K
Knife Wednesday Edition NEWS bandits rob teen AIETEUR
October 21, 2020 - Vol. 15 No.40
Online: www.kaieteurnews.com
Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly
Price $80
- celebrate next to her house, threaten family
Online readership yesterday, 109,197
Guyanese... Stop your leaders from deceiving you! Pressure them for full disclosures on all deals!
Ramotar agreed for Guyana to repay Canje owners 1% royalty - in short, Guyana gets nothing governments, CDC monitoring sinking Different same poor leadership oil vessel off Venezuela
Over 100 community health workers were hired without documentation by coalition govt. - haven’t been paid for eight months
Guyana’s Local Content Policy must create long-term value for generations to come - Expert
Tw o s u c c e s s i v e governments, one type of political leadership all the time. Nothing changes. When the previous government was in power, it shouted about how many it was going to imprison. Its pretended targets are still free and laughing their heads off in scorn and disdain. This new government assumes office and screams the same stupidities about locking up crooked opposition operators, and now it is the turn of those political foes to smirk and mock the government. As we look at both of them, we observe the same ugly vulgarities. They are so naked that a blind man could see them. The previous government set of people
tek money at the side fuh gun license, dis one follow suit. The former government people charge something under the table for house lots, this one does the same thing. The prior government operators apply a special personal fee for land and permits and doing business in this country and, guess what, the new government likes this way so much that it keeps doing the same things over and over. Governments change, practices stay the same, perpetrators celebrate, citizens lament, and the ugly governance vulgarities continue. Guess who is trapped in the middle? YOU! Guess who vote for these people for them to Lord it over us and feast on us? YOU!
Guyanese: No more ‘Nancy stories’ from our leaders; DEMAND that they tell ALL about our wealth!
Wednesday October 21, 2020
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Guyana’s Local Content Policy must create long-term value for generations to come – Expert When looking at the sheer scale of its oil and gas discoveries, it is clear that Guyana has in its hands an enviable amount of wealth. But to ensure that resource benefits its citizenry – the true owners of this patrimony – the politicians in office have to get a few things right. According to Chatham House Associate Fellow, Dr. Valerie Marcel, one of those things is an effective Local Content Policy that is backed by robust laws. Such a policy serves to guide oil companies on how they must go about giving first preference to local businesses and how they are expected to train and hire citizens to be part of their operations. Dr. Marcel cautioned that in creating such a document however, Guyana needs to think long term and keep its eyes fixed on outlining provisions that create value that would last for years to come and under economic different circumstances. Expounding on this front, the expert said, “When you have a string of small or big discoveries, there is often a rush among university students to go into petroleum engineering or geophysics. But there are very few jobs required in that very specialized field. Also, companies will be willing to train some of them but it will be limited.” Instead of training scores of Guyanese in those specialized areas, Dr. Marcel said the new oil
of the economy. That helps to guard against the dependence on the oil sector.” The expert added, “If you are only training very specialized skills, or producing manufacturers for the petroleum sector, it then sort of gives you narrow options in terms of market. So I think that that’s something to consider.” Further to this, the Chatham House Fellow said that Guyana can also consider creating a local content policy that takes into account, the global movement to cleaner sources of energy such as solar, hydro and
Chatham House Fellow, Dr. Valerie Marcel producing state would be better served in conducting training for vocational skills which can be applied to other sectors of the economy. Dr. Marcel said, “Welders and electricians, those kinds of vocational skills are very much in demand during the construction phase, if you will, of the oil projects. The advantage with this is that if the oil sector is in decline, if there are too many jobs for the welders available, they can also be used in other parts of the economy. So you have that dual-use or that ability to deploy them to serve other sectors
Govt. allocating millions for unpaid municipality salaries The government will allocate $2 million to each municipality to ensure that town council staffers, who have not been paid for months, receive wages and salaries. Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall announced that the sum will be released this week, after the government recognises that municipalities have not been able to generate revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic and sought to assist. “The Government has made a decision to release funds in support of the expenditure incurred by municipalities to pay staff in this specific case, with each municipality set to receive $2 million,” Minister Dharamlall said. He noted that Ministry of Finance has advised him that the funds will be released to each municipality by this week. Meanwhile, Minister Dharamlall made it clear that government will be moving to have audits of the expenditure of the municipalities. During 2015 – 2019, Georgetown revenue totalled $10.7 billion; Linden, $1.2 billion; New Amsterdam, $645 million, while Corriverton, Anna Regina and Rose Hall garnered $425 million, $272 million, $216 million respectively. The Minister said the municipalities have managed their resources poorly.
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall “I believe with an audit or at least 10 audits … in these local democratic organs, we will be able to get a good idea of what are the gaps and where are the inefficiencies so we can work with the administration of these municipalities to manage their resources better,” Minister Dharamlall said. He added that they will have to sit and design the Terms of Reference for the audits. The news follows protest action by staffers from the Anna Regina Town Council last week over their unpaid salaries.
wind. In this regard, Dr. Marcel said, “The reality is that local content is seen through a different lens than two years ago. Now we’re seeing this really quickening pace in the energy transition and the future is uncertain for the oil sector. So you don’t wanna put too many eggs in one basket and you wanna think about that diversification of skills, supporting different sectors in the economy.” Chatham House, a global champion for transparency and accountability which Dr. Marcel has
been with for more than a decade, has on numerous occasions, advocated for emerging producers to ensure their local content policies provide the platform for creating long term value as opposed to simply hiring/training and using local services. In fact, the non-governmental organization based in London, has said that nations should also seek investments in state of the art institutions that would train generations to come not just for oil but for other sectors of the economy such as agriculture.
With billions in play, US jails, fines candidates for not reporting campaign donations By Kemol King In the United States, candidates face serious penalties including fines and jail time if they don’t produce campaign finance reports in a timely manner, or otherwise breach campaign finance laws. For instance, in March 2015, a US District Judge sentenced the Connecticut Republican Lisa Wilson-Foley to five months imprisonment, one year of probation, and a fine of US$20,000 plus the cost of her incarceration and monitoring, for breaking federal campaign finance laws during her bid for election to the US House of Representatives. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Gustafson said that “While seeking election to the U.S. House of Representatives, Lisa Wilson-Foley conspired to hide from the electorate payments made to a shadow operative hired to assist her campaign both quietly and on the radio.” The penalty faced by Foley is one of several, indicative that, unlike Guyana, the US places much stock in scrutinizing the money received and spent by candidates, to ensure the public is kept up to speed on how money impacts political campaigns. Providing such scrutiny tends to take a lot of work, and is managed by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The agency independently regulates campaign finances and enforces the nation’s campaign finance laws. The need for such an agency is made evident from the sheer complexity of the US electoral system and the magnitude of money passing through candidates’ campaigns. The FEC produces publicly accessible reports which are monitored by the press and watchdogs, creating a voracious web of scrutineers for politicians’
finances. In the US, elections happen frequently, for Mayors, Senators, Congressmen, and other officials. Their campaigns rely heavily on money to make an impact with voters. The three US presidential candidates who have raised the most money for their 2020 bids jointly account for more than US$2 billion,
magnitude of money passing through the very highest echelon of the US electoral system. Executive Director of the nonpartisan, non-profit Centre for Responsive Politics, Sheila Krumholz told reporters during a briefing on September 30 of the importance of transparency in the movement of money during elections. “So without transparency,” Krumholz said, “where we can’t consider the source of the money fueling political campaigns or the motivations driving it, we are all operating with one hand tied behind our backs.” With the advent of Guyana’s oil industry, the impact of money on the South American nation’s elections is no longer one of generally local proportions. International interest in Guyana has peaked. In the months leading up to the elections, political commentators had wondered whether oil companies, and their lobbyists and interest groups would seek to influence the outcome of Guyana’s elections. Throughout the five-month electoral stalemate, several powerful international organizations, nations and watchdogs commented frequently on Guyana’s electoral situation. Some politicians asserted that this was due to the influence of
as of October 20. At the top of the list is billionaire businessman, Michael Bloomberg with more than US$1.1 billion spent on a primary campaign which lasted just over three months. Democratic nominee, Joe Biden trails him at a distance with US$540 million, while the incumbent Republican nominee, President Donald Trump has raised US$476 million so far. These figures represent the
lobbyist firms hired by the major political parties. Yet, there is virtually no conversation on campaign finance. During the 2020 election cycle, Guyanese politicians only vaguely endorsed calls for campaign finance reform when journalists posed questions. However, the topic did not feature in their manifestos, and nothing has been said of it during political discourse on electoral reform.
Executive Director, Centre for Responsive Politics, Sheila Krumholz
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Wednesday October 21, 2020
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL - Tel: 624-6456 Editor: Sharmain Grainger Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
IBM split – lessons for Guyana What we have is not working, no matter how generously viewed, how expansively intellectualized. Guyana, as it stands now, as a country in the regular meaning of what it takes to embody a nation, is not working. It does not bode well for a successful future, given the state of near war that is now a constant in daily living, in present and future visions of how things should be. There is no intention to be provocative or revolutionary on our part; it is revealing where things are, and where they usually lead in the affairs of men. For starters, the oil has made barbarians of us. What should have been uplifting to all of us has dragged us down. Elections and democracy are not solutions, they merely serve to intensify and expose the fractures and how terribly those fragment us, how raw we are with our rank prejudices. As a society, we exist as part of a losing proposition that is celebrated by the winning half and condemned furiously by the defeated rest. What do we hold on to if not for a turn at the power wheel? What if not for a much dreamed-about and hoped-for opportunity to help ourselves at the expense of those who once oppressed? What, if not to continue the same sordid system of governance and existence that has been ours, without interruption? When close personal relationships of the most intimate kind do not work out, furnish a record of clashing with what was once cherished, of brutalizing memories and daily hostilities in the closest confines, then a certain inevitability occurs. At its best, there is going to the courts for a ruling on degrees of undeniable incompatibilities that lead to irreconcilable differences. Some accept and go their separate ways to restart, to reengineer themselves, and to begin living again in a more uplifting fashion. On the other hand, and in the worst-case scenario, when hard differences unleash the worst of passions, then the courts are not the sober choice made. Instead, it is of the coffin that stands as silent or screaming, resigned or repelling, testimony of what went wrong, what was not acted upon early, and what was held on to in the futile hope of the carving out something, when there was actually nothing on which to go. That is the sad and sick and sickening story of Guyana, isn’t it? And the worst-case scenario of the coffin - many of them - is what stares in the face, and dangles over the national head, as to what the future holds, given our wretched state of frail side-by-side existence. Denial and distancing from reality, ignoring and hoping for the best, possess all the elements of the selfdestructive. This is how far we have gone. It is the situation faced by companies that are unfettered by external relationships. IBM of a century’s vintage, an iconic global presence, made the hard decision recently to break into two. The leadership vision is not to be bogged down and be left behind by the legacies of enterprises that cripple the company. Side-by-side, but as independent entities, the old shell and the newly created offspring will have to exist for the benefit of the whole. As decisions go, it had to be a most wrenching one. But crucial and groundbreaking crossroads as these are not arrived at on the basis of sentiments and emotions, or of memories shackled to the past and perpetuating a present that lacks any probability of success. For IBM, the time had come for a single decision: it had to be breakup to shape up and measure up in the furiously competitive global technology world. The alternative was staying put and hoping to get lucky. From every indication, lucky is what we gamble on to bring desired results, through some rare, unprecedented exercise of sanity from leaders and citizens. That looks as likely as the cow jumping over the moon. Moral suasion has no foundation here. Democracy is best loved in its abstractions. Ethical and transformational leadership are deader than the Dead Sea. Yet these are what this nation bets to cure it and make it rise. If we continue this way, we could cannibalize each other.
An Ambassador Extraordinaire, indeed DEAR EDITOR, I observe United States Ambassador to Guyana, Her Excellency, Ms. Sarah Ann Lynch, and I behold a peerless producer. No! I do not mean that she works for ExxonMobil or MGM. Her Excellency has been the epitome of American resourcefulness, ingenuity, and can-do attitude. Man, does she speak softly, walk stealthily, and carry a big stick! It is what US used to beat Guyanese leaders into abject submission. Her Majesty, this uncrowned Queen of Guyana (pardon me), Her Excellency, has done her job so well that I foresee her rising to the level of Assistant Secretary for Hemispheric Affairs, where she can watch over her Guyanese handiwork. It has been grand American work that supersedes the Monroe Doctrine, which Ambassador Lynch just took to new summits by her singular deeds. She has done so well that American Foreign Policy in this region should be renamed the Lynch Legacy; she could be running mate for candidate Pompeo. I am serious. I detect in the irrepressible Ms. Lynch a force that just cannot be
denied. At least, not by the Lilliputians Guyana has for leaders. She took over GECOM, became the walking embodiment of Guyana’s Constitution, made the Coalition eat crow, and have PPP leaders eating out of her hands, while lining up to worship at her throne. It must be a sight for sore American psyches to watch diehard communists crumble, sell out Cheddi Jagan and kowtow before the American business express that rolled over Guyana. Vladimir cannot be amused. This American superstar is like some god (well almost) in that she speaks, and doors open automatically in Guyana. The international airports lift barriers, roll out red carpets to greet those bringing US$200B gifts with customary Guyanese hospitality, those highflying American eagles that touched down on this once disdained wilderness. In the American Deep South, they would be cursed as carpetbaggers. A government man of god (so he says) rushed to welcome bigger gods in acknowledgement of their place in the great Guyanese oil firmament. I get a sense of how the Saudis felt a hundred
years ago, how the Kazaks and Uzbeks and Cossacks were awed by the grand American entrances in the 1990s. It is nice to be near to history. In all this, I laud the work of Ambassador Lynch, who should-and would-be rewarded with Guyana’s highest honours when she departs. From the opposition’s perspective, it can’t be soon enough. Talk about sour grapes, spoilsports and grumpy old men…! Oh well, but all is well that ends well. And for that, I thank the goodly American Ambassador for showing to untutored Guyanese natives the hallmarks of democracy. Like how to count (elections), what to disclose (Payara and such), who to do business with (Exxon), who to give up (Venezuela), who to neutralize (the Chinese). Who said the American Century was dead? That it is a has-been, a faded force? I wonder how PPP leaders are going to pacify their chief commissar Comrade Putin with all of this. And while on this wondering trip, I return to my favourite people, who are Americans, of course. Up until recently, anti-money laundering and narco-
trafficking were all the rage, I wonder where those fit into the new pictures and new visions of new governance. I wonder since, as the erudite Ambassador and her people know very well, some of the major elections season money men for the ruling PPP (and the PNC-led coalition) feature prominently on their watch lists and interdiction plans. As we pursue democracy and transparency here, I respectfully remind Her Excellency that the American people must not be made to suffer. She knows who and what I mean. The U.S. had given Noriega a pass for a long time, perhaps something similar could be worked out with PPP leaders and contributors, so that everybody is happy, no relationships menaced. For all these attributes, attitudes, and actions-expressions of American power-Guyana owes a debt of gratitude to Ambassador Sarah Ann Lynch. Well done, Ma’am. My closing thought is how do I feature in this? I could end up like the Shah of Iran…. Not to worry, the big man up there is in charge of me. Sincerely, GHK Lall
Best IPL Cricket So Far DEAR EDITOR, IPL 2020, the 13th edition of the Indian 20 overs professional cricket league, has been the most exciting edition that I have followed. It has been cricket at its best. This year has some of the best performances I ever watched in person or live on TV – extraordinary, spectacular, amazing, sensational, exhilarating; Guyanese are expressing opinions about them in New York and on social media describing some matches and last Sunday’s as the best they ever watched; unforgettable, some say. It is for me the best IPL season so far and I followed all the seasons even attending a few games in person. (I did attend a few games in India in previous editions of IPL and they were great experience – worth attending, quality games and visiting India is highly recommended). In IPL 2020, there were fielding heroics (reminiscent of Jonty Rhodes’ leaps and dives two decades ago), unbelievable catching, brilliant batting even from the aging Chris Gayle, terrific bowling including among West Indians like Dwayne Bravo and Sunil Narine (now suspended), superb wicket keeping even from the old man MS Dhoni. A few
matches were super thrilling and nail biting. There were cliffhanger matches that went down to the last ball or last over. One could not ask for better quality cricket, and that is why the IPL is so special, the most watched, and the most advertised of all 20/20 professional leagues around the globe. They are also the most lucrative and have most highly paid players with some earning as much as US$1.5 M a season. This year’s games are played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) because the Indian government has not given permission in light of the challenges posed by COVID. A few of the IPL matches were also played in UAE last year because of India’s mammoth elections when security would have been too taxing. This year’s IPL is played in a bubble (no audience or players interaction with the public) just like the CPL 2020 and the WI tour of England summer gone. (UAE is comprised of seven ‘semi’ independence states — Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al Khaimah, and Umm al Quwain. The matches are played in the first three, which have huge multi-purpose stadiums that host cricket matches for
the millions of guest workers from South Asia. They are beautiful places to visit, memorable experience and worth a trip as I did over a decade ago. One flies into Dubai or Abu Dhabi and take a bus or a taxi a short distance to the visit the others. They are good test cases for economists and policymakers to study development of developing economies and how to avoid the Dutch Disease). The most exciting matches of this season were played last Sunday (but many other matches were also very entertaining) when both games were tied and had to be resolved with super-overs, a rarity in cricket. One over is bowled when a game is tied and the team that scores the more runs in that over wins. Only two wickets can fall in that over or else the innings is over and that did happen in an earlier match. There were a couple of super-overs early in the season. One match last Sunday had two super-overs because the first super-over was also tied necessitating another one. It was somewhat reminiscent of the 50 overs world cup in London in 2019 when the final was tied and had to be resolved by a super-over that was also tied with England declared winner
because it scored more boundaries than New Zealand in their innings. That World Cup final and the double super-over match or both matches of last Sunday were the greatest matches I ever saw or perhaps the world ever saw. They were incredible performances. The performances of all the teams were great and they all deserved to win. Any team could have won the matches. The first match (early in the day) in UAE was between Kolkota and Hyderabad that ended in the tie. Kolkota won the super-over. The other (late evening match) was more captivating because it required two super-overs to get a winner between Punjab and Mumbai. It was nail biting. All eyes were on TV; activities came to a stop until the last ball. Punjab won. West Indian players were in the thick of the competition so far in UAE including in the batting and bowling as well as in the drama on Sunday. Trinidadian Nicholas Pooran on the final delivery of the super-over with his brilliant throw led to a run out and a tied match. Pooran also cracked a six in the regular match that led to a tie. Chris Gayle, in the same team (Punjab) as Pooran, in the double super-over also (Continued on page 6)
Wednesday October 21, 2020
An overprint error, but nothing special about it DEAR EDITOR, Apart from the two subject areas of Geography, History and the worth of stamps, we do encounter some other strange readings as the days go by...The British Guiana over print two cents stamp which I am attaching for viewing reads ‘1966 Independence 1966’ and it should have read, ‘Guyana Independence 1966.’ I believe it’s considered an error but nothing special about it. Perhaps I can be
corrected on the following. I was informed that the overprinting might have been done locally in Guyana way back then and it should have been catalogued more, but Guyana became very unpopular and flooded the market with hundreds of issues in the 1970’s. If you try googling (on Google), I doubt anything will show up on this stamp in question or an image. So, I think there might still be some around and persons who come by any should still hang on to them for posterity. Yours faithfully T. Pemberton
It might be more economical to continue working the power stations on HFO and Diesel DEAR EDITOR, Gas-to-shore power plant should be coterminous to a Deep Water Harbour, Export Processing Zone and an Industrial and Manufacturing Energy Frontier. The location of the gas-to-shore power plant should be conceptualized within a holistic framework of a new Energy Frontier where it should be coterminous with a deep-water port, light and heavy manufacturing industries and an Export Processing Zone. This Gas Turbine Power Plant should be the central power station bank for the Berbice Demerara Interconnected Grid with a capacity of approximately 300MW which would adequately supply all our
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present and projected national energy consumption. This type of reliable and affordable power should be in a cluster with the other industries such as a small Refinery, LPG plant (cooking gas), fertilizer plant, agro industries, plastics, polymers , chemical, pharmaceuticals and a host of others assembly and light manufacturing plants. The rationale being that industries that will require uninterrupted power supply by generating their own power will be in great position to pipe the natural gas from the shore- to-gas plant that will be in close proximity and utilize it to run their plant. A deep-water port close by will enhance the movement of
materials for manufacturing as well as export. A cost benefit analysis of supplying natural gas to existing power stations at Kingston, Vreed-en-Hoop, Garden of Eden and Canefield should be examined as against the cost of retrofitting their limited percentage of available engines that could be converted to work with natural gas. It might well be more economical to continue working these power stations on HFO and Diesel. Citing of the shore-to-gas power plant in the most feasible location can be our harbinger to place Guyana in the realm of a modern Industrial nation. Yours sincerely, Reggie Bhagwandin
That world class performance DEAR EDITOR, I recently perused an interesting article in the print media about an outstanding bowling performance by Curtly Ambrose in Australia during 1993. The headline screamed, “The pitch was ripe for fast bowling.” Ambrose explains lack of love for magical seven for one against Australia in 1993. The missive was based on an interview conducted on Mason and Guest radio programme. Editor, please permit me to share with your readers some more titillating issues on that world class performance and other facts relating to the 1993 tour ‘Down Under’ as outlined by Ambrose in his book, “Curtly Ambrose - Time To Talk,” with Richard Sydenham. According to Curtly, on the first morning of the match, he looked at the pitch and told his captain that it looked ‘ ripe for fast bowling. ‘It wasn’t green but it had some grass and moisture and was hard. He suggested to the skipper that if he wins the toss, the West Indies will win the match and the series. It was the final test match of the series. Both sides had each won a test. A bit of that test series later. The great Allan Border won the toss and surprisingly elected to bat first despite the fact that he had three top class fast bowlers Craig McDermott, Merve Hughes and Jo Angel rearing to do damage to the West Indies batting on a track that was conducive to fast bowling. Australia started pretty well, reaching 59 for 2 at lunch with Justin Langer and Steve Waugh back in the pavallion. Both wickets fell to Ian Bishop. Ambrose was angry with himself as he felt that he bowled badly although his figures were 0 for 14 off eight
overs. He opined that he did not get the line and length right so the batsmen were able to leave a lot of deliveries. Seventeen of his first eighteen balls were dot balls with the batsmen not playing at most of them. Hence, his performance was prosaic when compared to the high standards, which he established for himself. He was angry and sat alone in the dressing room during the luncheon period. After lunch, he asked his captain to bowl first and got his wish. He then proceeded to dismantle the opposition with a peerless performance of 7 for 1 off thirty two deliveries. Damien Martyn scored that significant single. His final figures were 7 for 25. The host was dismissed for 119. In their turn at the batting crease, the West Indies scored 322. Batting a second time, Australia did a little better but the boys from the Caribbean rolled them over again for an innings victory inside three days. Ian Bishop took 6 for 40. Ambrose got two wickets. It could have been three but Phil Simmond dropped a slip catch. This is how Ambrose described his performance, “There was no one in world cricket at the time who could have subdued me. Not Sir Donald Bradman in his pomp, or Sir Viv Richards or Sir Garfield Sobers. I was unstoppable. Everything was perfect. “In rating his performance, Ambrose explained, “For pure rhythm it has to be tops, but I rate it fourth in terms of importance to the match situation as it was day one.
My 8 for 45 in Barbados and my 6 for 24 in Trinidad (both against England) and 6 for 34 against South Africa in Barbados were more crucial to the results of those games, which were all won. Maybe you can argue that 7 for 25 effectively decided the Perth Test as early as day one, but there was still a lot of cricket to be played.” Desmond Haynes recalled, “Watching a guy bowled at that level where it looked like he was going to get a wicket with every ball that to me was phenomenal. That is not normal. It was clear that it was only a matter of time before he bowled those guys out.” Courtney Walsh commented, “when he came back after lunch, he produced the best spell of fast bowling that I was privileged to see and I’ve seen a few while playing with Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Patrick Patterson. But that spell was something special. It was awesome to be part of.” Now, a bit about the test series. When the West Indies team left Barbados for Australia, there were no member of the West Indies Cricket Board there to see them off. There was no Richards, Greenidge, Marshall or Dujon. Richardson was an inexperienced captain. There were a few rookies like Jimmy Adams, Anderson Cummins, David Williams, Kenneth Benjamin, Junior Murray and Phil Simmons. Brian Lara had played only two tests up to (Continued on page 6)
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Restructuring the Public Service DEAR EDITOR, Recently, there have been spates of appointments (intended to replace disappointments) more conspicuously at the levels of a) Permanent (?) Secretary and b) Regional Executive Officer. It is uncertain whether these transitions were effected as part of a transformational process of the Public Service as a whole. There may be those who would have recollected that between 2002 and 2004, at least two Public Sector Modernisation Projects were undertaken by the Government of Guyana. The vision, which resulted from extensive discussion, was expressed as follows: “Within ten (10) years, the Guyana Public Service will be a customer driven institution providing quality services for the economic stability and sustained development of Guyana through the 21st century. The Public Service will be small, comparatively well paid, efficient and effective, undertaking planning, supervisory and regulatory functions, facilitating and encouraging investment and the Private Sector; and operating within sustainable cost limits related to national economic performance.” In the Consultancy Report of May 2002, the then Minister of Public Service was quoted, amongst other things, as follows: “The advent of globalisation and its adverse effects on the global economy has made it
indisputably necessary for governments to reform the public services. It must be recognised that a radically different way of doing things in the public services must be adapted. The new era will require a more flexible institution and the emphasis must be on strategic approaches to planning. The informed public sector therefore must be infused with new values, a higher sense of mission and purpose, and be totally conceptualised with a spirit of new professionalism. There must be a new management style of getting results.” The study identified five cornerstones on which to modernise Guyana’s Public Sector Management, namely: i) Strengthen policy development and coordination; ii) Build performance management and evaluation structure; iii) Establish a new human resources management infrastructure; iv) Develop a management framework for arm’s length agencies, and strengthen their accountability; Unfortunately, the extant evidence is that nobody governing (or indeed opposing) seems to be aware of the recommended new dispensation. So that with all the talk about human resources management, Guyana, of all the Caricom countries (and indeed the rest of the world), can still boast of Personnel
Officers: Chief Principal Senior Officer II & I a cumulative effrontery to the concept and practice of Human Resources Management. Most of the incumbents therefore have but little sapiential, moral or organisational authority to develop any human resources within their respective Ministries. In the meantime the Government of Guyana, over past decades, has substantively restructured the definition and image of the ‘public servant’; while effectively emasculating the constitutional process by which the latter should be recruited, developed and promoted. The platform of ‘pensionable’ public service has shifted very fundamentally to that of a playing field for ‘contracted employees’ – gratuitously (to use a bad pun) compensated at the rate of 22.5% of negotiable salary every six months, instead of a pension. The foregoing of course hold a number of human resources implications, amongst which the following are included: i) The rationale for giving priority to recruitment on contract rather than a pensionable employment basis, more so without the formulation of a policy that ensures consistency of application; ii) Having by-passed
...That world class performance From page 5 that point. The senior players were Ambrose, Walsh, Haynes, Richardson and Hooper. Few gave them a chance against the mighty Aussies led by Allan Border. The first test at Brisbane was a draw. Keith Arthurton scored 157 not out. Australia won the second test. Emerging leg spinner Shane Warne mesmerised the West Indies batsmen with figures of 7 for 52 in the second innings. The third test was drawn. It is apposite to note that during that match Brian
Charles Lara displayed to the cricketing world that he had true world class potentials. He smashed a breathtaking 277 run out. He later became a multiple world record holder. According to Tony Cozier that masterpiece by Lara lifted the spirits of the West Indies players who were one down in the series and served as a motivator for them to win the series. West Indies won the fourth test by one of the closest margin of victory, one run, despite many clear cut decisions going against them. In those days, there were no television replays. As
alluded to above, the West Indies slaughtered Australia in the fifth test, thanks to the exceptional performance of Curtly Ambrose. The visitors won the series 2 to 1. Unlike their departure for the tour, they were given a hero’s welcome by the West Indies Cricket Board when they returned home. I can go on but I think that the time is ripe for me to close my innings. Yours faithfully, Clinton Conway Assistant Commissioner of Police (Retired)
the constitutional authority of the Public Service Commission, there appears no credible alternative regulatory mechanism for monitoring the efficacy of the recruitment process; iii) The rapidity of expansion of this grouping gives cause for enquiring about: the precision of Job Descriptions, if any; the consistency of specifications for even the same job in different Agencies; the competency of interviewing panels (if in fact there are such functionaries who in any case may have also been contracted); how explicitly formalised are the accountability relationships; the existence of an effective performance evaluation process, particularly since the halfyearly gratuity payable to ‘contract employees’ is normally based on what is euphemistically described as ‘satisfactory performance’; despite the fact that the ‘contract’ arrangement facilitates easy separation on either side, it does, however, leave the more effective performer disposed to movement to greener markets; implying a certain vulnerability to the particular agency’s ability to sustain the level of needed delivery capacity; the potentially discomfiting issue of ‘contracted employee’ and traditional ‘public servant’ performing the same duties alongside each other, with the latter being disadvantageously compensated, given the element of bargaining embedded in the recruitment process of the former.
With the Public Service Commission having been bypassed, it may not be unreasonable to assume that the recently rushed appointees have been employed on contract – consistently defiant of the recommendation of the Commission of Inquiry Report on the Public Service to, so to speak, ‘re-traditionalise longevity of employment’ so that there could be reasonable predictability of sustainable quality services to taxpayers, so fundamentally by-passed. The confusion inherent in a disaggregation of ‘pensionable’ from ‘contracted’ employment must obviously spill over into any system (if at all existing) of measuring performance. The first group just bides time for pension; the other may just possibly be incentivised by the prospect of gratuity at the rate of 22.5% of salary, payable every six months. When they work alongside one another at the same job, it provides for an imbalanced measurement of performance. The fact is, however, that any performance evaluation system that existed in the Public Service has long disappeared. Indeed it is unheard of by most current employees, but for exceptional disciplinary cases. Tax-paying clients can therefore reasonably ask what coordinated systems and procedures are utilised to identify strengths and weaknesses within, and across, Public Service Agencies in order to inform grounds for structured remedial action, as well as for training and developmental interventions. In the latter regard, questions may reasonably be asked about the data used to identify: specific groups and
levels of under-performers specific individuals or groups of potentials for growth the formulation of appropriate developmental programmes to address perceived weaknesses personnel with relevant competencies to undertake the required examinations and remedial actions in turn the capacity to select the latter It is in relation to the above uncertainties that concerned professionals must insist on the substantive reformation of the Personnel Function in the Guyana Public Service to that of the Human Resources Function practised in counterpart Public Sector Agencies, but more so critically recognisable by the increasing numbers of resident foreign companies; as well as contrasting with long years of application by regional and international agencies and governments. Guyana’s is an unenviable exception. As aforementioned our budget still carries: Chief Personnel Officer Principal Personnel Officer Senior Personnel Officer Personnel Officer II &I Quite possibly, all in need of not only relevant training, but at the higher levels of developing relevant leadership capability. It may therefore not be so bad an idea to challenge the new Permanent Secretaries and Regional Executive Officers to team up with colleagues to conceptualise an effective transformational programme – in their own interests as team leaders. E.B. John
...Best IPL Cricket So Far From page 4 cracked a towering six that paved the way for victory in the super super-over. Pooran is among the players in line for player of series award for his hard hitting but his involvement in the competition would be cut short as he is on the team to
leave for New Zealand later this month; he toured NZ the last time WI was there before breaking bones in his leg in an accident in Trinidad. He has been an exciting player this year in England, Trinidad and now UAE and the IPL has helped him, Shimron Hetmyer, as well as several
other international players to hone in their skills and talent. Fans look forward for the rest of the IPL season. If the standard in past games is to go by, the remaining twenty games promise to be very exciting. Yours truly Vishnu Bisram
Wednesday October 21, 2020
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Wednesday October 21, 2020
Ramotar agreed for Guyana to repay Canje owners one percent royalty - In short, Guyana gets nothing
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here has been much discourse over the industry low two percent royalty Guyana is getting from ExxonMobil’s oil production in the Stabroek Block. However, the deal granted to the owner of the Canje Block owner pales in comparison. When former President and Minister of Petroleum, Donald Ramotar signed away the Canje Block on March 4, 2015, he not only agreed to a royalty rate of one
percent, he also agreed that Guyana would repay every cent. The fiscal terms of the contract denote that the funds gained from the sale of the oil or gas will be split 50/50 between the Contractor and the Government, after the Contractor recoups its investment. The royalty is what should have also been payable by the Contractor of a percentage of all oil and gas produced and sold. In this contract, the
royalty is being paid to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) from the Government’s share of Profit Oil. The Contract states at Article 15.6 “The Government’s share of Profit Oil… includes royalty payable by the Contractor at the rate of one percent (1%) of Crude Oil produced and sold, and delivery to the Minister… of his share of Profit Oil equivalent to royalty shall constitute
Former Minister of Natural Resources, Robert Persaud
payment of such royalty in kind.” Hence, even though the owner(s) of the Canje Block will pay no royalty, the books will say that royalty has been paid. Effectively, Guyana gets no royalty from the production of oil or gas in the Canje Block. Tullow Guyana and its partners, Eco-Atlantic and Total, benefit from a similar
Former President and Minister of Petroleum, Donald Ramotar
provision in the Orinduik Block agreement. This provision is just one of several, which severely diminish Guyana’s share of revenue from any possible production in the Canje Block, if oil is found, as oil is one of the major revenue sources oil-producing nations depend on in the petroleum industry. The award, advised by
former Natural Resources Minister Robert Persaud, was made to the local company, Mid-Atlantic Oil & Gas, of which Dr. Edris Kamal Dookie is the sole shareholder. JHI Associates (17.5 percent), ExxonMobil (Operator – 35 percent) and Total SE (35 percent) have since farmed into the block, and are all set to benefit from the effective royalty waiver.
Kaieteur News
Wednesday October 21, 2020
PAGE 09
The Rebel with a Cause
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he following column is being republished, in an edited form, in honour of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Janet Jagan, former President of Guyana. We should have been dancing in the streets. On International Women’s Day 2011, Guyana received one of its greatest honours ever with the naming of Mrs. Janet Jagan as one of history’s most rebellious women. Never in our history has such a tribute been paid to any woman in Guyana, as that year’s listing by Time Magazine of the former President of Guyana as among the sixteen foremost r e b e l s i n h i s t o r y. That a person who lived most of her life on our soil could have been recognized as one of the outstanding women in history, even as a rebel, is the best news this country has ever had on any International Women’s Day. And to have been part of a list which includes the likes of Aung San Suu Kyi, Angela Davis, Vilma Espin and Nadizhda Krupshaya, shows the high regard in which Mrs. Jagan is held internationally. Of those on the list, Mrs. Jagan would have identified with only two, Angela Davis and the Burmese activist Aung San Suu Kyi who was under house arrest for fifteen years. Mrs. Jagan was the lone voice in Guyana calling for Suu Kyi’s release. The Burmese authorities catapulted last November and freed her from house arrest. Mrs. Jagan unfortunately
was not alive to see that great event. Nor did she live to see the atrocities which Suu Kyi committed a few years back. The inclusion of Mrs. Jagan as one of history’s greatest rebels was not expected to go down well with everyone in Guyana. Instead of nationwide celebrations, there was likely to be a fair degree of resentment within certain quarters in the country that she could be so honoured. Instead of being proud that a woman who lived most of her life in Guyana has been named among the great rebels of history, there is going to be divided opinions about this selection. It goes right back to the divisions within our country and the fact that local politics continue to result in us not appreciating the special persons within our midst. There are many good people in our country. There are many good people in the government. There are many good people within the Opposition. But given the divisions within the society, judgment is often based on a person’s political persuasion. Often we fail to appreciate how highly persons outside of these shores respect our citizens, some of whom we revile and spend a great deal of time putting down. Like most of the other women on the list, this rebel of Guyana, was disliked by many at home purely because of the side of politics on which she stood. As a practitioner in domestic politics she ultimately
attracted detractors. Once you are engaged in domestic politics you will have your enemies. Mrs. Janet Jagan was no exception. She, like many others, was a victim of partisan assessments, a victim of the smear campaign and hatred that is often the product of political frustration by her detractors. Ugly things were said about her and done to her, and there is still a great deal of that around even after her death. Not that she was without her shortcomings. She was a rebel who did not yield easily to opposition. She believed strongly that it was her duty to preserve the party she helped formed and in the process, she ruffled a great deal of feathers. Those with whom she did not see eye to eye came away bitter and bruised. She is still reviled by many. But she is also loved and respected by tens of thousands in Guyana, and as is now evident, she is also highly regarded in history. Perhaps now that she has been named among history’s most rebellious women, a fairer assessment of her contribution to Guyana will be forthcoming. Mrs. Janet Jagan has had her fair share of criticism. But having been listed as one of the all-time rebels of history, she deserves to be honoured as an outstanding citizen of Guyana. Despite being born outside of these shores, she has lived long enough within it to be considered a Guyanese. And she is a naturalized citizen of
Dem boys seh...
Blame it on de rain! Now dat de Review Team done it wuk, Aunty Priya tune change. Dem boys did know dat all de braggadocio would have boiled down to gravy. She now saying dat it is de teachers wah fail de students. Is like if a wukman blame he tools fuh de wuk wah he do. De blame game start but nobody nah gan tek de chance fuh blame Aunty Priya. Not after de feral blast. People like blame others fuh dem own mistake. One man went as far as blaming arithmetic fuh he divorce. He seh dat he wife put two and two together. All of dis mek dem boys remember de story about de day when 100 people in Heaven were sent to meet God. He asked
them, “Who among you are dominated by your wives? Raise your hands and stand at the left”. So, 99 of the men raised their hands and put them down. Then, they proceeded to stand at the left of Heaven’s court. God saw one man still standing on the right side and spoke to the man. ”Well done! Good and faithful servant. You have not followed the ways of the evil world. You have not yielded to your mate. Come and share my happiness.” The man was bewildered and then finally said to God. “I don’t know what I did to get here. My wife just told me to stand here.” Talk half and wait fuh see who gon tek blame...blame it on de rain!
Guyana. It would be fitting if she is given the recognition that is due to her. Not from outside but from within.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Kaieteur News
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Wednesday October 21, 2020
THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN
Eusi Kwayana: The disgraceful fall of an icon This analysis here is addressed specifically to those, who, in the seventies in the struggle for free and fair elections and the removal of the Burnham dictatorship, loved, admired and respected Eusi Kwayana and still do. I ask of them the question; do you still believe in freedom, liberty, justice and humaneness that you once embraced in the seventies and if you do, then, do you still have the same soulful feelings for Kwayana since March 2020 that you once had? From March 2020 from
his attitude to the rigging of the national elections, I am convinced without even a modicum of hesitation and an ounce of doubt in my mind that in the fifties and sixties, Kwayana incited racial feelings and created physical and mental divisions between Africans and Indians. What is regrettable is that those who lived in that era are either in advanced age or have departed this world so they cannot contribute to a revisionist exposure of this man’s negative role in the evolution of an ethnically traumatized country.
Below are the words of Kwayana; not what other people think he said but his own words in his letter in this newspaper yesterday with a most appalling and devilish title, “If I had condemned persons on election rigging, I might have been called as a witness.” Any high school child would know that this emanation is pathetic nonsense that Kwayana should be ashamed of. L e t ’s q u o t e w h a t Kwayana chose not to condemn and what he condemns; what he hasn’t got the facts on and he has the facts on, “A certain journalist (Frederick Kissoon began calling on me from about the 2nd week of March 2020 to condemn certain electoral officials suspected of committing electoral offences. This journalist did not understand why I will not allow myself the liberty of condemning persons on the basis of facts and allegations best known to persons dealing with them.” Now here are the facts that Kwayana knows about of what has taken place in less than two weeks but this same man cannot see or
grasp or understand facts that have been in existence for five months. Read now the devious mind of Kwayana. Vivid pictures come into your head of what this man did to Guyana in the fifties and sixties. He wrote, “Voices have been raised against the type of treatment handed down to the women seen by the authorities as suspects. Without any idea of their involvement, I see the treatment these women have received from the police as a version of that received by women recently brutalized and killed almost as some kind of pastime. I listened to a complaint or protest by the current Leader of the Opposition in Parliament who named two Ministers as “inserting themselves” into the Police investigation process in order to intimidate women suspects and put them under duress when they exercise their right not to make statements.” Do I need to comment on this man’s glaring, graphic and barefaced hypocrisy? Isn’t that hypocritical mind obvious to any human that read this column here on his
double standards? This man openly comments on events that occurred within the time frame of six weeks, a month, two weeks ago. He has the temerity to write that he listened on the radio to what the Opposition Leader said and reproduced the accusation of the Opposition Leader against two current cabinet ministers Yet this very gentleman did not listen and read what formidable international figures had to say about the rigging of the 2020 elections. One radio station beaming to the world (Kaieteur Radio) brought out facts about the rigging for five months in daily broadcast and interviews with those very formidable international figures. Let us list some of those global personalities; the then chairperson of CARICOM, Mia Mottley; the current chairman of CARICOM, Ralph Gonsalves; the current PM of Trinidad; two former CARICOM PMs – Bruce Golding and Owen Arthur; the chairman of the OAS; the head of the commonwealth Secretariat (a Black woman); the former president of Liberia and Nobel laureate –
Frederick Kissoon Ellen Sirleaf; members of the Black Caucus in the US House of Representatives; the head of the United Nations; the UWI Vice – C h a n c e l l o r, a B l a c k historian who writes on Black history and dozens more. In the beginning of this column, I noted that I am addressing specifically those who fought with Kwayana in the seventies. I ask them if they accept this man’s position on the March 2020 election rigging and if they do not see a damning contradiction between his present stance and what he stood for in the seventies. My conclusion is that Kwayana deceived an entire generation of Guyanese. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Wednesday October 21, 2020
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Wednesday October 21, 2020
Regional Health Services in Region Six undergoing transformation W
ith a new Regional H e a l t h Officer in place, improvements in the health services offered in Region Six have been moving fast apace. Briefing the media on what has been taking place over the past few weeks was Regional Health Officer (RHO) Dr. Vishalya Sharma while Regional Chairman David Armogan and
Regional Executive Officer Narendra Persaud were also present. Dr. Sharma disclosed that, as part of the improvements, REO Persaud has been working hand in hand with the Regional Health Service system in the region to ensure that dietary is supplied on time – rhis, the Regional Chairman said has been a sore issue since 2018.
Another improvement is that the New Amsterdam Hospital is now boosted with a SLIT Lamp to screen patients with early diabetic retinopathy and signs of changes to the eye in relation to diabetes. The piece of equipment was donated by the Georgetown Public Hospital. X-ray services at the Skeldon Hospital have also been restored after being out of operation for months
and emergency and scheduled x-rays have recommenced at the Port Mourant Hospital. Armogan said that one of the hurdles was the lack of diagnostic capacity, with doctors treating persons based on only symptoms. “We cannot continue like that in a modern health system,” the Chairman said, “we have to be able to laboratory work on the basis
of that we can start making diagnosis and treatment”. He added that a lot of the laboratory equipment was not in operation and that has been remedied. Kaieteur News was also informed that an ambulance that was parked and out of operation has been fixed and will be utilized while other ambulances that were not working because of mechanical issues will be back up and running. Life for persons who are bedridden will now be somewhat easier as the Specialist Clinics will be restarted. The Specialist Clinic was an initiative executed prior 2015 under the leadership of Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo who was then CEO of the Berbice Regional Health Authority; however, that initiative appeared to be swept under the rug after 2015 and as such has been put on the front burner to be restarted. It will focus on persons who are bedridden at home and in need of medication; a register will be made, and medications will be taken to
them at their homes and the necessary checks will be done on them by a health professional. This will be done once a month. F u r t h e r, A r m o g a n mentioned that the New Amsterdam Hospital is now equipped with two ventilators and an oxygen concentrator to assist in the fight against COVID. Currently in Region Six, there are five new cases bringing the total number to 60 cases recorded, with 51 recoveries and four deaths. It was also mentioned that the temperature testing that was done at the Berbice Bridge entrance (Palmyra) has been stopped because the Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony has asked that it be discontinued since he believes it is “a waste of resources and so those people can be otherwise utilized in workplaces rather than sitting there day and night”. Since its implementation under then Minister of Health, Volda Lawrence, there were no recorded instances were (Continued on page 29)
Knife bandits rob - Celebrate next to teen her house, family Mere minutes after two knife bandits robbed a teenager of her belongings yesterday, they turned up next door to her home to celebrate the stolen booty. Amena Mohamed, 18, was walking along Sussex Street, Charlestown when at around 07:30hrs the bandits rode up behind her on bicycles, Mohamed recalled that she was attacked in the vicinity of George’s Bakery located at the corner of Sussex and Ketley Streets. The young woman detailed that one of the men jumped off, placed a knife to her back and then grabbed her left arm. With Mohamed’s arm held behind her back, the other bandit, whom she described as a tall, slim individual with plaited hair, forcefully relieved her of a single-strap, creamedcoloured purse containing her Samsung J7 cellphone and $24,000 in cash. The men then let go of her and rode off east along Sussex. Mohamed who was at the time heading to work remembered turning around and running back to her home in tears. She told Kaieteur News that upon her arrival, she saw
the same men at a location right next door to her house, celebrating the stolen booty with other boys suspected to be bandits too. Mohamed recounted that her younger brother, seeing her scared and crying, asked her what happened. She told him her tale and pointed that the perpetrators were right next door. According to Mohamed, her brother stormed out and approached the bandits at the location, confronted them and instructed them to return his sister’s belongings. The bandits, she said, mocked and threatened him, “They told him that they will ‘wet’ (kill) his entire family.” Her brother returned empty handed and the matter was subsequently reported to the police. Kaieteur News received information that the two bandits are well known in Albouystown and are part of a gang that roam Georgetown to carry out robberies. One of the suspects was last seen traversing Hill Street, Albouystown dressed in a black vest and brown jeans along with a pair of slippers.
Wednesday October 21, 2020
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Government collaborates with FAO to develop sustainable rural communities Y
e s t e r d a y, t h e Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha said that the Ministry “looks forward to continue working with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to develop sustainable rural communities that will help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).” Minister Mustapha made this announcement during the two-day conference of the 36th FAO Regional Conference, yesterday, where he addressed the Director General of the FAO, the Minister of Agriculture in Nicaragua, delegations from the United Nations, intergovernmental and civil society organizations, the private sector and academia. In his presentation, the Minister stated that the government lauds the FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative, which promotes the goal of achieving the SDGs, particularly SDGs One and Two, while adding that the Ministry of Agriculture is cognizant of the fact that of the 169 targets included in the SDGs, 78% depend on actions undertaken in rural areas of the world. With this, the Minister said, “It is a well-known fact,
that economic growth in agriculture is about three times more effective at reducing poverty and food insecurity than growth in other sectors. As most of our poorest and hungriest live in rural areas and are involved in agricultural activities, investment in agriculture is therefore critical for the resuscitation of rural livelihoods in these times of the COVID-19 pandemic, and enabling the rural economy to recover.” He reminded the conference of the need for a concerted effort in ensuring that there are sustainable agriculture policies and measures that contribute to poverty reduction in the rural communities. The Minister highlighted the need for improving agricultural and rural statistics as a priority of the Government of Guyana, in order to make informed policy decisions for prosperous and inclusive rural communities. The Ministry of Agriculture of Guyana is therefore committed to working with the FAO to prepare a Strategic Plan for Agricultural and Rural Statistics. He went on to list investments as a key
Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha component to strengthening the new rural development agenda. Investment in the development of public goods such as agricultural mechanization, innovation, infrastructure, technical assistance, and access to farm to markets in rural areas is important for development, the Minister stated. Mustapha stated that realistically, it is not feasible for a government budget to sufficiently finance all the projects necessary, therefore increased investments through enhanced international cooperation with organizations such as
the FAO are welcomed. “However, we are aware that funding from international organisations has its limitations and therefore private investment and public-private partnerships are encouraged to increase the coverage of public goods and services, particularly in the rural communities,” he commented.
With regards to poverty reduction, the Minister reminded the conference that the PPP/C Government has committed to investing in the sugar industry, reopening the closed sugar estates, bringing the industry to a break-even point, and creating many socioeconomic benefits for the thousands of persons that will be reemployed. Further, the Ministry of Agriculture of Guyana agrees with the FAO that the vision of the agricultural sector, as a generator of employment, must be expanded to involve related value-added sectors in food production, processing, rural services, and market access, and that these should be supported by policies that stimulate their growth through innovation and investment. In the area of new opportunities, Minister Mustapha highlighted the need for initiatives that will allow the agriculture sector to remain relevant even in an oil-based economy. Against
this, he stated that the government is working towards developing better functioning institutions, training the labour force, and diversifying the agriculturebased economy. “Changes in markets with greater access requirements,” the Minister articulated, “the accelerated pace of technological transformations, and demands for knowledge and management skills impose new challenges for our farming population.” He reminded that technological change is one of the important challenges to be addressed if Guyana is to compete with technologically advanced nations, especially in crops and livestock research initiatives in areas such as artificial insemination and genetic improvements. “Technical cooperation would be welcomed as technological changes will serve as an engine of positive transformation for rural development,” Mustapha said.
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Men wanted for fraud The Guyana Police Force (GPF) yesterday issued wanted bulletins for two men in relation to fraud allegations. James Emanuel Ragnauth, 46, of Lot 187 Para Field, Leonora, West Coast Demerara, is wanted for questioning in relation to obtaining by false pretense committed on ‘Tap N Tiles and others between January 03, 2020 and April 20, 2020. Munishwar Persaud, 50, of Hosororo Stretch, North West District, is also wanted for questioning in relation to Fraudulent Conversion committed on Deocharran
Wednesday October 21, 2020
Post mortem reveals…
Victoria man found in trench died from drowning
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Wanted: James Emanuel Ragnauth Singh on September 06, 2017. A n y o n e w i t h information that may lead to the arrest of Ragnauth and Persaud are asked to contact the police on telephone
Wanted: Munishwar Persaud numbers 226-2870, 2292655, 229-2289, 227-1149, 226-7065, 911 or the nearest police station. All information will be treated with the strictest confidence.
he post mortem (PM) report for Guy Thom, 50, of Victoria Village, East Coast Demerara, whose decomposed body was discovered in a trench on Friday last, revealed that he died as a result of drowning. This was confirmed by Regional Commander, Khali Pareshram. The bloated body was discovered lying face down, in a trench near a community centre ground at Victoria, East Coast Demerara. Police stated in a report that they had received an anonymous call around 14:20hrs on Friday informing them of the corpse’s location. The body was later identified to be that of Thom’s who resides in Victoria. No marks of violence
Dead: Guy Thom were seen about his body to indicate signs of foul play. Persons acquainted with Thom have related to this newspaper that he was at the time of his death suffering from health complications, including diabetes and
vision problems. According to a relative of the deceased, Thom left home on the afternoon of Tuesday October 13, 2020, and he was told not to stay out too late due to his health condition. However, when his relatives realized he didn’t return home, they suggested that he went to visit his sister or brother, since he would normally visit them. The following day contact was made Thom’s brother and sister to inquire if they heard from him but they indicated that they haven’t seen him. The police then contacted the family and informed them of a decomposed body that was found in a trench. The family later identified the body as Thom.
Kaieteur News
Wednesday October 21, 2020
6 top performing E.B.D grade six students receive Lions Club bursary award The Lions Club of Central Demerara on Sunday awarded six top-performing Grade Six students living on the East Bank of Demerara with bursary awards. The awards were given in the presence of the students, their parents, headteachers and other teachers. Those receiving awards were Leikhshaya Lakhraj of the New Diamond/ Grove Primary School who earned a place at Queen’s College with 512 marks; Ashley Warisali of the Covent Garden Primary School who got The Bishops’ High School with 511 marks;
Kevon Hamer of St. Mary’s Primary School who got The Bishops’ High School with 511 marks; Casey Ann Doman of Kuru Kururu Primary School who got The Bishops’ High School with 510 marks; Ciara Gildarie of New Diamond/ Grove Primary School who was awarded The Bishops’ High School with 510 marks; and Dilshan Latchman of New Diamond/ Grove Primary School who was awarded The Bishops’ High School with 510 marks. At the activity, the Lions Club also presented items like hand sanitizers, face
Representatives of the Lions Club
masks, bleach, soap powder and bath soaps to the Society for the Blind. Receiving the items on behalf of the society was Mr. Cecil Morris. Lions Club representatives at the presentation were its President Kandavel Veeramuthu, Annie Rooplall, Dwarka Singh, Dr. Kamrul Bacchus, Ivor English and Lionel Chinian.
PAGE 15
The top 6 grade six performers
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Trans-Guyana Airways launches commercial flights to Barbados
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e g i n n i n g November 1st, 2 0 2 0 , Tr a n s Guyana Airways will introduce five weekly flights to Grantley Adams International Airport, Barbados, from Eugene F. Correia International Airports, Guyana. According to a statement
from the airline, these flights would facilitate travel to and from Barbados as well as connections with British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air Canada, American Airlines, Caribbean Airlines, InterCaribbean & Air Antilles. These flights would occur on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays &
Saturdays, the airline said. “Trans-Guyana Airways prides itself in taking great care to protect the health and safety of its customers and staff. Our procedures are updated regularly in keeping with the most current guidelines from Government and (Continued on page 29)
Wednesday October 21, 2020
Dominica calls for a revisit of lending policies WA S H I N G T O N CMC – Dominica yesterday called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other international lending agencies to revisit their lending policies as developing countries sought more financial and other assistance in dealing with the impact of a changing global environment Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, addressing the IMF Western Hemisphere Department Managing Director’s virtual meeting with Caribbean authorities, said that this moment in history should force everyone including organisations like the IMF “ t o r e v i e w o u r understanding of policies and approaches affect real people. “Indeed balancing lives is as crucial as balancing our books,’ Skerrit said urging the international community “ to throw their collective weight and resources behind our efforts by adopting the vulnerability index as the measure for determining grant concessional financing to small island developing
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit
states (SIDS). He said the index should be designed with the involvement “of our best expertise and should not be a unilateral position” as had been done in the past. He urged additional financing to countries to deal with the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, including vaccines, social programmes and supporting micro-small and medium sized firms. “Providing an additional concessional financing for budget support and relaxing fiscal rules in an appropriate
limited and temperate way to get us through this period of crisis. Skerrit also called for the creation of a growth and resilient fund that can provide easy access to grant financing for resilient projects “that would pay for itself by reducing vulnerability, loss and damage”. Tomorrow, the director of the IMF Western Hemisphere Department, Alejandro Werner will present the IMF’s latest Regional Economic Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Wednesday October 21, 2020
Kaieteur News
APNU+AFC Opposition welcomes overseas help on electoral reform The A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Opposition is in full support of any international assistance being lent to reform Guyana’s electoral laws. Same was revealed on Monday by the Opposition leader, Joseph Harmon who was asked to comment on the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) administration seeking assistance from the Canadian government on electoral reform. Harmon’s statement however, comes after several high ranking member of APNU+AFC are facing heavy accusations of playing a hand in attempting to pervert the will of the people at the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections. Only recently, Guyana’s Attorney General and Legal
Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall announced that government has requested help from the Canadian government to ensure that the harrowing events surrounding the March 2020 do not reoccur. Commenting on this, Harmon stated that any assistance in electoral reform would be welcomed, acknowledging that the Canadian government has continuously lent support to Guyana in this area. “I know that for many years,” he explained “the Canadians have looked at our electoral system to see how best it can facilitate the early declaration of results. I think it was in that area that they were focused on.” Touching on the 2015 elections, Harmon noted that several voting machines were lent to Guyana in efforts to significantly reduce the
timeframe between the results and the declaration. He continued: “And as far as I am aware, that is the extent to which the Canadians were involved. I am not sure what else they will be involved in but I believe what is important will be funding for electoral reform and the work which has to be done with respect to any changes which has to be done to our Constitution.” One of the main focal points on the PPP/C agenda for electoral reform is ensuring that the Statements of Poll (SOPs) are published on an easy to access website by the relevant political parties after the close of poll. Further, efforts are also being examined to ensure that strict oversight measures are in place to analyze the work of the Returning Officers (RO). Such a system would
MOH RECORDS 31 NEW CASES OF COVID-19
There are 31 new COVID-19 cases in Guyana. The Ministry of Health (MOH) dashboard reported yesterday that the new cases have pushed Guyana’s COVID-19 numbers to 3, 796. Of the 31 new cases, Region One has 18, Region Four has four and Region Seven with six new cases, while Regions Three, Eight and Nine each reported one new case.
Additionally, there are 14 patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, 67 in institutional isolation and 805 in home isolation; 41 persons are in institutional quarantine while the death toll remains at 114 persons. However, the dashboard reported that 2, 796 have recovered, so far.
The October 20 Dashboard released by the MOH.
leave little margin for error and reduces the possibility of incorrect results being declared. Additionally, proposals also include a system where employment procedures and practices are used to ensure that the best candidates are chosen to work during elections and that they also
have fixed qualifications, character references and testimonials for those officials. Another critical area is ensuring that there is a heavy penal system accompanying electoral offences, meant to deter any official from attempting wrongdoings during the process.
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APNU+AFC Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon
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Virtual training for health workers to assist with COVID-19 mental health challenges A three weeks virtual training is underway to help health workers better respond to the mental health challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The training which was launched on Monday is targeting doctors and nurses to equip and inform them on how to respond to the mental and emotional stress resulting from COVID-19. The exercise will be facilitated by representatives in PAHO/WHO and local mental specialists in Guyana. During the launch, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony underscored that while the importance of mental health is often ignored, it is vital to the physical health and wellbeing of society. “As a result of ignoring this vital facet of health, we do not have enough qualified personnel to adequately diagnose, people with mental health vulnerabilities and the current pandemic has now exacerbated these problems,” Dr. Anthony said at the virtual launch. He explained that the threat of infection, repeated lockdowns, curfews, social isolation and economic uncertainty have created widespread fear and anxiety. The Minister noted that as a result, “Many studies have shown the adverse psychological effects of enforced institutional quarantines and isolation.” In addition to the real or perceived challenges of the pandemic, Minister Anthony stressed that there is also an infodemic. He explained that “this phenomenon is characterized by a flood of fake news and misinformation that is spread on social media and other outlets, it travels
Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony faster and further and the erroneous message is quickly amplified. These false messages have catalysed to raise people’s anxiety and fears and have become a real threat in disrupting our public health programmes.” The Health Minister noted further that a WHO survey found that, people with pre-existing severe and enduring mental health conditions have been most affected by COVID-19-related disruptions of mental healthcare systems. According to Dr. Anthony, “Neurologic and psychiatric symptoms have also been reported among patients who have recovered from acute COVID-19. High rates of anxiety and depression have been reported in some patients using self-report scales for psychiatric distress. Globally, younger patients have been reported to experience more psychiatric symptoms than
patients aged 60 years. Patients may continue to experience headaches, vision changes, hearing loss, loss of taste or smell, impaired mobility, numbness in extremities, tremors, myalgia, memory loss, cognitive impairment, and mood changes for up to 3 months after diagnosis of COVID-19, he said noting that healthcare worker themselves, who also face a greater risk of infection, stigmatization, and stressful workloads have p s y c h o l o g i c a l repercussions.” As such, the Minister noted that the course will teach healthcare workers how to cope with stress, how to detect people with mental health vulnerabilities and how to counsel and assist them through these challenges. “We hope that at the end of the course that you will be better prepared to provide a mental health response to the pandemic and the infodemic,” Dr. Anthony stated.
Health care workers to undergo virtual mental health training for COVID-19 pandemic.
Wednesday October 21, 2020
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Over 100 community health workers were hired without documentation by coalition govt. - haven’t been paid for eight months
In excess of 100 persons were engaged earlier in the year as Region Six community health workers by the David Granger administration with no documentation to support their employment, according to Regional Chairman David Armogan. It was during yesterday’s first statutory meeting of the newly installed Regional Democratic Council that APNU+AFC Councillor Shurla Scott announced that she was informed that staff from the Regional Hospital “will be placed on the breadline”. Scott disclosed that these “staff” were employed since April 2020 during the pandemic to “boost the staffing in the various categories at the hospital”. According to Scott, “they are coming to the end of their contractual agreement (six months)” and she was told
that they will be removed and replaced. She said those persons were trained and employed, and called for an investigation. However, in addressing Scott’s concern, Armogan revealed that the persons Scott were referring to were in fact “taken on and not employed”. He disclosed that the over 100 community health workers were placed at locations doing screening, sanitizing et cetera but they never signed a contract, “never had an instrument to pay them and they have been working for the past eight months without pay.”. Armogan stressed that the workers were taken on by the previous administration, which has left the current government to deal with the issue of people who worked for months not being paid for the job they executed. “So, we have to deal with
that when it was supposed to be looked after by the last government. You can’t take on people and don’t pay them. The ones Shurla is
talking about are the ones that were taken on to do testing at the bridge and other places, now these people are being looked at,” he said, adding
The Region Six Regional Democratic Council meeting in progress.
that the Minister of Health has since been made aware of the situation after some of the persons complained to them during his visit last week.
“We are looking to see,” Armogan said, “if there is anywhere where we can place these people in the meantime Continued on page 24
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Wednesday October 21, 2020
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Two accused of killing gold miner, test positive for COVID-19 According to a source, two persons who are on remand for allegedly killing gold miner, Deon ‘Mow’ Stoll in 2019 tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), putting a halt to (PI) into Stoll’s murder until the two accused fully recover. Charged with the murder and currently on remand are Shane “Demon” Morgan called ‘Delon Morgan’, Roberto Sankar, Wayne St. Hill and Steve Rollox. Our source could not confirm exactly which two of the four had tested positive. Odessa St. Hill called ‘Baby’, Dr. Alanzo De Santos, Duncan Vanvield called ‘Blackboy’ and Keith McKenzie were charged with being accessories after the fact. The incident took place on October 14, 2019, at Da Silva Street, Newtown in the course or furtherance of a robbery. The brazen attack on Stoll occurred on the morning of October 14, 2019, shortly after 10:00 hrs in front of El Dorado
Roberto Sankar Trading, a gold dealer. Security videos showed a Toyota 212, a vehicle in which Stoll was seated, pulling into the driveway of El Dorado. Another car following closely behind pulled up and two men, masked, ran out. They converged on Stoll’s car, one to the passenger side where the businessman was seated and the other to the driver’s side. The driver was seen getting out the car and
Shane “Demon” Morgan
Wayne St. Hill
Steve Rollox
wrestling with one of the masked men. On the other side, Stoll and the other bandit started
to shoot at each other. The gunman was seen falling twice while retreating to the getaway car. Both he and the
other bandit abandoned their attempts. The video showed the wounded Stoll clutching his side.
Police later impounded the alleged getaway car at Peter ’s Hall, East Bank Demerara. The alleged getaway d r i v e r, R o l l o x , w a s reportedly arrested while gambling at the Princess Casino, Providence. The police had issued a wanted bulletin for Morgan, and he was later captured at a roadblock along with McKenzie at Cove and John, East Coast of Demerara. He was believed to have been making a dash for neighbouring Suriname. In September, Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn, had announced that 140 inmates at the Lusignan Prison tested positive for COVID-19.
Driver who hit down KN staffers caught Cops yesterday caught the driver who fled after he struck down two Kaieteur News’ staffers along the Houston East Bank Demerara (EBD) Public Road, on October 13, with his tinted
- Begs to compensate them with $10,000 black Nissan Tida Motorcar. The car was spotted in the early morning hours by traffics ranks operating along the East Bank of Demerara, at the entrance of McDoom. The driver was subsequently escorted in the car to the Ruimveldt Police Station where he was told of the offence. Kaieteur News was told that man begged to settle the matter and offered to compensate the staffers with $10,000 in cash. This offer was refused and he was charged for the offence and released on $20,000 bail. He is expected to appear in court on October, 26, 2020. According to Kaieteur News’ reports, the staffers, Royden Rockliffe, 30, and Clinton Layne, 23, were struck down around 16:45hrs on October 13. At the time of the incident, they were on a work assignment, which saw them travelling on a motorcycle along the western carriageway of the Huston public road. Rockcliffe, the rider, had said that he felt an impact from behind which caused him to lose control of the bike, which, as a result, fell to the road. Video footage obtained
The Tinted Black Nissan Tida which struck the staffers down. had shown that Rockliffe and his pillion rider Layne travelling along at a normal rate of speed when the car accelerated suddenly in an attempt to overtake them. As the car was about to pass, it jammed the motorcycle from behind. The bike fell and skidded for some distance along the roadway with its rider. The
pillion rider was thrown off upon impact and landed on his back in the middle of oncoming traffic. The car continued its journey presumably towards Georgetown, without stopping. Both Rockliffe and Layne received injuries about their bodies and were assisted by persons who witnessed the accident.
Over 100 community health workers... From page 23 and again these people were not given any contract, no employment letter and they have no instrument to pay them. This is very bad and now you (Shurla) are asking me to correct an injustice that was done to these young people. Not that they weren’t doing a good job, they were in the health centres too, I met two of them in the Port Mourant Health Centre and they were appealing to the Minister to see what we can do.” Meanwhile, one of the new faces on the PPP/C councillor list, Erwin Abdulla, in addressing the council posited that the process in which the health workers were
“taken on” was “not normal”. He underscored that there must be a budgetary allocation in the first place for such positions and in that regard, there must be a job description with the job specification along with what duties they will be performing “so that we would have efficiency and no redundancies, the process was not fair and going forward, this must not happen again”. Armogan revealed that the persons were brought on to work by the then Director of Health Region Six, Jevaughn Stephens. The Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony has been apprised of the situation and the Ministry of Health is said to be addressing the issue.
Wednesday October 21, 2020
Kaieteur News
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Hygiene and other supplies to accommodate squatters at the Graham’s Hall Primary School.
Wednesday October 21, 2020
Kaieteur News
COVID-19 testing a priority at Graham’s Hall Primary shelter - CDC Director General (DPI) The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) will be collaborating with the Ministry of Health to ensure squatters being sheltered at the Graham’s Hall Primary School are screened and tested for COVID-19. Director General of CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig made this disclosure during an exclusive interview with DPI today. He explained that the shelter would accommodate 48 persons, but has the capacity to house more than 150 persons with the necessary spacing requirements in keeping with the COVID-19 guidelines.“Once you show
CDC Director General, Lt. Col. Kester Craig.
an interest to be at the shelter, you are required to be registered. You will go through screening and based on questions and observations, if persons are required to do COVID-19 testing, the CDC will work with the Ministry of Health to ensure that persons are tested,” the Director General explained. The shelter grants 24/7 access to accommodate persons who are working, with curfew protocols in place.There are six prepared classrooms with eight beds per room. Rooms are divided into male and female sections, with consideration for families.Two showers and one (Continued on page 29)
Wednesday October 21, 2020
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VACANCY Dynamic Individual with cxc Maths/ English Sales Stocking Experience Apply KeyFood Mc Doom Village. One cashier to work at Superbet, apply within at 152 Albert and 6th street, Albertown. Experienced & Creative Social Media Marketers required to Create and Manage various platforms, Call: +592 503 0382.Email:info@tfstraining.gy. Experienced Trainers/Instructors, wanted for SIAG's new State-of-the-Art, K-9 Training Academy, Call: +592 503 0382 orEmail: hr@siagsecurity,gy. Vacancy for male / female worker.Serious inquiries only. Tel#: 615-7784 or 621-6969 Office Assistant 5 Subjects cxc, 2 years min experience, Lot 8 sheriff street mimadecor12@gmail.com, 227-0176/ 86 One live in baby assistant needed. Interested person please contact: Odessa on : 695-5633/622-4576 Urgently needed internationally experienced Human Resource Manager.Please contact Aulicio Mining Inc. at careers@auliciomining.com
1- Captain to ply from Bartica - Georgetown contact #6031402, Truck driver Contact# 650-0402/ 603-1402 One clerk for Eccles office English & Mathematics, grade 1 or 2 Email application to techserigy@yahoo.com Mechanic specialized in 740 caterpillar trucks. Interior location. Call# 223-5180 Sales Cleark to work in Georgetown. Age 25-45 .Must have 5 CXC Subjects Call #:225-9026/27 Fuel pump technician. Contact 223-5273/74 Experienced Cashier, Roti/ Puri Cook, Sweet Meat Maker, Kitchen Assistant. Apply Hack's Halaal with application. Established and interested candidates only call for domestic maid job. Call: 6271154. Mature experienced female, Should have a Strong knowledge of creole foods, live-in available for babysitter. Tel# 656-9313 / 615-6550 General worker, Sales person and a musician to play in a band. Call# 668-0159 or 5029638. Experienced one handy man needed, to work with family in Montrose, E.C.D. Must have reference. Call #5030359 Washbay workers. Located at 18 Henolbury Avenue, Nandy Park. Call# 233-5227.
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Kaieteur News
Urgently required six internationally experienced compliance and procedure reviewal managers.Contact Aulicio Mining Inc. at careers @aulicomining.com Experienced Senior Managers with international management experience with computers.Contact Aulicio Mining Inc.at careers @auliciomining.com Experienced washplant technicians with experience working with non-chemical washplants.Apply to Aulicio Mining Inc, careers@auliciomining.com Four Personal Assistants for a n international experience assisting management level staff.Contact Aulicio Mining Inc.careers@auliciomining.com
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France shuts Paris mosque in crackdown after teacher’s beheading PARIS - (Reuters) France ordered the temporary closure of a mosque outside Paris yesterday, part of a crackdown on Muslims who incite hatred after the decapitation of a teacher who showed his class caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad. The Grand Mosque of Pantin, a low-income suburb
COVID-19... From page 28 kitchen have also been readied.The CDC will also be providing meals and toiletries for the individuals while facilities for recreational activities are also available. Lt. Col. Craig explained that the shelter arrangements will remain in place until further guidance from Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips.Since its establishment on Sunday, one person has taken up residence in the shelter.
on the capital’s northeastern outskirts, had shared a video on its Facebook page before the attack that vented hatred against history teacher Samuel Paty. Police plastered notices of the closure order outside the mosque as the authorities promised a tough response against the disseminators of hate messages, preachers of
radicalised sermons and foreigners believed to pose a security threat to France. The six-month order was “for the sole purpose of preventing acts of terrorism”, the notice issued by the head of the Seine-Saint-Denis department read.
The beheading of a public servant by a suspected Islamist for his use of religious satire to explore with students the debate surrounding freedom of expression, a deeply cherished tenet of democracy in secular France, has con-
vulsed the country and shocked the world.President Emmanuel Macron is increasingly concerned by what he calls Islamist separatism: the attempt by hostile elements within France’s large Muslim community to impose conservative Islamic beliefs over the traditional values of the French Republic in some communities.
Trans-Guyana Airways ... From page 16 International Agencies with particular emphasis on controlling the risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The safety and wellbeing of our customers and staff is our number one priority,” their statement articulated.
With this, the airline highlighted that all passengers are required to present a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure. “TransGuyana Airways can arrange the PCR test for an additional fee for passengers departing from Ogle,” it noted.
Regional Health Services in...
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From page 12 persons were pulled over after being temperature tested. Also, the services of pathologist Dr. Vivekanand Bridjmohan have been reinstated. For some time, the country had only one Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh after Dr. Bridjmohan’s contract was not renewed under the
APNU+AFC government in 2018. Persons were forced to take their loved one’s bodies to Georgetown for a post mortem to be done, causing them to incur additional expenses. According to Armogan, Dr. Bridjmohan was rehired on contract and will service the entire Region Six, based at the Skeldon Hospital.
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Barclay and Khwaja to contest election for International Cricket Council chairman New Zealand’s Greg Barclay will battle against Singapore’s Imran Khwaja to become the next chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), it has been reported. The pair is the only candidates for the role after Sunday’s (October 18) deadline to apply passed, according to the Times of India. An election is scheduled for December but no details on how it will work, or who is standing, have been officially confirmed by the ICC. The ballot was triggered after India’s Shashank Manohar formally stood down as chairman in July. Khwaja, who has been serving as interim chair, will
reportedly require just six out of 16 possible votes to remain in his position. He is said to have backing from Pakistan and Indra Nooyi, the ICC’s first independent female director. Barclay, the chairman of New Zealand Cricket since 2016, has the support of powerhouses India, England and Australia, the Times of India said. However, he is said to need 11 out of the 16 votes to be successful. Ex-England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Colin Graves was widely tipped to enter the race but failed to attract enough support, according to The Guardian. Dave Cameron, the former Cricket West Indies President,
Imran Khwaja, left, is standing for chairman after performing the role on an interim basis ©Getty Images had also said he would run but has apparently not made the list.
Wednesday October 21, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Difficult challenges that have been lingering on the sidelines will probably become more prominent today, Aries. There is a strong possibility that things will come to a head. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) You could be the one everyone runs to for advice today. You're the one with all the answers who can easily pull the rabbit out of a hat. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You may get frustrated when you find that people aren't as sensitive to a situation as you want them to be CANCER (June 21–July 22) A small spark in a dry field is apt to whip the hill into flames, Cancer. A raging wildfire may be underway by the end of the day. Know that you're one of the biggest perpetrators, but don't feel badly about it. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Put on some lively music you can dance to and really kick up your heels, Leo. It's time to put away the sour mood and have fun. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) his is a tremendously expansive time for you, Virgo, and there is very little that will stop your momentum once you get going. Your eyes are alive with a spark that says that you're ready to take on the world. Believe this about yourself and others will believe in you.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) This is a good time to put things in writing. Your gift with words is apt to shine today as you write a proposal, email, or love poem. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) The day's energy is apt to be lively, making it much easier to get the things done that you need to do, Scorpio. You will find people are more than eager to help you. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Obstacles that you have ignored are suddenly starting to expand beyond reasonable proportions. Be careful of what you say as a result, because your words could spread like wildfire. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) This is a terrific day for you, Capricorn, and you will glow brightly from head to toe as you radiate your true inner self to the world. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Tap into the boisterous, lighthearted mood of the day instead of getting bogged down with heavy emotions. This is a good time to engage your mind rather than let your heart take control. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Your optimism will be inspiring today. You will find that your lighthearted approach is perfectly suited to taking care of any issue that arises. Toss a few jokes into the mix and remind other people that it isn't necessary to take things so seriously.
The process to choose Manohar’s replacement has been hit by delays after the ICC opened a confidentiality investigation following the leak of a letter regarding a proposal to postpone this year’s T20 World Cup. Critics claimed Khwaja was deliberately stalling the process to ensure he remained in the role. (InsideTheGames)
...Bruno Martini: Former France From page 38 Euro 2000 and were World Cup runners-up in 2006. He played 139 times for Auxerre and 113 times for Montpellier. Noel le Graet, president of the French Football Federation, said Martini is “part of the the history of French football”. “He knew how to put his technical experience, high level and his human qualities at the service of others,” he said. “He was a discreet but remarkable man. Bruno is part of the history of French football. We will not forget it.”
Wednesday October 21, 2020
...Salwa Eid Naser: World 400m champion has anti-doping From page 36 whereabouts failure was dismissed because the doping control officer went to the wrong address. As the three other missed tests were not within a 12-month period, they do not constitute a violation. The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) charged Naser with four alleged whereabouts failures, including one filing failure and three missed tests, between 1 January 2019 and 24 January 2020. Naser was found guilty of three whereabouts failures but a missed test on 12 April 2019 was dismissed by the tribunal. An investigation found the missed test occurred because a doping control officer was confused by numbered car parking spaces at the athlete’s apartment block and accidently knocked on the door of a nearby storeroom instead of the property Naser was staying in.
With that offence now not included, the other three confirmed whereabouts failures did not occur within the 12-month period required to breach World Athletics’ anti-doping regulations. The AIU has 30 days in which to appeal against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. “This was a case very much on the borderline and we hope the athlete will learn from the experience and heed the AIU’s warnings,” it said in the tribunal’s decision. Athletes guilty of whereabouts failures could face two-year bans depending on the degree of fault. Naser ran 48.14 seconds - the third-fastest time in history - to claim the world 400m title in Doha in 2019. She was born in N i g e r i a b u t s w itched allegiance to Bahrain in 2014 and is first Asian woman to be world champion in the discipline.
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Jason Holder disappointed at lack of BLM gestures in England series, IPL ESPNcricinfo - Jason Holder, West Indies’ captain, has expressed his disappointment that the gesture of taking a knee before each match of their Test series against England this summer, in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, was discontinued for the subsequent visits of Pakistan and Australia, and overlooked for this year’s IPL. Holder was speaking to the Cricket Writers’ Club after he and his West Indies team were this year’s recipients of the prestigious Peter Smith Award - an annual honour which recognises outstanding contribution to the presentation of cricket to the public - following their efforts in ensuring that England’s international season was able to take place in spite of the Covid-19 outbreak. Holder himself was also singled out for particular praise in the club’s citation for “conducting himself with grace on and off the field, speaking eloquently on race and racism and the need for education and unity, during a period of turbulence precipitated by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.” A significant aspect of the response came in the gesture of taking a knee, which
Windies
occurred on the first day of each of the three West Indies Tests, and was also continued for England’s subsequent white-ball series against Ireland, as well as West Indies’ women’s five-match T20I series later in the summer. However, the gesture was not a part of the Test series against Pakistan, or Australia’s white-ball tour. That oversight drew a strong rebuke from Michael Holding, the Sky Sports commentator, who condemned the
reasoning offered by the respective boards as “lame”, and Justin Langer, Australia’s coach, subsequently acknowledged that his team “should have thought and talked a bit more about it”. “I was following a little bit of what Michael Holding was saying regarding the Pakistan and Australia tours, which followed ours,” Holder told the CWC website. “It’s difficult to be able to get people to see the importance of it, and that’s where the
education has to be filtered through. “It’s really important people understand where we as black people are coming from, and understand the harsh reality of how the world is set up. There are inequalities out there, some of them are very much in our faces, some are done discretely, but there are inequalities and I think it’s just a level of education. “I personally was a bit disappointed to see how the
Pakistan and Australia tours went on after us and they’re not showing their solidarity. But it’s a long debate, a long hard challenge, a long road, we as people need to continue to come together, put our minds together and genuinely find ways to fix the inequalities in the world. “It’s not an overnight fix, this is something that is going to be ongoing for maybe a number of years. But I think the most important thing is that we need to come together,
we need to see each other as all equal human beings and treat each other that way, and be your brother’s keeper in this world.” Holder is currently in the UAE, where he is part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad in this year’s IPL. However, there has been no recognition of the Black Lives Matter movement at any stage of that competition, either, a situation which he acknowledged was “sad”. “To be honest I haven’t had one conversation up here around it,” he said. “Sometimes it seems it has gone unnoticed, which is a sad thing. I guess it’s for us to re-highlight the importance of it, for people to understand what is happening in the world. “Covid has obviously caused a lot of attention around it, there’s suddenly a lot of attention on the elections in America as well, too. But for us, particularly as black people in the Caribbean, a black-dominant society, it’s for us to continue the education. “Cricket West Indies has done an excellent job in continuing awareness of it. The women had a series in England where they wore the Black Lives Matter logo and continued to push the movement as well.”
Giro d’Italia: Fernando Gaviria tests positive for second time this year BBCsport - UAE Team Emirates rider Fernando Gaviria has tested positive for coronavirus for a second time this year and is out of the Giro d’Italia. The Colombian tested positive in the Giro’s latest round of testing, as did a Team AG2R La Mondiale staff member. Gaviria also tested positive for Covid-19 at the UAE Tour in February. He is the fourth rider to test positive at the Giro and did not start Tuesday ’s 1 6 t h stage - therefore ruling him out of the remainder of the race. His team said he was “immediately isolated” following the test result and is “completely asymptomatic”. “All other riders and staff returned a negative test, and will undergo further testing t o d a y, ” a U A E Te a m Emirates statement added. “The team’s medical staff are monitoring the situation closely and doing all they can to ensure the we can proceed safely.” Two teams Mitchelton-Scott and JumboVisma - h a v e a l r e a d y withdrawn from the threeweek race because of
positive cases in their camps. Last week, one team called for it to end a week early, citing a “clearly compromised” coronavirus bubble. EF Pro Cycling said on Sunday they wanted the race to end to avoid “a chaotic withdrawal on a team-by-team basis”. The UCI refused their demand, saying race organisers have “committed to implementing the measures to secure the race bubble”. Slovenia’s Jan Tratnik of BahrainMcLaren took stage 16 by seven seconds from NTT Pro Cycling’s Australian rider Ben O’Connor. Ineos Grenadiers’ British rider Ben Swift was in a group of three following a minute behind during the 229km route from Udine to San Daniele del Friuli. Portugal’s Joao Almeida of DeceuninckQuick-Step remains in the pink jersey with a 17-second lead over Team Sunweb’s Wilco Kelderman, with British Ineos rider Tao Geoghegan Hart still in fourth, two minutes and 59 seconds behind the leader. There are five stages remaining.
Fernando Gaviria is the fourth rider to test positive for coronavirus at this year’s Giro. (Getty Images)
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Wednesday October 21, 2020
Kaieteur News
GFF establishes Scholarship Rashid Khan says Afghanistan need to play more against Committee The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has appointed a Scholarship Committee styled the “GUYANA Football Scholarship Committee” that will be responsible for the formulation of the GFF scholarship programme. The five-member committee, whose mandate will be for one year, is an Ad hoc one in accordance with Article 56 of the GFF Constitution and consists of Mr. Olato Sam, who is the Chairman, Mr. Rawle Small, Mr. Henry Chase, Ms. Lavern Fraser and Ms. Charissa Rampersaud. In an invited comment, President Forde remarked: “As leaders, we have a moral obligation to create life changing opportunities for the young Boys and Girls, who passionately dedicate their lives to football. It is our duty to ensure that each player has equal and fair access to the boundless opportunities of their football experience and are inspired to model the qualities of good discipline, dedication and hard work. A solid education is a lifetime gift and I am confident that many of our players will follow in the footsteps of those who have benefitted from scholarship opportunities and have gone on the lead productive lives, while contributing to the greater good of the Guyanese society.” Chairman Sam also commented: “This
the world’s best teams
Olato Sam Committee is extremely honoured to be given the opportunity to serve the youths of Guyana in this capacity. We are committed to establishing a framework that would positively impact the lives of our talented players. We applaud the GFF for making this a priority area and look forward to supporting its efforts in advancing football in our country.”
Zimbabwe land in Pakistan but head coach Lalchand Rajput pulls out ESPNcricinfo Zimbabwe will be without their head coach Lalchand Rajput for the upcoming tour of Pakistan after he pulled out over travel restrictions. A statement from Zimbabwe Cricket said that the Indian embassy in Harare had sought exemption for Rajput visiting Pakistan, citing travel guidelines issued by the Government of India for its citizens. The statement confirmed that in Rajput’s absence, bowling coach Douglas Hondo would take charge of the team during the tour. Rajput, 58, represented India in six international games four ODIs and two Tests between 1985 and 1987. He was appointed as Zimbabwe’s full time coach in August 2018, after the team’s failure to qualify for the 2019 World Cup. Zimbabwe are scheduled to play three ODIs against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, before moving to Lahore to play three T20Is. Earlier this month, ZC had sent a fiveperson delegation to Pakistan
Afghanistan were awarded Test status in 2017 and have played four matches, registering wins over Ireland and Bangladesh in 2019 BBCsport - Afghanistan will only develop as a Testplaying nation if they are given more opportunities, says Rashid Khan. Afghanistan are not involved in the World Test Championship, despite being awarded five-day status by the International Cricket Council in 2017. A one-off Test against Australia in Perth this winter has been postponed because of Covid19. “To become a big player you have to play against the best,” Rashid told the TMS does the IPL podcast. “When I came to the IPL at 17, I saw the players, their workouts and fitness, the net sessions and I realised how
much work I needed to do to be much better and more consistent. “We have played against Australia twice in five years - in the two World Cups - and it’s the same with England and New Zealand. “Hopefully we get some games against them and the rest of the players get the same opportunity to get better.” Instead of participating in the World Test Championship, Afghanistan and fellow Testplaying new boys Ireland were each given a scheduled 12 Tests in three years. Leg-spinner Rashid, who is the world’s number one ranked Twenty20 bowler, is currently playing for
Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League. He is one of three Afghanistan players, alongside Mohammad Nabi (Sunrisers) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Kings XI Punjab), to be featuring in this year’s IPL. “I feel so proud, coming from Afghanistan and being on this stage. It’s a dream for me, sometimes I think where I was five or six years ago and where I am now, it’s something very special for me,” Rashid said. “When I was watching other leg-spinners a few years back, I would never dream that sometime in the future I will be someone else’s role model.”
ATP roundup: de Minaur rallies to advance in Antwerp Lalchand Rajput joined the Zimbabwe team after their failure to qualify for the 2019 World Cup Getty Images to assess the arrangements for the teams’ bio-secure bubble. The delegation, comprising two health officers, one security incharge, and two ZC executives began their intercity travel after returning two negative Covid-19 tests within 48 hours of arrival in Islamabad. The Zimbabwe players,
too, were required to undergo two tests: one in Harare prior to their departure Monday and another upon their arrival Tuesday. This will be Zimbabwe’s first tour of Pakistan since 2015, when they became the first Full Member to visit the country after the terror attack on the Sri Lankan team in 2009.
Field Level Media Eighth-seeded Alex de Minaur of Australia rallied to defeat Richard Gasquet of France on Tuesday in the second round of the European Open in Antwerp, Belgium. de Minaur won 36, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in two hours, 18 minutes. Gasquet was serving for the match, 5-4, in the second set but couldn’t put away de Minaur. In other action, Belgium’s Zizou Bergs defeated Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas, 7-5, 7-5; Spaniard Pablo Andujar beat Argentine Federico Coria, 62, 6-3; Britain’s Daniel Evans ousted qualifier Salvatore Caruso of Italy, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3; Marcos Giron defeated Italy’s Luca Nardi, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1; South Africa’s Lloyd Harris beat Frenchman Corentin Moutet, 7-5, 6-2; and England’s Cameron Norrie defeated qualifier Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland, 6-3,
Alex de Minaur 7-6 (4). b e t t 1 H U L K S Championship - Australia’s John Millman will face top seed Alexander Zverev of Germany after dispatching Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, 6-4, 6-2, during second-round play in Cologne, Germany. Millman needed one hour, 39 minutes to defeat Verdasco, who upset Andy Murray last week. In other action, Spain’s
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina beat BosniaHerzegovina’s Damir Dzumhur, 6-2, 6-3; France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert rallied to defeat Tennys Sandgren, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, in two hours, 17 minutes; Germany’s Oscar Otte beat Austria’s Dennis Novak, 63, 6-2; and Italy’s Jannik Sinner ousted Australian James Duckworth, 6-1, 6-2.
Wednesday October 21, 2020
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East Coast Cricket teams call for Kobe’s 2008 MVP jersey to be displayed at Smithsonian museum transparency in Cricket Administration
Kobe Bryant @AFP via Getty Images Reuters - NBA great Kobe Bryant’s jersey from the 2008 season when he won his sole regular season Most Valuable Player award will be displayed at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington. Bryant, a Los Angeles Lakers icon and five-times NBA champion, was killed in a helicopter crash at the age of 41 in January along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.
Bryant wore the jersey in Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, a series the Lakers lost before he led them to consecutive titles in 2009 and 2010. He donated the jersey to the museum in 2017. “Kobe’s contributions on and off the court are remarkable,” the museum’s interim director Spencer Crew said in a statement. “As a founding donor, he understood the significance
of this museum to the nation and the world. “After postponing the March installation due to COVID-19, we believe now is the perfect moment in history to honor his memory by placing his jersey on view.” The museum said the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation contributed at least $1 million to the NMAAHC, which showcases the impact of African Americans on history.
We have noticed the recent rambling by an ECCB official in the public domain in his quest for the holding of the DCB and GCB elections. As a result, we are obligated to respond, since for the past five years, we have seen steady progress of cricket development on the East Coast of Demerara, especially as it relates to youths. These progresses were made under the directions of the East Coast Cricket Committee (ECCC) and not ECCB. This Committee is comprised of elected representatives of active cricket clubs on the Coast. It is a good time to inform the public that the ECCB executives who are alive and well, are not registered members of any of the undermentioned Clubs/ teams, so who are they really
representing? All of the undermentioned teams are actively involved in cricket organized by ECCC and we were well represented at a general meeting held at the LBI Community Centre on October 04, 2020. Two other clubs (Buxton Carl Hooper SC and Betterhope CC were also actively involved in competitions under the ECCC until they decided to change directions. As a result of this meeting, we wish to state that all of the undermentioned teams have endorsed the call for the following: (a) Cricket elections at the Demerara Cricket Board level, but as the representatives of 79% of the clubs actively involved in cricket on ECD, we reserve the right to choose who represents us at the County Board via a transparent process.
(b) The Honorable Sports Minister to appoint someone of competence to verify the active cricket clubs on the East Coast and to supervise the holding of the East Coast cricket elections. (c) The reinstatement of the founding members, Enmore CCCC and Ogle CCCC along with the several other active clubs as members to the ECCB. (d) Verify that all persons seeking cricket administration offices on the ECD are members of an active cricket club for the last few years. This is very significant since we are aware of the agents who are busy in trying to get groups within some of the villages to register as playing clubs. Regards, B. Ramkelawan Chairman Competitions Committee –ECCC
Vuelta a Espana: Chris Froome struggles as Primoz Roglic wins first stage BBCsport - Two-time winner Chris Froome struggled as Slovenia’s defending champion Primoz Roglic took the opening stage of Vuelta a Espana. Briton Froome, 35, in his final Vuelta for Ineos Grenadiers, was dropped on the penultimate climb and is more than 11 minutes behind the leader. Roglic pipped a small pack including Ineos’ Richard Carapaz and Irish rider Dan Martin of Israel Start-Up Nation. EF Pro’s British rider Hugh Carthy finished seventh. The 26-year-old from Preston, who crashed out in stage six of the event last year, is only 14 seconds behind Roglic. Froome, winner of seven Grand Tours, found it difficult to stay with the pace of the peloton and fell away from the pack during the climb up Elgeta. The 35-year-old said he was unsure about his condition coming into the race, as he continues to get back to peak race fitness following his horrific crash that ruled him out of both the 2019 Tour de France and Vuelta.
The representatives of the various clubs present at the meeting
...BCB and Minister Mustapha Primoz Roglic finished a second for Jumbo Visma ahead of his rivals in a stunning sprint finish. (REX FEATURES) The Vuelta set off almost two months late from Irun because of coronavirius, with
just a few spectators in attendance for a 173km route that featured four big climbs.
From page 39 sponsorship for the hosting of a junior cricket tournament. The BCB in 2021 would be organising tournaments at the Under 13, 15, 17, 19 and Under-21 levels while several inter- school tournaments would also be held. Foster expressed gratitude to the Minister who was once actively involved playing the game for his home village, Bloomfield.
The vibrant Minister also committed to assisting the BCB in obtaining other sponsorship and to use his status as the Region Six Member of Parliament to push for the upgrading of grounds in the county. The BCB last week held successful meetings with Attorney General Anil Nandalal and Minister Vickram Bharrat who would officially be inducted as the Honorary Patron of the Board on Saturday 14th of November.
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Wednesday October 21, 2020
Pooran, bowlers give Kings XI playoffs boost with third straight win ESPNcricinfo - Shikhar Dhawan became the first batsman to score back-toback hundreds in the IPL but it wasn’t enough as the Kings XI Punjab beat the Delhi Capitals by five wickets in Dubai to give their playoff hopes another boost with third straight win which placed them fifth on the points table. Batting first, the Capitals could manage only 164 for 5 despite Dhawan’s unbeaten 106 off 61 balls, which included 12 fours and three sixes. The main reason for a below-par total being the lack of support from the other batsmen, who could muster only 54 from 59 balls, and some excellent death bowling by the Kings XI bowlers. The Kings XI lost their openers early in the chase but Chris Gayle’s 13-ball 29 and Nicholas Pooran’s 28-ball 53 meant the asking rate never crossed eight after the fifth over and dipped below six after 11 overs. Kagiso Rabada dismissed Pooran and Glenn Maxwell in his second spell, but it was too late by then with the Kings XI needing just 17 from the last four overs. R Ashwin and Axar Patel bowled two quiet overs but James Neesham hit the last ball off the penultimate over deep midwicket to take his side home. Shaw’s lean run and another Dhawan hundred Prithvi Shaw had scores of 4, 0 and 0 coming into this game and there was no respite for him on Tuesday night either. He struggled to find the middle of the bat and when he did, he couldn’t find the gaps. He then tried to go inside-out over extra cover against Neesham, who was brought on as early as in the fourth over.
Shikhar Dhawan brings out his trademark celebration © BCCI But a slight roll of fingers over the ball meant Shaw ended up playing a touch early and handed a skier to Maxwell at extra cover. Before the match against the Chennai Super Kings, Dhawan had never scored a T20 hundred in 267 outings but now has two in two. He started with a four and a six off Maxwell in the first over of the match. After Shaw departed, Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer took the Capitals past 50 in the sixth over. The two added 48 off 31 balls for the second wicket before Ashwin had Iyer caught down the leg side for 14 off 12 balls. Rishabh Pant, who returned to the side after recovering from his hamstring injury, too, didn’t have a fruitful outing and was caught at long-on off Maxwell for a laboured 14 off 20 balls. But there was no stopping for Dhawan, who brought up his fifty off 28 balls. While he
Salwa Eid Naser: World 400m champion has anti-doping violation charges dismissed Salwa Eid Naser
BBCsport - World 400m champion Salwa Eid Naser has had her anti-doping violation charges dismissed by the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal. The
Bahraini, 22, was provisionally suspended in June after being charged with missing four anti-doping tests. However, one (Continued on page 32)
attacked every bowler, he was particularly severe on the spinners. Employing an array of sweep shots, he looted 61 off 32 against them and reached his second successive hundred, in 57 balls, in the 19th over. Shami helps Kings XI pull it back - The Capitals were 117 for 3 at the end of the 15th over but could manage only 47 in the last five overs. The main reason behind that was Mohammed Shami,
who sent down yorker after yorker and gave away only 13 from his last two overs - 18th and 20th of the innings - while also picking up the wickets of Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer. Universe Boss’ Big Bang doesn’t last long - Chasing 165, the Kings XI didn’t have the best of the starts. While KL Rahul deposited a free hit from Daniel Sams for six over long-off, Patel had him soon after when the batsman tried to give him the charge only
to hole out to mid-on. With Gayle new at the crease, it was expected the Capitals would go to Ashwin straightaway, who had dismissed Gayle four times in ten T20 innings earlier while conceding only 65 off 79 balls. Instead, the Capitals used Sams and Tushar Deshpande for the next two overs, and Gayle took full advantage of that. He tonked Deshpande for three fours and two sixes to take the Capitals to 50 at the end of the fifth over before Ashwin came into the attack and bowled him with his second ball, for 29 off 13. Drop and run… out Pooran started with a crisp cover drive off Ashwin and two balls later, dropped the ball on the off side for a quick single. Mayank Agarwal at the non-striker’s end was hesitant to take off but seeing Pooran halfway down, he dashed towards the other end. Ashwin, meanwhile, had charged towards the ball and his throw to Pant found Agarwal well short. Pooran tried the same thing two overs later but this time Maxwell sent him back. Had Iyer ’s off-balanced throw been more accurate, or had Pant’s flick hit the stumps, Pooran would have been on his way back in the
eighth over. Pooran and Maxwell nearly take Kings XI through - Pooran, though, didn’t let those incidents deter him and kept finding the boundary with his clean hitting. Deshpande once again came in for harsh treatment as Pooran smashed his three consecutive balls for 6, 4 and 4 in the ninth over. With 45 required from the last eight overs, Iyer brought Rabada back and had immediate success. Pooran tried to leave one outside off but failed to drop his hands and the ball brushed the gloves on its way to the wicketkeeper. By that time, though, Pooran had already paved the way for Kings XI’s victory. Maxwell, who was on 16 off 15 balls then, took over the baton and doubled his score in the next nine balls before becoming Rabada’s second wicket. While the Capitals didn’t have enough on the board to create panic, a missed stumping and a dropped catch didn’t help their cause and the Kings finished the game with one over to spare. Kings XI Punjab 167 for 5 (Pooran 53, Maxwell 32, Rabada 2-27) beat Delhi Capitals 164 for 5 (Dhawan 106*, Shami 2-28) by five wickets.
Balancing sports and Academics has paid off for Conway Elliman School sports are not only great for one’s health, but can also give students a serious advantage when applied to further their studies hence the importance of balancing sports and academics at an early age. Upper Mazaruni teenage footballer Conway Elliman has shown that sports and education leads to success. Elliman who attended the DC Caesar Fox Secondary School in Upper Mazaruni emerged as the school’s top student at this year’s CSEC examinations. He was part of the school’s team that took part, in the KFC Under-18 Football Championship in 2019, and although the school lost in the semi-finals, the experience gained was invaluable to him. “Being involved in sports help you to focus a lot more and help you to make proper decisions,” he said. Sports is important in one’s life so my advice to the youths out there is to take up interest in sports, since work and no play will not get
you anywhere, and vice versa, so one has to know how to balance those two,” he stated. The fifth child of Calio and Videll Elliman, both farmers of Paruima Village, the only Arecuna nation in Guyana, Conway Elliman, from an early age, demonstrated a passion for both sports and academics. His early years at Primary School saw him in taking part in Under-13 football organised by the Education Department, as part of its Mashramani celebrations, where he was part of a team that was reigning in the said games. Conway was known for his academic talent and in 2015, he was awarded a scholarship to attend Christ Church Secondary in Georgetown, but due to certain conditions which proved difficult for the youngster, he got transferred to Paruima Mission Academy, in his village. After spending some time at the Academy, he got transferred to the DC CaesarFox Secondary School of
Waramadong, the lone secondary school in the Upper Mazaruni Area. He wrote the National Grade Nine Assessment in 2017, where he was able to gain acceptable grades. During his stay at the said school, Conway managed to balance academics with extracurricular activities, which according to him, played a major role in him attaining the top spot. When the country recorded its first Covid-19 case in March, forcing schools to close countrywide, Conway was devastated, knowing that CSEC was around the corner and the detriment hinterland students faced because of the difficulty in accessing technology in the village. But he didn’t give up and made sacrifices; he was somewhat happy when fifth form students were allowed to return to school for revision, although time was limited. When CXC released its results, he gained passes in the nine subjects he wrote, attaining a Distinction in Principles of Business, Grade ones in English A and Human and Social Biology, Grade twos in EDPM, English B,
Integrated Science, Mathematics and Spanish, and Grade three in Social Studies. His parents were emotional when they were informed of his results, because they were unable to visit him during the pandemic and are forever indebted to the Heavenly Father and the teachers who would have contributed to his success. Conway Elliman is forever grateful to Almighty God, his parents, teachers and friends, who constantly encouraged him, contributing to him excelling at this year’s CSEC and copping the top spot at the school. He plans to further his studies in computer technology, and will continue to balance sports and academics, a major contributing factor to his success, especially as it relates to athletes. “It is important to remind yourself that your education ultimately should come first. The true purpose of school sports is to help build valuable team-playing and time management skills that compliment your academic success.”
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Kaieteur News
Players mental health critical in Japan will take steps to guard COVID-19 environment: Holder against Olympics cyberattacks Dubai, United Arab Emirates, CMC – West Indies Test captain Jason Holder has warned that the mental health of players could be at risk if adjustments are not made to the bio-secure “bubbles” which have allowed for the resumption of cricket amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The top-ranked allrounder in the longest format said while he was pleased that the protocols put in place had allowed players to continue plying their trade, playing the sport entirely in a quarantine environment could prove unsustainable. “It’s been demanding. It has been challenging,” said the 28-year-old who was a late call up to the ongoing Indian Premier League for Sunrisers Hyderabad. “I’m blessed to be still working. There are lots of people in the world not working because of COVID and we’re still given the opportunity to entertain people and do something we really love. “But something needs to be thought of in order to just try to free up things a little bit more for the players’ mental health.” A global cessation of cricket ensued last March following the outbreak of the pandemic but Holder led a West Indies side on a groundbreaking three-Test tour of England five months later, to signal the return of
Jason Holder
international cricket. The tour was governed by strict medical protocols which saw players being forced to undergo isolation on arrival, before living and playing games at the same venue without minimal contact with the general public. Games were played behind closed doors and players were not allowed to leave the on-site accommodation. Holder has since been involved in the Caribbean Premier League and the IPL, with both tournaments guided by similar measures. “I had two months in England. Then I was home literally for two days before I went to Trinidad [for the Caribbean Premier League] for a monthand-a-half,” Holder explained. “Then I spent four or five days at home in Barbados
before I got a call to come over. So you’re back into isolation. “And if you look at scheduling, it doesn’t get any easier. It’s literally going from bubble to bubble. Some places are accepting families and some aren’t, so it makes it harder to be away from your family and your loved ones. “I haven’t seen Barbados properly in about five months and I don’t know when I’ll get back there.” Holder will fly from the UAE to New Zealand and enter yet another biosecure “bubble” for West Indies’ two-Test series against the Black Caps starting in December. The first Test runs from December 3-7 at Seddon Park in Hamilton while the second Test bowls off December 11 at the historic Basin Reserve in Wellington.
Aiken lands record eighth MVP for Firebirds Brisbane, Australia, CMC – Sunshine Girl Romelda Aiken has been awarded the Laura Geitz Medal for the Most Valuable Player for a record eighth time, at the Queensland Firebirds awards gala last weekend. The highly-rated Jamaican international gained 56 votes to beat out challenges from defender Kim Jenner, Gabi Simpson and Tara Hinchliffe, and clinch the northeastern Australia club’s highest individual honour. Aiken enjoyed an outstanding season for the Firebirds, scoring 583 goals to help Firebirds to fifth in the standings on 26 points at the end of the preliminaries. She was second only to fellow Jamaican Jhaniele Fowler-Reid who poured in 910 goals for losing finalists West Coast Fever. “Romelda set the tone from the first day of pre-season and it’s very gratifying to have watched her hard work and commitment translate to a
Romelda Aiken. formidable season in which she reaffirmed her status as one of the premier shooters, not only in this league, but across the world,” said Firebirds high performance director, Jeremy Hickmans. “Her desire to not only lift those around her, as evidenced by her leadership of Tippah (Dwan) in a breakout year, but also to continue to better herself after 13 seasons at the highest level, is testament to her character, as both an athlete and person.”The 31-year-old, who was dogged by injury last
season, scored 40 for more goals in the last nine games of the campaign en route to passing 7 000 goals in the league. Not only was Aiden recognised by the club but also by her fellow players as she also captured the University of Queensland Players’ Player Award and the Queensland Firebirds’ Spirit Award. Only last week, Aiken resigned for Firebirds for another season, to extend a relationship which has seen her spend 12 years at the club.
Tokyo (Reuters) - Japan said on Tuesday it would take countermeasures to ensure next year’s Tokyo Olympics are not derailed by cyberattacks after Britain and the United States accused Russia of orchestrating efforts to disrupt the Games. Olympics organisers reported no significant impact on their operations for the 2020 Games, which were postponed until next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Britain and the United States on Monday condemned what they said were a series of malicious cyberattacks orchestrated by Russian military intelligence, including attempts to disrupt the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the allegations, attributing them to “Russophobia”. He told reporters: “Russia has never carried out any hacking activities against the Olympics.” Japanese chief cabinet secretary Katsunobu Kato said Japan would make every effort to protect the Games from possible hacking attempts. “We cannot turn a blind eye to malicious cyberattacks that threaten democracy,” Kato told a news conference, adding that Japan was gathering and analysing information and in close contact with Britain and the United States.
Katsunobu Kato “The Olympics are a major international event that attract attention, and cybersecurity measures are extremely important.” British officials said on Monday the hackers from Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency had also conducted “cyber reconnaissance” operations against Tokyo Games organisers. They declined to give specific details about the latest attacks or say whether they were successful but said they had targeted Games organisers, logistics suppliers and sponsors. The organising committee said in a statement they had already made extensive cybersecurity preparations and that there had been little disruption to its platforms. Doping Scandal - “While we have constantly
monitored various types of cyberattack on the digital platforms owned by Tokyo 2020, no significant impact has been observed in our operations,” spokesman Masa Takaya said. Olympic sponsor Panasonic Corp said in a statement it was strengthening its global monitoring efforts, adding: “We did not detect any evidence of an attack.” A representative for fellow sponsor Toyota Motor Corp declined to comment. A string of hacking attempts have been conducted against international sporting organisations which Western officials and cybersecurity experts say were orchestrated by Russia since its doping scandal erupted five years ago. Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations.
European Premier League: Talks take place over new £4.6bn tournament BBCsport - Talks have taken place over the creation of a new £4.6bn European Premier League, involving the top sides from across the continent. Sources told the BBC that discussions are still at an early stage but the plan would involve replacing the Champions League with a new format. Industry insiders confirmed talks involved Wall Street bank JP Morgan. But the project is said to still have a “long way to go” and the deal “may not happen”. Reports suggest five Premier League clubs, including champions Liverpool and Manchester United, have been approached by those behind the plan with more than a dozen teams from England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain in negotiations about becoming founder members of the competition. It has also been reported
that the European Premier League would see 18 sides compete in a single league with the top sides taking part in a play-off to determine an overall winner and that world governing body Fifa is involved. Last week Premier League clubs rejected ‘Project Big Picture’ - a proposal to reduce the league from 20 to 18 clubs and scrap the EFL Cup and Community Shield. It would also have seen more power transferred to the so-called ‘big six’ Premier League clubs.’Last nail in the coffin’ - Kevin Miles, chief executive of the Football Supporters’ Association, said the idea of a European Super League shows that billionaire owners of clubs “are out of control”. “The latest reports of plots, allegedly involving Manchester United and Liverpool, to create a European Super League, expose the myth that
billionaire owners care about the English football pyramid, or indeed anything other than their own greed,” said Miles. “This has to be the last nail in the coffin of the idea that football can be relied upon to regulate itself.” La Liga president Javier Tebas said: “The authors of that idea - if they really exist, because there is nobody actually defending it - not only show a total ignorance of the organisation and customs of European and world football, but also a serious ignorance of the audiovisual rights markets. “A project of this type will mean serious economic damage to the organisers themselves and to those entities that finance it, if they exist, because they´re never official. These underground projects only look good when drafted at a bar at five in the morning”
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Wednesday October 21, 2020
Late Rashford goal earn Man Utd win at PSG BBCsport - Marcus Rashford repeated his late heroics against Paris StGermain with a superb winner as Manchester United marked their return to the Champions League with a fine win at the home of last season’s beaten finalists. Rashford’s stoppagetime penalty sealed a famous victory at the Parc des Princes 18 months ago and the England striker was again on target to ensure Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side took maximum points from their opening match in a formidable group. The visitors had excelled in a first half which saw Bruno Fernandes stroke them ahead with a twicetaken penalty. But the multiple French champions were far stronger and threatening in the second
half and deservedly drew level when United striker Anthony Martial headed into his own net. David de Gea had to put in a much-improved display in United’s goal, making strong saves to deny PSG’s superstar duo Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. And the sides looked set to share the points when Rashford collected a pass from substitute Paul Pogba, rolled away from a defender and fired in off the base of the post from 20 yards. Solskjaer finds a way R a s h f o r d ’s p e n a l t y completed a stunning comeback in 2019 which all but cemented the case for Solskjaer’s temporary reign to be made permanent, turning a delighted Rio Ferdinand - the former United defender turned BT
Sport pundit - into a meme in the process. Solskjaer has not been able to maintain that blistering success since becoming full-time manager, but once again the Norwegian was able to conjure a victory against the odds. Without captain Harry Maguire and midfielder Pogba, United played a back five - with defender Axel Tuanzebe being summoned from the wilderness and shining on his first appearance of 2020. Twice the 22-year-old kept stride with the rapid Mbappe and made fine challenges in an impressive display. At the other end, United’s opener came from a more familiar route Fernandes converting a penalty after Martial was
tripped. It was, remarkably, the 27th spot-kick awarded to United since the start of last season. Fernandes, the captain on the night, actually missed for the second time in three days, but Keylor Navas was clearly off his line before the save and the video assistant referee called it back. Fernandes went the same way; the goalkeeper went the other. PSG looked far more like their old selves after the break and United had to defend well - but Rashford was guilty of wasting a couple of chances on the counter-attack before his brilliant late winner. Lionel Messi and Ansu Fati score but Gerard Pique is sent off MailOnline - Lionel Messi made it 16 seasons scoring in the Champions League with the goal that got B a r c e l o n a ’s E u r o p e a n campaign under way. But
their 5-1 win over Ferencvaros was marred by a red card for Gerard Pique that will rule him out of Barcelona’s trip to Turin to face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus next week. Messi’s spot kick was his 116th Champions League goal – only Ryan Giggs has scored in as many consecutive seasons in the European Cup – and it put Barcelona ahead before Ansu Fati and Philippe Coutinho added a second and a third. P i q u e ’s r e d g a v e Ferencvaros a possible route back into the game but teenage debutant Pedri slammed it shut, converting Ousmane Dembele’s cross. Dembele added a fifth with a minute left. The visitors started well and had the ball in the net after Tokmac Nguen broke clear and finished well but he had started his sprint the wrong side of the last defender and
Woolford Avenue New Hot Spot for Night Sports?
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After winning the penalty himself, Messi stepped up and powerfully struck home from 12 yards. (AP)
Bruno Martini: Former France goalkeeper dies aged 58 BBCsport - Former France goalkeeper and goalkeeping coach Bruno Martini has died aged 58 after a cardiac arrest. Martini played 31 times for France, most notably at Euro 1992 where he started against England, hosts Sweden and winners Denmark in the group stage. He was goalkeeper coach of the French national team between 1999 and 2010 during which France won (Continued on page 32)
Martini (right) coached France goalkeepers such as former Manchester United keeper Fabien Barthez
he dedication to ensure that sports will be a major part of life in the post Covid19 era is definitely on display as is evident from the investment being made by the various entities along Wo o l f o r d Av e n u e a n d Thomas Lands. Ever since the Guyana Golf Association (GGA) partnered with the Scouts Association of Guyana and the Guyana Teachers Union to upgrade their grounds and bring another sport into the heart of the city, the area has become a magnet for development. If you haven’t had a chance to pass by recently, it’s worth a visit to see the fully lit golf driving range that meets international service standards that is open daily until 9pm. And if that wasn’t enough, massive renovations are underway at t h e M u s l i m Yo u t h Organisation ground that will see a total redo of the
sports facility to include a flood lit ball field to encourage night play when its much cooler, and thereby extending the hours of use of the facility. Sports fans already have access to enjoy go-kart racing at the GMRSCA racetrack and the GNIC cricket ground is racing to upgrade their maintenance programme so that the entire Avenue will be a showpiece for a wide range of sporting activities. Add to that, Queens College’s ground is now in possibly the best condition as the much anticipated return of cricket and football is around the corner. Not to be outdone, ACDA has expended great effort to redo their facility that will complete the resuscitation of the Woolford-Thomas Lands area. With a strong focus on sports by new Minister Charles Ramson, it is clear
the flag was raised. Isael then smashed a shot against the crossbar after Nguen had played him in. Barcelona responded and Messi slalomed into the area and tripped over David Siger’s leg. Denes Dibusz dived the right way but Messi’s penalty was low and hard and Barça had the lead. They doubled it just before the break when Ansu Fati made it five goals for the season, clipping Frenkie de Jong’s lofted pass over the top of Ferencvaros’ defence, past Dibusz. Champions League Scores - GROUP E: Chelsea 0 Sevilla 0, Rennes 1 FK Krasnodar 1, GROUP F: Zenit St Petersburg 1 Club Bruges 2, Lazio 3 Borussia Dortmund 1, GROUP G: Dynamo Kyiv 0 Juventus 2, Barcelona 5 Ferencvárosi TC 1, GROUP H: Paris Saint Germain 1 Manchester United 2, RB Leipzig 2 Istanbul Basaksehir 0 The Golf Academy at Woolford Avenue has attracted numerous participants since its establishment.
that all the sports disciplines, organisations and grounds are in full support of the direction that the country is taking to build events for its youth. Head of the GGA Aleem Hussain said, “it is exciting to see all the emphasis on upgrading the surrounding grounds because it would lend to the growth of all sports and bring more athletes into the ‘Sports Corridor’ in Georgetown.” Over past few years, golf has risen in popularity especially amongst women and children and the Woolford Avenue location has helped to make it more accessible for persons who wish to try the sport without the cost of investing in equipment. Now with a wider choice of activities and lighted grounds, families can spend longer hours outdoors and enjoy physical activities under strict social distancing guidelines.
Kaieteur News
Wednesday October 21, 2020
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BCB and Minister Mustapha holds successful meeting - Student Scholarship and Cricket sponsorship approved
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delegation made up of elected and appointed executives of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) on Saturday last met with Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Zulfikar Mustapha at the Fyrish Primary School during an Outreach Programme by the Berbice born Minister. BCB President Hilbert Foster along with senior executives Robby Saywack, Angela Haniff, Dr. Cecil Beharry and Ameer Rahaman led the Board’s delegation at the meeting which was described as very fruitful according to Public Relations Officer Simon Naidu who initiated the B C B ’s p l a n s t o m e e t Government officials to seek their cooperation in transforming the state of Berbice even further. T h e M i n i s t e r congratulated the BCB on its hard work over the last few years and indicated that he was willing to work along as he knows the passion that Berbicians has for the game. BCB President Hilbert Foster provided the Minister
with an update on the progress of the game and stated that despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the board has kept itself busy by making a positive difference in the lives of the less fortunate. The BCB is also working on a member of plans to hit the ground running whenever cricket restarts. Among the plans the board is working on are securing sponsorship for tournaments, formation of a semi-professional league, county wide coaching, educational programmes and assistance for young cricketers. The BCB would create history when it becomes the first board in Guyana to provide a one year University of Guyana Scholarship to a young cricketer in the Ancient County. The scholarship would be sponsored by the Agriculture Minister and would bear his name. The BCB would establish a Special Committee headed by veteran educator/Television Editor Gregory Rambarran
Minister Zulfikar Mustapha with executives of the BCB to select the awardee for the scholarship. Cricketers across Berbice would be invited to send in applications for the scholarship which would be in the agricultural field at the University. Foster stated that while the scholarship is for one year, the BCB would consider extending it based on the performance of the student. The BCB in the next few years, the President disclosed, would be placing a lot of emphasis on the promotion of education among cricketers as it wants to produce rounded individuals. Minister Mustapha also agreed to a $300,000 (Continued on page 35)
Nicholas Pooran muscles one away to the leg side Š BCCI
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Pooran, bowlers give Kings XI playoffs boost with third straight win Late Rashford goal earn Man Utd win at PSG
Balancing sports and Academics has paid off for GFF establishes Scholarship Committee Conway Players mental health critical Elliman in COVID-19 environment: Holder The England star burst past his man before thumping the ball with precision right into the corner past Keylor Navas @UEFAviaGettyImages
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