Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_31_07_2022

31st July, 2022

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All will benefit No.106800

* close to 5,000 jobs to be created by massive industrial park stretching from Enmore to Melanie

–– Prime Minister Phillips assures 'East Coast' residents

see stories on

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* 10,000 to benefit from US$8M water-treatment plant at Bachelor’s Adventure

* block-making initiative to be launched in Melanie

(DPI photos)

New oil power, Guyana, on course to surpass US offshore by 2035

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 31, 2022

US$8M water-treatment plant for East Coast Demerara –– facility to benefit 10,000 households

By Jared Liddell

IN keeping with its commitment to achieve 90 per cent provision of treated water across the coastland, the government is set to establish a massive US$8 million water-treatment plant at Bachelor’s Adven-

ture, on the East Coast of Demerara.

Plans for this massive project were outlined by Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, during a ministerial outreach at Melanie Damishana, ECD. There, he said that this initiative will target some

10,000 households across the ECD, from Coldingen to Haslington.

According to Croal, this project is expected to be financed through the $44 billion supplementary budget which the government requested at the most recent sitting of the National As-

sembly.

He added that of the massive budget, $3.8 billion will be allocated to the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) for the construction of several water-treatment plants.

Minister Croal said that the government is keen on

tackling the issues of untreated water and is committed to implementing initiatives that will improve the lives of all Guyanese.

He related that a recent study showed that just 52 per cent of the coastland is currently receiving treated water, but the government is committed to increasing that number to 90 per cent by 2025.

“The good news for you here -- and I don’t know strategically why you’re here when you’re right over here at Bachelor’s Adventure -- that’s where you get your well. We have budgeted US$8 million and the tenders are out now for a new water-treatment plant to come right here over in Bachelor’s Adventure,” the Housing and Water Minister said.

According to Minister Croal, this initiative will mark the first of eight planned water-treatment plants set to improve the water supply across the country.

The Housing Minister also disclosed that systems are being put in place to improve the water supply across the entire ECD. He noted that government will soon follow up on its previously disclosed plans to utilise the Hope Canal as a reservoir for the delivery of treated water for residents along the ECD. “We have an outlined plan for the entire East Coast because as you go forward, you have heard us speak before about the study for the usage of the Hope Canal. So, for the cluster between Mahaica coming back, we are going to be tying in the results of the study to some of the uses of the Hope Canal, because that will inform us what are the resources we need to make available in order to be able to put treated water in,” Minister Croal said.

Several residents of “Melanie” and neighbouring communities lauded this initiative by the government, noting that while water supply has not been a significant issue, the quality

Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal of water has remained a major concern.

Sherry Martin, who has lived in the community for the past 47 years, related that she is anxiously anticipating the new water-treatment well, as many residents were forced to purchase water for everyday activities such as cooking.

A 72-year-old resident, Raymond Pereira, said that he has been living in the community for over 25 years and accessing water has always been difficult. “[So], I believe it’s a good initiative, it would be good and beneficial for the people of these communities, because when you turn on the water is rust… you got to buy water to cook… you only could wash clothes with it… sometimes you wash white clothes with it you spoil it,” Pereira said.

He added that due to the quality of water, he had to invest in a water tank to store rainwater which he and his family use as a substitute when the water quality is extremely bad.

Noting that she has lived in “Melanie” for the past 25 years, Shemika Liverpool said that while the water supply on the East Coast is good, she, like many other residents, is ready to have access to a better quality of water.

She said: “The water here doesn’t really cut off like that… it’s just that it’s brown, other than that, we do get water the entire night and so, so I know most of the residents will be happy and are like me waiting for the quality to match up with the access we already have.”

All will benefit

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 31, 2022

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— Prime Minister Phillips assures ‘East Coast’ residents — close to 5,000 jobs to be created by massive industrial park stretching from Enmore to ‘Melanie’

By Jared Liddell PRIME Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips on Saturday reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the equitable development of communities across Guyana, telling residents of Melanie Damishana on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) that no community will be excluded from the developmental agenda.

“We have the mandate to lead the country for five years and what we are doing, we are leading the development of Guyana from 2020 to 2025 and there are many projects that we have designed and will be implementing throughout Guyana in every community… that’s why we have the concept of One Guyana.

“What we are saying to you is no village, no community, no individual will be left out of our development plans for Guyana,” the Prime Minster said during a high-level Cabinet outreach to the community.

He added that the government remains committed to ensuring policies are put in place to target the specific needs of each community, especially in the areas of infrastructure and social services, as those investments will improve the quality of life enjoyed by the people of Guyana.

Calling the outreach timely, the Prime Minister noted that the issues raised at the meeting will be pivotal, as the government commences work

Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips (Elvin Croker photos)

for its 2023 budget.

He advised the residents that the 2023 budget will largely be influenced by the specific needs of each community, and will be tailored to address and cater to any issues highlighted throughout the ministerial outreaches.

“All sectors will start preparing the budget for 2023.

And this is a timely meeting because the issues that you raised here, issues that were raised in Buxton and will be raised in future outreaches will be included in our budget for 2023,” Prime Minister Phillips said.

He noted that the government is committed to utilising the revenues from the oiland-gas sector to accelerate its developmental agenda to improve the lives of all Guyanese.

POSITION YOURSELF

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall

Meanwhile, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C., reminded citizens that while the government is keen on creating infrastructure that would align with its developmental agenda, systems are also being implemented to cater to the needs of Guyanese with heavy emphasis being placed on job creation.

Nandlall said that the government through bilateral agreements with investors, has managed to secure hundreds of jobs for Guyanese in several sectors, including the fast-growing hospitality sector.

Just last week, the government turned the sod for three new international hotels that are set to create significant employment opportunities.

“You are an important part of this equation on the East Coast and must be earmarked for tremendous transforma-

Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy

tional development, both infrastructure and in terms of job creation,” Nandlall said.

Speaking directly about the government’s commitment to Guyanese benefiting directly from the oil-and-gas sector, the Legal Affairs Minister reminded the citizens that the local content legislation which was recently passed by the government, will open doors for Guyanese in this massive sector.

JOB CREATION Nandlall related that the government anticipates the creation of some 4,000 to 5,000 jobs at the massive industrial park, which is slated to be set up from aback “Melanie,” stretching all the way to Enmore on the East Coast of Demerara. He noted that this massive park will supplement development in the oil-and-gas

Former Opposition Member of Parliament and attorney at Law, James Bond

sector.

“That industrial park is expected to provide technical support to the oil-and -gas industry. Once it becomes fully functional and blossoming, it’s the people of the East Coast who will have to be employed... you’ll have to fill it out. You’ll be asked to build it out. Again, job creation begins from the beginning of the project,” the Attorney General said.

The outreach on Saturday received great support from the people of “Melanie” and the surrounding communities.

Attending the exercise was former Opposition Member of Parliament, and attorney at law, James Bond, who called the outreach “historical.”

Bond lauded the senior government officials for their willingness to listen to the needs of the people before implementing systems that would cater to their growing

needs. He related that since he has been living there, this is the first ministerial outreach hosted in the community.

“What is happening here is historic, this is not something that happened last year, last five years, or last 10 years.

I’ve been here as a boy as well and I’ve never seen my ministers come to “Melanie,” and allowed the people to speak to the ministers,” Bond said.

The former Member of Parliament raised the issue of land-titling, which he noted has been a major concern for residents of the community.

In responding, the Prime Minister and other senior government officials committed to returning to the community to start the process of land-titling.

Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, noted that the government is already working to regularise 16 blocks of land on the ECD, at Bachelor’s Adventure, and is committed to catering to the needs of the people of “Melanie.”

Also in attendance at the meeting were Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha; Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill; Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony; Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall; Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy, and Minister of the Public Service, Sonia Parag.

Min. Croal commits to taking block-making initiative to ‘Melanie’

—to help residents generate their own income

By Cassandra Khan

SEVERAL Melanie Damishana residents are set to b e c o m e e n t re p re n e u r s through the Ministry of Housing and Water’s community employment stimulation project (CESP) “block-making initiative”.

Thanks to a commitment made, on the spot, by Minister of Housing and Water Mr. Collin Croal during a ministerial outreach to the East Coast Demerara community on Saturday when the proposition was put to him by residents, the initiative is expected to come on stream in another few weeks.

The brainchild of President Dr. Irfaan Ali, the CESP

was set up in 2021, with the objective of creating block-making jobs in several vulnerable communities in four of the country’s ten administrative regions.

Among the Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) communities that were initially targetted when the initiative got off the ground were Buxton, on the East Coast Demerara, Albouystown and Sophia in Greater Georgetown, and Agricola and Mocha on the East Bank Demerara.

At the launch of the CESP back in 2021, Minister Croal had challenged those in attendance to take a leap of faith and become their own bosses by taking up block-making as a trade, whether they liked

it or not, as they had nothing to lose.

“The CH&PA will provide the support and the startup materials; even credit and training and certification from the GNBS to ensure that the blocks you make meet the contractors’ demands. All you have to do is take up the challenge,” Minister Croal had told attendees at the event.

At that same launch back in 2021, his colleague, Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water Ms. Susan Rodrigues had invoked an age-old parable, saying that what the government is trying to do, in essence, is “to teach its citizens how to fish”, so as at the end of the day, everyone is equipped with adequate

training and experience to ensure a sustained earning as the economy develops.

“We don’t want to give you a fish; we want to teach you how to fish. We want to empower our people, so that they can go out there and find employment, or start their own business, so that they can enrich their own lives; improve their own lives and that of their families,” Minister Rodrigues had said. “They don’t have to be dependent on government; we want to make you fully independent, but it is our responsibility, as your leaders, as your government, to provide those opportunities for you to take advantage of,” she’d added.

Minister Rodrigues had

also noted that the reason the ministry had chosen the most vulnerable communities to pilot the project was because of the government’s cognisance of its commitment to improving the standard of living of all Guyanese, regardless of race, religion or geographical location. She’d also made the point that the equitable distribution of wealth in Guyana is especially important to the government, as the country’s economy continues to grow.

Speaking to the importance of the initiative, Minister Rodrigues said the CESP provides a type of connected work environment that could only serve to improve the work ethics of those employed in the block-making business, as they would have deadlines to meet for contractors and other persons

purchasing blocks from them themselves.

“It’s not just about buying blocks from a block maker to supply a contractor; the programme addresses a softer issue of training, and not just training in block-making skills, but ensuring that we help in life coaching. A lot of vulnerable communities, and people who live in vulnerable communities, have been out of work for a very long time, and sometimes it is difficult for them to even know what is their responsibility, when they do have to go and work. They have to train themselves to have that discipline to be able to show up to work; to be able to participate meaningfully,” Minister Rodrigues said.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 31, 2022

‘Because we care’ cash grants not dependent on payment of private school fees

PARENTS of learners attending private school were assured that their children will benefit from the government’s ‘Because We Care’ cash grant on the stipulated date, whether they have paid school fees or not.

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand made this clear on Saturday, following complaints about private schools telling parents they will

not receive the grant until the fees are paid.

The minister, on her Facebook page, said: “Once you are on the register that was submitted by the school to the Ministry of Education, we have catered for you to get the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant, and you will get it; this is not dependent on whether or not you paid school fees, or if you paid for

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the full year etc. It is not the ministry’s policy that you must pay your school fees first.”

The Education Minister also issued a call for those parents having any difficulties with private schooling for their children to register them within the public school system.

The minister was prompted to make the statement following the

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circulation of audio recording from a private school teacher informing parents that while the payment of the cash grant commences on August 2, 2022, those who have not paid their fees would not be able to receive the grant. Several parents then reached out to the minister seeking clarity.

Minister Manickchand has issued a list of locations, by education

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districts, where the cash grants would be distributed to parents of both public and private school students.

The cash grant of $30,000 per child includes $25,000 for the ‘Because We Care’ grant, and $5,000 for the school uniform and supplies grant. Payments commence officially on Tuesday, August 3, 2022.

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Minister of Education Ms. Priya Manickchand

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 31, 2022

New oil power, Guyana, on course to surpass US offshore by 2035

(Forbes) As the Biden administration focuses on its efforts to end new leasing and drilling for oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico and other US offshore provinces, investment continues to pour into projects offshore the tiny South American nation of Guyana.

A new study by energy intelligence group, Rystad Energy, finds Guyana’s oil production growing at such a rapid pace that it will surpass production levels in other big offshore basins, including the U.S., Norway and Mexico, by 2035 to become the world’s fourth-largest offshore producer.

Rystad reports that Guyana has been the global leader for new discoveries since 2015, with 11.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent, which amounts to 18 per cent of total global discoveries and 32 per cent of discovered oil.

That growth has been driven by the prolific Stabroek Block, where a consortium led by ExxonMobil has announced a series of major new discoveries since that time.

Coincidentally, the year 2015 was also when the global oil industry started to suffer from a chronic under-investment in the finding of new reserves ample enough to replace annual consumption.

It’s an industry malady that still continues today, and has led to the current under-supplied market conditions. Exxon announced its initial Liza-1 discovery well in May of that year, and the number of new Guyana discoveries has now grown to 32, with two more announced this week.

The Guyanese government is the main beneficiary from the net revenues of the production. Rystad notes that the government receives 59 per cent of the total value from the Stabroek asset, comparing that to the roughly 40 per cent the U.S. government would receive from a typical offshore production area under current law. Government revenues are scheduled to surpass $1 billion this year, and Rystad says they will average $3.6 billion per year through 2030, rising to $12.4 billion annual-

Cornelia Ida family launches village’s first laundromat

MINISTER within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar on Saturday joined the Kanhai family for the opening of their new venture, PK’s Super Clean Laundromat, at Cornelia Ida on the West Coast of De-

ly through 2040.

Rystad’s report concludes that Guyana’s offshore production is in prime position to weather the energy transition.

Due to an estimated breakeven price of just $28 per barrel, Guyana is “well-positioned as an advantaged supply source in all Rystad Energy’s energy transition oil demand scenarios.”

The report also points out that “the emissions intensity of Guyanese production is only half the global average,” and that those emissions are expected to decline further in the years to come, due in large part to the consortium’s usage of state-of-the-art FPSOs (floating production storage and offloading vessels).

The large volumes of associated natural gas produced at Stabroek come with further environmental benefits, and will soon enable the Guyanese government to replace old electric power plants that use fuel oil with a new stateof-the-art natural gas plant.

The government is also using some of the revenues from its oil development to help fund the installation of

Morning above Guyana highlighted in red on model of planet Earth in space.

3D illustration. Elements of this image furnished by NASA. 3D model of planet created and rendered in Cheetah3D software (URL of the source map: https:// visibleearth.nasa.gov/view.php?id=57752 GETTY) solar farms and a major new hydropower project. These projects will not only cut emissions from the country’s power sector, but result in lower consumer costs as well.

While all this prolific growth is taking place offshore Guyana -- and offshore the neighboring country of Suriname as well -- the Biden administration has continued its focus on ensuring no similar offshore oil and gas advancements take place in the

merara.

According to a press release that was posted on Minister Indar’s Facebook page, the Kanhais saw a niche for this line of service and launched a small business to cater to the needs of customers. The services

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar joins the Kanhai family for the ceremonial ribbon-cutting exercise to declare open the new PK’s Super Clean Laundromat (Photos sourced from Minister Deodat Indar’s official Facebook page)

Some of the new equipment that will be used at PK’s Super Clean Laundromat

United States. Biden’s Interior Department, led by Secretary Deb Haaland, has yet to conduct a single successful offshore lease sale over the last 18 months. Secretary Haaland did finally issue a draft five-year federal offshore leasing plan on July 1 which contemplates holding a series of sales during that time frame, but emphasized her department would retain discretion to hold none if it so chooses.

Thus, it is no surprise that the billions of investment capital targeting new offshore oil and gas reserves is flowing out of the United States and into countries like Guyana. Over time, this nation of about 800,000 people seems destined to become a significant oil exporting power, surpassing the stagnating industry in a country with 330 million citizens.

It’s just a sign of the times.

that they intend to offer include laundry washing, dry cleaning, and steam cleaning among other things.

The proprietor, Ms. Kanhai (only name provided), said that banks were unwilling to support the venture with startup funds, but the family managed to overcome the hurdle and

launch their business.

The businesswoman, filled with tears of joy, said that starting this business is a dream come through for her.

Minister Indar congratulated the family and wished them all success in this new venture operation.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 31, 2022

The Triumph of Democracy

GUYANA’S democracy was put under the spotlight during a meeting among the country’s President, Dr Irfaan Ali, and top leaders from the United States Congress.

At a ceremony, during which President Ali was bestowed with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, glowing praises were bestowed upon the President and his commitment to the cause of Guyanese and the international community as a whole.

“What I see in you is the kind of leadership that can go into many doors around the world and view the people as equal and show them respect, so that we can have solutions,” the Congresswoman said.

According to Ms Lee, the recognition bestowed on President Ali was done on behalf of the 18th District of Texas and recognises his election victory as a “triumph of democracy.”

In her acknowledgement of the commitment of President Ali to the Guyanese people, Congresswoman Lee applauded his steadfastness in his commitment to the well-being and the future of the Guyanese people and “through your outstanding, character as a leader, you are going to help them overcome struggles that they may not foresee..., it goes on to indicate that

your election was a triumph of democracy and a promise of hope for the Guyanese people.”

This is indeed, as it were, a feather in the cap not only for President Ali, but also for the PPP/C administration and all those who stood up in defence of democracy during the March 2020 General and Regional Elections after the APNU+AFC sought to derail the democratic process.

It took the combined efforts of the international community, local democratic forces and the judiciary to save Guyana’s democracy which was under threat.

The United States played a key role in safeguarding Guyana’s democracy, which must have greatly influenced the thinking of Congreswoman Lee in her assessment of President Ali and the role he is playing in bringing about a democratic, inclusive and harmonious society.

The recognition by Congresswoman Lee is all the more significant in the light of unfounded attempts by the political opposition and their overseas lackeys to tarnish the image of President Ali and his PPP/C administration as an “installed regime,” and as one that is discriminating against one segment of the population, namely Afro-Guyanese, who are perceived to be supportive of the opposition PNC.

Attempts at seeking to prejudice the thinking of the Congressional Black Caucus in the United States by way of a false narrative have failed to gain traction as could be seen from the warm reception given to President Ali and his delegation by the Guyanese community in the United States, including several Afro-Guyanese constituencies.

In addition, Congressional leaders including Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Gregory Meeks, was high in praise of President Ali and his leadership style.

“I just had a meeting with President Ali, talking about the relationship between the United States of America and Guyana and his leadership.

“To be quite frank, he is an individual that [sic] has a vision of how to make sure that tomorrow is better than today. Bringing all of the people of Guyana together; thinking with the vision of the economy in Guyana; working together collectively with various other countries in the forefront with reference to making sure that you deal with agriculture, so that the people are not starving and hungry,” Congressman Meeks said.

These are sentiments expressed by individuals of honour and prominence who are not known to hold any brief for the PPP/C, but who are influenced by

unbiased and objective thinking. In some ways, such statements emanating from Black Congressional leaders can be regarded as a slap in the face of those who continue to peddle a racist agenda based on false and unsubstantiated allegations that are completely at odds with objective reality.

As Guyana observes yet another anniversary of Emancipation Day, the political opposition, which seems bent on sowing the seeds of division in our society along ethnic lines, will do well to reflect on the views expressed

by Congressional leaders in the United States, especially those of Congresswoman Lee and Congressman Meeks regarding governance in Guyana under the leadership of President Ali and the PPP/C administration.

In some important respects, such views and opinions could very well be regarded as an endorsement of the One Guyana vision as articulated by President Ali. The recent visit by President Ali and other members of his delegation which included Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo; Foreign Minister Hugh Todd and Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud is hugely fruitful for which all of Guyana must be proud.

Indeed, the economic and strategic interests of the country have been admirably represented and the country is accordingly much richer for the visit.

The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs remains strongly committed to the people of Masekenari

Dear Editor,

IT is wholly unfortunate that the author of a letter of mistruths, Mr Mervyn Williams, would seek to peddle false claims about various issues, including continued disrespect and suffering of the Wai Wai’s of Masekenari.

Mr Williams must have forgotten that it was an APNU+AFC minister who accused Amerindians of being avaricious and failed to apologise when requested to do so at the 2019 National Toshaos Council (NTC) conference.

It was at that conference that ministers refused to spend quality time to dialogue with the leaders who travelled to the city to engage the government in priority development matters and issues which affected them.

The record must be corrected. It was the APNU+AFC government that wantonly neglected the Amerindians, when they dismissed 1,972 young Amerindian Community Service Officers (CSOs) and withdrew the financial assistance to students under the ‘Because We Care’ programme.

Mr Williams must have a short memory,

since it was as a result of his purported brazen and bullying attitude towards Amerindian leaders of Guyana that led to them calling on the then Head of State to remove him from his position at the then Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs.

Specifically, for Masekenari, Mr Williams has attempted to spread mistruths about the matter concerning the return of the students.

The ministry has continued to provide return transportation for the Masekenari students attending Aishalton Secondary school. Contrary to allegations by Mr Williams, preparations for students to return home were in place prior to the conclusion of the school term. However, there was a delay in the process due to the inclement weather and poor state of the airstrip which could not accommodate landing.

This information was conveyed to Toshao Paul Chekema, who assured parents that their children would be flown in as soon as the weather permits. The Toshao, cognisant of the existing weather, made the informed decision to travel overland to ensure his attendance to the NTC. It must be noted that the public has been

misled that parents travelled out of the village to retrieve their children. This was not the case, the Toshao has confirmed that some parents and other villagers travelled overland with the village truck to Lethem to purchase supplies.

The Government of Guyana has remained committed to supporting Hinterland Scholarship students, including the students of Masekenari. This support includes covering the cost of transportation, dormitory accommodation, as well as dietary and financial assistance. These efforts are in addition to the reintroduced government-funded programme, the “Because We Care” cash grant which is specifically focused on financially assisting students.

The continued deliberate action of the APNU+AFC administration failed to deliver school uniform materials to students for three years and failed to pay suppliers, leading to lawsuits against the government, a matter which the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs had to rectify upon the PPP/C’s resumption of office.

When the PPP/C government returned

to office, these initiatives were reintroduced.

Masekenari was the first hinterland village to have internet access in the early 2000’s under the PPP/C administration.

The connectivity of the village has remained consistent and internet connection is not the sole means of communication for the village, as Mr. Williams is falsely trying to convince the public. Periodically, there is disruption in the Wi-Fi system, which is addressed by the National Data Management Authority (NDMA).

In this current period, the NDMA has scheduled a visit to address the disruption of the Wi-Fi service. The village also has an internet phone which remains a stable and viable option for communication, even in circumstances where the Wi-Fi is unavailable.

Contrary to Mr Williams’ mistruths, Masekenari has a health post and a Community Health Worker. Further, the Government of Guyana through the collaborative support of the Regional Health Department and the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs See page 7

OP-ED

SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 31, 2022

Americas Summit postscript reads badly for Taiwan’s remaining regional allies

By Earl Bousquet

WITH more than half its remaining allies in Central America and the Caribbean region, Taiwan has long been devoted to funding those five regional countries’ development and playing an active role in regional affairs.

However, Taiwan’s growing influence does not always bring about regional political peace and stability, as it gradually demonstrates the so-called “American-style” approach to international affairs, including relations with Central America and the Caribbean.

To put it simply, Taiwan is now much more visibly active in influencing domestic affairs and foreign policies of its remaining allies in this part of the world.

With only three Central American nations retaining ties (Guatemala, Honduras and Paraguay), it’s been working hard to keep them on tab, as with the Caribbean’s ‘Three Saints’ (St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and St. Vincent & The Grenadines).

Take the following behind-the-scenes stories about US-Taiwan-Guatemala ties that emerged from the Summit of the Americas held in Los Angeles last month.

Guatemala was the only pro-US rightwing administration that refused to attend, which ignited a public outcry at home and naturally irritated the Biden Administration, as host.

The US-Guatemala relationship took a sharp turn for the worst thereafter and it was even widely speculated that Guatemala’s President, Alejandro Giammattei’s, boycott was related to his dissatisfaction with what he saw as Washington’s intervention in his country’s domestic affairs, under the guise of cracking down on corruption.

But other sources also say that was not exactly the case and instead blame Taiwan for “deteriorating the US-Guatemala relationship.”

How? The claim is that Taiwan had quietly decided to support ex-President Donald Trump’s Republican Party in the upcoming crucial US mid-term elections in November – and as soon as that became clear, President Biden’s ruling Democratic Party started eyeing and treating Taiwan with suspicion.

President Biden was even taken to task by

his inner circle for going off-script on Taiwan in a major international speech at the recent NATO Summit and making statements that could damage China-US ties beyond repair.

Today, President Biden is noticeably less willing to bet on Taiwan, not even to use his presidential power to stop Speaker Nancy Pelosi from visiting Taiwan and really starting an irreversible process.

Last January, betting in advance and consolidating the diplomatic relationship with Guatemala, Taipei’s Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) took the initiative to facilitate co-operation between the Guatemala government and Ballard Partners, an American lobbying firm owned by Brian Ballard, a top fundraiser and former lobbyist for ex-President Donald Trump.

TECRO paid $900,000 on signing the lobbying contract, from since after which it’s been closely monitoring its progress.

In its registration, Ballard stated it would provide “strategic consulting and advocating services” related to Guatemala’s interactions with the US government and US officials.

Furthermore, the Guatemala government is said to have been persuaded that if it continued to enhance co-operation with the Republicans and helping ex-President Trump’s party counterbalance the Democratic Party ahead of and after the mid-term election, the Democrats will be less inclined not to continue involving Washington in Guatemala’s domestic affairs.

Gradually, following Taiwan’s footsteps, Guatemala was eventually seen in and by Washington as drawing as close to the Republican Party as Taiwan.

Undoubtedly, Guatemala is a sovereign and independent country and President Giammattei’s refusal to attend the Summit was an independent diplomatic action based on national political policy-making.

But after the summit, as the only proUS regime in South America that refused to attend, Guatemala was treated as having somehow shamed or embarrassed the Biden administration by equipping the Republican Party with effective political and propaganda ammunition to attack Biden and the ruling Democrats.

Meanwhile, Taiwan is being seen by some among its regional allies as having put

its political loyalty to the Republican Party above having normal bilateral political ties with Guatemala.

Expectedly, America’s retaliation was furious, since the Biden administration is also reportedly not satisfied with Giammattei’s potential successor, Zury Rios (daughter of the former president) coupled with Giammattei’s decision to join the boycott of the summit by many Latin American nations.

Biden and his Democratic allies in Washington naturally lost confidence in Guatemala’s right wing ahead of the mid-term elections and -- as if in retaliation -- Washington soon readjusted its strategic positioning in Guatemala, which critics say included providing limited support for the left-wing to attack Giammattei and deploying the “balancing strategy” (of seeming to support both sides) to maximise US strategic interests.

Taiwan faced unrestrained American criticisms and in mid-June when the US government sent officials, including Juan Gonzalez, the Senior Director for the Western Hemisphere at the National Security Council, to meet with Bi-khim Hsiao, Taiwan’s unofficial but clearly recognised representative in the United States.

The long knives were out for Taiwan.

Gonzalez directly imputed that Guatemala’s siding with the Republican camp was influenced by Taiwan’s funding and behind-thescenes tutoring; and he also rebuked Taiwan’s Tsai administration, claiming its facilitation severely undermined the US-Guatemala relationship, putting the US on the defense and making it a difficult problem to unwrap.

Bi-khim Hsiao also directly blamed Guatemala and asserted that Taiwan’s intention to finance the co-operation was to help improve the US-Guatemala relationship, that she said did not get involved in the selection of public relations companies and she had already told Guatemala’s ambassador they should improve the relationship with Washington, regardless of party-political differences.

The Taiwan spokesperson also said she had encouraged Guatemala’s president to attend the summit in person and she totally blamed Guatemala, naturally dismissing all claims of influential involvement in Guatemala’s relationship with the US, which she acknowledged is a sovereign issue.

7

But Guatemala’s situation is not a rare case in Central America and the Caribbean.

A country’s domestic affairs and foreign policies have traditionally been influenced by national circumstances, but it has become increasingly clear that, like the US, Taiwan is taking no prisoners at this point in its international relations, especially when it comes to keeping its remaining allies.

The Guatemala case is interesting, because it’s a Taiwan ally complaining of a strong possibility of probably having been misled into facing the direct political fury of the prevailing Democratic political establishment in Washington.

Meanwhile, several issues have arisen from the Guatemala diplomatic debacle, including regional concern about Taiwan increasingly and openly flexing its political muscles on its remaining Caribbean and Central American allies -- including Honduras -- which represent more than half of all its remaining diplomatic allies internationally.

Alarm bells are also starting to ring in some regional political quarters about the way Taiwan’s international policy continues to resemble copycat reflections of Washington’s historical preparedness to directly influence its allies’ domestic and foreign policies.

Understandably, decision-makers in nations affected could very well be feeling being played as toys and tools, without enough help from the major players to address their real core domestic problems outside of the political arena.

Taiwan’s Caribbean diplomats have become more visibly active and present, more publicly identifying and/or associating with political events at domestic levels in some cases.

But that too also amounts to nothing less than subtle or direct political involvement, even interference, in domestic politics – a-la-Washington.

But while Taiwan won’t stop doing whatever it feels is best for Taipei, it can no longer deny that it has stepped-up its open and direct association with and involvement in non-diplomatic political events, while also moving mountains to influence domestic foreign policy among its remaining allies.

The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs remains ...

From page 6

offers support to persons seeking tertiary medical attention outside of the village.

In the first instance, the regional administration assists patients to travel to Georgetown for specialised medical treatment and the ministry offers full support for discharged patients

by providing accommodation, meals, medical tests and x-rays and the cost of returning to their village.

The PPP/C Government will continue to support all Amerindians across the length and breadth of Guyana, regard-

less of geographic location. It is vivid that the PPP/C government has restored respect, support, dignity and hope to all Guyanese, including the Amerindian people.

It is evident that there is a new ap-

proach to addressing developmental needs of Amerindians and there is now expansion of services to the people.

Yours respectfully, The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs

8

SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 31, 2022

The coalition’s partial list of endless mistakes Dear Editor, PRESIDENT, Dr. Irfaan Ali and his entourage departed for the US, but, not before setting the tone for the beginning of a new era for Guyanese and Guyana when he opened the Building Expo 2022, saying: “The journey to prosperity has begun. The journey is powered by one vehicle, One Guyana. Whether your political views are aligned with the government or not, you have a seat in the vehicle.”

“The establishment of new housing developments across Guyana and the upgrading of existing areas within the past two years have been met with huge smiles of relief from citizens who are anxious to own their own homes,” Minister Croal said.

The smell of oil became more predominant with two new discoveries by ExxonMobil. As the Guyanese are off to celebrate Emancipation Day, Guyana welcomes the African Royal Delegation. There were other reasons for citizens to revere, review, “row” and smile about also: 1) “Where there are bottlenecks, we will look at those bottlenecks,” Minister Parag commented.

2) “You served nobody but yourself and that is why you are on that side of the House, and that is why you will be on that side of the House for a very, very long time,” Minister Ashni Singh pointed out.

3) “I’ve been meeting a lot of good people and I’m glad I came,” Mark Williams from the Caribbean confessed. Guyana’s hospitality has an international flavour.

4) “People need to understand through positive examples that conservation requires both male and female rangers,” female ranger, Hazelitha noted. Dis time na lang time.

5) The state has to pay $5 million for one, “Cashew. No, not the fruit, but to Chaitram, in damages.

6) “State House belongs to all of Guyana,” President Ali reminded Guyanese, while launching the Girls-Only Self-defence Programme. Indeed, a One Guyana.

7) “Everybody wants to go to Guyana,” quoted Indera Persaud, longtime honorary consul to Jamaica. The great oil rush is flooding Guyana’s gate.

8) “Climate change is an emergency,” announced President Biden. People are on the lookout for the ambulance and listening for the siren.

9) Nelson Mandela visits Jamaica. No, not his spirit, in person back on 24th July, 1991.

10) Opposition MP David Patterson, lit up the floor with: “You can’t wait to see fuh tek candle light fuh see things at night when you can see them in the broad daylight,” Has anyone seen the US$18 million bonus?

11) “You don’t have to love the government to be proud of this. You just have to love the country and love development to be happy about this,” President Ali coaxed the crowd. A fair and generous President.

12) “We are the cause of our demise,” penned the writer.

So true, for 33 years, we allowed leaders to build potholes in our minds.

13) When someone replies with an “everything nice” response, you know it’s time to leave, drink, don’t eat!

14) Minister Susan Rodrigues declared: “5,000 Guyanese will be on their way to home ownership,” at the end of the Building Expo 2022, with a big treat of freebies, including steel and cement.

15) “We can’t have an elections commission being run by people who are themselves involved in the elections,” advised the economist. True, no wonder we have had so many allegations of rigged elections and the last one, “attempted.”

16) “Guyana has all the natural assets to be a leading food producer in the region,” President Ali informed the high-level US officials. Oil and gas will not be the sole engine of growth for Guyana’s economy.

17) “People are catching hell in this country,” said one of the ‘sitting’ Coalition MPs. Name of a new carrier operated and owned by the Opposition?

18) “It was therefore shocking, when the GAWU learnt that the AMCAR had decided to close its operations at this time,” the union stated. Quite a sour note and not being trendy!

19) “Constitutional changes or else!” A witness has an answer, “the only thing coming out of this exercise will be another opportunity for the opposition to scream bloody murder, stage new protests that may end up with some condign beatings of some hapless perceived PPP supporters.”

20) “It’s rare to see this many attacks in a short period of time,” said a city official. Hold your horse, it’s not GT but Japan, where, “monkeys gone crazy.”

21) “The Guyanese people themselves want a proper inves-

tigation. Yes, over the years, they have heard many allegations of high-level corruption. But this one stinks to high heavens, and they want to know the full facts,” the Opposition MP insisted. Yes, he is so right. In front of the whole, wide world, the PNC party attempted to steal an election and confuse the nation with jiggery-pokery mathematics, and…. a dirty ‘chadar’! Unbelievably shameful, disgraceful and dishonourable!

22) “So, I really don’t know why it is that we were not written to as yet, perhaps we are not suspended,” reported one of the suspended Opposition MPs. Oh, Mama Mia! Talk about live in hope and die in despair!

23) The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, underscored the point: “Guyana has been a very strong partner for the United States and in many ways, a global leader.” During the Ninth Summit of the Americas, Guyana was identified as a key player and leader in CARICOM for food security, energy security, financing, and the issue of climate change.

24) And the winner is…… “Oh r..s, West Indies lose again, what a jan jat!”

25) “We apologise to our viewers and listeners,” the channel announcer said, “but we interrupt this programme to announce that there have been two more oil discoveries in Guyana, the world’s fastest growing economy, led by President Ali and his PPP/C Government.”

26) “It’s better to be safe than sorry,” warned the learned Chief. Good advice, stay out of the way PNC, the government is coming through like a herd of elephants and a throng of bulldozers with the US$2 billion blessings from the EXIM Bank!

27) “We have been clear to the United States that we are going to continue an aggressive bid,” said President Ali. Exxon caught off balance?

28) Charran left “pieces of silver” to run right into $7million!

29) The Vice na play ‘cas cas,’ Su getting sued for nuff nuf ‘cus cus.’

30) President Ali shared a view: “The first thing that we need to do to advance any relationship is to have conversations, to understand each other, to share our perspective on things.” President Irfaan Ali knows how to “swim with the sharks!”

31) “So, I present to you, a country that is enormously rich in biodiversity, ecological services, environmental services,” President Ali discussed with the US security sector. The President can talk about more than oil, unlike others!

32) “You should be proud that this is your heritage,” President Ali told the diaspora in Washington. It was the APNU+AFC Government who made Guyanese a laughing stock to the world and it took a PPP/C Government to change that image.

33) “Yes, we made our own mistakes,” the economist confessed. Anyone hear a call to be pardoned and forgiven?

Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do. The error list is endless!

Some 3,525 odd families in Region Eight were smiling with their $25,000 per house-hold cash grant. And 193,679 recipients will smile with $5.8 billion as part of the “Because we Care” programme.

Shyam Nokta was all smiles with his Anthony N. Sabga award. Thirteen beauties will smile for the Emancipation title, and there will be heavy jamming at the Miss Jamzone 2022 Pageant.

Thousands of Guyanese were beaming with smiles as they were allocated house lots at the Building Expo 2022.

The return of the Bartica Regatta adds another reason to smile.

As you enjoy the holiday weekend, don’t cry when it’s over, smile because it happened!

Yours respectfully, Jai Lall

SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 31, 2022

Ensuring First Peoples are not last citizens (Part VII)

9

Wanted: A New Global Indigenous Alliance!

By Earl Bousquet

THE international dimension of First People’s existence today played-out in full in Australia and Canada this past week, with the supreme Catholic pontiff embarking on a “Pilgrimage of Peace” to indigenous populations in Canada and Australia’s new Prime Minister announcing a referendum to change the constitution to allow indigenous people parliamentary representation.

The invasion and occupation of aboriginal lands in Australia and Canada was followed by subjecting indigenous people to enforced and involuntary “civilised behaviour,” church and state handing indigenous children to colonial settler families to be “brought-up properly” and/or assigning them to so-called “Residential Schools” to be taught “civilised ways of life,” while indigenous populations were being effectively “assimilated” into the societies built by those who stole their lands.

That Australians should, in 2022, still be considering whether to allow the nation’s First People parliamentary representation -- 252 years after Thomas Cook claimed the world’s largest island for Britain in 1770 – is both a reprehensible thought by itself and a regrettable 21st Century reality.

But then, Britain hasn’t apologised either for turning the world’s biggest island into a penal colony in 1788, while consigning its indigenous people to sub-human bondage and restricted to Australia’s vast interior.

The Pope’s Canada visit remained in the international news for all of last week after he met indigenous leaders at colourful ceremonies to express papal sorrow for the sins and crimes of Catholic officials against indigenous people, over decades and centuries.

Forged by his own experience as an Argentinian on a continent where many indigenous tribes exist, the world’s first non-European pontiff decided to personally embark on his “pilgrimage” to Canada, where indigenous tribes continue to protest and demand both atonement from the Vatican and punishment for the guilty, after recent revelation of human rights monstrosities committed at the mainly Catholic-run “residential schools” country-wide.

Generations of indigenous children (thousands of whom are still alive as aging adults) were abused, raped, forced to eat their own vomit, starved to death, or punished into malnourishment -- then buried in hidden and unmarked graves.

Pope Francis said he was sorry for all the sins committed in the church’s name by men and women of the frock, but while the indigenous leaders accepted his words, there were victims who felt and said he didn’t go far enough.

The critics, including many victims still alive, feel the Pope should have apologised not just for the specific crimes in the areas he visited, but for all the sins committed by church representatives against indigenous people worldwide, with reparations as part of its blessed atonement.

Some argued that while the pontiff’s visit was enough indication of his positive will and intent, the church hasn’t formally apologised faithfully to the First People whose lands were stolen and their civilisations destroyed by Europeans bearing swords and arriving on ships with Christian crosses painted on their sails.

As seen and acknowledged by German explorer Robert H. Schomburgk in his epic oversized and illustrated book entitled, ‘Views of the Interior of Guiana’ (published in 1840), religion was seen as the traditional palliative for leading First

Chronicles of a Chronic Guyana Chronicler

By Earl Bousquet

People away from their traditional cultures.

Australian Cardinal George Pell, then a top Vatican official, was in 2017 accused and later legally found guilty of sexual abuse and covering-up what he knew about other cases; and many Australian victims are still alive and demanding repair by reparations.

Today’s activist pontiff will always be expected to go the extra miles to ensure the positive changes he’s introduced at and from The Vatican will not be reversed by any successor.

At the end of his week-long North American pilgrimage, a visibly-exhausted Pope Francis cited a longstanding knee problem to say he’ll reduce on his usual long trips -- and even though the discomfort wasn’t bad enough for him to consider resigning, if that eventuality arrived, he’d be prepared to.

That said, by the time the chartered Al Italia jet entered Italian airspace, the new world news narrative about the pope’s penitential visit quickly changed -- from the sufficiency of his expressions of papal sorrow, to how long he’ll remain healthy-enough to effectively and efficiently carry-out his usually-busy daily papal chores.

The cause and plight of the indigenous people in Canada and Australia dropped from the headlines dropped from the airwaves and left with the flight The world’s indigenous people and their causes were treated by the mainstream world media journalists on the flight like any other news item: only worth the headlines it created.

And by the time the Pope got to the Vatican, the headlines

returned to the continuing war in Ukraine, the unfolding ‘Weather Apocalypse’ and gathering ‘Economic Hurricanes’ in Europe and the US, speculation on possible consequences of Russia’s announced pullout from the International Space Station (ISS), uncertainties across Europe about Moscow continuing to play hard ball on oil and gas supplies ahead of what’s already predicted as a colder winter than usual and the US proposing an expected prisoner swap for female American basketballer Britney Griner.

It’s the same across the Caribbean, with indigenous people’s issues only making the news according to the topic’s headline value, best manifested in reportage of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) governments’ demand for “Reparations for Slavery and Native Genocide” as if the native genocide part never happened.

First People have always been treated as last citizens of the world for centuries and it’s imperative, if not inescapable, that while their causes will continue to make the news headlines, it will take nothing less than a real alliance of the world’s indigenous nations and people, with supportive governments and regional and international institutions, to not just place their cases on the world’s agenda, but to also ensure the subjects remain there until addressed with the speed, urgency and seriousness necessitated by the fact that they represent the planet’s very first inhabitants everywhere the Europeans had conquered through reported violence and theft.

African Emancipation 10

ON August 1, 1838, the British Government finally abolished slavery in all its colonies and called upon other western colonial powers to follow suit.

Slavery was abolished in the Swedish Caribbean in 1847; in the Danish and French Caribbean in 1848; in the Dutch Caribbean in 1863; in Puerto Rico 1873; in Cuba in 1886; in Brazil in 1888; in the United States in 1865.

Arguably, no less than 8,000,000 and no more than 10,500,000 arrived in the Americas. Of this figure, 480,000 Africans were brought to Suriname and Guyana. In 1838, after slavery, an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 Africans were living in Guyana. These Africans were brought mainly from West Africa and came from multiple ethnicities such as the Ashanti from Ghana, the Yoruba from Southwest Nigeria, the Ibo from South-Western Nigeria, and the Mandingo from Senegal.

Africans were snatched from the ranks of war captives, debtors, and persons found guilty of various criminal and social offenses. Others were kidnapped through raids and deceitful ways. European slave traders were initially involved in the capture of Africans, but, over time, when the capture of Africans became difficult, African chiefs or middlemen were rewarded with material objects to supply slaves.

Africans were brought to the Americas via the African Slave Trade in which ships would leave European ports and arrive in West Africa where material objects such as guns were traded for slaves. The ships would then leave western Africa with slaves and sail across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean, the latter known as the Middle Passage. Deaths and diseases were high, as well as trauma, including suicide and resistance. Upon arrival, the slaves were distributed to various Caribbean plantations through an inhumane bidding process.

The ships would then sail back to Europe with sugar and other tropical products. This pattern continued for three centuries.

Slave societies in Guyana were stratified according to power, prestige, and privilege. At the top layer were Whites, comprised of government officials, plantation owners, managers, merchants, clergies, small shopkeepers, craftsmen, and indentured servants. At the middle layer were free Blacks and free Coloureds, classified as Mulatto, Quadroon, and Sambo, and so on. This was a sandwich group that served as a social lubricant between the highest and lowest layer of Guyana’s slave society. At the lowest layer were the enslaved Africans who were further stratified into field, house, skilled and urban slaves. Each layer of stratification was hierarchically organised along firm boundaries.

The physical setting of the slave society was also stratified.

The residential area was divided between the slavers and the

enslaved. The slavers lived in the Great House, while the enslaved lived in barracks. The production area was divided into factories and fields. The former comprised various mills, boiling and curing houses, storage and work sheds, and a distillery. The vast fields surrounded the factory area, made up of sugarcane. The enslaved spent most of their time in the fields and factories.

The rhythm of plantation life of the enslaved revolved around working from daybreak to sunset, cultivating sugar cane as well as performing other tasks, like feeding animals and tending their kitchen gardens. Their lives were severely restricted and stunted by poor health and physical labour, replicating a killing field in which birth rates were low and death rates were high. The average lifespan of the enslaved was about 40 years, particularly those of field slaves.

Social prohibitions were placed on the enslaved, denying them an education as well as disallowing marriage, migration, or engagement in their own cultural and economic activities.

Yet, some sections of African slave society did not accept the above restrictions, revolting with the intent to achieve outright freedom. The islands of Haiti and St. Croix witnessed a successful slave revolt in 1804 and 1848.

Two broad forms of African resistance, covert and overt, emerged during slavery. Covert resistance took the forms of maiming animals, faking sickness, and maroonage, while overt resistance took the form of direct destruction of plantation property and revolution. Both forms of resistance were intended to slow down production, to reduce profits, and

SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 31, 2022

eventually to abolish slavery. Two notable revolts of enslaved Africans occurred in Berbice in 1763, and in Demerara in 1823. The former was led by Cuffy, now the national hero of modern Guyana.

Slave resistance placed enormous pressure on the institution of slavery. Human bondage came under attack from various regions, from various movements, and from various people, based on various economic, philosophical, religious, and humanistic arguments. The result was that the slave trade was abolished in 1807, although it continued illegally until 1870, as well as the death knell to slavery in the Americas in different time periods in the nineteenth century, stated above.

Amid African slavery, and less analysed, was the formation of the American Colonization Society (ACS) in 1820 by white Americans in the Deep South to send “free” American blacks to the West African colony of Liberia. The idea was to provide Africans with an opportunity to return to their homeland as free individuals on the belief that freed blacks were too inferior for integration and might also revolt against the system of slavery. An estimated 13,000 Africans from the United States were shipped to Liberia during fifty years of the ACSs’ existence.

I am not sure how many Africans from Guyana were shipped to Liberia but Caree Banton’s book Auspicious Shores: Barbadian Migration to Liberia, Blackness, and the Making of an African Republic, might help in understanding this part of Afro-Guyanese history. Happy Emancipation Day (lomarsh.roopnarine@jsums.edu).

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 31, 2022

Understanding Energy

New study estimates huge revenue growth for Guyana

A NEW report from energy analysts at Norway’s Rystad Energy identifies 2022 as a landmark year for Guyana in more ways than one. It finds that government revenues from oil production could reach as high as US$1-1.5 billion and average US$3.6 billion per annum through 2030.

Rystad forecasts the government take to peak at US$16 billion per year in 2036 and average US$12.4 billion annually between 2031 and 2040. Cumulatively, this amounts to roughly US$157 billion in government revenue for Guyana by 2040.

The report also examines the rapidly evolving trajectory of Guyana’s development in depth—from its role in global oil supplies, to how its contract stacks up against other countries’ and how its oil might perform in a world increasingly concerned about climate change.

According to Rystad, Guyana leads in offshore discoveries globally since 2015 with 11.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent discovered, accounting for 18 per cent of discovered resources and 32 per cent of discovered oil. Guyana, singlehandedly, accounts for 18 of the top 30 largest offshore oil discoveries globally since 2015.

This news comes on the heels of Guyana looking to attract more new investment in its next oil field tender this quarter, which is President, Dr. Irfaan Ali’s goal of reaching

more diversity in its oil and gas sector.

To date, the ExxonMobil-operated Stabroek Block has been key to Guyana’s rise from a country with no known oil to a sought-after global investment destination and oil producer over the past several years.

ExxonMobil’s announcement of two new finds this week at Seabob and Kiru-Kiru brings the total number of significant discoveries to more than 30.

Furthermore, with all the discussions surrounding Guyana’s contract and fiscal terms, Guyana already has more than US$849.63 million from 12 oil lifts and US$102.06 million from royalties in the Natural Resources Fund (NRF).

Crucially, Rystad also evaluated the government take (including royalties and profit sharing) from the Stabroek contact against 11 other countries including established producers and newer “frontier” areas like Guyana.

The report found that the government share of total value will reach roughly 59 per cent including royalties and profit sharing.

That compares well to 47 per cent in Suriname and 58 per cent in Nigeria.

Guyana also ranked higher than the peer group average government take of 54 per cent. Considering longstanding confusion over the terms of the contract, this new analysis is vitally important. The report also

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery to achieve empowerment, success

AS Guyana prepares to celebrate Emancipation Day 2022, many questions must be answered about the mindset of some Afro-Guyanese, and how that mindset is keeping them back from advancing as a people towards the truest forms of freedom, self-consciousness, and attainment of wealth to prosper.

If these questions are answered in a rational, less emotional, and critical way, then the dilemma, which is facing parts of the Afro-Guyanese community would cease to exist.

Afro-Guyanese have a rich history and culture in Guyana. They are proud people who experienced the unfortunate, brutal and inhumane horrors of slavery, colonialism, and neo-colonialism.

Through it all, they progressed until the Afro-Guyanese slaves were freed from the shackles that sought to hold back their movement. It was not until Emancipation Day, August 1, 1838, that the Africans here secured their freedom from their oppressors, and the journey began towards securing their economic and cultural identity.

Fast-track to 186 years or more after, some Afro-Guyanese are still fighting against the system that they blamed justly or unjustly for their present-day struggles.

Some want to blame others, alleging all manner of things such as racism, racial and political discrimination, and inequitable distribution of resources, particularly the wealth of Guyana.

Others want to conveniently play the victim while some place little or no emphasis on education, jobs, empowerment, and entrepreneurship as a tool to fight their way out of poverty and battle the socio-economic ills of society that weigh them down.

The truth is, some Afro-Guyanese are still reeling from the scars of mental slavery; this keeps some of them down and boxed. Though the physical chains cannot be seen, the devastating effects are still being felt and transmitted across generations.

It is a state of mind where one becomes trapped by misinformation about self and the world.

This quota of misinformation that continues to be spread throughout the community teaches some Afro-Guyanese that they are inferior, and promotes ways of thinking which will continue to impede their growth and development.

This misinformation causes many Afro-Guyanese to adopt the mindset of an observer complaining about the world as opposed to being a change agent in the

outlines how a tax-and-royalty system like that of the U.S. may look better on paper but would deliver only 40 per cent of total value to the government, compared to the profit-sharing-and-royalty structure of Guyana’s contract.

While the report finds that Guyana currently accounts for less than one per cent of world oil production, it forecasts massive growth from the discoveries made so far.

Guyana is on track to becoming the fourth largest offshore oil producer in the world by 2035—outpacing the U.S., Norway and Mexico.

Guyana also appears to be largely on track to meet its sustainability commitments.

The report found the emissions intensity of Guyana’s production is nine kilogrammes of CO2 per barrel of oil equivalent, half of the global average for oil production.

While it’s difficult to understand oil as “low emission,” energy analysts look closely at the relative levels of emissions intensity for various oil sources. Many companies have abandoned higher-emissions oil in places like Alberta, Canada in recent years as part of the global fight against climate change and a growing list of nations that impose some form of carbon emission tax.

Guyana is lucky enough that its oil outperforms roughly 75 per cent of global producing assets, making it “one of the most

resilient segments under carbon tax scenarios,” according to the report.

This is due to several factors, “including larger scale developments with fewer wells with high rates of productivity, more specialised technical solutions to limit emissions, such as gas reinjection, and more stringent regulations.”

The government has been very involved in fast-tracking legislation that advance the country’s framework for managing its rapidly expanding oil and gas sector, while prioritising Guyanese growth from workforce development to investing its revenues into other non-energy sectors. While the report finds that there is still more to be done to ensure transparent long-term management, it lauded the progress already made on the NRF and local content law.

As Guyana enters the last half of the year with numerous oil and gas successes under its belt, Liam Mallon, President of ExxonMobil Upstream Company, on its latest discoveries said, “the resources we are investing in and discovering offshore Guyana will provide safe, secure energy for global markets for decades to come.”

The latest Rystad report is an important new look into the challenges and potential for Guyana’s energy future as it enters the big league of oil and gas production.

world.

It leads many Afro-Guyanese into demonstrating wealth through material things such as clothes and cars instead of through educational development. Like others, failure to know oneself fails to identify self-interest, making us an obvious target for exploitation and oppression.

Afro-Guyanese must understand that they are nobody’s victim. It serves no positive purpose. Complaining about how somebody did something to us, how someone hates us, and how someone stole from us but not doing something about it is part of the problem.

Similarly, Afro-Guyanese must cease complaining about being discriminated against either racially or politically until and unless they embark on a process of documentation where statistical analysis and evidence are given to make a factual case.

Mental slavery diminishes the creativity of Afro-Guyanese because they know what they want but are unaware of how it can be obtained in Guyana. They understand the importance of history, but all those small steps on the ladder that leads to success, such as unity, investment of time, support, and spending, escape them.

The first step to recovery is recognising

that some Afro-Guyanese are afflicted with this disorder, then understanding who Afro-Guyanese are as a people, our history, and our value system. The next is to stop waiting for the system to change.

Rather Afro-Guyanese should use all the tools at their disposal to do for themselves.

Afro-Guyanese must realise the necessity for education, planning, strategy, dedication, and hard work.

Going on the streets and protesting is not going to create the change that some Afro-Guyanese want to see in their country.

Utilising the State and government apparatus to get results will lead to much satisfaction in the end.

President Dr. Irfaan Ali has a vision of One Guyana with one purpose in mind. If Afro-Guyanese want to experience and feel that they are a part of this One Guyana, then they must be willing to wipe away the scars of mental slavery and change their mindset.

They must put their well-being first, taking advantage of everything and every policy measure that Dr. Ali implements to get them out of slums of poverty.

Finally, they must seize every opportunity that seeks to strengthen their growth and development-- only then can they be truly emancipated.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 31, 2022

Preserving your musculoskeletal health THE musculoskeletal system comprise of bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, cartilage and connective tissues, all assisting with the function of movement, posture and supporting body weight.

Preserving your musculoskeletal health, including the spinal discs and nerves which are most frequently affected, is key for living a productive life since such discs act as shock absorbers.

Joints are like the tyres of a vehicle where wear and tear is inevitable. This illustration can be used both figuratively and literally to explain musculoskeletal pain, which is caused by ageing, injuries or disorders such as bone fractures, joint dislocation, direct impact to muscles, bones or joints, overuse injuries, poor posture and sprains.

It must be highlighted that carrying around extra pounds burdens the skeletal system making someone

vulnerable to such disorders.

A 2016 NCBI (National Centre for Biotechnology Information) study showed how increased body mass index (BMI) is an independent risk factor for musculoskeletal diseases. So treating the underlying cause, which is obesity, can be the solution to the problem.

The top six musculoskeletal disorders are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, tendonitis, bone fractures, carpal tunnel syndrome and fibromyalgia. Apart from your body mass, some persons are at higher risk for arthritis, fibromyalgia and tunnel syndrome than others, depending on your occupation, physical activity levels, age, smoking and alcohol consumption.

Pain is the dominant signal in musculoskeletal diseases. It is characterised as acute, which is sudden but only for short periods, or chronic, which is long term.

It can be localised (concentrated in a particular area) or

over the entire body as in the case of fibromyalgia. Pain can have a negative effect on your physical and mental activities and overall health. It can also antagonise work and home relationships, hence affecting your social well-being.

In 2022 the International Association for the study of pain concluded that lowering stress at work and discouraging over commitment may reduce the overall burden of chronic musculoskeletal pain generally and also the movement of localised pain from one part of the body to another.

Other symptoms include stiffness, burning in the muscle, muscle twitching, fatigue, intensified pain on movement and sleep disturbances.

The WHO (World Health Organisation) publication this month, on musculoskeletal health assessments worldwide, highlighted that about 1.71 billion persons are affected with over 150 impairments where lower back pain is the most prevalent cause of disability in about 160 countries.

The impact on work productivity, early retirement, general well-being and socialisation were noted. This is a growing economic and social concern because of population increase and extension of life expectancy or ageing.

Treatment for musculoskeletal pain include pain medication (prescription medications such as NSAIDS, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and opioids such as codeine), steroid injections, splits, therapeutic massage, physiotherapy, acupuncture, chiropractic adjustment, occupational therapy and rehabilitation services.

Home remedies include hot and cold therapy, OTC pain medication (such as acetaminophen), exercises, stretches and stress reduction.

Prevention of musculoskeletal pain include: * avoiding repetitive motion (occupational hazard for hair dressers, masonries, cane cutters, pickers, typists) * practice correct lifting techniques (weight lifters, laborers) * maintaining an erect posture (occupational hazard for desk job staff such as writers, editors, receptionists, clerks, data entry and call centre staff) * doing regular stretches after exercises or long distant travelling.

The Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology published in 2019 a collection of 44 studies, over a one year period, to ascertain among other concerns the work-related musculoskeletal disorders in hair dressers.

Interventions recommended for such categories of workers are being developed.

BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation published studies that are rarely done for the younger age groups, focusing mainly on adolescence pain over a two-year period. It showed that engaging in a high level of physical activity is a high risk of developing musculoskeletal impairments.

Also evidence revealed that recurring pain in the same target group can affect performance in sports.

More girls than boys were seen at repeated visits who experienced recurrent pain. Sports medicine and injury rehabilitation services are dedicated to mainly adolescents and young adults who might have sustained an injury in a sports event. However the WHO has estimated the need for expanding rehabilitation services for various categories of persons.

For further pharmacological guidance, contact the pharmacist of Medicine Express PHARMACY located at 223 Camp Street, between Lamaha and New Market Streets. If you have any queries, comments or further 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.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 31, 2022

Senior officers complete executive law enforcement leadership course in El Salvador

FOUR senior police officers of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) have successfully completed an Executive Law Enforcement Leadership course in El Salvador.

The course was conducted in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, at the ILEA Training Academy, during the period July 11 to July 29, 2022.

El Salvador, Uruguay, Belize, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana were among the countries represented by law enforcement officers.

The Guyanese beneficiaries of the programme were Head of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), Assistant Commissioner Fazil Karimbaksh; Superintendent Krishnadat Ramana, also attached to the Special Organised Crime Unit; Officer in Charge of Immigration at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timerhi, Troy Benn, and Shift Commander of Immigration at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, Assistant Superintendent Rodella Glen.

In photo, from left, are: Head of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), Assistant Commissioner Fazil Karimbaksh; Officer in Charge of Immigration at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timerhi, Troy Benn; Shift Commander of Immigration at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, Assistant Superintendent Rodella Glen, and Superintendent Krishnadat Ramana, also attached to SOCU (Guyana Police Force photo) The objective of the course was to teach successful leadership techniques such as fostering change to meet the challenges of running a law

enforcement agency in the 21st century.

The programme was focused on some key areas, which included leading change, leadership con-

cepts, ethics, and moral behaviour, understanding human behaviour, wellness in a law enforcement culture, belief system and motivators, emotional in-

telligence and leadership, and leadership in crisis situations.

Emphasis was placed on behavioural style analysis and values based on observ-

able human behaviour and recognising “basic needs” that motivate, create, and support a positive working climate.

Participants were taught how to recognise and utilise behavioural style characteristics, value paradigms, and leadership flexibility models for strategically developing human resources.

As part of the course, participants were also introduced to problem-solving models and exercises used to identify and formulate strategies to address operational and organisational issues in crisis situations.

The officers extended gratitude to the Guyana Police Force’s administration for the opportunity to attend the training and posited that learning did take place and knowledge was therefore acquired.

They indicated that such knowledge made them better equipped to lead the ranks under their charge to be more effective and efficient in the execution of their duties.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 31, 2022

Guyanese receives prestigious award for excellence in auditing THE Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), during its 2022 International Conference held on July 18, 2022, in Chicago, awarded five legacy awards, recognising individuals who have made significant contributions to the internal audit profession over their careers.

Well-known Guyanese internal audit leader, Lal Balkaran, received the Institute’s Bradford Cadmus Memorial Award which is granted in tribute to the memory of Bradford Cadmus, author, educator, researcher, and the first managing director of the IIA. It officially recognises internal auditors who have made outstanding contributions to research, education, publications, or other developments and activities in the field of internal auditing.

The IIA is the recognised body of professional internal auditing with more than 218,000 members and 180,000 certified internal auditors in over 180 countries.

Lal is the only Canadian to receive this prestigious award since 1994 and also the only Guyanese and West

Award-winning auditor, Lal Balkaran Indian to achieve this feat in the institute’s history.

Balkaran, the founder of IIA-Guyana and a Past President of IIA-Toronto, has over 30 years of senior internal auditing experience in both the public and private sectors and has authored several reference publications on business and on his native country, in addition to eight documentaries.

He has also published over 50 articles across the globe in acclaimed journals, including the Globe and Mail and Financial Post, on in-

ternal audit-related topics, some of which have been award-winning and reprinted in several languages.

In addition, he is the recipient of IIA-Canada’s three national awards and has presented at several conferences on a wide range of topics.

Balkaran, from Goed Fortuin on the West Bank of Demerara, was born in Pouderoyen, and attended Malgre Tout Primary and West Demerara Secondary schools. He taught in the Rupununi and worked as a senior internal auditor and management accountant at GuySuCo and CXC. He is principally selftaught and is a Certified Internal Auditor, Chartered Global Management Accountant, Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant (Canada), Fellow Chartered Governance Professional, Fellow Chartered Management Accountant (UK), and holds an MBA from Heriot-Watt University.

Balkaran is also the author of the upcoming Biographical Dictionary of Guyana.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 31, 2022

Cutting-edge technology, more power solutions for local market –– as Trinidad’s Innovative Power Systems Limited teams up with Vishnu Panday and Associates

TRINIDAD and Tobago’s Innovative Power Systems Limited (IPS) has entered into a service partnership agreement with local tech-support giant, Vishnu Panday & Associates (VPA), to provide integrated cutting-edge technology and power solutions and services to the local market.

The Trinidadian company has been providing power quality and backup power solutions, products and services to companies in Trinidad, Guyana and the wider region for the past 18 years.

According to a press release, IPS is one of the leading power quality companies

hotels, government ministries and the telephone company.

Vishnu Panday & Associates Inc. is a fully owed Guyanese company with more than 20 years’ experience of providing technological support to medium and large companies in Guyana. The local company is known for the introduction of the most advanced technologies to corporate clients and government ministries in Guyana.

It has similar relationships with IBM World Trade Corporation, Lenovo, Lexmark, Cisco, Microsoft, Accendi, and various other partners. With the changing

and in the words of the Executive Director Ian De Freitas: “We live by our integrity; we are driven by our passion and we stand by our exceptional service.”

Those core values are very much aligned to the ethos of VPA, its management team and staff.

The two companies and their management have had a successful and rewarding symbiotic working relationship for many years.

The CEOs of both companies are elated to be able to work collaboratively to deliver excellent after-sales service and support to companies in Guyana.

The management teams of IPS and VPA after the finalisation of the service support partnership in the region, with a customer base spanning financial services, governments, energy, manufacturing and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

They are authorised sales and service distributors for Eaton Corporation and are also distributors for a wide range of batteries from leading battery manufacturers Enersys, CSB, NPP, MK Batteries (Deka) and C&D Technologies. Their Guyana branch was registered in December 2021.

Innovative Power Systems Limited was founded in 2004 by Ian De Freitas, who is no stranger to the Guyanese market, as he has been serving companies here since the mid-1980s when he was employed with IBM. The executive and management team of IPS are all ex-IBMers who serviced the Guyana market starting some 30 years ago when they would have worked with Guyanese companies including financial institutions,

landscape of technology in Guyana, Vishnu Panday & Associates has strengthened its position in the market with this IPS/VPA agreement.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director of IPS, Nicole De Freitas, said that the partnership will add more than 125 years of combined experience to the existing knowledge, skills, and abilities of the VPA Team.

The combined team of technical sales engineers and certified field service technicians will be supported by the management and administrative teams in Trinidad and Guyana.

Innovative Power Systems is reputed for their high standard of product and service delivery, giving customers the confidence that power problems will not disrupt their systems, data and critical business operations.

The company takes pride in its core values

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 31, 2022

Three win prizes after visiting GTT, STARR Computer smart home booth

THREE lucky persons won the grand prizes after visiting the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) Smart Home booth in collaboration with STARR Computer at the recently concluded International Building Expo.

The expo was held at the National Stadium tarmac at Providence, East Bank Demerara under the theme: “A New Frontier

for Building a One Guyana.”

The winners were identified as Jennifer Simon, Victor Low and Khemraj Sawh.

In order to qualify the winners had purchased products or services from GTT’s Home Solutions.

Prizes won were a Samsung 43-inch smart television, a Lenovo 8-inch tablet and a Lenovo student laptop.

GTT also distributed

over 500 free smart WiFi devices to better home experiences.

Additionally, Persons still have a chance to win a Smart Home kit, complements of STARR Computer since the raffle was extended to August 31.

Persons can visit STARR Computer website at www.starrcomputers.com for more information and registration process.

The winners from left: Jennifer Simon, Victor Low and Khemraj Sawh receive their prizes at STARR Computer, Brickdam Georgetown

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 31, 2022

Lisaveta Ramotar becomes first local to complete each level of CFA examinations

LISAVETA Ramotar, daughter of former President Donald Ramotar, became the first Guyanese (in Guyana) to complete all three levels of the Charter Financial Analyst (CFA) examination and will be applying to the CFA Institute for the use of the CFA designation.

The CFA exam has been described as the “hardest” exam in the world in finance and Wall Street’s “toughest qualification” by various outlets including Business Insider and the Financial Times.

It was reported that over 250,000 persons, globally, registered to sit the exam in 2019, but the pass rates were as low as 22 per cent, Ramotar said that it was probably the most daunting undertaking in her life.

Her final results were emailed on July 28, 2022, and while upon the conclusion of the exams in May she thought that she did well, she said she could not bring herself to check the results and hence handed her phone to her mother and said: “If the first word in the email is not ‘congratulations,’ I did not pass”, thankfully she said with a smile, the first word was congratulations.

The CFA Institute website states: “The CFA credential is the most respected and recognised investment designation in the world as it demonstrates superior competency in

advanced portfolio management, financial expertise, and technical skills, underpinned by ethical conduct and the highest standards of practice. Successful CFA Programme candidates report that they spend an average of 1,000 hours, in aggregate, studying for all three levels.”

When asked to describe her family background and her interests she said: “I come from a political family.”

She said that coming from such a background, when it comes to interests it tends to always surround development.

“I would say that every child of every political leader of the PPP or anyone associated closely with the PPP…, the development of Guyana is generally what we constantly hear about and what you yourself think about, so even if one works in the private sector, I think they would think how does this work help to improve Guyana and the lives of Guyanese,” Ramotar said.

She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Guyana in Business Management and successfully applied and obtained a British Chevening Scholarship which allowed her to pursue a Master’s degree in Finance and Investment from the University of York in the UK. Subsequently, she attended the University of Toronto and earned an MBA.

Ramotar said that although her entire educational background has been business and mostly private sector oriented, “before we discovered oil, the opportunities for work in the private sector, I believe, were limited in terms of both their depth and scope, as such once I completed my undergraduate degree I joined the Bank of Guyana first in the International Department and then in the Research Department.

“I can say that working at the Bank was where I got the greatest exposure.

I was able to apply a lot of the subject areas that I studied at UG, for example statistics, economics obviously…so I am obviously very grateful for that and for the people I met and the bosses that I would have had that would have given me interesting assignments and pushed me.”

Ramotar also noted that she was Guyana’s representative in the Executive Director’s office at the World Bank Group; this was an opportunity given by the

government particularly former President Bharrat Jagdeo.

LIFTING PEOPLE OUT OF POVERTY She said: “As you would know, the World Bank’s goal is to basically see a world free of poverty, and so they do a lot of developmental work on many different levels and with a private sector educational background, I have a bias in my belief that working through the private sector to create different types and quality of job and to create an enabling environment for entrepreneurship to blossom is the most obvious way of lifting people out of poverty.”

Upon the completion of the MBA, Ramotar was retained as the General Manager of the Guyana Gold Board from 2015-2018.

She noted that it was during a conversation with the former Minister of Housing (now President Dr. Irfaan Ali) that he encouraged her to enroll into the CFA programme, not-

ing that those were skills that would be needed in the not-too-distant future in Guyana.

Ramotar said that she started the programme and then stopped after the first level because it was quite a grueling process and it was a specialisation that, at that time, would not have been utilised.

In 2018, during conversation with a lecturer at the University of Guyana and Assistant Dean at SEBI, she was encouraged to complete what she had started (the CFA programme).

Ramotar decided to pick up back the CFA in 2018 and travelled to the US to write the second level in 2019, when she secured a pass (the institute only provides a pass/did not pass ‘grade’). She was supposed to write the final level in 2020, but it was postponed to December 2020. However, the test centre she was enrolled in cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She sat the final level of the exam in May of this year.

Lisaveta Ramotar became the first Guyanese in Guyana to complete all three levels of the CFA examination Ramotar said that with the discovery of oil, she sees her skills being beneficial to both the private and public sectors, since there is need to manage Guyana’s resources.

“It shows that right here in Guyana we Guyanese have the technical knowledge and skills to manage assets and make various investment and finance decisions,” Ramotar said.

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Authorities to develop root crops industry, improve drainage at Bonasika

FARMERS from the island of Bonasika, Essequibo Islands – West Demerara (Region Three) were recently told of the government’s plans to develop the root crops industry.

During a meeting with farmers on the island, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, disclosed that the government was looking to develop the industry to satisfy demands in the region.

Minister Mustapha was at the time spearheading an outreach to the islands of Bonasika, Wakenaam, and Leguan in the Essequibo River.

He informed farmers that, following the Agri-Investment Forum and Expo which was held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre last May, bilateral discussions between local government officials and officials from other CARICOM countries pointed to a ready market for a variety of root crops that can be grown in Guyana.

“We, the farmers and the government, have to work together so that we can consolidate and expand what we already have. NAREI will work with you to develop your root crops cultivation because we have a ready market for those crops. We have so much demand, but we cannot satisfy that demand yet. If every farmer here is willing to get on board, we will work with you. We will help you to develop the land and supply all the planting materials required so that, at the end of the cycle, we can have tons of root crops coming out of Bonasika,” he explained.

The minister told farmers that commodities such as turmeric, ginger, cassava, sweet potatoes, and eddoes, etc., were some of the root crops that were in demand and that the ministry was ready to work with the farmers so that they can tap into the ready market. This, he explained, was also in keeping with CARICOM’s efforts to reduce the regional food import bill by 25% by the year 2025.

There are approximately 150 farmers on the island who cultivate a variety of fruits and cash crops.

Additionally, farmers present were also told that the ministry, through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), would soon commence a series of drainage works on the island. The minister told farmers that a team from the ministry had visited the island sometime last month and, based on their assessment, the proposed scope of works could not be complet-

ed this year.

“I have a report here.

The most important things you need, based on what is here in the report, are proper drainage for your farms and to have the bushes cleared.

The entire programme will cost about $120 million.

We did not budget for those works this year but because of the importance of agriculture and the fact that we want to ensure you have the necessary infrastructure to ramp up your production we will put systems in place to start those works. It will have to be done with a pontoon so that works can be done on both sides. Those works will not be completed this year. It will take some time; I want to be honest with you,” the minister explained.

Minister Mustapha further noted that the NDIA will advertise for the works and, once the process is completed, those works will commence.

Similarly, while meeting with farmers from Wakenaam and Leguan, Minister Mustapha committed to having all the main canals and dams cleared and rehabilitated.

During the meeting with farmers from Wakenaam, Minister Mustapha said that another excavator would be made available to assist farmers on the island.

The minister made this disclosure after farmers indicated that the machine currently used to perform works on the island was unable to execute the magnitude of works to be done.

He said that the ministry would work with the region to have another excavator on the island soon.

FERTILISER ASSISTANCE Meanwhile, during his meeting with farmers from Leguan, Minister Mustapha said that farmers could start receiving their fertiliser assistance from as early as next week.

This, he added, could only be done if the lists provided are verified.

During the meeting, farmers raised concerns about persons whose names were on the list. While some farmers had questions about some of the names that appeared on the current list for the island, other farmers said that many persons whose names were being queried were indeed farmers but cultivated very small plots of land.

Minister Mustapha explained that committees comprising farmers and extension officers from the Guyana Rice

Development Board (GRDB) were tasked with developing the list and that until the lists was finalised, the distribution process would not commence. Farmers were then given until the end of the week to finalise the list.

Officials from the GRDB are also expected to return to the island tomorrow to assist with the process.

Minister Zulfikar Mustapha engages a farmer of Leguan

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Swiss Machinery adjusts business model to address emerging mechanical problems

SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 31, 2022

Seal saver covers hydraulic cylinder that are used to prevent scorching and scratching l REPORTS of critical shortfalls in the supply of parts for diesel engines and equipment have motivated Swiss Machinery to adjust its business model in order to respond to emerging problems.

According to a press release from the company, diesel engines and equipment are critical to economic growth in the world, because almost every industry depends on diesel, but the issue of sourcing parts for those equipment became more pervasive with the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent war in Ukraine.

“We are all aware that Guyana’s population of diesel equipment including trucks has increased tremendously during the past three years and this has forced us at Swiss Machinery to immediately change our focus from replacing parts to a preventative maintenance programme to maintain productivity for diesel engine and equipment.

“To this end, we were forced to partner with some of the world’s most brilliant engineers to bring their proven technology to provide solutions to the present crisis… we have made great progress in this respect,” Swiss Machinery said.

The company added: “We were present at the Building Expo and all the diesel and equipment owners were looking for solutions for the fuel, filtration, lubrication, hydraulic, cooling and other

systems that work together to provide consistent diesel engine protection and we were able to present solutions to minimise engine wear, maximise protection and extend engine life.

“We use a very poor quality diesel in Guyana and since diesel is food for engine, it is reasonable to conclude that the diesel continues to cause serious fuel pump and injectors’ failure resulting in down time and costly repairs, but the problem is compounded with the challenging parts supply chain.”

To address the problem, Swiss said the company has to treat the diesel to remove the water and sediments to feed clean diesel to the engines. For this, they have partnered with the best international companies and have been successful in correcting the problem.

“Of course, there are many other problems facing the maintenance of diesel engines and equipment which we will be impossible to explain in the media, but we want to say that we are better together, as we glean technology from international resources available to us and pass it on to our customers,” Swiss Machinery said, adding: “We continue to engage in research and development and pass the information to diesel engine owners to minimise downtime and maximise production at the lowest possible cost.”

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Imperious Duffy strikes gold again

BIRMINGHAM, England (CMC) – Bermudan Olympic Flora Duffy retained her Commonwealth Games women’s triathlon title when she destroyed the sprintcourse field on Friday, beating her nearest rival by 41 seconds after an epic battle in humid conditions.

Duffy, the 34-year-old Olympic champion, repeated her Tokyo victory over England’s Georgia Taylor-Brown with Scotland’s Beth Potter, who led Duffy out of the wa-

ter after the 750-metre swim, picking up bronze.

Duffy, who won gold in Australia four years ago, recorded a winning time of 55 minutes 25 seconds, Taylor-Brown settling for silver in 56:06, with Potter completing the podium places in 56:46.

Reflecting on the race, Duffy, who crossed the winning line with the Bermuda flag draped over her shoulder, mentioned the special nature of her rivalry with

Taylor-Brown – six years the Bermudan’s junior – as she spoke about the crucial moment she made her move on the run.

“It’s really funny that it was myself and Georgia off the front again, but honestly I knew it would be,” said Duffy.

“It’s really special as I get towards the end of my career that I have a rivalry like that because she’s such a talented athlete who is a friend of mine.

“It’s cool that we get to be out there battling each other but we’re also the first to congratulate each another when we cross the line.

“I knew when we got on the bike I wanted to shake one or two, and when Georgia and I got off the front I knew it would be a battle. Luckily, I got a bit of a gap early on. I just tried to focus on my run and just kept pushing.”

Duffy, who has twice had COVID-19 this year but is now back in imperious form,

was quickly joined by home favourite Taylor-Brown on the 20-kilometre bike leg and the race became a shoot-out between the sport’s two superstars.

Duffy had a perfect second transition and pulled away from her main rival on the five-kilometre run to become the first Bermudian to win back-to-back Commonwealth golds.

Taylor-Brown, who appeared to struggle in the heat, said: “Considering how I

felt before the race, I am just happy with a silver medal. I am enjoying every minute of this year.”

Duffy’s fellow Bermudan, Erica Hawley, 23, finished 16th in 58:29.

Earlier, Bermudan Tyler Smith recorded his best finish when he finished 13th in the men’s race won by England’s Alex Yee. Smith will join Duffy, Hawley and Tyler Butterfield in today’s mixed team triathlon relay.

Women’s table tennis team exit at quarter-finals ... Coach Lewis praises team’s effort

By Rawle Toney in Birmingham JUST like 2018, Guyana’s female table tennis team’s run at the Commonwealth Games came to an end in the quarter-finals.

The team of Chelsea Edghill, Natalie Cummings and Priscilla Greaves went down 0-3 to Singapore yesterday at the National Exhi-

bition Centre in Birmingham, England.

Thuraia Thomas did not feature against Singapore.

Guyana had finished second in their Group behind India, following victories over commanding victories over Fiji and South Africa.

Against Singapore, the pair of Chelsea Edghill and Natalie Cummings faced Zhou JingYi and Zeng Jian,

where they were defeated 11-5, 11-8, 11-6.

Olympic bronze medallist Feng Tianwei then brushed aside Priscilla Greaves 11-3, 11-1, 11-4.

Already up 2-0, Singapore’s Zeng Jian faced E d g h i l l . T h e Wo r l d #60-ranked player easily defeated the Guyanese 11-5, 11-4, 11-2.

Since table tennis was

introduced at the Commonwealth Games in 2002, Singapore’s only defeat in the Team event was in 2018 when they lost to India in the finals.

Coach Idi Lewis lauded the Guyanese women’s performance, but added that with more support in Guyana, the results could be better.

“I thought the girls played amazingly. There was nobody looking like us in the quarter-finals. We were seeded

fourth in the group; we were supposed to finish last in the group. So to come with such a low seeding and to finish second in the group ,,,,” Lewis said.

He further noted, “coming from under the current financial structure that we’re under, the financial constraints as far as budget goes, preparation for these games, I think these girls have delivered way beyond what we’re experiencing and going

through in Guyana.”

The focus now shifts to the singles competition, as coach Lewis once again doubles-down on the fact that with the lack of resources, the females are still delivering.

On the sidelines, following his defeat to Singapore, Lewis said if the team can be properly prepared, they will be able to give themselves a chance at major tournaments like the Commonwealth Games.

Jason-Ray Khalil’s run comes to an end in Round-of-32 ... Mary Fung-A-Fat makes first-round exit

AFTER reaching the Round-of-32 with his victory over Paul Kadoma of Uganda, Guyana’s Jason-Ray Khalil’s run at the Men’s singles champion-

ship at the Commonwealth Games came to a halt yesterday.

Khalil, facing Malaysia’s Eain Yow on Court 1 at the University of Birmingham

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Squash facility, despite his valiant effort, was beaten 11-4, 11-,2, 11-4. It was certainly a better showing at the Commonwealth Games for Khalil this time around, as

compared to his 2018 roundof-64.

Earlier in the day, Mary Fung-A-Fat, who had a firstround bye, went down hard to Kaitlyn Watts of New Zealand in straight sets (112, 11-6, 11-4) in the roundof-32.

Team Coach Garfield Wiltshire said he was pleased with the performances of Guyana’s squash contingent.

He stated that the team will now shift their attention to the doubles tournament, where he said they will “now look to an even better-im-

proved performance.”

Guyana’s squash team at the 22nd Commonwealth Games is made up of the Khalil siblings, Jason-Ray and Ashley, along with Fung-A-Fat and Shomari Wiltshire.

Dinesh Karthik says enjoying finisher’s role

(REUTERS) - India’s Dinesh Karthik said he is enjoying the finisher’s role, after his breezy cameo helped secure his side’s 68-victory against West Indies in the first Twenty20 International on Friday.

Captain Rohit Sharma smashed 64 but Karthik provided the late flourish with an unbeaten 41 off 19 balls as India posted 190-6 at Tarouba in Trinidad and Tobago.

Indian spinners then restricted West Indies to 122-8 to put the visitors 1-0 up

Dinesh Karthik slammed an unbeaten 41 off 19 balls in the first T20 match against West Indies on Friday

in the five-match series. “I have been enjoying it a lot,”

veteran middle-order batter Karthik said of his role after collecting the man-of-thematch award.

“It is a very interesting role. It is not something that you can be very consistent with but on some days, you can make an impact on the team.

“You need the backing of the captain and coach and I have got that in abundance.”

There was a seven-year period from 2010 to 2017 when Karthik did not play a single T20 match for India but his recent form strength-

ens his case for selection for this year’s T20 World Cup in Australia.

Karthik, who played India’s maiden T20 match in 2006, said he knew very well what the finisher’s role entailed.

“Assessing the wicket is important,” he said.

“On any given day, the last three/four overs that you bat, you need to be aware of a lot of things such as the shape of the ball, the softness of the ball, the wicket, and then you need to decide,”

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On this day: The beginnings of the Ponting legend

IT WAS on July 26 in 1997 that Ricky Ponting completed his first Test century, on his Ashes debut no less, in the fourth Test at Headingley.

ON the 1997 Ashes tour, Australia were in the middle of perhaps their most dominant period in history against their oldest foe, and as if things couldn’t get more one-sided, they were about to unleash a hugely promising young batter named Ricky Ponting for the first time in cricket’s greatest rivalry.

Mark Taylor’s side had levelled the six-Test series after a shock defeat in the series opener at Edgbaston, with Steve Waugh’s epic twin tons at Old Trafford in the third Test putting the ledger at one-all.

So the two teams travelled to Leeds with the Ashes very much alive, and it was there that Ponting, who had played six Tests previously but had been unceremoniously dumped the summer prior, made his re-selection count “That was vital for me,” Ponting said of his Ashes debut hundred at Headingley. “I got picked on the Ashes tour, only in the touring squad, but I didn’t play the first three

Ricky Ponting salutes his maiden Test ton (Getty)

Tests of that series and came in for the fourth, in Michael Bevan’s spot.”

Australia rolled England for 172 after a fired-up Jason Gillespie took 7-37, but Taylor’s men stumbled in reply, collapsing to 4-50.

Ponting strode to the middle, where he was greeted by another emerging talent, Matthew Elliott (199), and together the pair turned the contest on its head.

By stumps on day two, Ponting had raced to 86 not out, unfurling the full arsenal of stroke-play he would become renowned for, including a couple of signature

shots.

“I was also lucky in that I’m not sure the Poms were too thorough when they did their homework on me,” Ponting wrote in his book, At the Close of Play.

“The ball was seaming about but they seemed keen to test me out with some short stuff and I relished the chance to show them I could hook and pull.

“To get off the mark, I pulled a bumper from (Dean) Headley which rocketed to the boundary and the confidence that one shot gave me was liberating.”

And it was on July 26,

1997, that Ponting nudged the off-spin of Robert Croft into the leg side for the single that brought up his maiden Test hundred.

It was the beginning of a legend; over the ensuing 15 years, the Tasmanian would add another 40 hundreds to his name, though he reckons few were better than his firstup 127.

“That day I probably played as well as I have in any Test innings, and that made it even more pleasing,” Ponting said.

“That’d be as close as any (to my best).

“I remember that day, just really being on top of things and feeling really at home at the crease.

“The ones that actually mean the most to you are probably the ones that you think you played better in anyway, so the first one is always going to be remembered a bit more but I just thought I played really well.”

It also helped that Australia won the Test match to go 2-1 up in the series, a lead they never relinquished as they secured the Ashes for a fifth straight time. (Cricket.com.au)

Hanif’s brilliant unbeaten 84 fails to earn OCA victory

A BRILLIANT undefeated 84 by Fayyaz Hanif, son of former Guyana National wicketkeeper Azib Ali Hanif, failed to earn victory for the Ontario Cricket Academy (OCA) Under-14 team over Super Star Colts, when the Toronto & District Cricket Association (T&DCA) Juniors Under-14 league continued recently at Thackery Park, Toronto, Canada.

The 13-year-old opener struck 14 fours in a dominant knock and got little support from his teammates with the next highest score being 18.

Led by an attacking 68 from opener Dharm Patel who hammered 10 fours and three sixes in 68 off just 20 balls and 37 from Jaison Koshal whose 37 included four fours and two sixes off 15 balls, Super Star Colts reached the required target in 12.3 overs to earn an emphatic victory.

The elder Hanif, who played 11 matches for Guyana between 1998 and 2002 and has been prolific in the softball arena recently, expressed delight in his son’s performance.

Fayyaz Hanif’s unbeaten 84 failed to save OCA

England not focused on rivalry with Germany in today’s Euro final

England manager Sarina Wiegman (right) celebrates their third goal scored by Alessia Russo in the semi-final against Sweden. (REUTERS/Molly Darlington)

SHEFFIELD: (Reuters) - England have not discussed their historic rivalry with Germany ahead of their meeting in the women’s European Championship final today, opting instead to focus on the “here and now”, coach Sarina Wiegman said.

The England women’s team were beaten 6-2 when they last faced eight-time champions Germany in a Women’s Euro final in 2009.

“We approach this game exactly the same as every other game we have played,” Wiegman told reporters. “We don’t talk about the rivalry between England and Germany; we want to show how good we are and play our best game.

“There’s so much eagerness in this team to win. And so much resilience! We want, we want so badly to show again, we are the

best and to play our best game. That’s what we’ve been trying to do all the time. And then hopefully, that will bring us the win.

“That’s basically where we’re at. And then on top of that, we talk about players but not history – it is the here and now.”

Wiegman said that her team have already inspired the nation with their march to the final, but added that the true significance of winning a major tournament might not be felt for years.

“I think we have been an inspiration for the country already,” Wiegman said. “You know when you win a major tournament it really makes a difference and that would make me very proud. But I don’t think further than that.

“Most of the time you don’t realise the impact until probably 15 years later.”

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 31, 2022

WTC scenarios: Is an India vs Pakistan final possible? ... Also, what do current table-toppers South Africa need to do to qualify?

WITH a total of nine series still left in the current World Test Championship cycle, here is how the teams are placed in the race for a top-two finish.

How does the 1-1 series result impact the qualification chances for Sri Lanka and Pakistan?

Sri Lanka have moved back up to third place on the WTC table with the 1-1 drawn series, but they still have plenty to do to finish among the top two, given that their current percentage of 53.33 is well behind those of the top two teams currently.

Sri Lanka have also already played five of their six series in this cycle, and their only remaining series consists of two Tests in New Zealand. If they win both, they will finish on 61.1%, but if the series finishes 1-1, their percentage will drop to 52.78.

Pakistan are currently in fifth place, jostling in an extremely crowded mid-table tussle. Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and West Indies currently have percentages between 50 and 53.33. The advantage for Pakistan is that their two remaining series are at home - three Tests against England and two against New Zealand.

If they win all five, their percentage will shoot up to 69.05. If they collect 48 points from those two series (four wins and a loss), their percentage will be 61.9%.

Pakistan are stuck in an extremely crowded mid-table tussle in the WTC table (AFP/Getty Images)

What do current table-toppers South Africa need to do

to qualify?

South Africa are currently sitting on top with 71.43% points, but they have some tough assignments coming up: three Tests each in England and Australia, which will be followed by two home Tests against West Indies to round off their six series for this cycle.

Even if they win both Tests against West Indies, they will still need more points to get their final percentage up to 60.

If, for instance, they lose each of those overseas series 1-2 and beat West Indies 2-0, they will finish on 60%. If they win one of those series 2-1 and lose the

JUSTIN Langer will join Seven’s commentary team for the coming summer of cricket, the free-to-air broadcaster has announced.

Langer will join his former teammate and close friend Ricky Ponting in the commentary team at Seven and will “play a key on-air role”.

He is expected to be commentating on Australia’s Test matches against West Indies and South Africa, as well as the network’s coverage of the KFC BBL, a competition he won three times as coach of the Perth Scorchers.

Langer had coached the Australian men’s team from 2018 until earlier this year when he resigned the post after being

offered a short-term contract extension.

His relationship with the players still in the national side will add intrigue to his insights and analysis from behind the microphone this summer.

“Test cricket has been a part of my life since I was a little kid. Having been fortunate to have played and coached in the Test arena, I am now delighted to be given the opportunity to commentate on the game I love, with a great company and team at Seven,” Langer said in a statement released by Seven.

“The BBL was also a pivotal part of my life, so I am excited to be involved again this summer.

Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley, in Birmingham to watch

other 1-2, they will go up to 66.67, which will keep them in the mix to qualify Are Australia among the favourites to make it to the final?

Australia have as many as nine Tests to go in this cycle, the most among all teams. Five of those are at home, across two series - two Tests against West Indies and three against South Africa. However, their away series will be their biggest challenge - four Tests against India.

If Australia win all five at home and lose all four to India, they will drop to 63.16 and India

will leapfrog them if they win all six of their remaining Tests. If Australia manage a 6-3 win-loss record in those nine matches, their percentage will improve to 68.42, which should put them in a strong position to qualify.

What are India’s chances of making their second final in a row?

India are currently in fourth place, but they should fancy their chances of getting plenty of points and moving up the table in their last two series of this cycle - against Bangladesh (two Tests away) and Australia (four Tests at home).

If India score a perfect six on six, their percentage will jump up to 68.06, which will be more than Australia’s score even if they win their five home Tests.

This means that if India and Pakistan win all their remaining games and if South Africa slip up, it could be an all-subcontinent final at Lord’s in 2023.

What about England, New

Zealand and West Indies?

The best that England can manage is 51.52 if they win their remaining six Tests, while New Zealand can only go up to 48.72.

None of these three teams have a realistic shot. West Indies can theoretically go up to 65.38, but their four remaining Tests are in Australia and South Africa.

(Cricinfo)

Ex-coach Justin Langer joins Seven’s commentary team Matthew Hayden (left) and Justin Langer, one of Australia’s greatest-ever opening partnerships, on their emotional final stint out in the middle - the Sydney Ashes Test of 2007

Australia’s women’s team at the Commonwealth Games after last week’s ICC Board meeting, welcomed the appointment.

“I’m sure Justin will do an excellent job as part of the Seven commentary team and we wish him the best of luck in the new

role.”

Australia’s Test summer begins with the Perth Stadium clash against the West Indies from November 30.

Langer’s move into the media comes after he was closely linked with a return to coaching at the Hurricanes.

Ponting, the Hurricanes’ head of strategy, had alluded to Langer’s commentary move last week when confirming Langer had rebuffed his offer to coach the club, with Tigers coach and former Australia assistant coach Jeff Vaughan to take the BBL role “I’m on record saying that I’ve spoken with Justin quite a bit about coming down here and being the head coach of the Hurricanes and he was quite keen,”

Ponting said last week.

“The initial conversations were pretty exciting ... I’m not hiding from the fact that I spoke to him, I spoke to him a lot about it and I think everyone around Australian cricket circles knew that I was trying to get him down here for the Hurricanes but it wasn’t to be.”

Langer is one of Australia’s greatest Test openers, with a 105-Test career that spanned 14 years between 1993 and 2007, and which yielded 7 696 runs, including 23 centuries, at 45.27.

The 5 655 runs he put on in partnership with Matthew Hayden while opening the batting is the second most in the history of the game. (Cricket. com.au)

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Commonwealth Games

Bates’ 91*, Devine’s all-round show give New Zealand winning start

SUZIE Bates and Sophie Devine showcased all their experience and class as they led New Zealand to victory over South Africa at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham yyesterday. Bates led the charge with an unbeaten 91, while Devine first hit 48 then picked up three wickets.

The duo of Bates and Devine set the foundation for the win with a 99-run opening stand for New Zealand, who handed international caps to Izzy Gaze and Eden Carson, plus a T20I debut to Fran Jonas.

Devine fell two runs shy of her half-century, but then got among the wickets, including her 100th in T20Is, becoming the first woman and second overall - Shakib Al Hasan is the other with 100 wickets and 2 000 runs in the format.

(Scores: New Zealand 167 for 2 (Bates 91*, Devine 48; Mlaba 1-33) beat South Africa 154 for 7 (Tryon 39: Devine 3-37) by 13 runs) A fighting 39 off just 17 balls from Chloe Tryon failed to get South Africa over the line despite fleeting hopes of a tight finish, as their stuttering start and a steady stream of wickets

Suzie Bates brought out a number of innovative shots during the course of her 91 not out (Getty Images)

proved costly.

DEVINE INTERVENTION It was Devine who made the early running at Edgbaston, racing to 35 off 20 balls as New Zealand ended the power-play on 49 without loss after being asked to bat. She unleashed a stunning slog sweep behind square off Nonkululeko Mlaba for six and almost fell next ball attempting the same, but keeper Sinalo Jafta couldn’t gather a tough bottom edge.

Devine took 14 off the next over, striking Ayabonga Khaka for two fours, before depositing a waist-high full-toss over the

square-leg boundary. She eventually holed out to Tryon at longon from the bowling of Mlaba, having faced 40 balls in which she hit four fours and two sixes BATES PLAYS A GEM Women’s cricket is making its debut at a multi-sport event, but Bates has been here before, so to speak, having represented New Zealand in basketball at the 2008 Olympics.

When on 22, she hit Delmi Tucker straight to midwicket, where Khaka managed only to parry the ball overhead. Then there was a chance to run Bates out after she and Amelia Kerr

both turned back, but Mignon du Preez pulled out of her throw, possibly concerned that Shabnim Ismail was in the way or that there was a lack of back-up despite Tryon being behind the stumps, albeit standing a fair way back.

Bates had started slowly, but she picked up speed as she went along, and brought up 50, pushing Anneke Bosch to deep midwicket and running two. It was her 22nd half-century in T20Is but first since February 2019, during India’s tour of New Zealand.

She smashed a thunderous cover drive off Ismail for four to move to 67 and, three balls later, scooped her for six. In the final over, Bates sent a Khaka full-toss over the fence at deep square-leg, and then heaved a four through mid-on, and swung the penultimate delivery over fine leg for another six - her third of the innings.

A total of 18 runs came off the final over, but Kerr was run-out on the last ball. By then, Bates had achieved her highest score in T20Is since her unbeaten 124 against South Africa in the 2018 tri-nation series in England. (Cricinfo)

Commonwealth Games

Youthful England sweep past Sri Lanka in T20 opener

ENGLAND swatted aside Sri Lanka as they overhauled a meagre total with 17 balls to spare in their opening Twenty20 match of the Commonwealth Games.

Spinner Sophie Ecclestone justified her ranking as the best T20 bowler in the world with three wickets to sap Sri Lanka’s momentum.

The visitors chalked up 106-9 and England’s pursuit was swift and sure.

Teenager Alice Capsey’s 44 off 45 balls helped reel in the target as England won by five wickets.

It was an assured opening to the tournament for an England side who were without the leadership of usual captain Heather Knight, who missed the match with a lingering hip injury.

The inclusion of 17-yearolds Capsey and Freya Kemp, together with Knight’s absence, emphasised the youth of coach Lisa Keightley’s selection.

But the new generation proved well up to the task, dominating with both bat and ball to underline their credentials as

pair of wickets after a successful debut against South Africa last week, dismissing captain Chamari Athapaththu for 10 with a ball that straightened off the seam and lured Kavisha Dilhari into a rash stroke.

Ecclestone, a relative veteran at 23, polished off the tail to finish with 3-25 after taking a sharp catch off her own bowling to end Hasini Perera’s innings.

Alice Capsey, just 17, underlined her potential with an innings of 44

title contenders.

After Sri Lanka chose to bat, England’s fast start with the ball came from a golden oldie rather than any of the whipper-snapping prospects.

Katherine Brunt may have two decades on her youngest team-mates, but her competitive edge glinted as she tore in and trapped wide-eyed 16-year-old Sri Lanka opener Vishmi Gunaratne lbw with the very first delivery of the contest.

By the other end of the Sri Lankan innings, youth had taken

the limelight.

Issy Wong, on her Warwickshire and Birmingham Phoenix home ground, delivered three overs, full of zip and malice.

The 20-year-old was rewarded with two wickets in the space of five balls. Nilakshi de Silva, who top-scored for Sri Lanka with 25, miscued high and handsome for Danni Wyatt to claim, before Anushka Sanjeewani tickled a rising delivery behind to wicketkeeper Amy Jones.

Kemp picked up another

E N G L A N D ’ S R E P LY STARTED AT A CANTER Sophie Dunkley clobbered 17 runs off 16 balls before heaving across the line to give up her wicket to Oshadi Ranasinghe.

Nat Sciver, skipper in Knight’s absence, also went for 17.

But, just as in the field, youth shone brightest.

Capsey, who scored 25 in her first international innings last week, played with flair and fine judgment, until missing a glance off her pads that would have brought up the winning runs.

It did not matter. Maia Bouchier duly did the job on the next ball, driving for four.

‘Fingers crossed!’

Djokovic hopeful he can compete at US Open

(REUTERS) - Novak Djokovic said he is preparing for the US Open as if he will be allowed to compete at the hardcourt major, despite his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

Djokovic, who has three US Open titles, will not be able to participate at this year’s US Open due to current rules under which travellers seeking to enter the US have to be fully vaccinated and provide a proof before boarding flights.

Earlier this month, the 35-year-old was included in the entry list for the August 29 to September 11 Grand Slam in New York.

“I am preparing as if I will be allowed to compete, while I wait to hear if there is any room for me to travel to US,” Djokovic said in a post on Instagram along with a video of him practising.

“FINGERS CROSSED!” More than 43 000 people have signed an online petition calling for the

Novak Djokovic has won three US Open titles

United States Tennis Association (USTA) to work with the US government to allow 21-time major champion Djokovic to compete in the US Open.

Djokovic won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon titles last year but was unable to defend his Melbourne Park crown this year after being deported from Australia over his vaccination status in January.

The Serbian later said he was prepared to miss Grand Slam tournaments rather than take the COVID-19 vaccine.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday July 31, 2022) COMPLIMENTS OF CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD - 83 Garnett street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Mohinder Amarnath (Lord’s) (2) Brian Lara-1142 runs (HS: 89) Today’s Quiz: (1) What was the result of the first WI/IND ODI match played in Guyana?

(2) How many ODI runs Viv Richards scored against India?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 31, 2022

ICC strongly defends ODI format

THE International Cricket Council (ICC) last Wednesday strongly defended the ODI format despite calls for it to be scrapped.

“The countries have been still scheduling a multi number of ODIs in their Future Tours Programme (FTP). You won’t see any significant changes in the number of or proportion of ODIs in the next FTP,” Geoff Allardice, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the ICC, said, Ben Stokes recently quit the ODI format, stating that playing three formats was unsustainable.

There have been many who have questioned the relevance of 50-over cricket, with Wasim Akram recently calling for the scrapping of ODIs. The ICC assertion comes a day after its annual conference ended in Birmingham and in the backdrop of countries preferring franchise-based T20 leagues and South Africa deciding to forfeit

early next year’s Super League points against Australia in preference for its yet-to-be-launched T20 league. The ICC has indicated that the three-match ODI series between South Africa and Australia may still happen.

“We’ve still got nine months in the window available to complete the Super League series. How the series is scheduled is between the two members to resolve. Whether they come to some arrangement, there might be some discussions going on. We will be dealing with that if that series does not take place,” Allardice said, contending that the FTP, which was approved at the Annual Conference on Tuesday, is still relevant.

He also dwelt upon the trend of some countries preferring domestic T20 leagues to international games. “We spoke about the three formats and the way it has been incorporated in the FTP.

ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice

The countries and the fans in those countries have different preferences with regard to the formats.

At this stage there is some discussion, not specifically about ODIs but about the mix of formats within the calendar.”

Allardice claimed that the members are fully committed to the FTP and international and bilateral cricket was as strong as it’s ever been. “Each of them have to manage that balance between domestic competitions, their international schedule and the

management of their players. Each of those boards is in a slightly different situation. So there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to that balancing issue,” he contended.

One of the points of discussion is whether ICC chairman Greg Barclay will seek re-election and the New Zealander said he is a contender. “Yes absolutely right. The term ends in November and I am eligible for a further two-year term and I am available for the term if the board wants to re-elect me,” Barclay said.

There has been a lot of speculation over the next chairman and it will be decided on whether the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) fields a candidate or whom it backs for the position. The election will be in November and the election, unlike in the past, will be decided by a simple majority. (Cricbuzz.com)

Eritrea track team members disappear after World Athletics Championships

A COACH and four athletes from the Eritrea men’s track and field team have been reported missing after participating in the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, according to a report by Fox12.

The five were reported as missing on Sunday, July 24, the last day of the track and field meet.

According to a statement, the University of Oregon Police Depart-

ment (UOPD) stated the five men had been staying in campus housing that was contracted for use during the World Athletics Championships. While the exact cause of their disappearance is unclear, the UOPD said that there is no evidence of foul play or anything other than that the men left the housing on their own.

The FBI field office in Portland also stated that they were aware of the

disappearance but cited the UOPD as the current lead agency on the investigation.

The missing men include 18-year-old Habtom Samuel Keleta, 18-yearold Merhawi Mebrahtu Teweldebererhan, 24-yearold Ande Filmon, 24-yearold Yemane Teklehaim Haileselassie and 44-yearold Berhe Asgedom Nigusse.

Eritrea, a nation in northeast Africa on the

coast of the Red Sea, has been plagued by a civil war and political unrest.

In the past, athletes from unstable nations have used tournaments such as the World Athletics Championships as a means of fleeing their home countries.

However, authorities have not confirmed that this is the case for the Eritrean athletes. (CBS Sports)

Jamica’s Sunshine Girls post second win

BIRMINGHAM, England, (CMC) – Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls cantered to their second win in as many days, toppling South Africa 68-49 here Saturday to continue their enterprising start to the Commonwealth Games.

Playing in Pool A, the Caribbean powerhouses stormed to an 18-7 lead at the end of the first quarter and were up 37-19 at the half-time, to put the result virtually beyond doubt at the NEC Arena.

There was little change to the trend in the third quarter, Jamaica leading 54-31 at the end, and even though they were outscored 18-14 in the final stanza,

Sunshine Girls captain Jhaniele Fowler

the damage had already been done.

Captain Jhaniele Fowler produced a perfect outing, shooting 33 goals from as many attempts from the three quarters in which she featured while Shimona Nelson was also outstanding in her 20-minute second half cameo, scoring 14 from 14.

Goal attack Shanice Beckford provided great support with 15 goals from 18 attempts.

For the South Africans, goal-shooter Ine-Mari Venter led with 30 from 36 attempts while Elmere van der Berg chipped in with 13 from 15.

On Friday, Jamaica opened their account with another uncomplicated victory over Wales, beating them 72-43 also at the NEC Arena.

Fowler was outstanding then too, shooting 32 from 33 attempts and Nelson also never missed a beat with a perfect 29 from 29 attempts.

There were no such fortunes for Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, however, both suffering defeat on Friday’s opening day.

Barbados were crushed 95-18 by global powerhouses Australia in Pool A while the Trinidadians were inflicted with a 74-22 whipping by hosts England in Pool B. Against the might of the World number ones, Barbados never got out of single digits in any quarter and were down 52-9 at the half, with no hope of a recovery.

T&T, meanwhile, suffered a similar fate to find themselves down 37-9 at the break, with their best effort coming in the final quarter when they mustered nine goals.

Today, Barbados will take on South Africa while T&T face Uganda.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 31, 2022

Impressive Allicock advances to Round-of-16 Amsterdam makes Commonwealth Games debut today; Lewis to also feature

By Rawle Toney in Birmingham (Team Guyana Press Attaché)

Keevin Allicock after his win against Kenya’s Okoth Okongo at the Commonwealth Games

Imperious Duffy strikes gold again Story on page 31

Bermudian Flora Duffy celebrates after repeating as Commonwealth Games champion

THIRTY-TWO years and seven Commonwealth Games! That’s how long it has been since Guyana won their last medal in the sport of boxing at the former British Empire Games.

However, at the 22nd hosting of the games in Birmingham, England, Keevin Allicock handed the country a perfect start in the quest to replicate or better Wesley Christmas’ 1990 bronze medal performance in Auckland, New Zealand.

Allicock, the first boxer since John Douglas (1996) to feature at the Olympics, had an impressive performance in his bantamweight clash with Kenya’s Okoth Okongo in Round-of-32 action at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC).

The Forgotten Youth Foundation boxer punched his way to a perfect score on all five judges’ scorecards.

With his unanimous decision victory, Allicock will move on to the Round-of-16 to face Sri Lankan Nisshanka Bamunu on August 1.

At the 2018 Gold Coast Games, Allicock suffered a 1-4 defeat to Reece McFadden of Scotland after a bye to the Round-of-16. Many felt that the result was not favourable to the Guyanese, since some pundits thought the fight was much closer.

The 2017 Youth Commonwealth Games silver medallist said in preparation for the Commonwealth Games, he kept the series of unfortunate results in mind.

“The Youth Commonwealth Games is where it all started. I did it then and I serve a God and I know he will do it all back again (for me). I’m here keeping focus and heading towards the gold,” Allicock said.

He added, “I’m trusting God all the time because he’s the one doing this for me. I can’t win these bouts for me. I can’t win these bouts on my own. So I’m just staying focused, executing all plans and we’ll take it from there.”

Meanwhile, Light Welterweight, Colin Lewis, is down to compete today against Colin Louis Richamo from Mauritius.

Also stepping into the ring today, Desmond Amsterdam will be making his Commonwealth Games debut against New Zealand’s Richardson Emile.

Both Lewis and Amsterdam received a bye to the Round-of-16 of their respective categories.

Women’s table tennis team exit at quarter-finals ... Coach Lewis praises team’s effort Story on page 31

(L-R) Guyana’s table tennis team at the Commonwealth Games - Chelsea Edghill, Natalie Cummings, Priscilla Greaves and Thuaria Thomas

Jason-Ray Khalil’s run comes to an end in Round-of-32 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

Story on page 31

| SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022