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PAGE 04

Wednesday May 05, 2021

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Sharmain Grainger Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

Indian Arrival Day

T

oday is the official holiday celebrated every year since 2004, almost twenty years, as Arrival Day. It is a day of both commemoration and contortion, of the day the first Indian labourers came in 1838 to then British Guiana as bonded labourer to replace the African slaves who had toiled under heinous conditions for centuries prior, before being officially freed that same year.

Up until 2003, commemoration of May 5 were unofficial but dedicated exclusively to mark the day when two separate ships – the Whitby and the Hesperus, having left Indian on two separate dates in January of 1838 – both arrived in Guyana on May 5. When the issue of official commemoration of the day as Indian Arrival Day reached Parliament in 2003, what emerged was a clear ‘compromise’ in which the date would be designated an official national holiday but with the specific reference to it commemorating the arrival of Indians to Guyana avoided completely.

The thinking then was perhaps – against the backdrop of the Republic Anniversary jailbreak of the year before and the political (meaning ethnopolitical) turmoil that was to follow – that to commemorate an official holiday celebrating the arrival of one of the warring factions using the machinery of the state might have led to an exacerbation of the smouldering conflict. It is of course not impossible that this was in fact the implicit intention of some of those pushing for the commemoration.

Whatever the motives behind the lobby, and the original rationale by Parliament for avoiding naming the holiday Indian Arrival Day, the official name has remained with the annual, though now waning, battle in the newspaper letter columns on whether the name should remain or be changed to accurately reflect the event of the arrival of Indian to what would eventually become independent Guyana.

The irony is that theatre of avoidance of naming the holiday Indian Arrival Day also has a potential connotation or interpretation that goes in the opposite direction of the avoidance of naming, that is the assumption of the sort of hierarchy in which, at the highest tier, ethnic titling is not only unnecessary but appears excessive to the point of being tacky.

The logic would that in the social tier system, persons of Indian origin are so overwhelming in charge of the society that an ethnic holiday in their honour would be seen as overkill, and consequently the ethnic holidays dedicated to other racial groupings are really a boon, a sop to de facto inferior minorities from that superior ‘majority’. There are, for example, no official nor unofficial but sanctioned holidays celebrating White Americans precisely because America is overwhelming a White society complemented by ethnic minorities that need the value of self-celebration and assertion and ritual that White people there do not.

This however is not the truth of Guyana, no matter how many people on either side of the rabid ethnic divide want to believe it so. Indo-Guyanese are an important strand, not the strand, of the rich fabric that is Guyana and Guyanese; a day commemorating their first arrival in the geo-social space that is Guyana is warranted, particularly so if the official holiday is one that commemorates arrival on the date that the first Indians from the subcontinent came here. Avoiding the naming of May 5 as Indian Arrival Day, whether done out of a sense of pointless political correctness or delusional ethnic superiority, is inane, and symptomatic of our continued and convenient avoidance of the actual serious discussion we need to have on race and reconciliation in Guyana.

In his message for today, President Irfaan Ali, himself a descendant of indentured Indians who came to Guyana, writes that “Arrival Day is a day of recognition and appreciation of our nation’s multicultural character.

Arrival Day challenges us to appreciate our diverse peoples and their cultures and encourages us to strive for a society in which the contributions of every ethnic group are recognised, respected and rewarded. It is towards that objective that I have committed to launching a One Guyana Commission. The Commission will become an instrument

Editor’s Note; If your sent letter was not published and you felt its contents were valid and devoid of libel or personal attacks, please contact us by phone or email.

Indo Guyanese loss of ancestral language DEAR EDITOR, Between 1838 and 1917 around 240,000 Indian immigrants were recruited and brought to British Guiana, now Guyana, under the Indentureship scheme to provide manual labour on the sugar plantations of the then British colony. Today their descendants, accounting for about 40 percent of the population, comprise the largest ethnic group in the country and can be found in every strata of society including some of the highest political offices in the land. Over the years, they have maintained various aspects of their ancestral culture. However, with increasing creolisation and anglicisation of successive generations as they strove for upward mobility and social acceptance in the society, their ancestral language as a spoken language has been abandoned. In recognition of May 5, 2021 as the 183rd anniversary of Indian Arrival, this article looks at the loss of the ancestral language as a spoken language of Indo-Guyanese.

The loss of language is noted in a paper captioned Hindi in Guyana (A Journal of the Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi

University, Vol. 4, 2009) by Professor, Satishkumar Rohra, a former lecturer in Hindi at the University of Guyana, in which he, “In the long period of one and half c e n t u r y, t h e i r ( I n d o Guyanese) interaction with other races has also increased but even today due to their food habits, family relations, social system, social belief and cultural assumptions, they are Indians. One is pained for just one thing that the inheritance of language has slipped away from their hands. That is why while walking in many parts of Guyana, one realises that it is an India outside India at the same time, it pains to learn that from the point of view of language, Guyana is a dumb India. In Guyana, there are many places where people of Indian origin constitute 90- 95 percent of the population but even at these places, people converse in Creole and one rarely hears Hindi sentences from the mouth of some very old person.”

Surendra Kumar Gambhir, possibly the only academic who has studied the ancestral language of Indo-Guyanese, in his doctoral dissertation for the University of Pennsylvania

in 1981 provides a listing of the dialects of the Indian indentured immigrants to Guyana. He states that the lingua franca of the first immigrants from India to Guyana (the hill coolies) was a form of Bhojpuri. He mentions that during the period 1842-1871, more than 73 percent of the immigrants came from areas where the languages spoken were Maithili, Magahi, B h o j p u r i , Av a d h i a n d several western dialects. For the period 1875-1916, he notes that a large number of speakers of Bhojpuri, Avadhi, Maithili, Magahi, Kannauji, Braj, Bundel, and Khari Boli (Old Hindi) came to Guyana. In the last period, he observed that 8.3 percent of the immigrants came from various parts like Bengal, Panjab, Native States like Nepal, Central India, Central Provinces, Bombay and Madras and adds that others immigrating to British Guiana included speakers of Bengali, Assamese, Oriya, Rajasthani, Nepali, Panjabi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and perhaps a few other.

Most of the dialects listed by Gambhir are part of a dialect continuum, “a spread of language varieties spoken across some geographical area such that

neighbouring varieties differ only slightly, but the differences accumulate over distance so that widely separated varieties may not be mutually intelligible”. In addition, they come from a region known as the ‘Hindi Belt’ of India, described as “a linguistic region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern and western India where various Central Indo-Aryan languages subsumed under the term ‘Hindi’ are spoken”.

According to Gambhir, over time in their new environment, with speakers of different dialects living together in the isolation of the plantation, linguistic adjustments occurred. A process of amalgamation and homogenisation took place, in which a levelled form of Bhojpuri emerged as the dominant dialect, which he termed ‘Guyanese Bhojpuri’. This became the lingua franca of the immigrants and their descendants. However, he noted too that the immigrants and their early descendants referred to their language as Hindustani.

In his 1883 book, The Colony of British Guyana, Rev. H.P.V. Bronkhurst states, “The Hindustani, so (Continued on page 6)

For transparency and accountability DEAR EDITOR, With great gusto, the Honourable Minister of Labour, in addressing the TUC sponsored event to celebrate our tradition May Day, last Saturday May 1, 2021 at Critchlow Labour College informed the assembly gathering that since taking office, his Ministry and the PPP Government has recruited a number of Ministry of Labour Officers, including Inspectors, etc.

A common theme of all those who address the

gathering was for transparency and accountability at all levels.This promise for accountability and transparency was not questioned by the Hon. Minister and assured us that the Government had no difficulty with transparency and accountability.

In those circumstances, I ask the Honourable Minister to respond publicly to the following:1 ] We r e a l l t h e s e vacancies filled by his Ministry on the Fixed Establishment?

for valuing and respecting one another.”

He however then goes on to perpetuate the theatre of pretending that Arrival Day and Indian Arrival Day are two separate and coincidental celebrations: “Today, May 5, also marks Indian Arrival Day. This year, we are commemorating the 183rd anniversary of the arrival of the first batch of Indian indentured immigrants to our shores. The contributions of Indians to national development are indelible and undisputable. Indians have excelled in all aspects of national life. They have also passed on a precious legacy, one which should be preserved for and transmitted to future generations.”

If the President is serious about establishing the One

2] Were funds allocated for the payment of all the new employees?

3]. If those persons, recently recruited were catered for in the Fixed Establishment? And if so, did they come through the P u b l i c S e r v i c e Commission?

4].If not, how many persons were recruited to function at the several levels, he mentioned on Saturday, not appointed by the Public Service Commission?

5]. If there were such persons, could he supply names, ages and

qualifications of those persons so recruited.

6] . What salaries/wages those persons you claimed were recruited after August 2020 receive?

7] .Were their salaries and benefits consistent with the norm in the rest of the Public Sector?

Dear Editor, many of us have been taught to take seriously, statements made

by Ministry of the Government and this letter seeks its full disclosure based on the above questions.

Eric Moseley, MS

Guyana Commission, one of its key objectives has to be bringing everyone to the table to tackle the sort of contortions and avoidance that the annual fiasco of May 5 represents.

Guyana’s greatest gift is its cultural diversity, a diversity that should be celebrated by acknowledging basic truths and ensuring basic equity. May 5 is in fact Indian Arrival Day, as surely as August 1 is Emancipation Day that celebrates the legal liberation of enslaved Africans in Guyana, and not some generic commemoration of the general, watered down sense of ‘emancipation of all Guyanese’, some pointless official edifice constructed to satisfy political correctness, and to facilitate the watered down correctness of the beauty (and pain) of historical truths. Happy Indian Arrival Day.

Wednesday May 05, 2021

Not a reflection of my words or intent DEAR EDITOR, I wish to draw to the attention of Kaieteur News’ editor and publisher that the headline (I stand with Amanza Walton Desir and her words) which was used above my letter of May 4 is not a reflection of my words or intent.

It is clearly stated in the letter that I stand in solidarity with Ms. Walter Desir as she faces the unwarranted attacks from the PPP and their acolytes.

If I wanted to convey the

words and message wrongly attributed to me by Kaieteur News, I am brave enough to do so myself.

What Kaieteur News did with that contrived headline is an abuse of editorial privilege bordering on libel—an act that does not represent Kaieteur News’ finest moment. Trying to give me ownership of the concocted crime for which they have charged Ms. Walton Desir is cheap and sick politics by a national newspaper that seems to have in this instance aligned

itself with the political lynching of a public person.

The editor who placed that headline above my letter was acting more like a political hatchet man-woman than as a journalist.

I am very sure that he or she knows the English language.

That, however, does not dim my solidarity for a woman under political attack.

David Hinds Editor’s Note: Dr. Hinds we apologise for offending with the headline.

Amanza needs to apologise or step aside DEAR EDITOR, I have read the commentary, opinions and even listened to the actual statement made by Amanza on David Hinds’ programme.

It is clear that she has a low opinion of the PPP’s political supporters and views those of the PNC as superior.

In the best interest of social cohesion and given the racial sensitivities and political hostilities that currently exist in our society, Amanza should apologise to the PPP’s sup-

porters or step aside. We have seen the armed conflicts during the recent elections and the violence due to the recent murders in Cotton Tree that have created a larger divide between Indian and African ethnic groups.

It is irresponsible to let such racial overtones continue in the current political environment. At a minimum, the leadership of the PNC, WPA and AFC coalition should insist on a retraction of Amanza’s comment. No

one can afford to fan the flames of hate in our society.

The situation is far too delicate.

We almost had a civil war that was being fuelled by racial hatred. Now is the time for responsible leadership. I support the calls for swift action to be taken by the ERC in this serious matter.

With concern, Mr. Jamil Changlee Chairman The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana

We have to be the biggest frauds around DEAR EDITOR, I make no defence for Ms. Amanda Walton-Desir. I know her not, barely knew of her, until the firestorm flared around her head.

But as I parse through the hullabaloos, the pretended righteous indignations, and the bleating pieties surround l’affaire WaltonDesir, I marvel at the great frauds that Guyanese (regardless of colour) are in their incomparable racial hypocrites; especially, when delighting at brandishing proofs of our supposedly immaculate racial credentials.

We are deceivers of the first order, and we manifest monstrous mindlessness that we surrender to the naked passions of the mob.

I understand that Ms. Walton-Desir is an MP and an attorney.

Thus, she is no ordinary citizen, and I would hold her to a higher standard of linguistic and personal comportment.

In both her occupation and parliamentary presences, Ms. Walton-Desir trades in words.

She, therefore, should be shades more skilled than the regular Jane Doe, with regard to marshaling and deploying the English Language.

At worst, I think her words about being “mentally lazy” smack of the casual, the same laziness herself, when she resorted with what (to me) was meant to alert and agitate, but not necessarily humiliate. I am cognisant that we live in a world hypocriti-

cally committed, at least publicly, to political correctness, and its every nuance, no matter how immaterial the point.

There is no room afforded for any other interpretation, but what I come up with and that is the end of the matter. Except that it is not.

Not when I am playing to the crowd. Not when I am whipping up frenzies over what is imagined and may (may) just not be there.

Editor, I have called PPP and PNC supporters worst things than Ms. WaltonDesir. Examples include: can’t think for themselves and foolish and clueless and in the very first paragraph of this writing “mindless.”

For when someone or group is dismissed accurately as clueless and mindless (or dotish and obsequious), then there is no mind over which to exercise laziness.

Same goes for brainwashed and indoctrinated, which are stock in trade expressions utilised liberally by many. I am so guilty. I believe that it applies here across the length and breadth of this brown and black and other complexioned land.

What have been the complexions of our minds, when we get around to remembering that we still have one, if there was ever actually one?

Think of this: all of those have elements that are worse than Ms. Desir’s ill-fated venture into the jagged shoals of frank expression twisted to suit the caprices of those who themselves lack the characteristics that speak to racial in-

PAGE 5

Kaieteur News

tegrity and racial honesty.

Call for unity and reconciliation and suddenly every damn citizen in this country is mentally lazy, refuse to think for themselves.

All have dirty racial laundry to hide, beneath the public deceits of decency and racial principle.

There I said it. Let the daggers come out.

This is my first, last, and only word on this issue.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

OLD HABITS TRULY DIE HARD DEAR EDITOR, Sometimes corruption is a matter of perception. Sometimes corruption is a matter of simple and clear facts. Perception is debatable. Facts are never debatable.

I write to draw attention to the following facts: 1. The Inter-American Development Bank has debarred Guyanese contractor “Vevakanand Dalip” from bidding as a result of “fraud and collusion” effective from 29 December 2017 to 28 December 2030.

2. The Inter-American Development Bank has debarred the business named “Vevakanand Dalip Enterprise” owned Guyanese contractor Vevakanand Dalip from bidding as a result of “fraud and collusion” effective from 29 December 2017 to 28 December 2030.

3. The Inter-American Development Bank has debarred “Sabrina Mary Williams” the wife of Guyanese contractor Vevakanand Dalip from bidding as a result of “fraud and

collusion” effective from 29 December 2017 to 28 December 2030.All of this information can be found and verified on the IADB website at https:/ /www.iadb.org/en/transparency/sanctioned-firms-andi n d i v i d u a l s .

In effect, the IADB has blacklisted Vevakanand Dalip, his business and his wife from participating in any bidding process because of fraud and collusion. The bank does this whenever its ethical guidelines have been breached incontrovertibly. It is a clear and transparent process and it is the hallmark of upholding sound ethics and values and ultimately a fair, just and peaceful world.Yet, the PPP Government has no shame whatsoever in embracing Vevakanand Dalip and rewarding him with construction projects the moment they took office. Old habits truly die hard. I find it difficult to believe that the astute PPP under the stewardship of the ever present Bharrat Jagdeo and the ever willing Irfaan Ali

would have missed this fact.In public office, wrongful conduct either emanates from not knowing better, or from deliberately doing the wrong thing. To use Guyanese parlance, it is either “stupit yuh stupit, or wicked yuh wicked”.

I don’t think the PPP is stupit.

In this case, they are just plain wicked, shameless and corrupt as usual. It is always about jobs for the boys.I write also to bring this to the attention of the international community who are always paying keen interest in the governance of this beautiful country, who were so vigilant and interested in our country around the recent elections and who must not ignore such simple and plain facts about corruption in Guyana.

To speak out against this would also be the upholding of sound ethics and values and ultimately a fair, just and peaceful Guyana.

Regards, Ubol Mc Donald Councillor - Lethem Town Council, Region 9

Aiding and abetting remarks DEAR EDITOR, The furore which stemmed from statements perceived to be racist by a sitting parliamentarian and which was complained to the ethnic relations body, begs the question shouldn’t the facilitator (host) who it is alleged nodded in agreement with the caustic remarks, also be hauled before the ethnic relations body for aiding and abetting remarks which may have caused disharmony?

Further, shouldn’t the national broadcast regulator

look into the operation of the broadcast platform from which the statements were al-

lowed to emanate and found its way in the public domain?

Shamshun Mohamed

PAGE 6

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 05, 2021

Alexander should advise Amanza to issue unqualified apology for insulting remarks against Indians DEAR EDITOR, Please allow me to respond to Mr. Vincent Alexander’s remarks in riposte (KN May 3) to my admonishment of Dr. David Hinds and PNC/R MP Amanza WaltonDesir (May 1). His (Vincent) response to my excoriation of AWD is totally irrelevant to her racist rant. Alexander has gone into a typical PNC/R offensive mode which is to blame others for its poor governance and blunders and engaging in deflections. He introduces extraneous, unrelated issues to excuse AWD and others’ behaviour.

Alexander mis-represented comments uttered by Dr. Kirk Meighoo in which Meighoo and I appeared on a podcast about the history of the Indian presence and culture in Guyana. Instead of censuring AWD and chastising Dr. Hinds for nodding his head in approval for AWD’s race bait statement that Indians are mentally lazy, he justifies their behaviour. He’s rationalising the behaviour of AWD when everyone knows that she was spouting extreme racism!

Hinds can’t be excused for not denouncing AWD’s racist fulminations about Indians. Alexander is dead wrong on that point as well as in seeking to defend and excuse Hinds and AWD.

In the podcast on the history of Indian presence, where Dr. Meighoo and I were guests, Dr. Meighoo never under-valued the contribution of Africans in Guyana, and therefore there was no need for me to ‘correct’ him.

The subject was about the contributions of Indians to Guyana, and he commented exclusively about Indians, not about Africans. Meighoo, like me, assailed the Europeans for slavery and indentureship. Who else but Indians have been “foundational people” for their culture in Guyana? The PNC did not build Indian culture. On the contrary, it marginalised Indian culture and the presence of every ethnic group. According to Nanda Sahadeo, PNC seized Indian funds to build a national cultural centre in a PNC stronghold instead of Indian cultural centres all over the country. It is well documented that Chinese, Portuguese, Mixed and Amerindians, and even the PNC/R’s own African supporters ran away from Guyana because of poor governance.

On the Infinity Foundation podcast, there was no comparison of the contributions of Indians with Africans or with the other four ethnic groups. At any rate, I have consistently acknowledged

the invaluable contributions of all ethnic groups in the development of Guyana. It is also recorded history that Africans pre-date Indians in Guyana and the Caribbean.

Let me assure Alexander that I do not have a fetish castigating PNC/R. But who should be blamed for poor, and racist governance between 1965 and 1992 and from June 2015 to February 2020.

Should we blame UF, PPP, AFC, WPA, URP, Anglo Saxons, the etc.?

When AWD stated that Indians have a lazy brain and depend on the PPP to think for them, it could not be that she was referring to the Indian presence from 1838 when they first arrived in Guyana.

The PPP was founded in 1950.

The PPP represented the working class of all ethnicities thru 1955. The PPP began to represent Indians from 1957 in ‘ethnicised’ voting in which Indians voted Jagan PPP, Africans Burnham PPP (renamed PNC), and Portuguese, Amerindians, Chinese, and some Coloureds voting the UF. This was the reality, regardless of who went with whom after the slit in the PPP. Why is Alexander still blaming the White man for all the problems of Guyana post 1966? Did the White man instruct PNC to mis-rule Guyana from 1965?

Amanza Walton Desir is different DEAR EDITOR, I am an avid follower of politics in Guyana, although I hardly comment. One of the issues that caught my attention was the recent controversy around that of Guyana’s Vote at the UN General Assembly on the Durban Declaration.

While a number of political commentators proffered that the “No” vote was deliberate and an indication that the PPP/C was a racist cabal bent on the suppression of

Afro-Guyanese, I watched how AWD, who has shadowing responsibility for Foreign Affairs handled the matter.

She presented the facts to Guyana, complete with timelines. Though the line taken by many in her circle took the position that the PPP/ C deliberately voted in this manner, she steadfastly refused to say that it was a deliberate vote despite being asked pointedly on several programmes on which she appeared.

What is interesting is that Vice-President Jagdeo while being interviewed by the media personality Critic, referred to her statement as corroborating the position that there was a “mixup”.

Were she the racist with the racist agenda that the PPP/ C and their acolytes are now in a frenzy to paint her, I doubt she would have passed up on such a golden opportunity to further that agenda.

Regards, Andrea Bristol

Guyana’s Public Service - a Human Resources Pandemic DEAR EDITOR, Across 19 identified Ministries and 10 Regional Administrations is a recorded total of 39,218 public servants constituted of the following categories.

Ministries Regions 1 Administrative 1427 2347 2 Senior Technical 2074 4419 3 Other Technical and Craft Skilled 3276 3538

4 Clerical and Office Support 6651 631 5Semi-Skilled and Unskilled Operatives 2729 2950 Sub-Total 16157 13885 plus 6 Contracted Employees 8734 442 who can be appointed to any category.

Somehow their employers who constitute the authority to protect all from the current insurgence seem to have over-

looked the need for distancing amongst: 7282 Clerical and Support Staff, while omitting to appreciate the need for Personal Protective Equipment at least for the Semiskilled and Unskilled category of 5679 – any of whom if infected can transmit to both co-worker and family – for which there is no lockdown?

Should not there be a strategic plan coordinated to focus on preventing infection in the respective agencies?

E.B. John

Alexander is right that an ‘us against them’ was introduced by Anglo Saxons since Indians first came to Guyana.

Ethnic issues are as old as civilisation. But Guyana’s ethnic politics does have its genesis in the late fifties and early sixties, reinforced by the misrule of Burnham and Hoyte.

Forbes Burnham and the PNC became tools of the colonial imperialists.

The literature is replete with commentaries that Alexander’s hero, Burnham, allowed himself to be manipu-

lated by the Anglo Saxons to divide the unity movement of 1950. And has Alexander forgotten the racist comment of Hoyte about the “Putagee Mafia”. In contrast, Cheddi Jagan worked on building a multi-ethnic political grouping from 1950 onwards that was rendered asunder by Burnham’s political opportunism combined with Anglo Saxon colonial ‘divide and rule’ that was referred to by Alexander.

AWD’s behaviour is inexcusable and unjustified. She

explicitly compared Indians (who she described as automatic PPP supporters) with Africans who she equates as PNC supporters and who she stated is enlightened as compared with the docile Indians.

She also said Africans are more democratic oriented and think for themselves.

Does the African’s greater enlightenment than the Indians’ caused the former to support an ethnic dictatorship between 1966 and 1992, and for silence of (Continued on page 30)

Indo Guyanese loss of ancestral language From page 4 called, is spoken by almost all the natives, in addition to their own native or caste languages, in the Northern and Central Provinces of Hindustan... In fact, although properly the language of the North-West, it passes current (like French in Europe) throughout Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta. Also, B. Mallikarjun, writing in Language of India, vol. 4, 2004, notes “Linguistic Survey of India (referring to George Grierson’s Linguistic Survey of India concluded in the early part of the twentieth century) speaks eloquently about Hindustani as an important dialect and a ‘lingua franca’ of the greater part of India, spoken and understood over the whole of the Indian Peninsula”. Consequently, there should be no doubt that, either because of dialect continuum or through Hindustani, most of the immigrants were able to communicate with one another.

The loss of ancestral languages/dialects commenced decades before the end of Indian immigration. In his 1962 book, British Guiana, social anthropologist, Professor Raymond Smith who did extensive research in Guyana and published several papers on Indo-Guyanese cultural practices, wrote “In 1917, the system of organised immigration ceased and after that time very few people entered the country from India. Even during the nineteenth century, there had been a marked tendency for Indian languages to be replaced by the Guianese lower-class dialect of English, and now this process was accelerated until today (1962), Indian languages are practically never used except on ritual occasions when they are about as widely understood as Latin is among Roman Catholics in England.” Some of the factors that contributed to the loss are discussed below.

Indian Bhojpuri, which forms the base of the

standardised dialect, Guyanese Bhojpuri/ Hindustani, was an oral language. In correspondence with this writer, an IndoGuyanese born in 1912 and who qualified in the 1920s as an Indian language translator for the Immigration department, stated that, “Hindi was studied for the translators’ examination because it was a language, written and spoken.

Bhojpuri was not considered a language. It had to be learned by contact with its speakers. As long as new emigrants from India were coming into the country during the indentureship period, there was a constant supply of speakers to keep it alive.

With the termination of the indentureship programme, the source of renewal ceased.”

The above explanation of the cessation of renewal being responsible for the loss of language does not reconcile with known facts. Cessation of renewal also occurred in Suriname around the same time period as in Guyana, yet Indian-Surinamese have continued to speak Surinamese Hindustani to this day. One explanation that has been offered for the difference between Suriname and Guyana is that Dutch colonial policy encouraged the maintenance of language by the Indian Immigrants because they were British subjects and they and their children were expected to return to India where the children had to be assimilated. In the case of Guyana, the British colonial policy was geared to settle the immigrants in the country to provide a readily available supply of cheap labour for the sugar plantations.

Thus, language maintenance would have been a hindrance to integration. Another view is that the British were more supportive of conversion of the Indians to Christianity than the Dutch.

Maintenance of language by the Indian immigrants in Guyana was a barrier to Indian conversion and could

not be supported.

During the period of indentureship, upon entry into the colony, the immigrants came into contact with an existing oral language, Creolese, that was already established as the lingua franca of the majority. While in the seclusion of their own community, intra-group communication in their native dialect presented no problem.

However, it would have been a major barrier for communication in the wider community. Since functioning in the wider society was dependent on knowing Creolese for a start, there was an incentive for the immigrants to learn this new language. As for their children, there was no tangible benefit of the ancestral language, which then was gradually abandoned by successive generations.

Another key factor for the loss was the stigma attached to what was termed “coolie culture”. In the colony, the Indian immigrants started out at the bottom of the established social hierarchy. “Coolie culture”, referring to their speech, dress, food and religion, was looked down upon and a barrier to upward mobility in the society where English customs, language and the Christian religion were the accepted norms.

Thus, successive generation of children of Indian immigrants, seeing no significant incentive for retaining their ancestral language and, in fact being ridiculed for doing so, were not keen to learn or perpetuate it.

Rohra concludes, “to restore a language which has become out of use is a difficult task that cannot be accomplished without support of government. Maintaining Hindi as a cultural language is not a very difficult work.

Although when it comes to be judged in its practical use in Guyana, Hindi has been reduced to zero yet one can realise very naturally the atmosphere for Hindi.”

Harry Hergash

Wednesday May 05, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday May 05, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 08

Linden shallow grave...

15-year-old relative charged

with accessory to murder T

he 15-year-old relative of Shonnette Dover who allegedly confessed to police that she assisted Shonnettes boyfriend, Shaquawn Alleyne currently on the run to bury her in his backyard, has been charged with accessory after the fact of murder; meanwhile, the fugitive suspects father has been released from custody.

On Tuesday, the teen appeared before Magistrate Wanda Fortune at the Linden Magistrate Court and pleaded not guilty to the charge. She was represented by attorney-at-law Dexter Smartt.

Commander of Region Ten, Hugh Winter said that all information concerning the alleged confession of the teen relative of Shonnette Dover was sent in the file to the DPP, which outlined that the teen went with Shaquawn Alleyne to the residence of

Shawn Alleyne, the fugitives father, and informed him that Shaquawn just shot Shonnette dead.

The father then told them, “Dont tell (me) stupidness, why (you) playing with the gun?” They subsequently left on a motorcycle and collected a spade from a man and dug a hole aback the house, where they buried the dead young woman.

After her appearance yesterday, the teen was remanded to the Juvenile Holding Centre at Sophia, Georgetown, until May 28, 2021. Kaieteur News understands that her attorney did not seek bail, in an effort to keep the young girl in protective custody.

The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) however advised Linden police to not charge Shawn Alleyne and he was released yesterday afternoon.

The case has sent ripples

The father, Shawn Alleyne (left) and Shaquawn Allen. through the former bauxite mining town ever since Dover disappeared early last month and tensions have risen since her body was discovered and Alleyne disappeared. Only Monday, arson was suspected to be carried out on Shaquawn

Alleynes grandmothers residence in Block 22 Wismar Linden. Police said the home of octogenarian pensioner Mary Alleyne was allegedly set on fire by persons unknown early Monday morning.

The property came under

Shonette Dover

attack about 04:30 hours, when a window curtain hanging at one of the buildings windows was set alight from the outside. A lone male reportedly was seen running away from the building afterwards. Quick assistance from neighbours quickly extinguished the fire.

S h o n n e t t e s f a t h e r, Selwin Haywood, said that he needs justice for his daughter and everyone involved, including the 15year-old relative, must face

the consequences. He is confident that Shonnette was killed from the very day she went missing, because of the attire she had on when he identified her body. “She had on a red brassiere and a blue short pants, this is what she does wear when she deh home, so they kill her since the day before, if not, she woulda get on she working clothes,” her father told Kaieteur News.

Haywood expressed disappointment in the teens behaviour after the incident: “For 24 days, this girl kept silent, this girl was even feeding he (Shaquawn), with information that we share with she about the search because he used to come and tell me, Yall hiding things from me.

This girl used to giving we information claiming she receiving from people, get we searching here…there, see me collecting money, travelling til to Mabura and aint say nothing.”

On Monday a post mortem examination was conducted as it was determined that Shonnette Dover died from a single, close-range gunshot wound to the head.

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 05, 2021

PAGE 09

The use and misuse of the lexicon of race What constitutes appropriate or inappropriate language in relation to race?

And should an overtly bigoted statement be excused simply on the grounds that there was a poor choice of words.

A poor choice of words can hardly be an excuse for making bigoted statements about others. Those who stand by these words or claim that they are being misrepresented must be prepared to face the inevitable fallout of refusing to withdraw them or say sorry.

So how does one determine what constitutes the misuse or poor choice of words? How does one decide when the use of these words is derogatory, racial or racist? How does one decide when a racial slur becomes an insult or expresses contempt or disapproval towards others?

The difference between slang and a racist or racial rant can be discerned by the context in which they are used. You have to ask yourself, “What was the context involved? What was the purpose of the words in the manner in which it was used? What was it intended to convey? Was it part of a joke or used to poke fun and for which no offence was meant?”Context is important because context determines the objective of what was said. Was it being said to praise somebody? Was it a compliment or was it a means of insulting or ridiculing someone?

Was it intended to put the person down or to give them

Dem

boys seh...

a hiding? Was it demeaning or was it harmless? The context is everything.

A bigoted statement can be implied or inferred generally or from the context. Under crossexamination, former CBC Anchor, Dan Rather, once said in court, “If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it has to be a duck.”

It is not enough to say that these terms represented a poor choice of words. They may well be but what constitutes a better choice of words without losing the original meaning or intent?

Are they used to “cuss out” persons or were they used light-heartedly? The context determines whether the uses are derogatory, racial or racist.

The exact wording of the sentence or the phrase in which the words are used is equally important. A good way to determine whether the words were offensive is to repeat them in the manner in which they were used and then to ask yourself whether this was slang, compliment or insult?

Was it intended to stigmatise or characterise a person or group? Read the words, say them out as they would have been said in the conversation and decide whether they were intended to put the persons to whom they referred in favourable or unfavourable light or whether they were neutral.

Then you will have a sense of whether the use of the words is derogatory.

The word ‘racist’ infers an argument, whether

implicit or explicit, of superiority. Was there anything which would suggest that the statement was used in the context of ascribing superiority or inferiority to any person or group? Was it looking down on others? This is a very important test of a racist statement as distinct from a racial statement.

A racist statement is intended to suggest relations of superiority and inferiority.

A racial statement, on the other hand, is intended to express prejudice, bias or dislike based on a person’s race.

The next thing is to ask, whether the use of terms was accidental or deliberate?

Was it a Freudian slip of the tongue or was it used deliberately? An accidental slip of the tongue is not hard to detect. Was it part of a reasoned argument or was it used as part of loose conversation?

The other thing is to look at the rejoiners, that is, what followed. Were the terms withdrawn immediately or were they allowed to stand?

What was the reaction of the persons to whom the comments were directed?

Did they protest or did they ‘let sleeping dogs lie?’

Put yourselves in the shoes of those who are likely to be offended. Would you have been offended by the comments? All of these are considerations which can be used to decide whether we are dealing with an innocent slang or a derogatory slur.

This brings us to another test. How would an ordinary, dispassionate person receive

Stay in yuh corner when it involves poli-tricks!

When things get uncomfortable, it is time to keep quiet. When de attempt to rig de election was tekking place, nuff persons keep dem mouth shut and stay in dem corner.

Some of dem politicians does claim dem nah know what de story is about. Or dem does seh how dem gat to get more information before dem comment. But dem boys know dat is all part of de poli-tricks.

Dem boys nah hear from some leaders as yet about de big controversy concerning wah an MP talk. But dem boys know dat some of dem leaders sitting in a corner in order to avoid tekking a stand.

Dem boys remember de time wan person wah used to wuk with Soulja Bai let off a racial rant. Right away Soulja Bai jump up

and seh dat dem sentiments not in keeping with he government’s. He did even seh how dem gat a campaign to purge de vocabulary of dem slurs.

But instead of putting he foot down, he cock it up.

He carry de same person wah mek de statement to de United Nations. And when he come back and dem media ask he about de case, he seh how de remarks were not malicious and how dem move on.

So dem boys nah losing sleep over wah nobody talk. Dem boys know dat dem politicians gan keep quiet and stay in a corner and ride out de storm, just like dem does do when things go wrong.

Talk half and stay in yuh corner too.

the comments? Would that person have felt insulted or degraded by the use of the terms? Or would he simply feel that it was slang?

Determining whether a

statement is racial or racist or racially derogatory is not rocket science. It is quite simple and most people know how to decide this.

(The views expressed in

this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Wednesday May 05, 2021

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Sharon’s Mall fire: Complete psychic collapse of a nation

I

saw a fire one evening moving in a westerly direction three houses from the annexe of the CARICOM Secretariat. My daughter and I went to investigate. I went up to the security at CARICOM to ask them to call the fire service.

The security rank came closer to me, looked at me and yelled out, “you’re Freddie Kissoon,” and she became angry.

For more on what happened next see my column of Tuesday, October 13, 2020 with the headline, “A fire next to CARICOM building, Freddie Kissoon and Guyana’s curse.” So angry was I that the next day, I lodged a complaint with the CARICOM Secretariat. I

met with Mr. Kenneth Williams, Deputy P r o g r a m m e M a n a g e r, Administrative Services Dept. After not hearing from Williams, I made contact by email.

Here is the reply of Mr. Williams of October 28, 2020, “The investigation has been completed and a report submitted to management.

Unfortunately, I am not in a position to disclose the findings of the investigation.” I am the virtual complainant yet I have no clue what the CARICOM Secretariat did.

So I journeyed to the security company that provides services to the Secretariat, Federal Management on Peter Rose Street.

Brace yourself for the

psychic breakdown that has, from decades ago, enveloped this country.

The managers at Federal Management were only now hearing of the incident.

Guess why? Either the Secretariat had no contact with the place that employed the incompetent guard or there was no investigation by the Secretariat.

I was spoken to by one Mrs. Pearson who told me the company will investigate and I will be asked to testify at the hearing. I never heard back from Federal Management. Six months after I was in the café owned

by Federal Management and I made a casual inquiry of Mrs. Pearson. Now read this because this is Guyana. Here is Mrs. Pearson, “Oh my

God, Mr. Kissoon, we didn’t get back to you because we lost your number, would you like to proceed with the matter?” If I was younger, Mrs. Pearson would have had the full blast of my scatological vocabulary. I never saw Kenneth Williams again to tell him what I thought of him.

Williams is Guyanese.

The CARICOM Secretariat is based in Guyana.

Federal Management is owned by Guyanese.

This is just one manifestation of how tragic this nation has become since Burnham killed it in 1980 with the assassination of Walter Rodney and the population left legally and illegally for foreign pastures.

There is no rationality among humans that inhabit Guyana.

The Minister of Home Affairs said persons in Sharon’s Mall had smelt smoke hours before the eruption. A simple spark could have being tended to if people in Guyana had a functioning soul.

Guess what happened?

No one was interested in making a huge fuss over the smoke. Smoke being smelt in a large shopping complex has to bring anxiety and concern thus widespread alarm. I believe rational

humans react this way in all situations.

But we are dealing with Guyana. I have seen this horrible, unimaginable attitude literally millions of times the past 40 years.

I would go to the seawall and national park each day

Frederick Kissoon with my dog.

There are times when you go the next day, a large stone appears, maybe, from some construction activity and you have to move it to park properly. No one would move that object.

They would park around it. If there is a large piece of wood on the road right in their pathway, they would drive around it rather than moving it into the corner.

When I think of how psychologically disheveled the Guyanese nationality is, I think of Dale Andrews,

famous crime journalist from the Kaieteur News who died a few years ago. Dale said, “Freddie I count it, I dimmed 32 times and the oncoming drivers didn’t.” I did two columns of how uncouth Guyanese drivers are. They do not dim their bright lights.

You think it is semiliterate drivers from poor areas of Guyana who do not dim?

You can’t be that stupid. Many of them are wealthy folks who have money but no culture. In its 2019 report, the US State Department lamented the curse of Guyanese drivers not dimming.

I end with a story that will never happen in any other country no matter how small, how poor.

I told one of the supervisors that in no supermarket in any other country, the newspaper stand is at the back. It is always in the front section, right near the cashier.

In a forthcoming column I will return to the absolute craziness of two beggars who thousands see and do nothing about it.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

Wednesday May 05, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

Wednesday May 05, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 13

Amanza Walton-Desir alleges that Roshan Khan threatened her life -Khan responds that Opposition MP twisted his words

Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Amanza Walton-Desir, went down yesterday to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters at Eve Leary to follow up an initial report made Monday evening at the Brickdam Police Station that Former Commissioner of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), Roshan Khan, had threatened her life via a Facebook post.

In her complaint WaltonDesir alleged that Khan is threatening her life by calling on persons to “mark” her. The post that she was referring to was published on Khans personal Facebook page on Monday and reads: “Amanza Walton-Desir [sic]: It pains the extent of the hate some of the so called intellectuals or pseudo intellectuals have for us Indians! And for our ancestors who gave so much

scholarships, doctors and medicine to Guyana, African Nations and others…itself poor. At its own sufferings gave 80 million Astra Zeneca Vaccines to the world. This woman must be exposed and marked. Yes, marked people of Guyana.

Marked as we must be careful, she must be known.

Never forget her and her warlord hater and her sponsors, David inds and Traitor.”

That post, which has since been removed, was said by Khan to be in response to comments made

by Walton-Desir during her recent appearance on an online media programme called Politics101 hosted by leader of the Working Peoples Alliance (WPA), David Hinds. During the programme, Walton-Desir was at the time commenting on the “support base” of the Peoples Progressive

Former Commissioner of ERC, Roshan Khan Party/Civic (PPP/C), a party which its the majority support comes from the Indo-Guyanese community, as “mentally lazy.”

Her exact words were, “Unfortunately, that part of the political divide on the PPP/C have a base who prefer if they say this is what

is going to happen, these people men gon come rape your daughter and kill your children, they believe that because the burden of sorting things out for themselves is too great. They dont have the freedom of self-determination because freedom requires responsibility. The minute you take the road of selfdetermination and you assume that responsibility onto yourself it requires work, so we have a bunch of mentally lazy people and the PPP understands this very, very well and they capitalise on it.”

HIn her interview with reporters before entering the Eve Leary compound yesterday, she said that she is not taking Khans words lightly because he is the owner of a security company and has access to a lot of guns. Walton-Desir believe that Khans Facebook post to

“mark her” means that he is calling for a violent attack against her.Last evening, Kaieteur News reached out to Khan for a comment and he directed this paper to a YouTube video he made explaining what he meant by “marking” Walton-Desir. In that video Khan said that the opposition MP is twisting his words and related that he is not violent man but a lover of peace. He also went on to state that he is also a lover of women and their talents and was in no way trying to threaten Walton-Desirs life.

“Walton-Desir, along with her attorney, Roysdale Forde,” Khan stated in the video, “are trying to spin the word mark. What I meant was mark the moment in time when words were said.

Mark the words that were used and by whom they were used. I want you to remember that, because they will come to ask for your

Opposition MP, Amanza Walton-Desir. votes.”Khan believes that she was wrong to make the comments she made and insists that she apologise to her Indo-Guyanese brothers and sisters. Walton-Desir on the other hand told reporters yesterday that Khan had misinterpreted what she had said.

PAGE 14

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 05, 2021

Police need help identifying gold miner murdered by coworker in Region One The Guyana Police Force (GPF) is currently seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a gold miner who was murdered Saturday last by one of his coworkers at Perseverance Backdam, North West District, Region One. According to information released by the police, the deceased is of East Indian decent and was identified to them as “Anil” or “Coolie Boy”.

Based on information received, the man was slain by a Venezuelan juvenile who is in custody assisting with the investigation. It was reported that the two were well known to each other and were together working on a mining operation owned by a Brazilian national.

Kaieteur News had reported that sometime around 11:00hrs, the dredging operation had just “washed down” its gold production for the day, after which both men were paid by the owner. Police sources close to the investigation said that the suspect got annoyed after learning that the deceased was paid a higher day’s pay. Sometime after that, it was alleged that the Venezuelan confronted the gold miner and inflicted the fatal injuries on him. The deceased was later in the afternoon discovered lying in a

Unidentified gold miner. hammock clad in only his pants with multiple stab wounds across his body. He was rushed to the Port Kaituma District Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The body is presently stored at the hospital’s mortuary where it is awaiting identification.

Wednesday May 05, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 05, 2021

Wednesday May 05, 2021

Kaieteur News

Health Ministry recorded three more COVID-19 deaths The Ministry of Health (MoH) yesterday reported that three persons who tested positive for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have died. Their deaths now bring the countrys total death toll to 306.

The latest fatalities are two men, a 66-year-old and a 47-year-old, and a 77-year-

old woman, all from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica).

According to the Ministry, all three persons died on Monday while receiving treatment at a medical facility.

The Ministry also recorded 92 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of confirmed cases

to 13,656. The dashboard also shows that 17 patients are in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 100 persons are in the institutional isolation, 1,637 in home isolation and six persons are quarantined institutionally. To date, 11,596 recoveries have been recorded.

PAGE 25

PAGE 26

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 05, 2021

Teen drowns while swimming with relatives Amuel Sancho, a 13-yearold, drowned yesterday at a trench in Belfield, East Coast Demerara (ECD), between 14:00-15:30 hrs. while he was swimming with some of his relatives.

According to a police report, Sancho and relatives left home to go swimming.

While they were all taking part in the activity, it was observed that Sancho had plunged into the trench but did not resurface after a while. Alarmed, Sancho’s

oldest cousin then decided to dive in the trench in an attempt to find him.

After searching for his cousin, Sancho’s motionless body was ultimately pulled from the trench.

The police were then informed and he was rushed him to the C.C. Nicholson Hospital at Nabaclis, ECD. Sancho was unfortunately pronounced dead on arrival.

The body was then taken to Ly k e n F u n e r a l H o m e awaiting a post mortem as

Sleeping gold miner ‘picked’ in hotel room, one suspect arrested A Brazilian gold miner while sleeping in his hotel room was allegedly robbed of 320 grams of raw gold, cash and his personal documents by two unknown perpetrators. The police have since identified the m i n e r a s 6 2 - y e a r- o l d Paulino DeJesus.

Police reports revealed that DeJesus was allegedly robbed sometime between 00:00hrs and 02:00hrs on Monday at Sheriff Inn Hotel, Second Street, Bartica.

The miner reportedly told the police that a few hours before he was robbed, he had checked into his hotel room and went to sleep.

Sometime around midnight, he woke up and checked on his valuables, and discovered his passport was missing along with some

documents, $300,000 in cash and 320 grams of raw gold valuing some $3.2 million. The police were summoned to the scene and upon investigating, it was reported that there was no sign of forced entry to his room.

Police sources close to the investigation informed Kaieteur News yesterday that one of the suspects was apprehended between Monday night and Tuesday morning and is in custody pending charges. That suspect, sources said did admit that he was guilty of robbing the man, but claimed to have stolen only 12 pennyweight of gold (about 18 grams). Police are still in pursuit of the other suspect as investigation continues.

45 grams of cannabis found during stop and search exercise After conducting a stop and search exercise on the Belmont Public Road, East Coast Demerara, police ranks seized 45 grams of cannabis sativa from three suspects.

According to a police report, between 22:30hrs and 23:30hrs, a silver Toyota Allion was intercepted yesterday along with three suspects while they were passing along the roadway. It was revealed that, after the

vehicle was inspected, three transparent Ziploc plastic bags and a black plastic bag containing a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems of cannabis concealed in a basket of clothing at the back were found. The suspects were arrested and then taken to the Mahaica Police Station, along with the packages of cannabis and the said car. The three men remain in custody pending charges.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 28 VACANCY

Vacancy exist for water delivery driver East Coast Demerara. Tel#692-6768/ 6761316 2 cooks, 2 handy men @ people's choice kitchen 88 James st Albouystown Tel#679-9449 Experience labourers to work on cash crop farm Salary $5,000 - $6,000 per day Tel#695-6139/ 679-7552/ 6397420

Wednesday May 05, 2021

Close the airports if you want to enforce ...

From page 3 guesthouses can operate on a 24-hour basis therefore, making the charge against her client unlawful.

Speaking with Kaieteur News yesterday, Bacchus said it seems as though he being targeted because other hotels remain in operation. Moreover, continued Bacchus, the restaurant and bar is a service provided by the hotel to its guests.

“How can you stop a guest from wanting to have a drink or from having something to eat? It is a service provided by the hotel to them.

You can’t just stop, close up or chase them out”, said Bacchus.

The Sleepin boss added too that it is a standard for all hotels around the world that as long as there are guests, a property must provide all the essential services, which

they need on a 24 hrs basis.

He also argued that some of the employees at Sleepin do not breach the Covid-19 curfew either, because they all “sleep and stay at the hotel”.

In the Gazetted Covid-19 measures, it was observed by Kaieteur News that there is no mention that hotels have to shut their doors at the curfew time. However, public gathering at a hotel swimming pool is prohibited.

SERVICES

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Stabroek Block key to ExxonMobil’s...

One female cook and one female kitchen assistant to work at Iteballi Landing 684-3039

From page 3 of Guyana. And I think we’re beginning to see the benefit of that manifest itself and we’ll continue to contribute on a ratable basis there.”

Speaking to the company’s long term plans for the Guyana operations, he posited, “we’re talking a potential for seven to ten (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) FPSOs.” He said six are projected to come online by 2027, “so we feel really good about what we’re finding in Guyana and a very constructive engagement with the Government in terms of those developments.”

1 skilled qualified plumber Contact 693-2900 1- salesperson needed Tel#226-5795 between 10:00am to 4:00pm FOR RENT 3 and 2 bedroom apartment, newly renovated, at 266 New Market street Contact Prem 651-1630 Office space for rent furnished and unfurnished starting at $120,000 on Croal street Call 691-1564/ 6972167 One two bedroom apartment in B' Field sophia Contact Colin 621-5781 and Maureen 650-8827 Business: South Road, Saffon, Halfield, Garden of Eden, Residence: Meadow Bank, North Ruimveldt Ray's Realty 627-9685 Ransom (Concrete mixers), Scaffolding, Power washer, compactors, hire truck service etc, free delivery. Telephone: 610-5360.

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Agri. Ministry to spend $39M on upgrades...

From page 23 expected to be completed by the first week in September of this year.

Over the last eight months, government has taken several steps to reorganise and rejuvenate the sector. Back in March of this year, Guyana National Fisherfolk Organisation (GNFO) hosted their second national election after lying dormant for some time.

Furthermore, President Dr. Irfaan Ali had announced that government will soon launch an aquaculture ‘master plan’ that will see the sector taking off. The Head of State alluded to the fact that, as a result of climate change and the changing landscape of the global fisheries industry, government was encouraged to think outside the box and move to transition to an aquaculture-based operation.

The Agriculture Ministry has commenced sensitisation and consultation exercises with the local fisher-folk to reorganise the players and ensure the sector is developed in a sustainable way.

It should be noted that Guyana’s aquaculture sector is being targeted for massive development in both the long term and short term. This year, $293 million was allocated for the development of the Fisheries and Aquaculture sector.

Wednesday May 05, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 29

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 05, 2021

High Commissioner of India, Dr. K. J. Srinivasa On behalf of the Government of India and the High Commission of India in Guyana, I wish to extend my best wishes to all Guyanese brothers and sisters on the occasion of the Indian Arrival Day on May 5. Starting from Port of Calcutta in India, on 13 January, 1838 by the ship ‘Whitby’ and after traveling for 114 days arrived in Guyana, it was on this day in 1838, the first group of Indian Immigrants, set foot on this beautiful land of Guyana at Highbury on Berbice River.

It is very heartwarming to note that the Indo-Guyanese still retain their Indian traditions and culture despite settling down in a far-off country. The most striking aspect of the Indo-Guyanese in Guyana is their strength of resilience and adaptation. Indian culture has a big influence on the overall culture of Guyana be it music, food, language, art, religion, tradition, rituals, costumes, etc.

The Indian Diaspora in Guyana has and is playing a crucial role in the economic, political and social development of the country. They have excelled in almost all areas. India is very proud of the achievements by the IndoGuyanese Diaspora and their role in the development of Guyana. The Pravasi Bhartiya Divas held in India has honoured such Guyanese achievers with the Pravasi Bhartiya Award.

I consider it indeed a matter of honour and privilege for me to serve as the Indian High Commissioner to this Girmitiya land. The priority of

the current Government of India led by Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, is to build everlasting links with the Indian Diaspora the world over.

On this occasion I would like to commend major IndoGuyanese socio-cultural-religious organisations which have been the torch bearers of preserving Indianness Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha under Honourable Minister, Dr. Vindhya Vasini Persaud, Indian Commemorative Trust led by Dr. Yesu Persaud, HSS - Hindus for Selfless Service, Indian Action Committee, Cove & John Ashram, Saraswati Vidya Niketan, etc.The Government of India has been closely working with Government of Guyana in several sectors and has delivered on various projects so far. Now we are working on over US$100 million worth of Indian Grants and Lines of Credit for building Roads, Hospitals and a Ferry, Solar panels, collaborations in agriculture, rice, sugar, etc., while oil and gas, education scholarships will be the future.

Availing this opportunity, I would like to reassure you that the High Commission would be happy to work closely with the Government

and people of Guyana and extend its hand of collaboration in more areas of benefit to the people of Guyana. It is our aim and endeavours to see that the expertise and capacities available with India is shared with our friendly country, Guyana.

I fondly hope that we continue to build upon this sacred relationship between India and Guyana. The massive projected transformation of Guyana in the next decade will surely have India as a strategic partner and we wish to strengthen our partnership.

We wish and pray for Guyana’s success.

I call upon all brothers and sisters of Guyana to take an oath to join hands and work for the growth and progress of this rainbow nation of Guyana.On a parting note, India will be celebrating its 75th Independence Day Anniversary on 15th August, 2022. To celebrate this momentous occasion, Government of India is organising several events in India and across the globe.

High Commission of India in Georgetown is also planning a series of events on this historic occasion in Guyana. We urge all Guyanese to join us in this series of events which will be publicised in due course.

Long live India-Guyana Friendship.

Guyana Agricultural and...

From pag27 overcame and the successes we have recorded. At this time, when we ought to look to be reaching new and higher plateaus, we see concerted efforts that will very likely reverse much of the progress we have made and rightly can take pride in. Let us resist such efforts and get back on the development track.GAWU joins with all Guyana to celebrate Arrival Day.

AWD owes the Indo Guyanese an apology DEAR EDITOR, Amanza Walton Desir (AWD) just stopped short of calling us Indians as “stupid coolie people” incapable of thinking for ourselves.

This insensitive and reckless statement must be condemned in the strongest possible way. If the tables were turned and an Indian MP had made such a statement, there would be hell in Guyana with protesting and what not. If the PNC supporters are so democratic then I ask them and her to comment on this scenario.

Imagine Bill (PNC) and Danny (PPP) were playing cards and Danny claimed that he won and put his hand down on the table showing his cards.

Bill responded by saying

that he won as well, but blatantly refused to show his cards (SOP). Both men then agreed to have a designated group look at the deadlock and surprise, surprise they agree that Danny won, but despite this, Bill held on to his cards, holding them to his chest and wailing on the floor that he won.

This scenario is a basic understanding of what took place and despite this, the PNC and their supporters cannot get off the floor from their tantrum as if wailing will change the results, you lost, move on.

I cannot and will never say that all PNC supporters are a bunch of “stupid Black people” that cannot count who wholeheartedly relied

on “Mingo Math” to believe that they were cheated.

Many of their supporters saw the truth for themselves and quietly refused to participate in their nonsense.

Sadly, this was not one of AWD’s better moments when she portrayed all Indians in this defamatory way.

The Holy Bible says, “In the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks”, while AWD might feel this way, voicing it as she did was reckless and she needs to put her pride aside and apologise to the Indo Guyanese community.

To my Indo Guyanese folks, I quote Michelle Obama, “when they go low, we go high”.

Indo Guyanese

Alexander should advise Amanza...

From page 6 most of them during the March thru July 2020 election rigging, and for the racial violence unleashed on Indians in West Berbice in September 2020.

I saw remarks in which AWD sought to clarify what she meant by Indians lazy brain. It only worsened her belief about Indians, and for asserting that Africans are more “inquiring” than Indians. She failed to show any remorse for her vulgar belief feelings about Indians. She rationalises her position with faulty logic and condescending rhetoric. She could have

come out and say she misunderstands the Indian community and she is sorry and the matter ends.

As an educated MP of the PNC/R, AWD should have known better. In a sympathetic environment with Hinds, when her guard was down, she revealed her mindset. I don’t think she represents the mindset of Alexander and Hinds. I do not think Alexander endorses her views of Indians. I don’t think Hinds agrees with AWD that Indians are lame brained. It is not the Hindis I know. I think his nodding on the video is an acknowledgement that he

was listening rather than agreeing with her. I hope so, anyway! But he is yet to issue a clarification and disassociation of her remarks.

If Mr. Alexander is interested in Indian-African unity, he should advise AWD to issue an unqualified apology.

No one should insult people on account of race. He should also advise the PNC/R to repudiate her.

No race is superior to another. All six ethnic groups, and the new comers, should work together to help build our nation.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 05, 2021

Linden man jailed 15 years for killing lover’s reputed husband

A

Linden man who had confessed to killing his lover’s reputed husband was slapped with a sentence of 15 years in prison.

The sentence was handed down by Justice, Sandil Kissoon, at the Georgetown High Court, on Monday.

Corwyn Arthur called “Cross Eye,” who was initially charged with the murder of Claude De Jonge had pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter when he appeared before Justice Kissoon via Zoom, last month. The murder indictment was presented against the 34-year-old former accused by State Prosecutor, Lisa Cave He admitted that on May 10, 2018, he unlawfully killed De Jonge also known as “Sonno,” a taxi driver of Lot 915 South Amelia’s Ward, Linden, Region Ten. According to reports, De Jonge was the common-law husband of a woman who shared a secret relationship with Arthur. Arthur is said to be a frequent visitor to her home at Cinderella City, Mackenzie, Linden. The former accused, who is also an ex-Guyana Defence Force (GDF) rank, became incensed on the night of May 10, 2020 after he had paid a visit to the woman’s home and was asked to leave by her reputed husband, Claude De Jonge.

De Jonge had reportedly called the police; Arthur left before they arrived but later armed himself with a knife and returned to the house where he entered through an open bedroom window. He stabbed De Jonge several times about the body and then escaped, leaving the injured man lying in a pool of blood.

A post-mortem examination gave De Jonge’s cause of death as shock and haemorrhage due to multiple stab wounds. Arthur was later arrested and charged with the murder.

Prior to the sentencing, Justice Kissoon accepted a probation report on Arthur’s life. The report indicated that Arthur was a mannerly individual who was always cooperative and willing to help.

Additionally, when he was given a chance to address the court, Arthur said, “I would like to give my remorse to the deceased’s family. I am sorry for my actions. I was in a position where either one of us could have lost our lives. I am sorry for that.”

His lawyer, Rachael

Dead: Claude De Jonge Bakker, told the court too that her client is attending anger management classes so that when he is released back into society, he can be a better person.

In sentencing, Justice Kissoon took into consideration a number of mitigating factors: Arthur’s “expression of real remorse,” the fact that he has no previous conviction as well as the favourable probation report tendered on his behalf.

Further, the judge took into account his early guilty plea and that the information

Sentenced: Corwyn Arthur

provided to court about Arthur’s life suggests that there is much scope for his reform for reintegration into society. Taking all the factors of the case into consideration, Kissoon sentenced Arthur to 15 years in jail. Justice Kissoon also ordered that the prison authorities deduct the time he spent in pre-trial custody from the sentence.

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Wednesday May 05, 2021

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Wednesday May 05, 2021

DK Metcalf entered in 100m at USATF Golden Games track meet on NBC Sports NBC Sports - DK Metcalf, the Seattle Seahawks wide receiver and one of the fastest players in the NFL, is set to put his speed to the test.

Metcalf is entered in the 100m at Sundays USATF Golden Games and Distance Open at Mt. SAC, according to USA Track and Field.

The USATF Journey to Gold Series meet in Walnut, California, airs live on NBC, NBCSports.com/live and the NBC Sports app on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET. Entry lists are expected to be posted soon.

The obvious question: Is Metcalf trying to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials in June? Metcalfs reported NFL agent has not responded to messages seeking an answer

DK Metcalf, the Seattle Seahawks wide receiver, is one of the fastest players in the NFL.

over the last week.

If Metcalf wants to qualify for the Olympic Trials 100m, he likely must break 10.2 seconds (with legal tailwind of no

more than two meters per second).A 10.05 automatically qualifies for Trials. Fifteen American men have 10.05 right now (who are expected

Wednesday May 05, 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Don't feel like you have to rationalize everything, Aries.

Accept the fact that there are some things in life that occur without a specific logical explanation.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You may feel indecisive today, Libra, especially in the morning. Other people's actions may confuse you.

Don't worry. Concentrate on your projects and goals.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) In order to reach your destination, you may have to take an unusual route today, Taurus. Zigzag your way to the finish line. Don't automatically assume that this is a bad thing.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Emotionally, you should be feeling quite good today, Scorpio. This is important since you may get thrown off balance by a strange, unexpected force.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Get out of the doldrums and enjoy life, Gemini. The situation is such that if you remain stagnant for a little while, you will soon sink into a spiral of depression and downward thinking.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) This morning is your time to shine, Cancer. You should be in a good mood, with a positive outlook that helps you attack the day's tasks with vitality.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You may get a bit frustrated in the morning because of

a lack of commitment on the part of others, Leo. You may find it hard to pin down an answer wh en everything seems to be up in the air.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) The energy you put out today will most definitely fuel the fire, Virgo, so make sure you have an extinguisher within reach.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Free your mind and consider alternative options, Sagittarius. This is a time to throw away the old to make room for the new.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You might find your energy comes in strong, erratic bursts today, Capricorn. Don't be surprised if you're high as a kite one moment and down in the dumps the next.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You may feel a tendency to do things the same old way today simply because it's what feels most comfortable, Aquarius. Even though the familiar route may be tempting now, it's actually better if you seek a different way to go.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) An extra log has been thrown on your fire today, Pisces, so don't be surprised if you burn especially hot.

Use your internal furnace to make some breakthroughs and bring matters to a higher level.

to enter the Trials 100m), according to World Athletics.

The field will likely be filled with the next fastest men to get around 32 entries overall.

In 2016, a 10.16 earned a place at Trials.Its very questionable whether Metcalf has that speed.

He did not compete in track and field in college at M i s s i s s i p p i .

He was a hurdler in high school, not a flat sprinter.But last October, Metcalf sparked discussion when he clocked a top speed of 22.64 miles per hour while chasing down an interception return, covering 114.8 total yards.

If Metcalf ran 22.64 mph for an entire 100m, it would take 9.88 seconds, but thats of course impossible from a block start from zero mph. But Metcalf would also be running without a helmet and

pads.Another man with NFL experience, professional sprinter Jeff Demps, is expected to compete in the Olympic Trials 100m.

Demps is among dozens of athletes who competed at the Olympics before beginning professional football car e e r s .

After IPL postponement, UAE...

From page 37 the country will be the key factor, but the question is how long can the ICC now wait?

Normally, the ICC finalises venues at least a year in advance.

The other key question for the ICC to determine is whether it can allow crowds into the tournament. The BCCI has said that even if the tournament is moved to the UAE, it will want to run the event, which would mean in case the crowds are allowed, the ticketing revenues will go to the Indian board.

From May 1, the Indian government opened vaccina-

tion for all adults over 18 years of age.

However, currently, India is facing a vaccine shortage with reports stating several states will not be able to procure enough vaccines until June or July.

The BCCI did consider vaccinating players at the IPL but were wary of the optics of such a move.

While the next formal meeting of the ICC Board is not until its annual conference in July, it is likely the global body will ask members to meet before that to get a sense of how they are feeling and discuss options.

Franchises ask PCB to move remainder...

From page 37 but details have not been made public. The PCB did, however, release Dr Sohail Saleem, the head of its medical department, subsequently, and the doctor recently told Jang, an Urdu daily, that he had been made a scapegoat to protect the people responsible for the fiasco. The PCB, which had faced criticism for its handling of the situation in February-March, has since recruited a UK-based safety and technology company to establish a better biosecure bubble this time.

GGA/ Nexgen GA aim to make ...

From page 41 have to be private membership, fancy dress code and five- hour rounds, it can also be a small food and beverage area, jeans, sneakers and tshirts, and take the same amount of time as a 20- over cricket match.

“Both are still golf and both ends of the spectrum can co-exist. The days when bigger meant better may well be coming to an end and making the sport more accessible and more sustainable is key”, said Hussain.

Growing the game is often talked about and until the advent of the Guyana Golf Association and Nexgen Golf Academy, perhaps not acted on enough but as GGA President Aleem Hussain says “maybe the best way to make golf bigger and better is, in fact, to make it smaller, more accessible and affordable for everyone.”

Wednesday May 05, 2021

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Kaieteur News

NBA roundup: Russell Westbrook goes wild in 154-141 Wizards win Reuters - Russell Westbrook recorded his 32nd triple-double of the season with 14 points, a career-high 21 rebounds and 24 assists to lead the host Washington Wizards to a 154-141 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.

Westbrook’s assist total matched a franchise record and his career high. The Wizards, who hold the 10th seed and final spot in the Eastern Conference play-in round, won for the 13th time in 16 games and pulled to within a half-game of the Pacers for ninth place and secured the head-to-head tiebreaker between the teams.

Domantas Sabonis scored 32 points and totaled 19 rebounds and nine assists to lead the Pacers, while Caris LeVert had 33 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Nine Wizards scored in double figures, including five reserves, and Washington outscored Indiana by a staggering 96-60 margin in the paint. Rui Hachimura finished with 27 points and seven rebounds and Bradley Beal totaled 26 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Wizards.

Warriors 123, Pelicans 108 Steph Curry had his NBAbest ninth 40-plus scoring game, finishing with 41 as Golden State bolstered its play-in chances by defeating host New Orleans.

Curry made 14 of 26 field goal attempts, including 8 of 18 from 3-point range.

Draymond Green added 10 points, 15 assists and 13 re-

Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook (4) passes the ball as Indiana Pacers guard Aaron Holiday (3) and Pacers guard Portland Trail Blazers forward Robert Covington (23) shoots over T.J. McConnell (9) defend in the third quarter at Capital Atlanta Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari (8) during the second One Arena. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports) half at State Farm Arena. (Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports) bounds, and Andrew Wiggins scored 26 points.

The victory kept Golden State ahead of 10th-place San Antonio in the Western Conference.

Zion Williamson scored 32 points and Brandon Ingram added 19 for the Pelicans, who were pushed closer to elimination. They trail the Spurs by three games with seven left to play.

Knicks 118, Grizzlies 104 Julius Randle scored 28 points, Derrick Rose added eight of his season-high 25 points in the fourth quarter and surging New York recorded a double-digit victory over host Memphis.

Randle sank five 3-pointers, including two in the final

Indian Premier League suspended...

From page 38 game on Monday was postponed after Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier, who play for Kolkata, became the first players to test positive for COVID-19 inside the IPL bubble.

Last week, Australian players Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson flew home from the IPL amid the surge of cases. Richardson and Zampa were playing for Bangalore, and Tye for Rajasthan Royals.

Two other cricketers Englishman Liam Livingstone, who was with Rajasthan, and Ravichandran Ashwin, who was with Delhi also left the IPL. Livingstone cited “bubble fatigue” and Ashwin wanted to be with his family in the crisis.

Windows for the IPL to resume are very limited, with India teams busy from June until after the T20 World Cup, which suggests this IPL edition is at high risk of not restarting.

Despite backlash from critics questioning the sense of

the eight-team tournament proceeding during a massive wave of coronavirus cases, the IPL went ahead on the basis that teams stayed in biosecure areas at hotels and resorts in the six venues in India.Delhi Capitals, with former Australia captain Ricky Ponting as coach and India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant as captain, were leading the competition with six wins from eight games when the tournament was suspended.

The postponement of the IPL throws into the doubt the International Cricket Council’s T20 World Cup set to be staged in India in October and November. The UAE has already been suggested as an alternative host.

The ICC had to cancel the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia because of the pandemic.

Rather than push the schedule back by 12 months, cricket’s international governing body decided to stage the 2021 edition in India and return to Australia for the 2022 tournament.

four minutes after Memphis got a 17-point deficit down to five. New York won for the 12th time in 13 games, a stretch that began with them overcoming a 15-point deficit to post a four-point overtime win over Memphis on April 9.

Dillon Brooks led Memphis with 25 points but went 0-for-5 in a scoreless fourth quarter. Desmond Bane added 22 for the Grizzlies, who dropped into ninth place in the Western Conference by losing for the fourth time in five games.

Hawks 123, Trail Blazers 114 Danilo Gallinari and

Bogdan Bogdanovic combined for 53 points and 14 3pointers to help Atlanta defeat visiting Portland.

Gallinari came off the bench to score 28 points, hitting 7 of 10 from 3-point range, and added eight rebounds and two steals. Bogdanovic scored 25 points, including seven 3-pointers — all in the first half. The Hawks have won six straight home games and are 14-2 over their past 16 home games.

Portland got 33 points from Damian Lillard, who had six 3-pointers and eight assists. Carmelo Anthony scored 14 points and moved

up to No. 10 on the NBA’s alltime scoring list. Anthony has 27,318 points, passing Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes, who had 27,313.

Lakers 93, Nuggets 89 Anthony Davis had his best game since returning a week ago from a right calf strain, as host Los Angeles, playing without LeBron James, grinded out a win over Denver. Davis finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots.

Davis also came up with a key block at the end of the game on a Facundo Campazzo attempted 3-pointer to seal the win. Alex Caruso, who

started in place of Dennis Schroder, added 11 points.

Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Schroder will miss the next 10 to 14 days due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols.

Nikola Jokic paced the Nuggets with 32 points and nine rebounds. Michael Porter Jr. contributed 19 points.

On the night he received his NBA championship ring for playing with the Lakers last season, JaVale McGee scored 10 points.

In other results: 76ers 106, Bulls 94 Jazz 110, Spurs 99 Magic 119, Pistons 112 (Field Level Media)

Fox gains US English-language rights to Copa América LOS ANGELES (AP) This June’s Copa América will be televised in the United States on Fox’s networks.

The network said yesterday it had reached a six-year agreement with the South American governing body CONMEBOL for English-language U.S. rights that include this year’s tournament in Colombia and Argentina from June 13 to July 10 and the 2024 tournament, likely to be played in Ecuador.

ESPN+ had U.S. English-language rights to the Copa América in Brazil.

Univision holds U.S. Spanish-language rights to this year’s Copa América.

In addition, Fox’s deal includes the 2022, 2024 and 2026 Women’s Copa América, 2023 Women’s World Cup qualifiers, 2024 men’s and women’s Olympic qualifiers, 2023 beach and futsol championships and the 2025 boy’s Under-17 and men’s Under-20 World Cup qualifiers.

It does not include U.S. rights to men’s qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, which are held by fuboTV.

PSG’s Neymar, right, challenges for the ball with Lens’ Jonathan Gradit during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lens at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Saturday, May 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

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Wednesday May 05, 2021

Mahrez double sends Man City into first Champions League final

Mahrez celebrates scoring the opener for Man City. (Getty Images) BBC Sport - Manchester City reached their first Champions League final as they sealed a commanding 4-1 aggregate win over Paris St-Germain.

City won the first leg 2-1 and Riyad Mahrez’s low shot stretched their lead at Etihad Stadium after Kevin de Bruyne’s blocked effort.

Mahrez scored again in the second half, finishing off a rapid counter-attack by converting Phil Foden’s low cross.

PSG ended the game with 10 men following Angel di Maria’s red card.

Pep Guardiola’s side need one win to become Premier League champions, having already won the Carabao Cup, and this

Riyad Mahrez is only the second player to score in both legs of a Champions League semi-final tie for an English club after Sadio Mane in 2017-18. (Reuters)

victory keeps them on course for a treble.

They had gone out in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in the past three seasons and lost in the semi-finals in 2016, but a superb defensive display blunted Mauricio Pochettino’s team.

City will be playing in only the second major European final in their history, after they beat Polish side Gornik Zabrze to win the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1970.

Chelsea and Real Madrid, level at 1-1 after the first leg, play the second leg of their semi-final at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday (20:00 BST).

The final is in Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday, 29 May.

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 05, 2021

PAGE 37

After IPL postponement, UAE becomes contender for T20 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo - Will the postponement of the IPL have an impact on the 2021 men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled in India later this year?

It is clearly too early to say as the fallout from the postponement of the IPL is yet to settle, after the number of cases inside the bubble began to rise over the last few days. But ESPNcricinfo understands that while the ICC continues to monitor the situation in India, the UAE, which has been slotted in as a back-up venue, is now becoming a more realistic contender to host the global tournament.

As it stands, the T20 World Cup, comprising 16 countries, is scheduled to be played in India between late October with the final on

November 14.

The BCCI recently shortlisted nine venues in India, which were proposed to the ICC, the host for global tournaments. An ICC team of experts from the b i o s a f e t y, e v e n t s a n d security wings was scheduled to visit India from April 26 to do an inspection of the venues but was forced to shelve that plan due to the travel ban imposed by the UAE to and from India.

This week India crossed the 20-million mark for positive Covid-19 infections, and has been brought to a standstill by a raging second wave. The numbers were significantly high even in March, when the BCCI announced the IPL schedule comprising of six venues.

Unlike in the past where all eight teams played on a home and away basis, this season the BCCI decided the IPL would be played on a caravan model, with two venues in operation at a time and the tournament itself split into four legs. The BCCI was utilizing the IPL as a dry run for the T20 World Cup. H o w e v e r, c o n c e r n s among overseas players and teams as well as their countries are bound to rise in the wake of the IPL bubble being breached. Several countries had banned travelers, including their own citizens, if they were traveling from India, in addition to imposing stiff quarantine norms.

Such measures left the overseas contingent in the

Franchises ask PCB to move remainder of PSL 2021 from Karachi to UAE ESPNcricinfo - All six Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises have asked the PCB to move the remaining games of the rescheduled 2021 edition of the tournament out of Karachi to the UAE because of a fresh surge in Covid-19 cases in Pakistan. A letter from the franchises was sent to the board last week, and the board is believed to be considering the request and reviewing current plans.

As it stands, the plan is for the teams to assemble in Karachi by May 23 to begin their mandatory seven-day quarantine, and action is scheduled to resume on June 2. Sixteen league-stage matches are slotted till June 14, with the playoffs taking place between June 16 and June 18, and the final on June 20.

But Pakistan has had a

seven-day average of approximately 4500 Covid19 cases per day, and there is a partial lockdown in parts of the country. That caseload is the highest it has been since the first wave last year.

The 2021 edition of the PSL was suspended after 14 games - played between February 20 and March 3, all in Karachi - following an outbreak of cases among players and support staff.

After a date for resumption was finalised, the franchises took part in a replacement draft to plug holes in their line-ups because a number of overseas players would not be able to take part in the games on the new dates.

The changed situation with the pandemic, however, has made franchises nervous about the situation.

Pakistan has announced a decision to curtail inbound

flights to the country from May 5 to May 20. And the National Command Operation Centre has also hinted at a stricter lockdown in the country.

A move to the UAE would not be without its own logistical and operational issues, though. Flights to the country from Pakistan are currently operating at a severely reduced frequency.

And June is not a month in which top-level cricket is often played in the UAE, because of the oppressive heat at that time of the year.

After the initial suspension of the season, the PCB formed a two-member independent committee of infectious-diseases specialists, to look into how the outbreak occurred inside a biosecure bubble. A report was submitted to the PCB (Continued on page 34)

The current plan is for the matches to be played in Karachi between June 2 and June 20. (PCB/PSL)

At least three IPL teams were affected by Covid-19 cases. (BCCI) IPL uneasy. Two players each from Royals Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals immediately left the IPL bubble to return home and left many more anxious.

The ICC is keen to avoid such a scenario. On March 5,

two days before the IPL announced its schedule, Manu Sawhney, the then ICC CEO, had pointed out that the risks associated with organising a 16-team World Cup were “exponentially larger” compared to T20

franchise leagues like the IPL or bilateral cricket.

On Tuesday, a senior BCCI official said the T20 World Cup was “too far away” to make a call about whether it will have to move.

The status of the pandemic in (Continued on page 32)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 38

Wednesday May 05, 2021

Indian Premier League suspended after more COVID-19 cases NEW DELHI (AP) The Indian Premier League, cricket’s richest and most glitzy competition, was

suspended indefinitely after players or staff at three teams tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday

amid a surge in nationwide infections.

Many of the world’s best players compete in the

A worker carries chairs on a cycle rickshaw after dismantling a temporary security installation outside Arun Jaitley Stadium, one of the six venues of Indian Premier League 2021, in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, May 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Ishant Chauhan) Twenty20 tournament and were scrambling to find ways to get back to their native countries. Australia, for example, has temporarily barred travelers from India.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India decided to postpone the IPL, which started on April 9, after two staffers at Chennai Super Kings and a player for Sunrisers Hyderabad returned positive tests for COVID-19.

On Monday, the first cases involving players inside the IPLs biosecure bubble forced a game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore to be postponed.

“The BCCI does not want to compromise on the safety of the players, support staff and the other participants,” the BCCI said.

“These are difficult times, especially in India. We have tried to bring in some p o s i t i v i t y a n d c h e e r, however, it is imperative that the tournament is now suspended and everyone goes back to their families and loved ones in these trying times.”

The IPL staged 29 games without spectators, at least one every night until Monday, despite Indias stretched health system being pushed to the brink by another major wave of the virus.

Indias official count of coronavirus cases surpassed 20 million on Tuesday, nearly doubling in the past three months, while deaths officially have passed 220,000. Staggering as those numbers are, the true figures are believed to be far higher, the undercount an apparent reflection of the troubles in the healthcare system.

The BCCI said it would do “everything in its powers to arrange for the secure and safe passage” of all players, but for some overseas players it wasn’t going to be easy.

A decision this week by the Australian government to suspend all incoming flights from India and threaten big fines or possibly jail for anyone caught trying to beat the system prompted a wave of criticism. Commentator and former international Michael Slater vented on social media, telling Prime Minister Scott Morrison he could have “blood on your hands” for preventing Australian citizens returning in the next weeks.

Meanwhile, Cricket Australia and the players union have been trying to work out contingencies to ensure the health and safety of players such as Steve Smith and David Warner, including charter flights to other countries.

Cricket Australia issued a statement saying the

Ministry of Health capture Inter Ministries Tapeball

M

inistry of Health won the female segment of the Inter Ministries female 7-a-side Tapeball competition which was contested on Saturday at Durban Park. Ministry of Health defeated Region three in the final. Batting first, Ministry of Health managed 48 -3 in four overs, while Region three responded with 22-5.

The competition was sponsored by T and T taxi service and West Indian Sports Complex.

national governing body and the union “respect the decision of the Australian government to pause travel from India until at least May 15 and will not seek exemptions.”

“CA is in direct contact with the BCCI as they work through plans to ensure the safe accommodation and repatriation of Australian players, coaches, match officials and commentators back home.”

There are 11 English players in the IPL. Britain is currently imposing quarantine on incoming travelers.

“We are in close contact with our players and staff in India as arrangements are put in place for them to return home safely,” the England and Wales Cricket Board said.

“The ECB understands the BCCIs decision to postpone the competition for the safety and wellbeing of those involved, and thanks the BCCI for its commitment to do everything in its powers to arrange for the secure and safe passage of all those taking part in the competition.”

New Zealand Cricket said it was in contact with its players in the IPL, including captain Kane Williamson, and would continue to liaise with authorities in India and Britain about getting players out. New Zealand begins a tour of England shortly, including a test against India in the world championship final next month.

“The players are in a relatively safe environment and those within affected teams are in isolation,” NZC said. “At this juncture it’s too early to discuss potential options.”

The Kolkata-Bangalore (Continued on page 35)