Guyana Times -- Sunday, February 13, 2022

Valentine’s Bliss: Jenel Roberts' handmade cards spread love

P19 Nationwide coverage coverage from from the the best best news news team team in in Guyana Guyana Nationwide Issue No. 4919 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON BEACON OF OF TRUTH TRUTH THE

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Central Bank playing vital role in Guyana’s fiscal stability – Ali Page 3

FRONT: The face of the note carries the Map of Guyana with its natural resources on the right, the Crest of the Bank of Guyana is in the centre and a clear complex window with the Jaguar as well as the value of the note is on the left.

PRICE

$140 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Legitimacy of P33 Govt already well established – AG to PNC Leader Husband, friend confess to killing woman found P29 hanging from tree Expanded, P27 specialised training in pipeline for nurses – Health Minister …as Govt addresses high overseas recruitment rate

BACK: The back of the note has the slogan “One Guyana” surrounded by the faces of children representing Guyana’s six ethnicities. An Indigenous pattern is on the left corner of the note. The national motto is printed below the pattern.

…new $2000 note symbolises Guyana’s sustainable, prosperous future

Govt writes Indian Exim Bank seeking no objection for Ogle-Eccles contractor

…approval will allow Ashoka Buildcon to begin mobilisation Demerara River bridge contract negotiations

Rigorous, transparent processes to get worldclass bridge at competitive financial terms being followed – Finance Minister Page 7

Labour Ministry aiming for monthly labour inspections P28 offshore

Page 32

3 women latest COVID-19 deaths

$115.8M in ganja found along P12 Berbice River

Page 31

…11 in ICU, 65 new infections

“It’s a really nice feeling” –…as 11new home owner families get keys, hundreds more new homes to go at Cummings Lodge Story on page 34

Work to start this year on model P36 PSA for future oil deals – Bharrat …huge chunk of $200M World Bank funding to be used

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, Feb 13 – No closure and Monday, Feb 14 – 02:00h – 03:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, Feb 13 – 14:10h – 15:40h and Monday, Feb 14 – 14:50h – 16:20h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h, 18:30h daily

WEATHER TODAY There will be light cloud and sunshine during.

Expect clear skies at night. Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North North-Easterly to Northerly between 2.23 metres and 5.36 metres.

High Tide: 14:42h reaching a maximum height of 2.27 metres.

Low Tide: 08:15h and 20:48h reaching minimum heights of 1.08 metre and 0.89 metre.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2022

LOTTERY NUMBERS K

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FREE TICKET

10 Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

04 10 14 17 21 LUCKY 3

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Afternoon Draw

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DRAW DE LINE

05 06 08 09 13 14 20 SUPER

PAY DAY

PAY DAY

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2022

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6 Afternoon Draw

2X Afternoon Draw

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3X Evening Draw

DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change % +3.31

Crude Oil

$94.44/barrel

Rough Rice

$273.96/ton

+2.87

London Sugar

$489.70/ton

-0.20

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1859.00

$1860.00

Low/High Change

$1820.90 0.00

$1866.40 0.00%

Central Bank playing vital role in Guyana’s fiscal stability – Ali

…new $2000 note points Guyana towards a sustainable, prosperous future

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resident Dr Irfaan Ali on Saturday hailed the important but often unsung role being played by the Central Bank of Guyana, in ensuring that Guyana’s economy as a whole remains fiscally stable amid global shocks.

The President made this pronouncement at State House, where he received a copy of the $2000 note that will soon go into circulation.

According to the President, who was accompanied by Central Bank Governor, Dr Gobind Ganga, Guyanese should feel proud of the work being done by the bank.

“If you look at the performance of the Bank of Guyana, we’ve not been talking about it much. But if you look at their performance in terms of their instruments and the stability the management of the monetary side has brought to the country, ensuring macroeconomic stability, we must be proud at what the Central Bank has been accomplishing,” Ali said.

Even while its regional neighbours faced shrinking economic growth, Guyana has been dominating the economic growth rate charts among countries in the region as its economy expanded.

It was only recently that Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Director of Economics, Ian Durant, had said that the average growth rate of 2.7 per cent in the region was driven by Guyana, which recorded growth of 19.9 per cent.

President Dr Irfaan Ali and Bank of Guyana Governor Dr Gobind Ganga as the note is handed over

Durant also revealed that Suriname, one of Guyana’s continental neighbours, and Trinidad and Tobago, its immediate neighbour in the Caribbean Sea, saw their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate decline.

Interestingly, he attributed part of Suriname’s economic decline to its protracted lockdowns and curfews to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Looking forward, Durant had said that Guyana’s economy was slated to grow by 47.5 per cent. In fact, he said that Guyana’s economic growth rate fuelled by oil and gas would dominate the region’s overall 9.1 per cent expected growth rate for 2022.

Last month, when Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh presented the Government’s mega $552.9 billion budget to the National Assembly, he had announced that the real GDP grew by 19.9 per cent last year. According to him, this growth rate puts Guyana within the top percentile of fastest growing economies in 2021.

The $2000 note

The $2000 note commemorates Guyana’s 55th Independence Anniversary and depicts local culture, art and symbols, flora and fauna. According to President

Ali, the designs on the note were selected with the Government’s “One Guyana” philosophy in mind.

“It is not just part of our currency system, it has a story behind it. And that story is about bringing prosperity and creating a platform where all Guyanese, our children, can inherit a future that is dynamic and prosperous and sustainable,” he said.

“And the note itself points us in that direction. It’s not only about oil and gas, it’s about our heritage, our first people the Amerindians, all our children, our one Guyana, the one Guyana that all of us must build together. It also incorporates features we’re strong in, that is our environmental features.”

The note, the first of its kind in Guyana, also depicts the country’s oil resources, represented by a barrel besides the map. In a brief comment to the media, Dr Ganga explained what makes the note unique.

“This is the first polymer note to be introduced in Guyana. And the first to depict our newfound natural resource, oil. And that is depicted in a barrel beside the map of Guyana. These polymer notes have enhanced characteristics of being cleaner, durable and environmentally friendly and more secure.

The notes are resistant to dirt and moisture and can be easily cleaned. The substrate which is stronger than paper, will provide a longer life,” Dr Ganga said.

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544 223-7230,223-7231,231-0544, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

Oiling our future

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e saw the evidence with our own eyes: bottles of crude from the second Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel Liza Unity as production started last week. It was from Liza Phase 2 of the massive Stabroek Block and was the same light, sweet crude as from the Liza 1. This means it will command the same premium Brent Light Price which is presently at US$94/barrel and heading upwards to US$100/barrel and beyond.

This is not just because of the present jitters in the market over the war noises emanating from the RussiaNATO standoff in the Ukraine or fluctuating US reserves. It arises from structural conditions in the industry due to the massive and precipitate strategic cutbacks in drilling new wells or exploring for new fields because of commitments to switch to renewables, combined with increasing demand as the world shows signs of slowly heading out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Liza Unity is soon expected to reach its target of 220,000 barrels per day (bpd) and at that point, will bring our production to over 340,000 bpd since the Liza Destiny from Phase 1 is exceeding its projected production of 120,000 bpd. The Prosperity FPSO vessel, which will kick off production from the third project, Payara, in the Stabroek Block, is presently under construction in Singapore and is also expected to produce around 220,000 barrels of oil per day by next year to take our production beyond half-amillion bpd. The bid for evaluating the field development plan for the fourth project in the Stabroek Block, Yellowtail, has just been accepted.

And when that is completed along with the necessary EPA approval, production is expected to start before the end of 2025. The same Dutch firm SBM that constructed the other FPSOs has already been contracted to build the new one in Singapore. The company said this FPSO will also be designed to produce 250,000 bpd of oil, store 2 million barrels, and have associated gas treatment capacity of 450 million cubic feet per day with water injection capacity of 300,000 barrels per day. The FPSO will be moored in water depth of about 1800 metres. What all of this means, is by then Guyana will be producing 800,000 bpd and approach Venezuela’s present output. At maximum, Exxon’s and its consortium of Hess and CNOOC have projected reaching 10 FPSOs before the end of the decade to exploit the more than 10 billion barrels of oil in the Stabroek Block.

By then, our production should be around 3 Mbpd not counting production from other blocks by other operators and place us in the top ten oil-producing nations in the world, ahead of Kuwait.

Against this background, even though it is advised that we not “count our chickens before they are hatched”, our income from this resource would obviously be rising proportionately. As such, it is very heartening that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government had not only signalled in its 2020 Elections Manifesto that it will focus initially on building infrastructure and fund PrivatePublic Partnerships (PPPs) in a gas-to-shore project, but has already catered for the initial initiatives in this year’s budget. It has already passed Local Content legislation for locals to garner the maximum amount of income from the upstream processes along with a plethora of training programmes for them to be brought to the skill levels of foreigners.

Even before production started in 2019, we had been made aware of the dreaded “Dutch Disease” that is contracted when other sectors of the economy than oil and gas are neglected and gradually become atrophied.

Also heartening, therefore, has been the Government’s commitment and concrete actions to diversify our agricultural base that was the raison d’être of our foundation as a colony. The Intermediate Savannahs are once again being opened up, this time to produce soya and corn for stock feeds to buttress our meat production.

Guyanese will gain employment and not depend on handouts.

President Dr Irfaan Ali visited The Benab Duty Free Shop as preparations continue for the satellite exhibition and duty-free market hosted by the Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association, which is being held in conjunction with the 2022 International Energy Conference and Expo (GMSA photo)

No further hindrances must be accommodated

Dear Editor, A news article on February 8, 2022, captioned “PNC/R plans to meet with GECOM over voters’ list concerns and LGE”, touts an anticipated meeting between the national elections authority and senior party representatives. It would be an interesting position, and tone, of any such meeting held between the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) architects.

From the onset, questions arise regarding the likelihood of a lack of objectivity by representatives of the PNCR at the suggested requested meeting. In context, GECOM personnel must exercise much caution given the established framework. One would recall what the newly elected Leader of the PNCR, Aubrey Norton and other party executives levelled against the current Chairwoman of GECOM and the newly appointed CEO Mr Vishnu Persaud. Is it a matter of PNC convenience that Norton now wants to dialogue? They were very vocal in not recognising the Chairperson of GECOM and the duly appointed Chief Executive Officer.

It is easy to recognise the follow-up of Norton's announcement and focus on approaches to having a new voters’ list as a stymieing tactic to the overdue Local Government Elections (LGE). It comes as the predicted next steps to the recently prepared agenda-setting and framing press statement by the APNU/ AFC Commissioners ap-

pointed to GECOM. They advocated the disbanding of the current Register of Registrants (RoR), and even went further in suggesting that the GECOM cannot contribute to strengthening the enforceability of the Representation of the People Act (RoPA) Cap 1:03 as the applicable legislation.

I recently pointed out that the narratives are nothing but another designed attempt targeting backdoor manipulation of the Commission’s balance.

That there is a clear intent to strategically defy and malign the High Court’s ruling on the treatment of the RoR is not an understatement.

Further, given the timing of the proposed dialogue, if entertained, for obvious reasons must be viewed with extreme caution, given the high level of criticism and bullish approach that Aubrey Norton previously attempted to convey.

Editor, the view of the majority of Guyanese citizens is that GECOM should no longer waste valuable time on these fantasies and political gamesmanship being perpetuated by the PNC cohorts for want of cheap publicity. Rather, the time is now for the organisation to get down to the serious task of filling the still available vacant positions that are necessary to conduct the LGE. There are no problems with funds as the PPP/C Government has ensured more than $4 billion in the 2022 budgetary allocations at the disposal of GECOM as a means to this end.

Importantly, the Commission needs to ensure

its Secretariat is tooled, and also empowered with officials of high standing credibility at this critical time and going forward to gain the confidence of the nation.

We can no longer entertain the re-hiring of some of the shortlisted candidates with known previous disruptive and unholy track records in their previous roles at the organisation.

Of note, it was corrupted GECOM officials who deliberately contributed to the issuance of varying directives to elections officials on the East Coast of Demerara in the 2020 elections, that provided a basis for falsification claims and these persons must be removed from the system. Consequently, the Commission and Chief Elections Officer must ensure the necessary and required exercise of due diligence examination of each key applicant before an appointment.

From a more candid standpoint, one cannot help but acknowledge the changing pitch in the notes of Mr Norton. Perhaps he has recognised that the PPP/C nor GECOM would accept the bullish tantrums of the same old PNC. Maybe it is becoming more and more clear that our citizens and even APNU supporters would no longer accept activities that exemplified the old thievish traits before the 1992 restoration of democracy. it is therefore heartening to hear that Norton will recognise the PPP/C Government and his words, “only a successful election petition can determine that the PPP/C Government not

legitimate.”

Indeed, given the abundance of evidence, it would be foolish to keep playing the same old tune to which most of the Guyanese people have refused to dance.

The current status of affairs offers Aubrey Norton’s PNC an opportunity to help build a one Guyana. There is no doubt that the PPP/C is the genuinely elected Government and the present leadership of GECOM is also legal. Hence, it is most appropriate that all and sundry must recognise them. The way forward in this country is that we must recognise each other and work together for a better Guyana.

Nothing is wrong to put on the GECOM’s agenda, the preparation of a new voters list, but not at the expense of further delaying the LGE. There is a current legal procedure and GECOM must produce an updated voters list to put all systems in place for the holding of LGE this year. The Opposition Shadow Local Government MP Ganesh Mahipal in his budget presentation, demanded that the PPP/C Government conduct the Local Government Elections as soon as possible and this is also plausible.

With the CEO in place, a plan for the holding of the LGE is the priority, and filling the vacancies filled must be done quickly to ensure fair and transparent elections earliest. No further hindrances must be accommodated.

Sincerely, Neil Kumar

guyanatimesgy.com

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022

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You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

A divisive intent should have no place of influence and leadership Dear Editor, With the production of oil and gas, our country is poised for a bright future.

But some supposedly educated in our country seem to be using race, ethnicity, and political division to hinder that development.

Rather than support the planned development projects, they seem committed to impeding normal governance.

Much can be said about the dark period of the early 1960s. But that period remains in the past, and only in the minds of some. They try to keep it alive by repeating that there is racial division and racism. They tried to renew those dark days during the 90s and after the turn of this century.

We also saw the attempt in 2020 to ignite a race war from West Berbice.

Most of our fellow Guyanese are too intelligently informed to be used as tools of destruction. So, the 2020 attempt failed. But the divisionism persists in the minds and words of people whom we expect to be leading more enlightened behaviour and development in our soci-

ety.

There was a display of the racist mindset in another section of the press earlier this week. Reading it revealed a seemingly shocking level of divisive intent of the writer.

It also ignores the role of the democratic process in our society. Revealing that for some, having racial division is more important than contributing to our country’s development.

For the writer, like the PNC, the parliamentary Opposition represents half of the population. He implies that the Government is for half of Guyana. Is this a lack of understanding or acceptance of the democratic process? Don’t we have an election to determine who governs our country? And a parliamentary Opposition for the country’s Parliament? And not for the race, they claim to represent.

According to the writer, there is political division, and there is ethnic division.

And the PPP Government has no right to determine what must be done for the other half of the society.

He wants self-determina-

tion for the half he speaks for. Is this his concept of the Opposition’s responsibility? To his group (read race) and not the nation.

Is it the reason for trying to block and frustrate national development projects initiated by the PPP Government?

Projects that include the Marriott Hotel, the new CJIA, and the Amaila Falls Hydro Project? It is what they do when they get a chance to show they support and want national development. Their display on the passing of the NRF Bill and the recent budget has shown them committed to being obstacles to national progress.

It seems clear they are more focused on promoting division in our country.

They display a complete

lack of regard for the democratic process and the importance of the role of democracy. According to the writer, a simple majority promotes division. He says the Opposition got nothing from the budget.

A simple majority works in all democracies of the world. But for the writer, it cannot be good for Guyana. According to his reasoning, the Opposition is in Parliament only to get something for its supporters. Rather than doing the people’s business, it focuses on the interests of its ethnic group.

The same mentality subjected our country to rigged elections pre92. It has brought us to the brink after 2015. And culminating in 2020 with the shameless attempt to

thwart the will of the people of Guyana. They gave themselves the right to rig the elections since according to them A PPP Government will marginalize their race. Race seems the reason to get and keep power.

It is time the Opposition understands that after the elections, they work on behalf of the whole country. In the same way, the elected Government is the Government of the whole country. And works to develop the whole country in the interest of all the people. They are not in Parliament to represent their race or group.

But the PNC and its sympathisers use the illusion of racism to label any PPP/C Government as an Indian Government. This

illusion of racism and racial division in our country is driven by hatred for the PPP and the mental rejection of the PPP’s democratic right to govern Guyana.

This mindset is the real problem that has stifled Guyana’s progress since 1966. Not racism or racial division.

In the interest of our country’s development, the intelligent choice of our people is to reject the divisive mindset. Guyanese need to choose as leaders, people who serve in the interest of all Guyanese. To ensure Guyana’s bright future we need to keep those with this divisive mindset out of leadership and influence in our country.

Sincerely, Art Foster

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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hink thoroughly before adopting a cat. They say that cats have nine lives. Well, that is a myth! Because cats are independent by nature and tend to look after themselves, they often escape difficult, even potentially lethal, situations.

We, therefore, as owners, tend to be less protective of our feline wards.

And for that very reason they often get into all sorts of trouble – not lastly with some unkind and uncaring citizens, who treat curious adventurous hungry cats with great brutality.

Feline adventurousness

The young of most mammalian species want to "discover” the world.

Kittens and adult cats love to roam, especially the males. And this is the main reason for arising problems. You may recall that I have written advising that cats are house animals. Well, while this is basically true, they do go venturing outdoors from time to time. There danger lurks.

Feline instinct

Sometimes, cats' natural behavioural patterns can get them into trouble.

I recall a ranch cat at our holding in the Rupununi who instinctively scratched the guest house's furniture. The manager felt that the best way to stop this

Choosing a cat as a pet

practice was to soak the cat's tail in kerosene, and light it afire; and then boast how the fleeing, screeching cat lit up the savannahs. Needless to say, that manager did not remain in our employ.

Climbing trees

I suppose cats instinctively like to climb trees.

Perhaps the lizards or birds attract them and awaken their dormant and pristine passion. Whatever the cause, cats often find themselves in trees, and then they cannot descend.

Young cats panic and begin to cry. The owners, in turn, get frantic, and would even try to climb the tree in an attempt to save the cat (big mistake, one can injure oneself).

The cat, sensing the anxiety, itself becomes nervous and may even lose its footing and injure itself on branches as it engages in a free-fall. All of this is absolutely unnecessary. If a cat, or even if the most pathetically crying kitten, gets stuck in a tree, my advice to you is not to play Tarzan. You and the tree may end up with

broken limbs. Simply leave the blessed cat/kitten alone. Restrain yourself from calling the fire brigade. I know it sounds harsh to say that what goes up must come down.

But, in a nutshell, that is my sentiment exactly. In my 53 years as a veterinarian, practising on four continents, I have yet to experience ( or even hear) that a cat died of starvation in a tree. The cat will come down eventually and luring him/her with food may help. What I do know, however, is that the more the owner becomes excited, the more nervous the tree-bound cat becomes, and the more likely it is to fall.

(As an aside, I should mention that cats generally do fall on their feet, as the legend educates us.

They do have a built-in mechanism. Not lastly involving the tail. Which allows them to land on their feet. However, if the distance of the fall is large enough, the force of gravity will be so great as to break legs, hips, spine, etc. Instruct your children with enquiring minds not to throw "Felix" out of the window to see whether he will land on his feet.)

Roaming at night

Every morning, the streets of Guyana are littered with dead cats. Feline dis-

eases probably do not kill most cats here in Guyana.

Motorists, in all likelihood, do. Even wellfed cats love to roam and 'hunt' at night – part of the same unconscious, inherent instinct that I referred to above.

Unfortunately, the bright light emanating from an oncoming vehicle tends to mesmerise the helpless victim and cause the cat to 'freeze' on the spot. Crunch. End of story. Try, therefore, to keep your cats indoors at night.

Feline inquisitiveness

You have heard the adage that has come down to us through the centuries, “Curiosity kills the cat."

Well, it proves that the 'old' people had wisdom, and that empirical observation – without deep scientific research-based knowledge, also has great value.

The cat's interest in its surroundings propels it, uninhibitedly, to pry and to explore, and in so doing the cat becomes very vulnerable to physical insult, from uncaring humans, as from other animals protecting their territory from unwelcomed intrusion.

It is for the reasons stated above, and because of those other considerations documented last week, that we must be prepared to be our cat's protector always, notwithstanding the fact that cats seem to want us to think that they are independent and can fend for themselves. That may be true when compared with the dependence exhibited by other domesticated species; but, believe me, a cat as a pet needs constant attention and protection, even if it does not overtly exhibit this need.

T

he Bhagavad Gita is a prevalent text in the rich diversity of Hindu writings on revealed knowledge and new ways of communicating that knowledge through time and space.

Human beings are not born in original sin. Based on our karma (merits and demerits) and jnana (valid knowledge), we come into the cycle of birth and death in this world. The purpose of life is to live successfully in the material and spiritual worlds, transcend the cycle of birth and death and regain union with the Highest Reality (called by many names like AUM, Ishwara, and Brahman). Bhakti is a state of consciousness where one feels unity and love with all of creation and a sense of awe in the immanence of Divinity or the Highest Reality. It purifies and prepares the human being to reunite with the Highest Reality, also called Moksha or Liberation. One seeks to break out of the cycle of birth and death and the accompanying pain and suffering.

The process for doing so is described variably in different timehonoured sampradayas (spiritual lineages or knowledge systems).

Generally, one may say that the purpose of life is to live successfully, both materially and spiritually, in the here and now and beyond; to become established in divine wisdom; to advance in successive lives; and, eventually, to realise Moksha.

In Bhagavad Gita (BG 2:58-63), Yogiraj Krishna teaches the timeless knowledge to Arjuna the Warrior in the symbolic battle of life. According to the edited translation of Swami Muktananda (holybhagavad-gita.org), Yogiraj Krishna says: BG 2.58: One who is able to withdraw the senses from their objects, just as a tortoise withdraws its limbs into its shell, is established in divine wisdom.

BG 2.59: Aspirants may restrain the senses from their objects of enjoyment, but the taste for the sense objects remains. However, even this taste ceases for those who realize the Supreme.

BG 2.60: The senses are so strong and turbulent, O son of Kunti, that they can forcibly carry away the mind even of a person endowed with discrimination who practices self-control.

BG 2.61: They are established in perfect knowledge, who subdue their senses and keep their minds ever absorbed in Me. BG 2.62: While contemplating on the objects of the senses, one develops attachment to them. Attachment leads to desire, and from desire arises anger.

BG 2.63: Anger leads to clouding of judgment, which results in bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, the intellect gets destroyed; and when the intellect is destroyed, one is ruined.

A lack of valid knowledge causes human pain and suffering. Most humans are selfish in pursuing success, happiness, and joy; they cause pain and suffering to other humans and other life forms. Many become engrossed in satisfying their physical senses, sinking deeper and deeper into attachment to such a lifestyle.

We know about diseases of the body, but Hindu Knowledge Systems also speak of “diseases of the mind”. Failure to treat a bodily disease results in decay and breakdown of the body wherein the jiva/ atman/individual consciousness resides.

Failure to acknowledge and treat the diseases of the mind have an even more devastating effect. BG 2:62-62 identifies “Attachment” to the objects of senses as the first cause of our spiritual and material downfall. The material world pulls the five gross senses in all directions. We see and want more and more. We become attached to a false sense of happiness through these senses.

Yogiraj Krishna taught that we become attached to them when we focus too much on material objects. We need material wealth for successful living. But how much? Attachment leads to desire which, in turn, leads to anger.

When we no longer feel happiness or cannot fulfil our desires, we become angry. When in anger, one loses the ability to make balanced judgements, leading to confused memory.

In such a state of mind, the intellect gets destroyed – it loses its sharpness and brilliance. The intellect allows us to make decisions.

So if the intellect tells us that we can gain wealth through unethical means and by causing pain and suffering to others, then that is what the mind will direct us to do. The intellect is superior to the mind. It directs us on how to use the mind or reason. It controls the mind.

Yogiraj Krishna teaches that when the intellect is destroyed, such a person falls into ruin.

The challenge before us as human beings living in a world of powerful material attractions is to condition our intellect with valid knowledge to direct the mind to make the right decisions. This will lead to successful material and spiritual life in the here, now, and hereafter.

Yogiraj Krishna advises the yoga of mind control.

BG 2.64: But one who controls the mind, and is free from attachment and aversion, even while using the objects of the senses, attains the prasadam [grace] of God. Swami Vivekananda says, “Where you find the attraction for lust and wealth considerably diminished, to whatever creed he may belong, know that his inner spirit is awakening.

Maharishi Dayananda Saraswati says, “If all understand dharma as revealed in Vedas, then it’s definite that all would be benefited.”

As taught in the primary source of Vedas, Dharma has been passed on to successive generations through secondary scriptures like the Gita (found in the Mahabharata), Ramayana, and a host of other scriptures.

NEWS

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Demerara River bridge contract negotiations

Rigorous, transparent processes to get world-class bridge at competitive financial terms being followed – Finance Minister

T

he People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government has reassured that it is following rigorous and transparent processes to construct world-class infrastructure in Guyana, including the new Demerara River bridge.

was appointed by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) in November 2021.

The team’s mandate was to engage China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd to negotiate optimal financial terms and

Engineering Bureau Group Co Ltd Joint Venture, in keeping with its mandate. This approval was granted, thus paving the way for the team to engage the second-ranked bidder.

Those new negotiations commenced on January 28,

“It is most unfortunate that the AFC should seek to cast aspersions on this rigorous process that is ongoing.

This represents yet another example of the Opposition’s obstructive, counter-productive, and destructive behaviour which over the years has been aimed at frustrating, stymieing, and derailing development,” – Finance Minister This is according to Senior Minister with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, in a statement on Saturday.

“This Government is following a rigorous and transparent process which is benefiting from the best available technical advice. Our objective is to ensure that we get world-class infrastructure, in this case, a world class bridge on the most competitive financial terms,” the Finance Minister pointed out.

Dr Singh’s emphasis on Government’s position comes on the heels of an announcement last week that negotiations with the Chinese consortium to construct the new Demerara River bridge fell through. Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had disclosed that this was as a result of the cost of financing being too high with the first preferred bidder, China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd. In his statement on Saturday, the Finance Minister sought to bring clarity about the failed negotiations to dispel any unfounded concerns.

He explained that after the publicly open and transparent tender process, a multidisciplinary team comprising Finance Secretary Sukrishnalall Pasha, Attorney-at-Law Ronald Burch-Smith, Consultant/ Engineer Marcel Gaskin, and Engineer Intakab Indarjeet

conditions for the construction of the new Demerara River bridge. The mandate also provided for the negotiation team to engage the second-ranked bidder, should negotiations with the first bidder prove unsuccessful.

“Therefore, while CSCEC was adjudged the most responsive bidder, the finalisation and signing of a contract with the said bidder were subject to the successful negotiation of mutually acceptable financial terms and conditions,” the Minister highlighted.

He went on to outline those negotiations between the team and CSCEC commenced on December 24, but after several meetings, the two sides were unable to successfully negotiate mutually acceptable financial terms and conditions.

“It is noteworthy that the team focused on the construction cost and securing the financial terms and conditions that would serve the country’s best interest,” the Finance Minister asserted.

Consequently, the negotiation team wrote NPTAB on January 20, seeking permission to terminate negotiations with CSCEC and commence negotiation with the second-ranked bidder – China Railway Construction Corporation (International) Limited, China Railway Construction (Caribbean) Co Ltd & China Railway Construction Bridge

and are ongoing.

Dr Singh’s explanation of events leading to the termination of the initial negotiations was in response to recent statements made by General Secretary of the Alliance for Change (AFC), David Patterson, which suggested that negotiation with CSCEC ended abruptly and under suspicious circumstances.

Opposition counter-productive

The Finance Minister expressed concerns over the remarks made by the former Public Infrastructure Minister under the previous A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration.

“It is most unfortunate that the AFC should seek to cast aspersions on this rigorous process that is ongoing.

This represents yet another example of the Opposition’s obstructive, counter-productive, and destructive behaviour which over the years has been aimed at frustrating, stymieing, and derailing development,” the Minister posited.

He further reminded that “…Mr Patterson and the AFC should be the last to speak about transparency and accountability, given their dismal and disastrous track record, including the various scams that saw public funds being used to purchase jewellery and golden adornments for the very Patterson who

claimed never to wear such jewellery despite the public availability of dozens of photographs proving otherwise, not to mention the vehicle scale scam and the Harbour Bridge and Asphalt Plant scam, among many others.

The AFC, and Mr Patterson in particular, lack the moral authority to speak on matters related to public accountability,” Dr Singh concluded.

Late October last year, Cabinet had granted its no-objection for China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd to construct the bridge at a proposed cost of US$256.6 million.

The contract was awarded based on a Design-BuildFinance (DBF) model with financial terms and conditions which would be no less favourable than those submit-

ted in the preferred bidder’s price proposals.

Initially, the Government had pre-qualified nine firms to submit bids for the construction of a two-lane dual carriageway (4 lanes) hybrid cable-stayed centre span bridge with concrete box/T beam girder approach bridge structure.

The pre-qualified firms were invited to submit bids to construct the bridge using a Design-Build-Finance (D-B-F) contract and Design-BuildFinance-Operate-Maintain (D-B-F-O-M) contract.

The second responsive bidder had submitted a proposal of US$260.8 million.

During last week’s consideration of the 2022 Budget Estimates, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill fielded questions on why $21 billion

was budgeted for the project if the request for proposals includes the preferred bidder financing the project.

Minister Edghill explained that the budgetary allocation is to undertake preparatory works.

“The Government of Guyana has provided this sum to ensure that all the necessary things that need to be done when we engage the preferred bidder, our contribution to get that project kickstarted and for it to be built in two years, we are getting that done now… [The $21 billion] is to ensure at all cost we get the bridge, we get the best price and that the interest of Guyana is served when we finalise a contract with whoever will be doing the construction of this bridge,” Edghill stressed.

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T

Cleaning up…

…the Police he news report was stark: “London police chief Cressida Dick resigned yesterday, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said, after he told her he was not satisfied she could root out the racism, sexism and other problems that still existed within the force.” Now that’s the way the business of security of our people ought to be run. From the very beginning of the formation of the state, the most fundamental justification to put all that power in the hands of the few to run that state was they’d have to ensure our security.

It’s plain and simple as that. And if they can’t provide security they might as well pack their bags and leave their air-conditioned offices and stop drawing their hefty salaries. So how come it’s been so hard to get this lesson into the heads of those in power right here in Guyana.

Weren’t we ruled by Britain?? Didn’t we form our police force not too long after the London “Bobbies”? Meaning that we had a heck of a long time to get our act together?!!

Our problem, and we’ve gotta be honest and call a spade a spade - and not an axe. From the British days, our Police was never recruited fairly but to divide-andrule us natives. Right after slavery, in 1839 the majority of the recruits were Bajans - who were flocking our shores because of the horrible sugar wages there. They were trusted to keep the newly-freed enslaved Africans in line.

Never mind they prevented the latter from getting alternate employment from the fields. When they eventually shown they weren’t threats, THEY were recruited so as to keep their eyes on the Indian Indentureds!!

So when Burnham made his play - in cahoots with the CIA in the 60s - to oust the PPP via race riots, the AfricanDominated Police Force supported him PNC - even when the British were around! After he got into power, Burnham built up the Police Force - and the Army and National Service - with more African Guyanese to keep the Indian Guyanese supporters of the PPP in line. And this is the fundamental problem with the police Force that everyone pussyfoots around!!

There’ve been scads of Reports by foreign and domestic experts x and most recently, by ex-Asst. Commissioner Conway - with some real good suggestions to fix the force since we all know that it just ain’t working. But nothing on the fundamental contradiction!! Like in London, somebody’s gotta bite the bullet and make changes from the top. Granger did this when he came into office.

But he didn’t want to professionalize the force - just make it his lapdog.

Let’s at long last, do the right thing for Guyana! …sugar The govt’s gonna also have to bite the bullet in sugar. It’s done it’s best to fix the destruction wrought

by Granger after he unilaterally and arbitrarily shut down four of the seven “grinding estates”. His plan was supposedly to fix the remaining three and privatize them.

OK. Well, they borrowed $30BILLION for this purpose but it was just revealed they only handed over $3.8B to the PPP government. Where’s the promised co-Gen plants or plantation-white sugar plant or the refurbished factories??

Where’d all that money go? We just can’t accept this BS! There’s gotta be an Inquiry and somebody gotta go to jail!! This is highway robbery!! We’d been promised that two of the shuttered factories would’ve been reopened this year. Now we’re hearing that while 200 persons have been hired at Rose Hall Canje, there’s no firm reopening date.

We know there were floods. But the bald promise to turn around things in 4 years won’t cut it! The signs aren’t comforting! Shi*t or get off the pot!! …with the Ruskies Now we know why French Pres Macron was sitting 20 feet from Putin at their “meeting” - he refused Russian COVID 19 testing. Feared they might steal his DNA. The Russians wanted to clone him?

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

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Obliterating Indian music in Guyana

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he outpouring of tributes to the influence of Indian musical icon Lata Mangeshkar on the Indian Guyanese community has probably surprised outsiders. But music is an integral aspect of Indian life and Lata as a playback singer merely epitomised the influence of that genre from the late 1940s into the present. From the moment Indian immigrants arrived in Guyana between 1838 and 1917, they brought their music with them.

Dominated with arrivals Ravi Dev from the Bhojpuri Belt of Western UP and Western Bihar with only a quarter of them deciding to return to India, they formed communities in the logies around the hundreds of sugar factories that attempted to replicate Indian village life as they remembered it. Meaning that the full range of traditional folk music was reconstituted including the female-dominated maticores preceding marriages.

When the “dulha/bridegroom” marriage parties arrived from distant villages ( same-village marriages were taboo!), they remained overnight: night weddings were standard until the 1940s. There would be biraha singing competitions between the two “sides” – accompanied with harmoniums and dholaks – where spontaneous compositions were belted out especially on the theme of how inadequate were the accommodations on one hand and how unmannerly were the other. These compositions evolved into Estate-English ditties like “Bangali Babu” and “O maninja”.

There would be songs for every part of the lifecycle for instance, sohars at the birth of a child, especially by hijras/third sex individuals whose blessings were valued. The chowtaals, accompanied by jaals/cymbals and dholaks, were sung in traditional call-and-response style with much gusto at Phagua celebrations. At religious ceremonies such as Jhandies for Hindus and Koran or Milad Shareef for Muslims, Bhajans and Quasidas were respectively sung.

With the introduction of Bollywood movies from the late 1930s – Balasaheb Joban in 1937 – and the introduction of radio stations in Guyana around the same time, “filmi” songs would soon displace the traditional folk music. Starting in 1938, Station ZFY played local-sponsored Indian filmi music and was popular not only locally but also in Trinidad. ZFY became Radio Demerara in 1951 after it was bought by expatriate Redifussion . The Indian music – religious and filmi – was relegated to “Dayclean” (5:30am) to reach the sugar workers before they left for work.

That designated time slot remains into the present. The filmi singers like KL Saigal and Noor Jehan ruled the roost with the latter departing for Pakistan in the 1947 Partition after which she was not heard much in Guyana. Lata, Mukesh and Rafi were then to emerge and remain at the top for decades.

By 1950 when the sugar industry would launch the largest housing drive in the Caribbean – 12,000 houses across the sugar belt – obtaining a radio was not a luxury but a necessity as much as stairs. Rooplall Monar was to name the novel about this move from the logies, “High House and Radio”. At that time, the local radio announcers became almost as iconic as the playback singers with the “Man with the Golden Voice” Ayube Hamid setting the standard and Eshri Singh a close second. Indian songs were allocated a block of time on Sundays from 1:30 to 4pm: Indian Melody Time; East Meets West in Music; Local Indian Performers; Hindu Religious Programme: Muslim Religious Programme; Aap Ki Khushi and the “Marmite Quarter Hour”. On Monday nights, there would be “Indian Memory Album” (“oldies”) hosted by Ayube Hamid, with his signature theme song, “Sohani Raat”.

As Guyana achieved Independence, Indian music was never given official support as the Creole-African-dominated genres were defined as “national”. Even though Indian Bands proliferated in the 1960s and which would only be heard at the Diwali and other private fairs – in addition to competitions among the bands.

Radio Demerara was nationalised in January 1980, and by 1985, according to Eshri Singh (preserved on a video on YouTube), he was informed by then Information Minister Yvonne HarewoodBenn that even though the Indian programmes were all privately sponsored, “English” songs had to be interspersed. He quit in disgust and emigrated to the US. That represented the nail in the coffin of Indian music over the airwaves. Because if a genre of music isn’t heard, it becomes “strange” to the ears of listeners: they become normalised to the “national culture” approved music. Local, Caribbean Chutney music, however, has exploded out of the Maticore and Biraha competitions. But it is seen by even many middle-class Indian Guyanese as too “low-brow”. The hegemony is complete?

12 NEWS $115.8M in ganja found along Berbice River SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

The ganja that was discovered by cops

O

ne day after Police found and destroyed $30 million worth of ganja at Fort Nassau Savannah, Upper Berbice River, $115.8 million worth of marijuana was discovered and subsequently destroyed at Zion, Berbice River.

Police said the drug was destroyed during a narcotic eradication exercise conducted by its ranks.

The exercise, which was conducted between 05:20h and 18:07h on Friday, was an intelligence-led operation carried out by ranks from Police Headquarters and from Regional Division No 10 at the Berbice River community.

The operation led to the discovery of three fields of marijuana (Cannabis sativa) sitting on about 40 acres of land consisting of about 55,000 cannabis plants ranging from 1 foot to 10 feet in height, about 60 pounds of dried cannabis, six nurseries, and five camps.

The cannabis plants and camps were destroyed by way

of fire. No arrest was made.

On Thursday last, ranks of Regional Division Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), conducted an eradication exercise at Fort Nassau Savannah, Upper Berbice River, where a farm consisting of about 10,000 Cannabis sativa plants ranging from 3ft to 5ft in height with a street value of $4 million was destroyed.

As Police approached the camp, three males were seen running into the nearby bushes and escaping.

Another farm was discov-

ered in the same area with about 450 beds that were already reaped, and a makeshift camp containing 900lbs of compressed Cannabis sativa valued at $27 million was discovered.

A nursery consisting of 5000 plants, along with a .38 revolver and a single barrel shotgun were also found.

As such, the makeshift camp, plants, and compressed Cannabis sativa were all destroyed by fire and the firearms were taken to Central Police Station and lodged. (G9)

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14 FEATURE

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By Alva Solomon

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hey met at church more than 15 years ago and today, husband and wife Charles and Monix Hetemeyer continue to build on their relationship, placing their strong Christian beliefs before them and acts of togetherness as the main ingredients of their fruitful relationship.

According to Monix, the couple is still intrigued by each other and she pointed out that every day they still learn new things about each other. “Charlie once told me that’s one of the things he loves about me is that there’s still more to learn about me. Never let the flames go out! Ever!!

Love on each other hard.

When you’re married, it is like you have your person. He is yours, and you are his,” Monix pointed out.

She reiterated that they always place the Almighty at the helm of their relationship.

“Nothing fails when God is the centre. Nothing becomes too hard because there’s nothing too hard for God,” she said.

Recounting their ear-

ly moments together, the couple said that they met at church in their hometown of New Amsterdam in Berbice, a few months prior to 2007. Charles was the youth leader of the church at the time. “I was smitten by him, “Monix admitted. She said that she had some fondness for Charles for quite some time but she wasn’t sure if he had an interest in her. Charles, on the other hand, viewed Monix as an avid sister in the church who he had much respect for, a trend which continues today. But he too was nervous about making an approach.

Then one day, the young lady decided that she needed to tell Charles how she felt and the rest is history. “I thought if the feelings were not reciprocated, I would get some closure,” she said of those embryonic days of their relationship.

“I told him, and he said that he had liked me for a while now but was waiting for the perfect moment to let me know,” she said, a point in time which still warms her heart to this day.

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The Hetemeyers are avid churchgoers and their strong Christian beliefs and honesty are essential to their long-lasting relationship

FEATURE

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lationship growing stronger, the long distance between us.

You’re not seeing someone for so long, physically, but you have to have that trust and that faith that things will work out. Sometimes it can be very tense, sometimes it can be very frustrating to know that you miss this person so much. Yes, this is the life you choose. Sometimes you're stronger than that,” Bindiya said.

COVID-19 wedding

more about her fellow villager grew. After communicating for a while, they became “really good friends” before they decided to take it to the next step and date.

“The point in my life where I met him, I wasn’t looking for a relationship, I

rench novelist, Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin once said, “There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved” and that is the unofficial rule for fairly newlyweds, Bindiya and her husband, Shawn Bissessar as they journey onwards on the path of love.

These two young lovebirds met unexpected-

a romantic relationship with anyone, but, as faith would have it, her lack of romantic engagement piqued the interest of her then-future husband who wanted to find love.

“I was just looking for a friend, and he popped up as a suggestion, well, actually, he clicked that he was interested in me. The reason that I accepted him is because he’s from my village and I’ve never seen him before,” Bindiya

ly through the social media platform, Facebook, specifically, Facebook Dating. Bindiya, who did the retelling of the story, recalled being on the site with no intentions of being involved in

recalled.

Apparently, the two destined souls grew up in the same village and never knew the other existed. This shocking revelation is what prompted Bindiya to reach out, the curiosity to know

By Shane Marks

F

was just looking for a friend, and we became really good friends, and we fell in love, we started to date.”

Shawn travels a lot for work, and that distance he puts between them when he’s away creates a longing within Bindiya that she

described as sometimes intense, but does not compare to the feeling she gets when she gets to see him.

“We share a long-distance relationship since he’s not always around, but I think that that’s one of the biggest contributions to our re-

Shawn proposed to Bindiya in 2020 and the couple got married in 2021; the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic for Guyana. The pandemic attempted to put a damper on this young budding love.

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Charles can be described as a one-day-at a time partner and according to Monix, he never rushes things. “He is one of the most patient men I know,” she added.

From that nervous point in their relationship, the two started dating for some two years and in July 2007, they decided that the time was ripe to tie the knot. “Anyone would tell you that I have always liked Charlie, and so, for me, this was it, and I did not doubt that this was the man I’d spend the rest of my life with,” Monix said confidently.

The couple has two beautiful children and Monix,

Charles and Monix Hetemeyer share a light playful moment

who is an educator and entrepreneur, pointed out that their faith is an essential ingredient of their relationship. Strong support for each other is also vital.

The two are always drawn to each other and this, she added, is the sole factor that keeps them together.

Like most relationships, there are times where things are not as smooth as one may wish. But the couple always rely on their faith and belief in the Almighty. “I’m not saying we don’t have difficult moments or even moments when we would have questioned if we were right for each other, but God has

always been faithful to us. It is quite strange how things happen, but in times when Charlie felt like he couldn’t go on, God caused me to be strong for the both of us,” Monix said.

On the other hand, when she feels down, she would call upon the Almighty for guidance and love. The couple said that they are always honest with each other and their advice to young couples is to always make this the best policy. “When there’s an argument, miscommunication, or disagreement, always talk it out,” Charles added.

Sometimes persons

would underestimate the simplicity of just talking, he added, but according to him, they realised that “when we talk, we express things that we didn’t even know were there. We are then able to deal with it. Do not let things fester. Do things together.”

“We pray together, have deep conversations about God’s word and life. It is awesome that after so many years, there are still things to learn about each other,” Monix said. She believes that as long as they have life and good health, their relationship will continue to evolve.

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FEATURE

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A few of Jenel’s handmade Valentine’s cards made for customers

Jenel Roberts said she decided to leave her 9-5 job to focus on her handmade card business

By Alva Solomon

F

ive years ago, Jenel Roberts created a handmade card business from the comfort of her home and this year, the young entrepreneur has taken her business a step further by introducing personalised gift boxes, stacked with goodies for those in love and, of course, her signature handmade cards.

She started making the cards after visiting the stores and recognising that there aren’t many options where a personalised greeting card is concerned. She went home, put pen to paper and explored her hand-crafted

ideas, creating greeting cards which have wooed many in the public domain. Roberts named her business “All things Handmade” and these days, she spends much of her time creating her cards, making deliveries and managing the business while placing emphasis on the feelings the cards exude.

This year, Roberts decided to up the ante by launching a new product to complement her greeting cards, with the young at heart in mind. She refers to the product as a “Build a box” initiative which features items including chocolates, candles, wine and, of course, her specially made handmade cards. “The idea is to customise or personalise the box as much as possible to suit the recipient,” she said.

She said that if a customer prefers a specific type of wine, she would source the item and pack the box and deliver or the customer can pick up. “I realise that most people, when they ask for a card for Valentine’s Day, they want to also order a gift to go along so I decided to offer a service of both the card and the gift so that they don’t need to go looking somewhere else,” Roberts

said. In addition, she designs the box with a hint of sentimental value to suit the customer’s request. “So, this shows that thought and effort went into giving that gift,” she added, noting that the boxes are reasonably priced. “The emphasis is on the packaging to be nice and neat and slick and to satisfy the customer,” she said.

In terms of her cards, this year’s Valentine’s collection is called “Hearts” and this, she noted, was a vivid awakening since all of her cards and gift boxes feature a countless amount of hearts. Roberts said the cards are made with a deep sense of feeling. “Every single card I make is specifically made with the receiver in mind,” she added. She creates her cards from scratch, beginning with a simple idea, which evolves into a drawing of her idea, then creating graphics on her laptop and then she brings the concept to life. “So, it starts in the brain, then the laptop then the actual product,” she added.

She said her all-things handmade business has evolved over the years, noting that she sells “feelings” in her products. She said it allows her to get more

involved while exemplifying her creativity.

Roberts left her full-time job late in 2020 to focus on her handmade cards business. “I know that I want to focus on my own business and so I decided that in 2021 I would focus on my craft business and it became my livelihood, “ she added.

She said the COVID-19 pandemic affected the world economically and while she had to alter her schedules and follow the requisite health guidelines, it did not really hamper her business.

Roberts said managing her business can be demanding as it is “basically working around the clock”.

She said that while her 9-5 job entailed clocking in and clocking out, her craft business sees her being the accountant, the social media manager, teaching her assistant, making deliveries and interfacing with the customers.

In terms of the response, she said that this year the feedback has been “amazing” and according to her, the business has evolved over the years. She described 2021 as a major highlight for her business, adding that she has been making bulk cards for a corporate company, which includes hampers, gift sourcing and branding.

She said Oasis Café allowed her to launch a “popup” shop at their Carmichael Street base and this, she noted, complemented her jumpstart which she received from fans and friends on her social media accounts when she first launched her business several years ago.

“On Facebook I made connections, I met people and got new niche of customers, so the response on social media has been better in 2021 than before,” she added.

In the future, Roberts said if the opportunity to transition her handcrafted cards business into one that is more technological presents itself with the help of a machine, she would partake and take advantage of the challenges which it may bring, while advancing her business.

She plans to teach more and let others have a firsthand experience of making greeting cards. “I want to take this card making art and teach others, I want to share that knowledge because I have been keeping all

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FROM PAGE 15

Having already adjusted to Shawn being away when the pandemic hit, which brought with it the culture of staying away from persons to secure one’s self, their relationship just went on as it

started.

They did what they would normally do. They talked over the phone for hours, had Zoom calls, and when the rare moments came around when they could final-

ly, physically embrace each other, they just stayed home and had a quiet dinner.

Though Bindiya likes to go out with her friends and have a good time, she admitted that

the pandemic did not affect her relationship. They were disciplined enough to understand that the COVID-19 pandemic required them to make tough sacrifices.

“We still have our regular routine but in a different sense. Whereas we do movie time at home, we cook and have our dates at home.

Sometimes we will have online dates too. He could be in quarantine and I can be at home still having our dates.

“We have this discipline, we have this understanding that we're faced with a pandemic, we have to make a sacrifice. We couldn’t live life like

the normal like before. We had to make a change.”

Bindiya truly felt the impact of the pandemic when she was ready to get married. With the pandemic still

in full swing, she realised that her wedding could not be the way she always thought of it. Changes had to be made.

Cutting the guest list a few persons short was the biggest change for Bindiya.

“The only challenging

part of it for me was that a lot of persons looked forward to being at my wedding. A lot of people who were happy to see us together wanted to be there. But the pandemic didn't allow that,” she sadly explained.

Bindiya was torn at the fact that one of her closest aunts, among others, who were in Canada at the time, could not be at her wedding because of the travel restrictions many countries around the world, like Canada, had to face due to the pandemic.

Bindiya and Shawn had a traditional Indian wedding that took almost a week to conclude. During that time, they followed all the COVID-19 guidelines to make sure that their closest family and friends, who were there supporting them all the way, were safe.

Bindiya hopes that when the pandemic is over, she can have the wedding reception she never had so that all of her family and friends can be there.

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HEALTH TIPS HIGH CHOLESTEROL

By Dr Tariq Jagnarine Family Medicine, Endocrinology/Diabetes

H

igh cholesterol is a pretty common issue worldwide; however, because this condition can often present without any real symptoms, people may not even know they have it until they visit their doctor.

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a type of lipid. It’s a waxy, fat-like substance that our liver produces naturally. It’s vital for the formation of cell membranes, certain hormones, and Vitamin D. LDL cholesterol is any

cholesterol carried by low-density lipoproteins. If the blood contains too much LDL cholesterol, this may be diagnosed as high cholesterol. High cholesterol may lead to many health issues without treatment, including heart attack and stroke.

High cholesterol rarely causes symptoms in the beginning. That’s why it’s important to get one’s cholesterol levels checked on a regular basis.

High cholesterol symptoms

In most cases, high cholesterol is a “silent” condition. It typically doesn’t cause any symptoms. Many people don’t even realise they have high cholesterol until they develop serious complications, such as a heart attack or stroke.

That’s why routine cholesterol screening is important.

Causes of high cholesterol

Eating too many foods that are high in cholesterol, saturated fats, and trans fats may increase the risk of developing high cholesterol.

Living with obesity can also increase one’s risk. Other lifestyle factors that can contribute to high cholesterol include inactivity and smoking.

Genetics can also affect the chances of developing high cholesterol. In rare cases, high cholesterol is caused by familial hypercholesterolemia. This genetic disorder prevents the body from removing LDL. According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, most adults with this condition have total cholesterol levels above 300 milligrams per decilitre and LDL levels above 200 milligrams per decilitre.

Other health conditions, such as diabetes and hypothyroidism, may also increase the risk of developing high cholesterol and related complications.

LDL cholesterol, or “bad cholesterol”

LDL cholesterol is often called “bad cholesterol”. It carries cholesterol to the arteries. If the levels of LDL cholesterol are too high, it

can build up on the walls of the arteries.

This build-up is also known as cholesterol plaque. This plaque can narrow arteries, limit blood flow, and raise the risk of blood clots. If a blood clot blocks an artery in your heart or brain, it can cause a heart attack or stroke.

HDL cholesterol, or “good cholesterol”

HDL cholesterol is sometimes called “good cholesterol”. It helps return LDL cholesterol to the liver to be removed from our bodies.

This helps prevent cholesterol plaque from building up in arteries.

Triglycerides

Triglycerides are another type of lipid. They’re different from cholesterol.

While the body uses cholesterol to build cells and certain hormones, it uses triglycerides as a source of energy.

Excess calories are converted into triglycerides and stored in fat cells.

Eating more calories than

the body can use can result in triglyceride levels becoming too high. This can raise the risk of several health problems, including heart disease and stroke.

When to check for cholesterol

If you’re 20 years or older, the American Heart Association recommends getting cholesterol levels checked at least once every four to six years. If persons have a history of high cholesterol or other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, then they should get their cholesterol levels tested more often.

Risk factors for high cholesterol

There is a higher risk of developing high cholesterol if persons are: * living with obesity * Consume a lot of saturated and trans fats, like those found in fast food * Have limited physical activity * Smoke tobacco products * Have a family history of high cholesterol

* Have diabetes, kidney disease, or hypothyroidism People of all ages, genders, and ethnicities can have high cholesterol.

Complications of high cholesterol

Without treatment, high cholesterol can cause plaque to build up in arteries. Over time, this plaque can narrow the arteries. This condition is known as atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a serious condition. It can limit the flow of blood through the arteries. It also raises the risk of developing dangerous blood clots.

Atherosclerosis can result in many life-threatening complications, such as: * Stroke * Heart attack * Angina, or chest pain * High blood pressure * Peripheral vascular disease * Chronic kidney disease High cholesterol can also create a bile imbalance, raising the risk of gallstones CONTINUED ON PAGE 27

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Expanded, specialised training in pipeline for nurses – Health Minister …as Govt addresses high overseas recruitment rate

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current shortfall in the nurse population to adequately service demands locally has Government geared towards increasing intake into the nursing programme currently offered, and introducing specialised training.

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony, as he was being engaged during the recently concluded Budget Estimates, told the National Assembly that there are enough doctors in the system. The challenge, however, lies in the shortfall of nurses.

According to him, this issue exists countrywide, expect at the Linden Hospital Complex where the quota is satisfactory. Part of the plan to address this hurdle is to

increase training capacity in the programmes offered, and include specialised courses.

“Where I think there is some difficulty is the amount of nurses that we have. It’s not only at the Georgetown Public Hospital but we need to look across the system as well. One of the things we will be doing is expanding some of the nursing programmes and in the future years, to have a larger programme to train more nurses and to offer specialised nursing programmes.

In some of the departments, it’s not just about having regular nursing but we need to have the specialisation.

Some of these changes we will be able to do,” said the Minister.

The Minister informed

the house that a reason for this drawback is linked to an exodus, whereby trained nurses are leaving Guyana to take up opportunities with foreign recruiters.

“We have a problem and that is the active recruitment of nurses from Guyana.

We have been losing nurses because of this active recruitment. We’re looking at various ways we can slow that down. I don’t think we might be able to ever stop it but at least to slow it down and be able to produce more facilities and so forth.”

According to him, many recruiters offer arrangements for the nurses and their families to travel to the respective country. While Government cannot compete with the salaries offered in some countries, he noted that they are exploring multiple avenues, including non-monetary incentives, such as day-care and other facilities for the nurse population.

“We have to address retention. That’s a much bigger problem. To compete with the salaries that are being paid in the UK, that’s a very tall order. What is happening right now, is that when a nurse is offered a job,

that offer is not just for the nurse to go to the UK but for the entire family to accompany the nurse. These are the dynamics that we have and we will have to work to see how we can slow it down

or address it.”

He added, “I wouldn’t say that we have perfect solutions but we have to work on addressing some of these things…There are other non-monetary incentives

that we can put in place and we are actively considering some of those incentives. To increase salaries, that would require a lot more detail and study to see how that can be done”. (G12)

HEALTH TIPS

FROM PAGE 26

HIGH CHOLESTEROL How to lower cholesterol

Lifestyle changes can help to lower cholesterol * Lowering cholesterol through diet To help to achieve and maintain healthy cholesterol levels, changes to the diet can be made.

For example: * Limit the intake of foods that are high in cholesterol, saturated fats, and trans fats * Choose lean sources of protein, such as chicken, fish, and legumes * Eat a wide variety of high fibre foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains * Opt for baked, broiled, steamed, grilled, and roasted foods instead of fried foods * Avoid fast food and sugary, pre-packaged options when possible Foods that are high in cholesterol, saturated fats, or trans fats include: * Red meat, organ meats, egg yolks, and high-fat dairy products * Processed foods made with cocoa butter or palm oil

* Deep-fried foods, such as potato chips, onion rings, and fried chicken * Certain baked goods, such as some cookies and muffins Eating fish and other foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids may also help lower your LDL levels. For example, salmon, mackerel, and herring are rich sources of omega-3s.

Walnuts, almonds, ground flaxseeds, and avocados also contain omega-3s.

In most cases, high cholesterol has no symptoms. But without treatment, high cholesterol can cause serious health issues. The good news is that it is manageable, and in many cases, avoidable.

To lower the risk of complications from high cholesterol, practise healthy lifestyle habits and follow the recommended treatment plan. Eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and avoiding tobacco products may help to achieve and maintain healthy cholesterol levels. They could also help lower the risk of complications from high cholesterol.

28 NEWS

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Labour Ministry aiming for monthly Private Sector bodies, operators welcome curfew removal labour inspections offshore

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xpansion of offshore oil and gas activities has catalysed efforts by the Labour Ministry to have frequent inspections relating to labour and operational safety, with the intention to make it a monthly agenda.

Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton shared with media operatives on Friday that the first inspection offshore last month did not raise any discrepancy relating to labour or operational safety and health.

Discourse continues with ExxonMobil on the arrangements for officers to police these vessels. Minister Hamilton has outlined that Government is open for business but it must be accompanied by adherence to the law.

“I have said to ExxonMobil, I believe they have a responsibility to ensure all their contractors abide by the law. What we want is amicable labour relations. Guyana is open for business but once you operate in this space, you have to follow the law…My intention is the same time the OSH officers are going, the labour officers will also be going. I will want to have them every month. That has to be discussed with Exxon and the other party. My technical officers are close to the matter and are having discussions with them,” Hamilton posited.

He also clarified that the costs attached to send labour officers offshore will be incurred to the oil company, not the Ministry.

“That’s an oil company cost.

They’re responsible for taking my officers there. I’m treating the offshore as onshore.

It’s a workspace. All I can say is that the arrangement with ExxonMobil is that regularly, my officers can go on the FPSOs and whatever vessels out there and it is no cost to the Ministry of Labour.”

Notably, given the preference to have frequent monitoring on these vessels and limited trained personnel to conduct such operations, the Ministry is boosting its capacity with training.

“We have to train more officers because presently, only two Guyanese we have in this country who are trained to do that. I want labour and OSH officers to go on the vessels, looking at both labour relations; and health and safety. We have to also police the vessels that are coming in. Every vessel that enters, the same way GRA and MARAD go onto the vessel, we should have an OSH and labour officer,” it was highlighted.

Operational Safety and Health officers have increased from nine to 30. The Ministry

has facilitated training for fourteen Guyanese to be trained overseas.

Meanwhile, more than 3500 Guyanese are currently supporting ExxonMobil’s activities in Guyana. The oil major and its direct contractors spent approximately $219 million with more than 880 local suppliers in 2021, a 37 per cent yearover-year increase.

Guyana’s oil production capacity will soon reach 340,000 barrels per day (bpd) following the commencement of production at ExxonMobil’s second offshore oil development on the Stabroek Block – Liza Phase 2 project.

This now adds to the more than 120,000 bpd capacity at the Liza Destiny FPSO, which began production in December 2019 and is now delivering at better than design capacity.

The Liza Unity FPSO arrived in Guyana in October 2021. It is moored in water depth of about 1650 metres and will be able to store around 2 million barrels of crude.

The Liza Unity is the world’s first FPSO to be awarded the SUSTAIN-1 notation by the American Bureau of Shipping in recognition of the sustainability of its design, documentation and operational procedures. (G12)

S

everal Private Sector bodies have welcomed the decision taken by Government to lift the national curfew that was in place since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus back in March 2020.

On Friday, the 00:00h to 04:00h curfew was lifted with immediate effect – an announcement made by the National COVID-19 Task Force Secretariat.

The Private Sector Commission (PSC), in a subsequent statement said it recognised the consistent reduction in COVID-19 cases over the past weeks and believes that Guyana is well on its way to achieving herd immunity.

The missive also noted, “The PSC continues to urge businesses to adhere to the COVID-19 measures in place to safeguard against the virus and reminds that vaccination remains our top protection against all variants of COVID-19 and a timely booster dose maximises protection against the virus”.

In addition, the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) has also thrown support for this move, identifying that it is a means of adapting to global trends and the evolution of the virus.

“We support this provision since worldwide trends have pointed to vaccination coupled with responsible behaviours is considered to be the most effective way to fight this pandemic rather than lockdowns. The GMSA also uses this opportunity to encourage all manufacturing and services organisations, and furthermore the entire business community to be cognisant of their actions in the elimination of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the association penned.

A similar position was also shared by the Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Development Association (BCCDA), as it

also called for persons to get themselves immunised against the virus.

Meanwhile, the Management of Palm Court regarded that the elimination of the national curfew is a timely decision, as it lauded Government’s management of the pandemic.

“Since their election into office, the Government has managed to tackle the spread of the deadly virus where adequate interventions were made to address both the economic impact on the health implications,” the business entity shared.

Palm Court also highlighted the fact that the tourism, entertainment and hospitality sector has been one of the most severely affected globally and in Guyana, resulting in hundreds of businesses and employees being placed on the breadline.

“With more than half the population fully vaccinated, this decision will make way for the safe reopening of businesses as well as create employment opportunities for persons in addition to building the economy. Once again, we would like to thank the Government and the COVID-19 Task Force for their diligence and the recently updated measures,” their statement outlined.

Lifting the curfew does not indicate that Guyanese are exempted from other national measures, such as mask wearing, sanitisation and social distancing. The Task Force, through Operation COVI-CURB continues to monitor for compliance and violators will be penalised.

Moreover, businesses are still required to comply with the limited capacity stipulations, while also ensuring that those who enter their premises are vaccinated with both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Other measures regarding social gatherings remain unchanged.

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

RESPONDING TO ENVIRONMENTAL EMERGENCIES

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ith Guyana’s rapidly expanding industrial, manufacturing and agricultural sectors, it is important to plan for emergencies, both at the level of the operator and the regulator. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, an environmental emergency is a sudden-onset disaster or accident resulting from natural, technological or humaninduced factors, or a combination of these, that causes or threatens to cause severe environmental damage as well as harm to human health and/or livelihoods. Planning for environmental emergencies includes plans highlighting the important elements of both environmental and human health protection and sustainability of resources.

The EPA is the lead first responder to environmental emergencies, and would also provide technical support to sister agencies responding to environmental emergencies, including the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).

Given the EPA’s mandate to oversee the effective management, conservation, protection and improvement of the environment; and to prevent or control pollution, it is our responsibility to respond in an operational role for environmental emergencies.

Technical advice is provided before, during, and after emergencies to the Government, industry, and the community through scientific, engineering, and regulatory expertise on the environment and impacts to health from pollution caused.

Besides the major benefit of providing guidance during an emergency, developing a plan has other advantages. During emergency response, discoveries of unrecognised hazardous conditions that would intensify an emergency situation can be addressed to eliminate them. The planning process often times highlights or pinpoints challenges such as the lack of resources (equipment, trained personnel, supplies, etc), or items that can be corrected before an emergency occurs. In addition, an emergency plan promotes safety awareness and shows the organisation's commitment to the safety of its workers.

As the probability of an occurrence of an emergency is often times high, preplanning is necessary. An urgent need for rapid decisions, shortage of time, and lack of resources and trained personnel can lead to chaos during an emergency. Time and circumstances in an emergency mean that normal channels of authority and communication cannot be relied upon to function routinely. The stress of the situation can lead to poor judgment resulting in severe losses. A well-thought-out, well-organised emergency response plan will help to eliminate these issues.

The EPA\CDC has developed a number of plans to respond to environmental emergencies including the Guyana National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (August 2020), Flood Preparedness and Response Plan, and Disaster Risk Management. Environmental emergencies that have gotten the EPA’s attention during the past year and to date included tailings spills, chemical spills, fuel spills, and a suspected oil spill. Other emergencies include bird strikes and fish kills, as well as spin-off incidents from natural hazards, eg, an earthquake damaging an industrial facility, which in turn releases hazardous materials.

The EPA’s Emergency Response System (EERS) has two designated telephone numbers that members of the public can dial to report environmental emergencies and request the Agency’s response. The EERS will be operational daily on a 24-hour system.

The numbers designated for the EERS are (592)- 225-5469 and 592623-4594. As part of this system, the Agency has developed a roster of officers who are specialised and prepared to respond to specific environmental emergencies, eg, fish kills, chemical spills, etc.

References

https://dipecholac.net/docs/files/785-guyana-cd-v38finaldraft-all-low-res.pdf https://cdc.gy/?page_id=14366 https://www.unicef.org/guyanasuriname/emergencypreparedness-and-disaster-risk-management You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O Communications Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail. com, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Husband, friend confess to killing woman found hanging from tree

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ays after Police said they suspected that the woman whose body was found hanging from a tree at her Yarrowkabra, SoesdykeLinden Highway home, was murder, it was confirmed by a post-mortem examination that she was bludgeoned to death and then hanged.

This led to the arrest of two persons, including her husband.

Forty-eight-year-old Edith Reuben, a housewife, was discovered sometime between 00:30h and 06:00h on Monday last.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Reuben lived with her reputed husband who told Police that they, along with several neighbours, were consuming alcohol on Monday last.

However, after some time the others left for their respective residences, except for a male friend.

The man said that his wife stayed on her verandah consuming alcohol while he and the other man retired to bed.

At about 04:00h, he told Police that the male guest awoke him to tell him that he was leaving their home.

After acknowledging, the woman’s husband said he went back to sleep.

Two hours after, he said he awoke and made the gruesome discovery of his re-

puted wife’s motionless body hanging from a mango tree in the yard.

The body was taken down and escorted to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where she was pronounced dead.

A statement from the Police’s headquarters on Wednesday last stated that because of the positioning of the woman’s body it was suggested that she was murdered, and her body was placed at the scene.

On Saturday, the PME conducted by Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh confirmed the woman died because of asphyxiation due to hanging compounded by blunt trauma to the head.

Confession

Following the conclusion of the post-mortem examination, the woman’s husband and the alleged male visitor were arrested and remain in Police custody. It was also reported that the men confessed to killing the woman.

When Guyana Times contacted Regional Commander of the district, Senior Superintendent Mahendra Siwnarine, he said based on the suspects’ confession, the woman’s husband went outside and found her in a “compromising” position with the male visitor. As such, he stuck her to her head using a piece of wood.

This caused Reuben to become unconscious, and the men thought she was dead.

They both then joined forces by picking the woman up and placing her to hang from the mango tree to make it look as though she committed suicide.

This caused her to suffocate and later lose her life.

The husband then fabricated the story to tell the Police, that he found his wife hanging from the tree.

They remain in custody pending charges. (G9)

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

3 women latest COVID-19 deaths …11 in ICU, 65 new infections

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD FEBRUARY 12, 2022 UPDATE

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hike in Guyana’s COVID-19 death rate continues, with three more females succumbing to the virus after testing positive.

The country has recorded 1193 deaths from the virus in about two years. In the Health Ministry’s update on Saturday, three females – two unvaccinated and one fully vaccinated – were reported as the latest fatalities.

They included an 80-yearold and 57-year-old – hailing from Region 10 – who died on February 10 and February 11, respectively. A 49-yearold from Region Four later died on February 12.

On the other hand, there is a declining trend in new positives. Only 65 new cases surfaced as of Saturday, moving confirmed infections up to 62,221. This includes 28,654 males and 33,567 females.

There are 1927 persons in home isolation, 78 in institutional isolation and 11 in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) – reflecting a decline in active cases to 2016. This is a significant drop from the surplus of 13,000 reported last month.

Another 14 persons are in institutional quarantine. Some 59,012 persons have since recovered, while 523,929 COVID tests have been processed.

New infections

The data showed that five new infections emerged from Region One (BarimaWaini), three from Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), nine from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), 11 from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), 11 from Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), 17 from Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), two from Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), and seven from Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

There were no increas-

es in Regions Eight (PotaroSiparuni) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

Over 345,000 persons aged 12 years and older have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This means that almost 45 per cent of the entire Guyanese population are now fully vaccinated and more than 62 per cent of the population 18 years and older are fully vaccinated. More than 45,000 Guyanese have taken had a booster shot. In its campaign, Government has managed to deliver more than 850,000 doses.

For the 12 to 17 age category, the uptake has been low, with 45.3 per cent first dose uptake and 43.2 per cent for second doses. However, the coverage varies considerably across the 10 administrative regions.

Region Nine has exceeded the first dose coverage at over 100 per cent, meaning the Ministry has distributed a greater number than projected using the population database. The region’s second dose uptake is a remarkable 85.6 per cent.

Statistics show a 63.2 per cent first dose uptake in Region Eight, 62.2 per cent in Region One, 48.8 per cent in Region Six, 46.2 per cent in Region Three, 44.2 per cent in Region Five, 41.7 per cent in Region Four, 41.5 per cent in Region Two, 36 per cent in Region Seven, and 12.3 per cent in Region 10.

Meanwhile, second doses across this cohort covers 48.9 per cent in Region Eight, 37.5 per cent in Region One, 33.8 per cent in Region Three, 35.8 per cent in Region Five, 33 per cent in Region Six, 29.9 per cent in Region Four, 29.9 per cent in Region Two, 25.9 per cent in Region Seven and 6.9 per cent in Region 10.

“There are a number of regions who are below the average. I would say Regions Five, Four, Two, Seven and 10 are below the average and these are areas that we

will have to focus on,” Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony examined during the latest COVID-19 briefing on Friday.

All Guyanese are reminded to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 Emergency Measures, which are in effect until February 28, 2022.

This order emphasises the need for everyone, 12 years and older to get vaccinated against COVID-19; the need for correct and consistent use of a face mask when leaving your home; the importance of maintaining the six feet physical distance from others; and the need for good hand hygiene to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19 or needs any additional information, they are asked to contact the COVID-19 Hotline 231-1166, 226-7480 or 624-6674 immediately or visit www.health. gov.gy (G12)

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

65

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

78

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION

1927

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

11

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

14

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

33,567

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

28,654

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

62,221

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

59,012

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED FULLY IMMUNISED TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

2444

REGION 2

2407

REGION 3

7959

REGION 4

30,845

REGION 5

2323

REGION 6

5637

REGION 7

2403

REGION 8

868

REGION 9

3884

REGION 10

3453

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN BE SAFE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC Wear a face mask.

427,680 320,221 1193

Keep a physical distance of at least 6 feet.

Wash your hands or use handsanitizer If you have any symptoms, call the COVID-19 Hotline.

GET MEDICAL ADVICE ON COVID-19 FROM MOH 24/7 HOTLINE NUMBERS: 2311166; 226 7480; 624 6674; 624 2819; 624 3067 OR 180/181.

32 NEWS

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt writes Indian Exim Bank seeking no objection for Ogle-Eccles contractor …approval will allow Ashoka Buildcon to begin mobilisation

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he Government has written the Indian Exim Bank, through the diplomatic channels, to seek the bank’s no objection for Ashoka Buildcon Limited, the contractor that won the contract to construct the India-funded Ogle to Eccles bypass road.

This was revealed by Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar, who in an interview with this publication provided an update on the project. According to him, they have, through Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr KJ Srinivasa, already sought this no objection from the State-owned Indian Exim Bank.

“Remember we went out to bid and nobody bid.

Nobody submitted a proposal from the original shortlist. We went out again and we received a number of proposals. And those were evaluated. And currently, we have dispatched communication through the High

Commissioner in Guyana, the Indian High Commissioner, to the Indian Exim Bank for a no objection of the proposals received.”

“Based on the evaluations, we disseminated a no objection letter to the Government of India through the Indian High Commission here, so that we can move forward in the process. These international projects, the procurement is very complex.

There are many laws we have to comply with. And we’re making sure we comply with them,” Indar said.

It was announced last month that Ashoka Buildcon Limited won the contract to construct the road, ahead of two other Indian companies.

Ashoka has built a number of bridges and roads. According to the company’s website, it even built a bridge in 38 days, namely the Mandve Bridge near Pandharpur, India.

According to the company, the bridge was supposed to be built in 12 months.

In February 2021, the

Project Design of the East Coast-East Bank Linkage Project

Government of India had approved the new scope of works for the redesigned bypass road project that would link the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) at Ogle to Haags Bosch in Eccles, on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD).

The Diamond-Ogle bypass project will see the construction of some 26 kilometres of road linking two of the country’s main thoroughfares. This new road link will also be connected to key communities in Georgetown and along the East Bank of Demerara. These include

Diamond, Mocha and Eccles – all on the East Bank – and Aubrey Barker Road in Georgetown. These connections will prove crucial in diverting traffic.

RITES Limited, an engineering consultancy company based in India, had undertaken a 10-month design consultancy, which produced a Detailed Project Report (DPR) outlining the draft final design of the bypass road.

It is this report which recommended a four-lane highway as most feasible.

Rajendra Sothwal, a senior engineer with RITES

Limited, had previously said the bypass road would include a metal beam barrier, concrete crash barrier, traffic signs and impact attenuators that reduce damage to infrastructure, pavement markings, highway lighting, a raised median that will reduce headlight glare.

Back in 2015, the Indian Government had provided a US$50 million Line of Credit (LOC) for the road link that was initially slated for Ogle to Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD). However, the project cost was driven up to over $208 million by the previous A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government and the project languished under them.

However, when the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government took office in 2020, it redesigned the project into two phases to fit the LOC – first from Ogle to Haags Bosch road, which is about 48-50 per cent of the project, and

then from Haags Bosch to Diamond – in order to fit the US$50 million LOC. Because of these changes in the scope of the project, additional approvals were required from New Delhi, and after several months, this was obtained.

Meanwhile, Government has undertaken several new road projects along the EBD corridor to ease the heavy traffic congestion. Works were done last year for an alternative road connecting Diamond and Eccles on the EBD corridor in order to ease the traffic congestion.

The new alternative road runs from Sixth Avenue, Diamond to the Windsor Estate Road that leads on to the Eccles Landfill Site Road, forming a connection through the new Herstelling Housing Scheme and other schemes that are being developed along the EBD corridor. The road was opened in December of last year. Additionally, a second road is being constructed between Eccles and Mandela Avenue. (G3)

33 Legitimacy of Govt already well established – AG to PNC Leader W NEWS

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

hile the People’s National Congress Reform’s (PNCR) new leader Aubrey Norton is still in doubt over the Government’s legitimacy, Attorney General Anil Nandlall said that Norton’s own logic should compel him to recognise the legitimacy of the Government.

Norton had said recently that only the election petition case will determine whether the present Government is legitimate. The recently-elected party leader was questioned during a press conference whether the new Opposition Leader would recognise the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) as the duly elected Government.

On Saturday, Nandlall drew Norton’s attention to the two election petitions that were brought by A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC), both of which have since been tossed out by the court.

“I agree with Mr Norton ‘’that legitimacy comes from elections in this regard.” As I stated earlier, the presumption of regularity applies. Obviously like every other presumption,

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC

this presumption is rebuttable.

It is Mr Norton's burden to rebut it,” he said.

“For argument’s sake, let us assume that the ‘’legitimacy of the Government has to be determined by an elections petition,’ as Mr Norton contends. His party has filed not one but two. Both were heard and dismissed by the High Court that has the jurisdiction to do so. Therefore, following Mr Norton’s logic, the Government’s legitimacy has been determined twice by the proper constitutional forum.”

While Nandlall acknowledged that appeals have been

filed against the dismissal of both petitions, it is important to note that a stay has not been granted in favour of APNU/ AFC and their legal advisors.

In any event, Nandlall noted that it is juridically impossible to stay the dismissal of a case.

“In conclusion, I hope that I have persuaded Mr Norton that even by his own logic and reasoning, the Government is legitimate. Let us now hope that he gets the coveted Leader of the Opposition post,” Nandlall wrote.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and Prime Minister, Retired Brigadier Mark

Phillips have both indicated that the Government is willing to meet with the new Opposition Leader in the interest of the country. However, Norton said his party does not have the authority to pronounce on Government’s legitimacy.

“The question of the legitimacy of the Government has to be determined by an election petition. It is not a case of the Leader of the Opposition or the Leader of the Party just deciding the Government is legitimate. Legitimacy comes from elections in this regard,” he told the media.

He added, “If perchance, it (the election petition) comes out saying that the Government was elected properly, then they will be legitimate”.

The recount of the 2020 General and Regional Elections showed the PPP/C winning the elections with 233,336 votes. At that time, caretaker President David Granger, on August 2, 2020, conceded defeat, stating that his party’s concerns would be filed in an election petition.

Three weeks ago, Chancellor of the Judiciary, Yonnette Cummings-Edwards made

PNCR Leader Aubrey Norton

the decision to grant Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, and the Vice President – in his capacity as People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary – leave to appeal to the CCJ, the decision of December 21, 2021, to hear the election petition number 99.

The Court of Appeal had handed down a 2 to 1 majority ruling that it had jurisdiction to hear an appeal against Chief Justice Roxane George’s decision to dismiss election petition #99 based on improper service/non-service on the second-named respondent, former President David Granger,

within the statutorily prescribed time.

The petition, which was dismissed on January 18, 2021, was filed by Monica Thomas and Brennan Nurse and challenges the results of the March 2, 2020 national elections with the intent of having Granger declared the duly-elected President.

The majority ruling was delivered by Chancellor of the Judiciary, Yonette CummingsEdwards and Justice of Appeal Dawn Gregory, SC, while Justice of Appeal Rishi Persaud had a dissenting judgement.

34 NEWS

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“It’s a really nice feeling” – new homeowner …as 11 families get keys, hundreds more new homes to go at Cummings Lodge

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leven families are now proud homeowners of two-bedroom moderate-income houses built through the Housing and Water Ministry – Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) in the Cummings Lodge Housing Scheme, Georgetown.

Keys to the units were handed over on Saturday by the Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal; Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water Susan Rodrigues and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority Sherwyn Greaves.

For most of these families, the delivery of the homes brings a sense of pride and the end to many years of struggles they have endured.

Mother of seven, Paulette Jones explained that after 26 years of squat-

Some of the moderate-income houses

ting, she will finally be able to provide secure housing for her children. She stated that squatting has not been easy and she has long hoped for an opportunity to do better for her family.

“I am really happy about

this and I just want to say thanks to the Government,” Jones expressed.

Similarly for Padmini Urgaj, her main goal in life to own a home has also become a new reality. She too explained that as a mother,

one of her greatest achievements in life will be this opportunity to provide safe shelter for her children.

Meanwhile, father of one, Travis Bowman, shared that he had applied since 2011 and is very

grateful to finally have a place he and his son can truly call home.

“It’s a really nice feeling,” Bowman, who temporarily lives at his parents’ residence, expressed.

He added, “Being that I get both the land and house that would save a lot of time”. All of the new homeowners are persons who would have previously applied and prequalified through the Ministry and various banking institutions. Each unit costs $7.5 million, including the cost

of the land.

Minister Croal stated that the delivery of the homes is also a proud moment for the Government and a demonstration of its commitment to provide affordable housing to Guyanese from all walks of life.

“Bringing affordable housing to our people is one of our main priorities and I am very pleased to be here today to make a difference in the lives of these beneficiaries,” Croal said.

NEWS

35

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Ukraine tensions: A dozen nations Ganja, cocaine found at Tabatinga tell citizens to leave Ukraine

M

P

olice in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) arrested three persons after a quantity of suspected cannabis and cocaine were found in their Central Rupununi yard.

Acting on information received, the party of policemen went to a house at Tabatinga, Lethem, where two males and a female were found.

During a search of the premises, a scale and a quantity of zip-lock bags were found.

When questioned, the sus-

pects told the Police that they sell aji, however, a further search of the yard unearthed a plastic bag containing suspected cannabis under a tree.

Additionally, eight small plastic bags containing suspected cocaine were also found.

The three occupants were arrested and taken to the Lethem Police Station where the narcotics were weighed and amounted to 34 grams of cannabis and 3 grams cocaine.

They remain in custody pending charges.

ore than a dozen countries have urged their citizens to leave Ukraine amid warnings from Western powers that an invasion by Russia could be imminent.

The US, UK and Germany are among those who told their nationals to leave.

Moscow has amassed an estimated 100,000 troops along Ukraine's border but denies any intent to invade.

In a phone call, US President Joe Biden again warned Russian leader Vladimir Putin of the costs of any invasion.

For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said invasion warnings could stoke panic, which he called "the

Law enforcement takes part in joint drills with the National Guard in the Kherson region of Ukraine on Saturday

best friend of our enemies".

The White House has warned that an invasion could happen at any time, and could begin with bombing from the air. Russia characterised such allegations as "provocative speculation".

Non-essential staff have

been ordered to leave the US Embassy in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, and consular services will be suspended from today, although "a small consular presence" will remain in the western city of Lviv "to handle emergencies".

Canada is also mov-

ing its embassy staff to Lviv, near the border with Poland, Canadian media reported. UK ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons tweeted that she and a "core team" are staying in Kyiv.

Russia itself is also making changes, saying it will "optimise the staffing" of its diplomats in Ukraine, citing "possible acts of provocation by the Kyiv regime or third countries".

The US has also pulled some 150 troops who were training Ukrainian soldiers out of the country, citing an abundance of caution. And Dutch airline KLM announced it would stop flying to Ukraine, effective immediately, Dutch media said. (Excerpt from BBC News)

36 NEWS

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Work to start this year on model PSA for future oil deals – Bharrat

…huge chunk of $200M World Bank funding to be used

W

ork is expected to start this year on a model Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) that will be different to the PSA ExxonMobil signed with the former Government and ensure that Guyana can get increased benefits from future oil deals.

This is according to Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat, who recently told the National Assembly during the consideration of the budget estimates for the Ministry that part of that money includes a $200 million allocation from a World Bank project.

Opposition Member of Parliament David Patterson had raised questions over whether this allocation was for the gas-to-shore project. Making it clear that it was not, Bharrat explained that some of the money will go towards developing this new model PSA from this year.

“But for now, I can give a breakdown of the $200 million.

Mr Chair, $22.4 million is allocated to hiring a law firm to provide regulatory and legislative support. We would have mentioned several times that we intend to have a model PSA, an internationally recognised PSA, that will bring far more fiscal benefits to Guyana and the people of Guyana.”

“Unfortunately, we have not had a discovery in the other blocks of commercial quantities, until recently in the Corentyne Block. So, work will have to begin this year on ensuring we have a model PSA that will bring far more benefits to Guyanese than the Stabroek PSA,” Bharrat said.

Some of the money will meanwhile also go towards updating Guyana’s Petroleum, Exploration and Production Act of 1986 and for the preparation of Guyana’s Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) reports.

“Added to that under

this very provision, we would have promised to look at the Petroleum, Exploration and Production Act of 1986, which we know definitely needs to be updated. And this provision will start that process,” Minister Bharrat explained.

“Allocated too Mr Speaker, is $38.7 million for the third and fourth reports, the EITI reports. And under this too, we’ve already contracted the independent administrator, the firm, BDO out of the UK, that is responsible for drafting that report. And of course, the Multi Stakeholder Group is the body that will review that report and make the final approval.”

The former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition Government had come in for heavy criticism over the 2016 PSA it signed with US oil major ExxonMobil. The agreement has been criticised for low royalty – a meagre two per cent, lack

of ring-fencing provisions, and cost oil claims that would see Guyana losing billions, among other issues.

While the Government has said that due to the principles of respect for contract sanctity, the PSA could not be renegotiated, it can create a model PSA that is far superior to the current one.

Such a model PSA will be important when Guyana has to auction out new or relinquished oil blocks, which have already been de-risked by the plethora of oil finds in the Stabroek Block.

It was explained by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo last year that the Guyana Government would be activating and enforcing the relinquishment provision in contracts, which speaks to handing over portions of the awarded oil blocks during the course of the exploration period.

Additionally, Jagdeo had signalled his Administration’s intention of auctioning new oil

blocks no later than the third quarter of 2022. This would call for the enforcement of the Relinquishment Provision, thereby adding these acreages to the existing pool of blocks to be awarded.

For the Stabroek, Canje and Stabroek Blocks, operators are required to relinquish 20 per cent of their blocks after the first renewal period; while those of the Demerara and Corentyne

Blocks are expected to relinquish 15 per cent within this period.

The Kaieteur Block’s relinquishment provision is said to be 25 per cent, then 20 per cent by the first renewal; with the Mahaicony and Roraima Blocks at 25 per cent. By the time of the first renewal for the Orinduik Block, the operators are not expected to relinquish any portion.

(G3)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022

A

Archery Guyana’s Nicholas Hing giving School of the Nations’ Director Pamela O’ Toole a look at the PVC bow

J

Jackson, Gayle record indoor personal bests at Tyson Invitational

amaica Olympic bronze medallist Shericka Jackson clocked the fastest indoor time of her career over 60m for second place at the Tyson Invitational, held at the Randal Tyson Track Centre on Friday.

Making her indoor debut for the season, Jackson clocked a new best of 7.12, but was well behind winner Mary Beth SantPrice of the United States, who clocked 7.04 to win the event.

Sant-Price’s time is the second-fastest in the world this year behind Eva Swoboda, who clocked 7.00 at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting in Lodz.

Another Jamaican, Natasha Morrison

finished third in 7.35, with the Bahamas’ Anthonique Strachan fifth in 7.41. A third Jamaican in the race Shockoria Wallace finished sixth in 7.47.

The men’s equivalent was captured by another Jamaica, Nigel Ellis, who took top spot in 6.90. His compatriot, long jumper Tajya Gayle, who is expected to do more sprinting this season, was second with 6.95, which was also his personal best.

In other events, Jamaica’s Ronald Levy finished third in the men’s 60m hurdles with a time of 7.98. The event was won

by Australia’s Chris Douglas in 7.64, with Jamal Britt second in 7.83. (Sportsmax)

s it continues to advance the sport of archery’s development in Guyana, Archery Guyana conducted a three-day PVC bow-making seminar with School of the Nations over Saturday, January 29 and Sunday, January 30, and February 5, 2022. This was in keeping with an agreement to jump-start archery in the school, since they formed the first school archery club in the country in August 2021.

The participation and enthusiasm from the students and parents were overwhelming and heartening. They were

excited to learn how a simple PVC pipe could be transformed into a bow capable of teaching the sport of Olympic recurve archery. This is the same type of bow-building seminar that was conducted with Archery

Guyana by World Archery Americas Coach Diego Torres in 2015.

The seminar was conducted by Archery Guyana Head Coach Nicholas Hing with the assistance of School of the

37

Nations Physical Education teacher Kenrick Cheeks and Mathematics and Physics teacher Stefan Farier, who also documented the event with video photography and interviews for the school.

At the end of the seminar, the students were introduced to the actual use of the bow as they were taught the basics of archery.

The school’s archery club will now organise practice days and times with their student members, and Archery Guyana’s coaches will help with their development in the sport.

38

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022

G

uyana Harpy Eagles prevailed in the opening round of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional Four-Day Championships at Queen’s Park Oval, with a one-wicket win against Windward Islands Volcanoes.

Veerasammy Permaul scored an unbeaten 20 alongside Nial Smith, who made four, as Harpy Eagles chased down 203 in 69.3 overs.

Led by Permaul’s five-wicket haul, Guyana Harpy Eagles cleaned up Chandrapaul Hemraj made 60

Windward Islands for 190 in the second innings of the first match of the Regional Four-Day Championships. At tea on day four, Harpy Eagles

were in total control on 1203 with Chandrapaul Hemraj hitting a half-century to setup the chase of 203 runs.

Volcanoes started the final day on 157-7, but add-

ed 33 runs. Permaul ended with 5-53 as Larry Edward top-scored with 43. In pursuit of the target, Harpy Eagles openers Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Hemraj added 89 runs together.

Hemraj made a brisk 60 while young Chanderpaul scored 28.

At the tea interval, off-spinner Kenneth Dember claimed three wickets for 27 runs. Harpy Eagles required 83 runs with seven wickets in hand in the final session of this opening fixture. The Harpy Eagles were 110-3, and lost seven wickets, The off-spinner Dember, who bowled non-stop since lunch, ended with 5-80 in 29.3 overs while Edward had 3-11 in eight overs.

Smith joined Permaul at 183-9 and the duo showed

Veerasammy Permaul took five wickets in the second innings and scored 20 runs

grit, something most of the other batsmen lacked.

Permaul hit one behind point and that was the winning moment for Harpy Eagles. The next match is set for February 16, when Harpy Eagles will take on Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Queen’s Park.

Summary scores of other matches: BAR v LEE

LEE 172/9D & 346 (109.2) Thomas 112, Carty 55; Simmonds 4/64.

BAR 324 & 195/6 (54.2) Carter 71*; Louis 4/50.

BAR won by 4 wickets.

JAM v TT JAM 141 & 212 (61.5) TT 273 & 81/7 (34.4) Simmons 38; Merchant 3/18.

TT won by 3 wickets.

SCOREBOARD Windwards 1st Innings 339 all out Guyana 1st Innings 327 all out Windward 2nd Innings 190 all out Teddy Bishop c Singh b Paul 15 Devon Smith b Smith 0 Kavem Hodge lbw b Paul 15 Alick Athanaze c Hetmyer b Permaul 58 Keron Cottoy c Paul b Pestano 12 Denis Smith b Pestano 4 Ryan John lbw b Permaul 11 Larry Edward c Hetmyer b Permaul 43 Kenneth Dember c Bramble b Permaul 14 Preston McSween c Johnson b Permaul 11 Sherman Lewis not out 0 Total (10 wickets, 63.1) (7 extras) 190 FOW: 6/1 (1.4) Devon Smith, 20/2 (4.6) Teddy Bishop 48/3 (8.5) Kavem Hodge 71/4 (15.4) Keron Cottoy 77/5 (17.2) Denis Smith 112/6 (24.6) Ryan John 125/7 (28.2) Alick Athanaze 173/8 (53.1) Kenneth Dember 190/9 (61.6) Larry Edward 190/10 (63.1) Preston McSween Bowling Keemo Paul (10-3-30-2) Nial Smith (11-3-44-1) Clinton Pestano (9-1-35-2) Veerasammy Permaul (24.1-6-53-5) Gudakesh Motie (6-2-21-0) Tagenarine Chanderpaul (3-1-2-0)

Guyana 2nd Innings Tagenarine Chanderpaul c b Dember 28 Chanderpaul Hemraj c Edwards b Dember 60 Shimron Hetmyer c Smith b Dember 9 Leon Johnson b McSween 21 Vishaul Singh c Cottoy b Edwards 24 Anthony Bramble c McSween b Dember 7 Keemo Paul c & b Dember 0 Clinton Pestano c McSween b Edwards 20 Veerasammy Permaul not out 20 Gudakesh Motie c Athanaze b Edwards 3 Nial Smith not out 4 Total (9 wickets, 69.3) (7 extras) 203 FOW: 89/1 (23.3) Tagenarine Chanderpaul 94/2 (25.1) Chanderpaul Hemraj 110/3 (31.1) Shimron Hetmyer, 124/4 (38.3) Leon Johnson 139/5 (43.1) Anthony Bramble 140/6 (43.4) Keemo Paul 168/7 (54.1) Clinton Pestano 179/8 (58.3) Vishaul Singh 183/9 (60.4) Gudakesh Motie Bowling Preston McSween (17-4-38-1) Sherman Lewis (4-0-30-0) Ryan John (10-0-39-0) Kenneth Dember (29.3-1-80-5) Larry Edward (8-3-11-3) Kavem Hodge (1-0-2-0)

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39 Blue Water, GFF ink MoU for National U-15 Girls’ League GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022

…GFF aiming to have 10 teams per region

By Jemima Holmes

A

new league is set to grace Guyana’s football fraternity in two months’ time, as the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and Blue Water Shipping on Saturday morning inked a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU), affording young female ballers from across the country, the opportunity to showcase their skills.

The GFF/ Blue Water Shipping Girls’ Under- 15 Developmental League is not only aimed at a key developmental stage for

tag.

“We take great pride in supporting the Football Federation.

Anything that brings a community together, especially in Guyana, we know how dear football is to our country, anything that brings us together and gives young people an opportunity to display their talent, Blue Water is more than happy,” DeNobrega said.

He went on to add, “We’ve seen the Federation’s work over the last few years and we’re more than happy to support a Federation like the GFF.” When quizzed by Guyana Times Sport about whence players will be sourced for the league, Forde revealed that teams will be taken from clubs, Regional Associations and possibly, even schools.

“It is part of the ongoing planning discussion; we have targeted 10 functional teams in each of our nine Regional Associations.

When we do the numbers, we will be putting close to

GFF President Wayne Forde and Blue Water Shipping’s Richard DeNobrega sign the MoU

young players, but will coincide with Guyana’s participation in a CONCACAF Championship for the same age group.

Speaking at the signing at the Pegasus Hotel, GFF President Wayne Forde revealed that the league would feed Guyana’s national team for those championships.

“As you all are aware, in August of this year, Guyana will be participating in the CONCACAF U-15 Female Championship and it is so timely that we are being given the opportunity through the generous sponsorship of Blue Water to launch the developmental league, from which we’ll be selecting those national team players that will represent the Golden Arrowhead,” Forde shared.

Blue Waters’ Country Manager Richard DeNobrega expressed his excitement at being able to collaborate with the Federation for the league, which is yet to have a price

1000 young women actively involved in playing football,” he explained.

“We know that will not be a challenge in the hinterland communities, as you’re all aware there’re many players in our hinterland region. We are con-

cerned that that may be a challenge on our coastland. So, we’re looking at a model that may also see us engaging some of the schools that have had young women participating in similar tournaments but at a different level.”

Highlighting that the GFF’s goal is to have at least 10 teams from each

GFF’s Bruce Lovell, Dion Innis, and Wayne Forde take a photo op with Blue Water’s Richard DeNobrega, Brent Patterson, and Jenny Pisio

of its nine jurisdictions, the GFF boss appeared pretty confident that they will go above and beyond those figures.

In this regard, Forde expressed, “I have no reason to believe that we will not make that target. For

a matter of fact, I actually think we will exceed that target.”

Essentially, this is not the first time that the two entities have joined forces in the name of the sport.

In 2022, Blue Waters funded the livestream for

Guyana’s World Cup qualifiers campaign in St Kitts and Nevis.

As such, Forde verbalised his appreciation for the company’s continued support.

He said, “I want to thank the Blue Water man-

agement for expressing confidence in the GFF, to manage and promote their brand here in Guyana and to recognise the tremendous work they’re doing to bring real value and meaning to local content.”

Sports is no longer our game, it’s our business

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022

guyanatimesgy.com

Big bucks for Pooran, Holder and Hetmyer at IPL auction – Ishan Kishan bags highest but on day one auction

N

icholas Pooran had the highest bid for a West Indies player in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction history when he was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 10.75 crore, which is approximately (US$1.43 million).

Jason Holder was snapped up by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for 8.75 crore, which is equivalent to (US$1.16 million).

Guyanese Shimron Hetmyer, who was the first West Indian buy in the IPL auction, was snapped up by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for 8.51 crore (US$1.13 million).

Dwayne Bravo, the other West Indian, returned to Chennai Super Kings for 4.40 crore (US$584,000).

Hetmyer’s old team, Delhi Capitals (DC), and the Royals were engaged in a bidding war, but Royals prevailed and got the prize.

The final day of the mega auction is set for today, Sunday, February 13, and the likes of Odean Smith and Romario Shepherd will be eager to get maiden IPL con-

Jason Holder

price of 6 crore (US$796,000). while Russell was retained at 12 crore (US$1.59 million).

Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan was the most expensive buy in the IPL 2022 auction as

Nicholas Pooran

tracts. Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine were the West Indians retained before the IPL auction. Pollard and Narine had a retention

Mumbai Indians broke the bank and secure him for 15.25 crore (US$2.02 million).

Deepak Chahar fetched a colossal 14 crore (US$1.85 million) from Chennai Super

Kings to become the second-most expensive player in the auction.

While Prasidh Krishna and Lockie Ferguson bagged 10 crore (US$1.00 million) each, going to RR and LSG respectively, Josh Hazlewood was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for 7.75 crore (US$1.02 million). Shardul Thakur also bagged big money as DC bought him for 10.75

back their Australian pacer Pat Cummins for 7.25 crore(US$962,000).

Ashwin (5 crore – US$663,000) headed to Rajasthan Royals while Shikhar Dhawan (8.25 crore – US$1.13 million) was snapped up by Punjab Kings.

crore (US$1.42 million). From the spinners' lot, Kuldeep Yadav was the first one to be picked as DC bought him for 2 crore (US$265,000).

The uncapped categories witnessed some massive bids, with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) shelling out 6.5 crore (US$863,000) for Abhishek Sharma and 8.75 crore (US$1.16 million). for Rahul Tripathi. Gujarat Titans then spent 9 crore (US$1.19 million) for Rahul Tewatia. Earlier, Shreyas Iyer also fetched a staggering deal of 12 crore(US$1.59 million) from Kolkata Knight Riders. The franchise also got

Rayudu, Moeen Ali, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Robin Uthappa, KM Asif, Tushar Deshpande [Players bought: 10. Budget remaining: 20.45 crore (US$2.71 million).

Overseas players: 2] Delhi Capitals: David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, KS Bharat, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Mustafizur Rahman, Ashwin Hebbar [Players bought: 13.

Budget remaining: 16.50 crore (US$2.18 million). Overseas players: 4]

How teams stand at the end of Day 1 Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati

Shimron Hetmyer

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill, Jason Roy, Abhinav Manohar, Hardik Pandya, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson, R Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad [Players bought: 10.

Budget remaining: 18.85 crore (US$2.50 million). Overseas players: 4] Kolkata Knight Riders: Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Shreyas Iyer, Sheldon Jackson, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy [Players bought: 9. Budget remaining: 12.65 crore (US$1.68 million).

Overseas players: 3] Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mark Wood, Ankit Rajpoot [Players bought: 11. Budget remaining: 6.90 crore (US$916,000).

Overseas players: 4] Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Dewald Brevis, Kieron Pollard, Jasprit Bumrah, M Ashwin, Basil Thampi [Players bought: 8.

Budget remaining: 27.85 crore (US$3.69 million). Overseas players: 2] Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Jonny Bairstow, Jitesh

Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel [Players bought: 11. Budget remaining: 28.65 crore (US$3.80 million).

Overseas players: 2] Rajasthan Royals: Devdutt Padikkal, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna, KC Cariappa [Players bought: 11. Budget remaining: 12.15 crore (US$1.61 million). Overseas players: 3] Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep [Players bought: 11. Budget remaining: 9.25 crore(US$1.22 million).

Overseas players: 4] Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Kane Williamson, Nicholas Pooran, Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Kartik Tyagi, T Natarajan, Umran Malik [Players bought: 13. Budget remaining: 20.15 crore (US$2.67 million).

Overseas players: 2]

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