albouystown] today (Tuesday) As I said, as far as time gives us the opportunity, we will be visit ing every single community to ensure that we work with all the people of the country to uplift their lives and to bring develop ment.” The $1.4 billion Albouys town Beautification Project was officially launched in August of this year, and also includes the upgrading of Cemetery Road to four lanes.

30) President Ali announced, “With these elections we could bring together local leadership, women, young people…. And that shows our seriousness to building and strengthening gov ernance at every single level.” March 13, 2023 has been de clared the date for the next Lo cal Government Elections. The PPP/C government is determined to work with every community to put together a team that is reflective of the “One Guyana” agenda.

Residents in Region Six are smiling with an Entertain ment Park in Corriverton and a Recreational Park in New Amsterdam, compliments of the First Lady Arya Ali. Fisherfolks in Region Two are smiling with $105 million as they received their $150,000 one-off fisherfolk cash grants.

Former Guyanese Chancel lor, Justice Carl Singh, is smil ing after being sworn in as a temporary Justice of the Court of Appeal of the Republic of Seychelles. Some two members are smiling after being appointed as the new Board of Directors for GuySuCo. Grade Six pupils in Region Three are smiling as the Ministry of Education launched its “Breakfast for Success” pro gramme.

Six orphaned siblings are smiling after receiving a new house through the initiative of the First Lady. St Stanislaus College students are smiling as Education Minister Priya Manickchand commissioned a $5.5 million smart classroom. Some nine successful NGSA students are smiling after being awarded by Sterling Products. Linden residents are smiling in anticipation of another 150 job openings becoming available from Midas Business Process Outsourcing. New York stu dents, especially of Guyanese parents, are smiling after NYC Mayor Eric Adams declared that starting next year, Diwali will be a NYC school holiday. Guyanese are smiling with folk/ rock musician, Gavin Mendon ca, who is representing Guyana for the first time at an Ethno World event in its 20 years of existence. As the lights flicker, bringing bright smiles to the faces, do remember Sri “Diwali means to be in the present, so drop the regrets of the past and worries of the future and live in the moment. It is a time when you throw light on the wisdom you have gained and welcome a new beginning.” Shubh Diwali, Guyana.

Yours respectfully, Jai Lall.

8 SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 23, 2022

FROM PAGE 7

Am I columned or columnised, two years later?

THIS week marks the second year (102 weeks) since I have been writing for the Guyana Chronicle; this is a feat that may appear mundane to other columnists. Some have been writ ing columns for dec ades -- kudos.

To me, however, it is an accomplishment that does not need self-con gratulation. Rather, it is an occasion that reveals a situation of Johnny coming lately, name ly, that I am the only one, as far as is known, from my rural village upbringing to have oc cupied a written space in any one of the dai lies going back to days when I started reading in the early 1970s.

I remember reading the then Guyana Graph ic-- Guyana Chroni cle-- and later Catho lic Standard, Stabroek News, Kaieteur News, and Guyana Times and recall seeing a few col umnists from Berbice, but none were from the villages along the Corentyne. The Mirror had many writers from Berbice, but that is a discussion for another day. I will return to the impact of this margin alization on my mind as I move along with this column.

I suppose if one looks for positive things

in his or her upbringing there might be a pos sibility to find some good things. In my case, I would like to point readers to the earlier migration from my an cestral home of a rural peasant-oriented com munity in north India to Berbice, Guyana. I believe this is one of the “seamless” Guyanese migrations from rural India to rural Guyana in which Indians were able to develop a sort of tropical romance with religion and ecology, amid bouts of plantation brutality and bullyism.

The same cannot be said about Guyanese movement to the Carib bean, Europe, and North America, where they are exposed to marginaliza tion and discrimination alongside, ironically, growth and develop ment, the twin woes of the hierarchy of migra tion. I am essentially sending a message to the curious researcher to compare and contrast the various phases of Guyanese migration to understand the impact on the Guyanese mind. I digress.

The point I am try ing to punctuate is that despite the limitations of the village, my peo ple and myself have achieved a lot without much, which can be defined as creativity out

of adversity. My ques tion then is how come we have not “produced” columnists from my ru ral upbringing region? It certainly cannot be a lack of talent; actually, the place is beaming and booming with talent and creativity. However, this question I cannot answer which interest ingly dovetails well for exploration.

I will share my expe rience to provide some thoughts on the above question. First, there is a lack of interest in recruiting newspaper columnists from rural areas, which is analo gous to other areas of rural life. Second, there is a lack of interest from the rural areas mainly because there is a lack of role models. Third, what would it take to become a columnist?

I will refrain from listing the names of individuals who have influenced me to write newspaper columns, mainly because I am afraid that if I drop names I might exclude some, a lesson I learned from the cricket com mentator Joseph “Reds” Perreira. I wrote a col umn in this space last year about Portuguese in West Indies cricket. I dropped many names and forgot to mention Gerry Gomez. What I feel comfortable saying

is that the very absence of newspaper columnists from my region pressed me to turn adaxial situ ations into advantages.

How did I do this? To illustrate, I will pull a paragraph I wrote in my chapter: “Berbice and Beyond: My Improbable Journey” in Brij Lal’s edited book, Girmitiyas.

“I was born to a spe cific station of life. This label is not an abstract metaphor. I was in a spe cific place in a specific condition in a specific social class. I was in a place where life was one-dimensional and where second chances were limited. I was in a place where there were many rum shops and temples, but no universi ties and no televisions. Perhaps this environ ment instilled in me at a very early age, that a better life could only be achieved by not running away from it, but by be ing open to new ideas, to different people, and to explore different places than my own.”

I am still doing the above and this has ema nated from conviction, not convenience, and from desperation and deprivation that inspired me to achieve higher things, and what mat tered most to me then and now, is the thought of progression, however small, rather than the thought of resignation.

As I conclude my thoughts about my second year of writing for the Guyana Chroni

cle, I feel obliged to end with the following. My hope and expecta tion are that sometime shortly someone from my birthplace will be come a columnist. To foster and encourage that hope, let me say that it is never too late to explore dreams. I

plan to do a Master Degree in journalism at Jackson State Uni versity while working as a full-time faculty. I was told to audit a couple of classes first. Am I columned or columnized, two years later? (Lomarsh.roo pnarine@jsums.edu).

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 23, 2022 9

The Natural Resource Fund, oil revenues help boost development projects across Guyana

THIS year, Guyana has been on an impressive path of growth due to

the rapid development of its oil and gas sector. As of last week, the Central

Bank disclosed the third quarter windfall from oil production in the coun

try was the biggest the nation has seen to date.

The third quarter inflows amounted to US$493.18 million. This included profit oil total ing US$442 million and royalties totaling US$51 million. The government most recently withdrew US$200 million in July. This made it the second withdrawal from the Natu ral Resource Fund (NRF), which has been used to support healthcare, edu cation, and other invest ments.

Last year, a revised Natural Resource Fund Act 2021 was signed into law and included a clear formula to calculate the allowable withdrawals from the NRF each year. Moreover, the country is expecting around US$1.24 billion from oil in 2022, which means about US$998.5 million is pro jected to be accessible for the 2023 national budget to help finance develop ment, avoid deficits and pay down debt.

This estimated revenue growth for Guyana was the subject of a report earlier this year from en ergy analysts at Rystad Energy, which concluded that 2022 would be a land mark year for Guyana in more ways than one.

The report found that government revenues from oil production could average US$3.6 billion per annum through 2030 as production acceler ates. Rystad also forecasts that the government take will peak at US$16 bil lion per year in 2036 and average US$12.4 billion annually between 2031 and 2040. Cumulatively, this amounts to roughly US$157 billion in govern ment revenue for Guyana by 2040.

Recent infrastructure investments and social ad

vancements in Guyana are directly correlated with the rapid advancement of the oil and gas sector and offer a highly visible ex ample of how oil revenues are being used to benefit Guyanese.

The government tak ing a second withdrawal from the NRF this past July was instrumental in financing the national de velopment priorities it has for the country. The government is expected to withdraw US$207 million more from the oil fund in the last quarter, the third withdrawal this year.

Thanks in large part to oil revenues, govern ment has also approved the Amaila Falls hydro power project after years of delays due to Guyana’s formerly uncertain finan cial situation. This project could be completed by 2030.

Another example is the Demerara Bridge, a development project being directly funded with oil revenues from the NRF to alleviate congestion and boost the local infrastruc ture. The government has made other efforts to ad dress emerging congestion and busy streets by work ing on the roads from Ogle, East Coast Dem erara to Eccles by join ing the two corridors—a US$100 million project. The Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh empha sised the importance of this project, “making of modern Guyana is well underway, and today’s generation of Guyanese are incredibly privileged not only to witness it but to be part of it.” The Demerara Bridge pro ject is one of the largest infrastructure project to ever be financed by the government.

By using the NRF to finance part of these

investments, Guyana is avoiding the kind of deficits and debts that frequently trap develop ing countries. Richard Rambarran, an economist, highlighted last month that Guyana, despite be ing a young oil producer, is demonstrating restraint in its oil fund manage ment.

When comparing Guyana to other coun tries, Rambarran notes the stark difference in that “these countries ob viously have to get the money from somewhere. So, they borrow, rack up debt or they then print more money to finance current expenditure and that can push you into an inflationary situation. So, the NRF and its early im plementation in Guyana means we are already on the right path.”

Earlier this year, the government also in creased funding to various ministries in the budget, including GYD$21 bil lion for infrastructural de velopment in the new and existing housing schemes to improve and expand coastal and hinterland water supply.

Even more critical to uplifting Guyana is in vesting in the education sector. The supplementary budget was able to pro vide GYD$307 million for the sector towards facilitating the purchase of school furniture nec essary for reopening of schools to providing the resources to construct a new primary school thanks to oil revenues.

These kinds of infra structure and social in vestments are crucial to building long-term pros perity and indicate the government’s intention to use oil revenues to build a more sustainable Guyana for the future.

10 SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 23, 2022

Watch that sugar consumption this Diwali

A happy Diwali to all Guya nese, especially our Hindu brothers and sisters! Guy ana, one of the most blessed countries in the world with a unique blend of races, cultures and religions, not only demonstrates toler ance for personal differ ences, but also actively celebrates each other’s hol idays. However, be mindful, especially diabetics, of your sugar consumption from the delicious sweet meats that will be easily accessible at this time.

The American Heart As sociation (AHA) suggests that the maximum daily con sumption of sugar for a male is nine teaspoons (37.5g or 150 calories) versus women six teaspoons (25g or 100 calories), taking your total caloric intake and physical output into consideration.

So, a 12oz. can of coke which has 42 grammes of sugar or 140 calories and a 52.7g of snicker bar which contains 33 grammes of sugar

plus fats and proteins or 250 calories, both exceed the daily sugar intake limit for a female and male respectively. It is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that added sugars should not be more than 10 per cent of your total required daily caloric intake.

So, during this Festival of Lights, enlighten your choices as you indulge, tak ing this information into con sideration:

> A serving of kheer (sweet rice pudding made with milk) has 247 calories.

> Two pieces of gooja (deep fried with coconut and sugar stuffing) is 400 calories

> Two gulab jamun (soft syrup soaked balls that melt in mouth) is 350 calories

> A serving of halwa (par sad made from ghee) has 181 calories

> Two rasgulla (panner balls soaked in sugar syrup) has 300 calories

> Two laddu (sweet flour

balls ) has 415 calories

> Two pieces of barfi (milk sugar cake with nuts) has 320 calories

So, go low on sugar con sumption during celebrations. Apart from festivities, daily consumption of foods such as white bread, white rice, Eng lish potatoes and soft drinks, foods with a high glycemic index, can all be considered likewise.

Sugars from naturally oc curring foods (like mangoes, banana and pineapples) are different from refined crystal line sugar that we buy from the supermarket, whether brown or white. Natural sug ars are digested slower since it has fiber, vitamins, miner als and phytonutrients.

Investigative research into the actual eating habits of persons suffering from certain illness may unfold life-altering findings and may make significant impact into reducing pain and suffering in humanity.

It has been established

that excessive sugar con sumption is linked to major chronic illnesses or lifestyle diseases such as obesity, type two diabetes, heart dis eases, certain cancers and fatty liver disease. Free radi cals released from sugar me tabolism can cause migraine headaches and high blood pressure. Also, it was estab lished that too much sugar causes excessive oxidative stress due to excessive pro duction of free radicals and has been linked to rheuma toid arthritis, cancer, mental illness and neurodegenera tive disease. Tooth decay and acne are the less serious consequences but sometimes stigmatized conditions. Addi tionally, hyperactivity, anxi ety and lack of concentration are some spinoff effects from excessive intake of sugar.

Sugar can be classified as complex or simple. Simple sugars like the ones in can dies and aerated drinks are absorbed very quickly into the blood stream causing the

release of insulin from the pancreas. Repeated and fre quent consumption of simple sugars trigger this mechanism constantly and later can cause insulin resistance and exces sive fat storage from the unused glucose.

Elevated levels of glu cose in diabetic patients have an adverse effect on the arte rial walls and endothelium, increasing the likelihood for cholesterol deposit and clot formation; hence heart attacks, strokes and deep vein thrombosis to name a few. Accumulation of exces sive fat usually increases your body mass index (BMI) above the ideal limit of 25, which enhances your risks for a plethora of other dis eases.

Complex carbs such as those found in brown rice, barley, sweet potatoes, leg umes, beans, peas, lentils and oats takes a longer time to digest and breakdown hence feeling of satiety for a longer period.

Conversely, the opposite effect is created when us ing artificial sweeteners like aspartame and saccharin. Products marketed to have zero calories such as diet sodas, jello and ice cream are sometimes used initially to wean off from too much sugar consumption but in re ality artificial sweeteners can be addictive. Over time, high levels of consumption of ar tificial sweeteners have been linked to obesity, clotting, strokes, heart attacks and death, especially in women over 50.

For further discus sion, contact the pharma cist of Medicine Express PHARMACY located at 223 Camp Street, between Lamaha and New Market Streets. If you have any queries, comments or fur ther information on the above topic kindly forward them to medicine.express@ gmail.com or send them to 223 Camp Street, N/burg. Tel #225-5142.

Analysing Local Government Elections

ON Thursday last the Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharam lall informed the Guy ana Elections Commis sion (GECOM) that the date for the much-an ticipated Local Govern ment Elections (LGEs) is March 13, 2023.

He made this an nouncement on the ad vice of the commission, which declared that it was in a position of readiness, having completed its pre paratory planning and voter-registration cycle which cleaned the voters’ list as much as possible.

Recall, that the same voters’ list was used in the elections of 2011, 2015, and 2020 with modifica tions and changes.

Nonetheless, Presi dent, Dr Irfaan Ali said, following the announce ment, that his adminis tration is committed to having the elections so that the building of lo cal governance systems, multiplicities and com munities could take place.

He even said the elec tions are necessary be cause “long we have seen what mismanage ment can do…this is the time for us to work to

gether…come together… to strengthen our gov ernance system and to work towards building a system that delivers to our people.”

Dr Ali urged stake holders to get “ready,” because they have long enough notice to fully participate in the elec tions.

This is even while the Opposition Leader Au brey Norton is remain ing tight-lipped about the APNU+AFC partici pation in the local poll. Norton has already main tained his position that the voters’ list is bloated

and anything but clean.

He said only last week that the party has a plan that they are going to put in train, while at the same time criticising the electoral reforms that the PPP/C is working on.

On the other side, the AFC has already said it is not going to contest the polls because of concerns over the voters’ list being bloated and other cred ibility issues. But then, it said it will decide later.

No other party or third force has signalled its intention to give the PPP and APNU+AFC coali tion stiff competition.

Firstly, the PPP/C de livered on its promise to

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 23, 2022 11

TURN TO PAGE 13

Diwali motorcade to illuminate the streets tonight

THE iconic Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sab ha’s (GHDS)’ Diwali Motorcade will illu minate the streets this evening after a twoyear hiatus due to the

COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the re ligious organisation in a press release, Guyana is the envied home of the iconic Diwali mo torcades hosted by the

GHDS.

The brainchild of the late Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud, though the Diwali motorcades will soon be five dec ades old, they still re

main a marvel to all those who have the op portunity to witness the sheer splendour of Guyanese creativity in celebrating Diwali, the Festival of Lights in tis manner.

The Diwali motor cade is said to be the only one of its kind in the world, and is always held on the eve of the auspicious day.

Leaving from the Shri Krishna Mandir on Campbell Avenue, the motorcade pro ceeds along the seawall, giving the thousands who usually assemble a visual treat through the exquisitely deco rated and illuminated floats featuring children depicting the various forms of Maha Laksh mi, the Hindu Goddess of Light, Prosperity and Goodness.

The Diwali motor

cades are famously unifying, as Guyanese and tourists alike from various backgrounds throng the route from the starting point in Georgetown to the LBI Community Centre Ground on the East Coast Demerara.

The motorcade, which moves under the night’s sky and in prox imity of the majestic Atlantic Ocean, reaches its final destination at LBI, where there is a fabulous cultural pro gramme featuring lo cal and international artistes from India and Guyana, dancers sing ers and musicians.

The event culmi nates with a prize-giv ing ceremony close to midnight. The event, which is all free of cost, is a haven for ‘food ies’ as they can sample seven curries, chokas,

hot fried vegetarian savoury snacks and a wide array of sweets.

A special Diwali ba zaar is there for those who would like to pick up special Diwali items, outfits and jewellery.

No alcohol is al lowed at any of the Guyana Hindu Dhar mic Sabha’s events, thereby ensuring that it is perfect for families and just about anyone.

“This Diwali, cel ebrate with your loved ones in Guyana, and you will keep com ing again and again for this deeply spiritual and majestic festival of lights,” the GHDS said.

Singer Raman Ka poor will be joining Nishard M of Trini dad and a fantastic lineup of Guyanese singers, including Re kha, Sookrane, Ganin dra, Suraj Singh.

12 SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 23, 2022

Head of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, Minister of Human Services and Social Security Dr. Vindhya Persaud and Deputy Commissioner ‘Operations’ (ag), Mr. Ravindradat Budhram visited the LBI Community Centre Ground on Friday to finalise security and traffic arrangements for the much-anticipated Diwali Motorcade (GPF photo)

12 homeless, jobless following Regent Guest House fire

TWELVE persons are now homeless and jobless follow ing a fire of unknown origin, which destroyed the top and first floors of the Regent Guest House and Restaurant early Saturday morning.

According to a release, at 2:55hrs, the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) received a call and was alerted of the fire at the Lot 148 Regent Road, Bourda, building.

Water tenders from the Central, Alberttown, and West

Ruimveldt Fire Stations were immediately dispatched to the location.

In addition to destroying the first and top floors, the fire also ravaged one black tank, one drum, and a quantity of PVC ceilings and gutterings.

Four jets working a waterrelay system from an open water source along with a hy drant were used to extinguish the fire.

Investigations are under way to determine what caused

the fire. The GFS noted that the building was not equipped with fire alarms or extinguish ers.

Firefighters also had dif ficulty gaining access to the building due to its design and the fact that it was heavily grilled.

The GFS reported that there was no loss of life and thanked the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for their sup port in tackling this situa tion.

Analysing Local Government...

FROM PAGE 11

host the elections as soon as GECOM said that it was ready.

The President and minister stuck to their word that there would be elections even after the whole debacle that arose during the last General and Regional Elections which was marred by at tempted rigging.

The PPP/C’s commit ment to contest local gov ernment polls is noted, even as its Presidential Commission of Inquiry is gearing up to clarify and highlight some burning issues surrounding the 2020 elections.

Secondly, the PPP/C should know what it is getting itself into. It should be on guard for an all-out assault from the PNC operating under the guise of the APNU. It will change the party narrative of the bloated voters’ list back to corruption, Bharrat Jagdeo, racial discrimination and local governance issues.

The party must field a strong unity group in all 80 Local Authority Ar eas (LAAs). This group understands the nature of community and na tional politics. It must get ready because the PNC or APNU will have

many policy U-turns and conflicting issues which they cannot defend.

The PPP/C’s team must be ever watchful of the process at GECOM and how the ballots are used. In other words, they must guard against rig ging.

Thirdly, if the opposi tion wants to be victori ous, it must know that it must change its narrative and its pitch. It must not use the garbage about the voters’ list and cor ruption. It must raise issues relating to local governance in each area, and the PPP’s manage ment and allocation of resources.

Also, the PNC-APNU would be advised to not bring the race-card into the LGEs because the PPP would trump that narrative by asking for evidence or empirical data. It should be fully prepared for the poll, and its PR machinery must be intact to fend off gov ernment propaganda if needs be.

Fourthly, the GECOM and its Chief Election Officer Vishnu Persaud must strive to conduct the poll in a free, fair, and credible manner. It must not be seen as favouring either the PPP or APNU or any other party for that

matter. It must be seen to be governed by election laws and protocols at every stage.

Additionally, the dec laration of results must be done in a smooth, open and fully transpar ent manner. There must not be a five-month pe riod of waiting. There must not be a holdup that lasts more than 24 hours.

GECOM must know that the public is not likely to be patient in this LGEs, so it needs to dot every ‘I’ and cross every ‘T.’ The report card GECOM gets will be the deciding factor of whether there are calls for the CEO or the Chair’s resignation by opposition groups.

Finally, Local Gov ernment Elections are important to the lifeline of Guyana because these elections are like a ref erendum on the popular support of the adminis tration in the Executive Office or rejection of the opposition narrative.

They show how the party in office is doing with its policy adumbra tion and policy execution as well as what policies and politicians are unpop ular with the electorate at the grassroots level.

The elections are im portant because the cen

tral government gets to know if its policies and plans are working to

modernise and fix the communities while it focuses on its heavy in

frastructural and other capital agendas nation ally.

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The aftermath of the fire at the Regent Guest House and Restaurant (Joseph Allen photo)

Knowledge-intensive agriculture key to facing climate change

CLIMATE change is here to stay, making it necessary to implement science-based transformations that fa vour farmers and guaran tee greater productivity and resilience, affirmed senior agricultural officials from the Americas and Asia at the Borlaug International Dialogue, taking place in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.

Considered the largest international forum on agri culture, the dialogue consists of a series of discussions hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation (WFP) with the participation of govern ment officials, private-sector representatives, international organisations, agricultural producers, academics, scien tists, educators and students.

This year’s dialogue is themed, “Feeding a Fragile World,” due to the severe simultaneous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the

war in Eastern Europe and climate change on agri-food systems. The different ses sions focus on the relation ship between agriculture, food security and climate change, with the goal of building global alliances against hunger and malnutri tion.

The session entitled, “Food Governance in an Un precedented Era,” discussed how to guarantee an adequate functioning of the agri-food systems in times of simulta neous crises that have severe consequences for individual countries and for the world. The session was organised by the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agricul ture (IICA) in conjunction with WFP.

Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA, moderated the session in which Zulfikar Mustapha, Minister of Ag riculture of Guyana; Carlos

Salcedo Zaldivar, Minister Counselor for Agricultural Affairs of Panama; Karen Ross, Secretary of the Cali fornia Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA); and Shahryar Ali Khan, Minister of State at the Federal Gov ernment of Pakistan partici pated.

Otero posed the discus sion questions, which re ferred to the impact that the current crises are having in each country and what public policies are being imple mented to deal with shocks related to health, conflict and climate.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A LONG-TERM VISION

Salcedo detailed the State Policy for Development of the Agricultural Sector cur rently in discussion between the Panamanian government and different stakeholders.

“Producers have demand ed that we hold this debate,

to which we have incorpo rated different international organisations. IICA played a key role in satisfying this demand to guarantee a state policy that provides legal certainty to agriculture”, commented Salcedo, who said that education, financ ing, productivity, market access, technology and insti tutional strengthening are the central themes.

“The discussion refers to a long-term vision and will constitute the basis for attacking the problems of social inequality, bringing technology to the production sectors and reducing rural poverty. This state policy will be the point of reference for future administrations”, he added, highlighting the strategic nature of the agri culture sector.

Mustapha, who empha sised the importance of fi nancing for development and the need for concrete actions, stated that the current global food crisis requires a trans formation of all points along the food chain.

“Today, there are coun tries that suffer from food shortages even though they have money. If we don’t act together, we are all going to suffer the consequences”, he warned.

The minister from Guy ana related that in his home country and across the Car ibbean, they are working to reduce the dependency on food imports and exposure to climate shocks.

“Climate change is very real for us. Last year, Guyana suffered one of the most dev astating floods in history”, Mustapha said, underscoring the need to promote insur ance that covers the loss suf fered by farmers in the face of more frequent natural disasters.

“Guyana’s economy has grown incredibly thanks to oil and gas, but it is essential that we diversify. Today, we produce 60 per cent of the food we consume, but we are not satisfied”, he acknowl edged.

Secretary Ross from Cal ifornia also referred to the

effects of climate change.

“In 2020 we experienced the worst wildfire season in California history. For 30 days the central valley, which is our most productive area, was covered in smoke and ash. This was dramatic for a state that produces onethird of all vegetables and two-thirds of all fruit for the United States,” he said.

Ross, highlighting the importance of youth and women in rural areas, stated that California will continue to make investments that favour the resilience of agri culture, the transition to car bon-neutrality, the reduction of methane emissions from livestock, the improvement of soil health and energy ef ficiency.

In turn, Ali Khan revealed that 67 per cent of the popu lation of Pakistan works in agriculture and that the im pact of climate change on the country is severe.

“We need more technol ogy for small-scale farmers to ensure their resilience”, he warned.

14 SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 23, 2022

The session Food Governance in an Unprecedented Era, part of the Borlaug International Dialogue, was moderated by Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA, with the participation of Zulfikar Mustapha, Minister of Agriculture of Guyana; Shahryar Ali Khan, Minister of State with the Federal Government of Pakistan; Carlos Salcedo Zaldivar, Minister Counselor for Agricultural Affairs of Panama; and Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA – attended virtually) - ministers say during IICA-organised event at Borlaug International Dialogue

China’s Communist Party to announce new senior leadership

as congress ends

By Samuel Sukhnandan in Beijing

CHINA’S ruling Com munist Party (CPC) ended its congress in the Great Hall of the People on Saturday, with sev eral amendments to the party’s constitution that will grant more pow ers to President Xi Jinping’s status as China’s leader.

The week-long con gress which was attended by over 2,300 senior del egates, now paves the way for President Xi, 69, to have an unprecedented third term by cementing his “core position” in the country’s leadership.

The official announce ment of a third term will come during March’s an nual legislative sessions. In 2018, the presidential two-term limit in China was removed from the party’s constitution.

Delegates voted to endorse President Xi’s work report delivered at the opening of the con gress last Sunday and a resolution on the party’s constitution.

Among the amend ments to the party’s con stitution, the “Two Estab lishes” and “Two Safe guards” define Xi Jinping as the “core” leader of the party and cement his ideas as the guiding prin ciples of China’s future development.

Meanwhile, party delegates also elected a new central committee, comprised of over 200 senior members. The cen tral committee, a power ful body comprising top leaders, will govern the party for the next five years.

They will meet on Sunday to elect the Po litical Bureau or Polit buro Standing Committee which will elect the pow erful standing committee

of about seven members. The standing committee will subsequently elect the General-Secretary as per the party’s procedure.

GREATER MIRACLES

Presiding over the closing session of the congress, President Xi said the CPC is fully confident and capable of creating new and even greater miracles on the new journey of the new era.

“We believe that all the decisions and plans set out at the congress and all its outcomes will play a significant role in guiding and underpin ning our efforts to build a modern socialist country in all respects, advance national rejuvenation on all fronts, and secure new victories for socialism with Chinese character istics,” he added.

On the newly elected CPC Central Commit tee, President Xi said it is a broadly representa tive and well-structured body with highly quali

fied members who meet the standards for central committee membership.

“The new CPC Cen tral Committee will definitely be capable of shouldering the historic mission of rallying and leading the whole Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in build ing China into a modern socialist country in all respects and in advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts,” he said.

President Xi called on the delegates to always remember the party’s original aspiration and founding mission and the country’s most fun damental interests, and firmly keep in mind that “its people are the coun try.”

“We must remain confident in our history, exhibit greater historical initiative, and have the courage to fight and the mettle to win,” he said.

The Chinese leader also called on the party to stay focused, deter minedly forge ahead, and

unite and lead all Chinese people in striving to fulfil the goals and tasks set out at the 20th CPC National Congress.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 23, 2022 15

(Reporting courtesy of NCN Editor, Sam uel Sukhnandan who is in Beijing on a Chi na International Press Communication Centre (CIPCC) 2022 Fellow ship at the invitation of the China Public Diplo macy Association) Chinese President Xi Jinping (centre) during the closing ceremony of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the Great Hall of People in Beijing, China (Credit: EPA-EFE)

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Independence Boulevard squatters to benefit from housing units

O N Friday, the Cen tral Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) allocated housing units to the first 11 informal set tlers residing along Punt Trench, Ceme tery Road and Saffron Street as part of its relocation and resettle ment programme.

The persons, who met with the Chief Executive Officer of CH&PA, Sherwyn Greaves, Director of Community Develop ment Gladwin Charles and the team at the agency’s boardroom registered for low-in come, middle-income and young professionals homes.

Each allottee will move forward with a banking institution to facilitate an affordable mortgage plan.

The relocation is nec essary, as the area being occupied has been ear marked for the Ministry of Public Works’ $1.5 billion Independence Boulevard enhancement project.

CEO Greaves stated

that this is a part of the government’s response to safely and humanely relocate the squatters to an area that improves their socioeconomic well-being, while en suring that the govern ment’s development programmes progress smoothly.

The allocation will see the beneficiaries be ing issued Certificates of Title signalling le gal ownership of their new lands and allowing them legal access to electricity, water and other amenities.

A number of the informal settlers ex pressed satisfaction with the agency’s response to their current situation.

Father of four, Triske Marshall, stated, “I glad that ‘Housing’ do some thing nice for us, take we out of a lot pres sure [and] make our life more easier[sic] for us and our kids.”

The CH&PA will continue to assist the informal settlers throughout the reloca tion and resettlement process.

18 SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 23, 2022

Chief Executive Officer of the CH&PA, Sherwyn Greaves (centre) flanked by staff of the Housing Ministry and (on right) beneficiaries who were issued with Certificates of Title, signalling legal ownership of their new lands

Guyana, Grenada discuss avenues for enhanced partnerships

FOREIGN Secretary, Robert Persaud, met recently with Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Export Development of Gre nada, Joseph Andall, to discuss enhanced bilateral co-operation between Guyana and Grenada.

The Foreign Secre

tary lauded the Guyana/ Grenada relations and highlighted the need for enhanced collaboration in regional integration efforts within the Carib bean Community.

During the discus sion, he also addressed Grenada’s support for President Ali’s regional food security agenda,

which will see countries within CARICOM im port bill reduced by 25 per cent by 2025. The issues faced by Guya nese living in Grenada were also discussed.

During his visit, the Foreign Secretary met with the Guyanese di aspora, some of whom migrated since the

CANU ‘clears streets’ of $311M worth of narcotics during September

1970s and 1980s from Guyana.

Grenada has a small Guyanese population who have been contrib uting to the service and education sectors in the country.

At the meeting, Persaud sensitised Guyanese there on the many opportuni ties that exist in Guy ana.

FOREIGN Secretary, Robert Persaud, met recently with Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Export Development of Grenada, Joseph Andall, to discuss enhanced bilateral cooperation between Guyana and Grenada

Narcotics seized in September last during one of the many raids done by CANU

FOR September, the most significant quantity of nar cotics was seized on the roadways with a value of GUY$311M, accounting for 44 per cent of the total amount of drugs seized in 2022 related to the area classification, according to the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU).

The busts encompass $294M (approximately US$1.4M) in cannabis and $17M (US$82,000) in co caine.

Cannabis continues to be the narcotic most commonly seized by CANU, account ing for 97 per cent of all seizures.

Further, 22 persons were arrested in relation to narcot ics possession for September. Six males and two females were detained for possessing

11.2306kg of cocaine, while 14 males were arrested for possessing 327.4978kg of cannabis.

CANU noted that the males detained were be tween the ages of 18 and 58 years, and the females were between the ages of 18 and 59 years.

Of those arrested, 13 individuals were charged separately for possessing narcotics. CANU made out 12 cases for possession of narcotics, consisting of both cocaine and cannabis pos session; seven convictions, one for possession of cocaine and six for possession of cannabis, while 96 cases are pending.

“Cannabis was the sole drug type seized by the Unit on the roadways, 33 per cent of the total amount of

narcotics seized were done in locations classified as riverine areas. Several sei zures were made for the re porting period in locations classified as Residence and accounted for 16 per cent of the total amount of nar cotics seized by the Unit, consisting of 0.24 grams of cocaine and approximately 53.68 kg of cannabis. Air port seizures accounted for three per cent of the total seizure, with cocaine being the sole narcotic seized,” CANU noted in its recent newsletter.

According to CANU, a significant amount of narcotics was intercept ed in Regions Six, Four, and Three, the amounts blocked therein being 327.50kg of cannabis and 11.23kg of cocaine.

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Sainz takes pole in Austin

(FORMULA 1) - Car los Sainz stormed to pole position in qual ifying for the 2022 United States Grand Prix, where grid penalties will see Max Verstappen join him on the front row and the Mercedes start on the second row.

Dietrich Mate schitz’s passing cast a shadow over the pad

dock ahead of qualify ing, with the likes of Red Bull Team Princi pal Christian Horner, Mercedes Team Prin cipal Toto Wolff, and Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Do menicali paying trib ute to the influential Red Bull energy drinks co-founder.

Red Bull vowed to continue on for qualify

ing, the team this week end hoping to secure their first constructors’ championship victory since 2013.

Sainz topped Q1 and Leclerc Q2, leaving Ferrari front-runners when it came to the top-10 shootout. The Monegasque driver set a provisional pole lap early in Q3, but had a 10-place grid pen

alty incoming for en gine changes, while Sergio Perez and Fer nando Alonso would be demoted five places apiece.

Sainz’s second fly ing lap, however, saw him eclipse his team mate with a time of 1m 34.356s, taking Ferra ri’s first pole in Austin, with Leclerc 0.065s off in P2 before his penalty

American Racing Tips Belmont

Racing

1 American Hustle

2 Broadway Boogie

Don’t Tell Amy

Guess’s Dream

Canadian Racing Tips Woodbine

1 Lionesque

Venti

Sister Seagull

Combative

South Africa Racing Tips

Greyville

08:20 hrs Luna Eclipse

08:55 hrs Happy Wanderer

kicked in. Max Verstap pen finished third in qualifying but will start on the front row, while Perez finished fourth before his penalty.

Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top five but is set for a second row start, while team mate George Russell is set to join him, having qualified sixth.

Also shuffling for

CRICKET

ward will be P7 quali fier Lance Stroll, ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. Alonso will drop five places after qualifying ninth on the grid, which will fur ther promote 10th-place qualifier Valtteri Bottas.

Alex Albon quali fied 11th for Williams ahead of Aston Mar tin's Sebastian Vettel, while Pierre Gasly was frustrated with a lack of braking performance as he locked up on the way to P13.

Zhou Guanyu seemed safe for Q3 but had his final lap delet ed and qualified 14th – which will become 19th once his five-place penalty kicks in. Yuki Tsunoda qualified 15th but is set to be promot ed at Zhou's expense.

Also to be promot ed a place will be Kev in Magnussen, who lost out on a spot in Q2 by 0.018s, while Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon struggled to P17 and P18, respectively. Mick Schumacher spun on his final Q1 lap and qualified 19th, while Nicholas Latifi qual ified last and is set to start 20th for Wil liams.

QUIZ CORNER

October 23, 2022)

CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

England

Kevin Pieterson (ENG)

Today’s Quiz:

Who were the losing finalist of the

Men’s T20 World Cup 2010?

Who was declared Man of the Final?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

hrs Facethepuckout

hrs Cnodian

hrs Go Man Go

10:05 hrs Fabulous

hrs Diani

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 23, 2022 27

Racing Tips Aintree 08:30 hrs Hidden Heroics 09:05 hrs Wishing And Hoping 09:40 hrs Hitman 10:15 hrs Gentleman At Arms 10:52 hrs Ginny’s Destiny 11:30 hrs Kinondo Kwetu 12:05 hrs Ruby Island Ffos Las 08:45 hrs Fairy Gem 09:18 hrs Eaton Collina 09:55 hrs Hymac 10:30 hrs Saint Segal 11:03 hrs Jean Genie 11:40 hrs Pilgrim’s King 12:15 hrs Almost Gotaway Irish

Tips Limerick 08:15 hrs Kiki’s Badger 08:50 hrs Catena Zapata 09:25 hrs Plains Indian 10:00 hrs Queens Brook 10:35 hrs Velvet Elvis 11:10 hrs Fighting Fit 11:45 hrs Know The Game 12:20 hrs Shoot The Blues Curragh 08:25 hrs Alexander John 09:00 hrs Imaginarium 09:35 hrs Cyclamen 10:10 hrs Miss Tucker 10:45 hrs Emily Dickinson 11:20 hrs Falcon Eight 11:55

12:30

Race

Race 3

Race 4

Race

Race 2

Race 3

Race 4

09:30

10:45

(Sunday

(1)

(2)

(1)

ICC

(2)

Ferrari's Spanish driver Carlos Sainz Jr (L) holds the Pole Position trophy with McLaren's Spanish test driver Alex Palou (R) after the qualifying session for the Formula One United States Grand Prix, at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, yesterday

England wallop Afghanistan to open World Cup bid

(ESPNCRICINFO)England's World Cup campaign is up and running thanks to a five-wicket victory over Afghanistan in their opening match in Group 1.

It was very much a performance of two halves for one of the tournament favourites. They were outstanding in the field, vindicating Jos Buttler's decision to bowl first by dis missing Afghanistan for 112 with a stellar hand from Sam Curran of 5 for 10, becoming the first Englishman to take a T20I five-for.

But a stuttering chase took the gloss off what could have been a complete performance. They were 65 for 3 at one stage in the 11th over, only managing to clear the fence once and in turn missing the chance to rubber-stamp this win with a signifi cant net run-rate boost.

Curran stole the headlines with his ca reer-best figures and was even on a hat-trick at one point, removing Azmatullah Omarzai and Rashid Khan off the last two balls of the 18th over. Though he missed out on a hattrick, he did claim three in four when Usman Ghani slapped one to Liam Livingstone at deep point in the 20th over.

If that was a rudi mentary take for Liv ingstone, his first was on the other end of the spectrum: charging out from the cover bound ary to take a stunning, diving catch at back ward point after Haz ratullah Zazai tried to flay Ben Stokes to the fence. Stokes went on to take one more wick et, benefitting again from similar brilliance in the outfield, this time from Adil Rashid.

Mark Wood also claimed two with a four-over spell with an average pace of 149kph, while Chris Woakes (1 for 24) relied on nous to leave Mohammad Nabi's side well short of a par score.

While achieving a target of 113 was al ways expected, the manner in which En gland struggled, partic

ularly against Rashid, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Nabi, spoke of a few kinks still to be ironed out. The spin trio con ceded just one bound ary between them and emerged with a wicket each. Ultimately, bat ting depth saw Buttler's side through with Liv ingstone batting till the end to finish unbeaten on 29 off 21 - the only English batter to score double figures at better than a run a ball - with Moeen Ali (8 off 10) for company.

WOOD CRANKS IT UP, AGAIN

Wood's first ball nipped away at 146kph/91mph, taking Rahmanullah Gurbaz's outside edge. The sec ond - 154kph/96mphwelcomed Ibrahim Za dran to the crease. It's safe to say Wood was

not messing around. Much has been made about pace at this World Cup, and even more on his point of differ ence in this English attack. That brought its own pressure and Wood could not have lived up to the hype and expec tation any better.

Getting two wickets for 23 is what matters from a statistical point of view, but the other numbers, particularly on the speed gun, are jaw-dropping. He looks as fresh and consistent as he has ever been - a credit to the man him self and the medical team who have worked tirelessly to help him achieve a level the likes of which England have never seen.

FIELDING FO CUS

One of the aspects

of the Stokes conver sation that punctuated discussions on selection matters heading into this first match was his fielding. Whatever role he would occupy with bat or ball, his fielding would play a huge role in Australia: his speed across those vast ex panses of green, that cannon arm, and, of course, those hands.

As it happens, he was excellent with the ball (2 for 19), negligi ble with the bat (2 off 4) and largely a spectator in the field. The last part was because those around him delivered the stunning grabs this time around. Living stone and Adil Rashid pulled off exceptional running, diving catches - both carbon copies of Glenn Phillips' earlier ‘worldie’ against Aus tralia.

Buttler's one-handed Superman catch of Nabi was the icing on the cake, and even a late drop from Alex Hales sprawling at point could be marked down as saving a boundary. England's undoubted strength is their batting, but their fielding is a close second.

AFGHANISTAN BOTCH UPSET

The collapse of 5 for 3 off the final 12 deliveries of their in nings, the drops off Alex Hales on 4 and 17 (he was eventually dismissed for 19) and the way England did not need to take risks against their spinners, with Rashid producing a boundary-less four overs. You can see why Nabi said he wanted to defend at the toss, and why that has been Afghanistan's modus operandi for the lon gest time. But you can also see why their fans might rue what might have been.

An opportunity to catch England cold was spurned thanks largely to an under whelming, border line-naive approach with the bat. Given how the last hour of the game played out, an extra 20 runs would have gone a long way.

28 SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 23, 2022

Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone saw England over the line (ICC via Getty Images)

New Zealand thrash Australia

(ESPNCRICINFO)

- Ten years can be a good time to wait for some things - inspi ration, lifetime service awards, the right blend of salt and pep per in your hair - but not a win. New Zea land last beat Austra lia in Australia in De cember 2011. They've finally followed it up, 15 matches later, with a performance that maybe makes it all worth it.

Finn Allen an nounced himself as the new face of this bat ting line-up. His 42 of 16 balls was the spark that sharpened the iron, which his opening partner then took and promptly plunged into the heart of the defend ing champions.

Devon Conway bat ted through the entire 20 overs to make 92 off 58 and posed a ques tion to Australia. Can you make the highest total ever made in this country - 201 - to win a T20I? The answer was, well ...

By the end, the Ki wis were doing things that shouldn't be possi ble. Like flying.

Glenn Phillips was the man who gutpunched gravity as he ran to his right, about 15 yards, leaped off his feet, got horizontal with the ground, sent his resumé to Warner Bros just in case they're looking for a new Su perman, and came up with a catch that will become the image of this very one-sided match.

HOW IT BEGAN

It began like it al most always does in the first over. It end ed here too. Just like in that game.

Mitchell Starc once broke New Zealand with the fifth ball he bowled. Here he was sent packing into the crowd beyond the straight boundary. Al len went for the same shot Brendon McCul lum did all those years ago, minus all the hur tling down the track.

Turns out, having a stable base, and pre senting a straight bat can be fun too.

New Zealand ran sacked 14 runs off the first over. Not since the third season of Game of Thrones has a man named Starc been tak en down with such fe rocity.

HOW IT KEPT GOING

Allen is a 360-de gree player. More than that, he is pure power. Ever since he made his debut in March 2021, his strike rate of 156 in the first six overs is head and shoulders above everybody else in T20Is (min. 10 in nings).

The problem was he got out too early. Fif ty-five percent of his knocks ended within 10 balls. In Sydney, he got to face six more than that, and that was enough. Those bru tal swings down the ground off Starc were followed by skilful punches off the back foot off Josh Hazle wood and the most full-blooded of all full-blooded pulls off Pat Cummins.

HOW IT ENDED

Allen fell in the fifth over, but New Zea land already had 56

runs on the board. That gave them so much cushion that Kane Wil liamson could come in, struggle, look short of the answers every one wants him to find and still end up on the winning side. The New Zealand captain's runa-ball 23 wasn't the story yesterday but it may be one later on in the tournament.

Conway is owed some credit for things turning out this way. Unlike most lefthanders, he looks for his boundaries on the off side, which is where he found 58 of his runs at a strike rate of 187. He's also better against spin than he is against pace.

So when Australia realised they had to slow things down, they fell into his trap. Adam Zampa went for 39 runs in his four overs at the SCG. Conway

clattered 32 of them, including two sixes.

The final flourish came from Jimmy Nee sham, who was very much on brand. Since the 2021 World Cup, he's hit 23 fours and 22 sixes in the last four overs of a T20, putting him in the same calibre of finishers as Andre Russell, Tim David, Dinesh Karthik and David Miller.

HOW IT NEVER REALLY BEGAN

Bad luck and the bizarre had a baby and it turned into the ball that got David Warner out. One second it was an innocuous changeup, the next, it took the inside edge of a pull shot, bounced up off the thigh and just hovered in the air; in that perfect spot for the bat to catch up with it on the follow-through, and rebound onto the

stumps.

Talk about a sign! Warner, who averages 90 in home T20Is since 2019, gone.

New Zealand then did the most New Zea land thing. They ‘log icked’ a win.

Trent Boult was get ting loads of swing, but they stopped his first spell at two overs and went to Mitchell Santner.

Why, because Mitchell Marsh was at the crease and he doesn't do spin (T20 strike rate 110) as well as he does pace (T20 strike rate 140). Also, the other batter, Aaron Finch has been woeful against left-arm spin this year (14 runs in five innings and two dismissals). Guess what happened?

Finch c Williamson b Santner 13 off 11, Australia 30 for 2, then 68 for 5, then 111 all out.

In the midst of all that, Tim Southee be came the highest wick et-taker in T20Is. He has recently realised he can't bowl the same ball over and over again. He needed variation. So a man who only turned to change of pace as the last resort (8% of his overs between 2008 and 2017) is now total ly committed to them. Since 2018, he bowls his off-cutters alone more often (11%). One of them brought New Zealand the all-import ant Marsh wicket.

Who knew 343 days could make such a difference!

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 23, 2022 29

David Warner knocked the ball accidentally onto his stumps October 21, 2022 (Getty Images)

Flying Stars Cycling Club’s Randolph ‘Duckie’ Singh Memorial Road Race on today

According to information received from the club, seniors, juniors and veterans (both Under-50 and Over-50) along with Pre-Juniors and Ladies should be competing.

Meanwhile, tomorrow, October 24, the cycling club will celebrate its 50th Anniversary with a cycle race in the National Park from 08:00hrs.

The event is sponsored by the club and friends of the club.

‘IT’S A DISGRACE!’

Former Aussie skipper on West Indies early World Cup exit

(ESPNCRICINFO)

- Ricky Ponting has called West Indies' early exit from the T20 World Cup a "disgrace" after their heavy defeat to Ireland meant the two-time cham pions lasted just three matches in this tournament.

After an opening loss against Scot land in Hobart, West Indies gave them selves a chance with victory over Zimba bwe which left their final group game as a winner-takes-all contest. In the end, they could muster only 146 for 5 which Ireland hunted down for the loss of just one wicket.

The reaction was swift with CWI pres ident Ricky Skerritt blaming the batters and promising that a "thorough post mor tem" would be car ried out.

The build-up to the tournament had included the much-debated omis sion of Andre Rus sell from the squad then the axing of Shimron Hetmy er after he missed his flight to Australia.

"It's a disgrace," Ponting said at the SCG ahead of the opening Super 12s match between Aus tralia and New Zea land. "It's so bad for their cricket. They've got too much talent

in that team and in West Indies crick et not to be able to make it through to the next stage of a World Cup.

"And even one of their main play ers not making it to the flight to get over here for a World Cup ... To me this sort of sums up proba bly how little these events mean to the West Indies players and if you look at the way that they played you'd say the same thing.

(Nicholas) Pooran and these guys, they're much better players than what we've seen over the last couple of weeks so no doubt there'll

be some soul-search ing done when they get back.

"They'll be as dis appointed as any one, it's easy for me to stand here and say that it's a dis grace that they ha ven't made it, but they'll be hurting as much as anybody. They would have had big thoughts and dreams coming here and they hav en't played anywhere near well enough to even progress. So they have got some work to do."

West Indies re turn to Australia next month for a two-Test series with what will be a very different-looking

side. Ponting was already concerned about how competi tive those matches in Perth and Adelaide may be although he did note West Indies have been more competitive at home. But in Aus tralia, where they last played a Test se ries in 2015-16, they have not won in the format since 1997.

"I didn't need to see that to make me more worried about the first cou ple of Test matches," Ponting said. "But what's interesting with that, they've ac tually found a way, mainly at home I guess, in the last few years to be reason

ably competitive on the Test front with Brathwaite … and Holder, he's done a really good job in Test cricket for them.

"But they're going to have to find a few lengths if they're going to compete against the Aussies with the current group that the Australians have got. If you just line them up on pa per, there's no way you think that they could compete. Cricket's a funny game, but they're going to have to play out of their skins I think to make the first two Tests entertaining."

30 SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 23, 2022

THE Flying Stars Cycling Club is expected to host back-to-back events over the next two days in Georgetown. Today from 10:00hrs (rescheduled from 08:00hrs), the club will ride off the 1st Annual Randolph (Duckie) Singh Memorial Cycle Road Race on Vlissengen Road/J B Singh Road. The late Randolph ‘Duckie’ Singh was a stalwart of the club

Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ qualifiers on today

The Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ East Coast Demerara Qualifiers com mence today at 07:00hrs at the Haslington Tarmac.

The elimination quali fiers will feature multiple teams who will compete for the remaining eight berths in the 16-team tournament. The eight teams who have already qualified are defend ing champions Melanie-B, Liliendaal Hustlers, Belfield Warriors, Paradise-A, BV-A, Victoria Church Yard, Bux ton Diamond and Uprising.

Following a two-year absence owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the main section of the tourna ment is scheduled to start on October 28 (Round of 16) at the same venue.

The competition, which will use an elimination for mat, will run for three days.

The other dates are October 29 and November 5. The first night will feature the roundof-16 section, with the quar terfinal round taking place on the second night. The final night will feature the semi-fi nal stage, third-place playoff, and championship encounter

respectively.

According to an official release from the tournament coordinator, “The excite ment for the resumption of the tournament, following a two-year hiatus, is at fever pitch and the anticipation and expectation could be

one of the most memorable in the history of the zone, which has always been well supported by the surrounding communities.”

The release further said, “For scheduling purposes, the tournament has been condensed, and will utilise an elimination format which will certainly add to the ex citement. Essentially, win and continue, or lose and go home. That is the unwritten motto that is being employed in this edition. Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ East Coast Demerara is officially back.”

At present, the Linden and Berbice legs have been hosted. Defending cham pions Swag Entertainment successfully retained the Linden title, while Show time captured their maiden Berbice championship.

Courts Pee Wee Football tournament round three ...

Enterprise, North Georgetown score big wins

ENTERPRISE Primary scored 16 goals against Graham’s Hall Primary, 13 of which came from Jashan Haynes in round three of the Courts Pee Wee Football tourna ment yesterday at the Ministry of Education ground.

Haynes had goals in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 13th, 16th, 29th, 31st, 32nd and 37th min utes to ensure that his side picked up the win. Three other scorers found the net in that rout, Isandro Vin cent (11th), Dontay Kow lessar (35th) and Nashon Wharton (39th, 40th).

Meanwhile North Georgetown beat F.E Pol lard 5-0 thanks to a hattrick from Shawn Doutlas (8th, 17th, 30th) as well as single strikes from Na thaniel Pieters (3rd) and Nandell Edinboro (34th).

Craig Primary beat Ann’s Grove Primary 3-1 with Maurice Fields (12th, 22nd) and Kevin Deyoung (18th) on target while

CWI promises full review of West Indies T20 World Cup performance

(CMC) – Cricket West Indies president Ricky Sker ritt has promised a full review of the Caribbean side’s shock exit from the Twenty20 World Cup.

In a short statement following West Indies’ chasten ing nine-wicket defeat to Ireland on Friday which saw them eliminated from the main draw of the tournament, Skerritt said “all aspects … of the preparation and per formance” would come under the microscope.

“I want to assure stakeholders that a thorough post-mortem will be carried out on all aspects of our World Cup preparation and performance, and that solu tions will be found in keeping with CWI’s strategy, to improve the quality and sustainability of cricket on all fronts and in all formats,” Skerritt said.

Mocha Primary nee dled Den Amstel thanks to Hubert Gardens (35th) while Timehri Primary, off the boot of Nyron Barrow (4th, 11th, 36th) overcame St Margaret’s Primary (Nash Moe 34th and 46th) by three goals to two.

Tucville got past Vic toria 1-0 thanks to Ezekiel Dick (33rd) with St Ste phen’s drawing Colaaco nil-all and West Ruim veldt beating Winfer Gar dens 3-0 thanks to Aaron Archer (3rd), Dane Van cooten (15th) and Troy Lindsey (24th)

St Pius Primary gained a walkover from St Agnes Primary while Marian Academy got theirs from Smith Memorial.

The tournament is organised by the Petra Organisation with sup port from COURTS, the Ministry of Education, Sterling Products and MVP Sports.

“West Indies cricket is bigger than any one individ ual or event and continues to need the input and support of all stakeholders.”

West Indies were forced to go through the quali fying series here for the October 22 to November 13 showpiece, after an abysmal showing in last year’s Twenty20 World Cup in United Arab Emirates where they lost four of five games to miss out on the semi-fi nals.

Installed in a four-team qualifying Group B here, West suffered a stunning 42-run loss to Scotland last Monday at Bellerive Oval in Hobart before rebounding to beat Zimbabwe by 31 runs on Wednesday.

With all four teams in the group on two points, West Indies headed into Friday’s contest against Ire land facing a must-win scenario but produced a meek performance to crash out of the tournament.

Opting to bat first, West Indies could muster only 146 for five and then watched as the Irish cantered to their target with 15 balls to spare.

Skerritt said there were obvious question marks over the “batting culture” of the West Indies unit.

“I am deeply disappointed with the performance results of our team in Australia and I appreciate the sense of utter frustration that is being experienced by many,” said Skeritt.

“The ongoing inability of our batters to prevail over opposing slow bowling continued to be an obvious weakness in Australia, and ultimately shot selections seem to be deeply imbedded in the T20 batting culture of our senior team.”

West Indies are two-time former champions who last won the T20 World Cup in 2016 in India.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 23, 2022 31

Flashback – Part of the action from the East Coast Demerara Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets edition’ Isiah Pellew (26th) added to his tournament tally for the losers. Redeemer Primary registered a 5-1 win over Soesdyke Primary thanks to David DeCosta (5th, 10th, 33rd) and Adiel Hamilton (39th, 40th) while Soesdyke Primary had Nathan Roberts (12th) on target. Jashan Haynes scored 13 goals

32 SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 23, 2022 Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limited, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 226-3243-9 (General); Editorial: 227-5204, 227-5216. Fax:227-5208 | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022 Flashback! A scene from the 2019 edition of the Guinness 'Greatest of the Streets' East Coast Demerara edition Courts

Pee Wee action

in round three

(Adrian Narine photo)

Two-time champions West Indies are leaving Australia early (AFP/ Getty Images) Story on page 30 Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ qualifiers on today Story on page 31 Courts

Pee Wee Football tournament round three

... Enterprise, North Georgetown score big wins Story on page 31 ‘IT’S A DISGRACE!’ - Former Aussie skipper on West Indies early World Cup exit

Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_23_10_2022

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Flying Stars Cycling Club’s Randolph ‘Duckie’ Singh Memorial Road Race on today

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Former Aussie skipper on West Indies early World Cup exit

Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ qualifiers on today

Courts Pee Wee Football tournament round three ...

Enterprise, North Georgetown score big wins

CWI promises full review of West Indies T20 World Cup performance