Guyana Times -- Thursday 12, January, 2023

317 EBD sea defence squatters to be relocated within 6 months

With 784 squatters having been regularised in 2022, the Government is continuing its efforts to get squatters illegally occupying Government reserves into their own legally obtained homes by engaging squatters on the sea defence reserve along the East Bank of Demerara.

These squatters reside at Little Diamond, Great Diamond, Grove, Herstelling Sea Dam,

Farm Sea Dam and Covent Garden in 317 structures, including 57 occupied by Venezuelan immigrants. According to the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), they will all be relocated within six months.

Addressing the issue, the Central Housing and Planning Authority on Wednesday said that, in keeping with a commitment made by President Dr Irfaan Ali, informal set-

tlers residing along drainage and sea defence reserves on the East Bank of Demerara were engaged on relocation by the Housing and Water Ministry and the Public Works Ministry’s Sea and River Defence Board on Wednesday.

“The reserves, which fall under the purview of the Ministry of Public Works, are regarded as ‘zero-tolerance’ areas, and are therefore unsuitable for housing development. Continuous occupation will impede

drainage works, which can result in flooding and also affect access to critical areas,” CH&PA said, adding that squatters were also able to register for the house lots and housing units during Wednesday’s exercise.

Housing Minister Collin Croal has made it clear that the relocation process should be completed within the next six months. The Minister also emphasised that Government’s response to squatting is not based on race or politics, but rather assessments carried out by the Ministry and other agencies to determine whether regularisation or relocation is the best option.

The squatters will get four options under the relocation and resettlement programme. These include 1) being provided with an existing turn-key housing unit ready to move in, 2) access to an area at Great Diamond with the necessary infrastructure works already earmarked for persons desirous of building homes, 3) allocations at other schemes and 4) the Venezuelan im-

migrants will be assisted with building through the President Ali-led Men on Mission (MOM) initiative.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CHPA, Sherwyn Greaves, explained that each household will be provided with the necessary assistance in order for them to relocate to wholesome housing schemes.

Regularised

The Housing and Water Ministry has been on a trend of regularising squatters. According to Minister within that Ministry, Susan Rodrigues, the Ministry has been able to regularise seven new squatter settlements last year.

Rodrigues said recently that, out of the 784 squatters they were able to regularise in these areas, 281 of them were issued land titles. The Minister further pointed out that strict procedures were followed during the relocation process, to ensure that those involved are engaged and given adequate time to relocate with the as-

sistance of the Government.

“If you multiply that by four persons per household, we’re talking about over 3,000 people who have benefitted from these squatter settlements that have been regularised in 2022,” the Minister said. “We don’t just give them a land and say, ‘You have to move,’ and leave them on their own. We have a whole department at the Ministry called the Community Development Department that has a specific unit that deals with regularisation,” she added.

Since September of last year, Minister Croal had said that no new squatting areas would be recognised by the Housing and Water Ministry, as efforts move apace to issue titles for some of the current areas where this is an issue.

The Housing Minister had said that efforts to distribute titles continue even as the Ministry continues to allocate house lots.

Pursuing a robust housing campaign, he had said, would ensure that there is no need for squatting. (G3)

A section of the sea defence squatters during the consultation with the Central Housing and Planning Authority Housing Minister Collin Croal

FERRY

Indian investors urged to explore investment opportunities in Guyana

…as GMSA signs MoU with furniture manufacturing firm in India

Guyana’s ability to provide climate services was one of several investment opportunities pitched by President Dr Irfaan Ali in his presentation to the Indian Private Sector when he addressed the inaugural session of the Global Investors in Madhya Pradesh, India.

President Ali, who is on a State Visit to India, on Tuesday received the Pravasi Bharatiya Award, which is given to Indian diaspora members for their stellar contributions to society.

On Wednesday, he addressed the Indian Private Sector at the opening session of the Global Investors

in Madhya Pradesh, India. He highlighted Guyana’s resources, such as oil and gas, food production and, of course, its forests, for which carbon credits are fully certified and on the market.

“In relation to climate services, our forests store

19.5 gigatons of carbon. As a country, all of our carbon in that forest is now ART/TREE certified. Which means that entire carbon footprint is now available for sale. It has been certified, even to be used in the greatest sector, the aviation sector.

“As a small country, we

have recently signed the first and largest deal on the global market for carbon credit with an end user, and much more than that, an end user who’s an oil company, Hess Incorporated,” the President said.

According to Ali, Guyana is positioning itself to be a leader in climate, ecologi-

cal and biological services. He noted that Guyana does not just want to be a player, but to be a cornerstone in these areas, and more.

“And we invite you to be part of this transformation. Much more than this, because of our rich arable land, our abundance of fresh water, and our geographic positioning, we have the capability and opportunity not to be a player, but the leader in food production and security in the region Guyana sits. We invite the Indian Private Sector to look at this opportunity that gives them access to a market of more than 400 million people. We have all the investment vehicles and tools that you have here, and we’re ready to deploy it so that you can position yourself in a new market that offers exciting opportunities,” he added.

President Dr Irfaan Ali was a special guest at a dinner and business meet hosted by Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, at Hotel Marriott in Indore

President Irfaan Ali during his Tata consultancy tour

Editor: Tusika Martin

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Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

170th anniversary of the arrival of Chinese in Guyana

Today marks the 170th anniversary of the arrival of Chinese in Guyana as indentured labourers: 262 all-male recruits from Amoy aboard the ship Glentanner, after 52 had died on the 177-day journey. Amoy (modern Xiamen) was a British-run treaty port in Fujian province. Another all-male cargo of 85 passengers, who had survived the journey after 69 had perished, landed 5 days later. They were sent to West Demerara sugar plantations, mainly Windsor Forest and Blankenburg. By the time immigration from China was discontinued in 1879, 39 ships had brought a total of 13,541 Chinese to Guyana, but only 17% were women, and few were from agricultural backgrounds.

The Chinese were very diligent workers, but because of higher transportation costs, reluctance to reindenture, low birth rates, and some returning to China, their numbers in the colony were never very high. Many of those who remained generally intermarried with the local Africans because of the paucity of Chinese women, and the remainder gradually opened up groceries or rum-shops on the plantations or in Georgetown.

In one remarkable experiment, a Chinese missionary was facilitated by the Government to start a settlement on the Kamuni Creek (near what is now CJIA) with timeexpired Chinese immigrants. A number of Christian converts had been recruited in China. They used the timber in the area to produce coal for the fast-growing Georgetown urban dwellers, and soon undersold the Portuguese merchants who had dominated the trade and moved into the Charlestown area. The settlement, unfortunately, collapsed after the missionary absconded with the settlement funds, and the settlers moved to Georgetown where they went into commerce. They soon joined the Portuguese in the nascent middle class as they rose in business, entered the professions and the Civil Service. By intermarrying with the local African Guyanese populace, the Chinese never provoked any sustained hostilities against themselves.

The first President of Guyana, of course, was Arthur Chung, who fittingly hailed from Windsor Forest, where the first Chinese had been bound.

It was unfortunate that the arrival of the Portuguese, Chinese and other immigrants from Africa and the West Indies were conflated into May 5th – the day the Indians first arrived. The public holiday was dubbed “Arrival Day”. It was therefore positive when President David Granger declared that January 12 and June 3rd, the days the Chinese and Portuguese respectively arrived, were duly given public recognition. Our Indigenous Peoples have “Amerindian Heritage Month”, and African Guyanese have Emancipation Day to acknowledge their roles in constituting our national mosaic. All groups must be commemorated.

In the modern era, it is noteworthy that Guyana was a pioneer in the English-speaking Caribbean to give official recognition to the Chinese Communist Government in 1972 after US President Nixon had made his surprise visit early in the year. It is a little-known fact that Communist China’s first foreign aid programme was to Guyana, when its engineers arrived in the same year to establish a clay-brick factory in Canal, WBD. They would later supply textile and other factories. It should be noted that a Chinese company, CNOOC, owns 25% of the Stabroek Block’s 10 billion barrels of oil. There has since been a steady influx of new Chinese immigrants into Guyana, and their impact will definitely be significant going forward.

An apology for slavery

Speaking in The Hague last December 19, the Netherlands Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, said that for centuries the Dutch Sate and its surrogates had “facilitated, stimulated, preserved and profited from slavery, made (human beings) into commodities (which were) exploited and abused, (and) violated (human dignity) in the most horrific way possible.” Successive Dutch Governments, he added, had “failed to adequately see and acknowledge that our slavery past continued to have negative effects and still does.”

Rutte damned slavery as a “crime against humanity”, then took a step – a stride, really – without precedent in the official cocoons of those countries once actively involved in the various aspects of the slave trade, transatlantic and other: he offered a public apology. He said:

“Today, on behalf of the Dutch Government, I apologise for the past actions of the Dutch State: to enslaved people in the past, everywhere in the world, who suffered as a consequence of those actions, as well as to their daughters and sons, and to all their descendants, up to the present day.”

I congratulate Rutte on his courage in actually using the words “apology” and “apologise”. It wasn’t

the first time he had done so, however, while speaking about the malignity of his country’s past colonial behaviour and the indifference of Dutch Administrations to it.

Last February, he presented “a deep apology to the people of Indonesia… for the systematic and widespread extreme violence by the Dutch (during the Indonesian war of independence from 1945 to 1949)…” He also apologised for “the constant looking away by previous (Dutch) Cabinets.” A politician publicly displaying humanitarianism and ethical consistency! If Rutte isn’t careful, he might end up as an exemplar.

European countries besides the Netherlands were also enthusiastic and cynical actors in the barbaric (but lucrative) tragedies of colonial repression, slavery and genocide –Portugal may have started things, but Britain, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Germany and France weren’t far behind. They have all avoided using the word “apology” for their atrocities. They prefer – ask Tony Blair or Prince William of Britain, or King Philippe of Belgium – the carefully nondescript term “regret”.

I wrote last year that one of Philippe’s predecessors in office, Leopold II, “began the savagery which is said to have directly or indirectly caused the deaths of about ten

million black Congolese.” Ten million. Yet all that Philippe, addressing the Congolese Parliament last June, could manage was to express his “deepest regrets” for the “wounds of the past”. Well, yes, come to think of it, ten million deaths, not to mention the never-ending racism, are a lot of “wounds”: they could be regrettable, even deeply so. But hardly something to apologise for, are they? And, after all, the Congolese weren’t human, were they?

Macaques , the Belgians used to call them, sales macaques : filthy monkeys. How on earth do you apologise to monkeys?

Rutte has been criticised by some for not, prior to his announcement, sufficiently consulting with, and incorporating the opinions and recommendations of, living descendants of African slaves; his statement was unilateral, they say (although the 2014 ten-point Caricom reparations plan, in calling for a “full, formal apology” from the Europeans, makes no mention of such consultation).

It is a point of view, but I suspect Rutte may have felt that consultation (not only with slave descendants) might have yielded so many competing proposals and positions as to weigh down what he might say and sharply reduce its significance. Better to get

the main principle down and then have detailed discussions. As he said, his apology was “not a full stop but a comma. The dialogue on the history of slavery should be held as broadly as possible, not only in the Netherlands, but also, and especially, in the places where it happened, with everyone who is involved or feels involved.”

Rutte has also been taken to task for not mentioning Guyana, a Dutch colony for nearly two centuries, among the Caribbean places where Dutch slavery flourished. But he didn’t mention Tobago either, and for a period in the 17th century Tobago too was a Dutch colony. An area of lower Scarborough is still called “Dutch Fort.”

“We cannot change the past,” Rutte said, “but we can face up to it.” And he conceded that for a long time he saw no reason why contemporary Holland should “take meaningful responsibility for something that happened so long ago. Something that none of us experienced first-hand. But,” he went on, “I was wrong.” A politician publicly admitting error! If Rutte isn’t careful, he might end up as both exemplar and statesman.

But will other European leaders follow in his footsteps? (T&T

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Retired) Mark Phillips shares a photo with the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance, Catherine Pollard, at the Office of the Prime Minister on Camp Street in Georgetown on Tuesday. The Guyana-born career diplomat was appointed to her current position by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in 2019. Pollard was accompanied by her brother, Senior Counsel Andrew Pollard (Office of the Prime Minister photo)

B y R eginald d umas

16 weeks' maternity, 4 weeks' paternity leave

Scotiabank to employees

In an effort to further support its employees, Scotiabank Guyana has rolled out an expanded parental leave policy that will see mothers getting at least 16 weeks of maternity leave while fathers will get up to one month of leave.

In a statement on Wednesday, Scotiabank explained that these enhanced benefits were introduced in August 2022.

These major changes include maternity leave moving from 13 weeks to 16 weeks and paternity leave increasing from five days to four weeks. Additionally, systems have been put in place now for persons doing adoption and/or gestational surrogacy to also be eligible for parental leave.

With the implementation of these increased maternity and paternity leave for employees, Scotiabank is now the first in the local industry to introduce such measures.

“Our people are our most important asset. We believe that for our people to bring their very best selves to work, we have an important role to play in supporting employees' physical, mental, and financial health – including when employees are growing their families,” Scotiabank Guyana Country Manager Nafeeza Gaffoor commented.

She went on to say that

“This change has come about as a result of a new global standard for parental leave across all Scotiabank’s markets [that] provides a consistent vision on how employees should be supported when welcoming a new child, regardless of which country they are located.”

The Canada-based Scotiabank has been implementing measures to improve conditions for its employees. Some of the other recent actions taken as part of Scotiabank's commitment to employees include the launch of the LifeSpeak Total Well-being Platform that aims at providing employees with easily-accessible tools to increase the well-being support available to both employees and their immediate families. LifeSpeak is a fully-virtual 24/7 platform.

Another initiative is Leadership Development through iLEAD, which is

Scotiabank’s global leadership development programme that helps to enhance the skills of its people leaders.

Moreover, advancing gender equality in the workplace is also a major measure being undertaken by the Bank. Scotiabank said it was committed to being an inclusive employer,

Macedonia-Joppa Volunteer Committee has recommenced working

Dear Editor, The Macedonia-Joppa Volunteer Committee (MJVC) on the Corentyne welcomes the new year, after two harsh years of the COVID-19 pandemic that took the lives of almost 1,300 Guyanese and caused 72,000 hospitalisations and more than 70,000 recoveries.

Indeed, the pandemic had taken its toll on the people, especially children, many of whom did not fully understand what the pandemic was about, and the danger it posed to their lives. However, with the diminishing of the pandemic and the decline in the number of infected persons in 2022, the Government relaxed the strict rules it had implemented, and today the situation seems normal in the country.

Because the children were home-bound and could not attend school and social gatherings, or even be outdoor to play with their friends for almost two years, we at the Macedonia-Joppa Voluntary Committee, in an effort to revive the spirit of the children, celebrated the festive season with a lavish Christmas party for more than 200 of them, at the Eversham Village Community Centre on Saturday, December 10, 2022. With smiles on their faces, the children, aged from

three to 15 years, enjoyed the evening with a variety of dishes, drinks and juices, as they met and greeted their friends, and sang and danced to their favourite tunes.

The MJVC, a non-profit organization, also provided a Christmas dinner for more than 100 senior citizens on Sunday, December 11. The MJVC also delivered hampers to all of them. And on Friday December 23, 2022, for the first time, the residents of the district, including the young and old, sang carols and witnessed the lighting of an eight-foot Christmas tree in front of the Eversham Community Centre to mark the celebration of the festive season.

The MJVC, founded by Dr. Asquith Rose and led by a team of dedicated men and women from the district, has done a marvellous job in 2022 to help the less fortunate in the area. Funded by a few kind and generous private donors, the MJVC has succeeded in realising its motto of uplifting the people in the district. During the past year, the MJVC has provided hampers to almost all the residents in the district, wheel chairs to senior citizens, chickens to several residents, kites to children, and sports equipment to the youths in the district.

In 2022, MJVC volun-

teers worked tirelessly to help the residents of the district celebrate Mashramani in February, Easter in April, Independence in May, and Emancipation on August 1. In this new year, the MJVC has plans to establish a race

track, a recreational center in the district with several sport facilities for cricket, volleyball, basketball, lawn tennis and track and field.

Dr Asquith Rose

an advocate for women and to removing barriers to success at work. As a matter of fact, women make up about

72 per cent of the Bank’s employee base, and about 66 per cent of its leadership team are women. (G8)

Sincerely,

Scotiabank Guyana Country Manager Nafeeza Gaffoor

Page Foundation

Question 1:

Stop a strainer

In this fun and easy science experiment for kids, we’re going to see if we can use science to stop a strainer from straining.

Materials: Cooking oil Small strainer Glass of water Bowl

Instructions: Pour some cooking oil in the bowl and slosh the strainer around until it is

coated in oil.

Gently shake off the excess cooking oil.

Now slowly pour the water from the glass into the strainer.

The strainer should hold the water.

How it works:

The surface tension of the tiny drops of water are what keeps the water from slipping through the holes in the strainer. The oil also helps by coating the wire

mesh, while also making the spaces between the wires a little bit smaller. This creates a very cool effect the you have stopped the water from flowing through the strainer.

Make this a science project: Try strainers with different sized holes. Try dissolving salt or sugar in the water. Try different types of oils. Try different temperatures of water. (sciencefun. org)

WEDNESDAY

CONTINUED FROM

After that the peasants went home, and as they were entering the village, the little peasant approached them, happily driving a flock of sheep. The astonished peasants said, “Little peasant, where are you coming from? Did you come out of the water?”

“Yes indeed,” answered the little peasant. “I sank deep, deep down, until at last I reached the bottom. I pushed the bottom out of the barrel, and crawled out. There were beautiful meadows there, where many lambs were grazing. I

brought this flock with me from there.”

The peasants said, “Are there more there?”

“Oh, yes,” he said. “More than you could use.”

Then the peasants decided that they too would get some sheep for themselves, a flock for each one of them, but the mayor said, “I come first.”

So they went to the water together, and just then in the blue sky there were some of the small fleecy clouds that are called little lambs. They were reflected in the water, and the peas-

By The BroThers Grimm

ants cried out, “We can already see the sheep down there on the bottom.”

The mayor pushed his way to the front, saying, “I will go down first, and take a look around. If everything is all right, I shall call you.” Then he jumped in.

“Plop,” went the water. They thought that he was calling them to come, and the whole lot of them hastily plunged in after him.

Then the entire village was dead, and the little peasant, as the only heir, became a rich man.

TO BE CONTINUED

Govt holds final consultations with Private Sector ahead of Budget 2023

Ahead of Monday’s looming presentation of Budget 2023 in Parliament, the Guyana Government is continuing its final rounds of consultations with key stakeholders as it seeks to wrap up preparations.

Consequently, Senior Minister with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh on Wednesday held further discussions with various representatives of the local Private Sector.

Representatives attending the meeting included Ramesh Dookhoo from the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA); President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Timothy Tucker; Chairman of the Finance Sub-Committee of the Institute for Private Enterprise Development (IPED), Jagdesh Haripersaud; Director/

Board Member of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry Guyana, Rowena Elliott and Executive Director of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ian Chung.

According to a statement

from the Finance Ministry, Wednesday’s meeting is a follow-up to the engagement President Dr Irfaan Ali, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, Prime Minister Mark Phillips and Minister Singh held with the Private

Sector and other civil society stakeholders at State House last week.

During that event, a number of suggestions were made by the Private Sector for inclusion in the Budget.

On Monday, the Finance

Indian investors urged to explore...

Last year, Guyana signed a historic, multi-year US$750 million agreement with Hess Corporation for the purchase of 37.5 million carbon credits.

Guyana is, in fact, the first country to conclude the ART process of certifying its forest carbon. These serialised credits, listed on ART’s public registry, are available to buyers on the global carbon market, including for use by airlines for compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s global emissions reduction programme, CORSIA, as well as for use towards voluntary corporate climate commitments.

MOU

The President’s visit to India also led to the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), which was part of the Guyanese

delegation, signing an agreement with Indian company Mehidpurwala Furnishers Pvt. (MFP) Limited during the Global Investors Summit.

According to a statement from GMSA, the MoU signed on Wednesday will facilitate the expansion of the furniture manufacturing industry in Guyana to meet rapidly

growing demands in both domestic and regional markets. It will also allow both countries to access more opportunities for capacity-building, transfer of technology and skills, capital, and market development.

The MoU will also facilitate collaboration and support for other companies seek-

ing to form consortiums in the furniture manufacturing sector. The agreement was signed by GMSA President Rafeek Khan, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MFP, Adnan Raja.

MFP is one of several companies whose showroom Khan visited and engaged with at the summit.

Ministry announced that the 2023 National Budget would be presented on Monday, January 16, 2023.

In preparation for this year’s Budget, Dr Singh has been meeting and consulting with various stakeholders, including the Private Sector, Government Ministries, other agencies and civil society over the past several months to listen to their concerns and receive suggestions.

Budget 2023 will be the fourth Budget presented to Parliament by the Irfaan Ali-led People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration since it assumed office in August 2020.

It was noted that this year’s Budget will see critical development programmes for Government being fast-tracked and many more expanded to reflect Government’s continued transformational agen-

da for the country which has been taking it forward at a rapid pace over the last two years and five months since the PPP/C’s return to office.

According to the Finance Ministry, these Budgets have all reflected the party’s manifesto promises as well as additional initiatives that have been taking Guyana forward and transforming the country’s landscape at an extremely rapid pace as well as attracting attention on the world stage as the economy booms.

Only on Tuesday, the World Bank published the report "Global Economic Prospects" in which it projected that Guyana would be the only country in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region to record double-digit growth in 2023, with a growth rate of some 25.2 per cent, building on the 57.8 per cent expansion in 2022.

The showroom has various pieces of furniture pioneered by the company, that are utilised in the housing, hotel, hospital, educational institution, industrial, warehousing and other infrastructural industries.

According to GMSA, MFP is expected to use Guyanese hardwood species in its furniture products, the materials for which will in some cases be imported from India and finished in Guyana. This will therefore increase opportunities in Guyana’s forestry sector, and help build indigenous manufacturing capacities within Guyana.

Also present from the GMSA were Chairman of the Services Sub-Sector, Haimwant Persaud; Board Members Shyam Nokta, Rosh Khan and Komal Singh. Joining the delegation in India also is David

Mahmalji of MHM Holdings Inc. who is also a member of the Association.

The Private Sector was a part of the President’s delegation when he was given a guided tour of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) at its Special Economic Zone in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India on Tuesday.

Tata Consultancy Services is one of the largest multinational IT service and consulting companies. It is headquartered in Mumbai, India, but has offices globally. TCS is well known in the e-governance, banking and financial services, telecommunications, education and healthcare markets.

With over 600,000 employees and a market cap of over $200 billion, it is a significant player in the market.

(G3)

GMSA President Rafeek Khan (seated, right) as he signed the MoU with CEO of MFP, Adnan Raja

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh with stakeholders from the local Private Sector

New Year’s Day fatal shooting 2 cops under open arrest for killing of Policeman, fisherman

As Police continue their investigation into the New Year’s Day fatal shooting of a Police corporal and a fisherman, two Police ranks have been placed on open arrest. This has been confirmed by the Police Force’s Corporate Communications Unit.

Police have reported that the shooting, which occurred at Huntley, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara, resulted in the deaths of Police Corporal Dwayne McPherson, 31, who had been stationed at the Mahaicony Police Station, and 20-year-old fisherman Kishan Budburgh of Grove, Huntley, Mahaicony. Reports are that the Policeman was shot twice, and the fisherman was shot four times.

No further details about the incident were released by the Police.

Kishan Budburg’s brother, Anthony Budburgh, has said he witnessed the shooting. According to the 23-year-old, he and his 14-year-old brother were at home with the late Kishan prior to the shooting. He said five of the Budburgh

brothers were at a bar in the village when an issue developed over the throwing of ‘explosives’. One of his brothers was injured in that incident, and a fight ensued. The brothers left for home, but two of the five were arrested by Police before they arrived there.

According to Anthony, the Police were trying to arrest everyone involved, and they had threatened to shoot, but he, Kishan, and his 14-year-old brother had managed to run away from

the scene.

“We come home here, and my brother lie down and I did not know that he was bleeding from the fight. I help him, and then I go upstairs,” Anthony Budburgh related.

He said that shortly after he went into the house, the Police arrived. “They come and start knocking up on the wall, and they call out everybody. We come outside. The Police come and hold on (to) me brother and hunching him with the gun and lashing and boxing me brother. My brother hold on to him (Police), and all two of them fall down.”

Anthony Budburgh has claimed that another Police rank fired shots from his firearm in the direction that he was standing. “My other brother duck, and the shot miss he too. When he (Police rank) see the two of them (Kishan and the Police rank he was holding on to) on the ground, he start firing shots on the two of them. The other Police saying to shoot between the two of them.

“After he finish shooting them, he still come and firing shots on we; we had

to run. If we didn’t run, we would have get shoot too!” Anthony Budburgh is contending.

When this publication visited the scene, there were holes in both the wooden and concrete walls of the Budburgh home. Family members are contending that those holes were made by bullets fired by the Police rank. One of those bullets penetrated a concrete wall and made its way into the kitchen of the Budburghs’ home.

Anthony Budburgh has said he and his 14-year-old brother hid in the bushes and saw when the Police ranks removed the body of the injured cop moments after they had fired shots at the cop and his brother Kishan.

“We deh in the bush watching from deh – hiding. We can’t come out; we frighten that they could shoot we,” Anthony Budburgh has said. According to him, three Police ranks had gone to their premises, and two were armed with rifles.

At that time, no one knew that Kishan Budburgh had been shot. Their mother returned home at about 01:30h and heard groaning, and upon investigating, she discovered that it was her son who was groaning. She hurried to get a taxi to take him to the hospital, but none was available.

The woman reportedly went to the Police station, and left after receiving no help. Efforts to get an ambulance proved futile, as the hospital reportedly did not have anyone to drive it.

Eventually she got a taxi, but by that time her son Kishan Budburgh had passed away.

This shooting incident reportedly occurred at about 12:30h, and the injured Policeman was removed shortly after, while Kishan Budburgh’s body was removed over four hours later, family members have also claimed. (G1)

Return...

… of the intemperate son

Seems the man who shook up Guyana’s politics in the closing days of 2018 – Mr “no…no…no” Charrandas - is back from his truncated stint as Guyana’s High Commissioner to India. Much of the contradictions in Guyana’s politics can be gleaned in the meteoric rise of the fella and his subsequent fall. Local politicians are blamed for playing on racial sentiments - but Charrandas hitched his star to the self-proclaimed “multiracial” AFC – not the “Indian” PPP. Trotman and Ramjattan were gonna repeat the glorious moment in 1953 by Burnham and Jagan –but with 20/20 hindsight, would avoid their missteps!! His choice should’ve earned him some political brownie points, no??

But from what he’s reported following his historic “no… no…no…” No Confidence Vote, it’s clear that the fellas (and felines) in the AFC top bracket were oblivious to the lessons of history – and wilfully so!! They fully well knew that the PNC wasn’t to be trusted. After all, their guiding light is Machiavelli, whose fundamental principle is that politics is all about power. Which is to be possessed in its totality – by any means necessary. Charrandas clearly couldn’t believe that Ramjattan would allow the PNC to cut off the AFC’s Indo-Guyanese supporters – who had put the PNC over the electoral hump and into power – at the knees!!

So, this is the first revealed contradiction we should appreciate: the PNC just can’t help itself when it comes to sharing power. It’s a no-no from the word go!! Power is an end for itself. So now, dear reader, you know why Moses couldn’t be allowed to even CHAIR Cabinet meetings - like he was promised in black and white through the Cummingsburg Accord. Or Ramjattan neutered in his miniaturised Ministry. And if the PNC can’t share power with the AFC top leaders, can you imagine how second-tier fellas like Charrandas were treated??

The other takeaway from “Le affaire Charrandas” is that when it comes to politics, the PNC just gotta settle scores with Indian Guyanese. THEY voted for the PPP and denied them what they consider to be their God-given right to govern Guyana!! What else could explain PNC Granger’s unilaterally disregarding the recommendations of his own CoI into the sugar industry and firing 7000 workers?? They always claim that “sugar workers” sabotaged the industry by burning canes – which, if true, was more than 50 years ago!!

And lastly, extrapolating from the craven behaviour of Nagamootoo and Ramjattan - the PNC can’t conceive that Charrandas could have the moral integrity to stand up for his sugar workers’ constituents of Rose Hall. Even though the estate provided economic sustenance for the entire Canje area.

Yes…Charrandas committed a flagrant sexist faux pas. But he shed light on the local politics.

…of the native son

Well, Pres Ali’s really revelling in his return to his ancestral land. He took every opportunity to make his links to India as explicit as possible. To the delight of his host on the English-medium platform - beamed to India’s elite - he regaled them with examples of his connections. His favourite Bollywood stars?? Kajol, Aishwarya Rai, and Shahrukh Khan!! Singers? His relatives vie when getting down to prove whether the better singer is Mukesh or Rafi!! Not to mention that his grandmother would regularly take in a “triple” – three three-hour Indian movies viewed in succession!! Now that’s movie binging when folks didn’t even know the word “Binge”!!

But he didn’t just talk about pop culture, he emphasised the importance of the retention of culture by the Indian Indentured Labourers. He revealed that Indian visitors and their diplomatic representatives are astounded at that retention – even when some of those customs have been lost in India!!

Evidently, his father’s roots were traced to his village in India.

…to sender

This song’s certainly moot in the age of social media: I gave a letter to the postman/ He put it in his sack/ Bright early next morning/ He brought my letter back/ Return to sender, address unknown…

Dead: Police Corporal Dwayne McPherson

Dead: Kishan Budburgh

Local firms partner with Kuwait companies to bid for Belfield-Rosignol Road redesign

President Dr Irfaan Ali has often emphasised the need for local companies to partner with international companies doing business in Guyana, and true to form, four local companies have partnered with Kuwaiti companies vying to redesign the Belfield-toRosignol Road.

Bids for a consultant to redesign the existing road network from Belfield on the East Coast of Demerara to Rosignol on the West Coast of Berbice were opened at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) last week.

It was revealed that NK Enterprise Incorporated, a local company, had partnered with Kuwaiti company Abdul Consultancy Engineering Incorporated to bid for the project.

Also bidding is local company SRK Engineering, in association with another Kuwaiti company, Abuljebain Engineering Consulting Office (AECO). Meanwhile, local company E&A Consultants Incorporated has partnered with Al-Obaid Engineering Consultants. And CB & Associates are in a joint venture with Al-Habshi Engineering Consultants, in association with Beston Consulting.

The Belfield-to-Rosignol road widening, which will encompass over 25 villages, was intended to be a continuation of the US$43 million East Coast Road Widening and Expansion Project which was commissioned in 2020 after years of work and changed contractors. The project was supposed to have two components: a four-lane expansion from Better Hope to Annandale, and an upgrade to the existing two-lane road from

Annandale to Belfield.

Back in 2019, a grant of Kuwaiti Dinars (KD) 500,000 was approved from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development to conduct a technical and economic feasibility study for this very project – the redesign of the Belfield-toRosignol Road Network. Among the issues addressed in the study are the degradation of the road, drainage, and road safety.

In 2016, the Government

of Guyana and the People’s Republic of China had, through the China Export-

Import Bank, signed a $9.6 billion (US$45.5 million) concessional loan for completion of the widening of the road between Better Hope and Belfield. The Government had contributed approximately $3 billion towards the project.

In 2021, it was announced that the Government had gotten approval from its counterparts in China to utilise the sums saved on the ECD Road Widening and Improvement Contract (when the road was commissioned, the cost at the time was US$43 million) to execute 24 additional connector roads linked to the project.

The ECD connector roads tie into the Government’s infrastructural development agenda that is linked to other transformational projects. These roads would provide easier access and reduce traffic congestion when the Ogle-Eccles thorough-

fare comes on stream. That four-lane highway would connect the ECD and East Bank Demerara corridors.

In April of last year, Government commissioned the much-anticipated Mandela-to-Eccles fourlane Highway. The $2.6 billion four-lane road runs from Mandela Avenue all the way to Eccles, EBD, and works are currently ongoing on a second phase to further extend the road to Great Diamond, EBD.

Construction was executed by eight contractors, and work was completed in less than one year. The road features an asphaltic and concrete roundabout with reinforced concrete sidewalks. The four-lane roadway runs for 2.8 kilometres, and includes parking lanes, 12 bridges, stones on the median, and 214 solar-powered lamps, among other amenities. (G3)

The Belfield-to-Rosignol Road Project was intended to be a continuation of the US$43 million East Coast Road Widening and Expansion Project

Woman stabs reputed husband to death

…after severe beating with piece of wood

Awoman is in Police custody after she stabbed her 26-yearold partner to death.

Dead is Leroy Dey, a la bourer of Breda Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown.

Reports are that the stab bing occurred at some time around 23:20h on Tuesday, as the man and his 30-yearold reputed wife, Shaneiza Clarke, were involved in an argument.

It has been reported that the victim and suspect had been living together for about three years, and had always had misunderstand ings which led to fights.

On Tuesday, January 10, Dey went home after an absence of four days, and the couple had an argument over the payment of rent to the landlord. A scuffle ensued, and Dey dealt the suspect a slap on the left side of her face before picking up a

piece of wood, and further dealing her several lashes about her body, causing her to receive injuries to her left side neck, right hand, and jaw.

In retaliation, the suspect allegedly picked up a kitchen knife that was on the ground and stabbed the

victim in his left side chest.

Draped in blood, Dey then left en route to the Stabroek Market area, but collapsed whilst walking on Cross Street, Werken-Rust, between Hadfield and Leopold Streets, Georgetown. An ambulance was summoned and he was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was rushed into emergency surgery. He succumbed to his injury at about 09:25h on Wednesday.

Following the incident, the suspect went to the Brickdam Police Station to make a report, but was arrested and later escorted to the Georgetown Public Hospital. She was examined and treated by a doctor, and is presently in custody as investigations continue.

A post mortem examination is expected to be conducted shortly. (G9)

“Ratty” on trial for minibus driver’s murder

Greater Georgetown.

The accused has pleaded not guilty to the charge for the capital offence. He is currently on trial before Demerara High Court Judge Jo-Ann Barlow and a 12-member jury.

It is alleged that he murdered James in the course or furtherance of a robbery.

Orwyn Peters, called “Ratty”, sat calmly on Tuesday as the court read an indictment to him which detailed that he murdered 35-year-old minibus driver Tedroy James on July 11, 2017 at McDoom,

The 29-year-old murder accused, a mechanic by trade, is being represented by lawyers from the law firm of Hughes, Fields, and Stoby. State Counsel Cicelia Corbin is one of the prosecutors.

Guyana Times had previously reported that James, also called “Six-Head”, of Suddie, Essequibo Coast, was shot in the back by one of three armed male bandits at around 11:30h.

Eyewitnesses revealed that one of the passengers picked up along the West Coast of Demerara was a bandit, and he was seen in constant communication with someone on his cellular phone during the journey.

According to an eyewitness, the suspicious man then requested to be put off at McDoom, and as he was about to exit the minibus, he grabbed a bag belonging to another passenger before brandishing a gun.

Just moments after this occurrence, two male accomplices pounced and attempted to rob the other passengers. The minibus driver had attempted to drive away with his passengers, and was shot once to the back by one of the robbers, who then escaped through a street in McDoom.

James, a father of two, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital. (G1)

Dead: Tedroy James

Murder accused Orwyn Peters

Dead: Leroy Dey

I love you” –teen in accident tells father before dying

Ateenager is now dead while another is hospitalised in critical condition following an accident involving a motorcycle and a tractor and trailer. This accident occurred on the Friendship Public Road in Wakenaam, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) at around 21:45h on Tuesday, January 10, 2023.

The Guyana Police Force on Wednesday said the accident resulted in the death of 16-year-old motorcyclist Mohamed Ameer Khan of Belle Plaine, Wakenaam Island, and the injured person is pillion rider 21-yearold Vikash Singh of Hubu, Parika, East Bank Essequibo. Singh is hospitalised in the Wakenaam Public Hospital in critical condition.

Reports are that motor tractor TM 17151, to which was hitched trailer TMM 509, was being driven by a 63year -old man of Free and Easy village in Wakenaam Island, heading north on the western side of Friendship Public while the motorcycle was being driven by the late Ameer Khan, with Vikash Singh as the pillion rider, proceeding south, in the opposite direction, along the eastern side of the said road.

It has been reported that the motorcycle was travelling at a fast rate of speed, and allegedly became uncontrollable. It collided frontally with the right-side rear wheel of the trailer, and resulted in Khan and his pillion rider being pitched into a trench on the northern side of the road.

Having sustained severe injuries to their heads and about their bodies, Khan and Singh were picked up by public-spirited persons and taken to the Wakenaam Public Hospital, where they were initially treated.

Singh was admitted as a patient at the Wakenaam Hospital in a critical state, while Khan was subsequently transferred to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His body is presently at the Ezekiel Funeral Parlour awaiting an autopsy.

Further investigations are ongoing.

The Police had earlier on Wednesday disclosed that pillion rider Vikash Singh had succumbed to his injuries, but in an updated statement, said the youth is still alive but in critical condition.

Meanwhile, the father of the dead teen, Kamal Khan said that he received a call informing him that his son had been in an accident.

“…when I went, my son’s last word to me was ‘Daddy, I love you’ continuously and I started to cry to see my son in that condition,” the grieving father said.

He said that his son recently finished secondary school.

The teen was the elder of Khan and Omattie Persaud’s two sons. (G9)

Domestic worker, taxi driver busted with drugs

Ranks from the Vreed-enHoop Police Station, acting on information received, on Wednesday at about 05:00h, went to Swan Street in the Pouderoyen Squatting Area, West Bank Demerara, and arrested two persons who had a quantity of cocaine and marijuana in their possession.

Police have said that upon arrival at the address in question, ranks conducted a search of the occupants thereof – a 59-year-old domestic worker and a 33-yearold taxi driver – but found nothing incriminating on their persons. A further search was conducted on

the premises in their presence, and Police stumbled upon a black string tied to a board in the kitchen area.

It led to a beam under the

house, and when ranks pulled at the said string, two bulky transparent plastic bags were discovered attached to the string. One of those bags contained a quantity of whitish, rocklike substance

suspected to be cocaine, while the other bag contained several brown paper parcels containing cannabis.

The two occupants of the home were told of the offence committed, and under caution, the female responded: “I selling da cocaine and weed because I sickly and I can’t work,” while the male said: “We hustling, and don’t do crime.”

The ranks carried out another search on the male, and found $14,080 in his right-side pants pocket, while a brown handbag that was on the female’s bed was found to contain $589,020.

The suspects were arrested and escorted to the Vreed-enHoop Police Station, where the suspected cocaine was weighed and amounted to 73 grams, while the suspected cannabis amounted to two grams. The narcotics were placed into separate transparent plastic evidence bags which were sealed and lodged, along with the cash, for safekeeping.

The suspects are currently in custody assisting with investigations pending charges. (G9)

“Daddy,

Dead: Mohamed Ameer Khan

The drug that was found during the raid

…pillion rider critical after motorcycle crashes into tractor

The first set of Chinese indentured immigrants arrived in Guyana on January 12, 1853. They came as a form of cheap labour to replace the freed slaves.

According to the records, plantation owners in Guyana began expressing interest in having Chinese labourers from the onset of emancipation but recruitment formally

planters decided to recruit Chinese especially during the period between 1848 and 1851 when Indian immigration was suspended.

In August 1851, the British Guiana Government agreed to pay the planters a bounty of $100 for each Chinese landed in the Colony. The following month George Booker, one of the sugar estate owners, arranged for the first ship-

Government withdrew the bounty payment to the recruiting planters on August 1, 1853.

began in 1851. Because of the long travel distance from China, at first Chinese were not recruited since it was cheaper to transport Indians.

While it cost a planter 13 British pounds to transport an Indian labourer from Calcutta or Madras, the cost was 15 pounds to transport a Chinese immigrant from any of the Chinese ports. But because of the growing need for labourers for the sugar estates, some

ment of Chinese to work as indentured labourers.

The 115 men and 39 boys who were recruited were transported from the port of Amoy on the Lord Elgin. The ship departed on July 23, 1852 and after a journey of 177 days arrived in Georgetown on January 17, 1853. On this difficult voyage 69 of the passengers died.

Another ship, the Glentanner, chartered by Hyde, Hodge & Co,

left Amoy with 305 men and boys and arrived in Georgetown on January 12, 1853. A total of 51 passengers died on the journey. The same Company recruited another 352 men and boys later in the year and they were shipped from Amoy on the Samuel Boddington on November 25, 1852 and arrived in Georgetown on March 4, 1853, after a voyage which lasted only 98 days during which 52 passengers died. (On this journey, the Chinese mutinied and almost managed to take control of the ship).

Most of the Chinese who arrived during this period were assigned to estates in West Demerara.

The British Guiana Government expressed concerns about the physical quality of the Chinese who were recruited and also about the large number of boys who were apparently passed off as adults. Subsequently, the

Earlier that year, James White, who had been the recruiting agent for the British Guiana Government in India, was appointed as Emigration Agent for the British West Indies in China. However, he was dismissed in June of the following year mainly because he failed to recruit any Chinese labourer.

In 1853 also, the British Government had decided to support a government-sponsored recruitment programme, but by May 1854 the British Guiana Government decided to halt immigration from China due to the transportation costs which had increased by over 66 per cent and also because of the failure to recruit women.

Chinese women began arriving in 1860, but in small numbers. The period from 1860 to 1866 saw a relatively large influx of immi-

grants, bringing the local Chinese population to a peak of 10,022 in 1866. Subsequently only two boats arrived with Chinese immigrants, one in 1874 and the other in 1879. After this Chinese immigrants came of their own free will and at their own expense.

The Chinese proved to be good workers on the estates to which they were indentured for a fiveyear period. The distribution of Chinese labourers to the sugar plantations in the three counties of Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo was made by the Immigration Agent-General, who based his decisions on the quotas submitted by the plantation owners several months previously. Families were kept together in the distribution.

Guyana’s first President was a Chinese man named Arthur Chung.

For the entire period of 1853 to 1879, a total of 13,541 Chinese landed in Guyana. (Excerpts from guyana.org)

President Dr Irfaan was the guest speakers at the inaugural session of the Global Investors Summit 2023 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, on Wednesday. The president and private sector officials also took part in an investor’s meeting, dubbed Business Meet, on Tuesday at the Park Indore in Madhya Pradesh. Additionally, Ali and members of his delegation were given a guided tour of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) at its Special Economic Zone in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India also on Tuesday. TCS is one of the largest multinational IT service and consulting companies. It is headquartered in Mumbai, India, but has offices globally. (Office of the President photos)

Opposition asks court to give President 2-month deadline to appoint Chancellor, CJ

…as AG tells court of APNU/AFC actions causing process to stall

The Opposition has asked the High Court to compel President Dr Irfaan Ali to make substantive appointments to the offices of the Chancellor of the Judiciary and Chief Justice within two months, even as Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC contends that the court cannot direct the Head of State, who has constitutional immunity from prosecution.

In June of last year, Opposition Parliamentarian Vinceroy Jordan filed a Fixed Date Application (FDA) asking a Judge to direct the President to forthwith initiate the process contemplated by Article 127 of the Constitution of Guyana to make appointments to the two top judicial posts.

The procedure for the appointment of the Chancellor and Chief Justice is outlined in Article 127 (1) of the Constitution, which states: “The Chancellor and the Chief Justice shall be appointed by the President after obtaining the agreement of the Leader of the Opposition.”

It has been over 21 and 17 years respectively since Guyana has had a confirmed Chief Justice and Chancellor. The last confirmed Chief Justice was Desiree Bernard, who served from 1996 to 2001; she also served as Chancellor from 2001 to 2005. Justices Yonette Cummings-Edwards and Roxane George, SC have been acting as the Chancellor and Chief Justice respectively.

No reasonable excuse for delay

During oral arguments before High Court Judge Damone Younge on Wednesday, Jordan’s lawyer, Roysdale Forde, SC, submitted that since President Ali assumed office on August 2, 2020, he has failed to initiate any process contemplated by Article 127 of the Constitution to make permanent appointments.

According to the Senior Counsel, this “delay” is a clear case of Dr Ali’s refusal to initiate the required constitutional process. He said the President has publicly stated that he would not initiate the process to make the appointments until the Opposition recognises the legitimacy of the PPP/C Government.

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton, Forde added, has expressed to President Ali that he is committed to agreeing to the confirmation of Justices Cummings-Edwards and George in their respective posts. Considering this, counsel argued, there is no reasonable or constitutional excuse the President can provide to substantiate this delay in making the appointments, while calling the non-appointment a gross dereliction and abdication of Dr Ali’s presidential duties.

He thus requested that the President be given a twomonth deadline to comply

with Article 127.

Opposition actions

Attorney General Nandlall, in reply, told the court that upon taking office, President Ali had a “whole series” of engagements with then Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon. He alluded to a series of events which, according to him, stalled the appointment process, including Harmon contending the PPP/C Government was “illegal and installed” and the PNC/R’s internal elections in which Norton prevailed over Harmon.

Even though these are political matters, Nandlall pointed out, they had a bearing on the President filling the vacancies.

The language of Article 127, the Attorney General contended, is unambiguous and does not set a timeframe by which the Head of State is bound to make the appointments.

Although President Ali is conferred with absolute power to make the appointments, Nandlall accepted that he can only exercise this power upon agreement from the Opposition Leader.

The Office of the Opposition Leader was vacant following the resignation of Joseph Harmon on January 26, 2022. Norton — Leader of the PNCR —was appointed Opposition Leader on April 13, 2022. In light of this, Nandlall stressed, “There was nobody that the President can consult.”

When Norton became Opposition Leader, the President immediately engaged him to fill constitutional appointments, said Nandlall to the court, as he referred to the appointment of the Police Service Commission (PSC), the Integrity Commission, and the Teaching Service Commission. He advances that Article 127 empowers the Head of State with the latitude of commencing engagement for constitutional appointments as well as the liberty to choose which one he will be engaged in firstly.

“A President is entitled to say, ‘I will work to address these vacancies first’.” For context, Nandlall referred to engagements between Norton and the President on the appointment of the Police Service Commission — a constitution-

al body that is vital for appointing a Commissioner or acting Commissioner of Police.

President moved swiftly According to him, the President had to move swiftly in appointing a Top Cop in the interest of national security, as opposed to making substantive appointments to the two top judicial posts, which are currently filled by acting appointments and which have been so for over 20 years.

The Senior Counsel said he has never seen a Head of State of a country, more so one with executive powers, being directed by a court of law to carry out his/her functions. Even though the President has presidential immunity (not answerable to the court), Nandlall disclosed, on numerous occasions, he has argued against the President violating the Constitution, but said he did not ask for coercive orders against the Head of State, as is being done by Forde, only declaration.

He maintained that President Ali is not acting in breach of the Constitution, but should the court find a breach, having regard to the peculiar circumstances and the fact that Article 127 has been violated for over two decades, it would be unfair and unreasonable to hold President Ali in violation of the Constitution or guilty of unreasonable conduct. Justice Younge will rule on March 7 at 14:30h.

Nandlall went on to inform the court that President Ali is working on re-appointing the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) which expired since September 2017. The JSC is critical to the appointment of Judges other than the Chancellor and Chief Justice, Magistrates and other judicial officers, including the Registrar and Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court of Judicature.

Faced with an increasing workload, the Chancellor, while addressing the opening of the new law year on Tuesday, said: “We need more judges. We need the Judicial Service Commission to be established ASAP (as soon as possible). We are facing increased caseloads. Judges are now overburdened, they are exhausted, they are nearly worn out, and they are, in some cases, burned out.

Regrettable situation

The country’s inability to appoint a substantive Chancellor and Chief Justice for an extended period has been a cause for concern for several bodies, like the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers (CAJO), and the Bar Association of Guyana.

President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Justice Adrian Saunders, in April of last year expressed his views on this impasse, calling on Guyana to remedy this “re-

grettable situation” with utmost urgency, recommending that the country should do so by the end of 2022.

Nandlall had previously said that, regrettably, some 20 years after Guyana’s Constitution was amended to facilitate the appointments of top judicial officers by the President, with the agreement of the Opposition Leader, there is yet to be a substantive appointment of a Chancellor and Chief Justice.

He had conceded that the current formula that re-

quires consensus between the President and the Opposition Leader has not worked in the more than two decades it was put in place, and that constitutional reform may be needed to remedy the state of affairs.

Guyana is the only country in the Commonwealth with this constitutional provision.

Late last year, President Ali had told the media: “We have no issues appointing (the Chancellor and Chief Justice), but when the right time comes, we will have the consultations…” (G1)

Labourer dies after being hit by speeding truck

Aman is now dead after being hit by a lorry transporting a skip bin, which was being operated by Cevon's Waste Management.

Dead is Victor Alert, 34, of Martin Street, Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, Berbice, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne).

Reports are the lorry was allegedly speeding through the town of Rose Hall and residents are claiming that it might have been racing another lorry.

According to the Police, the Cevon's Waste Management lorry was being driven by a 47-year-old man of Canefield Settlement, East Canje, Berbice.

Reports are that motor lorry GZZ 4248 was proceeding west along the Corentyne Highway at Rose Hall Town when, the driver alleged, Alert ran across the road from the north going south and into the path of his vehicle.

As a result of the collision, the pedestrian fell to the road and was picked up by public-spirited citizens in an un-

conscious condition, placed in a Police vehicle and taken to Port Mourant Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Meanwhile, the labourer’s brother Randolph said he was a short distance away where from the accident occurred. He said one lorry passed speeding through the town and another one was close behind.

“I don’t know if they were racing, but is terrible speed this man pass with and I hear something go ‘bram’ and when I go and look, I see that is my brother he knock,” the older Alert said.

A cousin of the now-dead man, Eon Hooper said he was standing by the roadside with a cousin when the two lorries passed, one behind the other.

According to Hooper, his cousin pulled him into the corner and alerted him of the danger as the first lorry passed.

“The next one was behind coming at a rate too... We hear ‘bram’ and when I go and watch to see is who, I see is my

cousin," Hooper related.

According to Randolph, after the lorry driver applied his brakes, the vehicle continued to skid on the road and did so for the length of four buildings before crashing into the labourer. He cited the skid marks which were left on the roadway as evidence of the former.

“So, it is just speed that man was coming with ... speed,” he said.

Police have since said that the driver of the Cevon's Waste Management lorry has been taken into custody and the vehicle detained.

The now-dead man’s cousin added that the driver offered no assistance to the injured man after the impact.

He alleged when the Police arrived and asked for the driver and when he looked around, the driver was not at the scene but was found a short distance away, heading away from the scene of the accident.

Police are continuing their investigations and the driver remains in custody. (G4)

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC

Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards

Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, SC

Roysdale Forde, SC

Dead: Victor Alert

The truck that was involved in the accident

Judicial Service Commission to be appointed in 3 months – AG

There continues to be an outcry from senior officials within the local judicial system over the shortage of Judges, but according to Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) will be established in the coming months, thus paving the way for these critical appointments to be made.

“I want to assure that very, very early this year –long before the end of the first quarter of this year – we will have appointed the Judicial Service Commission and the Public Service Commission. [These are] two important constitutional commissions that will address the inadequacy of human resources that currently plague the judicial institutions… You have our fullest commitment that that issue will be addressed,” Nandlall stressed.

The Attorney General was at the time responding to lamentations by the top judicial officials on the lack of Judges in the system –something he acknowledged while applauding the current complement of Judges for being able to deliver quality justice despite these deficiencies within the system.

He was at the time speaking at the launch of the 2023 Judicial Year which was held on Tuesday under the theme: “Serving People, Providing Justice”.

Currently, there are 11 High Court Judges – one of

whom will be retiring soon –and only three Judges in the Court of Appeal.

According to Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, the Judiciary is doing the best it can, given the extremely heavy case load, in particular, among other challenges.

“I do acknowledge that decisions should be given in a timely manner and we are committed to striving to do so… We can and must do better. Of course, we can; of course, we must,” she contended.

The Chief Justice (ag) pointed out that as it is, a civil judge oversees a constant docket of about 200 to 400 cases at any one time throughout the year, managing cases for all three counties. The Judges who are assigned to the criminal jurisdiction, she added, are also assigned some civil matters to assist with the

case load.

Justice George further noted that the two Commissioners of Title carry a case load in the thousands for all three counties, while the criminal case load in both the High Court and the Magistrates’ Courts are extremely high.

In addition, all Judges of the High Court also sit at an appellate level to hear Full Court appeals – many of which are filed annually, she stated.

“It has to be remembered that the court system is a receiver of cases and has no control over the number of matters filed… The fact is we are a litigious nation. Mediation has assisted, but there are still many cases going to trial… And with the increasing passage of legislation with added criminal offences, it is the court system that will bear the brunt of the many cases filed,”

Justice George posited.

“We need the Judges”

Meanwhile, similar sentiments were expressed by Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, who underscored the need for more Judges to assist in carrying out the mandate of the Judiciary.

She outlined that the complement of Judges has been depleted with the retirements of High Court Judges – Justice Franklin Holder and Justice Brassington Reynolds – in the latter half of 2022.

“Courts exist to do justice and we cannot do justice with machines alone. We need the people and we can only do what we’re required to do if we have the necessary resources.

“We do not need the rhetoric... We need the Judges. We’ve been hearing, time again, about the JSC soon to be established, we would like to see the implementation and the establishment of the Judicial Service Commission,” the Chancellor insisted.

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack has also joined the calls for more Judges to be appointed, especially in light of the significant increase in the number of criminal cases.

She said more Judges are needed to preside over the criminal sittings so that the backlog of cases could be disposed of in a timely manner.

Lack of a full complement

Moreover, President of the Guyana Bar Association, Attorney-at-Law Pauline Chase also pointed out that the lack of a full complement of Judges in the High Court and Court of Appeal, owing to the absence of the Judicial Service Commission to appoint Judges, is severely undermining the administration of Justice.

“We’re now at about half of our statutory complement of Judges… We at the Bar are acutely aware with the pressure that this is placing on the [judicial] system… Our Judges are performing a herculean task in supporting the system… Help is urgently needed,” Chase asserted.

The tenure of the previous JSC expired in September 2017.

Article 198 (1) of the Constitution of Guyana states that the JSC mem-

bers must comprise the Chancellor of the Judiciary who will be appointed as Chairman; the Chief Justice; the Chairman of the Public Service Commission and any other members appointed to the Commission.

The JSC’s remit includes the power to make appointments, to remove and to exercise disciplinary control over persons holding or acting within the offices of Commissioner of Title, Director of Public Prosecutions, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Magistrate, Registrar of the High Court, Deputy Registrar of the High Court, Registrar of Deeds and Deputy Registrar of Deeds, among others.

The Commission also advises the President on the appointment of Judges, with the exception of the Chancellor and the Chief Justice.

The Education Ministry on Wednesday evening expressed grave concern over the physical assault of graduate teacher Shawn Marshall, who is attached to Graham’s Hall Primary by a parent whose child attends the school.

In a statement, Chief Education Officer (CEO) Saddam Hussain said, “Whatever the circumstances, it is a reprehensible and ghastly act. It is unacceptable and will not be condoned in the least.”

According to the Ministry, schools are considered safe spaces and any

act of violence is deemed totally unacceptable.

“When parents or guardians are engaged in vio-

lent acts against teachers, it goes against established values, norms, and expectations. We cannot beat

teachers and then ask them to teach our children peaceful conflict resolution,” the CEO said, adding that the

Ministry will, therefore, take all appropriate actions to ensure that all teachers continue to work in a safe and secured environment.

Such actions, it noted, include prohibiting violent parents or guardians from having access to school premises, transferring any learner whose parents com mit acts of violence on teach ers or any other sanction deemed necessary, while encouraging the Police or any other institution or au thority to take whatever ac tion the law prescribes.

The CEO reminded all parents and guardians that in any instance where an incident occurs with a teacher, the matter must be brought to the attention of the head teacher or teacher in-charge of the school or institution.

Attacks on teachers by parents and guardians and even in some cases students themselves at places of learning have been a cause for concern over the years.

Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC

Graham’s Hall Primary School

Chief Education Officer

Saddam Hussain

Scores of cattle feasting on farmer’s crop; 250 acres eaten already

… Police say, “It is private matter” – farmer claims

an official there. According to the farmer, when he went to the MMA office, he was told that the cattle owner had already been contacted, and he was advised to get someone to assess the damage done by the animals.

Sooklall said he went to the Mahaicony Police Station and took the numbers of the ten different brands on some of the animals as he sought to find out who the owner or owners were, but the lack of Police action frustrated him.

Arice farmer is seeking the intervention of authorities who are willing to help him save at least half of his rice crop, after all efforts have failed to stop cattle from feasting thereon.

Deonarine Sooklall, of DeHoop Branch Road, Mahaica, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), who cultivates 600 acres of rice on the left bank of the Abary River, told this publication that some 250 acres have al-

ing his rice plants. He said he has employed several persons to chase them out and ensure the animals stay out in the day, but at night they return.

His workmen, he said, have declared this invasion of cattle in his rice fields as a seemingly deliberate act.

Sooklall said he sowed his fields with paddy on November 15, 2022, and started his crop. “This continues, cows all the time.

“They got me on today, tomorrow, all the time,” he said.

Sooklall said he erected a fence around his entire rice cultivation, but the animals seemingly ripped the fence at night and entered the fields.

“I am asking someone in authority to look into it and give me some assistance. Because right now I owe the bank millions. The Police can come and put a stop to it, but all they telling you is a private matter and I have to take the people to court. I can’t take the cows to a pound!” he said.

When this publication visited, there were at least 160 head of cattle in the rice field, and workers were seen chasing them. “These cows are very far away from a pound,” he said.

According to the rice farmer, some of his workers have been threatened. He said he reported the matter to the Police. “All the Police telling me is that it is a private matter, and we got to take these people to court.”

The cattle in Deonarine Sooklall’s rice field from chasing the cattle out.

“They threaten me. They threaten me, saying that if I drive out the cows, they gon kill me,” Ramdatt declared.

Recounting another incident, Ramdatt said it was raining, and he and another worker were sheltering under a tree after chasing the animals out of the field when he saw the same man open-

ing the gate and chasing the cattle back into the rice field.

Sooklall estimates his losses to date to be in excess of $8M.

“This rice, as it is now, if the cow them keep off, we still can get something; but if the cows can’t keep off, we can’t get nothing. Some parts done,” Sooklall said.

He said he even suggest-

ed to the Police that they should arrest the persons who made the threats and those persons might be able to provide information regarding the ownership of the animals.

However, those suggestions have not been acted upon by the law enforcement officers, the farmer has claimed. (G4)

Minister orders removal of DHB’s ‘no vest, no slippers’ dress code

ready been destroyed by cattle.

He has said that, for the past two months, cattle have been invading his rice fields on a daily basis. According to him, there are about 160 head of cattle that he finds in his fields every morning, eat-

When it meet December 8, I contacted the Minister. The Minister tell me to get the brand number and he would look at it.”

The farmer said he was further instructed to visit the MMA office and speak with

Sooklall said one of his workers made a report of the threats to the Mahaicony Police Station last Friday.

Raymond Ramdatt, 63, said two men, one whose name was given to this publication, went into the rice field and tried to stop him

Govt holds final consultations...

The first Budget presented by the PPP/C was an emergency one totalling $330 billion and was presented under the theme: "Our Plan for Prosperity: Protecting our People in a COVID-19 Environment; Strengthening Democracy and the Rule of Law; Incentivising Economic Growth and Job Creation; and Enhancing Welfare".

In that first Budget, the PPP/C Government reversed a large number of harsh taxes instituted on citizens by the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government.

Meanwhile, the second Budget in 2021 totalled $383.1 billion and was presented under the theme: "A Path to Recovery, Economic Dynamism, and Resilience". The Budget comprised a number of developmental measures and also included funding for

the construction of a number of housing schemes and expansion of existing ones along with investment in the revitalisation of the country’s sugar industry.

There were also programmes that the Government implemented in partnership with Private Sector bodies and other stakeholders, especially with regard to the tourism, hospitality, and agricultural sectors.

Several relief cash grant measures were also implemented and saw thousands of citizens across the country benefiting. A number of areas had been devastated by flooding, and Government also provided relief for affected persons especially those who had suffered the loss of crops and livestock. The health, infrastructure, and education sectors also saw major injections in Budget 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic

was ongoing.

The third Budget, Budget 2022, which amounted to a whopping $552.9 billion, was unveiled under the theme “Steadfast Against All Challenges, Resolute in Building Our One Guyana".

Budget 2022 also saw major injections in a number of sectors, including more expansion of the Government’s housing drive, the infrastructural sector catapulted with an increased number of roads and bridges constructed, energy expansion and diversification, provisions for persons with disabilities, several injections toward Amerindian and hinterland development as Government proved its commitment to bettering the lives of the Indigenous people. It also saw large injections in the health, education, and security sectors. (G8)

Amid widespread backlash over a dress code announcement made by the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC) via its Facebook Page, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill has since ordered the removal of the public notice.

The dress code posted by the DHBC outlined that persons wishing to conduct transactions with the entity cannot wear vests, short pants or slippers. However, in a social media post, Edghill – who has oversight of the DHBC –revealed that he has since ordered the dress code to be removed.

“A dress code publication by the Demerara Harbor Bridge Corporation was brought to my attention, and I have instructed that it be taken down,” the Minister said.

He added that these rules imposed by the dress code do not align with the Government’s vision for easing the way business is done in the country.

“While we encourage persons to dress appropriately when conducting business or visiting our offices, such actions do not promote our vision for an ease in doing business, and our efforts to grow a stronger partnership between the agencies of the Ministry of Public Works and the Guyanese citizens,” the Minister explained.

Within recent years, the Government and several Private Sector agen -

-

cies have taken the ini

tiative to abolish archaic dress codes, taking into

consideration the country’s tropical climate and its cultural diversity.

Rice farmer Deonarine Sooklall

RegionalBrazil riots: Arrests ordered for top officials after capital stormed

Brazil's judicial authorities have ordered the arrest of top public officials after rioters stormed key Government buildings in Brasília.

One official, the former commander of the military police, has been arrested, local media reported.

The officials also include Brasília's former public security chief Anderson Torres and others "responsible for acts and omissions" leading to the riots, the Attorney General's office said.

Torres denies any role in the riots.

Colonel Fábio Augusto, the Police Commander, was dismissed from his role after supporters of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro stormed Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court.

The rioting came a week after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, widely known as Lula, was sworn in.

The dramatic scenes saw thousands of protesters, some clad in yellow Brazil football shirts and waving flags, overrun Police and ransack the heart of the Brazilian State.

Of the approximately 1500 people arrested and

brought to the Police academy after the riot, officials say that nearly 600 have been taken to other facilities, where Police officials have five days to formally charge them.

Earlier on Tuesday, the federal intervenor in public security accused Torres of

"a structured sabotage operation".

Ricardo Cappelli, who has been appointed to run security in Brasília, said there was a "lack of command" from Torres before Government buildings were stormed.(Excerpt from BBC News)

Political parties release manifestos in Antigua & Barbuda

The two main political parties have released their manifestos ahead of the January 18 General Elections, outlining policies for future socio-economic development and security of Antigua and Barbuda over the next five years.

Both the ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) and the main Opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) released their respective documents at events held on Monday and Tuesday, outlining plans for job creation, developing inter-regional transportation, leveraging technology for development and implementing policies for youth

development.

In addition, both parties, seeking to gain control of the 17 seats in the Parliament, have outlines plans to further develop the medical, education and the tourism sectors among others.

“My personal vision for our nation is that it should be an economic powerhouse, which drives robust growth and sustainable development to achieve developed country living standards,” Prime Minister Gaston Browne said.

Browne, who is leading the ABLP into a third General Election, said “that is why our steering our affairs to the next lev-

el of progress and prosperity is my driving ambition.

“Every Antiguan and Barbudan has a right to a better, more productive, healthy and happy life,” Browne, said, adding that the ABLP has guided the process “by which our country has been uplifted despite arduous circumstances.

“It has the experience, knowledge and vision to continue our people’s advancement to new heights,” Browne said, adding that “in this manifesto, we lay out our plans for the “next level” of development under the theme “Next level of Progressive and Prosperity for All”. (Excerpt from CMC)

World Bank approves US$100 million for Barbados

green and blue resilient development, which includes a new law on water reuse, the adoption of a climate change and agriculture policy and the establishment of an Environment Sustainability Fund, all of which are critical since Barbados is a water-scarce country. This pillar also supports the reduction of marine pollution, and management of natural resources, in the context of climate vulnerability.

Peruvians in the southern region of Puno carried coffins through the streets on Wednesday of the 17 civilians who died in protests in the area earlier this week, the worst outbreak of violence the Andean country has seen in over 20 years.

The country has been roiled by protests since the abrupt ouster of leftist President Pedro Castillo in early December, with a total of 40 people killed, almost half of them in the city of Juliaca on Monday, including one Police Officer.

by carrying coffins through the streets before their burial along with photos of the faces of the victims, flowers, Peruvian flags, and banners blaming the new Government for the violence.

"The bloodshed will never be forgotten," some shouted while carrying black flags at a march in the region that borders Bolivia and was the focus of the most recent protests.

people dead or missing over two decades.

Protests in 2009 saw 33 Peruvians killed after Indigenous groups in the northern jungle region clashed with Police during the Government of former President Alan García.

The World Bank approved on Tuesday US$100 million in financing to support Barbados’ low-carbon economic development and resilience to climate change.

The violence, a severe test for Peru's democracy, is the worst conflict since the late 1990s when the country was gripped by violence between rebel group Shining Path and the State, which left 69,000

Protesters are calling for the resignation of new President Dina Boluarte, quick general elections, a new Constitution and the release of Castillo, who was ousted and arrested for "rebellion" after trying to illegally shutter Congress. (Excerpt from Reuters)

“I cannot underscore enough the necessity of support, such as this, to middle-income small island developing states,” said Prime Minister Mia Mottley.

“This loan allows Barbados to advance its ef-

forts to achieve climate resilience, including continuing our shift to clean energy. This ultimately allows us to better shield Barbadians from the worst excesses of the climate crisis while creating opportunities for green and blue jobs and investment as we adapt to our new reality.”

The Barbados Green and Resilient Development Policy Loan has two main pillars. The first focuses on

The second programme pillar facilitates Barbados’ low carbon and resilient infrastructure development through the implementation of new standards for agency-level disaster management plans, institutional reviews of national emergency management agencies, as well as increased renewable energy capacity and support for climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts.

(Excerpt from Nation News)

Hundreds of people in the city paid tribute to the dead

The Jamaican Government is blaming the Opposition for holding up the start of the process to ditch the constitutional monarchy and move Jamaica to republic status.

Legal and Constitutional Affairs Minister Marlene Malahoo Forte said on Tuesday that the planned announcement of the membership of the high-level committee on constitutional reform by Prime Minister Andrew Holness had to be postponed owing

to Opposition Leader Mark Golding's delay in naming his side's two appointees to the body.

She signalled, in a statement to the House of Representatives, that the Government was ready to go ahead with discussions towards doing away with the constitutional monarchy and making Jamaica a republic, with or without the participation of the parliamentary Opposition.

Responding to Malahoo Forte's expressions of disappointment, Golding em-

phasised the Opposition's concerns about a piecemeal approach to the reform. He is insisting on a formal and transparent response from the Minister on the aspects of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms that the Government has indicated it will amend. The Opposition Leader also re-emphasised his party's concerns about the Privy Council remaining as Jamaica's final court of appeal.

(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Canada delivered armoured vehicles to Haiti on Wednesday to help combat criminal gangs as the Caribbean nation faces a humanitarian crisis, the Canadian Foreign Ministry said.

Canadian military aircraft made the delivery to the Haitian National Police in the capital Port-auPrince, it added.

Haitian gangs have seized control of much of the country since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, leading to routine gun battles with Police.

Hundreds died in turf battles last year, and in

September, Haitian gangs blocked a fuel terminal for nearly six weeks, halting most economic activity.

Canada and the United States provided tactical and armoured vehicles and other supplies in October after Haiti urged the international community to send in a "specialised armed force". Ottawa has also sanctioned Haitians accused of gang ties, including a former President, two exPrime Ministers and three high-profile entrepreneurs.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in Mexico City on Wednesday the sanctions

and aid were "making a difference" in Haiti.

Canada sends armoured vehicles to Haiti to fight gang violence Work to push Jamaica to republic status hits snag

"We're all very aware that things could get worse in Haiti and that's why Canada and partners, including the United States, are preparing various scenarios if it does start to get worse," he said.

Canada will continue to provide support, but the Haitian crisis must be resolved domestically, said Trudeau, who was attending the North American Leaders' Summit along with US President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Brazil stepped up security in Brasilia and across the country on January 11, 2023, after social media posts called for mass demonstrations in support of former President Jair Bolsonaro [Adriano Machado/Reuters]

Peru: Families mourn protest dead after worst violence in decades

World Bank Headquarters

Around the World

Afghanistan: Deadly suicide bombing outside Foreign Ministry

Oil gains 3% on global economic optimism, despite surprise US crude build

Oil prices rose three per cent to a one-week high on Wednesday as hopes for an improved global economic outlook and concern over the impact of sanctions on Russian crude output outweighed a massive surprise build in US crude stocks.

Brent futures rose US$2.57, or 3.2 per cent, to settle at US$82.67 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose US$2.29, or 3.1 per cent, to settle at US$77.41.

Both benchmarks settled at their highest since December 30, with WTI up for a fifth day in a row for the first time since October and Brent up for a third day in a row for the first time since December.

Global equities were up on hopes that US inflation and earnings figures due today will indicate a resilient economy and result in a slower pace of interest rate hikes.

If inflation comes in below expectations, that would drive the dollar lower, analysts said, which could boost oil demand because it makes crude cheaper for buyers holding other currencies.

The Federal Reserve will likely hike its target interest rate for the last time at its January 31-February 1 monetary policy meeting, raising it by 50 basis points (bps) to a range of 4.75per cent-5.00 per cent, HSBC said in a research note.

Much of the market's optimism was pinned on top oil importer China's reopening of its economy after the end of strict COVID-19 curbs.

"Energy traders should get used to seeing oil prices head higher. Oil demand is coming back and expectations are high that China’s demand is about to skyrocket," said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at data and analytics firm OANDA.

China's overall passenger vehicle sales are estimated to rise five per cent in 2023, Volkswagen AG's China President Ralf Brandstaetter told Chinese media.

China's industrial output is expected to have grown 3.6 per cent in 2022 from the previous year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said, despite production and logistics disruptions from COVID-19 curbs.

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said crude inventories jumped by 19.0 million barrels last week, the third biggest weekly gain ever and the most since stocks rose by a record 21.6 million barrels in February 2021. Last week's increase came as refiners were slow to restore production after a cold freeze shut operations in late 2022.

Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast a 2.2 million-barrel decline in crude stocks, and industry data from the American Petroleum Institute (API) showing a 14.9 million-barrel build.

The EIA this week forecast US crude production will reach all-time highs in 2023 and 2024.

An international price cap imposed on sales of Russian crude took effect on December 5 and more curbs aimed at products sales are set to come into force next month as the European Union (EU) keeps working on more sanctions against Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine.

The EIA said the upcoming EU ban on seaborne imports of petroleum products from Russia on February 5 could be more disruptive than the EU ban on seaborne imports of crude oil from Russia implemented in December 2022.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the country's oil producers have had no difficulties in securing export deals despite Western sanctions and price caps. (Reuters)

Asuicide bomb attack outside the Afghan Foreign Ministry in Kabul has caused heavy casualties.

Police said at least five civilians had been killed, but another Taliban official put the toll as high as 20.

The attack took place about 16:00h local time (11:30 GMT) when the bomber tried, but failed to enter the Ministry building itself, the Taliban said.

Several countries, including Turkey and China, have embassies in the area.

The local offshoot of the Islamic State group, known as Islamic State - Khorasan Province (Isis-K) claimed it carried out the attack, in a post on Telegram.

Reports suggest a Chinese delegation was due to hold talks with the

Kabul's Police said five people were killed, but another Taliban official put the number of dead at 20

Afghan officials inside the Foreign Ministry building at the time of the attack.

The Italian humanitarian agency, Emergency NGO in Kabul said it had received more than 40

wounded people and the casualty numbers were continuing to rise.

Kabul Police described the attack as cowardly, adding in a statement that the perpetrators would be

held accountable.

Afghanistan has been rocked by dozens of blasts since the Taliban seized power last year, mostly claimed by Isis-K. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Russian reshuffle puts top General in charge of faltering Ukraine invasion

Russia ordered its top general on Wednesday to take charge of its faltering invasion of Ukraine in the biggest shake-up yet of its malfunctioning military command structure after months of battlefield setbacks.

It did so as Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia's private military firm Wagner, said his forces had captured all of the eastern Ukrainian mining town of Soledar and killed about 500 Ukrainian soldiers after heavy fighting.

"I want to confirm the complete liberation and cleansing of the territory of Soledar from units of the Ukrainian army ... Ukrainian units that did not want to surrender were destroyed," he said in a statement.

"The whole city is littered with the corpses of Ukrainian soldiers," said Prigozhin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Minutes earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy mocked previous Wagner claims to have seized part of Soledar, saying fighting was still going on.

"The terrorist state and its propagandists are trying to pretend that part of our town of Soledar ... is some sort of a Russian possession," he said in a video address. "But fighting continues. The Donetsk theatre of operations is holding."

There was no immediate Ukrainian comment on Wagner's latest assertions.

In a separate statement on Facebook, the Ukrainian military general staff said Russian forces were suffering heavy losses as they tried to take Soledar and sever Ukrainian supply lines.

Russia has struggled to cement control over the salt-mining town, which would be Russia's most substantial gain since August after a series of retreats be-

Airlines hope for return to normal today after FAA outage snarls US travel

The US aviation sector was struggling to return to normal on Wednesday following a nationwide ground stop imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over a computer issue that forced a 90-minute halt to all US departing flights.

Almost 9400 flights had

been delayed so far and over 1300 cancelled, according to FlightAware, in the first national grounding of flights in about two decades. Many industry officials compared the grounding to what occurred after the terror attacks on September 11, 2001.

The total number of flights disrupted topped

10,700 and was still rising, but airline officials expressed confidence that normal operations could largely return by today.

Major carriers like Southwest Airlines Co, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines all reported 40 per cent or more of flights on Wednesday delayed or cancelled.

FAA officials told congressional aides they believe the outage was tied to a corrupt digital file that affected both the main system and its backup, said people familiar with the review, who asked not to be identified. FAA officials previously said they had found no evidence of a cyberattack. (Excerpt from Reuters)

fore Ukrainian counter-offensives in the east and south.

Wagner is among a number of semi-autonomous Russian forces whose high battlefield profile after more than 10 months of war has underlined the ineffectiveness of Russia's core military in an invasion it had expected to finish in

days.

Russia's Defence Ministry said Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had appointed Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov as overall commander of forces for what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine. (Excerpt from Reuters)

US House Republicans announce investigation into President Biden

Republicans in the United States House of Representatives on Wednesday opened their long-promised investigation into Democratic President Joe Biden and his family, wielding the power of their new majority to demand information from the Treasury Department and former Twitter executives as they laid the groundwork for public hearings.

“Now that Democrats no longer have one-party rule in Washington, oversight and accountability are coming,” Kentucky Representative James Comer, Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement.

The Republican-led committee sent a series of letters requesting financial information from the Treasury Department about transactions by members of the Biden family that were flagged as

suspicious activity. Those reports are routine, with larger financial transactions automatically flagged to the Government and are not evidence of misconduct on their own.

Legislators also requested testimony from multiple former Twitter executives who were involved in the company’s handling of an October 2020 story from the New York Post about Hunter Biden, the President’s younger son.

Republicans say that story was suppressed on the social media platform for political reasons.

Moving quickly after taking control of the House, Republicans are setting up a messy, politically explosive showdown with the White House that could delve deeply into the affairs of the President’s family and shape the contours of the 2024 race for the White House.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

HOROSCOPES

Verify information before passing it along. Don’t cut corners; prove your point and enlist needed help. Don’t be daunted by interference or uncertainty. Choose the most inviting path.

(March 21-April 19)

(April 20-May 20)

You’ll get a mixed message from someone you thought you knew well. Don’t hesitate to ask questions. An acquaintance will make a comment that will refresh your memory and help you make a wise decision.

Set the pace and see who contributes and who can keep up with you. A well-rounded, organized group can make a difference. Take a position of leadership, while giving others the freedom to express themselves.

(May 21-June 20)

(June 21-July 22)

(July 23-Aug. 22)

Deal with confusion and chaos at home and work, then consider the facts and figures. Be responsible for your decisions. Make commitments based on your ability get things done.

Step into the spotlight, and something good will unfold. Discuss ideas with people who share your sentiments to find a clear passage to a brighter future. Don’t tolerate poorly run operations.

Your attention to detail is remarkable but time-consuming. Balance and structure are essential if you plan to get the most done in the shortest period. Critical comments will not motivate others.

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

You’ll have difficulty keeping a secret. A change you desire won’t be shared by family or colleagues, but self-improvement projects will get a high five. Make personal gain a priority.

Your reputation and integrity are in danger. Make sure any information you share is genuine and verified. A direct approach will spare you from being put in a vulnerable position.

(Oct. 24-Nov. 22) (Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

Emotions and reality will clash if you aren’t straightforward. Spread your wings and try new things. Showing interest in what others do will motivate you to excel in valuable skill sets.

Breathe deep to get relief. You know what you must do to start the party. Embrace the highs and lows with enthusiasm and positivity, and seek out people who can help make your dreams come true.

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

Be open and offer your services to those who need help or count on you, but do your own thing when it comes to home and family matters. A new dietary plan or fitness routine will pay off.

Sign, seal and deliver the goods; a positive change will occur. An opening that becomes available is a perfect fit. Make physical changes that reflect new beginnings. Don’t let anger get in the way.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

ARCHIE PEANUTS

CALVIN AND HOBBES

DILBERT

Osaka announces break from tennis after sharing pregnancy news

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has announced she is pregnant.

The Japanese former world number one, 25, withdrew from the Australian Open earlier this week, having not played since September.

"2023 will be a year that'll be full (of) lessons for me," said Osaka, adding that she hopes to return in 2024.

"One thing I am looking forward to is for my kid to watch one of my matches and tell someone, 'That's my mom'."

Osaka won the last of her four Grand Slams at the Australian Open in 2021.

However, she has spoken of the problems she has faced since that memorable title win. In May 2021, after pulling out of the French Open, she revealed she had "suffered long bouts of depression" ever since win-

ning her first major title, the US Open, in 2018.

In September 2021 she took a five-month break from the sport.

She lost in the third round of the Australian Open on her return, then the first round of the French

Open, missed Wimbledon because of injury, and lost in the opening round of the US Open.

Osaka last played at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September, and has dropped to 47 in the world rankings.

Miami Heat set free-throw record in win over OKC

"The past few years have been interesting, to say the least, but I find that it is the most challenging times in life that may be the most fun," added Osaka, announcing her pregnancy on social media. "These few months away from the sport

have really given me a new love and appreciation for the game I've dedicated my life to. I realise that life is so short and I don't take any moments for granted, every day is a new blessing and adventure.

I know I have so much to look forward to in the future."

Osaka is the latest high-profile player to take a break from tennis due to pregnancy.

Germany's three-time

Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber revealed her pregnancy in August, suggesting she will return after giving birth, while former world number three Elina Svitolina is expected to make her comeback this year after giving birth last October.

Serena Williams took a break to give birth in 2017 and returned later the same year, continuing to play before retiring in 2022. (BBC Sport)

Record crowd as younger Beckham makes Brentford B debut

Old Trafford. San Siro. Bernabeu. Parc des Princes. The name Beckham has graced some of the most famous stadiums in world football.

Now there is a new ground to add to the list - Park View Road, Welling.

The home of ninth-tier side Erith & Belvedere is where Romeo Beckham, son of former England captain David, made his debut for Brentford B in a London Senior Cup match on Tuesday.

Rockets in 2019.

Jimmy Butler led a record-breaking shooting display from the free-throw line as the Miami Heat claimed a 112-111 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Miami made all 40 of their free throws, breaking the record of 39-for-39 made by Utah against Portland in 1982.

With 23, Butler has tied with Dominique Wilkins for the second-highest number of foul shots in a game without a miss.

"We've been a very good free-throw shooting team all year, but that's crazy," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. "I didn't realise we hadn't missed a free throw."

Butler scored a gamehigh 35 points in total - his

final free throw with 12 seconds remaining proving to be the game-winner as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's attempted three-pointer for Oklahoma City bounced off the rim.

Miami trailed 111106 with less than a minute remaining, but fought back with a Victor Oladipo three-pointer and a Butler lay-up to tie the game. Butler then extended his perfect record from the foul line to edge the Heat in front and set an NBA record.

"I had no idea," said the six-time NBA All-Star, 33. "I'm more excited that we won this game by one point."

James Harden has the record of most free throws in a game without a miss, scoring 24 for the Houston

Elsewhere on Tuesday, there were contrasting fortunes for Stephen Curry and Joel Embiid as they returned from injury.

Curry was back from an 11-game absence with a shoulder problem, and scored 24 points for the Golden State Warriors, including five three-pointers.

But that was not enough for the defending champions to avoid a 125-113 home defeat by the Phoenix Suns, for whom Mikal Bridges topscored with 26 points.

Embiid had missed three games with a foot injury, but scored 36 points in just 23 minutes on court as the Philadelphia 76ers romped to a 147-116 win over the Detroit Pistons. (BBC Sport)

The 20-year-old, who has joined on loan from Inter Miami II until the end of the season, came on as a second-half substitute with the Bees trailing 2-1, before a late comeback brought a 3-2 win.

The Beckham effect certainly had an impact off the

ther David, who saw his son continue the Beckham tradition by putting in a dangerous cross from the right wing - a moment the admin of the Erith & Belvedere FC Twitter account was not going to miss.

Romeo also showed he could bend it like Beckham with a couple of late corners,

47-year-old to try to get a selfie.

Welling United, who share the ground with Erith & Belvedere, were equally delighted to have such a famous star watching on, and tweeted an image of a smiling Beckham. But with the crowd building, Beckham opted to make an unconventional exit by leaping over a fence and scrambling through some bushes, before demonstrating a turn of pace not seen since his playing days with a dash across a rain-sodden field.

too, with a club record 554 fans making an appearance on a cold, soggy evening in south east London. Watching on among that crowd,

under the hood of a black raincoat, was fa-

as well as hitting the bar with a header - though he was flagged offside.

By this point, Beckham senior’s presence had been spotted, with a growing crowd of fans making a beeline for the

Speaking about Romeo Beckham’s impact, Brentford B boss Neil MacFarlane said: “Romeo really drove us forward in the wing-back position. He created some really good moments for us with some terrific deliveries. He had an opportunity to score as well, and I was thrilled with him and the group in general for keeping on the front foot. We never gave up, and we got through.”

Osaka has won two Australian Open and two US Open titles

Naomi Osaka shared an ultrasound image along with her announcement on social media

pitch

hidden

Romeo Beckham (left) played 20 times for Inter Miami II in the Eastern Conference last season, contributing two goals and 10 assists

Despite the hat and hood, it did not take long for fans to notice David Beckham’s presence

Jimmy Butler scored a game-high 35 points, including a game-winning free throw with 12 seconds remaining

Lovell credits team support for President’s Cup MVP title

Those were the words chosen by Region 3 (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara)

the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the inaugural One Guyana’s President’s Cup tournament that concluded on January 1, 2023.

This time around, the title of MVP came with a covet-

of Guyana (GoG), a prize that Lovell was quite grateful for.

Representing the Caribbean Airlinessponsored Region 3 outfit, Lovell scored 6 goals in the tournament, including his team’s lone goal in the final, which was lost to the New GPC Inc/Ferrol Compoundsponsored Region 4 team.

When quizzed about what spurred his performance in the tournament, Lovell revealed that he was often supported by his team’s efforts.

“I think it’s a great achievement to win the MVP, but it all comes from the hard work that we put in, not only me, the guys. And from the tactics that the coachman implemented, I think it push me to win this

RL Contracting sponsors BCB Under-15 Inter-Club tournament

The Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) has predicted that its 2023 cricket season on the field would be the best in its eighty-three-year history, with tournaments planned at the U11, U13, U15, U17, U19, U21, U23, female, primary school, secondary school, intermediate, internal zones, and first and second division levels.

The Board on Tuesday unveiled the sponsor of the 2023 under-15 inter-club tournament, with contractor Rondhall Lewis of RL Contracting coming on board.

BCB President Hilbert Foster has hailed the launching of this sponsorship as another red letter day in the remarkable progress taking place in county cricket.

The under-15 tournament would involve players born on or after September 1, 2008, and about eighteen teams are expected to participate. The teams would be divided into four zones, and play would be round robin, with the top two teams from each zone advancing to the quarterfinals.

The BCB Selection Committee, headed by Balram Samaroo, would use the tournament to not only select the inter-county under-15 team, but to identify promising players for the BCB coaching programmes.

Among the clubs expected to participate are Rose Hall Farfan and Mendes, Albion,

Foster, who is spearheading a massive BCB marketing campaign, disclosed that over eighty percentage of the planned tournaments have already received sponsorships or commitments. He is expressing gratitude to Mr Lewis for his support, and has reassured the sponsor that the tournament would be a success.

The BCB President, who is in the final year of his third term since his election in 2018, has said the highlight of 2023 would be the return of cricket in schools at both the primary and secondary levels; an expansion of the countywide coaching programme; an overseas tour by a Berbice under-21 team; acquisition of several vital pieces of equipment, such as bowling machines; and the introduction of twoday cricket at the junior level.

Lewis, in brief remarks, expressed his delight at being able to play a part in the development of young talents in the county, and hailed current development in the county cricket. He expressed confidence that several future stars for the county would emerge from the tournament, and that the legacies of Rohan Kanhai, Basil Butcher, Alvin Kallicharran and Roy Fredricks would continue to shine.

MVP,” The Region 3 captain said about the support he received from his troops and coach.

Continuing to sing his team’s praises, Lovell credited the team’s resilience for reaching the final of the tournament, after facing

challenges in the preliminary stage. Lovell explained to this publication, “That all comes back to the tactics. We stick to it. We stick to the game plan and bring us back in the game, but the fight, the team had a resilience to never give. And we continue

to push, I continue to push them to work more harder, and that made it bring us back in the tournament.”

Aside from his goals, the Region 3 captain also pitched in with 4 assists in the President’s Cup tournament.

Brian Ramphal recommits to Berbice Cricket for sixth successive year

When the Hilbert Foster-led executives took control of the Berbice Cricket Board in early 2018, Berbice Cricket was in total decline, due to local cricket politics. Very few, if any, cricket tournaments were been played, clubs were closing down at a very fast rate, while youths were looking at other sports as alternatives. No developmental programme was in place to assist youths to fulfill their potential on or off the cricket field.

On the first day of his presidency, Foster contacted former Secretary of the Berbice Cricket Board, Oscar Ramjeet, for assistance in getting some business persons on board as sponsors. The USA-based Attorney-at-Law readily agreed to assist, and introduced the new president to several persons. Among them was strong cricket fan Brian Ramphal, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of RBS Tech Center Inc, located in Georgetown.

After a brief discussion with the new executives, Ramphal agreed to come on board as a major sponsor of Berbice Cricket. He donated a million dollars, and has continued his assistance every year since with an annual contribution of five hundred thousand dollars.

His support over the last five years has been one of the main reasons why Berbice Cricket is now widely considered the most active and progressive in Guyana and the Caribbean.

Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh, West Indies player Shimron Hetmyer, and Businessman Brian Ramphal are the top three individual sponsors of Berbice Cricket.

Over the last five years, Berbice has dominated cricket at the inter-county level, produced most cricketers for the national teams at all levels, organised dozens of developmental programmes, while the numbers of active cricket clubs and players have returned to the 2015 all-time high after a three-

year decline.

Foster noted that, with Ramphal’s sponsorship, the BCB was able to host several cricket tournaments, including a double wicket first division tourney for the county’s eleven teams, and an under-19 tournament in West Berbice.

The popular businessman’s support was also integral in publication of the historic BCB coaching manual, and was integral in organising numerous coaching

emerged from the coaching sessions.

BCB President Hilbert Foster is hailing Businessman Brian Ramphal as a hero of Berbice Cricket, and as one of the main reasons why Berbice Cricket has been able to rise

ing programme and possible selection to the Berbice under-17 team.

RBS TechCenter Inc is a Technology Call Centre and BPO Services company with employees in Georgetown, and can be contacted via email-brian@ramphal.com

sessions, funding the hosting of trial matches to select inter-county teams at the junior levels, and publishing informational posters and the BCB Youth Information Booklet.

Businessman Brian Ramphal is also the major sponsor of the BCB’s Annual Awards Ceremony, and the Mother of the Year and Father of the Year Awards. With funding from Ramphal, the BCB has also been able to assist several youth cricketers with needed gear. West Indies players Shimron Hetmyer, Veersammy Permaul, Romario Shepherd and Shemaine Campbelle were honoured for making Berbice proud, while young talents like Jonathan Rampersaud, Isai Thorne, Rampertab Ramnauth, Ashmini Munisar and Ashley Ramnauth have all

to the top. This businessman has employed several young Guyanese in his business, and has committed to renewing his sponsorship in 2023 at the cost of five hundred thousand dollars. This sponsorship would cover the hosting of a historic two-day tournament at the under-21 level, the 2023 Awards Ceremony, and the annual Mother and Father of the Year Awards.

Foster is flaunting his confidence that with the support of Ramphal, Berbice Cricket would continue to move forward at a very rapid rate. He disclosed that the twoday under-17 tournament is part of the BCB’s effort to get youth players involved in playing the longer version of the game in a comprehensive developmental plan. An elite squad of 24 players would be selected

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“This award shows me that football have thing to give you, once you put in the work in it.”

footballer Leo Orion Lovell in reaction to being named

ed prize: one house lot, compliments of the Government

Port Mourant, Rose Hall Canje, Cotton Tree, Tucber Park, Mt Sinai, Achievers and Bush Lot United.

for a special coach-

Leo Orion Lovell

Leo Lovell (on ball) executing a header during the One Guyana President’s Cup final

Brian Ramphal

RL Contracting CEO, Rondhall Lewis, handing over sponsorship to BCB President Hilbert Foster

Rain shifts Guyana Harpy Eagles’ practice match to January 14

Rain continues to plague the Guyana Harpy Eagles’ preparation for the West Indies Championships, that Regional Four-Day Tournament.

Guyana Harpy Eagles’ first practice match, slated to bowl off today, January 12, has now been shifted to commence on January 14 and conclude on January 17 at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence.

On Wednesday, the players were engaged in another fitness exercise at the National Gymnasium. According to Head Coach Ryan Hercules, the fitness exercise has been a positive sign for the Guyanese franchise.

West Indies Test opener

Tagenarine Chanderpaul is expected to feature in the game, while Shimron Hetmyer and Leon Johnson would be absent. Hetmyer is currently in UAE, playing in the ILT20 League along with Sherfane Rutherford, while Romario Shepherd and Keemo Paul are playing in the South Africa T20 League.

Despite the absence of the big names, Hercules and his Harpy Eagles troops will be gunning to win the West Indies Championships, the first two rounds of which would this year be played in Grenada and Antigua from February 1, to February 11, and the last three rounds will be played in Trinidad, with the respective dates

being March 5-18 for the third-round matches; March 22 to March 25 for the fourth-round matches; and March 29, to April 1 for the fifth-round matches.

Guyana is expected to play Barbados in the opening round from February 1 in Antigua.

The two teams identified to participate in the

would be solid pick for coach’

first GCB four-day practice match were selected by the GCB’s Senior National Selection Committee under the Chairmanship of Ravindranauth Seeram.

The squads are listed below.

Veerasammy Permaul X1 : Veerasammy Permaul, Matthew Nandu, Tevin

Imlach, Kevlon Anderson, Akshaya Persaud, Rampertab Ramnauth, Shamar Yearwood, Junior Sinclair, Ashmead Nedd, Ronsford Beaton, Isai Thorne, Nial Smith, Richie Looknauth and Garfield Benjamin.

Tagenarine Chanderpaul X1:

Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kemol Savory, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Mavindra Dindyal, Anthony Bramble, Kevin Sinclair, Alvin Mohabir, Gudakesh Motie, Antony Adams, Shamar Joseph, Sylus Tyndall, Demetri Cameron, Jonathan Rampersaud and Zwynul Ramsammy. (Brandon Corlette)

Boodhoo returns as GMR&SC President

able to bring to the role.

“I’m a big fan. I’ve often talked about Shiv and what he brought to the game as a player. He was a very hard worker, and meticulous in preparation - a lot of the things I think he would instil as coach for the younger players,” Radford told the Mason and Guest show.

Former West Indies batting coach Toby Radford is confident world-class former batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul would make a ‘solid’ pick for the role of Windies Head Coach.

Addition of the name of this former legendary batsman to the speculative list of potential replacements for Phil Simmons has garnered mixed reactions. Those opposed to the inclusion of this name point to Chanderpaul’s relative lack of experience, while others believe he would be more suited to a role in administration.

For Radford, who is well acquainted with the former player, there is no doubting the quality he would be

“He has been there and done it. He was number one in the world for a period of time, a top Test player in the world. He has played all (around) the world. I think he would bring a huge amount to it,” Radford has added. “He is new to coaching and still finding his feet, but he is having relative success, and I think he would bring a lot to it.”

Radford, however, believes the former batsman would have to be supported by a very capable team, which is always the case for head coaches, as opposed to specialist coaches.

Chanderpaul, who retired from the sport six years ago, has already experienced some success as a coach, having led the Jamaica Tallawahs to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) title last year. (Sportsmax)

Mahendra Boodhoo will again lead the same Executive Committee of the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC), having been re-elected to office on the evening of Tuesday, January 10, 2023, when the GMR&SC hosted their Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Boodhoo and his slate ran unopposed, and as such were re-elected for another year at the helm of the premier motor-racing club in Guyana.

Aside from Boodhoo being elected as President, Mohamad Shairaz Roshandin has been returned as Vice President; Azim Jaffar as Secretary; Chetram Singh as Treasurer; Azaad Hassan as Assistant Secretary/Treasurer; Rameez Mohamed as Captain, and Joel Evans as

Technical Adviser.

Committee Members Mark Vieira, Gavin Guyadin, Roshan Ali and John Chin have also all been returned.

In a comment invited by Guyana Times Sport following Tuesday’s election, Boodhoo expressed elation at he and his executive being given license to now go ahead with their development plan for the next year or so.

Detailing some of those plans, Boodhoo said, “In 2023, we plan to continue our expansion programme that we’ve started, and we’re looking to develop the safety around the circuit for circuit racing, and we’re also looking to develop other aspects of motor sport in Guyana.”

He also disclosed, “For drag racing, we’re looking to get a world class drag strip, so we can set records and

have foreign participants that can set records in this part of the world.”

Asked about the GMR&SC’s 2023 calendar containing 9 events, which has already been released, Boodhoo revealed that 99% of the planning for those events are completed, but he said the early notice was done to facilitate foreign competitors.

“That is the reason why we sent it out early. We have a lot of foreigners that participate, so we want them to be able to buy tickets early, get hotels and everything in place for accommodation,” Boodhoo explained.

Of the 9 events that the GMR&SC have planned for 2023, two are international Drag Racing and Circuit Racing series, to be held in August and November respectively.

Head Coach of the Guyana Harpy Eagles team, Ryan Hercules

Players were engaged in a fitness exercise on Wednesday (Brandon Corlette photos)

‘Shiv

- former batting coach Toby Radford …believes Windies legend would bring plenty to role

Former WI batting Coach Toby Radford

West Indian legend

Shivnarine Chanderpaul

The Executive Committee of the GMR&SC that was re-elected on Tuesday