Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_2_0_2022

The newly-installed curtain wall at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (Photo credit: President, Dr Irfaan Ali’s Facebook page)

Vibrancy in colour: Rangolis on Main Street, Georgetown on Friday (Carl Croker photos)

VP Jagdeo: APNU+AFC‘mortally afraid’ of LGEs –– ignored consultation meeting on electoral laws

–– continues to peddle misinformation on election procedure

VICE President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, has weighed in on the partici pation of opposition politi cal parties in the 2023 local government elections.

In an exclusive interview published on social media on Wednesday evening, the VP said there is an “indus try” growing in the opposi tion camps which is built on misleading the public on is sues of national importance including local government elections.

He said there are many persons who present them selves as specialists but do a lot of damage through mis information, which requires a lot of effort to get to the truth of the matter.

As an example, Dr Jag deo noted that while there were some persons making statements that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government was delaying the holding of local government elections, that position misrepresented the reality that it is the Guy ana Elections Commission (GECOM) must have first indicated its readiness to facilitation the elections.

The Vice President said after GECOM completed that process, the body’s Chairman, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh wrote to government indicating

March 13, 2023 as the ear liest possible date for local government elections.

He noted that at first opportunity, government, through the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, set the earliest possible date for the local government polls.

AFC DECIMATED

Earlier Friday, during a press conference of the Alliance For Change (AFC), that party’s leader Khemraj Ramjattan ad dressed a position made by one of the party’s leaders, Cathy Hughes in a me dia report which suggest ed that the AFC would not contest the upcoming LGE.

Ramjattan countered Hughes’ statements to the media saying that his party’s national executive body has the final decision on whether the party will contest the local government polls.

“I rather suspect that Cathy was speaking person ally. Cathy feels strongly that we must not go into the elections,” Ramjattan said in response to questions posed by a journalist on the flip-flopping of the AFC on its involvement in local government elections.

Questioned on whether

it has the finances and the voter support to contest the election, Ramjattan said that determination is still to be made. Questioned again about what are some of the factors that would influence his party’s contesting of lo cal government polls, Ram jattan dodged the question, noting his party would “keep that confidential”.

Commenting on that sit uation, VP Jagdeo recounted on Friday that the AFC had contested local government elections alone while in office and did not win any councils, which showed that their support was low.

“I would not put it past them not to contest the elec tions not because of any fear that the [Official] List [of Electors] is bloated but to save face because they know they will practically be further wiped out if there is anything like that that you could be practically limited from having any say at the national level,” VP Jagdeo said, underscoring that the AFC support base has been wiped out.

The VP criticised the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) for shirking its responsibility of sani tation and street mainte

nance in the city, which central government has had to take up to ensure the city remains clean.

VOTERS’ LIST

Turning his attention to the Official List of Electors ( OLE), VP Jagdeo said the PPP/C government accepts there is a method for cleaning dead people from the list.

He said the new Repre sentation of the People Act would require the names of deceased persons to be drawn from the General Register Office (GRO) by GECOM, and those names would have to be published by the elections body.

Once that is done, all the names would be sent to the political parties and once there is no objections, the names would be removed from the voters’ list.

As it relates to the re moval of non-resident Guy anese, Dr Jagdeo relied on a previous court ruling that Guyanese cannot be re moved from the voters’ list because they are not resident in Guyana, a measure which was agreed to by all parties involved in the reform of the Constitution of Guyana in the early 2000s.

“You cannot vote from abroad, but you can come back and vote because no

longer is ‘residency’ a re quirement to be on the list,” the VP clarified, noting that the position of the AP NU+AFC would go against the Constitution, which is Guyana’s supreme law. “Any constitutional change has to be to enfranchise, not disenfranchise,” Dr Jagdeo maintained.

GECOM Commissioner, Clement Rohee, through his social media, also ques tioned the motives of the APNU+AFC since it has shirked the opportunity to attend an upcoming forum at the Arthur Chung Confer ence Centre (ACCC) which would discuss the draft amendments to Guyana’s electoral laws.

“The APNU+ AFC is either living in a bubble of their own making or in a surreal world.

In both, they prance around in an effort to wipe away the shame and dis grace they brought upon themselves and the nation when they attempted to perpetrate one of the most despicable and dastardly acts in modern electoral history and thwart the Guyanese people’s march towards democratic gover nance, economic and social progress and all-round hu man development,” Com missioner Rohee wrote.

Janet Jagan played critical role as a journalist

–– says Ralph Ramkarran

AS the People’s Progres sive Party/Civic (PPP/C) celebrated the life and con tributions of the late Janet Jagan, her role as a jour nalist prior to becoming president was highlighted.

Ralph Ramkarran, in his remarks at a symposium held on Thursday at the Cheddi Jagan Research Cen tre, said that Mrs. Jagan’s contributions to journalism and the media were signif icant.

He said that Janet Jagan first served as editor of The

Thunder, which was a lead ing party organ in the 1950s and 1960s, and later as ed itor of The Mirror, which came on stream in the early 1960s.

During a very critical period, Ramkarran said, Mrs. Jagan became editor of The Mirror, and fought for its survival against forc es which sought to have its production ended.

The Mirror was the lead ing newspaper in the latter part of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s, he

said.

In the late 1960s, Ram karran told the gathering, agents of The Mirror were beaten in the streets, among other things, and as such there had to be a great fight, and the use of innovative means and measures to en sure that the circulation of the newspaper at that time was kept high. These means and measures were piloted by Mrs. Jagan.

He said: “Her contribu tion to the politics and polit ical development of Guyana is so vast, that if you take just one aspect of it, her role as a publicist, editor of The Thunder and as a journalist

in The Mirror, that alone can carry a book.”

It was noted that Mrs. Jagan effected change with the stories that were carried in both newspapers.

Ramkarran further

noted that it is for that reason that in the political history of Guyana, her role as a journalist is a critical one, as it helped to advance the country to where it is today.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

Ralph Ramkarran (Adrian Narine photo)

Better community, more job opportunities

–– Albouystown residents welcome enhancement project at Independence Boulevard

RESIDENTS benefitting from the enhancement project at Independence Boulevard (Punt Trench Dam) have expressed grat itude for the initiative, which they said will en hance the community, pro vide job opportunities, and allow them to participate in recreational activities.

The project will see the development of the 1.8-kilo metre Independence Boule vard, stretching from Saffon Street to Cemetery Road, Georgetown.

Many have lauded the government’s timely devel opment of their community.

Resident, Junior Sturge expressed, “the development that I’m seeing is reasonable and nice. That place becomes very beautiful to me. And the place showing me that it brings a point in me that what they had for the last

couple years what they were trying to plan to do, it ends up showing me that it will succeed, that it looks beauti ful to me.”

Sturge said he was grate ful for the opportunity to be employed.

Another resident, John Heywood said the enhance ment project will uplift the community, “It’s being an upliftment in the community as a whole.”

Resident, Manzoor Ali noted that the project is a wonderful idea for the res idents to engage in various activities. He said “the de velopments, so far, looking good… The people in the community would love to have this project going on.”

Margaret Rampersaud said that the ongoing works along Independence Boule vard are extremely good for the community, “because

we could cross better, we’ll have better facilities to sit in the afternoons, have a nice afternoon walk.”

Importantly, she added, that it will help to alleviate the traffic from Lombard Street to within the commu nity.

“It will be beautify ing now and it won’t be a bad stain anymore on Al

bouystown. People give Al bouystown a bad name which is very bad because I’ve lived for a couple of years well here, and I have no problem. It will bring us back together since we’ll have somewhere to sit, co-operate, and be nice to each other,” Rampersaud emphasised about the mis conception some people have about the community.

Leelle Hunte, who has been in the community for 89 years, said “The project is very nice. It’s very becom ing. It will raise the outlook of the community and I feel sure that prices for house lots will be going up because of this.”

Mother of three, Joy Smith stated that the en hancement project is a good initiative for the area for many.

Sarah Gaspar noted that the project will help to uplift

the entire area.

“I love the project for the area. This will bring up the area here,” Andrew Beckles said.

Meanwhile, another resi dent, Wilfred Ramjohn said, “It will be very good. It’s a very good something for Albouystown and the people of Albouystown…This is

very good what we’re do ing here. I do sit down here and admire, what’s going on out here because I know someday it will be a benefit for everybody, everybody in Albouystown.”

President, Dr. Mo hamed Irfaan Ali said the Albouystown beautification project is one of the major transformative initiatives tak ing place in the nation and is intended to improve the qual ity of life for the residents.

President Ali also noted that the initiative is a compo nent of efforts being made by his government to reform ev ery community in the nation to raise standards of living and enhance livelihoods.

The $1.4 billion beautifi cation project was officially launched back in August and includes the upgrading of Cemetery Road to four lanes. (DPI)

Resident, Leelle Hunte

Resident, John Heywood

Guyana hails India’s ‘Mission LiFE’ initiative to combat climate change

PRIME MINISTER, Nar endra Modi and UN Secre tary-General, Antonio Gu terres launched ‘Mission LiFE’ (Lifestyle for Envi ronment) at the Statue of Unity in Gujarat’s Ekta Nagar, an initiative Guy ana hailed as pioneering and worthy of emulation.

India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar & CM Bhupendra Patel were also present at the event, a release said.

At the launch of ‘Mis sion LiFE’ in Kevadia, PM Modi said, “The issue of climate change is being witnessed everywhere. Our glaciers are melting, rivers are drying up. Mission LIFE will help in fighting the cli mate crisis,” Prime Minister Modi said.

“A perception was cre ated that climate change is merely a policy-related issue and that both gov ernments or international institutions will take steps regarding it. But now, peo ple are feeling the effects of climate change,” he said.

Prime Minister Modi also said that a bit of chang ing lifestyles can be of help to the environment, the re lease noted.

“Some people prefer dropping AC temperatures to 17 degrees; this creates a negative impact on the environment. Use cycles while going to gyms, doing our bit to change our life styles, can be of help to the environment,” he said.

Prime Minister Modi also highlighted that re-use, reduce and recycling are part of India’s traditions and culture. “We need to bring back these practices and work towards making sus tainable choices,” he said.

Meanwhile, UN Secre tary-General, Antonio Gu terres, at the global launch of ‘Mission Life’, said G20 combined as resources, they have the power to end the war against nature and set us on course towards sus tainable living.

“G20 countries account for 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions but it also represents 80 per cent of global GDP. G20 combined as resources, they have the power to end the war against nature and set us on course towards sustainable living,” the UN chief said.

According to the release, the United Nations chief said that India can play a critical bridging role in building trust between de veloping and developed nations.

“COP27 represents a

key political opportunity to rebuild trust and acceler ate action across all pillars of the Paris Agreement. With its vulnerability to climate impact and its mas sive economy, India can play a critical bridging role in building trust between developing and developed nations,” he said.

He further said, “Indi viduals and communities can and must be a part of the solution of protecting our planet and our collective future.”

The UN chief said that the developed countries must follow through on their commitments to pro vide meaningful financial and technological support to countries throughout this transition.

“Developed countries must follow through on their commitments to pro vide meaningful financial and technological support to countries like India throughout this transition. We need to unleash a re newables revolution and look forward to working with India on this,” the re lease quoted the UN chief as saying.

WORLD LEADER’S MESSAGES

Madagascar President, Andry Rajoelina, said, “I am convinced LiFE could become one of the turning points in our fight against the climate crisis. I thank India through its prime minister, who is an inspir ing leader in environmen tal protection, for bringing us together for this cause.”

Georgia Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, in a mes

sage at the launch of ‘Mis sion LiFE’, said, “Georgia welcomes and fully supports this global initiative, timely introduced by PM Modi who promotes an environ mentally conscious lifestyle that focuses on the principle of mindful and deliberate utilisations.”

“Need for a collective response to address climate change is stronger than ever. We’re grateful to PM Modi for his leadership with UN Secretary-General Anto nio Guterres for launching’ Mission LiFE’,” said Es tonia Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, in her message.

“India has been very ac tive in World Cleanup Day, last year; 1.2 million people took part in it in India which is impressive,” she added.

In his video message, France president, Emmanuel Macron, said France was looking forward to working with India in the perspective of the Indian presidency of

G20 next year.

“At a time when our world is subject to increas ing geopolitical tensions, we’ve to choose coopera tion as no one can address global challenges, especially climate change alone,” he added.

President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali stated: “Our plan et is under threat, where 75 per cent of earth’s land has substantially degraded. [. . .] Collective action is the need to protect our environment. Here in Guyana, we have started—our forest is the size of England, storing 19.5 gigatons of carbon; we have one of the lowest deforestation rates in the world. So we are leading by example and we are build ing Guyana on a Low Car bon Development Strategy 2030. Those not only look at the environmental value of what we have but also look at how we can improve livelihood options, create

new livelihood options for forest and communities and help people to become prosperous and at the same time safeguarding our envi ronment. I wish to extend my best wishes to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, on the launching of the Mission LiFE logo and document, which seek to mobilise one billion Indi ans to become Pro Planet People by 2027, who will practise simple environ ment- and climate-friendly behaviours in their daily lives. Congratulations, In dia, for taking the lead and pioneering this movement.

Guyana is committed to protecting and promoting green economic activity through actions that support the Sustainable Develop ment Goals. Simple actions taken every day by citizens across the globe will help to harness the full potential of this collective action. We must do everything within our power, to protect and preserve the environment by making the necessary lifestyle changes. All of us have an individual and collective responsibility to do our part for safeguarding our environment, so that future generations can enjoy the beauty of the world we live in. Extending my best wishes to PM Narendra Modi on the launch.”

UK Prime Minister Liz Truss said, “As democra cies, we must work together to secure energy indepen dence and protect econo mies. We’re investing with partners like India to devel op vital climate infrastruc ture. I commend India’s leadership in launching

Mission LiFE. Let’s keep leading the way.”

“PM Modi’s Mission LiFE could not have come at a more crucial juncture. Effects of climate crisis come at us with full force,” said the President of Mal dives, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, in a video message.

BILATERAL MEETING

Earlier, Prime Minis ter Modi held a bilateral meeting with United Na tions Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, at Kev adia. Officials said Modi had a long interaction with Guterres, who is on a three-day visit to India since Wednesday.

Kevadia is home to the Statue of Unity - the world’s tallest statue, with a height of 182 me tres, located in the state of Gujarat, India. It de picts Indian statesman and independence activ ist, Vallabhbhai Patel, who was the first deputy prime minister and home minister of independent India and an adherent of Mahatma Gandhi. Sardar Patel was instrumental in integrating India’s 562 princely states under the Indian Dominion, after the British left, India giv ing it the present borders, the release said.

It added that Prime Minister Modi also inau gurated the annual con ference of Indian High commissioners and Am bassadors who have gath ered in Kevadia for their annual meeting to discuss India’s foreign policy and the way forward.

President, Dr Irfaan Ali addresses the launch virtually

Confusion in APNU+AFC camps

TRUE to form, the agents of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) continue to demonstrate the highest degree of flippancy, this time coming out against the announcement of the holding of local government elections.

The statements emanating from their camp are mixed, in some cases causing them to counteract their very colleagues as in the case of Alliance For Change Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, and its Chairperson Cathy Hughes.

Objectively, it must be asked why the APNU+AFC is so afraid of the holding of local government elections which it has created much noise about the delays in the holding of the polls which have followed legal processes and were entirely outside of the control

of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government.

To answer that question, one can look to the performance of the APNU and the AFC at the previous local government polls since 2016 which have consistently been in favour of the PPP/C. Additionally, even in instanc es where the APNU held majority in some local democratic organs, like Georgetown, these organs have largely neglected their duties to citizens.

President, Dr Irfaan Ali, following the announcement of LGE, called “on all Guyanese to work in renewing ef forts to building the local governance system, building and strengthening our communities, especially our town ships.”

The President also recognised that

“for long, we have seen what misman agement could do in townships, in some areas.”

As in the case of the Georgetown City Council, citizens of Guyana are left now with a series of rusting parking me ters spread across the capital; remnants of terrible decision-making at the local level by the APNU-dominated council which still threatens to leave Guyana with a large legal bill since the contract for the parking meters was brought to an end under the APNU+AFC govern ment.

As it relates to the development of local government, central government is considering the devolution of power to the local democratic organs, and pro vide those bodies with possibly larger budgets, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

noted during an exclusive interview on Friday.

Even with increased financing to local government bodies, it would still be on central government to engage in capacity-building at the local govern ment level, especially as it relates to large amounts of funding and the man agement and accounting of those funds.

The PPP/C government has commit ted repeatedly to the advancement of lo cal democracy. While the APNU+AFC found it convenient to their agenda to demand local government elections, it is both unsurprising and discouraging that they have now turned up their nose against the holding of local polls be cause of narrow political agendas.

Surely, citizens will use these facts to make their decision in 2023.

Agriculture being transformed in Guyana

Dear editor,

PLEASE allow me a space in your newspapers letter column to share my views of what I see happening in the past two and a half-years or so under this present PPP\ C ad ministration when it comes to the backbone of this nation, which is the agriculture sector.

Agriculture, as we all know, plays a very important part in our everyday lives and well-being for us to survive. This ministry is very important because it provides what we need daily to put on our table in having a healthy meal.

Since the PPP took office, we all are seeing a very massive and rapid devel opment and growth in the agri sector. As I have said before and will say again that the agri sector is on the rise here in Guyana and that is because the ministry is headed by a man that comes from the grassroot and knows about agriculture, the Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha, MP.

Since the PPP took office and Min ister Mustapha took up that ministry, we started to see massive changes and

development. We see qualified people being put in various sectors under the ministry to ensure that there are mas sive growth and development within each sector.

We are seeing better management of sub-agencies under the said ministry. We are seeing better management and frame of mind in doing the everyday work under those heads and its em ployees.

We are seeing massive infrastruc ture work being done across Guyana to develop this sector and ensure our people within this sector benefits more.

We are seeing better drainage and ir rigation works being done so that farm ers can have access to clean canals, etc.

We are seeing better dams being built in the farming area and lots of farm-to- market roads constructed, which is much needed to give farmers better access in and out of their lands.

Recently, we saw the opening of yet another farm-to-market road in the #58 area that will benefit the many farmers in that area.

We are seeing lots of cash-crop

farmers expanding their farmlands in ensuring that this sector also move pos itively forward because it’s a sector that we all depend on everyday in ensuring food is on our table.

We are seeing massive expansion in agriculture development in the interior regions also. I have been following the Region Nine agri group and am amazed with the number of beneficial projects that will benefit their region and people.

I can go on and on and mention several other massive developments that are taking place under this gov ernment for the agri sector, but the massive development can be seen across Guyana every day and most of all the rapid growth of this sector is very visible all across this land of ours.

Be it in rice cultivation, cash-crop farming, cattle rearing, fishing, etc., the agriculture sector in general on a mas sive and rapid development towards a brighter and better future for all.

This brings me to some questions as to what was the previous government doing to develop this sector in their five

years? What vision did the previous government and the minister had for this sector? What programme, if any, was implemented to see the growth and development in the various sub-agen cies under this ministry? What assis tance was given to the farmers? Etc.

I will bluntly say that under the PPP first year in office and the works being done in this sector during that year, it took APNU+AFC and the-then Minis ter of Agriculture five years and they only did about five per cent work in those five years.

I must commend the present Minis ter of Agriculture and his hard-working employees in ensuring that this ministry rises beyond and above our expecta tions.

I must also thank the PPP and its leaders for such outstanding work and vision for this sector in ensuring that agriculture development is be ing rapidly implemented across our country.

Yours sincerely, Abel Seetaram

The observance of Diwali - (PART 1 of 3)

Dear Editor,

AFTER celebrating Navratri and Dusseh ra, Diwali follows shortly afterwards.

The much-awaited Hindu festival is the brightest celebration (literally), and people eagerly look forward to the festivities. The pandemic may have brought a halt to large congregations and Diwali gatherings over the past two years, but this year, devotees are devoid of the dampened spirits and are more relaxed with congregating in large numbers in its observance. Diwali, or Deepavali, is one of the widely celebrated festivals of the country. People clean their houses, display them with fairy lights and decorations to celebrate the day. Goddess Lakshmi is of special signifi cance on Diwali Day. Many people choose to fast and pray to the goddess of wealth on this auspicious day. Throughout the world, the Di wali festival actually runs for five days, with the main event happening on the third day in most places as in India, Guyana, Suriname, the rest of the Caribbean and other countries in the world.

The first day (October 22nd, 2022) is known as Dhanteras, or Dhanatrayodashi. “Dhan” means wealth and “teras” refers to the 13th day of a lunar fortnight on the Hindu calendar. Something precious is purchased on this day. The second day (October 23rd, 2022) is known as Naraka Chaturdasi or Ch hoti Diwali (small Diwali). “Naraka” means hell and “Chaturdashi” means 14th day of a lunar fortnight on the Hindu calendar. Prayers

are offered to remove any “sins and impuri ties”. The third day (October 24th 2022) is the new moon day known as Amavasya. This darkest day of the month is the most signif icant day of the Diwali festival. The fourth day (October 25th, 2022) has various mean ings across India. In north India, Govardhan Puja is celebrated as the day when Lord Krishna defeated Indra, the god of thunder and rain. In Gujarat, it’s celebrated as the start of a new year. The fifth day (October 26th, 2022) is known as Bhai Duj. Sisters invite the brothers for a meal and place the “Tilak” on the forehead, to reunite the bondage of sister/ brother relationship.

Diwali falls in the month of either Octo ber or November each year, depending on the cycle of the moon. It is observed on the 15th day of Kartik, the holiest month in the Hindu lunar calendar. This year, Diwali falls on 24th October, 2022. Diwali celebrates the new moon of the first lunar month, Kartik. The Hindu lunar calendar has two parts: dark (Krishna paksha, or waning moon) and light (Shukla paksha or waxing moon), and the new moon (Amavasya) always occurs in be tween the parts, typically on the 15th. As the festival of lights, Diwali is characterised by massive amounts of fireworks and firecrack ers, intended to offset the cold, dark nights of the coming winter.

All of the simple rituals of Diwali have a significance and a story behind them. Homes are illuminated with lights, and firecrackers fill the skies as an expression of respect to the

heavens for the attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace, and prosperity. Accord ing to one belief, the sound of firecrackers indicates the joy of the people living on earth, making the gods aware of their plen tiful state. Still another possible reason has a more scientific basis: the fumes produced by the firecrackers kill or repel many insects, including mosquitoes, which are plentiful after the rains.

The Diwali festival dates back to ancient times in India. It is mentioned in Sanskrit texts dating from the fourth century CE but was likely practised for many hundreds of years before that. Although most important for Hindus, the festival is also observed by Jains, Sikhs, and some Buddhists. While different historical events are observed in different regions and by different faiths, Diwali or Deepavali, also known as the “Festival of Lights,” is the biggest festival in the Hindu calendar, celebrated in early fall of each year. Spiritually, Diwali symbolises the victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. As the term “Festival of Lights” suggests, the celebration involves millions of lights illuminated from rooftops, doorways, and windows in thou

sands of temples and buildings all over the countries where the festival is observed.

Diwali is said to be the day that Lord Rama returned after a fourteen-year exile to be reinstated as the king of Ayodhya. The citizens rejoiced at the return of their king, and thus Diwali was born. Also known as ‘The Festival of Lights’, or Deepavali, it is customary to light earthen diyas, and candles to celebrate the day. Homes are cleaned and decorated and Rangolis are painted on the floor. People purchase and wear new clothes and jewellery during this period, and pray to Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha. Kali Puja is performed in Eastern States of India such as Bengal, and in Tamil Nadu, the day is celebrated as Narak Chatardushi. It is also a common practice to visit friends, relatives and near and dear ones with gifts, dry fruits and sweets to wish them well on Diwali.

President Irfaan Ali emphasised, “There are many paths that we can create in life.

But Diwali teaches us the lesson and demonstrate the paths that must be creat ed.’ To be continued.

Yours respectfully, Jai Lall

Diwali motorcade held in Essequibo for first time since COVID-19

By Cindy Parkinson

DEEPAVALI, or Diwali as it is popularly called, is one of the most celebrated festivals among Hindus across the world.

In Guyana, many look forward to the sweetmeats, rangolis, lit diyas, beauti fully decorated houses, and, most of all, the motorcades.

The COVID-19 pan demic halted many aspects of the annual celebrations. However, with the lifting of the restrictions, the country is beginning to return to

normalcy.

For the first time since Guyana recorded its first COVID- 19 case, various Diwali activities are being held. Among them are the motorcades in various parts of the country.

Essequibians will not be left out of the festivities this year. The region’s annual motorcade retuned on Thurs day evening, lighting up the roadways on the Essequibo Coast, and impressing the hundreds of residents who came out to view it.

Those who did not line

the streets to get a glimpse of the motorcade, congregated at the Anna Regina car park, where the final judging took place.

The judges had their work cut out for them, as the mandirs and others who participated in the activity were very creative.

In the end, the Golden Fleece Vishva Joti Mandir, which is known for having the biggest float on the Esse quibo Coast and in Guyana, was declared the winner, followed by the Airy Hall Mandir and the Affiance

Vishnu Mandir.

In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, President of the Golden Fleece Vishva Joti Mandir, Devendranath Sukhdeo thanked devotees and the community for their support in creating the win ning float.

“Without the help and participation of the people in our mandir and the com munity, our float would not have been able to depict the various stories from the Ramayan. They persevered, despite the conditions and difficulties, without com plaining. I want to give a particular thank you to Dream Touch Décor’s own er and our lead designer, Vishnu Mahadeo. All the other mandirs that took part deserve congratulations. They also did a great job, and I’m asking the other mandirs to participate, come next year. It is a great op portunity to get our youths and young people involved in their culture,” he told this publication.

Sukhdeo also thanked the Government of Guyana for “ checking up on their progress” as they were pre paring for the event.

In conclusion, he called on all Guyanese to “Let the light outshine the darkness in your lives, and let us all live in harmony under our One Guyana theme.”

Meanwhile, Vishnu Ma hadeo, the main designer of the winning float, was also thankful for the support he received. He, too, acknowl edged the involvement of the government, and several young persons who dis played their eagerness to promote their culture and Dharma.

The Golden Fleece Mandir will also be partic

ipating in the West Coast Demerara motorcade, sched uled for today, and the East Coast Demerara motorcade, which will be held tomor row.

Mayadevi Awadhesh told the Guyana Chronicle that she was impressed, and was already looking forward to next year’s motorcade.

“It was a night that we were looking forward to, and it did not disappoint. The floats were beautifully decorated, and the partici pants, along with the people, were well dressed, with most of them in their traditional wear. After last night, I fi nally felt that we are in the Diwali season. Even though we lit our diyas last year and the year before, I missed this part of Diwali. Aside from Diwali night itself, this is what we enjoy as a people.

Looking at the children’s faces, you could have seen the smiles and excitement. It was wonderful to see people of all races and religions present; not just Hindus. It was an amazing experience, and I cannot wait for next year. I believe it will be bigger and better,” she said.

Minister of Human Ser vices and Social Security Dr. Vindhya Persaud, who is the President of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, was in attendance, and shared the message of Deepavali.

She also expressed her pleasure at seeing the quality of work that was displayed in the motorcade.

The grand motorcade will be held tomorrow, which is the eve of Diwa li, and will begin at the Campbellville Mandir and end at La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demer ara, where there will be a cultural extravaganza.

The winning float, which was created by the Golden Fleece Vishva Joti mandir

It is time Caribbean leaders intervene in West Indies cricket Sport View

By Neil Kumar

THE West Indies was humiliated and sent home from Australia as they failed miserably in an ef fort to qualify for a place to play in the 2022 presti gious ICC Cricket Twen ty/20 World Cup Cham pionship.

The former two-time Champion was badly beat en by Scotland and then Ireland defeated the West Indies by nine wickets as the team disgracefully make their way back to the Ca ribbean.

The West Indies won the toss in the must-win match against Ireland and decid ed to bat first on a batting

wicket. The trial and error opener Kyle Mayers was dismissed cheaply and his partner, another player who was catapulted to open the batting, Johnson Charles, also was dismissed early in the power play. The team also lost the out-of-form Evin Lewis for a mere 13 runs.

Brandon King, who missed the second match against Zimbabwe without any good explanation, was playing an innings to keep his place in the team. King played a solid innings but in an effort to reach his half century he batted extremely slow in the 40s. Skipper Nicholas Pooran continued to fail miserably with the

bat as he was dismissed for 13. Rovman Powell was quickly sent back to the pavilion for six runs. Odean Smith scored a quick 19 not out while King made sure that he was at end of the innings with 62 runs.

The West Indies scraped to 146 for five at the end of their allotted 20 overs. Chas ing a simple target of 147 to win on a perfect batting wicket, Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie blasted the West Indies bowling attack to all parts of the ground. Stirling with 66 off 48 balls and Lorcan Tucker 45 not out piloted the Ireland team to an emphatic victory.

The West Indies team was humiliated as their

More work to be done to improve water distribution network

MINISTER of Housing and Water Collin Croal recently stated that the public will see much more work being done to im prove the country’s water distribution network.

At a recent event, he dis closed that Georgetown will be a main target area.

Minister Croal said: “Here in Georgetown, you will see much more work taking place on the changing of the distribution network.”

He added that work will include the pipes that per sons see when driving along Church Street.

According to the Hous ing and Water Minister, in an upcoming programme, citizens will see more work being done as part of efforts to raise the level of pressure delivered to households in the country.

As such, he noted that the authorities will have to dig up the roads where parts of the network are.

Further, Minister Croal mentioned that this forms part of the ministry’s mis sion to achieve its targets by 2025. Ensuring that there is coverage across Guyana, and that those benefitting from water coverage are able to

get treated water, are among the targets.

He also mentioned that the ministry has been trying to manage some of the devel opment that is taking place across the country, and that the East Bank of Demerara,

where massive development is taking place, is a cluster area with the highest level of breakage.

“And that’s why there’s so much disruption on the East Bank, because, invari ably, many times it is where we have breakage as a result of an excavator or a contrac tor working in a particular area, digging a drain or some sort of development,” he said.

Many of the pipelines in these areas were laid many years ago, and as roads are being built, and other forms of development taking place, accidents sometimes happen, the minister pointed out.

He said the ministry and, by extension, the Guy ana Water Inc., is able to respond and bring a better level of service to citizens.

captain did not have any answer to the attacking Ire land batsmen. The man agement of the West Indies did not have any strategy as they went into the game. Their best bowler Alzarri Joseph was not given the ball to open the bowling. The genuine world class all-rounder, Jason Holder, with all his experience, was not used to bowl early in the innings. Obed McCoy was asked to open the bowling, along with Pooran’s insu lar friend, Akeal Hosein. The two Irish openers ham mered them all over the ground to set up an easy victory.

The West Indies perfor mance was very poor and it

By Neil Kumar

is time that the Caribbean leaders intervene into West Indies cricket. For more than 30 years, West Indies Cricket has been on the decline. It is clear that the administrators of West In dies Cricket, the selectors and the players are not per forming with any success. While insularity is very visible, the Caribbean peo ple must demand that the West Indies must have clear criteria on their selection policy. Fitness is one area where the administrators and selectors are using very vindictively. Evin Lewis was kept out of the team for not being fit and, at the last

moment, he was included in the team. Shimron Het myer was also kept out of the team for fitness, while others who were clearly unfit were selected to play in the team. Bickering, hatred, disrespect, jealousy, vindic tiveness are all reasons why the performance of the team is in a continuous decline.

West Indies cricket team’s failure to be among the 12 teams in the world, to compete in the ICC World Cup Cricket, is a disgrace.

Cricket! Glorious Cricket! desperately needs the intervention of the Heads of CARICOM NOW.

Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal

Ramps head on $500,000 bail over alleged false declarations on ‘duty free’ forms

HEAD of Ramps Logistics

Guyana, Shaun Ramper sad, was, on Friday, re leased on $500,000 bail in connection with several false declarations which were allegedly made on tax exemption forms for “duty free” items.

Rampersad appeared on behalf of the company before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly at the George town Magistrates’ Court. He denied the ten charges which were instituted by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

Particulars of the charges alleged that the logistics company between 2021 and 2022, at Georgetown, made 10 false declarations on ap plications presented to a customs officer for tax ex emptions on several items.

Head of Ramps Logistics Guyana, Shaun Rampersad

The court heard that Ramps is accused of falsely declaring that it was the sell er of heavy-duty equipment, chemical compounds and

other items knowing that that was false.

His attorney, Nigel Hughes, in a bail application told the court that his client is not a flight risk since he has personal assets in Guyana and overseas.

Magistrate Daly subse quently released Rampersad on $50,000 for each count and adjourned the matter until November 25.

The charges were filed following a recently-com pleted investigation conduct ed by the Law Enforcement and Investigations Division of GRA.

According to GRA, in vestigations revealed that, during the period of 2021 to 2022, the company made several “untrue” declarations to the GRA.

GRA in a press release

Step up efforts to bring about real change

had said that, as it continues to operate within its mandate to allow for a level playing field for legitimate busi nesses and the collection of revenue, it was encouraging individuals and businesses involved in any illicit activi ties to cease and desist from flouting the laws.

The authority further urged those businesses to bring their operations into compliance with Guyana’s tax, trade and border laws. The specifics of the case have not been made public.

The logistics company recently filed a matter at the Georgetown High Court challenging the denial of its application for a local content certificate. Oral argu ments are set for November 11.

Ramps is asking the High Court to grant several orders to force the Local Content Secretariat (LCS) to issue the document.

The respondents in that case are the Minister of Natural Resources, the Attorney General, the LCS and its director.

YOUNG people laid out their priorities to ensure greater access to safe and nutritious food, and asked decisionmakers to work with them to implement effective policies as the main events of the Global Youth Forum wrapped up on Wednesday.

The hybrid youth event of the World Food Forum, which started on October 18, was held at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome.

Under the theme “ Healthy Diets. Healthy Planet,” youth representatives presented some of their top priorities to the audience at the closing of the forum’s Youth Assembly, one of the spaces where young people met to talk about food policy and carry out agri-food systems advocacy.

Some of the key messages they had for policy makers were the need for greater funding, equitable representation of people from different parts of the globe in deliberations, capacity-building and wider access to technological knowhow to encourage younger people to be a part of sustainable food production, and food education to teach youth how to eat better and waste less.

The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, addressed the audience saying he appreciated the efforts the young people had put in at the forum.

He hoped they could all work together to bring about the changes they proposed.

The 2022 Youth Assembly was fol lowing up on last year’s gathering where participants identified 17 global tasks in

the context of the UN Food Systems Sum mit. This time round, over the course of the year, they identified five policy tasks per region to drive targetted local action to transform global agri-food systems.

In addition to the Youth Assembly, the event featured the WFF Innovation Lab for young entrepreneurs and scien tists, a food education symposium, work shops by celebrity chefs and several other youth culture activities.

The WFF Transformative Research Challenge Finals and Startup Innovation Awards were highlights of the Innovation Lab. The former aims to inspire research and innovation in sustainable development to end hunger. Deviana Siregar, Davrina Rianda, Annisa Fajriani and Dyana Sari, who showed how to reduce food waste and food loss by empowering mothers, were joint winners along with Sofia Anna Enrica Cavalleri and Dr. Mauro Agnoletti, who looked at olive tea to assess the sus tainability of traditional Mediterranean medicine.

The Startup Innovation Awards Finals gave an impetus to the next generation of entrepreneurs from around the world who are innovating with technologies that will benefit our planet. The overall winner of this year’s edition of this global competition was Mi Terro, a startup that seeks to engineer biomass waste to end microplastic.

The Global Youth Forum was part of a multifaceted World Food Forum that had separate investment and sci ence components to find solutions to cri ses impacting agri-food systems. (FAO)

Scenes of Diwali celebrations…

Rangolis in Georgetown

RANGOLI, one of the most beautiful and pleasing art forms of India, is comprised of two words, ‘rang’, mean ing ‘colour’, and ‘aavalli’, meaning coloured ‘creepers’

or ‘row of colours’. Ran goli is, basically, the art of making designs or patterns on the walls or floor of the house, using finely ground white powder, along with

different colours.

Rangoli has always been a part of Indian culture. It is believed that making rangoli on an auspicious day brings prosperity, and good luck in

the family. Rangoli is pre pared from different items, such as flour, rice, flowers and colours. People make different patterns and designs at the front of their door and other

places inside the house.

According to Indian cul ture, making rangoli on im portant occasions like Diwali is believed to be auspicious. Rangoli signifies welcoming

Goddess Lakshmi on Diwali. It is believed that making rangoli at the entrance of the house welcomes positive energy, and wards off nega tive energy. (Times of India)

(Photos courtesy of the Ministries of Finance; Parliamentary Affairs and Governance; and Housing and Water; the Guyana Police Force, and GNNL’s Carl Croker)

GYSBI, SES receive Local Content Master Plan approvals

GUYANA Shore Base Inc (GYSBI) and its sister company, Sustainable Environ mental Solutions (SES), on Wednesday, received their Local Content Master Plan approvals from the Local Content Secre tariat, Ministry of Natural Resources.

According to a release, the master plans are a requirement of the Local Content Policy, which was passed in Parliament in December 2021 by the Government.

The release noted that the approval from the ministry signifies that the GYSBI and SES have both demonstrated, through their master plan submissions, their commitment to foster ing local content in their operations by prior itising Guyanese nationals for employment; having policies aimed at non-discrimination and equal treatment of Guyanese nationals; implementing training and other programmes to build the capacity of both their employees and the larger Guyanese workforce; coordi nating with industrial and technical education training institutions in Guyana to provide sponsorships and/or internship opportuni ties; incorporating the requirements of the Act and the Procurement and Bid Evaluation Guideline issued by the Secretariat into their procurement strategy, among others.

GYSBI’s Deputy-General Manager, Rabin Chandarpal, who received the approval at a simple ceremony from Minister of Nat ural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, said that

since its inception in 2017, GYSBI focused on the development of local content and cre ating beneficial opportunities for Guyanese workers and vendors within the oil and gas

sector.

“We have more than 600 Guyanese currently employed within our operations, including a large number of females and 85 per cent of our supply chain, with the excep tion of specialised goods and services, such as the purchase of cranes, go to Guyanese vendors. We want to see value generated from Guyana’s offshore resources remaining in the domestic economy and being used to develop the lives of Guyanese. GYSBI has been and will always remain committed to identifying, promoting and maximising the capacity of Guyanese nationals and companies through out all facets of our operations,” he said.

The two companies, earlier this year, also received their Local Content Certificates, af ter satisfying the requirements for Guyanese ownership, the release said.

GYSBI serves as the preferred on shore support for oil and gas operators in Guyana, offering services ranging from warehousing, construction, supply chain management to expatriate management and customs and logistics services while SES offers hazardous and non-hazardous waste management and tank cleaning services.

Deputy-General Manager of Guyana Shore Base Inc, Rabin Chandarpal, receives the Local Content Master Plan Approval from Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat

Non-traditional crops export tops US$7M

GUYANA continues to prove that its agricul tural wealth stretches beyond rice and sugar, with non-traditional ag ricultural produce rak ing in over US$7 million in the first half of 2022.

According to figures provided by the Minis try of Agriculture, Guy ana, between the period January and June 2022, earned US$7.9 million from the exportation of non-traditional crops. This accounts for produce such as fruits, vegetables, seasonings, grain crops, oil seeds and roots and tuber crops, among other things.

Additionally, a new market was opened in the Netherlands, while the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados were listed as the most lucrative mar kets.

Meanwhile, despite the

devastation of the 2021 and 2022 torrential rainfall and floods, quick response from the government en abled scores of farmers to recuperate and return to the fields to restart pro

duction.

In the first half of the year, Government expend ed $651.9 million of the $1.3 billion budgeted for the year. This allocation allowed for the comple

tion of 109 shade houses, and the construction of four greenhouses as part of Guyana’s implemen tation of climate-smart agriculture practices.

In addition, prepara

tion commenced for the expanded cultivation of turmeric, ginger, black pepper, nutmeg and on ions, which will allow self-sufficiency in the pro duction of spices. It is expected that by the end of 2022, 62 acres of turmeric and 633 acres of ginger will be in cultivation.

Further, government will continue to provide shadehouse materials to farmers at a reduced cost, and increase the distribution of farm equipment, seeds and seedlings, chemicals and fertilisers. Importantly, the delivery of extension services will be restruc tured in order to provide improved services to farmers.

In a previous interview with this publication, Ag riculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha had said that the government remains cog nisant of the impact that

climate change has had on the agriculture indus try, and has been working to minimise some of the foreseen challenges.

Minister Mustapha said that in addition to propagating climate-smart agriculture, the ministry is also preparing to safe guard farmers and their produce.

“For example, we are setting up more pumps, because these natu ral-gravity flows now are coming less and less; al most on a yearly basis, where siltation is taking over,” he noted.

He said that with the threat of rising sea levels, the government is taking a keen interest in ensuring the effectiveness of vari ous conservancies across the country.

“… So, we can store more water to irrigate rice fields and so,” Min ister Mustapha said.

Retired cop, gold miner on $200,000 bail each for allegedly kidnapping businessman

RETIRED policeman, Kenneth Bahadur, and a gold miner, were, on Friday, released on $200,000 each for allegedly abducting a man at a popular bar in Kitty, Georgetown.

Bahadur and Sameer Bacchus appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, jointly charged.

The pair denied that, on September 12, 2022, at Sta tion Street, Kitty, they abducted Jagdesh Mangal with the intent to secretly confine him.

They will make their next court appearance on No vember 4.

According to reports, on the day in question, Mangal was at the bar when he was allegedly confronted by the two defendants and two identifiable men.

The victim was allegedly forced into a motor car by the defendants and taken to a house in Georgetown where he was held at gunpoint and robbed of his gold jewellery which amounted to $2.1 million.

It is alleged that Mangal was forced to sign a note stating that he owed Bacchus money, and that the jewel lery was taken as payment.

The victim was then taken to a location on Church Street, where he was ordered out of the vehicle.

The matter was subsequently reported to the po lice and the two defendants were arrested.

Despite the devastation wrought by the 2021 and 2022 torrential rainfall and floods, quick response from the government enabled scores of farmers to recuperate and return to the fields to restart production

Duplex owners could start accessing titles by year end

WITH the passage of the Condominium Bill 2022, owners of duplexes in Perseverance, East Bank Demerara (EDB) could begin applying for their ownership documents for their properties by the end of the year.

Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal said regulations under the Condominium Bill are being gazetted while the administrative aspect between the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) and the Land Registry is being developed.

The duplexes were constructed by the Coalition Administration which failed to implement the rel evant legislation that guides the regulation of such structures.

This was corrected by the PPP/C Administration in 2022 with the passage of a ‘modern’ Condo minium Bill which supports the development of such units.

“The duplexes could not be recognised until we’re able to process it through the Condominium Act because it’s shared space and that’s what the condo act caters for. So, very shortly they will be sorted out under the act… that’s part of our programme for this year,” the minister told the Department of Public Information (DPI).

The minister said another issue hampering the issuance of titled documents for the 42 structures, is ownership of the area where the units were con structed. There were also issues with surveys and the recognition of the name and where it falls.

“The land where those structures are located, they were challenges regarding the ownership of the areas it was not legally owned by CHPA,” he explained

The minister assured that “very shortly they will be sorted out under the act. Likewise, the area we are getting to the stage to recognise there.”

The Condominium Bill passed in the National Assembly back in May, has paved the way for the construction of condominiums and the conversion of existing buildings into units for individual own ership.

Since the passage of the legislation, the Hous ing Ministry has received over 70 Expressions of Interest (EoI) for the construction of condomini ums and town houses here. (DPI)

Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal

ENGLISH RACING TIPS

Chester

08:30 hrs Shearer

09:05 hrs The Hollow Ginge

09:40 hrs King Salute

10:15 hrs Editeur Du Gite 10:50 hrs Didtheyleaveu outto

11:25 hrs Life In The Park

12:00 hrs Gentle Slopes

DONCASTER

08:20 hrs Beautiful Secret

08:55 hrs Queen's Eyot 09:30 hrs Israr

10:00 hrs Aesop's Fables

10:35 hrs Epictetus

11:10 hrs Designer 11:45 hrs The Cook stown Cafu

NEWBURY

08:15 hrs Yagowlef

08:50 hrs Caragio

09:25 hrs Hamish 09:55 hrs Mochi

10:30 hrs Small Oasis

11:15 hrs Magisterial 11:50 hrs Nietzsche

IRISH RACING TIPS

LEOPARDSTOWN

08:25 hrs Pink Sorrel

09:00 hrs Livio Milo 09:35 hrs Devore

10:10 hrs Sunset Shiraz

10:45 hrs Joe Masseria

11:20 hrs Mister Mister 11:55 hrs Focus Re quired 12:30 hrs Whatcould havebeen

AMERICAN RACING TIPS

Belmont Race 1 Liguria Race 2 Skylander Race 3 Messidor Race 4 Kant Hurry Love Race 5 Sun Bee Race 6 Classic Catch Race 7 Mackinnon Race 8 Destin Hoffman Race 9 Danzigwiththe stars

CANADIAN RACING TIPS

Woodbine Race 1 Crystal Crescent Race 2 Alpha Mia Race 3 Intro Race 4 Hardware Gap Race 5 Silent Diva Race 6 Rosebud's Hope Race 7 Vantarsi Race 8 Dreaming Of Drew

SOUTH AFRICA RACING TIPS

Kenilworth

08:35 hrs Typeface

09:10 hrs Bonika

09:45 hrs Body Rlectric

10:20 hrs Ambiorix

10:55 hrs Port Louis 11:30 hrs Dragonfly

Zimbabwe

after knocking out

(ESPNCRICINFO) - Zimbabwe had not played in a major ICC tournament in six years coming into this T20 World Cup, but they announced themselves as a team on the comeback trail as they marched into the Super 12s.

Craig Ervine led with bat and in the field, as he anchored the Zimbabwean chase after managing his bowlers with pinpoint precision to keep Scotland to a gettable score, while Tendai Chatara and Sikandar Raza also made their experience count with telling contribu tions

This was only the 11th time in 55 at tempts that Zimbabwe had won a T20I while chasing

Asked to field first , Zimbabwe never allowed Scotland to get away from them Chatara set the tone with a wicket in his first over and finished with figures of 2 for 14 in his four overs He was well supported by Zimbabwe’s spin trio, who conceded only 46 runs in the eight overs they bowled

George Munsey’s half century held Scot land together but their highest partnership was just 40 runs - for the third wicket Scotland also lacked the sort of turbo charged innings that Raza played to break the back of the chase.

Zimbabwe were nervy in reply and were 7 for 2 and 42 for 3 before Ervine and Raza put on 64 for the fourth wicket Ervine dropped anchor and scored his sixth T20I fifty, and his first at a World Cup, and by the time he was dismissed in the 17th over, Zimbabwe were within touching distance of a win

If Scotland sensed an opening when

Ervine fell with 14 needed off the last three overs, Milton Shumba and Ryan Burl shut the door, rotating the strike calmly and finishing the job in just nine balls Burl hit the winning runs in the 19th over when he lofted Safyaan Sharif over mid on for four

Victory with more than an over remaining ensured Zimbabwe topped their group They will join Group 2 in the Super12s, which includes their neighbours South Africa, India and Pakistan

HOLDING ON WITH BOTH HANDS

Zimbabwe’s fielding has not always held up in pressure moments but they were committed to the cause in this match. When Michael Jones sliced the last ball of Chatara’s opening over over cover, Raza ran back from the ring and took the catch over his shoulder as he tumbled onto the turf, to give Zimbabwe their first incision

Three overs later, Matthew Cross pulled a Richard Ngarava short ball in the direction of Wessly Madhevere at midwicket Madhevere had to launch himself to his left and take the catch in full flight to leave Scotland 24 for 2 in the fifth over

Later in the innings, Milton Shumba was down on his haunches to take a thigh high catch off a slog sweep to dismiss Richie Berrington and he got low down on the boundary to take the catch that ended Munsey’s painstaking innings. And Luke Jongwe plucked a chance out of the sky in the final over to send back Calum MacLeod.

Zimbabwe celebrate their qualification to the Super 12s, October 20, 2022 (ICC/ Getty Images)

Pack up yuh things and leave! Ireland boot West Indies out of World Cup

( ESPNCRICINFO ) - In Hobart , where it was supposed to rain all day, Ireland celebrated one of their most crucial victories in T20 cricket, storming into the Super 12 round of the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup and dumping two time champions West Indies out of the tournament.

Leg spinner Gareth Delany and opening batter Paul Stirling were the heroes of Ireland ’ s stirring perfor mance, full of confidence and bristling energy After restricting West Indies to 146 for 5, a potentially nervy chase in a knockout game turned into a cruise as Ireland sprinted to the target in the 18th over, not giving their opponents a whiff of a chance

When Lorcan Tucker stepped out to loft Obed McCoy inside out over extra cover to score the winning runs, the Ireland fans who had turned up in large numbers broke into trademark song and dance as they waved the Irish flag proudly in blustery Bellerive

It was only the second time that Ireland had qualified for the second round of a T20 World Cup, after the 2009 tournament in England.

WEST INDIES’ EARLY STRUGGLE

West Indies started poorly, losing Kyle Mayers and Johnson Charles to big shots inside the power play

It could have been worse had off spinner Simi Singh clung on to a sharp return chance to dismiss Brandon King for one in the fifth over

As the innings progressed it was increasingly clear that some deliveries, especially when dug in, held up a touch more than others and the batters had to recalibrate their approach It wasn’t until the eighth over that West Indies began to get going, when King crashed two boundaries square of the wicket as medium pacer Curtis Campher erred in length

After meandering at a run a ball, West Indies slowly regained a bit of momentum. Just as they were begin ning to threaten, Delany broke a 44 run stand when he dismissed a struggling Ewin Lewis for the first of his three wickets

At 71 for 3 in the 11th over, Ire land were wresting again.

KING FIGHTS, DELANY STRIKES

King missed the Zimbabwe game due to an illness but he showed no signs of rust as he seamlessly switched into hitting mode Right from the moment he lunged out

to drill an extra cover drive to the boundary off the first ball; he meant business

King played the field perfectly , targeting the short boundaries and nudging into gaps to keep turning the strike over, not allowing the bowlers to settle For a while, with King and Nicholas Pooran around, there was a possibility of a West Indies recovery but Delany’s dismissal of the captainPooran reached out and hit one straight to sweeper cover - ended those hopes

In his third over, Delany deceived big hitting Rovman Powell in the air and off the pitch In trying to fetch a slog sweep from outside off, towards the longer boundary, he was out to deep midwicket in an over that went for just one. Delany finished with 3 for 16 off four overs, with West Indies struggling at 112 for 5 after 17 overs

King and Odean Smith eventual ly gave West Indies a late lift, even though there was a sense that they were at least 20 short of a competi tive total.

THE STIRLING BALBIRNIE BLITZ

When Ireland came out to chase, their approach was evident Stirling kept attacking the spin of Akeal Hosein with ferocious sweeps, while Andy Balbirnie took advantage of Pooran ’ s punt of bowling Odean Smith - and not Jason Holder - in the power play.

Andy Balbirnie and Paul Stirling set up Ireland’s chase with a 73 run stand at the top.

Smith’s record in this phase - an economy of 11.18 in 11 overs for just three wickets - was far from encourag ing, and the Ireland captain hit him for 4, 6, 4 off his first three deliveries

McCoy’s slower variations proved expensive as well, and before West Indies knew what had hit them, Ire land had raced to 64 without loss in the first six overs.

FAREWELL WEST INDIES

When Hosein had Balbirnie caught at point for a 34 ball 37 in the eighth over, there was a ray of hope for West Indies.

They didn ’ t concede a boundary between overs 7.5 and 10.2 - the only time when they appeared to have any semblance of control

Stirling broke free by carting Alzarri Joseph over the grass banks at deep midwicket and brought up his half cen tury off just 32 balls when he slashed Smith for four behind point in the 12th

over By now, West Indies were run ning on fumes

Smith had Lorcan Tucker caught and bowled in the same over, only

to find out he had overstepped. It summed up West Indies’ day, as the prospect of an early departure from Australia became a reality.

Paul from

squad

lone newcomer

INJURIES have forced Chandra paul Hemraj and Keemo Paul out of the 2022 Guyana Harpy Eagles (GHE) squad that will contest the West Indies Regional One Day 50 Over Tournament.

A release from the board yester day confirmed this, while naming the rest of the 14 man squad.

Quentin Sampson, who played and was pugnacious and impressive with 85 against a strong Berbice contingent, is the lone newcomer

The squad includes three spe cialist wicketkeeper/batters Tevin Imlach , Kemol Savory , and An thony Bramble, all of whom have demonstrated immaculate form and/ or fitness

West Indies batters Shimron Hetmyer adds strength and value to the GHE batting line up, while an informed Leon Johnson leads the national team once again Ryan Hercules , who filled the role of assistant coach to head coach Esaun Crandon earlier this year in the West Indies Championship 2022,

and who has since received his CWI Level Three Coaching Certification, steps up to head coach for the GHE for this year’s CG United Super 50

He will be ably assisted by Garvin Nedd, who gets his coaching breakthrough after over 15 years of invaluable age group coaching

Physiotherapist Angelica Holder and Cricket Analyst from Trinidad and Tobago, Keshava Ramphal, re main a part of the management staff

The tournament which bowls off on Monday, October 31, 2022, with preliminary matches in Trinidad & Tobago and Antigua, will witness the GHE’s opening challenge for the coveted CG United Super 50 Cham pionship trophy against Windward Islands Volcanoes in a day / night encounter.

This year’s Regional tournament will comprise two groups in the pre liminary rounds as follows:

Zone A consists of Trinidad and Tobago Red Force ( TTRF ), Combined Colleges and Campuses ( CCC ), Windward Islands Vol

canoes ( WV), and Guyana Harpy Eagles (GHE).

Zone B consists of Leeward Islands Hurricanes, Jamaica Scor pions, Barbados Pride, and a CWI Academy Team

The Zone A teams will play their preliminary matches in Trinidad , and preliminary matches for Zone B teams will be played in Antigua The semi finals and final will be played in Antigua

The GHE squad reads as follows:

Full Team : Leon Johnson ( captain ), Veerasammy Permaul ( vice captain ), Tagenarine Chan derpaul, Gudakesh Motie, Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, Kemol Savory, Sherfane Rutherford, Tevin Imlach, Quentin Sampson, Anthony Bramble, Nial Smith, Kevin Sinclair, and Clinton Pestano

The management staff includes Albert Clements (manager), Ryan Hercules ( head coach ), Garvin Nedd (assistant coach), Angelica Holder (physiotherapist), Khesha va Ramphal (cricket analyst).

MVP

Street, Tiger Bay, Goal is Money register big wins

THE MVP Sports Futsal tournament got underway on Thursday evening at the National Gymnasium with huge wins for Bent Street, Tiger Bay and Goal is Money

The night opened with BV Team Cruel beating out Leopold Street 3-1 with the winners scoring through a brace from Neron Barrow (1st, 12th) and a single strike from Jemar Harrigan (13th) while Rany Maynard (15th) scored the losers’ consolation

Mocha Family won game two after a back and forth battle with Alexander Village Kevin Agard opened the scoring for the eventual winners in the (6th) with Leon

By Clifton Ross

MINISTER of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, deemed the first batch of students who chose golf as part of their CSEC examina tions with outstanding passes, ‘Pio neers’, as they were recognised during yesterday’s historic presentation

The Guyana Golf Association (GGA) held its first official post CSEC ceremony at the Scouts Association ground , Woolford Avenue yesterday with Minister Ramson delivering the feature address to the 116 students from across secondary schools in Guyana

The Certificates of Achievement were also presented on behalf of the Office of the President, as the Minister stated on behalf of His Excellency, Pres ident Irfaan Ali, that he was proud of the achievements of the students

Deputy Mayor , Alfred Mentore , a national golf champion and former

national cricketer, gave brief remarks to those in attendance Mentore said the importance of sports and academics was invaluable as a result he himself was a success story and product of both worlds

He explained that students must embrace golf as a sport as it helps to build immense discipline and self focus During his address Minister Ramson congratulated the ‘Pioneers’ of the golf programme and trendsetters for the rest of students to come

“Guyana is going places it’s never been before”

A former cricketer himself and a golfer in his own right , the minister weighed in on the importance of balanc ing academics and sports, adding that following his time at University levels, he still maintained a good physical ex tracurricular regime, something he said is another huge quality of life

“I love golf, but I also love all sports

Golf is perceived as an elitist sport and we have to change that in Guyana because other parts of the world are starting to change perception ,” said the minister who wants the sport to be opened up to all classes of society

Highlighting the bigger picture , Minister Ramson urged the students to not focus on just passing the exam ination, rather he urged them to place heavier emphasis on the role they play in the overall development of sports and local athletes

In the end, the minister congratu lated GGA president, Aleem Hussain, for his hard work and effort, along with the help of the Government of Guyana through the ministries of Sport and Education, Hussain thanked Minister Ramson for his support shown behind the golf fraternity and presented him with a fully customised golf kit, equipped with bag and clubs.

Yaw bringing things level in the 11th Agard again gave Mocha the lead, only for Yaw to score a minute later Rendell Haywood (27th) however, ensured that the game would be won by the Mocha side Tiger Bay were up in game three and they beat Avocado Ballers 6-3 Tiger Bay had a pair of braces from Randy Rob erts (21st, 28th) and Solomon Austin (22nd, 40th) and a lone strike from Akil Plass (8th) as well as an own goal from their opponents, while Avocado Ballers, had Martin King (36th) Shane Thorne (37th) and Jonathan McKenzie (9th).

Goal is Money overcame Herstelling 6-0 with braces from Michael Ballack (21st, 37th) and Dextroy Adams (22nd, 38th) as well as single strike from Darren Benja min (40th) and Joshua Samuels (20th).

Game Five was a 10-0 Bent Street onslaught against team Spirit after goals from Deon Alfred (37th, 38th, 40th, 41st), Cojo Nelson (7th, 8tth 35th), Adrian Aaron (21st, 23rd) and Williams Europe (6th)

The final game of the night saw Sophia beat East Front Road 4-1 thanks to Derwin A. (40th), Shamar Koulen (3rd, 7th) and Lennox Loung (38th) while East had Teon Vankevic (6th) on target

Meanwhile a Gift Certificate to the tune of $10 000 was presented to Mr Colin Arthur who had the winning ticket number 1743 after a draw The Gift Certificate came compliments of MVP Sports

The tournament continues today at 19:45hrs with Stabroek Ballers vs Melaine while Future Stars play Crane from 20:30grs From 21:15hrs Swag and Vengy FC clash while at 22:00hrs Albouystown and Campbell ville do battle

The 22:45hrs matchup pits Back Circle against Vryheid’s Lust while the last game of the evening at 23:30hrs will see Sparta take on Channel

MVP Futsal action got underway at the National Gymnasium on Thursday evening

Government partners with GMR&SC to upgrade South Dakota

( PRESS RELEASE ) - Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Re sponsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh yesterday visited and inspected, on behalf of President Ali, the ongoing works on the racing track at the South Dakota Circuit.

Works are continuing under the auspices of the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club ( GMR & SC ) to upgrade the racing track , firstly to a level 3 on the Formula One Clas sification of racing tracks

During the visit, the minister was given a tour of the new layout of the racing track

The upgrade is part of government ’ s strategic partnership with the GMR&SC to upgrade the facility to international standards, to cater for a more advanced level of the sport It is also part of government’s aim to boost Sport Tourism in Guyana

While at South Dakota , Dr Singh ex plained that President Irfaan Ali’s vision for the country includes diversifying the produc tive sector of the country, including tourism and its various subsectors, such as Sports Tourism, so that visitors can have a full ex perience during their attendance at major and popular events in the country

Minister Singh indicated that government is therefore expanding further from tourism packages previously offered and will now be offering visitors, in partnership with the

various respective private sector entities, a more diversified experience when they come to the country

“We want to take the tourism product to a completely different level and we want to offer a product that not only comprises world class hotels on the coast - as you know we now have eight or nine internationally brand ed hotels that are under construction - but in particular, President Ali has spoken about event based tourism, increasing the experi ential diversity, so you can come not only to sight see, not only to visit our beautiful forest, not only to do bird watching and to see the beautiful species of flora and fauna that we have, but to enjoy event based tourism and by this we have spoken of Sports events,” he added, as he detailed some of the other popular sporting events that government will be partnering with the private sector entities to boost and bring to international standards, such as Horse Racing, Regatta, Football and Rodeo

Dr Singh then alluded to the recently con cluded Cricket Carnival which saw an entire calendar of activities taking place during the period and noted that it is a similar concept that the President has envisioned for all of the popular sports which attract large followings

The Finance Minister noted that in ad

dition to building a calendar of activities around major sporting events, Government also wants to do the same with National Re ligious festivals such as Diwali, Easter and Christmas.

“So that really is the vision of President Ali and we should not underestimate the eco nomic impact of these events,“ the Finance Minister concluded

Meanwhile, president of GMR&SC, Ma hendra Raj, expressed his appreciation for Government’s support in completing the first phase of the track’s upgrade It is expected that on October 26 some drivers will be able to test the level of the track in preparation for the country’s annual race meet at South Dakota in November

The GMR&SC’s objective was to upgrade the track to first level 3 then later to a Grade 2 according to Formula One standards which would then result in South Dakota being the highest level race track in the entire Caribbean

Earlier this month, upon the conclusion of Guyana’s recent successful hosting of Cricket Carnival, President Ali had said that government is working in the next few weeks to design an annual programme to position Guyana as a premier destination for entertainment and sports tourism in the Region.

Action-packed weekend expected for Courts Pee Wee

ELEVEN more matches are on today as Courts Pee Wee Football tournament enters round three at the Ministry of Education ground on Carifesta Avenue

From 11:00hrs Enterprise Pri mary and Graham ’ s Hall Primary will clash on pitch A while North

Georgetown and F E Pollard play on pitch two Ann’s Grove Primary and Craig Primary feature next from 11:50hrs while Soesdyke and Redeemer clash on pitch two

Den Amstel Primary and Mocha are back after lunch on pitch A with

St Margaret’s and Timehri on pitch B

At 13:30hrs , Tucville Primary will do battle with Victoria while Colaaco School go up against St Stephen’s Primary

At 14:20hrs , West Ruimveldt Primary will face Winfer Garden

Primary , while St Agnes Primary oppose St Pius Primary Marian Academy and Smith Me morial clash at 15:10hrs

The tournament is organised by the Petra Organisation with support from the Ministry of Edu cation and Sterling Products

Finance minister Dr Ashni Singh meets with GMR&SC executive

A section of the work done on the South Dakota Raceway

Pack up yuh yuh things and leave!

Golf is perceived as an elitist sport, we have to change that

Action-packed

West Indies had plenty to ponder yesterday (AFP/Getty Images)

Minister of Sport Charles Ramson Jr (centre) is surrounded by the students who proudly posed with their certificates (Elvin Croker photo)

The Courts Pee Wee Football tournament returns today for round three (Adrian Narine photo)