Guyana Times -- Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Central Govt seeks to pump $16.6M towards City Hall’s restoration project Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

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THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 4862

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2021

PRICE

New GECOM CEO to work on rebuilding trust in electoral system

$100 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Only a matter of time before Omicron P17 reaches Guyana – Health Minister Audit flags mismanagement in procurement of COVID-19 P5 supplies

See story on page 3

…officially takes oath of office

EU disburses final €7.56M budget support funding to Guyana See story on page 8

…working with Govt to establish strong political partnership

…$400M worth of supplies delivered late, no penalties

Children P18 among 4 injured after motorcycle collides with tractor Ganja found in compound of NA Prison P17

David Granger Fully-funded will not scholarships for attend PNCR's soldiers, Police upcoming Congress – President Ali Page 7

See story on page 2

…cites health issues, will be in Cuba

Unvaccinated 18-yearold new COVID COVID-19 -19 death

Page 18

P5 Speed cameras for new Mandelato-Diamond Highway

2 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

David Granger will not attend PNCR’s upcoming Congress …cites health issues, will be in Cuba

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eople’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Leader and former President David Granger, who was expected to attend his party’s upcoming biennial congress and deliver the customary keynote address, will not be attending since he is seeking medical treatment in Cuba.

This was announced in a statement from the PNCR, which also revealed that Granger, who has for some time been on a hiatus from party business due to health reasons, travelled from Guyana on Tuesday, en route to Cuba where he will

be attending to matters of his health.

According to the release from the party, Granger has also expressed his best wishes to the PNCR for a “successful Biennial Delegates’ Congress, a happy Christmas, and a prosperous New Year”.

“The members of the Central Executive Committee and of our great Party take this opportunity to wish the Cde Leader and his family best wishes for the Christmas season, a prosperous New Year, and the blessings of God upon him and the health officials in

the Republic of Cuba as they treat him. We shall all keep him in prayers,” the party also said in its statement.

While the statement did not specify what treatment Granger is seeking in Cuba, the former President was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a type of cancer that develops in a network of vessels and glands spread throughout the body, back in November 2018.

Following his diagnosis, the then President had shuttled between Cuba, where he was seeking treatment at the Centro de Investigaciones Medico Quirurgicas (Centre

for Surgical Medical Research) CIMEQ, and Guyana. In October 2019, almost one year after being diagnosed with cancer, Granger was said to be in remission.

At that time, medical specialists had expressed complete satisfaction with the state of the President’s health. They had also explained that his ailment is now in remission. In complete remission, all signs and symptoms of cancer disappear, although cancer still may be in the body.

PNCR’s 21st biennial delegate congress is sched-

Former President David Granger

uled for December 18, 2021, over the course of one day.

In Stage 1 of the congress, elections will be held for the leader, Chairman, Vice Chairpersons and Treasurer.

In the second stage, there will be an election for the members of the Central Executive Committee.

This time around, Granger is out of the race, amid much internal pressure from within the party for him to step down after the PNC-led A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition was booted out of executive office after one term – which was also dramatically cut short when one of its own members supported a No-Confidence Motion brought by the then PPP/C Opposition.

Vying for leadership now are Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon and other party

executives Aubrey Norton and Dr Richard Van WestCharles. Former Attorney General Basil Williams had initially accepted a nomination to run for the leadership of the party, but subsequently withdrew from the race.

Carl Greenidge, a long-standing member of the PNCR who once served as Finance Minister under former President Forbes Burnham and as Foreign Affairs Minister under Granger - who he previously challenged for the leadership of the party - was also nominated for leadership of the party.

Harmon’s candidacy is supported by several Members of Parliament and party members who attended his campaign launch that was streamed live on the PNCR Facebook page. These include Coretta McDonald, Roysdale Forde, Ganesh Mahipaul and Annette Ferguson.

Meanwhile, Dr Van WestCharles’s candidacy has been endorsed by several PNCR members, including prominent leaders in Linden, among whom are Sharma Solomon and former PNC parliamentarian Vanessa Kissoon.

Reports also indicate that Norton has the backing of current PNCR Chair Volda Lawrence, who is said to have turned down her nomination for the post of leader. (G3)

NEWS

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Wednesday, Dec 15 – 02:00h – 03:30h and Thursday, Dec 16 – 02:30h – 04:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Wednesday, Dec 15 – 14:00h – 15:30h and Thursday, Dec 16 – 14:30h – 16:00h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY There will be light cloud during the day. Expect light cloud and light rain showers at night.

Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Northerly to North North-Westerly between 1.78 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 14:06h reaching a maximum height of 2.41 metres.

Low Tide: 07:39h and 20:06h reaching minimum heights of 0.9 metre and 0.79 metre.

New GECOM CEO to work on rebuilding trust in electoral system …officially takes oath of office

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ew Guyana Elections C o m m i s s i o n (GECOM) Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Vishnu Persaud was on Tuesday sworn in before acting Chief Justice Roxane George and Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, promising to do his part to rebuild trust in an electoral system badly shaken over the past few years.

Speaking with the media following the event, GECOM CEO Persaud explained that he already has some strategies in mind to rebuild the public’s trust in GECOM. This is especially in light of the 2020 elections fiasco, which has resulted in several GECOM

or that I may deviate from the path of what is lawful and proper… and I have in my mind already how I will go about (restoring confidence in GECOM). There may be some people who might venture that the reputation of the Commission has not been damaged.

There are those who may disagree. But the perception is out there,” Persaud said.

According to the CEO, as time progresses the nation will be able to see how effective those strategies are at returning confidence to GECOM. Asked about the pressures that come with the job, Persaud assured that there is no pressure on his shoulders as he

GECOM CEO Vishnu Persaud taking the oath of office before Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George

“Since at the time when my candidacy for reappointment as the DCEO was not successful, I put that behind my back…

And coming back now, I have not taken this appointment bringing any of that stuff with me. I carry no grudge; I hold no malice. Like I said earlier, I welcome the opportunity to now come back and carry out my duties in the best interest of all concerned,” – Vishnu Persaud, GECOM CEO

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021

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COMMODITIES Indicators

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officials including his predecessor, being charged before the courts.

“You in the media and I would venture that most people in the public at large, would have known me for carrying out my duties in adhering to the laws and policies of the Commission and basically carrying out my duties in a professional manner. In that regard, I will continue in that same trait.”

“No one has to have any worry about my neutrality

takes up this task and he will be meeting with the Commission as he seeks to set the Secretariat’s agenda.

On the issue of Local Government Elections (LGE), which were originally due this year but were postponed due to the vacancies at GECOM, he is confident that these polls could be held next year.

No hard feelings

Persaud has history at GECOM, having worked as the Deputy CEO from 2014

to 2017, before being overlooked in 2018 for the position when he sought to return to it, in favour of Roxanne Myers.

At the time, an Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) investigation had found that Persaud was the more qualified candidate for the position and that then GECOM Chairman James Patterson erred in how he handled Persaud’s candidacy. Persaud made it clear now, however, that he has no axe to grind.

“Since at the time when

my candidacy for reappointment as the DCEO was not successful, I put that behind my back. I did not allow it to beat me down in any way.

I had to look forward. And coming back now, I have not taken this appointment bringing any of that stuff with me. I carry no grudge; I hold no malice. Like I said earlier, I welcome the opportunity to now come back and carry out my duties in the best interest of all concerned,” Persaud said.

According to the CEO, Persaud will now have to get an idea of operations as they currently stand in all the departments. He said that if there are any projects in the pipeline, he will engage with staff with a view to ensure these projects can be completed in a timely manner. On the matter of a new Register of Registrants, Persaud said he would be guided by the law in how he advises the Commission.

TURN TO PAGE 8

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guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2021

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

Review ‘no diagonal parking’ rule

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e are in the height of the Christmas season, and, based on the level of traffic congestion and perhaps confusion, it is pertinent that care, caution, courtesy, consideration and common sense – the five Cs of the roadways, which are taught in every drivers’ class on traffic rules – must be followed. It is evident that this is rarely being followed these days. The consequence of which are road carnage and, more so in Georgetown, total chaos.

Contributing more to the chaos in the city is the ‘no diagonal parking’ rule. It is understandable that, indeed, major congested streets in the city would be less choked with this new rule, but to blanket downtown with this rule is beyond comprehensible logistics. Regent Street, the major minibus route and one of the busiest streets in the city, is indeed in dire need of such a rule. But why Robb Street?

Yes, it is a major shopping street, but it is a oneway. How can the no diagonal parking rule bring more order to that street? As a matter of fact, it has brought with it more confusion. This is so because vehicles are now double parking, thus impeding traffic flow. Another example is on King Street, Georgetown. This facility, with diagonal parking, can accommodate at least 12 vehicles, but, with the new rule, will accommodate a mere five or six vehicles. What should have been considered is the fact that some business entities around the city can accommodate diagonal parking without impeding the roadways. As such, these entities should have been measured as an exception to the rule.

Added to the parking woes, more often than not, minibus and taxi drivers add to the confusion of traffic in the city. Although there are designated ‘Bus Stops’ these drivers drop off and pick up passengers anywhere along the streets of the city. These drivers exercise no consideration for other road users; they drive on the right lane, then stop, blocking traffic in both lanes so they can manoeuvre to get passengers.

Can we blame this on insufficient driver education?

Do drivers know that right lane is only to be used for overtaking and turning? The answer to that question is certainly yes, but because of the culture of tempting traffic officers with inducement, defaulters have developed the confidence that such violations can be effortlessly dismissed. As was called for before, there must be an unbendable system implemented for those Traffic Officers who may be tempted to take an inducement and allow these defaulters to go free.

We urge the authorities to continue to look at ways in which the road network in Guyana could be further expanded, improved, rehabilitated and maintained. This would certainly bring a great relief to citizens’ frustrations, and would also help to reduce the number of road fatalities in the country.

As the Christmas season continues, the Guyana Police Force Traffic Department would have to employ more rigorous traffic control tactics to curb the congestion in the city of Georgetown. To assist in easing the bottleneck in the city, the responsible agencies should ensure that roads are properly demarcated, traffic lights are working correctly, and there is a review of the ‘no diagonal parking’ rule.

President Dr Irfaan Ali attended the annual Police Christmas Breakfast at the Police Officers’ Mess at Eve Leary on Tuesday. The Head of State was joined by Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips; Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn; Commissioner of Police (ag), Nigel Hoppie and Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Godfrey Bess (Office of the President photo)

Walk a mile in their moccasins

Dear Editor, In 1895, Mary T. Lathrap wrote a very inspiring poem, entitled “Judge Softly”, or “Walk a Mile in His Moccasins”, about the need for compassion, kindness, empathy and understanding; which is so lacking in our world today. She implored her readers to ‘just walk a mile in his moccasins’ before we condemn and criticise.

During its 5 years in office, the Coalition did the most unconscionable acts.

In 2016/2017, the Coalition Government made the harshest decision ever when it placed on the breadline more than 30 thousand persons across the country. The domino effect was devastating. In the sugar industry alone, 7,500 persons were thrown under the bus; their worst crime was that the majority of them were perceived as PPP members, supporters or sympathisers.

The Coalition was unconcerned about the sufferings, the deprivations, hunger, and the host of social ills which suddenly engulfed and devastated these people. No one in the Coalition asked the question about how these people would survive, and even the severance pay given to these workers, which was extremely small in many instances, was not sufficient to prepare these people for economic sustainability and the harsh realities ahead.

Many of these severed workers who owed the banks saw the monies received going to repay loans and pay off credits; they ended up with nothing. The entire scenario was aptly summed up by Dr

Ashni Singh as “callous and unconscionable”.

The exodus, which continued throughout the PNC dictatorship, once again was rekindled, as many of these severed sugar workers fled overseas to work, and return for six-month periods at a time, but some overstayed and remained illegally in the USA, thus disintegrating their family lives. Some died during this period as broken individuals, and family dreams and aspirations were dashed to smithereens. A few committed suicide, and their death is squarely on the Coalition’s shoulders, a burden they must live with.

The PPP/C saw what was happening and made a vow, during the campaign of the 2020 Elections and in its Manifesto, to reopen the closed Estates and give support to these severed workers. This campaign promise began to take shape as soon as the PPP/C Government took office in August 2020.

Rehabilitation work in the field and factory is gaining momentum at Rose Hall Estate, with 700 persons being employed already. Works on Skeldon and Enmore have also started, with more severed workers being employed there.

It must be recalled that the Coalition allowed the closed estates to rot and decay, contrary to what the Coalition Finance Minister had promised. He had said that the closed estates would not be ‘mothballed’, but kept in an operable condition to attract investors. He lied.

Had that been done, billions would have been saved

today. The Coalition must see this huge expenditure which is now needed as being orchestrated by their vindictive schemes, and should take full responsibility.

The Coalition should also accept the fact that the $250,000 payout to each severed sugar worker is as a direct result of the massive emotional trauma and social and economic degradation suffered by these workers. The workers deserve it, but instead, the Coalition condemn this initiative which was rolled out by Vice President Dr Jagdeo a few weeks ago, and the payment began last Saturday.

The joy on the faces of these persons who received this money is beyond words. Many spoke about the timeliness of this payment to buy some necessities, pay off debts, do re-

pairs to their leaking roofs and broken stairs, stocking groceries and clothes for the festive season, and some even talk about paying medical bills. This scene should have been witnessed by the Coalition, in order for them to appreciate how a caring Government operates, and how a citizen can be assisted to enjoy a good life. This Government is bringing the illusive good life which the Coalition preached about for 5 years and denied the Guyanese people.

Let them focus on this stanza from that poem: “Just walk a mile in his moccasins/ Before you abuse, criticise and accuse. If just for one hour you could find a way/To see through his eyes, instead of your own muse.”

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

GuySuCo moving forward Dear Editor, I would like to commend Mr Sasenarine Singh and the new team at the helm of GuySuCo for implementing a practical and proactive procurement system.

I believe Mr Singh’s futuristic leadership skills are creating a progressive sugar industry.

Previously, procurement of spares was a defective process spanning over two crops, or one year.

Sometimes it extended beyond a year, thus resulting in major losses to the corporation.

At the moment, spares are readily available to all

functioning estates within a matter of days, and recovery time is at its best.

Productivity, efficiency and internal goals have become accomplishable with less down time. GuySuCo is in prudent hands.

Special thank you to our President, His Excellency Dr. Irfaan Ali; Vice-President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha, and CEO of GuySuCo, Mr Sasenarine Singh, for believing in Guyana and GuySuCo. Sincerely, Engineer

NEWS

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Ramsammy’s Ruminations Audit flags mismanagement in procurement of COVID-19 PPP’s compassion, PNC’s Grinch – difference between …$400M worth of supplies delivered late, no penalties Guyana’s main political parties

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his week, just as Christmas is upon us, more than 2,000 sugar workers who lost their jobs in 2016/2017 at the Skeldon Sugar Factory received a relief package of $250,000 each. More than $600M was distributed to them. Their Government came to them, and provided a festive relief to the workers and their families, who have suffered from the ruthless treatment they received at the hands of the previous APNU/AFC Government. Sugar workers from all the closed estates are benefiting; some have already received their relief payments. This week also, Public Servants are receiving their back pay for the 7% pay increase the Government granted Public Servants for 2021. The salary increase given to Public Servants is retroactive to January 2021. It means that the December pay envelope will include the backpay. But pensioners are also benefiting from the increase. It is Christmas time, and these payments are helping thousands of families Dr Leslie Ramsammy have a better holiday season.

The experiences of Guyanese families under the PPP are quite different from what families experienced under Granger’s APNU/AFC Government between 2015 and 2020. Just before Christmas in 2017, the Grangerled Government, with full and unconditional support of Moses Nagamootoo and Khemraj Ramjattan, sent the workers home, closed the sugar estates, and threatened to not pay severance to the workers. Those workers had to struggle for their severance.

Thousands of the workers had to resort to the court to force the APNU/AFC Government to pay out the severance. The PPP Government this Christmas, in contrast with the heartless treatment from Granger’s APNU/AFC, came with glad tidings. Every Christmas, for the longest time, we know in Guyana which political party brings glad tidings and which one is usually the Grinch. It has nothing to do with the parties’ colours; that is, the red of the PPP and the green of the PNC. Even as the Irfaan Ali-led PPP Government is righting a wrong, more news of the uncaring behaviour of the previous President from APNU/AFC, David Granger, and his cadre of Grinch-like charlatans, have emerged into the public domain. The Auditor General has released his 2020 special audit on COVID-19 funding. That audit found that Granger and his APNU/AFC cabinet, which included Joe Harmon, who now wants to replace Granger as the PNC Leader, deprived thousands of Guyanese of financial assistance when they were weighed down by the COVID-19 shutdown between March and August 2020. One would recall that the then-illegal Government shut down the country on the pretext of COVID-19. While COVID-19 was a justifiable reason for the shutdown, the truth is that the Government shut down the country because they wanted to prevent and/or delay the recount of the votes. The shutdown was a convenient tool in their brazen attempt to rig the election results.

In the face of the stagnant economy, made worse by the combination of an illegal Government and COVID-19, and under pressure from the public to do something to help people, the thenillegal President Granger announced a relief programme consisting of cash and hampers. But people had to apply and demonstrate need.

More than 25,000 Guyanese applied for assistance. The Government declared eligibility for more than 11,000 of the applicants to receive cash and hampers valuing between $25,000 and $32,000. It was clearly another scam. More than 9,000 of those persons who were declared eligible never got the relief package. The APNU/AFC Government, during that time, was too busy trying to rig an election in front of the whole world. This was one of the many examples of malfeasance in office in the five-year APNU/AFC regime. Contrast this irresponsible behaviour with that of the PPP Government. As soon as the PPP Government took office, they introduced compassionate relief initiatives. Among those initiatives was the $25,000 cash relief distribution to every household in Guyana. This relief distribution was led by President Ali himself.

The APNU/AFC Government, throughout their five years, at least one of which was illegal, declared a number of initiatives they claimed were for helping people; they never did any of it. They declared free university; it did not happen. They declared housing for everyone; they built a few core houses that no citizen wanted. They promised to double old-age pension in their first year, it did not happen. They promised sugar workers 20% annual pay increase; sugar workers got zero. They promised Public Servants hefty salary increases, at least 20% annually to more than double their salaries in one term, that did not happen, not even close; but the cabinet salary and benefits were more than doubled. Moses Nagamootoo, in justifying the doubling of cabinet salaries and benefits, told the Public Servants they must be patient and await their turn. After five years, the Public Servants were still waiting their turn.

Joe Harmon told the Public Servants the same. Now he wants to be Leader of the PNC. President Granger had the most absurd justification for doubling of cabinet’s salaries and benefits; he told the citizens that cabinet members must be richly remunerated, because that is the only way to stop them from being corrupt. Incidentally, when, mercifully, we ended the APNU/AFC catastrophe, the Grangerled APNU/AFC cabinet stood as the most corrupt one in Caricom’s history, far exceedingly even Burnham’s cabinet. When Granger told people he wanted to carry on Burnham’s legacy, he was not kidding.

He actually tried outdoing Burnham.

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Special Audit conducted by the Audit Office of Guyana has flagged incidents of mismanagement in the procurement of COVID-19 supplies, as well as the hamper distribution that was undertaken by the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) last year.

Focusing on the period March to August 2020, the Audit Office has investigated the more-than-$1 billion spent by the Public Health Ministry and the CDC to buy COVID-19 equipment and supplies. According to the Special Audit Report, it was found that close to $400 million in COVID-19 supplies arrived a month late.

As a result of this, the Public Health Ministry had lost money, but could not take action against the suppliers, because there was no penalty clause in the contracts.

According to Auditor General Deodat Sharma in his report, this meant that vulnerable persons had to wait for supplies.

“Conversely, in one instance where the clause was included, the Ministry did not deduct penalty fees of close to $5M. This saving could have been used to purchase additional supplies to help fight the disease,” the report said.

Hampers awaiting distribution, as photographed in August 2020

It also found that over 100 hampers were left in CDC storage for over three months without being distributed. This, according to the Audit Office, effectively denied those in need of assistance.

“There was a breakdown in the system of internal control over the accounting for goods stored at the headquarters of the Civil Defence Commission and at the Gymnasium. Bin cards were not kept by the storekeeper to account for goods in the stores. Further, there were differences between the ledger quantities and the physical quantities of the goods on hand.

“Similar observations were made on accounting for donations or gifts received.

The agencies did not always keep track of the items received. As a result, we concluded that the Ministry

of Public Health and the Civil Defence Commission did not properly account for COVID-19 supplies,” the report stated.

Another finding was that the CDC could not explain how it chose persons to receive over 6,000 food hampers valued at more than $124 million. The Audit Office commented that as a result of this, hampers could have gone to ineligible persons and organisations.

“There was a lack of accountability for the morethan-6,000 hampers distributed. There was no evidence of acknowledgement from the recipients of the hampers. The Director General of the Civil Defence Commission explained that hampers were left at the entrance of homes to avoid close contact with persons.

“The act of leaving the hampers at the entrance

of homes left them open to theft, and the wrong persons might have received the hampers. Notwithstanding the explanation of the Director General, the Commission could have taken steps to have pictures taken of recipients removing the hampers from the entrances,” the Auditor General said in his report.

A number of recommendations were made going forward, particularly when it comes to tightening up contracts and increased transparency when distributing hampers. For instance, the Auditor General recommended that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and the Director General of the CDC include a penalty clause in each contract, and enforce the clause against delinquent suppliers. (G3)

Speed cameras for new Mandela-to-Diamond Highway

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resident Dr Irfaan Ali on Tuesday announced that speed cameras would be positioned along the new Highway connecting Mandela Avenue in Georgetown to Diamond, East Bank Demerara; and this speed camera project is expected to be replicated countrywide.

The Head of State made the announcement as he was addressing the annual Police Christmas Breakfast at the Police Officers’ Mess at Eve Leary. As he spoke about the importance of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) understanding Government’s developmental agenda, he noted that policing strategies must be in keeping with the administration’s developmental thrust.

The President made reference to the new highway being constructed from Mandela to Eccles, then from Eccles to Diamond, which he noted would be equipped with “technological features” that would help policing. Those features include containerised outposts and the setting up of speed cameras. A speed camera is a camera positioned at the side of a road to automatically photograph vehicles that are going faster than is allowed. The photographs can be used as evidence in a court of law.

“Speeding cameras that will not only be telling us speed, but will also

be showing us who’s wearing seatbelts and not wearing seatbelts…it will give us advanced information, you’d be able to type in a particular vehicle number and type that you’re looking for, and the system through the cameras will give you detection…and this is a pilot, this will be taken all across the country,” President Ali said.

President Ali has also outlined the importance of the GPF in nation-building.

“You are my greatest asset and ally in building this ‘One Guyana’. And we will do it. I want to assure all of you that it will come, and it will come very soon,” the President said.

The lawmen were described as having attitudes and value systems that are patriotic and nationalistic. The President said that, eventually, the people of Guyana would triumph above all obstacles and barriers, and would join together as ‘One Guyana’, “where all of our people will be the brothers and sisters of each other” and move forward in harmony.

Additionally, the Head of State noted that his administration would continue to equip the GPF with the vehicles necessary to execute their duties. He said that building on the Government’s supply of 50 new vehicles, 65 bikes and other assets to the Force, a supplementary provision has been set aside for 50

more vehicles.

A commitment has also been given to replace the engines on more than 20 vehicles which are out of service to get them back into working condition.

“There are some areas that we have to tweak. And we have to be bold in our decision-making. We have to take a strategic look at our organisational structure or operational structure and

come up with the best-suited model for a modern Guyana.

That is why you are seeing legislative changes. We’re looking at a national drone programme,” he said.

The President said drones have already been deployed in the Force’s crime-fighting strategies in the city, and there are plans to utilise them on the country’s waterways as the first line of defence.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2021

Page

Foundation ◄

Comparing and ordering decimals

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hen you compare whole numbers, you look at place value. To compare decimals, you will look at place value. Line up your decimals so that the decimal points are in a column. Then begin by looking at the column to the immediate right of the decimal point, the tenths place. As you arrange your numbers, work toward the right.

Example: Place these decimals in order from least to greatest: .61, 0.21, .09, .22, .90, .091 Step 1: Line up the decimal points: .61 0.21 .09 .22 0.9 0.091 Step 2: Find the greatest number in the tenths place: 0.90. Then the next greatest number in the tenth place: .61 Step 3: If two decimals have the same number in the tenths place, look at the next place value, the hundredths place and rank according to the higher number. With 0.21 and 0.22, 2 is greater than 1.

Step 4: What do you do with .09 and 0.091? Add a zero to .09 as a placeholder for the thousandths place: 0.090. Now, you can see that 0.091 is greater than 0.090.

Materials: A piece of string Stapler Index card #64 sized rubber band 2 pencil erasers Hole puncher Popsicle stick Instructions: Use the hole puncher and make

the popsicle stick so it is wrapped around each pencil eraser.

Make sure you have a clear area to spin your bug on a leash.

Slowly spin your bug on a leash until you hear a buzzing sound.

You may need to adjust the speed at which you are spinning to get your bug on a leash to start buzzing.

Remember: When comparing numbers with decimals, always look at the whole numbers first. If two whole numbers are the same, then compare to the right of the decimal point.

Exercises: Place these decimals in order from least to greatest: 2.31, 2.521, 2.789, 3.011, 0.92, .09, 8.61, 2.70, .82, 5.57, 4.16, .093

B

lackout poetry is like a treasure hunt since you find hidden meanings and secret messages in unlikely places. It also creates a beautiful “night sky” — with words as the twinkling stars of your poem. To create your own, get a sheet of newspaper and black out with black markers everything on the page except the words of your poem in order.

a hole in one end of the popsicle stick.

Put the string through the hole and tie it securely. Use the stapler to attach the string to the popsicle stick to prevent it from coming off.

Centre the short side of the index card on the popsicle stick. Use three staples to attach the index card to the popsicle stick.

Place a pencil eraser on each end of the popsicle stick.

Stretch the rubber band across

How it works: The rubber band and index cards vibrate to produce a buzzing sound similar to that made by insect wings.

Make this a science project: What happens if you use a different sized stick? What happens if you use a larger index card or piece of paper? What happens if you use a longer or shorter piece of string? (scienceisfun.org)

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

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Fully-funded scholarships for soldiers, Police – President Ali

Head of State Dr Irfaan Ali along with Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret'd) Mark Phillips; Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn; Commissioner of Police (ag), Nigel Hoppie and Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Godfrey Bess at the GPF’s annual Christmas breakfast

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awmen in both the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) will soon benefit from educational opportunities to further their studies, with Government’s commitment for investment in this field.

While attending the annual Police Christmas breakfast held at the Police Officers’ Mess, Eve Leary, Georgetown, on Tuesday, President Dr Irfaan Ali announced that lawmen and women will be able to obtain their undergraduate and post-graduate degrees.

President Ali sat down to have breakfast with the lawmen and women that have pledged to serve and keep the people of Guyana safe, members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

In his remarks at the breakfast, the President told the Police attendees that his Government is going to work towards the initiative of providing them with the highest level of education that they can offer.

He said that every single Commander at a branch or divisional level must at least pursue a degree and told the ones that have already done so that they will be enrolled at the

University of Guyana to attain their Master’s in defence studies, fully funded by the Government.

The Head of State said that it is the Government’s responsibility to ensure that members of the GPF are equipped with the strategic tools required to carry out the duties required of them. He said that education is the most important strategic tool that they can have.

“Of the 250 special awardees at the award ceremony, top 50 of those will also be given the same educational opportunity,” Ali said in his remarks, speaking of an award ceremony he attended days prior.

He stated that Guyana must not only have a highly talented Police Force, but highly trained Police with educational tools that is second to none in the region. He also said that those who are unwilling to cooperate in the fight to better the Police Force, which will in turn better Guyana as a whole, will be left behind.

“I’m not asking any of you, or anyone to be a politician or to love me or love the PPP or love the Government. I am ask-

ing you to love your country, love your job and love the people of this country.

That’s all I’m asking you,” he charged the ranks.

Additionally, the Head of State noted that his Government would continue to equip the Force with the necessary vehicles to execute their duties. He said that building on the Government’s supply of 50 new vehicles, 65 bikes and other assets to the Force, a supplementary provision has been set aside for 50 more vehicles. A commitment was also given to replace the engines on more than 20 vehicles, which are out of service, to get them back into working condition.

GDF

Just on Monday, he awarded scholarships to two Guyana Defence Force (GDF) ranks at Camp Everard Christmas Luncheon. Ali, who is also the Commanderin-Chief of the Armed Forces, addressed ranks of the Guyana Defence Force at Camp Everard, in Mabaruma.

“Not because you are posted out here, you are divorced from the world of

President Dr Irfaan Ali at the GDF luncheon

education. We are going to make the necessary investments in this base and other bases that some people would say are way in the jungle. We are going to put the infrastructure in place to allow all of you to have a chance of improving your educational desires. And we want you to make use of it,” he told the army ranks.

In keeping with a tradition that he started in 2020, the President also

requested that the ranks nominate a male and female among themselves who they think are deserving of scholarships. They were then awarded during the event.

Since taking office last year, President Ali has been pushing tertiary-level educational development among the ranks. As such, Government will make the necessary investments in a number of army bases

around the country to improve their technological capabilities, with the aim of advancing the educational development of the ranks.

In keeping with the transformational agenda undertaken by Government, the Guyana Defence Force will also see greater investments in both infrastructure and human resources to provide top-tier efficiency. (G12)

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EU disburses final €7.56M budget support funding to Guyana

…working with Govt to establish strong political partnership

Watchdog...

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President Irfaan Ali with the EU delegation and Cabinet Ministers at Tuesday’s engagement

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he European Union (EU) has disbursed some €7.56 million into the Guyanese economy - the last tranche from its Budget Support Programme for the country.

President Dr Irfaan Ali met with a high-level delegation from the European External Action Service (EEAS) led by its Deputy Managing Director for the Americas, Javier Nino Perez. They were accompanied by the European Union’s Ambassador to Guyana, Fernando Ponz Cantó.

On Government’s side, President Ali was joined by Prime Minister Mark Phillips, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance Ashni Singh, Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister Gail Teixeira, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, and Minister within the Public Works Ministry Deodat Indar.

In a subsequent press conference, the Head of State announced that the disbursement totals in excess of $1.7 billion. This is part of the multi-annual programme to support Guyana’s developmental agenda through budget support, following the end of the preferential market with Europe. Previous tranches have been spent in climate adaptation, housing, infrastructure and sea defences.

“This disbursement represents the last tranche of our budget support programme with the European Union and it is indicative of

the decades-old EU-Guyana partnership…It speaks to the Government’s strong commitment to ensuring that we work within the framework as approved by the European Union, ensure that our systems are responsive, and that our systems are strong enough for our international partners to have the confidence in us in making this disbursement,” said the Head of State.

Speaking on the rebuilding of Guyana’s sea and river defence, he outlined funds have been used to rehabilitate severely-deteriorated sea defence systems along the coastline to protect low-lying areas that are prone to high tide. New mangrove sites have also been established as a natural defence mechanism, further protecting against disasters.

“As a result of this intervention, thousands of acres of arable agricultural lands under cultivation are protected from the intrusion of the sea. In addition, residents of these low-lying areas also suffer great losses of their crops and livestock as well as extensive damage to their homes. These resources that are being provided today will greatly assist in improving the lives of people of Guyana and will help to offset expenditure that has been incurred in our relentless struggle to defend our coastal zone from the intrusion of the aggressive Atlantic Ocean.”

He also clarified the “misconception” that while Guyana might be a new player in the oil sector with projection of a leading global economy, there is a transitional gap. For this, talks

are in the pipeline for new programming and concessional support from the EU. “We’re making the case that in that transition gap, Guyana still qualifies for concessional financing and support from international agencies because the strong flow of revenue from the oil and gas sector would not occur immediately. There will be a timeframe that it would take…Discussions on new programming are ongoing and I will want to say, promising,” the President positioned.

Political partnership

The EU has been Guyana’s largest provider of grant resources. As such, the Head of State asserted that both sides are seeking to deepen their relationship, delving into serious political partnership and supporting the country’s governance system. There are plans to improve the competitiveness and diversifying the economy.

Meanwhile, Ali shared that the engagement also spanned making the traditional sectors competitive and Guyana’s role in the regional integration process.

“We discussed areas surrounding governance, improvement in the various arms that constitute the State, electoral reforms, ways in which the EU can support us in supporting democracy and importantly, working with the EU as close partners in championing Guyana’s cause in partnering with the EU, promoting joint collaboration for Private Sector, in looking at the political and governance level and seeking support from the European Union in strengthening our political

and governance systems.”

Officials would have tapped into discussions on how the organisation can support the modernisation of the financial sector, anti-corruption framework from the legislative, institutional and transactional perspectives.

Meanwhile, the EU Deputy Managing Director said the commonality between Guyana and the EU will pave the way for stronger relationship beyond the current scope, and focus on the political benefits. The mutual belief in human rights, multilateralism and societal systems to benefit people are the core of this arrangement.

“We’ve come with a message of hope and commitment. A message of commitment to build a strategic partnership that goes well beyond what we had in the past; a partnership that should have many strengths, one of which is to build a truly, generally effective political partnership. We want to be partners with Guyana, political friends of Guyana, because we both face the challenges of today’s world, believe in the same principles and with the same objectives,” Perez told media operatives.

In addition, Ambassador Ponz Canto shared, “We know how important it is for you to be protected, also in the context of climate change. It is a contribution from the European Union so that the country can adapt itself better to the change in patterns of weather and climate change, but it is also a contribution to improve the infrastructure of the country.” (G12)

New GECOM CEO to work...

Persaud was appointed following a competitive process that saw the position tendered for and attracted applications from local and international. Meanwhile, the electoral body also has to fill several other key senior positions within the Elections Secretariat includ-

ing Deputy Chief Elections Officer, Assistant Chief Elections Officer, Chief Accountant, Legal Officer, Logistics Officer, and Civic and Voter Education Manager.

These posts are being filled following the removal of CEO Keith Lowenfield;

his Deputy, Roxanne Myers, and Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo. They were on August 12 dismissed from their respective posts at the Elections Commission.

The embattled trio is currently before the courts facing a number of elector-

FROM PAGE 3

al fraud charges for their alleged attempts to sway the results of the March 2020 General and Regional Elections in favour of the then ruling A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government.

…for PNC’s survival he countdown to the PNC leadership elections inexorably continues. The “moving finger writes…” and all that jazz. But we can’t ignore what the finger wrote!! In fact, that’s what it’s all about, ain’t it, Alfie? Unfortunately for the PNC, what’s being written is setting the stage for a ding-dong battle that’s sure to tear the party apart. Already there were eyebrows raised when Chairwoman Volda Lawrence - quite popular in Georgetown among the female base that’s the backbone of the PNC ever since they doted on the scholar Forbes Burnham back in the day - remained on the sidelines.

With Granger having lost every ounce of credibility - not because he was outed as a “Sanctimonious Gangster” - but because he couldn’t “pull a Burnham” and stare down the US, she coulda been a contender!

Now we’ll never know, will we, whether a woman could lead the PNC. Winnie Gaskin tried, but unfortunately, she was going up against the Founder Leader himself.

Basil Williams showed the best sense he’s displayed in a decade when he dropped out of a race in which he wasn’t even in the paddock, much less the starting gates!! Maybe getting that “SC” wised him up? Anyhow, your Eyewitness is hoping the extra week would give Van West-Charles time to follow Basil’s example. After all, he doesn’t seem to have Basil’s oversized ego (folks like Basil have to develop compensatory mechanisms!) and by now he should see the writing on the wall. And his name just ain’t on any wall!! Your Eyewitness won’t rehearse the reasons why - save to say that as a one-trick pony, being Burnham’s son-in-law, it was never gonna take him very far. He had 36 years to show his mettle if he had any - after the man died on an operating table when he was Minister of Health. And he never came through!

So, we’re down to a two-man race - with Norton and Harmon each champing at the bit to go down that last lap that’s now fittingly called “Homestretch Avenue”.

And herein lies the danger for the PNC. There’s so much riding on the outcome of the race - not just for the two horses, but for their backers (handlers?) that all sorts of nasty accusations are flying fast and furious. And the PNC stands in danger of a “Thucydides Trap” - that is, a war might break out between the two candidates because of the actions of their backers!

For instance, there was one very arrogant and arrogating letter from one of Norton’s partisans in the press, which will inevitably draw just as obnoxious a response from Harmon’s corner.

These blows can cripple the PNC, which need all hands on deck to be an effective Opposition! …on the Oil Fund Many Guyanese are wondering why, with monies from our oil shipments that’s going into our account at the NY Fed for two years - and now amounting to more than US$600 million – isn’t any being spent. They obviously are part of the of citizenry whose eyes glaze over when the technical details of finance are being discussed! They only want to hear about the spending bit - especially if they think it’s gonna end up in their pockets!!

So, let’s back up a bit. Remember after the NCM was passed on Dec 20, 2018 and the PNC coalition was thereafter illegally squatting in office? Well, THAT’S when they chose to pass a Natural Resource Fund (NRF) that would control how the oil funds would be spent.

Then and there, the PPP declared they didn’t recognise that piece of legislation and would enact one that would be both transparent and development-friendly.

So, let’s stop with all the speculation and wait till Thursday, to see what the PPP’s proposing. …or pit bull Opposition?

In a parliamentary system, the Opposition’s supposed to be a watchdog on the Government over the nation’s affairs. This doesn’t mean they must attack every initiative of the Government.

Their job is to SCRUTINISE!!

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

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prominent educator and patron of the arts, Henry Cole travelled in the elite social circles of early Victorian England, and had the misfortune of having too many friends.

During the holiday season of 1843, those friends were causing Cole much anxiety.

The problem were their letters: An old custom in England, the Christmas and New Year’s letter had received a new impetus with the recent expansion of the British postal system and the introduction of the “Penny Post”, allowing the sender to send a letter or card anywhere in the country by affixing a penny stamp to the correspondence.

Now, everybody was sending letters. Sir Cole – best remembered today as the founder of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London – was an enthusiastic supporter of the new postal system, and he enjoyed being the 1840s equivalent of an A-Lister, but he was a busy man. As he watched the stacks of unanswered correspondence, he fretted over what to do. “In Victorian England, it was considered impolite not to answer mail,” says Ace Collins, author of Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas. “He had to figure out a way to respond to all of these people.”

Cole hit on an ingenious idea. He approached an artist friend, JC Horsley, and asked him to design an idea that Cole had sketched out in his mind.

Cole then took Horsley’s illustration – a triptych showing a family at table celebrating the holiday flanked by images of people helping the poor – and had a thousand copies made by a London printer. The image was printed on a piece of stiff cardboard 5 1/8 x 3 1/4 inches in size. At the top

of each was the salutation, “TO: _____” allowing Cole to personalise his responses, which included the generic greeting “A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year to You.” It was the first Christmas card.

Unlike many holiday traditions – can anyone really say who sent the first Christmas fruitcake? – we have a generally-agreed upon name and date for the beginning of this one. But, it was not without controversy. In their image of the family celebrating, Cole and Horsley had included several young children enjoying what appear to be glasses of wine along with their older siblings and parents. “At the time there was a big temperance movement in England,” Collins says.

“So, there were some that thought he was encouraging underage drinking.”

The criticism was not enough to blunt what some in Cole’s circle immediately recognised as a good way to save time. Within a few years, several other prominent Victorians had simply copied his and Horsley’s creation and were sending them out at Christmas.

While Cole and Horsley get the credit for the first, it took several decades for the Christmas card to really catch on, both in Great Britain and the United States. Once it did, it became an integral part of our holiday celebrations.

Louis Prang, a Prussian immigrant with a print shop near Boston, is credited with creating the first Christmas card originating in the United States in 1875.

It was very different from Cole and Horsley’s of 30 years prior; in that it didn’t even contain a Christmas or holiday image.

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FROM PAGE 13

The card was a painting of a flower, and it read “Merry Christmas”. This more artistic, subtle approach would categorise this first generation of American Christmas cards. “They were vivid, beautiful reproductions,” says Collins. “There were very few nativity scenes or depictions of holiday celebrations.

You were typically looking at animals, nature, scenes that could have taken place in October or February.”

Appreciation of the quality and the artistry of the cards grew in the late 1800s, spurred in part by competitions organ-

ised by card publishers, with cash prizes offered for the best designs. People soon collected Christmas cards like they would butterflies or coins, and the new crop each season were reviewed in newspapers, like books or films today.

The modern Christmas card industry arguably began in 1915, when a Kansas City-based fledgling postcard printing company started by Joyce Hall, later to be joined by his brothers Rollie and William, published its first holiday card. The Hall Brothers company (which, a decade later, changed its

name to Hallmark) soon adapted a new format for the cards – 4 inches wide, 6 inches high, folded once, and inserted in an envelope.

“They discovered that people didn’t have enough room to write everything they wanted to say on a postcard,” says Steve Doyal, Vice President of Public Affairs for Hallmark, “but they didn’t want to write a whole letter.”

In this new “book” format – which remains the industry standard – colourful Christmas cards with red-suited Santas and brilliant stars of Bethlehem, and cheerful, if soon clichéd, messages inside, became enormously popular in the 1930s-1950s. As hunger for cards grew, Hallmark and its competitors reached out for new ideas to sell them. Commissioning famous artists to design them was one way: Hence, the creation of cards by Salvador Dali, Grandma Moses and Norman Rockwell, who designed a series of Christmas cards for Hallmark (the Rockwell cards are still reprinted every few years).

The most popular Christmas card of all time, however, is a simple one. It’s an image of three cherubic angels, two of whom are bowed in prayer. The third peers out from the card with big, baby blue eyes, her halo slightly askew.

“God bless you, keep you and love you...at Christmastime and always,” reads the sentiment. First published in 1977, that card – still part of Hallmark’s collection –has sold 34 million copies.

The introduction, 53 years ago, of the first Christmas stamp by the US Post Office perhaps speaks even more powerfully to the popularity of the Christmas card. It depicted a wreath, two candles and had the words “Christmas, 1962.” According to the Post Office, the department ordered the printing of 350 million of these four-cent, green and white stamps. However, says Daniel Piazza, chief curator of philately for the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum, “they underestimated the demand and ended up having to do a special printing.”

But there was a problem.

“They didn’t have enough of the right size paper,” Piazza says. Hence, the first printing of the new Christmas stamps came in sheets of 100. The second printing was in sheets of 90. (Although they are not rare, Piazza adds, the second printing-sheets of these stamps are collectibles today).

Still, thanks to the round-the-clock efforts by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, a total of one billion copies of the 1962 Christmas stamp were printed and distributed by the end of the year.

Today, much of the innovation in Christmas cards is found in smaller, niche publishers whose work is found in gift shops and paper stores.

And the newer publishers are writing in a language that is speaking to a younger generation.

(Adapted from www.smithsonianmag.com)

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rotesque masks, jigging Jonkonnu dancers and acrobats, ghost stories, Spanish music and pepperpot these seem far away from carols, mistletoe, and chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

But there are Christmas traditions in various islands in the Caribbean where the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated with cultural gifts from many different roots.

European colonists brought Christianity to the Caribbean, originally to the native Arawak and Carib Indians, though not many of them survived to practise it. Today, European Christmas customs survive everywhere across the Region: Christmas morning services in the established churches, feasting on Christmas Day, wassailing or serenading, dances, the giving of gifts and Christmas cards, Santa Claus and Christmas trees.

When Africans were brought to the Caribbean as slaves to work on the sugar plantations, they added to Christianity their own customs and, right away, the festival began to evolve and take on a character of its own.

In Jamaica, fearsome duppies (ghosts) roamed the countryside at Christmas, the most legendary being Three-Foot Horse, whose terrifying approach was heralded by the sound of irregular hoofbeats, and Rolling Calf, who weakened the hearts of rural folk when he shuffled by, dragging chains along the pathways at night.

These stories probably date back to the plantations: slaves customarily went up to the great plantation house on Christmas morning to serenade its occupants with songs.

Rewarded with a two-or three-day holiday, they made the most of it in their own gardens, reaping provisions both for food and to sell among themselves at the Christmas market.

In the evening, they would dress in their finest and return to the front lawn of the plantation house.

According to Richard Dunn in Sugar and Slaves, “They divided themselves into groups to dance, some before the goombays, in a ring, to perform a bolero or a sort of love-dance, as it is called, where the gentleman lovingly wiped the perspiration off the shining faces of their black beauties, who, in turn, performed the same service to the minstrels. Others performed a sort of pyrrhic dance before the Ebo drummer, beginning gently and gradually quickening their motions until they seemed agitated by the furies.”

Three hundred years later, the Jonkonnu dancers or “masqueraders” of Jamaica are still a part of Christmas, especially in rural areas. Grotesquely costumed dancers are accompanied by musicians playing flutes, drums and tambourines; they go about soliciting money. With names like Horse Head, Devil, Belly Woman, Pitchy Patchy and ActorBoy, who would dare refuse them?

The origin of the Jonkonnus is unclear, but many believe their roots lie along the Gold Coast of Africa, and have been grafted onto the slaves’ traditional festivities on Christmas evenings long ago. The tradition of Christmas market is still alive, even in Jamaica’s capital city, where children are taken to shop for toys on Christmas morning. At the grand market, the weekend before Christmas, food is sold for Christmas cooking, just as the slaves centuries ago used to sell produce from their gardens on Christmas Day. In Antigua, too, Christmas traditions are primarily of European and African origin, Scottish settlers having brought Christmas to the island. “Old time Christmas” customs in Antigua have been described in detail, including Carol Trees, John Bull (Jam Bull), Highlanders, Long Ghosts and Jumpa-Ben. Carol Trees were made from a stick with several cross-bars, like a telephone pole; with lanterns hung from the branches, they were carried from house to house by carol singers, accompanied by the music of an accordion (concertina).

In Antigua, John Bull is a grotesque character based on an African witch doctor. Dressed in dry banana leaves and old clothes, he was probably created by African slaves to satirise their British masters: the costume closely resembles that of the Sensay dancers from Guinea who performed at the end of the first stage of work initiation. The Highlanders are part of Antigua’s Scottish heri-

tage, and still perform at Christmas.

They dance the Highland Fling dressed in a sort of kilt; their wire masks and cowhide whips are based on a Scottish military costume.

Tall Ghosts were huge figures on stilts whose masked faces used to peep into the upstairs windows of homes on Market Street, provoking terror in little children; they were popular at New Year as well.

Also popular at Christmas, though now more prevalent in Antigua’s Carnival, is the Dancing Jumble or Jumpa-Ben. which has its origins in Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Benin. This character masqueraded on stilts to the music of kettle and bass drums; fife; triangle (ching-aching) and a “boom pipe” made from lengths of iron pipe. The Kwuya or Stilt Dance is very difficult to do, and the dancer must be able to defy gravity with a high level of skill if he is to remain upright.

In 19th century Antigua, quadrille parties were popular in high society, and the halls were decked, not with boughs of holly, but with sprigs of fragrant allspice (called “pimento” in Antigua and Jamaica).

Bay leaf was also used for decoration, and cherry branches were made into trees. There were subscription dances every week, to the music of fiddle, tambourine, and triangle. Drinks included fermented Christmas bush, ginger and water molasses; Christmas balls were accompanied by feasts of mutton, pork, turkey, duck, fowl, guinea-bird, ham, tongue, cakes and tarts.

A new dress had to be made for every day of the three-day holiday.

For the poor, Christmas was the only access to the delicacy of pork and fried dumpling. On the streets, compliments of the season were given for a donation — “Long life and crosperity!” (sic). Elements of all these customs still survive in 20th century Antigua.

In the plantation era, Christmas was not only festivity: it was a very serious time in the islands, and the three-day holiday for slaves always brought rumours of uprisings to the masters’ ears, some of them true. Research for the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda by Desmond Nicholson, for example, uncovered a dramatic case from 1710, when a planter named Sam Martin was killed by slaves on December 27, because he had not given the customary Christmas holidays.

Perhaps the most lavish of modern Christmases is to be found in Trinidad and Tobago, whose diverse history and relative wealth have given the festival a national flavour in which the large non-Christian communities join. The season begins as early as November, when the cooler breezes hint at the tail end of the rainy season and brilliant red poinsettias and lacy white Christmas bush begin to transform gardens.

Christmas carols and local songs take over the radio and the parang season begins.

Parang, originally from Venezuela, is the traditional Christmas music of Trinidad — lively Spanish-style music that calls for fancy steps and swinging hips.

Traditionally, paranderos go from house to house serenading neighbours and sampling poncha crema (a well-spiced version of eggnog); sorrel; ginger beer and strong drinks like rum and whisky, as well as food.

Parang is infectious music, strongly rhythmic, hard to resist, and it accompanies many of the season’s parties.

Christmas is office party time, the high season of the social calendar, with various gala events requiring formal wear, dressing to the hilt.

In recent times, Indo-Trinidadian singers and calypsonians have added an extra (“chutney”) flavour to the Parang. Scrunter’s “Ah Want a Piece of Pork”, backed by a parang band, called everyone out to dance and eat.

Trinidadians expect to put on a few pounds for Christmas, confident that they will lose them afterwards in the frenzy of Carnival. People visit friends and family during the season, and you have to sample every auntie’s black cake and taste every granny’s sorrel, not to mention the lady-next-door’s poncha crema and the pastelles that Mom makes.

Pastelles, a gift from Trinidad’s Amerindian and Spanish heritage, are a cornmeal pocket stuffed with minced beef, highly seasoned, with capers and olives among the essential ingredients.

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All this is merely training for the big Christmas Day lunch.

Turkey is the centre of attention, stuffed with seasoned breadcrumbs and giblets, though many people prefer a minced beef stuffing to make it a little richer. Ham is a must, and even people who do not eat pork will tolerate it on their table and offer it to ham-hungry guests. Chicken and roast beef are complemented by pastelles, vegetables, macaroni pie, and potato and other salads.

This all-encompassing meal provides a focus for family gatherings. Christmas Day itself is mainly for family, with friends visiting throughout the holidays to bring gifts and sample the goodies. Most Christians make sure to go to mass, even if it is the only time for the year, either at midnight on Christmas Eve or early on Christmas morning.

The Christmas setting is important, so the house must be cleaned thoroughly, the tree put up and decorated in good time, and Christmas greeting cards hung up or collected in a prominent place. Houses are painted, even if only on the outside, and new curtains, furnishings, and appliances are added, as far as the pocket will allow (though Christmas is a time when people far outdo their resources). The season ends with the massive parties of Old Year’s night, followed by the exhausted somnolence of New Year’s Day. Most of the islands celebrate Christmas in a similar way these days, but with their own favourite dishes and customs. In Barbados, for example, along with the turkey

and ham, the speciality is jug-jug, a dish made with ground meats; guinea corn and pigeon (gungo) peas.

This may have originated with nostalgic Scottish settlers who needed a tropical substitute for haggis.

For Jamaicans and Guyanese, ham is a must, but they don’t feel compelled to eat turkey: they prefer chicken. Jamaicans serve spicy jerk chicken, and curry goat is likely to be served as well, especially if the family is a big one. In Guyana and Tobago, a goat, sheep or cow may be slaughtered to feed a big family. Chowmein and fried rice are favourites in Guyana; garlic pork, introduced by the Portuguese, is popular in Guyana, Antigua and Trinidad, where it is a must for the Portuguese community.

Christmas cakes range from rich dark fruit cake, often called black cake, to the lighter brown fruit cake which has no burnt sugar or browning; the former is laced with rum or wine. In most islands, dark red sorrel is a non-alcoholic Christmas beverage made from a plant which produces its fruit at this time of year; but in Jamaica, it is a strong alcoholic liqueur, made with Jamaican white rum and sipped very carefully by the prudent.

After unwrapping gifts and demolishing the Christmas meal, Barbadians might retire to the Queen’s Park for the annual Police Band concert, while Jamaicans get ready for all-night-till-morning parties. Young people in Trinidad and Tobago “burst bamboo” — their homemade explosions are contrived from bamboo and carbide.

The Christmas season lasts longest for the French islands, which continue to celebrate until Three Kings’ Day on January 6, commemorating “les Rois” or the coming of the Three Wise Men. This is the day when people everywhere take down their Christmas trees, even in islands where the date is not significant.

If you are in the Caribbean this Christmas, soak in the festive atmosphere, the goodwill, the partying and visiting, the special heart-warming mood that fills the air. Soak in the Christmas songs, whether they are in Spanish, Hindi, Patois or English: they all tell of good fortune, health, happiness, and good times.

And relish this Region’s unique array of Christmas customs, some of them from contemporary North America, others of much deeper and darker origin. These islands, which never see holly or mistletoe, reindeer or snow (and certainly don’t miss them), have made traditions of their own to enjoy. (www.caribbean-beat.com/issue-22/caribbean-christmas#ixzz7F45hrHVy)

NEWS

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Only a matter of time before Omicron Ganja found in compound of NA Prison reaches Guyana – Health Minister

W

ith the Omicron variant already detected in some 67 countries, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony on Tuesday contended that it is only a matter of time before it reaches Guyana and, therefore, urged persons to take all precautions to protect themselves.

Speaking on the daily COVID-19 update, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently made the announcement that the variant is already present in many countries.

He added that with constant travelling, it makes it even easier for the virus to get here. “…people are travelling, people are moving around and therefore we have to be attentive. For most countries, it’s going to be difficult to prevent Omicron from coming to your country, it’s just a matter of when,” he said.

Giving more details on the new variant, the Health Minister said that with the high rate of transmission, scientists predict that the Omicron variant will be the dominant variant worldwide.

“We have to start preparing, we have to start taking the precautions. Christmas is upon us and I know a lot of people want to go shopping and socialising and unfortunately, if they do that and they are exposed to peo-

ple with whether it’s Delta or Omicron or whatever variant there is circulating, they are going to spread it and when people socialise especially if they are drinking, they obviously are not wearing masks and they will be in close proximity to each other and these are ideal conditions for spread,” he added.

According to scientists, the Omicron variant is more transmissible, and the cases are doubling every two to three days. They have also estimated that there is a threefold higher transmission than the Delta variant. Another characteristic of the Omicron variant is that even with two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine persons can still be affected.

During the update, Dr Anthony further noted that the possibility exists of reinfection for persons who already had the disease and the possibility is three to eight times more than the Delta variant.

Speaking on the severity

of the disease, he said that those persons who are vaccinated usually experience milder forms of the disease.

“Persons who would have had two doses of vaccine, they have shown a reduced efficacy in fighting the Omicron variant, so what is being recommended in many countries across the world, those countries who would have completed their two-dose vaccination, is for those persons to come and get a booster dose, because with the booster dose, your antibody levels go up and you are more prepared to fight this variant,” Dr Anthony said.

He reminded that persons 18 years and older are eligible for the booster shots locally.

To protect yourself from the new variant, the Minister said observing the protocols that are already in place will guarantee protection.

“These masks, they’re specially designed, in the case of an N95 they have five

layers, in the case of a surgical or a procedural mask they have like three layers, so it helps to filter out viral particles,” he said.

So far, no cases of the Omicron variant have been detected in Guyana.

To date the country has recorded 50 new cases of the COVID-19 virus, taking the total positives recorded to date to 38,618.

An 18-year-old unvaccinated lad from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) is the most recent COVID-19 death, taking the country’s death toll to 1024.

(G9)

The ganja that was found during the search on Monday

O

fficials of the New Amsterdam Prisons have re-

Buxton resident slapped with possession of ammo charge

C

eon Thomas of Company Road, Buxton, East Coast Demerara was on Monday remanded to prison by Vigilance Magistrate Fabayo Azore, before whom he was arraigned on a charge of possession of ammunition without being the holder of a firearm and ammunition licence.

The Police have said that the 31-year-old accused was arrested last Saturday and charged for the offence.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charge, but bail was refused, and he will make

Accused: Ceon Thomas

his next court appearance on February 3, 2022.

portedly found a quantity of ganja in the compound of that penal facility on Monday during a search of the facility.

Based on reports received, Prison officials discovered the prohibited substance wrapped in two compact, transparent plastic wraps in the vicinity of a poultry pen. The Police were summoned to the institution, and the suspected cannabis, when weighed, amounted to 191 grams. No one was arrested, but investigations are ongoing.

Last September, staff of the New Amsterdam Prisons had found 197 grams of cannabis and 10 packs of cigarettes during a search of the penitentiary.

The items were found in the Prison’s kitchen area.

18 NEWS Unvaccinated 18-year-old new COVID-19 death WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD DECEMBER 14, 2021 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

50

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

43

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

757 10 4

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

20,413

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

18,205

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

38,618

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

36,784

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED FULLY IMMUNISED

406,748 287,362

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

1024

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

1691

REGION 2

1574

REGION 3

5175

REGION 4

18,035

REGION 5

1455

REGION 6

3539

REGION 7

1794

REGION 8

622

REGION 9

2476

REGION 10

2257

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

Keep a physical distance of at least 6 feet.

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

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

A

n unvaccinated 18-year-old lad has died from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Health Ministry reported on Tuesday.

According to information provided, the lad, who hailed from Region Three, is recorded as the 1024th person to die from the virus in Guyana.

In one day, a total of 50

new positives emerged, taking the confirmed cases in Guyana to 38,618.

There are 10 patients seeking treatment in the Intensive Care Unit, 43 in institutional isolation, 757 in home isolation, and four in institutional quarantine.

In total, 36,784 persons have completely recovered from the virus. Since onset of the pandemic, 406,797

tests have been conducted.

From a breakdown of the new positives, one new infection was reported in Region One (Barima-Waini), one in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), seven in Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara), 30 in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica), one in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), nine in Region Six (East Berbice-

Corentyne) and 19 in Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice). There has been no increase in Regions Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

Recent data shows that 406,748 adults, or 79.3 per cent of that demographic, have received a first vaccine dose, while second doses are pegged at 287,362 adults, or 56 per cent of that demographic. For the 12-to-17year age cohort, 29,807 persons, or 40.9 per cent of that demographic, have been immunised with a first dose.

Of this number, 21,045 persons, or 28.9 per cent, have been fully immunised.

Meanwhile, 6,425 booster doses have been administered.

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony on Tuesday said, “The big challenge right now is to get these numbers up as high as possible. There are basically two ways of getting to herd immunity. Either everybody gets sick and you develop some immunity to the virus; but if you go that route, we’ll have a lot of people getting severely ill, and you will also have persons dying. This is something that we want to avoid, so we want to give people protection without giving them the disease. To do so, the best way of doing so is giving them a vaccine.”

All Guyanese are reminded to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 Emergency Measures (NO.24), which are in effect until December 31, 2021. This order emphasises the need for everyone 12 years and older to get vac-

cinated against COVID-19; the need for correct and consistent use of a face mask when leaving your home; the importance of maintaining the six feet physical distance from others; and the need for good hand-hygiene to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or need any additional information, they are asked to contact the COVID-19 Hotline: 2311166, 226-7480, or 624-6674 immediately, or visit us at www.health.gov.gy (G12)

Children among 4 injured after motorcycle collides with tractor

T

oddlers aged one and three years respectively are among four persons injured after the motorcycle on which they were travelling collided with a tractor along the Barrack Retreat Public Road in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) on Monday.

The two adults injured in the accident are 22-year-old Orville Jonas and Shundell Simon, while the injured children are Josiah Jonas and Cataleya Simon; and they are all of Moco-Moco Village.

Based on reports received, a tractor, TVV 5566, with trailer # 28541, owned by the Mayor and Town Council of Lethem, was at the time being driven by 64-year-old Ivor Antone of St. Ignatius Village. The Police have said that the tractor and trailer were carrying a metal stage along the Barrack Retreat public road when the driver attempted to make a turn.

While the tractor was turning, the driver of mo-

torcycle #CK6518, who reportedly was driving at a fast rate of speed, collided with the right front wheel of the tractor, resulting in the driver and the three pillion riders of the motor cycle falling on the road surface and sustaining injuries to their bodies.

They were picked up in a conscious state by the Police and medical personnel, and were taken to the Lethem Regional Hospital, where they were treated and admitted as patients.

Shundell Simon is nursing an open fracture to the right arm and right ankle, while Orville Jonas is suffering from a fractured left arm. The child Josiah Jonas sustained bruises to the head, while the other child, Cataleya Simon, suffered lacerations to the head.

A breathalyser examination was conducted on the tractor/trailer driver, but no sign of alcohol was detected in his system. He has nevertheless been arrested, and an investigation has been launched.

guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2021

19

News

Central Govt seeks to pump $16.6M towards City Hall’s restoration project W

ith City Hall’s restoration project well underway, the Central Government is seeking approval for $16.6 million for the mobilisation advance to conduct the restoration works.

This request is part of the $21.4 billion supplementary funds advance being sought

by Senior Minister in the office of the President with responsibility for finance, Dr Ashni Singh, to cover current and capital expenditures.

President Dr Irfaan Ali had established an inter-ministerial committee comprising the Ministries of Local Government and Regional Development, and Public Works and Agriculture, to work together to rebuild the city, including the restoration of the historic building.

The initiative aims to preserve and maintain City Hall and its adjacent buildings known to be among the city’s main tourist attractions.

President Ali had stated, “the city and the national heritage of the city is a reflection of ourselves” and as such, hopes to

ment in the country… It is quite an extensive and expansive exercise that His Excellency is pursuing, and we hope that it will re-

T

accelerate this project through a collaborative effort.

Back in 2018, the European Union (EU) provided $60 million (€300,000) to conduct a feasibility study for the long-awaited restoration project.

Some $100 million was allocated in the 2021 National Budget for the restoration works. A cheque valued $30 million was also handed over to the Council to advance the construction of its administrative building.

This year, a $780 million contract was signed and awarded to Fidis Guyana

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting on the sidelines of a BRICS summit, in Brasilia, Brazil, November 13, 2019

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was designed by architect, Reverend Ignatius Scoles in 1887, and was completed two years later.

COVID: Omicron variant spreading at unprecedented rate, says WHO Incorporated to be completed by March 2023. Local materials including wood will be used for the project via a joint venture among the Local Government Ministry, the European Union and the Mayor and City Council.

Local Government Minister Nigel Dharamlall had said during the signing ceremony, that the project is a part of a greater development plan envisioned for the country.

“The restoration of City Hall should not be seen as something by itself, but is part of the greater whole, in terms of how we are pursuing develop-

Putin and Xi to discuss “aggressive” talk from US and NATO, Kremlin says

ussian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will discuss tensions in Europe and "aggressive" US and NATO rhetoric during a video call on Wednesday, the Kremlin said.

The conversation will take place at a moment of high tension in both countries' relations with the West, with Beijing under pressure over human rights and Moscow over its build-up of troops near the border with Ukraine.

"The situation in international affairs, especially on the European continent, is very, very tense right now and requires discussion between allies," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, referring to Moscow and Beijing.

"We see very, very aggressive rhetoric on the NATO and US side, and this requires discussion between us and the Chinese."

Russia has cultivated closer ties with China as its relations with the West have worsened, and Putin has used the partnership as a way of balancing US influence while striking lucrative deals, especially on energy. He and Xi this year agreed to extend a 20-year friendship and cooperation

bound to the benefit of the citizens of Georgetown,” he had noted.

This nineteenth-century gothic revival building

treaty.

Peskov said they would hold a long conversation with a broad agenda including energy, trade and investment.

Their discussion will take place eight days after a RussiaUS video call in which US President Joe Biden warned Putin against invading Ukraine and Putin told him Russia needed legally binding security guarantees from the West. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Afghans face "avalanche of hunger and destitution" – UN agency

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lmost all Afghans do not have enough to eat and a failing economy could tip Afghanistan's increasingly dire situation under Taliban rule into catastrophe next year, the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday.

WFP surveys showed an estimated 98 per cent of Afghans are not eating enough, with seven in 10 families resorting to borrowing food, which pushes them deeper into poverty, a spokesperson for the agency told reporters.

The abrupt withdrawal of foreign aid following the Taliban victory in August has left Afghanistan's fragile economy on the brink of collapse, with prices for food, fuel and other basic staples rising rapidly out of reach for many.

"The spiralling economic crisis, the conflict and drought has meant the average family can now barely cope," Tomson

Phiri told a Geneva briefing.

"We have a huge amount to do to stop this crisis from becoming a catastrophe."

The WFP has provided food assistance to 15 million Afghans so far in 2021, and to seven million in November alone. Next year, it plans to ramp up its assistance to 23 million people across all provinces in Afghanistan.

"We cannot waste any moment," Phiri said. "Our country director describes the situation as quite dire. She says it's 'an avalanche of hunger and destitution'."

Separately, Nada AlNashif, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said Afghan families face "severe poverty and hunger" with many pushed into desperate measures, including child labour, early marriage and "even the sale of children". (Excerpt from Reuters)

he World Health Organisation has warned that the coronavirus variant Omicron was spreading at a rate not seen with previous strains and was likely present in most countries.

The discovery of Omicron was first announced in November by scientists in South Africa, which was the first to experience a surge in COVID-19 driven by the new variant.

“Seventy-seven countries have now reported cases of Omicron, and the reality is that Omicron is probably in most countries, even if it hasn’t been detected yet,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom

Ghebreyesus told reporters during a media briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.

“Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant.”

The WHO chief also lamented that some people were dismissing Omicron as a mild variant.

“Surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril.

Even if Omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems.”

The WHO chief said the UN health agency supported giving COVID-19 vaccine boosters, as long as the distri-

bution of shots was prioritised and fair.

“Let me be very clear: WHO is not against boosters. We’re against inequity. Our main concern is to save lives, everywhere. It’s really quite simple: The priority in every country, and globally, must be to protect the least protected, not the most protected,” he said.

“WHO is concerned that such programmes will repeat the COVID-19 vaccine hoarding we saw this year, and exacerbate inequity. It’s clear that as we move forward, boosters could play an important role, especially for those at highest risk of severe disease death. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

20

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS

DILBERT

(April 20May 20)

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Reach out to someone who can offer information based on experience. Question anything that doesn't make sense to you. Don't take on the impossible or promise something you cannot deliver.

Put your energy into physical endeavors. Sum up your position and the path you intend to take before you proceed. A joint venture will end up costing more than anticipated.

Don't share information that might jeopardize your reputation or career. Do your best to stay on top of trends so you don't fall behind. High energy coupled with dedication and discipline will pay off.

Join forces with someone you trust and enjoy working alongside, and you'll come up with a unique way to expand your interests and make a financial gain. Take pride in the way you look.

Avoid jumping into something without doing some research first. Making an emotional move is a recipe for disaster that will affect your reputation.

Put your energy into taking care of your responsibilities.

A change will make a difference. Learn from experience, and you'll find a way to use your skills to open doors and excel. Be honest about your feelings, and you will receive good feedback.

Limit your spending and avoid debt. Be innovative regarding family expenses and how you show others love.

Sharing quality time and your thoughts and intentions should be sufficient.

If you are unsure, sit tight. Mistakes will unfold when you haven't had time to think matters through.

Refuse to let anyone push you in a questionable direction.

SAGITTARIUS Listen carefully, and you'll make better decisions.

(Nov. 23Don't feel rushed or let anyDec. 21) one push you in a direction that doesn't feel right. Focus on personal growth and a minimalist attitude.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Pay attention to what's going on at home. Start a conversation and discuss your feelings and intentions.

How you approach a loved one will change the dynamics of the relationship.

Confusion will set in regarding your responsibilities and what you want to do. Pick up momentum and organize your day to leave enough time for something that brings you joy.

Look over your long-term plan and implement trends (Feb. 20that will help you reach your March 20) goal in record time. It's up to you to bring about change and to use your intelligence to get ahead.

PISCES

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2021

21

Foster seeking re-election for third successive term -says running on his record of achievements I ncumbent President of the Berbice Cricket from which to operate, and players were quitBoard (BCB), Hilbert Foster, would on ting the game at an alarming rate. The Sunday be seeking re-election to that posiold executives which were defeated tion when the BCB holds its Annual General

by Foster and his slate did not even Meeting at the Port Mourant Cricket Club on congratulate them on their win, the Corentyne. and had refused to do the normal A Vice President of the Guyana Cricket handing over of financial and adBoard and a Director of Cricket West Indies, ministrative records.

Foster, who was first elected to the BCB He said that more presidency in February 2018, has spearthan $2M had been headed a major transformation of withdrawn from the Berbice cricket over the last four BCB account by the years. past administraFoster has said he has no intertion, and to date, est in the politics of cricket, and this sum has not would be running solely on his unbeen accounted matched list of achievements. He for. inherited a cricket system that The curwas on the verge rent executives, of total collapse, which include leaders like Albert Smith, and has said that Angela Haniff, Dr despite achieving Cecil Beharry, Leslie the impossible to Soloman, Qualis Winter date, much more Incumbent BCB President Hilbert Foster still has to be done, and Ameer Rahaman, as his intention is to make Berbice cricket the have, from day one in office, worked as a coljewel in the crown of West Indies cricket. lective body, and their record of achievements Foster has said that when his administra- are unmatched in Guyana and the Caribbean tion took over administration of the BCB, there cricketing circle.

The BCB has successfully completed a towas less than fifty thousand dollars in the bank account, no proper tournament had been com- tal of 75 cricket tournaments at the junior and pleted in two years, no developmental pro- senior levels; raised close to $60M in sponsorgramme was in place, there was no proper office ship of cash and kind; organised hundreds of

developmental programmes; assisted clubs and youth players with more than $20M in items, and launched an ambitious educational campaign to make sure Berbice youth players place special emphasis on obtaining an educational background.

Hundreds of educational grants have been handed out to youths, along with educational materials, bicycles and uniforms, in a massive effort to get youths to stay in school. The BCB has, for the first time, sponsored a scholarship to the University of Guyana, and unveiled a countywide coaching programme which has trained thousands of youths.

The BCB has also created history when it became the first cricket board in Guyana to publish its own coaching manual and spearhead a total restoration of its office.

Other achievements include the distribution of grass cutters, catching cribs, water pitchers, cricket pitch covers; while, for the first time, sub-associations and the Umpires Association have received financial subventions.

There has also been heavy investment in female cricket by the BCB, and three Berbicians are now currently in the West Indies female team.

Moreover, Foster has pointed out that a total of 19 players from the ancient county have, since 2018, either played for the regional team at different levels, or were called to training camps.

Asked to name his greatest achievement,

the veteran administrator has said he is very proud of the state of unity that exists in Berbice cricket, and the fact that dozens of former players based overseas are contributing to the game back at home. This, he stated, is based on their confidence in his team.

Another major achievement has been to make sure that no ghost member club exists in the county. Clubs like Guymine, Kildonan, and Mt Sinai are all back on their feet and are very active in playing tournaments.

Foster has also said that his administration has been very transparent with the general public via very aggressive public relations campaigns on social media and in the national print and electronic media. The 52-year-old BCB President has expressed gratitude to the hundreds of sponsors and donors who have support the board, and has made special mention of overseas-based Guyanese like Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh, Dr Puran Singh, Brian Ramphal, Sureain Sawh and Bobby Deonarine, among others.

Three sub-associations and 13 clubs would vote in the BCB’s AGM, and they are: the West Berbice Cricket Association, Upper Corentyne Cricket Association, Berbice River Cricket Association, Blairmont, Police, Guymine, Mental Hospital, Mt Sinai, Rose Hall Canje, Young Warriors, Chesney, RHTY&SC, Port Mourant, Albion, Kildonan and Whim. Each club has two votes, and each sub- association has four votes.

Hemraj’s Somerset Cavaliers topple US All Stars Aubameyang stripped despite Griffith’s all-round performance of Arsenal captaincy …Griffith, Hemraj lead batting charts after disciplinary breach

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The victorious Cavaliers

ction is the US Open T20 League saw many top teams and top players from Guyana and around the Caribbean competing for the coveted prize of being deemed the champions.

However, the coveted title went to the Somerset Cavaliers, as they were able to beat the US Allstars by 11 runs in a thriller to close out the 2021 season.

The tournament saw two outstanding Guyanese talents on opposite teams facing each other. The in-form Trevon Griffith was representing the Allstars, while Chandrapaul Hemraj was representing the Cavaliers, who boasted a simple and well-balanced team, compared to their opponents, who had the likes of Lendl Simmons, Ali Khan, Denish Ramdin, Jason Mohammed and Fidel Edwards, among

others.

The Allstars won the toss and opted to bowl, as they aimed to restrict the Cavaliers to a meagre total. The Cavaliers managed to post 150-7 in their allotted 20 overs, with Steven Taylor emerging as the man to beat, as he scored 47 off 37 balls (4x4, 2x6) before falling to Trevon Griffith. Hemraj, on the other hand, scored an aggressive 20 off 13 balls, but lost his wicket to Jon Russ Jagessar.

From there the Allstars restricted the Cavaliers’ scoring, with both Griffith and Jagessar bagging one more wicket. Hammad Azam’s 19ball 23 played some part in getting the Cavaliers to a decent total.

Bowling for the Allstars, Trevon Griffith took 2-25, Jon

Russ Jagessar took 2-33, Fidel Edwards took 1-23 and Imran Khan took 1-29.

Needing 151 for victory which seemed like a walk in the park - the Allstars’ approach to the target was somewhat cavalier. Lendl Simmons smashed one boundary and two maximums before he departed for 18. Trevon Griffith, however, led the charge with 57 off 45 deliveries, but he received no support. When Griffith’s wicket fell, the score was at 112-5 in 15.2 overs, and Denish Ramdin was the only recognised batsman at the crease.

When the 19th over was completed, the score read 1326, with the Allstars needing 19 runs off 6 balls. Ramdin and Yannick Ottley were at the crease, and Hammad Azam had the ball in hand.

Trevon Griffith was the leading run-scorer

Azam kept things tight, giving away only 7 only runs and taking the wicket of Ottley, to give the Cavaliers the 2021 championship of this league.

Leading the runs chart at the end of the competition was Trevon Griffith with 233 runs from his 6 games, scored at an average of 77.67 and a high score of 59. Hemraj came in at number 3 with 207 runs from his 6 games, scored at an average of 41.1 with a high score of 75. Winston Forrester, who represented Yankee Royals CC, played 4 games and scored 104 runs at an average of 34.67 and a high score of 67. These players rounded out the top 25 run-scorers in the league who are Guyanese.

P

ierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been stripped of the Arsenal captaincy, and will not be considered for selection to face West Ham, following last week's disciplinary breach, the club has confirmed.

Mikel Arteta had left Aubameyang out of the squad for the 3-0 weekend defeat of Southampton, confirming afterwards that the Gabon international was dropped for disciplinary reasons.

Aubameyang was reported to have returned to the club late, after being granted a trip abroad, though Arteta did not elaborate on what the striker was being punished for. Arteta

did appear to suggest that Aubameyang would be back in contention to face the Hammers on Wednesday, but Arsenal have since communicated that he is to be left at home.

A club statement read: "Following his latest disciplinary breach last week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will no longer be our club captain, and will not be considered for selection for Wednesday's match against West Ham United.

"We expect all our players, particularly our captain, to work to the rules and standards we have all set and agreed. We are fully focused on tomorrow's match." (Sportsmax)

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2021

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Pakistan defeat West Indies despite Shepherd’s late flurry deal for Pakistan.

In hindsight, though, Shadab's more crucial contribution came with the bat, and not the ball. His 12-ball cameo of 28 in the first innings ended up being the difference between the two sides, with Pakistan winning by only nine runs.

Akeal Hosein's encore

Shadab Khan hit three sixes in an unbeaten 12-ball 28

to chase down the 173-run target, courtesy of opener Brandon King's elegant strokeplay, but

Brandon King scored a fluent 67

F

Odean Smith picked up two wickets things all unravelled rath-

or the second night in a row, Pakistan's well-rounded bowling attack saw the home side successfully defend a total, and in the process give the hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead over West Indies in the three-game T20I series.

Ten overs into the chase, West Indies looked on course

er quickly thereafter.

Shadab Khan strangled the batters with 0 for 22, Mohammad Nawaz got crucial wickets, Mohammad Wasim Jr bowled to his plans, Shaheen Shah Afridi claimed three middle-order victims in one over, and Haris Rauf dismissed King and the tenth wicket off the game's last ball - to seal the

On Monday, Hosein got Babar Azam for zero in his spell of 1 for 19. Tonight, he indirectly effected Babar's dismissal for 7 when he strangled the run-scoring from one end, after Pakistan chose to bat.

Mohammad Rizwan tried to look for a run that wasn't there, and ran his opening partner out in the third over when they took on Hayden Walsh Jr's arm from backward point.

Hosein's stock ball was the length delivery that drifted into the righthanders when the ball was brand new, not allowing them to free their arms.

When Fakhar Zaman came in, West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran persisted with Hosein despite what conventional wisdom suggests for a left-arm finger-spinner. He dragged

Trophy Stall Doubles’ Badminton tournament underway

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he Guyana Badminton Association/Trophy Stall Doubles Tournament got off to a great start on Monday afternoon with the usual pairs being mixed up to make for an interesting tournament.

Additionally, the Mixed Doubles were said to be a fun mix, where names were put into two bags and then were pulled (one male, one female who were paired to play together).

Before the Trophy Stall tournament could see its first serve, a moment of silence was observed in honour of the late Guyana Badminton Association (GBA) President Gokarn Ramdhani, while black sweat bands were handed out to each participant.

The first round of the Men’s Doubles was quite eventful, as Anthony Stephens and Jaurel Hendricks pulled off a 21-9, 21-12 victory when they came up against Mahender Sharma and Jason Stephney.

Easa Sanichara and Matthew Beharry defeated Andrew Browne and his partner 21-2, 21-3, while Kevin Shepperd and Kevin Hamilton were also in winners’ row following their 21-9,17-21,21-12 match with Manav Sharma and Jonathan Robinson. Avinash Odit and Grandison Robinson also enjoyed a win against Matthew Klautky and Matthew Singh 21-10, 21-5.

In the Men’s Quarterfinals, Narayan Ramdhani and Jonathan Mangra defeat-

back a delivery's length - in the first ball of the fifth over - after spotting Fakhar giving him the charge, and the away movement in the air took the ball past the bat for Pooran to stump him.

Hosein bowled four straight overs after taking the new ball, and was done for the evening by the seventh over, taking 1 for 16 with 14 dot balls. At the time, Pakistan's score read 55 for 2, and with Rizwan and Haider Ali at the crease, the situation was eerily similar to the first T20I.

A middle-order wobble

But it wasn't to be like the first T20I, wherein Rizwan and Haider struck exquisite fifties to lift Pakistan to 200. Instead, Rizwan fell for a 30-ball 38 off sixth bowler Odean Smith's first delivery of the match, just when he looked to accelerate.

In Smith's next over, Haider was caught at deep point for a struggling 34ball 31. Neither of those were wicket-taking deliveries though. Rizwan was out to a wide slower ball that he bunted to cover, and Haider had almost enough in his shot for a six after heaving a wide ball over point.

The 15th over brought another wicket, with Nawaz sweeping a Walsh delivery strongly, but was gone for 1 after finding the only fielder in the deep on the leg side.

With three wickets falling for 25 runs, it seemed that Pakistan would miss out on the impetus they needed for a big whirl in the death overs.

Iftikhar, Shadab turn it on

Akili Haynes & Tyrese Jeffrey in action

ed Anthony Stephens and Jaurel Hendricks 21-11, 217. Testing her skills against the guys, Priyanna Ramdhani teamed up with Marlon Chung to overcome Kevin Hamilton and Kristoff Shepperd 214, 21-7. Akili Haynes and Tyrese Jeffrey defeated Avinash Odit and Grandison Robinson 21-13, 21-10, while Easa Sanichara and Matthew Beharry were also on the winning side against Chet Bowling and Zachary Persaud 21-10, 21-7.

In the women’s quarterfinals, Mishka Beharry and Priyanka Shivnauth tasted victory against Deandre Assing and Elesa Sangster 2112, 21-9.

A Mixed doubles Round one match saw Ayanna Watson and Matthew Beharry defeating Zachary Persaud and Elesa Sangster 21-5, 21-8.

Meanwhile, the Mixed Doubles saw Jonathan Mangra and Shivannie Persaud winning 21-19, 21-14 against Ayanna Watson and Matthew

Beharry. Marlon Chung and Ambika Ramraj teamed up to defeat Tyrese Jeffrey and Christina Kumar 21-19, 21-23, 21-18, and Narayan Ramdhani and Mishka Beharry defeating Anthony Stephens and Anna Perreira 21-15, 21-15.

Also on Monday, Consolation Semifinals were hosted for the Men’s and Mixed Doubles divisions. In the former division, Mahender Sharma and Jason Stephney overcame Andrew Browne and his partner 21-11, 2112. Matthew Klautky and Matthew Singh were also in the winners’ row after their match against Manav Sharma and Jonathan Robinson 25-23, 21-17.

Over in the Mixed Doubles semis, Tyrese Jeffrey and Kristina Kumar defeated Anthony Stephens and Anna Perreira 19-17, retired.

The tournament continues on Wednesday at 5pm, at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Homestretch Avenue in Georgetown.

Iftikhar Ahmed, though, stayed aggressive despite the fall of wickets. He came in after Rizwan's wicket, and punished Walsh's half-tracker early for four.

He then dealt in quick runs between the wickets in Asif Ali's company. And when Oshane Thomas brought back some extra pace in the 18th over, he punished the tall right-arm quick by drilling two sixes over deep midwicket and long off.

However, just when Iftikhar looked to give Pakistan a big flourish, he was caught behind off Thomas's last ball of the over for a 19-ball 32.

With two overs to go and Pakistan having gained some momentum after the middle-overs trouble, Shadab took over. The 19th began with him hitting a four and a six, and the 20th saw Shadab smacking Romario Shepherd over his head for two sixes. Shadab uses the depth of the crease to get right under the ball, and his 12-ball cameo of 28 lifted Pakistan to a competitive 172 for 8.

King's regal innings

His first boundary was streaky, an inside edge down to fine leg, but after that, the opener found his

SCOREBOARD PAKISTAN INNINGS (20 OVERS MAXIMUM) Mohammad Rizwan † c Hope b Smith 38 Babar Azam (c) run out (Walsh/†Pooran) 7 Fakhar Zaman st †Pooran b Hosein 10 Haider Ali c Brooks b Smith 31 Iftikhar Ahmed c †Pooran b Thomas 32 Mohammad Nawaz c Powell b Walsh 1 Asif Ali c Powell b Shepherd 9 Shadab Khan not out 28 Mohammad Wasim run out (†Pooran/Shepherd) 5 Haris Rauf not out 0 Extras (lb 4, w 7) 11 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 8.60) 172/8 Did not bat: Shaheen Shah Afridi Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Babar Azam, 2.3 ov), 2-38 (Fakhar Zaman, 4.1 ov), 3-86 (Mohammad Rizwan, 11.1 ov), 4-109 (Haider Ali, 13.6 ov), 5-111 (Mohammad Nawaz, 14.4 ov), 6-124 (Asif Ali, 16.2 ov), 7-141 (Iftikhar Ahmed, 17.6 ov), 8-171 (Mohammad Wasim, 19.5 ov) BOWLING Akeal Hosein Oshane Thomas Romario Shepherd Hayden Walsh Dominic Drakes Odean Smith

O-M-R-W 4-0-16-1 3-0-35-1 3-0-29-1 4-0-30-1 3-0-34-0 3-0-24-2

range. Nawaz, who shared the new ball with Afridi, was drilled over long on for six in the second over, and Rauf was swatted over mid-on in the penultimate ball of the powerplay.

In between, he resorted to safe shots along the ground, while hitting occasional fours after watching Shai Hope and Shamarh Brooks return to the dugout for low scores.

While King got on top of the bowlers, #4 batsman Pooran struggled to hit the gaps. He scored only 20 runs in his first 24 balls. Then came Pooran's first six in the 11th over, cracking Nawaz over deep square leg. However, he holed out next ball as he tried to repeat the process.

In Rovman Powell's company, King reached his fifty in 35 balls by finding a boundary behind point in the 13th over, and then swatted Shadab for a one-handed six over the bowler's head. But like King's previous partner Pooran, Powell was not fluent, and was gone for an 11-ball four.

Nonetheless, with six overs to go and six wickets in hand, the target was within touching distance for West Indies, more so with King out there and the line-up possessing big hitters right up to No. 9.

He brought the equation down to 55 off 29, after smacking Rauf over deep midwicket for six, but just like Pooran, he was out next ball trying to repeat a maximum. His 43-ball 67, though, had set the base for the rest of the West Indies' batters to get to the target with a few big shots every over.

WEST INDIES INNINGS (TARGET: 173 RUNS FROM 20 OVERS)

Shai Hope c Iftikhar Ahmed b Mohammad Wasim 1 Brandon King c Mohammad Nawaz b Haris Rauf 67 Shamarh Brooks lbw b Mohammad Nawaz 10 Nicholas Pooran (c)†c Haris Rauf b Mohammad Nawaz 26 Rovman Powell c Fakhar Zaman b Mohammad Wasim 4 Odean Smith c Asif Ali b Shaheen Shah Afridi 12 Romario Shepherd not out 35 Dominic Drakes c †Mohammad Rizwan b Shaheen Shah Afridi 0 Hayden Walsh b Shaheen Shah Afridi 0 Akeal Hosein run out (Babar Azam/ Shaheen Shah Afridi) 2 Oshane Thomas b Haris Rauf 0 Extras (w 6) 6 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 8.15) 163 Fall of wickets: 1-17 (Shai Hope,

2.2 ov), 2-31 (Shamarh Brooks, 3.2 ov), 3-85 (Nicholas Pooran, 10.6 ov), 4-102 (Rovman Powell, 14.1 ov), 5-118 (Brandon King, 15.2 ov), 6-127 (Odean Smith, 16.1 ov), 7-131 (Dominic Drakes, 16.5 ov), 8-131 (Hayden Walsh, 16.6 ov), 9-149 (Akeal Hosein, 18.4 ov), 10-163 (Oshane Thomas, 19.6 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Shaheen Shah Afridi 4-0-26-3 Mohammad Nawaz 4-0-36-2 Mohammad Wasim 4-0-39-2 Haris Rauf 4-0-40-2 Shadab Khan 4-0-22-0

Shaheen too hot for West Indies

But Afridi still had two overs up his sleeve when West Indies needed 46 off 24, and the first of them brought three wickets.

Odean found Asif on the boundary line, Dominic Drakes edged one to Rizwan, and an almost-yorker rattled Walsh's stumps. The score of 127 for 5 now read 131 for 8, only one result likely from here on.

Romario Shepherd had one last throw of the dice.

After pumping a six in the 18th and a four in the 19th, the equation read 23 off the last over that was to be bowled by Rauf.

Shepherd eked out two off the first ball and followed it up with a six over square leg. After refusing the No. 11 a single, Shepherd then found the third-man boundary to bring the equation down to 11 off two. The fifth ball had four written all over it after Shepherd drilled a shot over cover, but Asif ran along the boundary line and got his thigh in the way to stop the four. And with the No. 11 on strike for the final ball, Rauf ensured Pakistan claimed all ten wickets for the second night in a row by bowling a yorker that was too good for Oshane. (ESPNcricinfo)

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2021

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Men’s Super-16 Cup…

23

UDFA thump Victoria 9-0, Georgetown defeat East Coast 3-1 games.”

The Men’s Super-16 tournament will continue on

The Georgetown All Stars team

T

he Georgetown All Stars and the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) teams were the latest winners in the Men’s Super-16 yearend football festival when the tournament resumed at the Leonora Track and Field Facility on the West Coast of Demerara.

The Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) team on Monday night pulled of a thrilling 9-0 victory over the Victoria Kings in what was the first game for both teams in this year’s Super-16 tournament.

UDFA clearly meant business, as evidenced by Jamal Haynes connecting his team’s first goal as early as the 3rd minute. Haynes returned in the 32nd to hammer home UDFA’s second, while Deshawn Joseph found the back of the net just before the half-time mark.

Three goals were indeed

good enough, but the UDFA went for the slaughter in the second segment, with Kelon Primo (49), Andre Mayers (67), Quailon Andries (77), Shane Haynes (80) and Tyric Mc Allister (86) each adding a goal to the tally. Deshawn Joseph also completed his brace as the game ended with a 9-0 score line.

Prior to that game, Georgetown All Stars survived yet another encounter, defeating East Coast All Stars 3-1. At the half, the score was locked at 1-1, as Tequan Taylor scored Georgetown’s first in the 5th minute, while Eion Abel replied for the East Coast in the 9th minute.

Needing to break the tie, Stephen Alfred finally found the back of the net in the 70th minute. Shemar Welsh had a consolation goal in the 90th to ensure Georgetown’s win was

convincing.

Speaking with the media after the game, Alfred spoke about their preparation and his aim.

“Is two weeks we now come together. Two years now, with the pandemic, we now form weself back and try to form back the unity,” Alfred stated. He added, “My goal is help bringing the Georgetown football All Star team to come through the line for success. And thanks to Father, first thing.”

Alfred also touched on the competitiveness of the tournament thus far.

“So far, with the performance with the team, we went training for the past two weeks, and now we put together something with this little team. They said it’s elite teams, but these All Star teams show more competitive games so far for the two past

Friday, December 17, with the Georgetown All Stars taking on Police FC at 6pm, and Buxton

battling Ann’s Grove at 8.30pm.

Both games would be played at the Buxton Ground.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2021

UDFA thump Victoria 9-0, Georgetown defeat East Coast 3-1

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

Page 23

UDFA’s Amaniki Buntin attempting a header

Hemraj’s Somerset Cavaliers topple US All Stars despite Griffith’s all-round performance Page 21

Chandrapaul Hemraj was the third highest run-scorer in the league

…Griffith, Hemraj lead batting charts Page 22

Pakistan defeat West Indies despite Shepherd’s late flurry GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, NEWS HOTLINE: 231-8063 EDITORIAL: 223-7230, 223-7231, 231-0544, 225-7761 SPORT: sport@guyanatimesgy.com SALES AND MARKETING: 231-8064 - marketing@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.