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October 22, 2021 - Vol. 14 No. 43

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $80 readership yesterday, 81,409

Region’s future hinges on sustainable energy transition - CDB Pres. tells member states

Engineer’s Estimate says $85.6M to remodel the MARAD office located in part of this building Horse cart used to steal motorcycle

CGX to start up portion of deepwater port by next year Where are ExxonMobil's production reports and when will Guyana get its long overdue 45% of the Kaieteur Block Messrs. Ali, Jagdeo and Harmon? @11:00hrs on Kaieteur Radio 99.1/99.5FM

Friday October 22, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 02

CGX to start up portion of Deepwater Port by next year C

a n a d i a n exploration company, CGX Energy Inc. disclosed this week that works are ongoing to get at least the Offshore Supply Base of its US$130M Berbice Deep Water Port up and running by the third quarter of 2022. In its latest operational update, the company said the port's Multi-Purpose Terminal servicing agricultural, general, and containerized cargos will be fully operational before the end of 2023.

Overall, CGX said the project continues to be on schedule with construction ongoing on the access road, which is 55% completed; the bridge from Corentyne Highway being 68% completed; rip rap flood protection being 93% completed; and extension of electricity infrastructure to the port site reaching 85% completion. It said, too, that the quayside laydown yard is 26% completed.

Works being done at the US$130M Berbice Deep Water Port.

The Canadian firm further noted that work has commenced on infrastructure to deliver potable water to the port, with all permits and

permissions in place. It said that requests for proposals have been advertised for the wharf platform and access trestle, capital dredging

programme, design and construction of all gates, buildings and fences, design and construction of firefighting, and first aid

structures and covered storage areas. This newspaper understands that evaluations of submitted proposals for the capital

dredging and construction of the wharf platform and access trestle are underway.

With the recent (Continued on page 20)

Kaieteur News

Friday October 22, 2021

PAGE 03

Region's future hinges on sustainable energy transition - CDB Pres. tells member states P

resident of the C a r i b b e a n Development Bank (CDB), Dr Gene Leon, is of the firm conviction that the future of the region can no longer rest with continued dependence on fossil fuels.

He insists that it can only be secured for current and future generations, through the sustainable transition to cleaner sources of energy. Dr. Leon believes this is imperative for regional development.

During his remarks at the Turks and Caicos Energy Forum yesterday, the official said, “Our development in the region must be seen from a holistic perspective and, perhaps more than anywhere else in the world, a sustainable energy transition is one of our most important trans-generational obligations.”

Although alternative forms of energy, especially solar, wind, and ocean resources are in unlimited supply in the region, Dr. Leon posited that the Caribbean is one of the most energy import-dependent regions in the world, with CDB's 19 Borrowing Member States deriving more than 90% of their commercial energy

supply from imported petroleum. At the same time, he highlighted that the price of electricity in the region is among the highest in the world, averaging US$0.28 per kilowatt hour in 2019.

The CDB President was keen to highlight that the high cost for electricity generation has a negative impact on the region's economic and social development, as it increases import bills, worsens terms of trade, erodes competitiveness, and stymies investment by the business community. He pointed out, too, that high electricity costs also affect economically disadvantaged people, who spend a greater share of their disposable income on energy.

In order to change this state of affairs, he asserted that clean energy transition is critical. But to make the transition to sustainable energy a reality, the CDB President laid out five priorities for the way forward, which are: improving energy efficiency, diversifying energy sources, incentivising the private sector, investing in strategic partnerships, and using innovative, flexible, and affordable financing instruments.

CDB President, Dr. Gene Leon For most countries, Dr Leon highlighted that a priority is to eliminate waste and losses in energy usage, even with petroleum as the current fuel source. He, therefore, noted that proven technology needs to be upgraded and adapted, while implementing relevant performance standards, regulatory instruments, and appropriate incentives and disincentives which would entrench and bolster the much-needed shift change towards more energy efficient approaches.

Citing a study by CDB

and the Inter-American Development Bank, which established that renewable energy could generate 50 to 100 times of peak domestic electricity demand, the CDB President emphasised that the region needs to diversify its energy sources. In the Eastern Caribbean, he noted that the geothermal energy resource potential far exceeds domestic demand, while adding that there are also emerging opportunities for using renewable energy to produce ammonia and green hydrogen, which could be a key fuel of the future.

Furthermore, Dr. Leon called for governments to encourage and incentivize the private sector to support the transition to sustainable energy. “With limited fiscal space available to governments, the private sector must play a leading role in driving this transition.

There is more than enough room for households, small private investors, private utility companies, and large private independent power producers to invest in various sustainable energy transition projects, with an expectation of reasonable returns, while simultaneously supporting common sustainability goals,” CDB's head said.

The CDB President also u rg e d g o v e r n m e n t s t o facilitate the participation of the private sector through appropriate enabling frameworks that are inclusive, supportive, and consultative.

Noting that strategic partnerships and financing instruments are essential for the transition, Dr. Leon said, “Financing this transition will require resources and we have to devise innovative and flexible financing arrangements, while adopting appropriate

regulatory frameworks to crowd in investments from our private sector, and leverage relevant technical and financial resources from our strategic partnerships”.

Such financing options, he posited, could include public-private partnerships, feed-in-tariffs, as well as renewable energy auctions.

He was keen to note that there is also a role for private equity capital for larger investments, innovative instruments, such as the energy service companies' model, and on-bill instruments that target micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and households.

In conclusion, Dr. Leon underscored that CDB is well placed to leverage partnerships to access relevant technical and financial resources to support energy transition. He said, too, that the Bank also stands ready to provide technical assistance in the form of advisory support for the establishment of publicprivate partnership policy and regulatory frameworks, as well as relevant capacity strengthening.

The Caribbean (Continued on page 8 )

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Friday October 22, 2021

Kaieteur News

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

Cost of gun violence Earlier this year, a nonprofit organisation, Everytown for Gun Safety, released a study, which “broke down the economic costs of gun violence into five categories: medical, police and criminal justice, employer related, work loss and quality of life” in the United States. Annually, for the last quarter century, the cost of American gun violence is a staggering US$200 billion to US$300 billion. As calculated by the nonprofit organisation, this “works out to about $860 person.” It is a huge sum per capita, when spread across major and minor incidents, with one common denominator: firearms.

Though we have never heard of such a study in Guyana, or the existence of any associated statistics compiled, it also has to be a staggering amount locally, when one considers the proliferating presence and use of firearms in our society, and the ghastly results. When we factor in injuries and deaths, limitations of our law enforcement agencies, weaknesses in our healthcare system, and missing components in our support systems, this country also has to be paying heavily for gun violence.

It doesn’t have to be actual physical violence, and dollar costs. Rather, it is those that are intangible, such as the psychological traumas and emotional paralysis that often results in those victimised by gun violence. It does not matter that blood may not have been shed, or even bruising to have occurred; what matters is that a citizen, now fallen into the faceless bulk of victimised, was forced to be near to the barrel of a gun. Stated differently, there is this thing called quality of life.

This was what was noted by someone, who assisted with the report on the cost of gun violence. Ted Miller, a health economist and researcher at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, pointed to “work and quality-oflife costs as the largest. Work losses refer to lost income because of firearm-related death or disability, while qualityof-life costs are more indirect losses from gun violence — pain, suffering, a loss of well-being for victims and families.”

Miller acknowledged that quality of life is an indirect metric, but the point he was driving at was that the traumatised and victimised “can’t go out and buy quality of life.” Meaning, that jury awards and insurance benefits (when such exist) do mean something, but only for a very limited time, and to a narrow degree. To put bluntly, money can’t buy everything, especially peace of mind, or make the bitter painful memories go away. Many remain crippled for life, and from a single brutal experience only.

In this country, elected officials like to highlight, with supporting official reports, how much was spent on vehicles and training, and much more. There can be no question that those are solid constructive investments, and money well spent, but there is that hidden side, the costs unaccounted for here in Guyana.

Spiraling gun violence is a fact of life in this country today.

It is almost the exception when a firearm and its usage (threatened or actual) is not part of the mix, meaning, crime on the street, or something going on in the home. It does not have to be the direct costs to victims and their families, but such costs extend to the workplace, particularly if a state agency, in terms of lost man hours and productivity, and the sums expended on training, with seepages into the wider economy.

We have had gun amnesties, with negligible results.

We have a porous border, with a well-earned reputation for gun smuggling, leading to a possibly continuing influx of weapons.

We have uncertainties about what happens on our streets when law enforcement encounters an illegal firearm, relative to what and who is taken in versus let go. We have strict laws, but regarding confidence in the consistency of enforcement of those laws, that is up in the air. What we do know is that there are many guns, and their uses cost us heavily.

When the costs are totalled, the prices are steep, especially for quality of life. We hope that our politicians are listening and plan on doing more, with a quality security apparatus, and going after real criminals and not imagined ones.

Local Content Policy doesn’t address root challenges Dear Editor, The Government’s recently released second draft Local Content legislation looks good on paper, but in reality, does little to solve the real issues local businesses face every day in Guyana. Of course local content is important. But while raising the local content standards may sound nice, it doesn’t actually help to make it easier to start or operate a business in Guyana.

Everyone knows that there are opportunities in the oil sector. What’s holding us back can’t be solved by just telling the oil companies to

hire locals. Who are they meant to hire?

Many of the needs of this new oil industry are clear: trucking, food service, waste disposal. All things local could dominate. But the size of these needs is not something small companies can handle right now.

Government “targets” won’t change that.

Any businessman or woman can tell you how hard it is to start a new company here. Electricity is expensive, financing is hard or impossible to come by and permitting is absurd. If the government wants business to grow enough to work in the oil sector, it needs to address

those root causes first.

Businesses, especially small ones, need more access to financing to be able to invest in new machinery and larger office spaces, pay new employees, and train current workers. The reason so many Trinidadians can outcompete us is not skill; it’s that when a Trinidadian company needs to buy more trucks for an opportunity like this, they have access to the capital to do so. Meanwhile, out of 190 countries studied, Guyana came in 134th in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Report. Addressing the factors that contribute to this rating, especially the high cost of unreliable power,

inadequate banking options, and ancient regulations, should be top priority for this government if it truly wants to see local companies competing to supply the oil industry.

The intention behind these targets is the right one.

Local companies deserve a fair shot. But with targets like these alone, too many of the benefits will be going to those who can already stand on their own. Smaller companies need help, too.

We see the opportunities and a little help from the government could help us seize them.

Sincerely, Clement Smith

Extolling India on vaccination feat Dear Editor, I write to commend, compliment, extol, and congratulate the government of India on reaching the record milestone of administering over one billion vaccines on Thursday October 21. When one speaks of such a number of vaccinations prior to now, one was thinking of polio, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella, etc. against which billions were “vaccinated” (administered the drop or the needle). And that was decades ago and certainly not for any one country but globally. No one in recent time ever thought of or could imagine a billion vaccines administered in one country but India achieved the milestone when just six months ago, it was considered impossible. India

has administered more vaccines than almost the entire globe combined.

In terms of COVID related stats, India conducted 600 million COVID tests of its 1.4 billion people and found 34,128,098 infections. There were 453,000 deaths or just about a quarter of one percent of the population. Some 98.5% of those infected have recovered from COVID. There are over 300 million fully vaccinated in India or 37% of the population; 75% of adults got at least one jab and some half of all adults are fully vaccinated.

The Indian stats contrasts sharply the US that leads the world in testing at 660 million, 45.2 million infections, 732 thousand deaths, 410 million vaccinations (less than half of India’s), 190 million or 58% of

population fully vaccinated.

In contrast with China, where the virus emerged and the world’s most populous country at 1.5 billion, China administered 223 million doses with 100 million fully vaccinated. China claims it administered 16 million tests and found 100 thousand infections with 4700 deaths.

Medical scholars consider the data suspicious because of secrecy of governance.

In India, the government celebrates the achievement. A 225-foot national flag is being flown in the country’s Red Fort marking the occasion.

The Prime Minister, President, and other politicians have issued glorifying statements.

Leaders of many countries sent congratulatory messages to the Indian government leadership.

The one billion mark of vaccination is a magnificent feat. It may take years, if not decades, for another country, nay an entire continent, to attain that feat. India had a late start in vaccination roll out. And while it was vaccinating its people, India was also making vaccines available to several other countries including Guyana and Caricom nations. India provided some 70 countries with vaccines including developed and European nations. The developed countries kept their vaccines for themselves and only recently started making some (surplus) available to poor or developing countries. India was criticised in the developed countries and even by prominent Guyanese and the media for its handling (Continued on page 5)

In wiping the slate clean will ethno violence still continue in Guyana?

Dear Editor, I was one of the three presenters in the ZOOM Public Meeting, on the internet sponsored by the Indo-Caribbean Culture Centre on Sunday, September 12, 2021. As Mr. Vincent Alexander wrote the topic on which the presenters spoke was ”Is Partition the Ultimate Solution to the Ethno-Political Violence in Guyana?”

Mr. Vincent Alexander in his letter to KN of 10-18-21 does not seem to agree that Indians alone are victims of violence in Guyana. Ethnopolitical violence in Guyana is and should be an Indian concern since IndoGuyanese are historical victims of violence on a daily basis committed by Africans.

In Mr. Alexander’s letter, he fails to address the fact that while historically Indians are victims, Africans are

traditionally aggressors in Guyana’s ethno political violence. Mr. Alexander and his ”Prophet” Mr. Eusi Kawyana would like to push the political virus that there is No Guilty Race, i.e. we are all bad and good.

Mr. Alexander goes on to support there is a” no guilty race” discourse by giving opposing views incidents. For the 1964 Wismar massacre, where some 3000 Indo-Guyanese were uprooted after being brutalised, there is the Sun Chapman riverboat tragedy (43 Afro-Guyanese killed) and West Demerara/Mahaica killings. Supposedly, these incidents make the Indians and Africans equal, “even steven”.

But while it is a historically established fact that Africans committed the Wismar massacre, there is no certainty who was

responsible for the Sun Chapman bombing. The commission of inquiry found no guilty race. It’s true that the Afro-Guyanese are plagued with violence in their own communities by A f r i c a n s .

But correspondingly, Indians are robbed and killed on a daily basis by Africans.

That is an issue to which Indian leaders failed to address. The 1964 PPP government failed to give compensation to the Wismar victims neither did they commemorate the 26th May event. The PNC, on the other hand, picked the 26th May the date of the Wismar massacre for Guyana’s independence from Britain.

Let’s say for argument’s sake, I was to accept that there is no guilty race and to show my sincerity for peace and togetherness, I was to propose to wipe the slate

clean i.e. we are all good/bad.

The questions now I ask Mr. Alexander after this letter is fortunate to be published, “If violence by Africans on Indians were to continue, should it be an Indian concern or will Mr. Vincent Alexander keep blaming the colonial master?”

I submit that violence by Africans against Indians will NOT STOP, for the main reason the Africans do not consider any other ethnic groups having equal rights to political power other than the African Man. This wave of seasonal violence against Indians is a hindrance to Indo-Guyanese reaching their optimum goals to be a progressive industrial race and that is why, I support the idea of Eusi Kwayana’s advocacy for the partition of Guyana.

Sincerely, Vassan Ramracha

Friday October 22, 2021

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Kaieteur News

Educational fraud Jennifer Sobers - A feminist revolutionary and bogus degrees to get Govt. positions Dear Editor, Individuals with bogus degrees (and doctorates too) from universities without walls are being appointed to prominent positions. It also happened during preceding governments including the earlier stint of PPP. However, Dr. Cheddi and Janet Jagan, Desmond Hoyte and Forbes Burnham would not permit those frauds.

Burnham, in particular, would not tolerate academic fraudsters and cherished engaging accomplished academics.

What message is being sent to our youths and when bogus degrees are used to hire individuals in leading positions?

If they are without walls, how would these universities have classrooms and how can they train anyone in academia? Individuals simply pay them a fee of several thousand dollars and they print a doctorate certificate in your name. There are several such universities in America and Europe.

For whatever reason, this administration seems to attract the worst characters to manage agencies. Some people compare it to an evil empire.

The administration does not seem very interested in anyone who has outstanding character and is a model citizen and or have quality academic credentials. A set of fraudsters has been recruited

...Extolling India From page 4 of COVID in March and April when the country was devastated by COVID. Since then, the Prime Minister took charge of COVID vaccination from the 28 states and several territories. Vaccination in India as well as testing for COVID, as it is in the US and UK and several other countries, is free. Many countries charge for COVID testing.

The country is celebrating “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” – freedom festival as a result of nectar from COVID vaccines. The achievement of administering one billion vaccines is indeed a feat to be celebrated.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

or is looking for work. It is so shameful that bogus degree holders are being employed.

And the persons hired are not embarrassed. What message does this send to genuine degree holders or those pursuing certification in accredited universities or other tertiary institutions?

Some time ago, a bogus doctor headed a state entity.

And another bogus degree holder is heading another.

And there are others too.

The positions that they hold or held don’t require a degree. Why the need to claim degrees, which you did not earn? Who are they trying to impress and fool?

They are enjoying junkets and fooling investors and the globe that they are “doctors” when they hardly attended universities.

A doctorate requires several years of studies and one has to go through BA studies (four years), MA studies (two years), and PhD studies (two years) for not less than seven years of full time university attendance along with taking countless exams along the way.

The degrees also mandate writing dozens of papers including writing a Master’s thesis of not less than 100 pages and a PhD dissertation of not less than 250 pages (original work).

Bharrat Jagdeo and Yesu Persaud have received honorific degrees and are referred to as “doctors” but they did not earn PhDs and don’t claim so.

They were awarded honorary degrees for their contributions to society and are entitled to use their titles as “Dr”, but not those with bogus degrees.

Regardless who it is, it is wrong to mislead people about degrees and to use credentials not earned to get a government position.

Yours truly, Calvin Braithwaite

Dear Editor, Recently, one of Georgetown’s unsung heroines in the struggle for women’s emancipation and democracy with justice, Jennifer Sobers, passed away after a protracted series of ailments including twin surgical interventions within the space of a year, as well as COVID-19.

She was if nothing else, strong, clear sighted and perhaps even ‘ghetto- wise’ based on her lived experience in the location of Tiger Bay, South Cummingburg.

She was one of the Vieiras - A family of working class origins who lived at one time in the Fort/Barrack Street neighbourhood, Kingston, Georgetown.

In fact, after attending the Sacred Heart Primary in Main Street, Cummingsburg, she would have had some ‘affinities’ with charitable community interventions subjectively conceived for underprivileged sectors.

This was quite apart from other parish events that would coincide with Catholic as well as other secular observances at Lent – Yuletide. To anyone who knew ‘Sister Jennifer’, there was always an aura of simplicity that at all times was tethered to a grass roots understanding of what is right for the community. Her expectations as a mother were largely determined by survival skills, which one had to acquire to be part of Tiger Bay, the Holmes Street/ Rosemary Lane location with a reputation for seafarers licentious behaviour and dwellings that served as shabines, ‘short time’ rooming as well as rum and spirit outlets.

She had 15 children and an estimated 30+ grandchildren and 4 great grands. Her allegiance towards women’s emancipation was inseparable from her utter condemnation of the Burnham PNC dictatorship even though during the 1960s “troubles”, she would have

chosen to align with the Silent Majority(SM).

It is highly probable that the political influence of the Working People’s Vanguard Party M/L (WPVP) led by former PPP Minister of Agriculture, the late Brindley Benn, had a significant impact on sections of the Tiger Bay people especially subsequent to the extrajudicial killing of a youth named Keith Caesar in the early 1970s.

WPVP statements on a weekly basis were distributed from the Dac Bang Fraternity Hotel and saloon in Holmes Street and the Sobers became anti PNC allies of Benn. With the installation of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) office in the area, she became a supporter.

However, there existed since the late 1940s and certainly throughout the 1950s, a ‘ micro’ colony of Vietnamese nationals (or overseas Indo-Chinese), who settled in the Tiger Bay community and it was the Dac Bang /Stella Bang PPP that more or less provided political sanctuary for these folks.

This micro Vietnamese Diaspora apparently established ‘networks’ including a cell entity in Smyth Street (near the old Central High School) as well as within Cayenne.

Dac Bang’s wife, or one of his spouses, Stella, was an activist of the WPO - the Women’s Progressive Organisation.

The early 1960s phase of Jagan’s PPP government catapulted progressive women into the very epicentre of national politics. It was people such as Philomena

Sahoye-Shury, Shirley Edwards, Doris Awah and Mary Nunes as well as Stella Dac Bang who became heroines if not role models for Jennifer Vieira-Sobers.

At the level of critique, two perhaps three factors ought to be scrutinised in this most complex evolution of grassroots women activists.

The first is the pivotal role of Janet Jagan as a Marxist administrator and ideologist at the executive tier of political ‘hierachy’. The second relates to the underclass or sub-proletariat categorisation of female workers whether in estate, retail store processing/ factory work or domestics.

Whilst the third centres on is the ethnic/racial contradiction that manifests itself in lower class or even other petit bourgeois communities where interracial families emerge from the biological union of Caucasian and Black, or Portuguese and African, or Afro and Chinese.

Superficially Afro-Indo or ‘Dougla’ families tend to be situated in a different context as does the Afro-Amerindian

‘Creolisation’. That dates from as early as the 15th and 16th centuries in the Americas (according to Van Sertima and Ralph Gonsalves).

So it is that specific historical dimension that must be unravelled as a condition to relating to the concrete feminist emancipation role of Stella Dac Bang as well as Jennifer Vieira-Sobers.

According to her husband, Victor, his partner was “a wife…a brother…a colleague and a mother to me”. And it is that existential trait, which all Guyanese women must come to terms with in contemporary.

Perhaps were circumstances different in terms of access to overseas medical consultancies and surgeries, Sister Jennifer Sobers would have lived, would have survived into her 80s.

There is a tremendous degree of relevance, of mediation that can be attributed to this brave Guyanese. May her Soul “repose en Paix” (May her soul rest in peace).

Lawrence Eddi Rodney

The backlog of reports has to be cleared Dear Editor, The twice-we e k l y meeting of PAC to clear the backlog of reports seems reasonable.

The brewing brouhaha between the two sides seems an inconvenience, since at its implementation, it was a mutual plan to get rid of the

voluminous work.

If in-person meetings are proving unsuitable, surely the resort to virtual attendance is an option to be explored.

The backlog has to be cleared and ways must be found and supported to do so.

Shamshun Mohamed

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Friday October 22, 2021

Kaieteur News

I support the Swami’s call for religious neutrality in public institutions Dear Editor, The Ministry of Education recently responded to the concerns expressed by Swami Aksharananda regarding the matter of Christian-themed prayers recited at an organised event hosted by the Ministry of Education. In their response, the Ministry assured the Swami that no religion was favoured by the use of a universal prayer, reaffirming the belief that “no one religion, ethnicity, gender, etc. is or should be made to be seen as dominant over the other.” Instead, the Ministry adopted a “universal prayer” which it sees as in compliance with that belief.

In his letter, the Swami critiqued the adoption of Christian-themed prayers citing its colonial legacy and our modern difficulty of ensuring a secular state given the influence of Christian values in public institutions.

The Ministry seems to disagree with his perception of the universal prayer as a form of Christian-themed prayer, but if one were to dissect the prayer, it gives the impression of monotheistic worship. As such, I support the Swami’s call for religious neutrality in public institutions for reasons I will explain.

Public institutions such as public schools and government agencies contain many symbolisms of Guyana’s colonial history.

From the mannerisms, which we practice in public office to the recitation of a prayer before commencing meetings, these are not unique to Guyanese political culture, but are remnants of traditions from our colonial ancestor— the former British empire.

Customs are difficult to break away from because they are supported by the systems that propel the engine of society that informs the social sphere what norms are and are not acceptable. Public prayers, whether in schools or at any other public venue, is an example of a colonial relic that continues to impact the secular being of Guyanese society.

During the tenure of the former administration through its Ministerial official, Dr. Rupert Roopnarine promised that the Ministry of Education would remove any mandate or motive that would have schools compel students to recite religious prayers during school assemblies.

According to him, “We are a multi-religious country and we have to realise that we have multi-religious children…” However, Dr. Roopnarine went further to hint at an alternative, saying “whatever prayer is used in schools should not exclude any of the religions.” Later that year, the Ministry of Education issued its interest in mandating a universal prayer that would encompass

all religious worldviews in public schools. I produced an elaborate letter at the time responding to this proposal.

But let us think for a moment.

The Ministry of Education led by Dr. Roopnarine believed in the secular ideal of the state, reiterated the importance of religious neutrality by public institutions including public schools, and it opposed the idea of reciting any prayer that favoured a particular religion, and yet somehow thought it would be best to have the Ministry that represents the government devise a prayer of their own that would somehow encompass all religions. Does this sound reasonable? This approach as a resolution to religious privileging in Guyanese society is also the same approach, which the current administration through its Ministry of Education wishes to enforce.

But such a proposal remains to be problematic for several reasons, which I will elucidate as follows.

First, whether it is called a universal prayer or an interdenominational prayer, these terms are ambiguous regarding what they can practically encompass.

Guyana consists of three major religions (majority faiths that people subscribe to) and within these major faiths, there are denominations or sects with orthodox and dissenting

views.

For instance, Christianity consists of Anglicanism, Catholicism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christadelphians, and so on.

Hinduism consists of Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism. Islam consists of Sunni (the majority denomination), Shia, and Sufism. There are faiths, which are non-theistic, such as Buddhism. There are also the non-religious people who do not subscribe to a religion.

By now, you can tell that trying to utilise an “interdenominational” or “universal” prayer poses a serious challenge, one that questions whether the government should have an obligation to address theological compatibility.

Even if the government is guided by religious and nonreligious scholars, it remains concerning that the government would want to take up a position of mandating what prayer(s) someone can or should say.

While it is less worrying that religious organisations are insisting their versions of a prayer for all, it is more disconcerting that a government wants to be in a position of issuing memorandums prescribing what prayer people should

use.

Secondly, for a universal or inter-denominational prayer to serve as a means of inclusivity, it has to be demonstrated that it can actually accomplish this. So far, it hasn’t. But given the diversity of religious views in Guyana, how could this practically be possible?

Consider that were a prayer to be said, then who gets to prescribe what it should say and, on whose behalf, whose deity, and whose faith?

Further, any proposal of inclusivity that narrows religious faith as a criterion seems to neglect, either inadvertently or intentionally, minority groups of people, including children, who do not have a religious view (atheists, humanists, agnostics, etc.).

Therefore, it is reasonable to argue that any prayer that acts as a replacement to a privileged one behind the guise of a universal prayer would fail to meet the criteria of cohesion and inclusivity because not everyone would be included by its criteria that possess religiosity.

Religious people are assured constitutional protection: the freedom to practice or manifest one’s religion, and the freedom to

be religious. This is further assured under the constitutional principle of freedom of conscience or belief and the profession of those beliefs. Additionally, the constitutional declaration of freedom of conscience also protects an individual from imposition or indoctrination of conscience against one’s will. These are secular principles that ground Guyana’s proclamation as a secular state. Since public institutions are funded by all members of society (religious and non-religious people), the government has only one obligation: to meet the demand of inclusivity in the interest of all its stakeholders.

And because public schools are accessible to all children, regardless of religious convictions or belief, the government’s obligation to meet inclusivity is arguably best met with neutrality.

Public schools should be free from religious mandates. Perhaps more i m p o r t a n t l y, the Government should not act as an institution of religion but of the people, which is a government that gets democratically, not theocratically, elected.

Yours faithfully, Ferlin F. Pedro

Can the Minister offer free PCR tests as well?

Dear Editor, Guyana’s public health system has failed the Guyanese populace in ways too numerous to mention; but I will be stressing on only one today as it is indeed stressful.

Our government had declared on a few occasions that vaccination is not mandatory.

However, unvaccinated persons seeking to transact business in public buildings must present a negative PCR test from an approved testing site.

This move which was gazetted resulted in almost every employer around the nation having to require of their staff, either a vaccine book or a negative PCR test to access their place of employ. The heart wrecking and frustrating strategy of the government through the public health system is that none of the governmental testing sites are allowed to test unvaccinated persons who by request of the government, need a PCR test in order to work. This type of manipulation is evil.

I am proud to say that I am unvaccinated but I am sure of my COVID-19 status. I do not discourage anyone from taking the vaccine because every citizen has a personal decision to make and must I say, the “slave/massa era” has been long abolished. I have done about 10 PCR tests at different public testing sites,

all of which were for contact tracing; and all of which were accepted by every government organisation and elsewhere that I have visited including my work place. However, recently I sought to acquire a PCR test from a couple of public health testing sites as required by my work place and they all denied me on the same basis: “we are not authorised to test you for work purposes.” In fact, the doctor at Herstelling Health Centre said in no uncertain terms, “You have to go pay for that. Not here”.

In a month like this where we recognise mental health nationally, I wonder if our health authorities take mental health seriously and if they understand that unnecessarily frustrating hardworking people that they refuse to pay substantially can lead to mental illness.

I wish to enlighten and charge our authorities to review this manipulative strategy to get every citizen vaccinated. After all, is it not comforting to be in the company of someone that you “know” is COVID negative? We must face the facts, I can take the vaccine and cease getting tested regularly and contract the virus and pass it on. So, why fight me if I choose to be tested every week as is required.

I wish to close by appealing to the Honourable Minister of Health, Frank Anthony, you are administering free vaccine, please administer free COVID test as well.

Proudly unvaccinated

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BL TLUNT.. UNT...B BL Friday October 22, 2021

Kaieteur News

GTT's CEO told the residents of Bartica that poor service will be a thing of the past.

We will see and we will know. We will hold him to that commitment.

Now, we wonder what the same CEO will tell Georgetown (and other) residents about unstable service outside of Bartica.

Tell us that will be a thing of the past, too, and we will hold him accountable.

We hope that this foreigner is not learning from Government leaders, who make promises, knowing that they won't keep them.

PAGE 07

Friday October 22, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 08

Guyana signs grant agreement with ISA for solar demonstration projects T

he Government of Guyana on Tuesday signed a Grant Agreement with the International Solar Alliance (ISA) for a solar demonstration project at the Orealla Health Centre, Region Six. Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, attended a virtual side event of the Fourth Assembly of the ISA on Monday where a signing ceremony was held for the Grant Agreements approved under a US$50,000 ISA grant for Least Developed Countries (LDC) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) member countries.

The objectives of the ISA support are to: · Provide technical and financial support to LDCs and SIDS Member Countries of ISA for implementation of innovative demonstration solar projects; · Provide support in building resilience in key sectors, such as agriculture

and health against the backdrop of the COVID-19 crisis; · Create a market for innovative solar technologies and to increase their access in LDCs and SIDS Member Countries; and · Foster innovation in business model, finance, technology and implementation modalities.

Guyana submitted a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the installation of a 9kWp Grid-tie Solar Photovoltaic System at the Orealla Health Centre, Region Six, which was approved by the ISA. The solar PV system will have an accompanying Battery Energy Storage System of 37kWh to facilitate back-up storage at the Health Centre for periods of power outage or cloud cover.

This intervention is geared at fostering improvement in the provision of health services,

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar

and an overall increase in socio-economic development within the community.

The Grant Agreement between ISA and Guyana was signed on Monday for the release of funds and project implementation.

During the signing ceremony, Minister Indar thanked the ISA for the initiative that they have taken to set up Demonstration Projects

within a developing economy like Guyana. He also highlighted that the implementation of this project will go a long way in ascertaining that citizen at the grassroots level gain access to clean energy, which not only makes their lives easier, but also aids in save

on costs that would have otherwise been incurred in purchase of fuels.

“With the solarization of health facilities being done in Guyana through funding provided by the ISA, the Government hopes to see a similar impact in the lives of Guyanese.

It is the Government's aim to replicate the work being done in many different parts of the country so that we could broaden the scale of impact.

This project adds to the efforts the Government of Guyana is already undertaking to deploy solar energy solutions as a means of providing access to clean energy, ensuring energy security for all Guyanese and businesses, and driving a just transition away from primitive sources of energy,” Minister Indar

explained.

Minister Indar further added that Guyana hopes to see many more such initiatives from the ISA that could aid in moving the country towards its strategic objectives of a clean and green energy future for the country.

In the process, the Government would also like to develop internal c a p a c i t y, s o a s t o customise the technology to the country's needs and drive innovation in terms of business models, financing and implementation modalities.

Minister Indar also reaffirmed Guyana's commitment to the strategic goals of the International Solar Alliance geared towards greater success in the promotion of clean energy.

Region's future hinges on...

From page 3 Development Bank is a regional financial institution established in 1970 for the purpose of contributing to the harmonious economic growth and development of its Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs).

In addition to the 19 BMCs, CDB's

membership includes four regional, nonborrowing members (Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela) and five nonregional, non-borrowing members (Canada, China, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom).

CDB's total assets as at December 31, 2020 stood at US$3.64 billion.

Kaieteur News

Friday October 22, 2021

PAGE 09

The Universal Prayer is no substitute for the Christian, Muslim and Hindu prayers One of the first significant acts of the APNU+AFC when it took office was to draft a universal prayer for schools. It was a monumental mistake because the emerging prayer appears to convey the impression that it is a universal Christian prayer with little reference to the divinities of the other major religions, notably Islam and Hinduism.

This very fact has reignited the debate about the types of prayers which are said in school at major events, including the justheld presentation of examination reports for the National Grade Six Assessment. During that presentation, the universal prayer was said and this cause one Hindu religious leader to complain about the absence of Hindu and Islamic prayers during the event.

The Ministry has responded by indicating that the prayer recited at that event was the Universal Prayer which is also read in the National Assembly. But the Ministry misses the point: what was to prevent the Ministry from saying Christian, Hindu and Islamic prayers?

Surely, there could have been no harm in doing so since the event was preplanned and arrangements could have been put in place

to have the representatives of all three major religions present to say prayers. This is quite different from the situation in the National Assembly whose sittings can run for days which makes it more practical to use the Universal Prayer than for each day to have three representatives, one each from the major religious groupings, attend to say prayers.

The issue of prayers in schools is important to freedom of conscience.

Children have a right to be able to be free of any form of compulsion to take an oath which is contrary to their belief. This implies, conversely, that every child should have a right to be able to say his or her prayers in school and not be subject to some universal prayer.

When the APNU+AFC drafted its Universal Prayer, it said that a number of bodies had granted approval.

The then Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnarine, said that consultations with various religious bodies had begun and that he believed that the prayer would have satisfied all three of our major religious groups.

Dr. Roopnarine had made it clear that it was his intention to implement universal prayers across the public school system, arguing that the reciting of

only Christian prayers in some schools may be a preference of the teachers but was not a policy of his Ministry.

Dr. Rupert Roopnarine noted that while we are a multi-religious country, we have to realise that we have multi-religious children so that whatever prayer is used in schools should not exclude any of the religions.

In a Kaieteur News article in December 2015, it was observed that several religious bodies and organisations had come in support of the plans for a universal prayer. Amongst those said to be in favour of the change are the Guyana Presbyterian Church, Guyana Teachers' Union and the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha.

All were of the opinion that the practice has been going on for too long. In fact, this newspaper reported a senior official of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, as claiming that sections of her organisation had brought up the issue of having universal prayers in public schools with previous Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand. The official said that while promises were made, no follow up action was taken by the Ministry.

But the Ministry of Education in its release this week stated that “The

Cyclists playing boys seh... darts pon de road Dem

Nowadays yuh gat to be worried when yuh driving pon de road. Dem pedal cyclists does be riding in and out ah traffic and some ah dem does be riding in de middle ah de driving lane even though dem gat dem own lane.

But dem can't use de cycle lane because it using as parking lot fuh dem business wah deh alongside dem road.

Imagine yuh build four-lane highway and still every day new businesses setting up alongside dem public road and no provision nah mek fuh customer parking suh de customers dem parking in de cycling lane.

Because of all of dis, dem cyclists riding as if dem driving. Who nah darting in

and out ah traffic, operating like if dem is police car and you gat fuh drive behind dem.

And when dem reach traffic light, dem does tun colour blind. Dem nah know de difference between red and green.

At de Brazil Crossing on de other side of Lethem, de Federals stap, a Guyanese man who gat wan bag pon he bicycle handle.

De Federal ask he, “Wah deh in de bag?" De man seh, “Just some mud."

De Federal check de bag and confirm it was mud and suh he had to let de man go.

De next day de man tun up again with another bag on he cycle handle.

De Federal ask he,

“What's in de bag?” De man answer, “Just some mud.”

De Federal check and confirm dat was indeed some mud.

He let de man go again.

Dis continue fuh months and every time de Federal check he see, is just a bag ah mud de man fetching pon de bicycle handle.

Suh when was de final day pon de wuk fuh de Federal, he tun to de cyclist and say, “Today is meh last day pon de wuk. A promise to let yuh go. But tell me de truth. Is wat yuh smuggling?”

De man tun to he and seh, “Cycles!”

Ta l k h a l f a n d p a y attention to dem cyclists pon de road.

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, during her previous stint as Education Minister had insisted that whenever a prayer is done at any function hosted by the Ministry or any of its departments, the universal prayer or a silent prayer is done with the only exception being those events held in Amerindian communities.”

While it was laudable that there is universal prayer,

which was supposedly developed in consultation with religious groups, there needs to be an assessment of the extent to which this prayer hinders or limits children's right to freedom of conscience. There equally needs to be a reevaluation of whether that prayer can be truly said to be of a universal character in the sense that it is suitable for all three of the country's main religious

groups.

There is no reason why by now the Islamic, Christians and Hindu prayers should not be recited in all schools. This would show a true commitment to multiculturalism.

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

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Friday October 22, 2021

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch: I repeat my call I

learned a long, long time ago that Guyana has special moral defects and if you do not internalise the lessons of the backlash in fighting for rights and justice, you will end up a sad mental case. In this country year after year, I learned that they are five lessons you must keep in your mind.

1 -Do not bother with your detractors if you do not take your plate to them. 2No one is going to beat your drum for you if you decide not to beat it. 3- No matter how civilised you come across those that don't welcome you will not offer an ounce of praise. 4 - Do what you have to do, what you feel you must morally do in your honest interest, and do it without any looking back because others will do what they want to do without considering how you feel.

5- You are going to meet people who warn you about

things and places to suit their own purpose but are far morally inferior to you. If I write my memoir, I will get hundreds of libel writs. My life of over 50 years of social activism and 33 years of newspaper and television commentary has been about keeping those five lessons close to my mind. I will now speak my mind on how I feel without any fear of what anyone else thinks. I believe in what I will now express.

I believe that given the super-power status of the US and the immense clout it can exert among poor nations that the US saved electoral democracy and prevented dictatorship in Guyana after the attempt to rig the March 2020 election began.

The point person for the US government in Guyana was its ambassador, Mrs. Sarah-Ann Lynch. The way diplomacy works, the US government had to shape its attitude on the election based

on Mrs. Lynch's transmissions. It meant that if Mrs. Lynch's correspondence was in support of the aims of the APNU+AFC and she had painted a portrait of wrongdoing by the PPP, the State Department would have been guided by her analyses because she is the person on the ground.

Mrs. Lynch observed the election process from voting day and remained a meticulous observer for the entire period until Dr. Irfaan Ali was sworn in as president.

It was through her transmissions, the powerful global actor with immense influence throughout the world – the United States – told the ruling regime that the US will not accept any other results than that which was declared by the CARICOM recount team.

The alternative would have been devastating sanctions

against Guyana given the kind of power the US has in the world.

The different attitudes of Guyanese toward Mrs. Sarah-Ann Lynch are simple to understand.

If you wanted to have a government that administered Guyana for ideological, racial or other reasons through electoral fraud so that government could have permanent power, then you will not assign any heroic or admirable sentiments to Mrs. Lynch.

If you believe that the Ambassador stood tall in stopping rigged election, denial of people's right to have their votes counted, and saving Guyana from a fate that was shaped by the Burnham dictatorship 50 years ago, then this lady should receive your praise.

I want to offer just three examples from the syndrome of permanent power in

G u y a n a t o contexualise how important it is to Frederick Kissoon honour Sarah-Ann We could not Lynch.

1- If we had free and fair get a modest chandelier election, Mr. Burnham may anywhere.

I will always remember have been voted out for denying Walter Rodney we found a small chandelier employment at UG. 2- If we at National Hardware that had free and fair election, today, no working class Mr. Burnham could not have person building a house declared the doctrine of would think of buying. We paramountcy of the party kept it when we moved into whereby his party, the PNC, Turkeyen.

It is a symbol in our had constitutional jurisdiction over all state l i v i n g r o o m o f t h e institutions.

3- How d e s t r u c t i v e n a t u r e o f p e r m a n e n t p o w e r c a n permanent power. I repeat destroy an economy creating once more – this country hardship for the entire should honour Sarah-Ann Lynch and the others I nation.

When my wife and I mentioned in many columns decided to extend our small last year by the erection of a house in Wortmanville bust or street named after because we now had a child, her.

(The views expressed in it was virtually impossible to get any useful hardware this article are those of the items and household items. a u t h o r a n d d o n o t Tiles for the bathroom were necessarily reflect the extremely difficult to find. opinions of this newspaper.)

Friday October 22, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

Friday October 22, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 12

GPF needs more modern resources to fight crime - Head of the Crime Lab T

he Head of the C r i m e Laboratory in Guyana, Assistant Superintendent (ASP), Ray Marcurius, said that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) needs more modern

res ources in order to effectively deal with crime in Guyana.

Marcurius explained this issue in a recent interview on the Tuesday edition of the Guyana Police Force radio programme, 'Police and

You'. He said that the equipment currently being used is outdated.

“The thing that our crime investigations are based on is science. And as you know, science is ever-evolving.

With all the different, new

Head of the Crime Laboratory, Assistant Superintendent, Ray Marcurius recently featured in an interview on the 'Police and You' radio programme on Tuesday. However, he was interviewed by Deputy Director of the Force's Corporate Communication Unit (CCU), Stan Gouveia. technology out there…there are a lot of new technology out there in terms of fingerprinting,” the Head of the Crime Lab said.

“They have persons using the old way, getting fingerprints through dusting.

There are infrared systems that could allow you to detect fingerprints much more effectively,” he noted.

In addition, ASP Marcurius further stated that the GPF “recently moved to acquire one of those equipment and ranks are being trained to make use of that equipment.”

He explained that criminals are also becoming more advanced in how they execute crimes and as such, he said the GPF needs to

Deputy Director of the Force's Corporate Communication Unit (CCU), Stan Gouveia.

keep up.

“We are working, but crimes and criminals are advancing…they're trying to

get better at what they do and we have to keep up, we don't have a choice.”Nevertheless, (Continued on page 22)

Kaieteur News

Friday October 22, 2021

PAGE 13

Fisherman found floating in No.63 waters The body of the fisherman that was found floating.

Engineer’s Estimate says $85.6M to remodel the MARAD office located in part of this building

T h e M a r i t i m e Administration Department (MARAD) invites bids for the remodelling of the office building for the MARAD secretariat. The project is estimated to cost $85.6M. According to an Invitation for Bids published in yesterday's Kaieteur News, it states that interested bidders can obtain further information from bidding documents, which were available for purchase from October 11, 2021, at the Ministry of Public Works on Mondays to Thursdays from 09:00hrs-16:30hrs and on Fridays from 09:0015:00hours, for a nonrefundable cost of $3,000.

Q u a l i f i c a t i o n requirements include, bidders registered in Guyana must submit valid certificates of compliance from the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and National Insurance Scheme (NIS). A margin of preference for national

contractors shall not be applied.

Bids will be opened in the presence of bidders and representatives at the Office of National Procurement and Te n d e r A d m i n i s t r a t i o n Board, Ministry of Finance, Main and Urquhart Streets, Georgetown on Tuesday, November 2, 2021 at 09:00hrs.

The purchase and inspection document can be uplifted from The Accounts Department, Maritime Administration Department, top floor, T and HD building at Lot 1 Battery Road, Kingston, Georgetown.

Late or incorrectly labeled bids will be rejected and returned to bidders unopened.

Pic saved in Friday as: Transport office Caption: The MARAD office is located in this building and according to an engineer's estimate, it is expected to cost $85.6M to remodel.

Police are investigating an alleged drowning, which occurred at the No.63 beach yesterday.

Dead is 47-year-old Persaud Vanryck of No. 64 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

Reports are that Vanryck's 17-year-old son found his lifeless body floating next to his seine at the No. 63 Beach, Corentyne, Berbice. He had left home early yesterday to retrieve his seine, but never returned. After several hours had

passed, his son ventured out to look for him, and subsequently found his father's body floating near the said seine.

The fisherman's body was escorted to the Skeldon Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. A postmortem examination is expected.

No marks of violence were found on his body, police said.

Chinese wants more extension on CJIA, Minister says no

A

request by the China Harbour Engineering Company's (CHEC) for an extension of its deadline to complete additional works at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA)

by April 2022 has been declined.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar rejected the proposal for an extension when he met the contractors on Wednesday. The minister visited the project site to get an update on the progress of works, after he received complaints about it and other related developments.

The Chinese contractor had requested a deadline extension to April 2022, but Minister Indar insisted that the work, which is currently at a progress level of 20 per cent, must be completed this year.

“We're not discussing any extension. On the 15th of November, of this year,

Friday October 22, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 14

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar. the engineers will go back and they will do a certificate of completion, which is to determine progress works.

At that point, we will know exactly what (is the) percentage completion, what are the issues, and then we will have that discussion.

I want to make sure that just cause is shown, and try your best as a company -you have 120 workers here-to ensure

Carrissa Goodings, the government's project engineer overseeing the works.

that you push the work,” Indar said.

The works being done by the contractor include an extension for two new air bridges and rehabilitation work addressing over 1,500 defects, which resulted from poor quality of work by the v e r y c o n t r a c t o r. T h e Minister was informed that 88 per cent of the over 800 defects has been resolved.

Speaking about the request, the government Project Manager on the CJIA expansion programme, Carrissa Goodings, said, “They have requested for an extension in time due to delays in terms of freight. They would have also included for buried utilities, underground utilities that (Continued on page 22)

Second suspect remanded for murder of Kaneville man

T

he second suspect implicated in the murder of Nelson Thomas, a miner of Kaneville, East Bank Demerara, was on Monday remanded to prison for the offence.

The defendant, 25-yearold Seon Caesar, called 'Ratty' appeared in the Diamond/Grove Magistrate's Court before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman.

He was not required to plead to the charge, which stated that on September 9, 2021, at Kaneville, East Bank Demerara, he murdered Thomas during the course or furtherance of a robbery.

He was remanded to prison until November 17, 2021.

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) had issued a wanted bulletin for the suspect. In an update, the GPF stated that the suspect was taken to Regional Division Four 'B' Headquarters by his lawyer and handed over to police.

Kaieteur News had reported that on the night of September 9, 2021, less than a week after Thomas had travelled out from the interior to sign for his newborn baby, that opportunity was taken away from him, after bandits pounced on him and robbed him of his gold chain and his cell phone. The father of one was stabbed fatally during the attack.

It was reported by the police that the miner was killed sometime around 21:30hrs that night. He was killed reportedly after he left his Fourth Field, Kaneville home, where he resided with his wife, his newborn son, and his mother.

The man had left his home to visit his uncle who lives at Second Street, Kaneville.

This publication had reported that during an interview with Thomas' relatives, they related that the deceased's wife had given birth to a baby boy several days before Thomas returned home.

As such, they stated, Thomas, who spends most of his time in Cuyuni, Region Seven, travelled out so that he could sign papers for his son.

“He left home to go by his uncle, who had promised him something. He only came out this week and today [September 10, 2021], he had planned to go sign for his one and only child,” Thomas' aunt said. She further stated that after he left home, his wife

Dead, Nelson Thomas.

Murder suspect, Seon Caesar.

had called him to inquire when he would return. It was at this point Thomas reportedly told his wife that he was 15 minutes away, and that he will be home soon.

They noted that minutes later, they got the news that Thomas was found dead with a knife wound to his chest.

It was reported that when they went to the scene, they saw Thomas lying on his back in a pool of blood with his eyes and mouth open.

The miner's body was then escorted to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

On Friday, September 17, 2021, Leroy Griffith, the first suspect, was remanded to prison for the murder of 36year-old Thomas called 'Nelo'.

The matter was called in the Diamond/Grove Magistrate's Court before Magistrate Sunil Scarce.

He was not required to plead to the indictable charge, and is expected to make his next court appearance on October 26, 2021.

Kaieteur News

Friday October 22, 2021

PAGE 15

The water supply system.

The commissioning ceremony.

$8.1 million water supply system commissioned at St. Cuthbert's Mission The community of St. Cuthbert's Mission located in Region Four now boasts of significantly improved water supply with the commissioning of an $8.1M upgraded and expanded water supply system, which is benefitting some 700 residents.

Of these 700 residents, more than 300 are receiving potable water for the first time as a result of the Government of Guyana funded project.

The project was executed b y t h e G u y a n a Wa t e r Incorporated (GWI) in-house staff; the Village Council and a local contractor were used to refurbish a metal trestle.

The project entailed upgrading of the distribution system, trestle rehabilitation, leak repairs, well-head rehabilitation and discharge, and the installation of new service connections.

This is in keeping with a commitment made by Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, who on Wednesday, 20th October, 2021 commissioned the system.

During her feature address at the commissioning ceremony, which was hosted at the St. Cuthbert's Mission Primary School, Minister Rodrigues highlighted that 90 percent of the community is benefitting from the upgraded water supply system. This is in comparison to the 35 percent that was being served before the upgrade.

She noted that the system

was in dire need of an upgrade since this was not done in several years. Hence, the upgrade was done and the system now has the capacity to serve twice as many residents that it is currently serving.

The Minister took the opportunity to stress the importance of ensuring that residents are satisfied with the service they are receiving, and that maximum service is achieved from the project.

She assured the residents that no effort will be spared in this regard.

She added that there is also a need to ensure that the system is maintained, even as she urged the Village Council to take ownership of the system.

Minister Rodrigues expressed gratitude to the GWI technical team responsible for the execution of the project, as well as community members for their cooperation.

She also used the opportunity to highlight that, before the end of 2021, five new wells will be drilled along the Linden/Soesdyke highway in the communities of Swan, Kuru Kuru, Kairuni, Long Creek and Moblissa.

Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Water, Andre Ally highlighted that in 2021, a programme of $344M is being executed in the hinterland regions (1, 7, 8 & 9) to provide potable water to communities there.

This includes the drilling of new wells, the upgrading (Continued on page 19)

PAGE 16

Kaieteur News

Friday October 22, 2021

Sophia woman killed in Eccles accident, motorcyclist critical A 41-year-old truck driver is in police custody after he reportedly reversed into a motorcycle killing pillion rider, Roxanne Daniels, a 37-year-old woman of Sophia, Georgetown, and left the motorcyclist Maxell Thomas in a critical condition.

The accident occurred at Eccles Industrial Site, East Bank Demerara (EBD) on Wednesday at about 15:40hrs, police investigators reported.

The truck – GAB 332 – is reportedly owned by RK Concrete Guyana Inc. The driver of the truck has been identified as Renaldo Ruiz of Eccles. Investigators stated that a breathalyzer test was conducted on him. However, no trace of alcohol was found in his system.

According to the police report, Thomas was proceeding west along the southern side of the road while the truck was reversing on the same side of the road when it collided with the motorcycle.

Investigators further stated that both Daniels and Thomas were thrown off the motorcycle, and were subsequently picked up in an unconscious state and rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre (DDC), where Daniels was pronounced dead on arrival.

Thomas was subsequently transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) in a critical

Dead, Roxanne Daniels

condition. He suffered a fractured right leg.

An investigation into the matter is currently ongoing.

Yesterday, Kaieteur News made several attempts to contact the deceased relative's.

Those efforts, however, have proven to be futile.

Kaieteur News

Friday October 22, 2021

PAGE 17

Bosai workers downed tools over failed salary increase negotiations The BOSAI workers in protest mode.

Workers attached to the Bosai Minerals Group Guyana (BMGG), on Monday, downed tools after negotiations between their union, the Guyana Bauxite & General Workers' Union and management of the company ended in deadlock. Scores of workers staged protest action in front of the company's bauxite plant entrance at Mackenzie, with support from the union.

Mr. Whitney Graham, the Union representative for the workers, told Kaieteur News, that workers are calling for nothing less than an eight percent increase. However, the company ended negotiations at 5.5 percent for 2021 and 6.5 percent for 2022. "The union is not settling for less than eight percent, we are also protesting against the snack allowance and the night premium," Graham posited.

Workers speaking under the cover of anonymity, said they are dissatisfied with the

increase given without negotiation, more so that they risked their lives throughout the pandemic, to keep the company's operations going.

They also considered the rising cost of living amongst other things. “Cost of living gone up by 14 percent, car fare raise, gas price keep jumping; throughout this pandemic, we worked through, we have to buy our own respirator and PPE gears, management is not showing no appreciation for the workers," one employee said.

"Every year for us to reach an agreement for salary increase, we have to always strike, management claiming they are not making money and that is not true.

Throughout the pandemic, production kept going, ships keep coming, and so we are not accepting any reason that we are in a pandemic, because BOSAI was not affected," another employee said.

The workers accused BOSAI's Manager, Eric Yu, for having no regard for the labour laws and for governmental authorities, as infractions the Government

Subryanville residents want illegal tyre shop closed

Subryanville residents wants this recently opened tyre shop located on Church Road, Subyanville, Kitty to be closed. According to them, Subryanville is a residential area and commercial activities or the opening of business in the community is unlawful.

Additionally, they noted that the employees or owner of the business have been dumping garbage in front of the business place and leaving it there for more than a week now.

The garbage, they said, “looks bad”, and is affecting the image of their community.

of Guyana requested the company to resolve in three months, one being changing casual workers status over two years to permanent, have not been fixed. In a

correspondence sent to workers, Management of the company blamed the economic hardships brought on by the pandemic for not being able to give a larger

increase, and explained that the company is currently in survival mode.

Workers plan to continue the strike, until negotiations are concluded in their favour.

PAGE 18

Kaieteur News

Friday October 22, 2021

Man accused of raping teen boys remanded to prison

A

39-year-old man accused of raping three teen boys was on Thursday 21st October 2021 remanded to prison on three counts of rape.

Ravello Tyndall of Region Six appeared at the Whim Magistrate Court before Magistrate Renita Singh and was slapped

with charges committed on a 15-year-old, 16year-old and 17-year- old.

He was not required to plead and was remanded to prison until November 8th 2021.

The accused was represented by Attorney-at-law Rodwell Jagmohan.

According to the facts of the case, Tyndall

committed the acts between 1st January, 2021 and 8th October, 2021 in Region Six. The victims told police that they would normally visit his home to do chores for him, but that he would threaten them at knifepoint before sexually assaulting them.

However, the situation became unbearable and one of the victims decided to confide in a relative, who later encouraged them to file a report with the police.

The accused was arrested on Sunday 10th October 2021 about 12:30hrs following the report made by the victims.

Husband remanded for assaulting wife

Basdeo Bhola

A

53-year-old man of Number 47 V i l l a g e , Corentyne, Berbice was yesterday slapped with three charges for assault committed against his wife at the said address and remanded to prison.

Basdeo Bhola called 'Orvo' was charged with causing Actual Bodily Harm, Unlawful Wounding Contrary to Section 30 (a) of the Summary Jurisdictions Offensive Act Chapter 8:02 and Provoking a Breach of Peace Contrary to Section 141(a) of the Summary Jurisdictions Offensive Act Chapter 8:02.

The accused appeared before Magistrate Alex Moore at the Number 51 Magistrate's Court, where the charges were read to him.

He pleaded not guilty and was remanded to prison. The matter was adjourned until November 3, 2021 for report.

Basdeo was arrested on Saturday, October 16, 2021 by police for the offence of assault, causing actual bodily harm and threatening behaviour committed on Savitri Bhola, at Lot 78 No. 47 Village Corentyne, Berbice.

Kaieteur News

Friday October 22, 2021

PAGE 19

GLDA relaunches AI in small ruminants with the aim of addressing food & nutrition security challenges - programme seeking to increase AI offspring by 50% within the next year

O

n Wednesday, the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) re-launched its artificial insemination (AI) in small ruminants programme.

The programme, which formed part of the agency's 2021 capital budget, included the procurement of laparoscopic equipment, and training of staff after the agency signed a contract with Mini Tube Germany to the tune of GY$15 million.

While offering remarks at the exercise, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said that the aim of the programme was to modernise and strengthen small ruminants' development in Guyana, while addressing food and nutrition security challenges in the region.

“This programme comes at a time when Guyana's agriculture sector is taking precedence on the world stage. While artificial insemination in Guyana started in the 90s for dairy and beef, it was in 2011 that we commenced the importation of proven sires for beef. As we continued to diversify, the swine artificial insemination programme followed in 2016. Today, we are here to re-launch artificial insemination (AI) in sheep and goats with the aim to modernise and strengthen small ruminant

development in Guyana so that the sector can better meet the challenges of addressing food and nutrition security,” Minister Mustapha said.

Minister Mustapha also said that over the next 12 months, the GLDA will be tasked with refocusing its AI programme with a view to increasing its AI offspring production target by 45% to 50%.Guyana has been processing meat, including beef, mutton, and others for local consumption. Since taking office just over a year ago, the government has invested billions of dollars to improve Guyana's livestock industry. Of the $806 million allocated to the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), $407.2 million was expended to spur production in the meat industry by the first half of this year .Furthermore, Minister Mustapha said that the world's livestock food system has been facing several challenges.

“As we celebrate agriculture month with the theme: “Transforming our food systems: Achieving food and nutrition security” I recognise the world's livestock food system has been facing increasing challenges, first with increased frequency of diseases, such as bird flu, Africa swine fever, and recently COVID 19. The latter resulted in higher

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha and other officials look on as the technician performs the procedure on one of the agency's animals.

freight costs and production costs and ultimately higher market prices for livestock products.

Even in the midst of those challenges, GLDA was able to invest in this technology and capacity to diversify its portfolio to keep us updated with modern production practices and techniques,” Minister Mustapha added.

Acting Chief Executive Officer of GLDA Dr. Dwight Waldron said that the programme is seen as a relaunch since farmers will now be given access to these high-class genetic materials.

“The re-launch of artificial insemination (AI)

$8.1M water supply system commissioned...

From page 15 of water supply systems, and the installation of photovoltaic systems.

According to him, Guyana is edging closer to realising the goal of equal access to potable water in the hinterland, as on the coastland. He said that the Ministry and, by extension, GWI has been delivering and will continue to deliver in this area.

Executive Director of Hinterland Services of GWI, Ramchand Jailalin in his remarks explained that the water produced by the well is safe for consumption, and no additional treatment is needed. He also stated that training will be done with community representatives on the operation and

maintenance of the system, solar power, and water quality, among other areas.

The Hinterland Executive Director urged the community to maintain the system and, in this regard, suggested that a water committee be established by the Village Council to have oversight.

Toshao of St. Cuthbert's Mission, Timothy Andrews said that the water supply system is yet another promise fulfilled by the Government of Guyana. He remarked that residents will now be able to enjoy a better quality of life with the upgraded and expanded system.

The village leader expressed confidence that the system will ensure not

only easy access to water, but an efficient and regular water supply for the community. He thanked all those involved in the execution of the project.

Residents were pleased with the Minister's intervention to improve the water supply in the c o m m u n i t y. N u r s e r y, Primary and Secondary schools, the Health Centre and Teachers' quarters are also among the beneficiaries of this project.

There still remains approximately 30 households on the outskirts of the village without water access, and GWI will be working closely with the Village Council to ensure that these residents also gain access.

[is] in small ruminants programme. We would have done some amount of laparoscopic AI about a decade ago, but that was with a limited amount of animals with a specific purpose.

It was not intended to be disseminated throughout the country. We imported some high-class genetic breeding animals for the programme.

Those animals went through an extensive exercise, because we would normally extract semen from them.

Farmers now have a chance to be in a position to do

business and market their product in such a way that they can make more money,” Dr. Waldron said.

The acting CEO further explained that the agency has adopted a strategic approach, so that in addition to having access to high-class genetic material, farmers are also given guidance on how to improve their production techniques and productivity levels.“The approach being utilised by GLDA is strategic, meaning that it encompasses the procurement of high-class

genetic breeding animals.

We would then extract semen from those animals and process it in our genetic laboratory.

There is also a component that includes the production aspect, where we work with farmers to improve their production techniques and productivity levels. It's not just a one-off where we give farmers access to the genetics and then the environment isn't right for the genetics to express themselves,” Dr. Waldron explained.

Friday October 22, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 20

Handwriting experts help solve majority of Will and property document forgery cases - GPF The majority of the cases in Guyana that requires the handwriting experts from Guyana Police Force's (GPF) Crime Lab has to do with forged signatures on Wills and documents for properties in dispute.

This was revealed by the

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Ray Marcurius, Officer in Charge of the GPF's crime lab. He made the disclosure on Tuesday while being interviewed on a radio programme called the “Police and You”.

The crime lab that ASP Marcurius is in charge of is located at the force's headquarters at Eve Leary, Georgetown, and there are about 32 ranks under his supervision.

ASP Marcurius said that the Crime Lab Department is

further subdivided into other departments, and one of them is the handwriting department.

He highlighted during the programme that suspected forged signatures on Wills and documents for properties in dispute, accounts for most of the cases that his handwriting experts are called in to work on.

“A lot of cases have to do with Wills and property disputes. When people die and leave something for you, you would have persons coming with Wills that they s u s p e c t h a s a f o rg e d signature”, ASP Marcurius said.

Other cases that require their expertise are cheques with forged signatures and other fraud related matters.

The Assistant Police Superintendent explained that the fraud department attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) would investigate these cases and send specimens of the suspected forged signatures and the handwriting of the person

being mimicked to his department. In determining whether the signatures were forged or not, ASP Marcurius said that the experts would study both specimens and point out the distinctive differences between them.

He explained that each person's handwriting is unique and cannot be accurately mimicked or replicated. “Each person's handwriting is unique; the way they form their letters…There is a lot of different formations, and different characteristics”, the ASP stated.

He further detailed that to point the differences between the forged signature and the real person's handwriting, his experts would look for key things, such as the sequence of letters, the depth of the pen's impressions on a page, etc.

The senior cop pointed out that someone can never change his or her handwriting; they can only try to disguise it, but the original characteristics that are unique to them remain

Head of GPF's Crime Lab, Ray Marcurius. the same.

ASP Macurius even said that his experts can also determine if someone signed a document under duress, which means that they were forced or coerced to sign.

His experts, he said, can pick up differences in a person's writing pace or speed when compared to their writing under normal circumstances.

However, he noted too that a person's writing pace can also be affected by an individual's heath or age.

CGX to start up portion of Deepwater...

From page 2 consecutive commercial discoveries on Block 58 in Suriname and the exponential increase in drilling offshore Suriname, coupled with the ongoing exploration and production activities on the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, and exploration wells to be drilled by CGX and others in 2021, the demand for ports servicing these operations have grown almost exponentially.

Currently, more than 75% of the port business servicing offshore oil and gas operations in Guyana and Suriname are provided by Trinidadian ports. However there are cost, fuel and carbon footprint concerns for companies operating in Guyana and Suriname, as the sailing time from Trinidad ports to the fields offshore Guyana and Suriname require approximately 48 hours of sailing one way, as opposed to between 12 and 14 hours from the Berbice river location for the CGX Port.

This means that significantly more fuel is consumed for services from Trinidad based ports, leading to increased carbon emissions and escalation of costs related to fuel consumption, equipment

rental, wear and tear and complicated logistics.

Importantly, this presents an opportunity not only for CGX, but also for Guyanese seeking to capitalize on the emerging jobs in the oil and gas industry.

For Berbice, CGX has said that the port would be a game changer, and one of the more elegant solutions to the acute employment crisis created when the sugar estates were closed. Even as the sugar estates are in the process of being reconfigured, unemployment in the Ancient County is still very high. Given that CGX has indicated that the port will also service the agricultural sector, it is expected that the Port will a l s o b o o s t t h e competitiveness of sugar and rice grown in Regions Five and Six, as these commodities incur approximately 20% additional in costs to be transported to Port Georgetown for shipping.

This, in turn, should see an upswing in the amount of Berbicians engaged in agriculture and agrop r o c e s s i n g . Wi t h t h e expected increase in personnel servicing the offshore operations coming through the port, hospitality services and other businesses

in New Amsterdam, which have been depressed for some time, are expected to see a significant boost in demand.

A few months ago, officials attached to Suriname's national oil c o m p a n y, S t a a t s o l i e , highlighted the need for a deepwater port facility to service both countries' offshore exploration and production activities. Given the position of CGX's facility, it would be well placed to offer services to companies in the oil and gas sector from both countries.

CGX officials have also indicated in the past that the Company was very excited about the potential increase in commodity goods coming through Guyana to the Port from Brazil, and also Suriname, as linkages to those countries being worked on are realized in the next few years. This includes the proposed bridge over the Corentyne River, and the proposed road to the State of Roraima in Brazil.

With the CGX Grand Canal Industrial Estates Berbice Deep Water Port back on track, Berbicians are set to take advantage of what is likely to place Berbice at the focal point of a GuyanaS u r i n a m e E n e rg y a n d Commerce Corridor.

Kaieteur News

Friday October 22, 2021

Horse cart used to steal motorcycle

Screengrab from the CCTV footage capturing the motorcycle theft.

Kaieteur News has been able to confirm that a horse cart was used by thieves to steal a motorcycle on Tuesday.

The theft was captured on CCTV camera and occurred at 5th Avenue Subryanville, Kitty, Georgetown.

The footage showed a horse cart carrying five men turning onto the Avenue from Sheriff Street.

After making the turn, the cart stopped and the driver along with two men jumped off and walked towards an XR- motorcycle parked at the side of building.

They removed the bike from its position and began

stealthily pushing it away.

The horse cart driver returned to the cart, while leaving the two men rolling the cycle farther away.

He took off slowly, while the men continued pushing the stolen motorcycle.

They proceeded a short distance away before making their escape.

This newspaper was told that some of the residents, who had seen the men pushing the motorbike thought that it belonged to the men on the horse cart.

It was not until the owner reported it missing that they realised that the men had been stealing the motorcycle.

PAGE 21

Govt. secures two new int'l markets for rice P

lan to pursue G u y a n a ' s agriculture sector so that it remains a vital r e v e n u e e a r n e r, w a s disclosed in the Ministry of Finance's 2021 Mid-year Report; the Government registered success in securing two more international markets for the nation's rice.

According to report in the first half of 2021, the two new international markets were established in the British Virgin Islands and Slovenia, with exports of 12 metric tonnes and 250 metric tonnes of rice, respectively set to be delivered. This has brought the total number of foreign markets to 37.

However, the report also stated that other major initiatives have been pursued to continue the

- Mid-year Report development of the rice industry. This included strengthened support to the farmers during the first half of the year. In addition, designs were finalized for the soil and value-added laboratories, along with a national monitoring programme for paddy bug, and red rice management demonstrations, and the reintroduction of farmer's field day and soil testing.

The report further added that the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) is providing technical advice on crop management to lowyielding farmers to increase their productivity of paddy cultivation. It also pointed (Continued on page 22)

PAGE 22

Friday October 22, 2021

Kaieteur News

...Chinese wants more extension on CJIA, Minister says

FOR RENT 3 bedroom, recently reconditioned. Excellent condition. Enmore/Haslington Access Road. Call: 667-3799 VEHICLES FOR SALE Allion, Primo, Spacio, Blue Bird, Field Wagon, 212, Carina, RZ, Pit Bull and Canter.

Tel#650-7501.

WANTED 1 operator for excavator to wok in the interior. Tel: 6984064, 660-5010.

SERVICES Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Graphics design, advertisements, Wedding arch rentals. Tel: 626-7040

One experienced Procument clerk to work in the mining sector. Call:223-5180.

Skilled Carpenter, Mason and Labourers to work long term in Georgetown and Linden. Contact: 602-9469, 6575800, 666-2887.

Live in waitress 18-25 years.

Call:648-7866.

FOR SALE Dobermann and German Shepherd mix pups for sale.

Contact Devi on 639-2828.

Transported house lots for sale.Gated community,4Mil per lot.Call:671-9015/6221957.

PROPERTY FOR SALE Charlotte street, Louisa Row, Better Hope, Enterprise, Diamond. Contact: Ray's Realty 627-9685

Upholster to work on chairs, car and bus seats Contact: 680-1967 One male able bodied clerk and one female sales representative. Call:225-2313 / 226-1497

From page 14 we have encountered when we would have been doing our excavations. So, those are the two major causes for delays.”

With regards to the endof-year deadline, Goodings posited that the company can complete a “high percentage” and should be able to complete at least 60 per cent by December 31, 2021.

“They have to show us an increase of their resources and, then, we will look at what extension of time will be given, but as it is right now, our position is let's see you increase your resources, show that you are progressing the work to achieve substantial completion which is 65 – 70 per cent at the end of this year,” she said.

Minister Indar expressed particular concern about the pace of the project, given multiple timeline breaches. He said that a lot of work went into negotiating solutions with the contractor.

“It's not going as you would like it to go, the speed that you would like it to go.

But it is going. It is progressing.”

During his visit, the Minister also inspected works being executed by CALCO Guyana for the construction of a new building attached to the CJIA's terminal building, which will house a conference

One cook and one kitchen assistant for interior locations. Call: 698-6200 1 full time Industrial mechanic to manage workshop at JFWW Network Outlet.

Call:622-1957, 671-9015, 2336997.

Night watchman, age 50-60.

Work 5pm-5am. Liliendaal Area. Contact:623-4242, between 9am-4pm.

Experienced cashier needed.

Apply with application at American Variety Store, 140 Regent & Light Street.

VACANCY Auto Electrical apprentice age 19-25 yrs. Apply in person, Lot 120 Forth Street Albertown G/Town or call 610-0340.

Vacancy exist for water delivery driver. Tel: 692-6768/ 676-1363.

Lorry drivers.Must have valid licence, send application survival. human resources @gmail. com /609-2995 Senior accounts clerk,Sales clerk & Cashier.Apply at Alabama Trading, 65 Robb Street Bourda.

FOR RENT Vreed-En-Hoop junction, place to rent for Office, Bond, Hair Salon other.

Call: 603-6400.

Maid to cook and clean for East Bank area.Call:615-9132.

One bedroom apartment for rent,471 East Ruimveldt $40,000 per month. Call: 225-2737.

Driver must be able to assist in workshop at Eccles,age 25-50, Car/ Van licence. Call 642-9823.

2 & 3 bedroom house in Vreed-en-Hoop. Apartment furnished in Providence & Diamond. Call: 604-6664/ 216-2299 Shop for rent opposite StewartvilleSecondary School.Contact: 649-2179.

LAND FOR SALE 1 house lot for sale,Cove & John E.C.D 50X100FT. Contact:664-1856 or 698-7152.

Middle Road La Penitence, Eccles, La-Grange, Cornelia Ida, Soesdyke Linden Highway. Contact Ray's Realty: 627-9685.

Exist for cashiers & supermarket helpers at Nirva Super Store. 49 Sheriff & Craig Street. Must be vaccinated.

Exist for Security Officers, Male & Female. 18yrs & above. Contact: 223-4172/ 632-0099.

room, offices for the airlines, and the other support agencies, as well as storage bonds for the duty-free shops and concessionaires.

He did so against the backdrop of receiving a report of various issues with that project as well. However, even though the contractor was informed that the Minister, and the Chairman of CJIA Board, Sanjeev Datadin, will be present to inspect the ongoing works, they were not present during the site inspection. “We will have to have a meeting with them on Friday to understand what is

going on with this company and how they are going to progress this work so that it doesn't have a situation where you have slippages in the timeline, so I want to arrest this early,” Indar said.

The CJIA expansion project has been subjected to criticisms from the new government, since it took office in August 2020. President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, and other officials of the government have said that Guyana will not be tolerant of unsatisfactory work and made it clear that the project will only be accepted if it is done in accordance with

the “original contract” that was signed in 2011.

As such, Minister Indar noted the fact that when the PPP/C Administration came into office last August, the President himself had to get involved, speaking with the senior management of China Harbour to determine a way forward.

Since then, he noted the government held numerous meetings and inspections with the contractor to resolve issues, and it will continue to advocate for the project to be completed sooner, rather than later.

...GPF needs more modern resources to From page 12 the Head of the Crime Lab reminded the general public that they should not tamper with crime scenes, whether it be a robbery or accident scene.

ASP Marcurius explained that when these scenes are interfered with, even in the slightest way, it reduces the chances of investigators solving the crime, and catching the suspect.

“At the end of the day, you are going to want justice, and you will want that particular perpetrator put behind bars…when you

damage that scene and make it difficult for us to get evidence, it increas e s t h e chance of that person getting away with that crime, and tomorrow he'll be at somebody else's door and he's going to continue until he gets caught,” ASP Marcurius contended.

“As part of your duty to yourself to get justice and to help prevent others from suffering the same fate, you have to focus and do the right thing, secure the area, and get the experts there,” he pointed out.

Furthermore, ASP Marcurius also highlighted

there needs to be more crowd-control measures at these crime scenes, and he urged the public to understand this.

“In Guyana, we tend to have a culture where we see a large amount of persons rushing to the area and that kind of harms the investigation.

We need that area to be secured so that when the crime team arrives, that area is undisturbed; fingerprint evidence, DNA evidence, are there uncontaminated, and that is important to have successful prosecution in cases.”

...Govt. secures two new int'l markets From page 11 out that construction of the drying floor commenced in Wakenaam, with others in Riverstown, Cane Grove, De Hoop, Adventure, and No. 63 Village also expected to be completed in the third quarter.

Kaieteur News learnt that the report also highlighted

that the strengthening of the post-harvest and valueadded capabilities of the rice industry is underway, while adding that the laboratory for experimental trials on valueadded rice products is expected to be completed in October. Meanwhile, research is being conducted on the storage duration of the GRDB

13 (Aromatic) variety, which is expected to produce a yield of paddy with longer shelf life.

Furthermore, the Burma Rice Research Station is continuing research on biofortification for zinc in rice to produce paddy with improved nutrients to curb nutrients deficiency.

Friday October 22, 2021

PAGE 23

Kaieteur News

Two companies bid for the $600M CJIA project During the opening of tenders, at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) yesterday, bids were opened for the $600

million rehabilitation and construction works at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

The procuring entity is the Ministry of Public

Ministry of Education Design services for the construction of Secondary school building (Orealla or Sipuruta).

Design services for the construction of Secondary school building (Karasabai) Region Nine.

Works. At the opening, only two construction companies bid for the contract for the construction and rehabilitation works of the

VIP section, and the new and existing Commercial buildings at the CJIA. Some of the other projects that were opened yesterday were the

Rehabilitation of Mabura Road, Region 10.

Construction and rehabilitation works of the VIP section, and new and existing Commercial buildings at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

Supreme Court of Judicature Design and supervision for the construction of storage/ record bond and living quarters at the Diamond/Grove Magistrate’s Court.

rehabilitation of Mabura Road in Region 10, the remodeling and rehabilitation of Blairmont Police Station in Berbice, and for design services for

the construction of two Secondary schools, located in Orealla and Karasabai, respectively.

Below are the companies and their bids:

Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) Design review and construction for a small hydropower plant in Moco Moco and Kumu.

Protected Areas Commission (PAC) Construction of PAC SBPA Office building in Moruca Sub-District.

Renovation and expansion of the Guesthouse at Kaieteur National Park, Region Eight.

Ministry of Health Supply and delivery of a vehicle.

Design and supervision services for the extension of Bailiff Bond and inclusion of two self-contained living quarters at the Lethem Magistrate’s Court.

Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) Procurement of Pharmaceuticals for the remainder of the year.

Ministry of Public Works Emergency reconstruction of Eastern Highway Bridge, Region Four.

Rehabilitation of Eterinbang Airstrip, Procurement of cement and reinforcement.

Design and supervision services for the retrofitting of the old Magistrate’s Court at Wales to a Magistrate’s quarter and library / research centre, West Coast Demerara- Region Three.

Ministry of Home Affairs Remodeling and rehabilitation of Blairmont Police Station, Berbice, Region Five.

Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC) Fabrication and delivery of one hundred and fifty (150) 10 feet deck plates to DHBC.

7-month-old baby among six latest COVID-19 fatalities The Ministry of Health, yesterday reported that six more persons, who tested positive for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, have died. As a result of this, the country’s COVID-19 death toll has moved to 887.

According to the Health Ministry, the latest fatalities are that six unvaccinated persons who died between October 8 to October 21, while receiving treatment at a medical facility.

The fatalities are that of three females, a 68-year-old from Region Five (MahaicaDemerara), a 46-year-old from Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne) and a 35-year-old from Region

Four ( Demerara-Mahaica), and that three males, a 64year-old from Region Six, a 42-year-old from Region Four and a seven-month-old baby from Region One (Barima-Waini). Meanwhile, in its daily COVID-19 dashboard, the Ministry recorded 74 new cases, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 34,800.

The dashboard also shows that 21 patients are admitted into the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 109 persons in the institutional isolation, 3,411 in home isolation and six in institutional quarantine. To date, a total of 30,372 recoveries have been recorded.

PAGE 24

Kaieteur News

Friday October 22, 2021

Friday October 22, 2021

PAGE 25

Kaieteur News

AFL to ban players who have not been ...Talented youth following in vaccinated against COVID

Collingwood FC Skipper leading by example.

Insidethegames - All players and football department staff who are part of the Australian Football League (AFL) and AFL Women’s (AFLW) will need to be fully vaccinated to train and play as part of the AFL’s Covid-19 policy.

After consultation with Governments and the AFL Players Association (AFLPA), the AFL released a

three-stage schedule as part of its “responsibility to address the risk of exposure to Covid-19 of our players and football programme staff”.

The first stage requires players and football programme staff of Victoria’s clubs to be double vaccinated

by November 26, with the first dose being received by today.

The second stage - specific to Sydney Swans, Greater

Western Sydney Giants and all AFLW players and staff requires a first inoculation by November 19 and the second

by December 17.

Stage three incorporates all players and football staff at Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland clubs and states that doses one and two must be completed by January 21 and February 18, respectively, in advance of practice matches towards the end of the 2022 pre-season.

Individuals who fail to comply with the protocols will be banned from attending club and AFL facilities to train and play. Clubs will be able to determine the disciplinary action it takes against players who do not have an approved medical exemption and do not get vaccinated.

Friday October 22, 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Good news about career success may have your home in an uproar. Visitors, particularly men and young people, could be in and out all day.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) The current aspects indicate success. This might relate to your romantic life or to a creative project that you've been working on for a long time.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Celebrating coming milestones could have you running around paying visits, shopping, or consulting with others.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Today might mark a milestone for you in the form of public recognition. Your clear, quick thinking and powers of observation have impressed others.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You're swamped with paperwork regarding financial affairs. Bills need to be paid and checks deposited.

There may also be a legal paper of some kind to deal with.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) A letter or phone call concerning potential positive changes in your financial situation could have your mind buzzing over possibilities for the future.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Have you been thinking about working toward a career as a writer or teacher?

If so, this is the day to start.

Perhaps you need to sit down and start writing.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Being around others should be especially gratifying for you today. Most people should be friendly, and you'll enjoy their company.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) A group with which you've been involved could receive recognition for good work that you may have spearheaded.

Or a friend could receive some sort of public acknowledgment that reflects on you.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Someone that you don't really know well may corner you at a social occasion and try to talk you into something.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Your writing and speaking abilities are operating at a high level today. If you've been thinking about pursuing either of these avenues, starting now gives you an advantage toward attaining success.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Success in a creative field and possible public acknowledgment could come your way. Close friends and romantic partners will be very happy for you and might even throw a little celebration of some kind.

They will be able to transfer the player to the inactive player list - meaning the player can be replaced and pay them 25 per cent of their contracted salary, if in the AFLW or the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) minimum base salary for AFL players.

The second option for teams is to keep the player on their playing list and pay them no less than 25 per cent of their contracted salary for AFLW players, or a quarter of the CBA minimum base salary. With the agreement of the player, clubs will also be able to terminate their contract. From May 18 in 2022, clubs will also be able to exercise any rights they may have at law to terminate the player’s contract.

...Bowling might helps From page 30 though. First, Chris Greaves overran the ball to concede a boundary to a slog sweep in the ninth over off Ilyas.

Two balls later, Wheal mistimed his jump at short fine leg to reprieve Ilyas on 36. But even before Scotland began to wonder if it had cost them, Ilyas would pick out long-off to give Michael Leask a wicket off his third delivery, in the 10th over.

Zeeshan rides his luck Maqsood began slowly and tried to rebuild the innings by nudging the ball into the gaps. His first sign of going big, however, nearly resulted in a wicket as he mistimed a Greaves full toss to deep square leg in the 14th over, only to find out it was a waisthigh no-ball.

He had another reprieve in the next over when Sharif, the bowler, and Coetzer, running to his left from cover, briefly froze in trying to catch a skier. By the time Coetzer attempted the catch, he was late, and the catch was grassed.

Coetzer then had three full stumps in view to effect a direct hit at the bowler’s end but missed that as well. On 14 then, he kept the runs ticking to score 34, even as wickets continued to fall around him that meant Oman didn’t get the finishing kick. Eventually, Maqsood would hole out to sweeper cover to give Josh Davey his second wicket. Oman were bowled out of the last ball of their innings for 122.

Scotland 123 for 2 (Coetzer 41, Berrington 31*) beat Oman 122 (Ilyas 37, Maqsood 34, Davey 3-25, Leask 2-13) by eight wickets.

From page 31 Championship honours.

Matthew is presently in Barbados after he was invited amongst others,including Thorne, the quickest bowler in England, by Coach Floyd Reifer to continue training prior to the HP training camp in Antigua for the 2022 World Cup in the Caribbean.

The promising youngster spoke about the challenges of the pandemic and living in a bubble. “It’s quite difficult mentally but with the support from my coaches, family, and friends I am able to cope with any obstacle that may arise” said Matthew, who also spoke of how he balances academics and cricket and how he adapted to the Guyanese Culture.

“Being in Guyana does not affect my studies because many of my courses were online and my teachers were very understanding of my situation. of course. I missed my friends and fam-

ily a lot. However, Aunty Sonia and Uncle Richard Jodah (former Guyana youth batsman) treated me as if I was one of their own.

I was away from home for seven months, but they ensured that I was well taken care of. They also contributed to the person who I am today and where I am in my life. I will continue going back and forth from Canada to Guyana, so that I can continue my cricket aspirations as well as my academics” explained Matthew.

Matthew says cricket in Canada is definitely developing, added that the level is quite high. “I started playing cricket in Canada and I continue to play in Canada to this day. I want to thank everyone for all of their continuous support” concluded Matthew who sees himself playing for the Guyana Jaguars and representing the West Indies senior team in the future.

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Kaieteur News

Friday October 22, 2021

Kaieteur News

Friday October 22, 2021

PAGE 27

West Indies Women Set For Short Tour To Pakistan, Ahead Of ICC World Cup Qualifers t. John’s, Antigua – Cricket West Indies (CWI) today confirmed that the West Indies Women are set to tour Pakistan for three (3) One-Day Internationals (ODIs) from November 8 to 14. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have confirmed all the tour logistics and have submitted detailed medical and security plans to CWI for final review.

The West Indies Women are due to arrive in Pakistan on November 1 for the ODI series that is scheduled to be played at the National Stadium in Karachi.

This will be the West I n d i e s Wo m e n ’s t h i r d bilateral series in 2021, after hosting Pakistan and South Africa in the Caribbean this summer.

The West Indies players are currently in Antigua for a High-Performance training camp as part of the team’s preparation for the upcoming Cricket World

S

Cup Qualifiers.

CWI’s CEO, Johnny Grave said: “This reciprocal tour to Pakistan is an important part of our preparation plans ahead of the World Cup qualifying tournament that is scheduled to take place in Zimbabwe in mid-November.

This tour to Pakistan will give the team the chance to play in different conditions compared to the Caribbean and have more high level competitive cricket ahead of aiming to secure one of the three qualifying spots available for the Women’s Cricket World Cup next year.”

“The security plan arranged by the PCB is the same high level that the West Indies Men’s and Women’s teams received when they last toured Pakistan in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Independent security advisors, Eastern Star International (ESI) have confirmed to both CWI and WIPA that they are satisfied

that the risk is manageable and can be mitigated to an acceptable level of safety.

We will now take a final recommendation to our Board of Directors before the Selection Panel confirms the squad.”

The West Indies Women

will travel directly to Zimbabwe after the ODI Series for the ICC Women’s C r i c k e t Wo r l d C u p Qualifiers from November 21 to December 5. They will be one of ten teams, along with Pakistan, aiming to secure one of three

qualifying places for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand in February 2022.

The West Indies Women last toured Pakistan in January 2019 for three (3) T20 Internationals in Karachi.

Full Match Schedule 1st ODI – November 8 at National Stadium, Karachi 2nd ODI – November 11 at National Stadium, Karachi 3rd ODI –November 14 at National Stadium, Karachi

Queen’s Baton Relay continues in Africa two weeks after departure

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nsidethegames - The Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay has arrived in The Gambia, two weeks after departing Buckingham Palace in London. The Gambia is the second African country to receive the Baton, which will travel to every nation and territory which will take part in the Commonwealth Games next year.

It begun its journey in Cyprus where it was carried by jet ski, the first of many unusual methods which will transport the baton during the Relay’s 294 days. The baton is being taken to each destination by courier as part of plans to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

In Malta, President George Vella wore a face mask as he was handed it. “This idea of the baton, weaving through the territories of the Commonwealth, is in itself a realisation that characterises what the Commonwealth is actually about,” Vella said.

“It is a number of countries tied together by common democratic principles, by common laws, and also working together to achieve world peace and stability.” The baton was taken around the island by a group of bearers which included Tokyo 2020 Olympians.

Carla Scicluna, who competed in the women’s 100 metres, badminton player Matthew Galea, pistol shooter Eleanor Bezzina and Paralympic flagbearer and athlete

Abdoulie Baks Touray from the Commonwealh Games Federation was part of the historic Queen’s baton relay to The Gambia.

Thomas Borg were all part of the Relay.

They were joined by 16-yearold long jumper Jeremy Zammit, an Under-20 European Championship finalist, half marathoner Charlton Debono and Janet Richard, a 400m runner who competed at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.

All were selected “based on their achievements and to represent the spirit of the Commonwealth and

serve as an inspiration to others”.

Maltese sport also appointed three “game changers” to promote the Games and the Relay.

They include Jake Vella, a swimmer who suffers from a rare condition which causes obesity.

This year, Vella swam 100 kilometres in 20 days to raise awareness of environmental problems.

He was able to return to the

water during the COVID-19 pandemic when pools were closed thanks to efforts by Fabio Spiteri, a ultra-triathlete who was a medallist in athletics at the 1999 Games of the Small States of Europe.

Olympian Neil Agius, who competed in the 400m freestyle at the Athens 2004 Olympics and has since forged a reputation as an long distance swimmer in the Mediterranean, also joined the

events to celebrate the baton as a game changer. After Malta, the baton touched down in Nigerian capital Abuja to begin its tour of Africa.

This coincided with the lighting of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Flame at Ancient Olympia, which perhaps prompted a slip of the tongue from Nigerian Sports Minister Sunday Dare, who called the baton a Torch.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 28

Friday October 22, 2021

NBA roundup: Knicks edge Celtics in double OT

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euters - Evan Fournier scored a career-high 32 points and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 56.1 seconds left in the second overtime Wednesday night for the host New York Knicks, who squandered an 11-point lead late in the fourth quarter before edging the Boston Celtics 138-134 in an entertaining season opener for both teams.

Fournier, who spent last season with the Celtics, scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and both overtimes as he became the first player in Knicks history to score 30 points in his debut for the team.

Jaylen Brown, who was activated from the Covid-19 list prior to the game, scored a career-high 46 points for the Celtics. That was the highest total by a player in a season opener in franchise history and one point shy of Larry Bird’s record for the most points scored by a

Boston player against New York.

Julius Randle scored 35 points and added nine assists and eight rebounds for the Knicks, who made the playoffs last year for the first time since 2012-13.

Hornets 123, Pacers 122 - LaMelo Ball scored 31 points and P.J. Washington sank two free throws with 4.6 seconds remaining to lift host Charlotte past Indiana.

Torrey Craig drained a pair of free throws to give the Pacers a 122-121 lead with 12.4 seconds left.

Craig’s foul at the other end of the floor set the stage for Washington, who sank his two shots from the charity stripe. Gordon Hayward scored 27 points for Charlotte, which was facing Indiana for the first time since dropping a 144117 decision in a play-in tournament game on May 18.

76ers 117, Pelicans 97 Joel Embiid scored 22 points

WIPA extends best wishes to West Indies Men’s Team on ICC T20 World Cup 2021 campaign

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ingston, Jamaica – The executive, membership and staff of the We s t I n d i e s P l a y e r s ’ Association (WIPA) would like to extend best wishes to the West Indies Men’s Team on their ICC T20 World Cup 2021 Campaign.

The West Indies, the defending ICC T20 World Cup Champions, are aiming to cop a record third trophy,

and Tobias Harris had a double-double as visiting Philadelphia pulled away from New Orleans in the season opener for a pair of short-handed teams.

Harris had 20 points and 12 rebounds and Furkan Korkmaz scored 18 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Sixers outscored the Pelicans 36-27 in the final period.

Sixers guard Ben Simmons was serving a onegame suspension imposed by coach Doc Rivers on Tu e s d a y f o r c o n d u c t detrimental to the team.

Brandon Ingram scored 25 points, Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 23 and Devonte’ Graham added 18 for New Orleans. Pelicans forward Zion Williamson missed the game and is sidelined indefinitely because of offseason foot surgery.

Grizzlies 132, Cavaliers 121 - Ja Morant poured in a game-high 37 points,

Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks

including two huge hoops after Cleveland closed the gap late, as host Memphis spoiled the NBA debut of Evan Mobley with a victory in both teams’ opener.

Desmond Bane and De’Anthony Melton had 22 and 20 points, respectively,

while Steven Adams snatched a game-high 14 rebounds in his Grizzlies debut. Mobley, the No. 3 pick in the July draft, had 17 points, a team-high-tying nine rebounds and six assists for the Cavaliers, who lost despite shooting 50.5

percent from the field.

Results elsewhere, Nuggets 110, Suns 98, Jazz 107, Thunder 86, Wizards 98, Raptors 83, Bulls 94, Pistons 88, Timberwolves 124, Rockets 106, Kings 124, Trail Blazers 121, Spurs 123, Magic 97.

Saint Kitts and Nevis, Curacao start CWU17Q on winning note

having won the competition in 2012 and 2016. The 2021 campaign will officially bowl off for the West Indies on Saturday, October 23 in Dubai against England in a rematch of the 2016 final.

“Best wishes to the entire squad, management and support staff. We wish for you all good returns as you embark on retaining the trophy,” – WIPA President and CEO, Wavell Hinds.

Draynishaina Uranie # 11 of Curacao celebrates after scoring their first goal.

Miami, Florida – Both Saints Kitts and Nevis and Curacao started Concacaf Wo m e n ’s U n d e r - 1 7 Championship Qualifying on a winning note with victories to open play on Wednesday at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Saint Kitts and Nevis sit atop Group A at the end of the first day following a 4-1 win

over U.S. Virgin Islands.

First half goals from Sharema Blake (15’) and Mikayla Gumbs (25’) had Saints Kitts and Nevis in control with a 2-0 halftime lead.

The USVI would make things interesting though, as a Malaika Rouse own goal (56’) made for a compelling final half-hour of play.

However, in the end, goals

from Trisha Nisbett (77’) and Jahzara Claxton (90+4’) sealed the 4-1 triumph for Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Curacao also collected three points to open their campaign in Group B with a 3-1 victory against Belize. It looked like the teams would arrive into halftime scoreless, but Curacao duo Draynishaina (44’) and Julainy Thielman (45+2’)

had other ideas and struck three minutes apart to make it 2-0 to Curacao at intermission.

Belize would battle back in the second half and cut the deficit to 2-1, with Khalydia Velasquez (52’) getting her name on the scoresheet, but a late insurance goal from Draynishaina (90+2’) completed the 3-1 scoreline for Curacao.

Kaieteur News

Friday October 22, 2021

Lady Jags go down 1-6 to Puerto Rico in first of two warm-up matches

Bangladesh celebrate a wicket

Shakib, Mahmudullah star as Bangladesh rout PNG to seal Super 12s spot ESPNcricinfo Bangladesh couldn’t have asked for a bigger margin of victory on a day when the net run rate equation was the main focus. They beat Papua New Guinea by 84 runs, which gave them an NRR of 1.733 which made the Oman-Scotland contest that followed a knockout battle.

PNG slipped to 29 for 7, briefly threatening Netherlands’ 39 all out as the lowest total in T20 World Cup history. Kiplin Doriga enforced their recovery with an unbeaten 46, as PNG were bowled out for 97 in the final over.

Bangladesh’s big score w a s s e t u p b y Mahmudullah’s 28-ball 50, and big-hitting from Shakib Al Hasan who made 46 and Mohammad Saifuddin who hammered a six-ball 19 not out.

Shakib bosses with the bat - Bangladesh’s need for a good powerplay was finally fulfilled, thanks to big hits from Shakib and Liton Das. They reached 45 for 1 after six overs, their first 40-plus score at that point in eight matches.

Liton hit a 23-ball 29, but

PAGE 29

Shakib continued to run hard, converting several ones into twos. He struck three sixes in his 46 off 37 balls, the last of which was a one-handed straight hit off Assad Vala.

But as he flagged in the Muscat heat, Shakib’s innings was cut short by a brilliant Charles Amini catch, who timed his big dive to perfection at long-on.

Ahead of the game, Amini said that he was looking forward to meeting Shakib, and this catch must be a great ice-breaker.

Mahmudullah tees off Mahmudullah took off from where Shakib left off, starting with a hammer down long-on for his first six. He struck Chad Soper for two sixes through midwicket, but also managed to get fours with deft touches through point and third-man. His most delightful shot of this innings was a sweep from outside off stump against the left-arm quick Kabua Morea.

It threaded between the square-leg and short fine-leg perfectly. Mahmudullah got out after reaching his 50 off 27 balls, although he didn’t look too pleased to be given

out off Ravu’s high full-toss in the 18th over. His acceleration meant that Bangladesh were well set for a big total.

Barramundis can fly too - There is a reason why PNG are proud of their fielding. They are quite good at it. Against Bangladesh, there were four brilliant catches. Amini, Sese Bau and Damien Ravu took forward diving catches. Bau took the first two catches of the innings, the one of Liton standing out, as he had to make the catch by diving in front of him at deep squareleg.

Amini also needed a fulllength forward dive at longon to end Shakib’s innings.

Later, Ravu capped off PNG’s catching with his effort to remove Afif Hossain in the death overs.

He ran in from deep midwicket, before diving in front of him, managing a late swerve from the ball, to keep it in his grasp.

Bangladesh 181 for 7 (Mahmudullah 50, Shakib 46, Morea 2-26) beat Papua New Guinea 97 (Doriga 46*, Shakib 4-9, Taskin 212) by 84 runs.

Brazil close on Belgium and France, Italy climb October 2021 was a busy month in international football, with qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, friendlies, and the final rounds of the UEFA Nations League all on the agenda. A total of 160 fixtures were played, the impact of which can be seen on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking.

Though their lead is now under threat, Belgium remain top despite UEFA Nations League defeats to France (3rd, +1) and Italy (4th, +1). Among the top five, only Les Bleus and Gli Azzurri have improved their positions.

Brazil remain second but are breathing down the neck of Belgium, just 12 points behind. England, meanwhile, drop two places to fifth. A little further down, Spain’s (7th, +1) progress at the expense of Portugal (8th, -1) is also noteworthy, as is that of Germany (12th, +2), who leapfrog USA (13th).

Uruguay lost most ground among the top 20 by dropping three places to 15th. It is after that, however, where we find some of the most significant movers on this edition.

Morocco (29th, +4), Russia (33rd, +4), Egypt (44th, +4), Saudi Arabia (49th, +7) and South Africa (66th, +7) all made strides on the back of two wins from two this month in Qatar 2022 qualifying.

Two nations in the second half of table fared even better, with New Zealand (111, +10) and Indonesia (165, +10) the jointbiggest movers this month, ahead of Central African Republic (115, +9) and Cambodia (170, +8).

Mexico remains the top Concacaf side at 9th in the world followed by USA (13th), Coast Rica (45th), Canada (48th) and Jamaica (59th), the top five. Guyana is at 176 in the world and 24th in Concacaf. The next FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking will be published on 25 November 2021.

G u y a n a ’s S e n i o r Women’s Football Team, the ’Lady Jags’, lost 6-1 to Puerto Rico on Wednesday night in the first of two friendly matches that forms part of the team’s one-week encampment in Puerto Rico.

The Puerto Rico encampment is part of the process of strengthening the women’s programme ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers next year and it is the first time that the foreign based players is training with the local select players as Head Coach, Dr. Ivan Joseph and his Technical team seek to get the right combination together for next week’s assignment.

Karina Socarrás led the Puerto Rico in the win with a brace which came in the 28th and 35th minute. Those goals came after JoJo Cotto opened the scoring in the 14th minute; the score remained 3-0 at the half.

Madison Cox (47th minute) took the score to 4-0 before Guyana’s Annalisa Vincent pulled one back in the 59th minute, but Nickolette Driesse (76th) and Karish Rivera (88th) ensured that any hope of a comeback was well out of the Lady Jags’ reach.

The team is expected to train today after resting yesterday ahead of t o m o r r o w ’s s e c o n d encounter. No doubt, the

Technical staff would have identified areas to be worked on which will be focused on during the training session today. The ‘Lady Jags’ would be aiming for a much better show tomorrow.

For next year ’s C O N C A C A F Wo m e n ’s Championship qualifiers, Guyana have been drawn in Group F of the with Trinidad and Tobago, Nicaragua, Turks and Caicos, and Dominica. The winner of the group will join the five other qualification group winners and automatic qualifiers Canada and the U.S. at the 2022 Championship, which also serves as the region’s gateway to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Boxers to attend Junior Pan Am Games to train locally

T&T & B’dos could participate in Guyana’s Camp

By Sean Devers Youth boxers Travis Inverary, Patrick Harvey and Alesha Jackman have gained spots at the Junior Pan Am Games scheduled for November 25 to December 5 in Cali, Colombia. Inverary and Jackman, rated as the best female Junior Boxer in the Caribbean, will compete in the 69kg class, while Harvey will do battle in the 63kg class.

The trio will a part of Guyana’s contingent at the Games, which caters for athletes aged 17 to 22 in the Americas. Yesterday at the NSC headquarters, Middle Street, Georgetown, Director of Sports Steve Ninvalle, in his capacity as President of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) and Head of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) K Juman Ya s s i n m a d e a j o i n t statement to Media.

Ninvalle reaffirmed that the partnership between the GBA and the GOA continues to be strong and over the years, GOA has been very supportive. The GBA Head informed that each of young boxers would receive $100,000 stipend from the GOA to spend during their training in Guyana or when they get to Columbia.

Ninvalle informed that the boxers will be provided with everything they need to be successful including

having a Nutritionist, Psychologist and Physiotherapist.

“I can’t remember this ever happening at this level,” said Ninvalle who added that GBA’s Technical Director, Te r e n c e P o o l e c o u l d accompany the trio to Columbia. “We have the best boxing programme in the Caribbean and the highest qualified coaches so it was decided that instead of sending them on an overseas camp we could conduct the training camp here.

We have invited Trinidad which will be sending three pugilists to the Guyana training camp which will include the senior boxers.

We have also invited Barbados who could send two boxers,” said Ninvalle who also stated that in the next four to eight years, these boxers could become the elites in the Caribbean.

The location of the training camp has not been decided as yet but after consultations with Coaches Sebert Blake and Poole, it could not only be in Region four” informed the GBA head.

Ninvalle spoke about A I B A’ s p a y o u t o f US$100,000 to each gold medal winner, US$50,000 for silver and US$25,000 for bronze medal winners at the Wo r l d C h a m p i o n s h i p scheduled for October 26 to

November 6 in Belgrade, Serbia.

“This is great news for our boxers and would encourage then to remain in the Amateur ranks longer knowing that they can earn a decent living without turning Pro before they are ready” noted Ninvalle, who said plans are already in stream for the construction of the home of Boxing in Guyana.

He further explained that this facility will allow overseas boxers to Guyana to train which could save the GBA money for travelling and add to sports Tourism.

He informed that more will be said on this later but stressed it is going happen.

Yassin, the long severing GOA Boss informed that in a previous conversation with Ninvalle he suggested that the boxers train in Guyana, since the best coaches are here.

“This programme is very good for our junior boxers,” disclosed the GOA Head who confirmed that Mike Parris has been named GOA’s Boxing Ambassador and is being given a stipend.

Parris won a bronze medal at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow which is Guyana’s only Olympic medal.

Yassin said he is pleased to have such a fruitful relationship with Boxing and promised to continue its support to the GBA.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 30

Friday October 22, 2021

MOE/Nexgen Golf Academy commence training for Teachers

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he Ministry of Education, Allied Arts Unit, in association with Nexgen Golf Academy has commenced training for Physical Education Teachers in the sport of golf in Regions Two, Four and Five.

The training commenced yesterday at the Academy, Woolford Avenue and will last for one week, bringing the total number of Secondary Schools with access to golf to eighty-two (82) and allowing as many as eight thousand (8,000) students access to one of the few fully compliant Covid19 sports.

Ms. Barker-King, Head of the Allied Arts Unit, thanked the Honorable Priya Manickchand-Minister of Education, Mr. Alfred KingPermanent Secretary, Dr. Marcel Hutson-Chief Education Officer and Ms. June Ann Gonsalves-ACEO S e c o n d a r y, f o r t h e i r unwavering and full support of the rapid implementation of the sport in the school’s curriculum.

P E Te a c h e r s f r o m Annandale, Buxton, Bladen Hall, LBI, Hope, Covent Garden, St. Cuthbert, D i a m o n d , L a n c a s t e r, Friendship, Plaisance, Dora, No. 8, Woodley Park, Ft.

Teachers going through their paces at the academy yesterday Wellington, Bush Lot, Belladrum, Novar, Mahaicony, Bygeval, and Rosignol Secondary Schools are currently undertaking the training.

President of the Academy, Aleem Hussain and Allied Arts Physical Education Officer, Kurt Braithwaite, will travel to Region Two on October 2728, 2021 to train Teachers from Abrams Zuil, Cottonfield, Johanna Cecelia, 8th of May, Charity, Aurora, Anna Regina and Wa k a p a o S e c o n d a r y Schools.

According to Ms. Barker-King, “There was a need for a sport that would allow our teachers and learners to safely participate in physical activities and

Bowling might helps Scotland qualify for Super 12s; Oman knocked out ESPNcricinfo Qualifying heartbreaks have been a recurring theme for Scotland at big events in the recent past. It happened at the 2016 T20 World Cup, it happened at the 2019 World Cup Qualifiers. But they turned it around in style on Thursday, not allowing a similar theme to recur at the 2021 T20 World Cup. They have now won three in three to make it to the Super 12s in the most emphatic fashion by beating Oman, whose off day with the bat made this a one-way traffic. Scotland now top Group B, and are bunched alongside India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan and one of Namibia or Ireland in the next round.

Scotland strike early Pressure can do strange things. Jatinder Singh, who smashed the ball with abandon in the first two games to make 73* and 40, was run out trying to steal a

single to mid-on, off the second ball of the match.

Once Aqib Ilyas, his opening partner, turned his back on him, Jatinder had nowhere to go. In the second o v e r, S a f y a a n S h a r i f benefited from hitting the hard length as Kashyap Prajapati was rushed into a pull he was in no position to play as he skewed a simple catch to mid-off. At 13 for 2 in the third over, it was a nightmare of a start for Oman.

Ilyas counters before holing out - Trying to make amends for the run-out gaffe, Ilyas began by flicking Brad Wheal over fine leg off the fifth ball of the match and continued to take the attack to the other bowlers.

He picked boundaries off the pads and straight down the ground, accounting for 29 of Oman’s 37 runs in the powerplay. It wasn’t all blemish free for Scotland, (Continued on page 25)

golf has uniquely qualified to meet all of the requirements. The Honorable Minister and Senior Members of the education system understood that and moved quickly to ensure that there were tools necessary to implement the sport in as many schools as possible.”

Ms. Barker-King further stated that without the determination of Hussain, who is active in training, seeking out contributions from sponsors and donors, the implementation of this programme would have taken much longer.

“We are happy to have found a great partner who has the knowledge and expertise to promote the sport. Together, in less than

ten months, we have accomplished a monumental task and the results are phenomenal. In 2022, for the first time in our country’s history, golf will be offered as a sport at the CXC level.”

Mr. Braithwaite said that this was just the first stages of development of the game and he expected that it will be made available to all grades and not just the upper levels in the New Year.

“We would like to see learners from Grades 7-9 getting involved in the sport.

This would evidently contribute to twenty-five thousand (25,000) young persons’ being involved in the sport. With the plans already in place for the interschool and regional competitions, we firmly

believe that we can go places.

Mr. Hussain explained that it was a chance conversation in 2019 with Ms. Melissa DowRichardson from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport that contributed to golf being on the CXC syllabus which further led to the promotion of the sport in schools.

“The challenge was how to educate the PE Teachers so a syllabus was designed and then a ‘Trainer of Trainers’ programme was conducted. Once completed, this allowed for the distribution of golf equipment and balls to certified schools.”

Mr. Hussain posited that his current focus is to build top quality facilities across the nation to provide the learners with access to playing the sport under conducive conditions. “We are in the process of completing the first of its kind, scaled golf course in Crane and will also commence Leonora Secondary School facility shortly. We have asked NICIL for access to land in various regions to construct other small courses and are awaiting a response.”

“I’m positive that now

that we’ve raised awareness and started a phenomenal programme in the shortest time possible. With more support from the government and private sector the sport will continue to grow and more golf facilities can be forthcoming.”

“With Texila American University, School of the Nations, Camille’s School and several other private schools joining the sport, our main goal is to develop a national team.

Guyanese PGA players and attain regional dominance in the sport, all leading to Guyana becoming a golf destination. We can expect that more developers will seek to build communities around golf courses to cater for the influx of expatriates and remigrants, for whom golf is a preferred game of choice.”

Aleem stated that this will allow for greater networking opportunities for Guyanese, since golf was not a traditional sport. However, since the Allied Arts Unit and Nexgen Golf Academy have a common goal which is to make golf a core sport in Guyana. And in less than three years, based on the results so far, that vision no longer seems farfetched.

Caribbean Sports Club, Invaders Masters victorious at ESCL over-40 competition Caribbean Sports Club and Invaders Masters recorded wins last Sunday when the Essequibo Softball Cricket League (ECSL) 20overs, over-40 competition continued at Richmond ground, Region Two. Caribbean Sports Club beat Ravens by an exciting nine-run margin while the Masters roared to a comprehensive sevenwicket victory against Queenstown Tigers at the same venue. Caribbean Sports Club tallied a challenging 215-6 from their 20-overs while Ravens, in response were left hanging at 206-8 when the overs expired.

Sugrim Ahiram led the way for Ravens scoring an impressive 55 while valuable contributions came f r o m S a f r a z A lli a n d Glendon Smith with 31 and 25 respectively. Eshwar Singh was the most successful bowler for Caribbean Sports Club with

2 for 29 from his four overs.

In the Caribbean Sports Club’s innings, Surendra Manchal top scored with 47 not out, Ekie Baksh supported well with 44 not out. Captain Naresh Narine also showed excellent batting form with 44. Punraj Singh snatched two wickets for 31 runs from his maximum four overs.

Invaders made light work of Queenstown Tigers as their confrontation was less intense. Tigers only mustered 124 all out off 18.5 overs while Invaders Masters surged to victory in the 11th over.

Davendra Madho cracked 42 to lead the way while the experienced Patrick Rooplall contributed 29 for the winning combination. Former senior Essequibo Inter-County allrounder Ramesh Narine claimed 2 for 17 runs off his four overs to help Invaders Masters in the bowling department.

Surendra Manchal In the other fixture between Sunrisers Masters and Reliance Hustlers, the former got a walk-over. The competition is slated to continue this Sunday with three more matches.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the League, Wakeel Layne,

stated that the previous round was satisfactory and exciting cricket continued to prevail in the first edition of the competition.

He informed that followers can get updates on the League’s website as well.

Layne also took the opportunity to thank the sponsors for their commitment which is a demonstration of their love for the game.

They are V&G Auto Centre Inc., Big G Auto Repair, Rockaway Roti Shop, Hillside Homes, Wesley Blackman & Family, Haroon Mohamed & Family, XPert Property Management, Best Price Construction, Best Price Lawn Care, Regency Paint & Body Shop, East West Travel Services, Patmark Property Investments LLC, MainStreet Collision, Afzal Homes, Deals and Wheels Central FL, Hereman Deodat & Family and GAC Electric.

Kaieteur News

Friday October 22, 2021

PAGE 31

Talented youth following in Dad’s footsteps The story of Windies U-19 cricketer, Matthew Nandu

By Sean Devers After making his U-19 debut in Barbados in 1988, Arjune Nandu made his First-Class debut for Berbice the same year in the Guystac Trophy before playing three more First-Class games; two for Guyana in the 1992 Red Stripe Cup and one for Berbice in the 1989 Kenneth Sookram Memorial Trophy.

The leggie ended with five wickets between 19881992 with four of them coming for Guyana in one innings; the 49-year-old Nandu played two Youth

Tests for West Indies U-19s against Young Australiain 1990.

The father of West Indies U-19 player Matthew Nandu, Arjune would hope to join Shiv and Tagenarine Chanderpaul (who played together) and Garvin and Ashmead Nedd as the only Father and Son to play FirstClass cricket for Guyana since 1966.

Matthew Nandu had an outstanding 2019; scoring five consecutive halfcenturies for his Canadian Club, Tranzac, making 150

Bright is lone medalist for Guyana at S.A. Junior Games Holder looking to work harder

Noelex Holder L i n d e n ’s C h a n t o b a Bright continued her purple patch in Track & Field with a two-medal haul at last weekend’s South America under-23 championships that got underway in Guayaquil.

Ecuador.

Bright had better success in her pet event; the Women’s Triple Jump, after leaping 13.08m while she settled for the bronze medal in the long jump with a distance of 6.09m. Bright, who was the only one of the four athletes representing the Golden Arrowhead did extremely well when given the fact that she had a surgery in June that she was recovering from which also meant that her preparations for the meet was not the best.

In addition, it was Bright’s first outing at the championship.

The other members of the team included Daniel Williams, Joanna Archer and Noelex Holder. Holder, who was flying high, after finishing the senior South American Championships with a Bronze medal in the men’s 4x100m event, failed

Chantoba Bright to advance to the 200m final with a time of 21.74 in the heat.

Holder clocked 10.74s to make it into the 100m final where he improved that heat time to 10.59s but it wasn’t good enough to earn himself on the podium. Holder revealed that he had waited for a long time to represent Guyana in an individual event and he was gutted to disappoint, he noted that, “Of course not bringing home any hardware was quite a bother for me and I really felt like I let everyone down. I had to remind myself that I’ve come a really far way in a short time and there’s a lot still more that I need to learn. I did my best out there regardless of whatever setbacks I’ve had and I’m grateful for the exposure.” Meanwhile, Daniel Williams finished seventh and fifth in the 200m and 400m finals, respectively. Joanna Archer did not make it pass Ecuador’s immigration and had to return to the USA where she is a student-athlete at Texas Tech.

not out in the Sir Garfield Sobers International Schools tournament and being picked for the Chris Gayle-led Vancouver Knights in the second edition of the Global T20 in Canada.

However, the pandemic put his budding career on ice for over year and robbed him the opportunity of representing Guyana in U-19 cricket. Matthew was born in Canada on June 9, 2003 to Arjune and Jackie Nandu and has an older brother (Marcus) who is currently finishing his 4th year at Western University, Ontario, Canada and attended the Canada U-19 trials.

“I attended St. Luke Catholic Elementary School, where I played volleyball, basketball, baseball, did Track and Field and also ran cross country. I also attended St. David Catholic Secondary School, where I was the captain for the volleyball team in grade 10 and 11 and also, captained the basketball team in grade 9” said 18-year-old lefthanded batsman who bowls off-spin.

The multitalented Matthew, who is currently studying psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada, said he became interested in cricket because of his dad and brother. “I was always at the cricket ground at a very

young age and the first club I joined in Canada was Kaiteur Cricket Club” disclosed Matthew.

He grew up in Canada but began going back and forth to Guyana since 2017 and played for Demerara in 2018 at the U-17 and in 2019 at U-19. However, unlike his dad, who played youth and senior for Berbice, Matthew joined City side Everest and representedEast Bank in the Franchise league.

Matthew who ended up in Guyana because of his Uncle Chris Thakoorpersad, was named an Adidas Brand Ambassador byManaging Director of Cricket Zone USA, Ravi Etwaroo in May this year.

“I decided to play in Guyana because I believe that I will have a better future in cricket. Also, senior players also encouraged me to continue progressing my game at a higher level” informed Matthew, whofirst played for Guyana in the 2019 Regional U-17 tournament in Trinidad.

“My most memorable game, playing for Guyana was when I scored 71 not out against Barbados at Brian Lara Cricket Academy” added Matthew. However, one of four Guyanese players selected for the practice matches at a Camp in Antigua, he and Berbice pacer 16-year-old Isaiah

Matthew Nandu

Thorne were selected to tour England last month, for sixmatch youth ODI series between Young England and West Indies U-19s. Windies lost 4-2.

“My most memorable game playing for West Indies U-19 was the 6th ODI, because I scored 80, and took 2-35. It was great to finish off the tour with a win. It was a great experience representing the West Indies at the U19 level against England. I learned a lot on the tour”stated Matthew, who informed that the standard in England was very high.

Matthew got injured while batting in the second ODI and was forced to retire hurt after being run out for 21

in the opening game and missed the next game. “I believe I made a great comeback, by scoring back to back half centuries in the 5th (51) and 6th ODI (80) to finish the tour with an average of 40.5, which is something I am proud of.

However, a lot of work still has to be done to reach the top. I will continue putting in the hard work and staying focussed” continued Matthew, who says his first goal is retain his place in the Regional side. West Indies have won the U-19 World Cup just once since Brian Lara led them to their first World Cup in 1988 in Australia. In 2016, Shimron Hetmyer led West Indies to (Continued on page 25)