Guyana Times -- Wednesday, March 23, 2022

P17

UG to host 2nd virtual open day and job fair Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4957

THE BEACON OF TRUTH WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

PRICE

Rising cost of living

$100 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

VP Jagdeo announces creation of 1000 part-time jobs for struggling families

Taxi driver shot while at Timehri nightclub P24

Page 3

Convicted rapist gets 30 years for raping 15-yearP12 old girl

– says 200-250 small businesses to receive grants

Caribbean Region has potential to be a modern economy – Pres Ali ...also ... also highlights Guyana’s oil & non-oil opportunities to UAE business forum Page 7

Guyana exploring more options to access potable water

Corentyne hit and run

Driver slapped with 2 counts of causing death, 3 other charges

P23

Vaccination is essential for safe reopening P of schools – 15 Health Minister Page 21 The Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) under the auspices of the Housing and Water Ministry hosted an exhibition at the National Cultural Centre tarmac in observance of World Water Day 2022 under the theme “Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible.” In photo, Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal, GWI Chief Executive Officer Shaik Baksh, and other officials view a replica of a water treatment plant

Food security remains Relocation process for Mocha/ a global priority Cane View families –......tells Dr Ashni Singh tells Pakistan ministerial session of Guyana’s efforts in food productivity progressing smoothly Page 13

Page 11

Linden customs officer slapped with attempted P murder charge 8 58% Guyanese businesses P21 need to outsource ICT needs to stay competitive

2

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

3

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Wednesday, Mar 23 – 10:00h – 11:30h and Thursday, Mar 24 – 22:00h – 23:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Wednesday, Mar 23 – 07:20h – 08:50h and Thursday, Mar 24 – 08:20h – 09:50h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY There will be sunshine during the day. Expect partly cloudy skies at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Northerly to North North-Easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 07:50h and 20:26h reaching maximum heights of 2.63 metres and 2.42 metres.

Low Tide: 13:55h reaching a minimum height of 0.6 metre.

Rising cost of living

VP Jagdeo announces creation of 1000 part-time jobs for struggling families – says 200-250 small businesses to receive grants

I

n light of the recent rise in the cost of living globally, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo during his visit to Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) announced that the Government will roll out several initiatives to assist those who are severely affected throughout the country.

He made this disclosure during a meeting with residents on Tuesday at the Anna Regina Multilateral School and highlighted that among Government’s response is to create at least 1000 temporary jobs within Government and other agencies across the country.

“You will see an ad for temporary employment for about 800 persons starting next week… This is a way to help families with the cost of living increase,” Jagdeo told the gathering.

He stated that the 2022

ing their businesses.

On this note, he told residents that applications will soon open for persons to apply for those grants. Further, he noted that the Government is looking to support investors in Region Two to open call centres and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) facilities.

These facilities, he added, are earmarked for Anna Regina and Charity.

“One of the initiatives is to work with a number of people who want to establish call centres in the region,” the VP reiterated.

Only last week, President Dr Irfaan Ali reassured that his Government is aggressively consulting with stakeholders to come up with solutions that will ease this burden on citizens.

The Head of State, in response to calls for the excise tax rate on fuel imports to be

Residents at the meeting at Anna Regina Multilateral School

SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2022

LOTTERY NUMBERS H

06 08 12

24 25 28

FREE TICKET

22 Bonus Ball

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022

DAILY MILLIONS

03 09 14 20 26 LUCKY 3

3

4

1

1

Afternoon Draw

9

6

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

01 04 06 13 15 18 20 SUPER

PAY DAY

PAY DAY

FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2022

01 05 10 11 17 13

10 11 13 14 15

8

7 Afternoon Draw

3X Afternoon Draw

8

2 Evening Draw

FP Evening Draw

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

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$115.48/barrel

-0.12

Rough Rice

$288.05/ton

-0.11

London Sugar

$547.00/ton

0.00

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1919.50

$1920.50

Low/High Change

$1910.10 -2.20

$1940.60 -0.11%

budget already has provisions to cater for the hiring and paying of these temporary employees. He noted that the initiative can only benefit one person per family.

“The jobs will be at hospitals and Government offices part-time…it’s not high-paying but offers three to four days’ work [a week] and will create additional sources of income.”

In addition, Jagdeo also announced that the Government had set aside monies to be distributed to 200-250 small businesses with the aim of expand-

lowered, reminded that the Government had already made such a reduction from 20 per cent to 10 per cent for the importation of gasoline and diesel.

“We’ve been continuously reducing the tax on fuel [importation]… So that has been continuously done even without anyone calling. [But] at some point there will be an assessment because the country still has to get revenue.”

“So, at some point, there will be an assessment as to what additional measures we can look at,” President Ali told

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo addressing residents in Region two on Tuesday

Guyana Times when asked about further reducing the excise rates to offset global increases which have resulted in gasoline now retailing locally as high as $246 per litre.

During an interview with this newspaper earlier this week, two major Private Sector bodies – the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and the Private Sector Commission (PSC) – contended that a more impacting intervention is needed to help Guyanese through this time.

To this end, they called for the removal altogether of the excise taxes on fuel and income taxes – even if just temporarily – until the cost of living stabilises, as well as relief grants to citizens.

But again, President Ali reminded that nearly $5 billion was set aside in the 2022 budget towards various interventions aimed at easing the burden of the rising cost of living.

He disclosed during the event that his Government is currently finalising an approach for a national consultation on the best options to address the “multi-faceted problem” caused by rising prices.

“We’ve already started that and the Government will be continuing, aggressively, discussions with a cross-section of Guyanese [and] communities so that we can come up with the best possible approach –

listening to ideas, listening to some of the connected issues and then coming up with some policies,” the President added on the sidelines.

The Head of State pointed out that the global challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic are now being exacerbated by the Ukraine crisis which has contributed to the world prices for fuel skyrocketing to US$127 per barrel as well as putting a dent in the global wheat supply by 40 per cent.

In fact, the National Milling Company of Guyana Inc (NAMILCO) last week announced a 15 per cent increase of its flour with immediate effect. The local company said that in addition to the price of wheat being 40 per cent higher than before, there have also been increases in the cost of packaging, additives and fuel, hence it can no longer sustain operations at the current flour price levels.

But according to President Ali, “It's very easy for some sectors to say the price of gas is up so we shall not affect our revenue stream, we will take up our fares. But it's far more complex for the Government because an increase in gas price and oil price does not only affect the vehicles on the road. It affects the input costs for every single thing. But a Government must manage in such an environment.”

4

guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

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

Upholding democratic tradition

Y

esterday was the birth anniversary of Cheddi Jagan, who was born in 1918 and passed away in 1997. As such, his life spanned some of the epochal events of the 20th century.

Starting with the “Great War” that ended in 1917, it ended with the Far Eastern financial crisis of 1997 as a consequence of capitalism’s latest phase – financialisation.

Jagan would have appreciated the historical bookends as much as the intervening “pages” that saw his native Guyana tossed by global forces like so much flotsam and jetsam in the clash between the contending ideologies of capitalism and communism. The year before his birth – 1917 – had witnessed two epochal events – giving birth to Cheddi, as it were, since they shaped his life. The first was the end of Indian Indentureship on March 12, by the British that exploited labour as a bridge between slavery and the so-called “free labour” dispensation that still enmeshes our bodies. In slavery, human beings were literally property – “chattel” with absolutely no rights. With indentured labourers, they had to provide labour for a fixed period under defined conditions enforced by a penal clause that, in effect, “bound” them to the plantations.

The second event was the Bolshevik October Revolution that saw the monarchy of Russia violently overthrown and replaced by a Communist “dictatorship of the proletariat”. As the USSR, it presented itself as an alternative to the capitalist world system that had evolved from the mercantilist colonial Empires and of which Guyana, in the “West”, was a part.

Jagan’s parents were both indentured children brought by indentured single mothers to Guyana and experienced first hand, the exploitative system on Plantation Port Mourant in Berbice. His father was a “Driver”, which would have placed him in the middle strata on the plantation between ordinary workers and the Overseers. But as he recounted in his book “The West on Trial”, he witnessed the wretched conditions of the former as compared with the latter. As Jock Campbell, later Chairman of Bookers and owner of the neighbouring Plantation Albion, noted, the stables of the estate mules were like palaces compared with the logies in which the sugar workers lived.

Jagan’s parents were able to send him to a local private High School and then in 1935 on to Queen’s College in Georgetown to complete his secondary schooling. There he would encounter all the racial and economic prejudices that typified the urban middle class whose children he interacted with. He left for college in the US in 1938 during the Great Depression, which had driven down wages in the sugar belt and precipitated riots across the Caribbean.

In the US, while qualifying to become a dentist, and augmenting the hard-earned money sent by his parents in Guyana, Jagan was influenced by the racism against African Americans and their lack of democratic freedoms. His political awareness was sharpened as he married a leftist student nurse, Janet Rosenberg and then returned to Guyana in 1943. Here, WWII had sharpened the contradictions of colonial rule and the Moyne Commission’s Report of 1939 had already recommended opening up of the political space.

The radical Jagan was elected to the Legislature in 1947 under an expanded but still restricted franchise, the same year India and Pakistan won independence and spurred efforts here to achieve that status. After universal franchise was granted and elections held in 1953, under Jagan as Leader and Forbes Burnham as Chairman, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) won overwhelmingly. And the modern period of Guyana’s political history was launched.

Unfortunately, it was a history of betrayal by Forbes Burnham as Britain and the US used the bogeyman of Jagan as a “fellow traveller” of communism and Moscow, to oust the PPP from office and install Burnham. The People’s National Congress (PNC) would rig elections and maintain a dictatorship for the next 28 years.

Jagan, to his credit, maintained a democratic alternative and the PPP was returned to office in 1992 after the communist threat collapsed. His party is back in office upholding his democratic tradition.

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh and Director General of the Islamic Organisation for Food Security (IOFS), Yerlan Baidaulet during a meeting at the 48th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Islamabad, Pakistan

Time is running out to save Ukraine’s children and their futures …millions of children are still trapped in Ukraine, and they need our help now

By Serhii Lukashov

T

he war in Ukraine is destroying the lives of millions of children. The bombing of a children’s hospital and maternity ward last week put children in the direct line of fire, adding to the already enormous danger for them in this war.

SOS Children’s Villages staff in Ukraine brought more than 100 children and foster families to safety in Poland within the first week of the invasion.

We moved a further 500 foster children and caregivers to safe locations in other neighbouring countries since.

But many more children remain trapped, exposed to the danger of ground battles, bombings, starvation and freezing temperatures.

About 1.5 million children live in cities and towns in active war zones where access is blocked. There is no food, no electricity, no access to medicine, no fuel for generators, and no way to call for help.

Among the most at risk are the thousands of children isolated in state residential institutions. They face a high risk of neglect,

violence, and trafficking.

They urgently need professional humanitarian support to be evacuated. Their situation is dire.

Many institutions are alarmingly understaffed as people continue to flee the country. Those who stayed behind can barely give essential care. Children with disabilities and special needs face an especially high risk of neglect.

Through our network of partners, in cooperation with the Ukrainian Commissioner for Children’s Rights, we are working to rescue these children left behind in institutions and other forms of alternative care. ?ime is running out. Half a million have left the country already. By the time of this writing, 109 children have been killed, with another 130 wounded. Those left behind will grow up with fear and trauma.

The legacy of this war will be a traumatised generation. They immediately need safe ways to evacuate children and families. We must support the Ukrainian Government to bring these institutionalised children to safety and provide them with

quality care that meets their individual needs.

The Ukrainian Government is currently reviewing legislation to address the evacuation of children from institutions, including the relocation of children to other countries. Any evacuation must be done respecting their rights and the highest child safeguarding standards.

Vital humanitarian aid, including mental health and psychosocial support, must be provided to all children and their caregivers, as well as for alternative care professionals, both in Ukraine and in countries hosting refugees.

As the number of civilians fleeing continues to rise, we urgently need to organise shelter and emergency care for them. For children, this means creating child-friendly spaces, providing interim alternative care for children who are alone, and reuniting children with family members.

SOS Children’s Villages in Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania stand in solidarity with those of us in Ukraine and are ready to support fami-

lies and children crossing the border.

Ukraine has one of the highest rates of children in institutions in Europe.

As part of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, we have worked with the Government to develop and implement a national de-institutionalisation strategy to transform the country’s child care system. The goal is to prevent unnecessary separation of children from their parents or, when the child cannot stay with their parents, to provide family-based care instead of institutional care. But the war has abruptly interrupted childcare reform.

Ukraine, one day, will rebuild from this tragedy.

Organisations like ours will need to work with millions of traumatised children. We will work to build a society where all children can grow up in families with love, safety, and peace.

This war must be stopped. Stand on the side of children. End the war.

(Al Jazeera) (Serhii Lukashov is National Director of SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine)

guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

5

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

The real reason behind Granger's ouster from the PNC

Dear Editor, The real reason behind Granger’s ouster, and should I say the other old guards, from the PNC party can be ascribed to two fundamental factors (a) his ambivalence to the results of the March 2020 General Elections and (b) his very weak support for the rig-

ging cabal in his party.

In the first instance, he was chided by the "Nortonites" for acceding to a recount, the perplexing question on their lips was, why agree to a recount when you fully well knew that you were going to lose; stupid man! It's a matter of playing the rigging game

the way they know best, just readily accept Lowenfield's results and hold on to power.

After all he would be doing it for the life of the party; or for the party's sake and the only way "to win."

But Granger knew that route had dire consequences, he knew that road would

lead us down a path of no return. Granger knew with that move Guyana was destined to be a pariah State.

The international community was not helpful to him either, because they were there and observed every iota of it; The international community was in no mood to accept

Rabble-rousers only embarrassing themselves

Dear Editor, Even Transparency International has now admitted that the perception of corruption is on the decline as Guyana has made “significant improvement”.

However, it must be noted that these marked improvements are specifically from when this Government took office in 2020, since from 2015 Guyana’s TI Index continued to rise as a plethora of corrupt practices became more documented and exposed by the Public Accounts Committee findings corroborated by the Auditor General’s Report itself. Some of these matters are in front of the courts.

During the tenure of the coalition, Guyanese saw corruption levels increasing to astronomical heights whilst the standard of living plummeted and all the sectors, especially the agriculture sector, bore the brunt of the coalition’s ill-conceived and hairbrained policies and deliberate decimation plans.

I must add that this sector was a target practice for the coalition’s retribution against the sugar workers.

It is quite an accurate analytical conclusion when the Vice President, Jagdeo stated, “There are a lot of transgressions and trust me there were egregious transgressions involving serious violations that you wouldn’t find in any PPP era.” These “egregious transgressions” replicated what the PNC did in Government for 28 years when Guyana was another Haiti and Guyanese became mendicants, fleeing in droves to all parts of the globe using all means available, both legal and illegal.

It must be recalled that the corruption mantra was honed to perfection by the PNC/AFC duo prior to 2015 and they were able to deceive and fool some of the people, but as fate or karma would have it, they were laid bare and exposed as they clinically destroyed the economy, rampaged in insane haste to

squander and did squander our financial reserves to the point of bankruptcy. When they took over the helm of Government in 2015 and until 2020, the masses saw the real PNC in action fully supported by the AFC. It was a sad tale of the coalescing of two corrupt political parties.

I am puzzled about the whereabouts of a few of the current letter-writers during the destructive 5 years when the coalition was in Government. Hibernating, I guess! They heard and saw no evil, quite conveniently indeed! The corruption mantra will be difficult to rejuvenate but now they have composed a new one: the neglect mantra.

Let me ask a question: Why will the PPP Government neglect agriculture? I have read about the agriculture sector being “neglected” and heard a handful of AFC rabble-rousers and mischief-makers singing the neglect mantra in the expectation that they can convince some gullible persons that the sector and they are being neglected.

Since the coalition assumed office in 2015, they embarked on a deliberate plan to destroy the agriculture sector which they unwittingly perceived as the PPP support base. This plan could have been discerned when the budgetary allocation continued to decline year after year from 2015 to $18 billion in 2019. Let me make it pellucid that the agriculture sector has never been as strong as it is now and it is only a scamp and a scoundrel will make those deliberately misinformed statements and it is a shame that a few are giving credence to this wilful attempt to distort the facts. But I know it must be difficult to keep abreast with the rapid pace of development taking place in the agriculture sector and acknowledge it, especially when it was only recently that Guyanese witnessed the utter decimation

of the sector, thanks to the coalition. This rapid pace of development is chartered by well-crafted policies and implemented by the most competent Agriculture Minister ever. The entire sector is now benefitting from new scientific technology. It is common knowledge that the PPP Government never neglected the agriculture sector and the coalition is cognisant of this fact.

Let me ask another stupid question: Why will the Government ‘neglect’ Region 6? This is so far from the truth. There are so many transformative developmental projects in the making in Region 6 and across the country as I write that no sane individual will make such an asinine conclusion.

Immediately, the deep-water harbour, the all-weather road to the Canje Creek which will open thousands of hectares for farming and aquaculture, the bridge to Suriname which will enhance a multitude of economic activities, and the Hope-like canal which will end the flooding woes, are just some of the transformative projects.

Anyone who listened to the Finance Minister’s budget presentation and the Minister of Agriculture’s

Budget speech will not be of any doubt. But any good investor will tell you that like all investments there will be a timeline when the dividends will be seen. The improvement of the drainage and irrigation systems, the rehabilitation and construction of roads and infrastructures, repairs and installation of street lights, and many other community enhancement projects are ongoing and citizens are already benefitting from these.

Where is the neglect? Only recently Region 6 was saved from the worst flood disaster ever and cash flood relief grants were given to all affected and farmers were back on their feet in a jiffy.

The Rose Hall Estate will be producing sugar in the second crop 2023 and already rehabilitation works are going at a rapid speed. Where is the neglect? To quote a former Minister of the coalition, “it is a figment of their imagination”.

In conclusion, it is my fervent hope that these rabble-rousers should undertake some other less disgraceful pastime, they only embarrass themselves.

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

fraudulent results, nor would they install a regime of said standing.

So, Granger was caught between a rock and a very hard place. In the end Granger had no other option but to accept the results given by the people of Guyana and spare himself and country the ignominy of becoming a pariah.

Ever since that time the core party corrupters wanted him out! Thus, the commencement of the movement to aggressively root him, and all those who would think or act like him. That point became clear at the December election of Norton to lead the party.

Further entrenchment of his stamp on the party's top post was also ratified in statements made by the heavyweights in that grouping. Norton and his posse were going to take over irrespective of the wishes of "the elders" or whatever negative public relations spinoff there it might incur.

On the second aspect which is a reaffirmation of

the first and that is Granger must realise that he cannot continue to hold on to the party's list of candidates and keep Norton out, without coming to terms with him, it just wouldn't happen; he must consult with him. And I dare say he and his dinosaurs would have to at some point agree with Norton; there is no other way.

But let's face it, however Granger and his sanctimonious quasi-riggers want to put it, rigging still remains a high priority on the PNC's list of activities, and putting up that façade to hide it wouldn't change a thing. Trying to put a polite touch on rigging is even more detrimental because now the entire world sees you for what you are worth and will despise you.

Rigging is a despicable system coined and trademarked by the PNC, and under any name they choose to market it, would carry the contempt and condemnation it rightfully deserves!

Respectfully, Neil Adams

Drug bond find worrying Dear Editor, It is a seriously worrying matter, that a State employee would have on the worksite, guns and ammunition and large amounts of cash. Just what was the intended purpose(s) of these items? It must be queried.

How was it possible for these items to be found on the worksite?

Was it an act of collusion...security breach...with nefarious intentions? What next would employees bring to their worksite?

Pilfering from State agencies is nothing new.

The recently exposed case of fuel taken from the State oil company illegally and which today remains outstanding is a case in point.

The authorities, it seems, have no answer to the ageold problem of pilfering at State agencies. Employees would find and exploit the weaknesses in the system to their advantage and benefit.

Sincerely, Shamshun Mohamed

6

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

Page

Foundation ◄ Question 1

By Martin Carter

In this fun and easy crystal science experiment, we’re going to grow a crystal garden.

NB: Adult supervision is required.

Epsom salts Hot water Clear glass jar Measuring cups Small pom-poms

Materials:

Instructions:

Tuesday’s answers 1a) 1b) Perimeter = 50m + 350m2 Area = L X B 5m + 26m + 40m + 31m Area of house = 26m x = 152m 10m = 260m2 Area of garage = 90m x 10m = 90m2 Total area = Area of house + Area of garage = 350m2

Add one cup of Epsom salts to the jar.

Next, have an adult add one cup of hot tap water to the jar and mix thoroughly. It is fine if there is some undissolved salt in the bottom of the jar.

Drop ns some pom-poms and mix them into the mixture.

Put the jar in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning, pour off the excess liquid and observe your crystals.

You can carefully handle your crystals, but be aware they are delicate and may crumble.

Even in that place of final exile among tombs, and mechanical inscriptions, each leaf is a different green, flower of a different kind of red and yellow; also each ripe fruit tumult of a really different seed there, in that place.

Outside in the traffic between the city's indifferent wheels and feet, amid a hatred of trees, the phalloid needles of sewing machines have sown a new drill. The sleeves of uniforms droop like the wet feathers of a crow's wing over a secret carrion.

Girls unbreasted, wear guns like earrings.

Boys ungamed, grip them like tickets. The spree is a wake. Admission is free.

How it works:

The Epsom salts dissolve in the heated water. As the water cools, it becomes less able to hold the Epsom salts. The Epsom salts then clings to the pom-poms and forms crystals.

Make this a science project:

Experiment with different types of solutions and observe and record any differences in the rate of crystals creation. Try table salt or sugar (do not eat). (sciencefun.org)

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can” — Arthur Ashe

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

7

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Caribbean Region has potential to be a modern economy – Pres Ali ...also highlights Guyana’s oil & non-oil opportunities to UAE business forum

P

resident Dr Irfaan Ali, in Dubai for the Caribbean Investment Forum (CIF2022), has made it clear to the attendees gathered that the Caribbean Community (Caricom) has the potential to be a modern economy and that efforts are underway right now, towards that goal.

The Head of State made this assertion during his keynote address on Tuesday, at CIF2022 which is being hosted by the Caribbean Export Development Agency, in association with the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA).

Highlighting the region’s economic potential, President Ali noted that the Caribbean Region is a stable platform with all of the components for a modern and emerging economy.

He also spoke extensively about opportunities in environmental services, the blue economy, agriculture, infrastructure, tourism, and other areas of potential and predicted growth.

“Once you have the capital, the foresight, access to technology, then the Caribbean Region is a destination you should be looking at. It is a destination that offers you an opportunity to build a complex, multifaceted investment platform. And it’s a Region that is looking at being self-sufficient in many areas,” President Ali said.

While the Region’s population is small, President Ali noted that the market access it provides through its booming tourism industry, allows investments to thrive. Coupled with this, he said that the Caribbean is not only a zone of peace but an “exclusive zone of tol-

President Dr Irfaan Ali

erance and inclusiveness”, built on resilience and diversity. The strategic location of the Region and its direct access to South, Central, and North America were also highlighted.

“In almost each of these areas, we have specific investment agreements and trade arrangements that will give you a distinct advantage in pursuing your business interests,” President Ali informed the gathering.

According to President Ali, the region has been prioritising a complete rebuild of its logistics and transportation model. “We could create all the goods, but if you don’t have the means to move the goods and the services, then you have a serious problem.”

Specific to Guyana, the President said his Government is in talks with the Emirates on developing a logistics hub, while the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, will be in the UAE to work on a project called the “Sea Bridge”.

These projects, the President said, will move

people, goods and services throughout the Region. He assured that every country in the Region is “committed to providing an incentive mechanism to support this logistics and transportation model”. President Ali also added that every country in the Region is on a transformative infrastructural drive.

“Unless we fix this problem, in terms of logistics and transportation, we will not be able to capture the results we want to capture. So this, by itself, presents an opportunity, a major opportunity for investors,” President Ali said.

“We are now talking about building a bridge between Guyana and Suriname.

Suriname is looking to build a bridge between Suriname and French Guiana. We are looking at building an infrastructure that will support the development within the Region… So, there is the opportunity, and that is why today, as leaders in the Region, we are more outward-looking.”

When it comes to the Region’s financial needs, President Ali observed that Caricom was never able to benefit from all of the agreements it has forged around the world since it lacked the means to infiltrate the larger markets.

This is why, he stated, the Caribbean is showcasing its investment potential to the Middle East. As he put it, the middle east has the capital and the Caricom Region has the enabling environment and infrastructure to get the Middle East into those larger markets.

Guyana’s potential

President Ali also spoke on Guyana’s current posi-

tion, its ongoing development, and the country’s future. In addition to the infrastructural and logistics expansion and development, the President spoke of Guyana’s 18.3 million hectares of standing forests covering over 87 per cent of the country’s land.

The President also highlighted Guyana’s 92.5 gigatonnes of carbon currently being conserved through the standing forests. This represents a whopping US$195 billion in the global carbon market.

He also spoke of the country’s non-oil natural resources and about Guyana’s potential in agriculture, especially as it relates to Caricom’s reduction of its food import bill by 25 per

cent by 2025 through local agricultural expansion in Member States.

President Ali also made sure to point out that Guyana, like other Caricom nations, is moving forward through the use of renewable energy and through solid, long-term, investments.

CIF2022 is a high-level event that offers a range of investment opportunities in agtech, hotel and resort development, fintech, logistics and transportation.

From today, President Ali will be participating in the Global Business Forum LATAM, which will be attended by several regional leaders, including Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and President of Colombia Ivan Marquez.

The Global Business Forum LATAM is being held under the Patronage of Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The forum is expected to explore how the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) can bolster each other’s economies post-pandemic.

President Ali is accompanied by Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar; Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Peter Ramsaroop and Office of the President Director of Projects Marcia Nadir-Sharma.

8 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Linden customs officer slapped with attempted murder charge F orty-four-year-old Michael Hercules was on Tuesday remanded to prison by Magistrate Wanda Fortune for attempting to murder his wife. The Customs officer appeared at the Linden Magistrate’s Court where the charge was read to him but he was not required to plead to the indictable charge.

It was reported that the man was taken into Police custody after he allegedly stabbed his 42-year-old wife multiple times during an argument on Saturday afternoon at Wismar, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

Reports are that the wife

was in the front passenger seat of a motor car being driven by her husband when the argument ensued at about 13:30h while they were in the vicinity of Buck

Town, Wismar, Linden.

The suspect then parked the car and the duo exited.

The argument continued.

According to the Police, the suspect then went to

the trunk of the car where he pulled out a knife and ordered the wife into the backseat of the vehicle.

As the couple continued to argue, the suspect stabbed his wife multiple times to her chest, foot and fingers. The woman made contact with relatives who went to the area and rescued her.

She was taken to the Linden Hospital Complex where she remains a patient in a serious but stable condition.

The matter was reported to the Police and the suspect was arrested and charged. He is expected to make his next court appearance on May 3, 2022.

Knock…

H

…and war’s knock-back ow could we NOT talk about the war in Ukraine.

Aren’t we seeing it up close and personal, because the entire globalised communications system is streaming it whichever way you can think about – and then some? But did you ever think that what’s being streamed mightn’t reflect ground reality? We witnessed some of this right here in Guyana when APNU/AFC controlled NCNstreamed feed of Mingo doing his (nasty) thing with that dutty bedsheet. If you were in the States, wouldn’t you have thought the PNC won the elections?

So, just be a little cautious about those videos from the Ukraine, OK? Like those shots of “Russian” tanks destroyed on the battlefield. How’d we know they aren’t Ukrainian, since their tanks are also supplied by Russia? Then, there’re things you can’t see directly – like the modern weapon of mass destruction – sanctions. These act quite silently while being deadlier than those rockets raining down from the sky. So, while the Russians might win the battle for the Eastern Ukraine, they’re gonna lose the war because of those sanctions.

But there’s a big “IF”!! Only IF America’s allies observe the sanctions. And right now, they aren’t because they can’t and it’s causing one big blowback!! Take the importation of Russian oil. India’s being criticised for not cutting supplies – BUT EUROPE HASN’T BANNED THOSE SAME SUPPLES!! And it’s for the simple reason that one-third of their supplies come from Russia!! Especially diesel which is actually 50 per cent!! Then there’s the Russian natural gas that Germany, for instance can’t substitute since they don’t even have ports to receive substitute LNG!!

And how about steel?? Eastern Ukraine – esp around besieged Mariupol – supplies one-third of its iron slab feeder stock to Western Europe. Where are they going to replace that from? What all of this means is that the US will have to be very patient with its allies since they’re quite tethered to Russia’s raw materials. Further afield, the critical energy-rich Middle East is facing a meltdown from the shortage of wheat and its astronomic prices.

The other problem with our news of the war is that it ain’t as nuanced as it should be. Take the glee that Russian troops haven’t taken Kyiv and are STUCK around Mariupol in the south. Hey…in this aspect of war the Ruskies follow Clausewitz. They don’t go after cities, they go after and destroy armies!! So Mariupol’s more strategically important ‘cause the major battle-hardened Ukrainian troops are being slowly strangled. Then the siege of Kyiv prevents the troops there from reinforcing Mariupol!!

Down here in Guyana, let’s just get out the popcorn and throw back. It’s gonna be a long, hard war!! …and vigilantes There’s another disturbing report of a vigilante killing – this time up the Berbice River. There was a horrible robbery with extreme violence to a family in Kimbia and when outraged residents came across a “known” character in the neighbourhood, they simply beat him to death! He was originally from New Amsterdam and had been jailed several times. Back in 2014, he was one of the fellas who’d been severely burnt and beaten while in prison. Seems he just rubbed folks the wrong way.

According to his mother, however, “Police knows him because his entire life he living with trumped up charges… and he dead now…all because the police don’t do good investigation.” Now your Eyewitness knows , Dear Reader, you’re shaking your head ruefully and thinking it’s mothers like that lady who implicitly encourage their children down the wrong fork in life. But that doesn’t justify vigilante killings, does it? Problem is, citizens have no confidence in the Police.

We may see more of this vigilante “Justice”! …up garlic Garlic’s big in your Eyewitness’s household. And NO, it’s not that he has to ward off Dracula!! He and his family just enjoy those ground-up cloves of garlic in their Curry Chicken.

But $800/lb?? War is hell!!

The views expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Guyana Times’ editorial policy and stance

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

9

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

10

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

11

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Food security remains a global priority – Dr Ashni Singh – tells Pakistan ministerial session of Guyana’s efforts in food productivity

S

enior Minister in the Office of the President, with responsibility for Finance Dr Ashni Singh, currently in Pakistan for the 48th Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), used the occasion to impress on the world the importance of food security, among other things.

During his address to the gathering on Tuesday, Minister Singh noted that concerted global action is needed to tackle various global problems. These problems include the postCOVID pandemic recovery and food security.

The Minister reminded that more than 800 million people worldwide still go hungry daily and almost 700 million persons worldwide are malnourished, opining that food security is, therefore, a global imperative.

“Within the Caribbean, Guyana is leading efforts to scale up food production and productivity rapidly, and to strengthen food systems with the aim of improving food security in our region as part of the global effort to tackle this problem,” he told officials.

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh during the ministerial meeting

“Additional investment in agriculture by both the public and private sectors, and dismantling of the barriers to trade in agricultural produce, are urgently needed globally,” the Finance Minister also said.

While commending the Government and people of Pakistan on behalf of President Dr Irfaan Ali and the Government of Guyana on the occasion of Pakistan’s 75th Independence Anniversary, Minister

Singh also reiterated to officials in attendance that concerted global action is now even more urgent to tackle the global problems being faced.

“First is the question of full and lasting recovery from COVID-19. All our countries felt the pandemic’s impact, both humanitarian and economic.

Effective responses necessitated international collaboration. Likewise, sustainable recovery needs joint action. Resurgence in any country anywhere

threatens the recovery in all countries everywhere.”

“As OIC Member States, we need to stay focused on addressing the issues that are critical for safeguarding and sustaining the recovery. These include further strengthening our healthcare systems, and improving access to vaccines and other medical supplies, even as our economies reopen,” Dr Singh strongly urged.

The Minister also spoke of climate change, another issue he said must be confronted more urgently on a global scale. He added that as a low-lying coastal state, Guyana is amongst the most vulnerable, and the climate crisis threatens not only its development prospects but Guyana’s very existence.

“Guyana has outlined a Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) which places our economy on a path to accelerated sustainable development.

Shared commitment and joint action are critical for limiting global warming and we urge adherence to the global agenda for combating this crisis,” Dr Singh explained.

According to Minister Singh, Guyana, as a heav-

ily forested country, needs more meaningful global recognition of the contribution being made by standing forests in the fight against climate change.

He concluded that while examining the various resolutions at the forum, Guyana’s delegation took note of the number of conflicts that are still ongoing, and how these conflicts are impeding the advancement of human rights and hindering development. As such, he expressed Guyana’s stance on the need for political will and concrete actions to resolve these issues.

“Guyana expresses its continued unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian

people in their just struggle to live in peace and dignity,” the Finance Minister said, adding in Guyana, the country has embraced a philosophy of oneness in the concept of “One Guyana” aimed at reinforcing the strength Guyanese derive from diversity and promoting the unity and prosperity of all of its people.

According to Minister Singh, this process is being led by the President himself. Dr Singh further reaffirmed Guyana’s steadfast commitment to the values of the OIC and to contributing to the furtherance of the Organisation’s objectives.

12 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23,, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Convicted rapist gets 30 years for raping 15-year-old girl

E

san Germaine, who is serving a 65-year sentence for raping a young girl was on Tuesday sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment on three similar charges.

Germaine was in February found guilty by

a 12-member jury on three counts of rape committed on a 15-year-old girl between January and July 2014. He had appeared before Demerara High Court Judge, Priya SewnarineBeharry.

The convicted rapist was

represented by Attorney-atLaw Clyde Forde while the State was represented by prosecutors Nafeeza Baig, Latifah Elliot, and Muntaz Ali. During his sentencing, the father of three maintained his innocence while

Convicted rapist Esan Germaine

telling the court that he is working to rehabilitate himself.

On the other hand, Sewnarine-Beharry told the rapist that she considered the physical and psychological harm he caused towards the victim and more so, his lack of genuine remorse for his actions.

She added that there is a likelihood that he will commit the offence again since he was previously convicted for a similar offence.

She, nevertheless, sentenced him to serve 20 years on the first count, 25 years on the second count, and 30 years on the third count. The sentences will run concurrently.

Germaine had previously pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape of a

child under 16 years old.

Germain reportedly raped the young girl on three occasions between January and July 2014. On the first occasion, the young girl was doing laundry in the bathroom of her home when he began questioning her about her school grades, relationship status, and sexual orientation. He told the girl “I love you”, and she replied, “I know”.

Germain then went on to kiss the girl on her cheeks, neck, and breasts before raping her. On the second occasion, he woke her up, placed her to lie on a bed next to a two-year-old boy, and raped her.

He raped her again during the wee hours of July 17, 2014. It was just after midnight when Germaine woke the girl. When she ignored him, he dealt her a lash on her hand, pulled her off the bed, placed her to lie on a cupboard, and raped her.

On July 23, 2014, the girl was going to the shop when she saw her mother, and she confided in her. The mother reported the matter to the Police, and Germaine was arrested. In her Police statement, the woman said she was shocked at the allegations against Germaine, as she did not expect him to do something like that.

Meanwhile, during his trial, Germaine had always denied raping the child. He described the girl as an “un-

mannerly child”, who misbehaved while she was in the United States and was “sent back to Guyana”.

He told the jurors that the girl was “experimenting with her sexuality”, and he tried to tell her it was just a phase. He also claimed he tried to “rehabilitate” her and put “strict” measures in place to guide her to be better. These measures, he said, included beating her, talking to her, and sending her to church for counselling.

Meanwhile, in December 2017, Germaine was convicted of three counts of child rape by a jury following a trial before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall at the Demerara High Court.

He was sentenced to 65 years in prison, and has to serve a minimum of 20 years before being eligible for parole.

The indictments stated that at some time during 2010, 2012, and 2013, he performed oral sex on the child, and in turn caused her to do same to him. One of the indictments also stated that he rubbed his penis against the girl’s vagina.

Germaine, who was regarded by his then lawyer Eusi Anderson as a researcher on issues affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) community, raped this child when she was aged four, six, and seven.

NEWS

13

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Relocation process for Mocha/Cane View families progressing smoothly families who were on-site requested the Minister’s intervention for timely service connection from Guyana Water Inc. He promised to have the utility company work to get the homes connected within another week.

The Ministry had en-

Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal along with officials from the CH&PA

S

ome 16 families who have been squatting at Mocha/Cane View for decades are currently at various stages of completion of their new homes in developed schemes on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD).

Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal visited the construction site of some of those families who have been relocated to Plantation Herstelling, EBD. Some of the families to be relocated have also been allocated lands in Farm on the EBD. During the visit, the Minister engaged some of the new homeowners who expressed their satisfaction with their soon-to-be new homes.

Already, some 25 families have signed agreements with the Housing and Water Ministry’s Central Housing

One of the houses being built

and Planning Authority for the relocation.

As of March 22, 2022, some 16 families have started work on their new structures while four families

have indicated that within another two weeks, they will be able to relocate completely to their new dwelling place.

Meanwhile, some of the

gaged a total of 35 families from Cane View on relocation as the Ministry moves to begin construction of the Diamond to Eccles four-lane highway. Prior to the relocation, homeowners who fell within the path of the road were consulted before they

signed an agreement. Their existing properties were valued at the current market price by the Valuation Office and those who have agreed have since been compensated, hence the commencement of construction.

14 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23,, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Sexual, gender-based & domestic violence continue to be major challenges – Dr Persaud tells 66th CSW H uman Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud recently delivered a statement on behalf of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) as well as reflections from the perspective of Guyana during the 66th General Discussion on the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

Speaking at the event held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Persaud noted that this year’s theme is especially important to the Caricom members who are among the most vulnerable with regards to climate change impact. As such, keeping global temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius is necessary to survival.

“Caricom Heads of Government have called upon the international com-

munity to urgently uphold its responsibility to protect the most vulnerable and maintain a central focus on the special case and particular circumstances of Small Island Developing States (SIDS),” Minister Persaud said while adding, “Leaders around the world must confront the reality that climate change poses an existential threat to SIDS and that its impacts represent a code red for humanity.”

“While the impact of extreme climate events such as floods and hurricanes are seen quickly, no less impactful are the slow onset events like droughts and sea level rise which have been increasing in frequency and intensity as global temperatures continue to rise,” she highlighted after stating that CO2 emissions in 2021 were the second-highest in history.

Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud represented Caricom at the 66th General Discussion on the Commission on the Status of Women

Persaud further related that the region’s disappointment in the promised US$100 billion by 2020 goal for developing countries fell short and called for its fulfilment as it is seen as a base and no ceiling.

“The majority of the world’s poor are women.

Women in situations of poverty commonly face higher risks and greater burdens from the impacts of climate change. When children are unable to attend school during floods and hurricanes and other disasters, it is mainly the women who must ensure that they are kept safe, fed and schooled; when there is a drought it is the women who often have to travel long distances to fetch water for domestic use,” Minister Persaud reasoned.

These disasters increase the loss in livelihoods, disruption in access to education, basic healthcare, food security and alarming rates of sexual and gender-based violence.

The Minister reckoned that data disaggregated by sex is important in better understanding the disproportionate gendered impact of climate change and continues to seek support to build capacity to collect credible data and implement measures that must be materialised.

“Programmes and policies must focus on building the capacities of women and girls in a holistic manner, and climate finance for both adaptation and mitigation activities must be responsive to differentiated gender needs and empower women, including by supporting women-owned micro and small and medium-sized enterprises in the green and blue economies,” she said.

“There must be investment in women-led and women-focused sustainable solutions, including Indigenous and rural nature-based solutions, resource management, and food production activities.

Increasing the participation of women in the management of natural resources, and in the design and implementation of early warning systems, will contribute to more resilient societies,” Persaud added.

She noted that sexual, gender-based and domestic violence continue to be some of the major challenges but have unfortunately amplified due to the pandemic and climate crisis.

Nevertheless, the Caricom Governments are working consistently to eliminate these issues by ensuring access to justice and support to survivors.

These member states have also placed a high priority on the provision of quality education and access to healthcare and social protection systems with the understanding that when women and girls are enabled and empowered, positive results are inevitable.

“This session of CSW is an important platform to advocate for the increased participation of women in climate change discussions and decision-making at the national, regional and international levels.

For our part, Caricom member States recognise that women’s full and effective participation in climate action and disaster risk reduction is critical. Our governments are continuing to mainstream gender into development policy, budgets and planning as well as national adaptation plans and disaster resilience strategies,” Minister Persaud noted.

She echoed the commitment of Caricom to creating an environment conducive to women’s development in the context of climate change and all efforts are made to achieve gender equality.

Meanwhile, Minister Persaud reflected on Guyana’s perspective by reiterating the country’s progression in making mainstream, participation of women and girls in these areas.

“Our Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), which seeks to transform the economy while combating climate change, has significantly benefited women through micro and small enterprises. Financing under the LCDS is also being used to bridge the ICT divide by offering connectivity and related tools ensuring access by women and girls to Government services, education and information,” she relayed.

While women and girls in Guyana have also been creating innovative solutions to protect our valuable ecosystem in several areas including through the use of drones to monitor environmental activities to ascertain what threats have emerged to the ecosystem of mangroves and how responses should be tailored.

Minister Persaud also spoke on the successful free non-traditional technical and vocational programmes offered with no pre-admission requirements to ensure thousands get the necessary training and skills for employment and entrepreneurship.

TURN TO PAGE 25

NEWS

15

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Vaccination is essential for safe reopening of schools – Health Minister GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD MARCH 22, 2022 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

7

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

11

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION

111

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

1

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

18

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

34,100

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

29,102

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

63,202

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

61,853

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED

437,304

FULLY IMMUNISED

335,181

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

1226

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 hand-sanitizer 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.

H

ealth Minister, Dr Frank Anthony has supported the move for a complete reopening of schools and has signalled a greater reason for adolescents to get immunised.

This week, Education Minister Priya Manickchand indicated that all schools will be reopened on April 25, the first full-scale activity in two years. Sharing his perspective, the Minister said this factor will allow authorities to address the issue of learning loss.

“I think it’s important that we return back to school.

Children would have been out of school for the past two years or so and despite our efforts to continue their education, it is not the same as if you’re in a classroom and teachers are working directly with you. I know that the Ministry of Education felt that there has been a substantial learning loss and that they have to work on a plan to see how they can recover this learning loss. It’s important that we do that,” Dr Anthony noted.

He added that in Guyana, cases have been relatively low. For now, active cases are just over 100.

“From a COVID point of view, the pandemic is still on. Fortunately, we have not been seeing a lot of cases recently and we will continue to work and put all the measures in place to see what is happening with the pandemic. Every day, we are still finding cases, they’re not as high as may be in January but certainly, there are still cases. Therefore, people still need to be adopting the measures and maintaining them.”

However, he reiterated that the adolescent population should get immunised against the virus. Since the start of the rollout for this category, numbers have been relatively low. A total of 34,193 first doses or 46.9 per cent; with 24,832 second doses or 34 per cent.

“Vaccines are available and it is astonishing that you have something that can help to reduce the severity of COVID and we still have hesitancy where parents are not allowing their children to come forward and get vaccinated,” he underlined.

The Minister has advised that in order to facilitate a safe reopening, vaccination is a key element.

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

2518

REGION 2

2490

REGION 3

8045

REGION 4

31,246

REGION 5

2378

REGION 6

5738

REGION 7

2422

REGION 8

887

REGION 9

4012

REGION 10

3466

For the five to 11 age group, the Government is working to access vaccines. To keep them safe until then, they are encouraged to wear a mask and practice other sanitisation methods.

However, there is still a concern that this cohort will also see low coverage, owing to parents not consenting for their children to be vaccinated.

“In the vaccination rates that we’re seeing in the 12 to 17 age group, it’s not really encouraging because we have these vaccines right now and yet we have some amount of hesitancy and parents are not bringing their children for the 12 to 17. So, when we get the vaccines for the 11 to 5, I hope that we will get parents bringing out their children, because the Government is

investing substantial sums of money to be able to acquire these vaccines.”

Nevertheless, he reminded that different vaccines are used in the five to 11 category when compared to the 12 to 17; and adult population.

In the under-19 age group, some 10,078 cases were recorded as of Monday.

The breakdown translates to 1424 from zero to four; 1951 from five to nine; 2508 from 10 to 15; and 4295 from 15 to 19.

New cases

The daily detection of positive COVID-19 cases has shown seven new cases as of Tuesday, with deaths remaining at 1226. Confirmed cases have reached 63,202.

A total of seven patients are in institutional isolation, 111 in home isolation, 11 in

institutional isolation and 18 are in institutional quarantine. Out of the 29,102 males and 34,100 females that contracted the virus, 61,853 have recovered.

Some 560,648 COVID-19 tests have been administered since the virus was detected here.

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

Globally, almost 458.4 million people have tested positive for the virus and six million have died. In the Americas, more than 149 million confirmed cases have been reported with over 2.66 million deaths.

16 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Grand Master Mason of the Scottish Lodge to visit Guyana T

he Grand Master Mason of the Scottish Constitution, Brother William Ramsay McGhee is slated to visit Guyana from March 28 to April 2, 2022.

The main aspect of his visit is for the installation of newly elected

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

District Grand Master of the Scottish Constitution in Guyana, Brother Sean Noel.

The top senior Lodge Executive is currently on a Caribbean Tour, visiting and installing other elected District Grand Masters in several Caribbean Community countries. Prior to his arrival in Guyana, the Grand Master Mason is scheduled to visit Bermuda, The Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago and finally Guyana.

His visit here will include courtesy calls on several senior Government officials, as well as the British High Commissioner to Guyana.

The Grand Master Mason, who is being accompanied by the Grand Master Secretary, is also a former senior Police officer and is expected to pay a courtesy visit to the Office of the Commissioner of Police. Several other Lodge Members from various district jurisdictions are also

The Grand Master Mason of the Scottish Constitution, Brother William Ramsay McGhee

slated to travel to Guyana for the high-level event.

While serving in the Provincial Grand Lodge

of Ross and Cromarty, the GMM served as Provincial Grand Secretary from 1996 until 2001, as Depute

Provincial Grand Master from 2001 until 2006 and as Provincial Grand Master from 2006 until 2011.

He has been Proxy District Grand Master of East Africa since 2007 prior to which he was Proxy Master of Lodge St Andrew 1437 in Singapore.

In Grand Lodge, he has served as a Grand Steward, a member of Grand Committee and in 2003 he was installed as Grand Inner Guard after which he served as Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies for a year before becoming Grand Director of Ceremonies in 2005, an Office he held until 2014 when he was appointed Depute Grand Master.

He served in that Office for three years and was installed as Grand Master Mason on 29th November 2018.

In 2005, he was appointed Representative of the Grand Lodge of the Commonwealth of Virginia near the Grand Lodge of Scotland, a position he held

until 2018 when he became Representative of the Grand Lodge of Georgia near the Grand Lodge of Scotland.

Out with Masonry, and apart from running his own business, he is actively involved in Rotary and is a Past President of Riverside Rotary Club in Inverness.

He is Vestry Secretary and Organist in St Andrew’s Church in Fortrose and is a member of the crew of the Seagull Trust boat based in the Caledonian Canal.

He is Chairman of the Board of Trustees for a charity dealing with drug and alcohol addiction known as “For the Right Reasons”. In May 2014 he was honoured by being appointed as one of the Deputy Lord Lieutenants for Ross, Cromarty, Skye and Lochalsh.

Incoming District Grand Master, Sean Noel has been a member of Alpha Lodge #1594 for a number of years where he served in various capacities.

NEWS

17

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

UG to host 2nd virtual open day and job fair T

he University of Guyana (UG) will host its second virtual open day and job fair on March 25 and 26, 2022, which will see thousands of prospective students, both locally and internationally, hoping to secure a place at the University of Guyana to further their academic career.

The 59-year-old tertiary institution offers over 150 programmes across 50 disciplines at the pre-university, diploma, degree, Master’s degree, and doctoral levels. At this weekend’s Open Day, persons will be able to meet and interact with faculty and administrative staff.

The two-day event seeks to provide all the necessary career, application, registration guidance and support to prospective students in helping them make informed decisions as they choose their next academic step.

Making the decision about where to go and what to study in higher education is usually bewildering for most people as it is life-changing. In addition to

providing useful information, the event also seeks to educate and inform prospective students about campus life, student services offered by the Institution, and how they could cope effectively with the demands of tertiary education.

This year, the university will support economic well-being for students, alumni and the public by adding a new component – a job centre. This will allow graduates and other job seekers to access employment and internship opportunities from leading companies and organisations operating in Guyana.

The event will also seek to link companies and organisations with potential employees. Graduates and other job seekers could access a listing of vacancies and they could seek to have further engagements where they could submit an application and schedule an interview for a job.

In a virtual space, prospective students will have an opportunity to network and to engage university staff, faculty representatives, current students,

One of the booths at the job fair that was held in 2019

members of UG’s Senior Management Team, and international and local businesses and partners. There will be a virtual auditorium, virtual lobby, virtual hall, and virtual booths for partners, sponsors, and the various faculties, schools, and institutes of the university. There will also be fun games, educational talks and prizes to be won.

The virtual platform provides a richer, more inclusive guest experience as the set of integrated chat rooms, polls, Q&A sessions, emoji reactions, seminars, and similar interactive elements are leveraged in creating a memorable experience. These features will make participants feel almost as if they were physically present at a face-to-

face event, even though they are there virtually because of the rich immersive visual and interactive experiences.

The event is open free of cost to prospective students, parents, university staff and current students, alumni, partners and sponsors, and all other interested persons. Please click here to register: https://

UGcareersuccessfair.uog. edu.gy.

UG extends sincere thanks to Schlumberger, its platinum sponsor as well as all of its other sponsors for supporting its 2022 virtual open day and job fair.

For the new academic year, the University of Guyana has launched a number of new programmes at the certificate, undergraduate and post-graduate levels in response to the growing need for quality, affordable and relevant academic programmes in Guyana and the Caribbean.

In addition, the university is pushing ahead in ensuring the realisation of one of its main goals of having at least one graduate per household as laid out in the institution’s 2040 Blueprint – a policy document that outlines the transformative direction of the university over the next twenty years.

The university’s administration is focused on ensuring that everyone who joins the university succeeds and is fully equipped with the skills necessary to cope in an ever-changing world.

18 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

PNCR calls for emergency measures to alleviate rising cost of living – follows Teixeira’s outline of governmental initiatives

T

he People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), while cognisant of global events that have resulted in a worldwide rise in the cost of living, wants to see emergency measures in Guyana to alleviate the burden on consumers locally.

During a press conference on Tuesday, PNCR Leader Aubrey Norton made the call for emergency measures to be implemented to address the cost of living. As he put it, inflation should be viewed as a crisis, to be dealt with urgently.

Norton was of the view that increasing the 2022 salaries of public servants and increasing the personal income tax threshold, among other things, would go some way in cushioning the effects of prices.

Additionally, he called for the $5 billion set aside by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government

in the 2022 budget back in February, to immediately be put to use addressing inflation.

“Such emergency measures could include granting a market supplement to lowwage workers, expanding the school feeding programme to cover 2-3 nutritious meals a day, subsidising basic food items, such as flour, cooking oil, rice, and milk, and providing increased resources to families in the Public Assistance Programme,” Norton, whose party is the majority partner in A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), said.

Norton admitted that inflation cannot be addressed by only increasing income for people to cope since this can fuel inflation. According to him, measures must include ways of increasing the local food supply.

“Each region of this country should be food secured.

The PNCR, therefore, calls

on the Government to focus efforts on building agriculture across Guyana. Every region should have an agricultural programme that is aimed at achieving food self-sufficiency. In addition, buffer stocks arrangements could be put in place to deal with rising prices.”

“Additionally, we must pay special attention to small-scale farming, an important source of employment for many and a means of dealing with high food prices. Government must also address critical infrastructure needs that will help produce to get to the market,” Norton also said.

Another proposal the PNCR leader made was for the Government to expand the Rural Agricultural Infrastructure Development (RAID) Programme. This programme, according to Norton, targeted neglected farmlands, for example in the villages of Victoria, Buxton, and Golden

Grove, in an effort to return them to agricultural viability.

On Monday, in an exclusive interview with this publication, Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira had said that the Cabinet is already examining various measures it can take to alleviate cost of living.

“It’s always discussed.

We’re always keeping an eye on that and the Government has brought out measures, in terms of GPL and GWI. And it is looking at other measures for how it can reduce some of the costs borne by the public,” Teixeira had said.

“What we have to make sure, is what concessions are given. Say to the Private Sector or importers of fuel, that they are passing them on to the public. But we do know that all the inputs into food, even food grown here, would have an impact on the foods sold in the stores and shops.”

Teixeira had pointed out one of the Government’s initiatives, which was to have farmers’ markets to allow farmers to market their produce directly. She noted that other measures are still being examined by the Government.

The Minister had also sought to remind that the rising cost of living is a global phenomenon, made worse by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine, she pointed out, is among other things, a major producer of wheat.

“As you know, globally, this is happening everywhere. Even after COVID. COVID had an impact on cost of living around the world and we’ve actually kept our measures down, although we did have inflation.”

“If we didn’t have removal of tax, the draconian taxes for example, and some of the initiatives to do with shipping and freight and fuel, the situation would be much worse

PNCR Leader Aubrey Norton

than it is now. Of course, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia has exacerbated the issue.”

During an interview with this publication last week, two major Private Sector bodies – the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and the Private Sector Commission (PSC) – called for the temporary removal of the excise taxes on fuel and income taxes until the cost of living stabilises, as well as relief grants to citizens.

NEWS

19

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Ramsammy’s Ruminations Ophthalmology capacity at The PPP Government has positioned Guyana for economic transformation

D

id you know that Guyana’s international debt stands at only 16 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP)? Did you know that Guyana’s debt servicing stands at only six per cent its revenue earnings? Both of these debt-related indicators are among the lowest and best in the world. Most Caricom countries have debtto-GDP ratio of greater than 75 per cent. Overall, Caricom’s debtto-GDP ratio is 74 per cent, with Barbados 156 per cent, Antigua and Barbuda 101 per cent, Belize 123 per cent, Dominica 109 per cent, Jamaica 107 per cent and Suriname 148 per cent. The US debt ratio is more than 100 per cent. Guyana, at just 16 per cent, is among only a handful of countries with a debt-toGDP ratio below 20 per cent.

Certainly, in Caricom and in Latin America, Guyana has the best debt-to-GDP ratio. In terms of debt payment (servicing), Guyana spends only six per cent of its current revenues. This, too, Dr Leslie Ramsammy is the best in Caricom and Latin America and among the very best in the world.

Last week, this column took to task those naysayers who wildly proclaimed that Guyana is a failed state. This is not just patently untrue; it is a total deliberate fabrication. The fabrication that Guyana is either a failed state or on the pathway to a failed state is only one of the many misrepresentations and misinformation in a campaign of lies pushed by the Opposition People’s National Congress/A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (PNC/APNU/AFC) and some commentators masquerading as the people’s representatives. Even as they push ridiculous claims of Guyana being a failed state, they also push the claim that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is on a reckless borrowing spree. The facts say differently, but the naysayers continue to push their “jumbie” stories. In fact, Guyana is on an economic and social transformation path unequalled at the moment by any other country and its borrowing is way below its economic growth.

One of the “jumbie” stories spread by the naysayers is that the Irfaan Ali-led PPP Government is on a borrowing spree and that Guyana is living above its means. These naysayers believe that the loans taken to construct Amaila Hydroelectricity plant, the Demerara Harbour Bridge, the Linden-to-Mabura Road, hospitals and schools are mortgaging Guyana’s future. The naysayers know the truth.

They simply put out these outlandish claims in the hope that they can mislead Guyanese citizens. The fact that these wild assertions have not gained traction, however, proves our point – that is that Guyanese citizens are one step ahead of the naysayers.

Yes, President Irfaan Ali, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and the PPP Government have accelerated the modernisation and expansion of Guyana’s economic and social infrastructure and, as part of this acceleration, the Government has borrowed money from various multinational development banks. But the Irfaan Aliled Government is following in the footsteps of the Bharrat Jagdeoled PPP Government in ensuring that borrowing remains at an affordable and manageable level while not waiting to develop the country’s economic and social infrastructure. While the naysayers find borrowing that is below 20 per cent of Guyana’s GDP reckless, these same naysayers ignore that there was a time, under the PNC, when Guyana’s debt-to-GDP ratio was 953 per cent, among the worst in the world. These same naysayers who find that debt servicing at six per cent is reckless ignore that there was a time when debt servicing was an impossible 114 per cent of Guyana’s income. None of them ever said then that the Government was reckless, but they now find borrowing which ranks as the most responsible in the world reckless.

Last week, President Irfaan Ali highlighted the Government’s trajectory of making the East Coast an industrial corridor. At the same time, West Bank Demerara is emerging as a shore-based industrial site, especially catering for the oil and gas industry. The same thing is happening on East Bank Demerara. The move to shift the sugar packaging plant to Albion is adding an industrial base on the Corentyne. With a deep-water harbour and rice packaging already planned for Berbice and the possibility of an oil refinery on the Berbice River, industrialisation and manufacturing jobs are being spread across the country.

In spite of the positive news, some of these naysayers keep making up disaster stories. The headline in one newspaper as the week began is that it could take more than 10 years to clean up an oil spill. That might be true. But the fact is that all countries with oil extraction take this risk. The question is, does Guyana want to leave the oil in the ground, because there is a risk of an oil spill? America did not leave the oil in the ground or deep under the sea bed, although there was a risk of an oil spill. Russia did not leave the oil in the ground. Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Brazil, Venezuela and the Middle East countries did not leave oil in the ground although the risk of an oil spill existed. But our naysayers talk about the possibility of an oil spill in a way to mislead our people into thinking it is a bad idea to extract the oil. The anti-oil naysayers are trying their best, using all kinds of ingenious excuses to get the Guyanese people to reject the Government’s commitment to extract our oil so that finally the Guyanese people can live in prosperity. It is especially irritating to see the desperate means being used to every day beat the drums of gloom and doom.

The views expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Guyana Times’ editorial policy and stance

regional hospitals to be revamped R esources and investments will be made across regional hospitals in the country, allowing for ophthalmology services to be offered to the population.

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony disclosed on Monday that within the past two years, work has been ongoing to rehabilitate theatres and install equipment necessary for eye surgeries at the Port Mourant Hospital.

“We offer our referral eye services at the Georgetown Public Hospital but we have also been working on restoring the infrastructure and restarting surgical procedures at the Port

Mourant Ophthalmology Centre…We have been able to restart some amount of surgical procedures at the hospital. We’re hoping with the increase in investment and restoring some of the equipment and so forth, that we’ll be able to offer a wider range of services at Port Mourant.”

The wider aim is to address the need for such eyecare services at all regional hospitals, through investments in resources.

“In addition, we are looking at regional hospitals where we can improve the ophthalmology services that we offer and to make sure that at principal regional hospitals, there is

some level of ophthalmology service,” Dr Anthony underscored.

The Ministry has been collaborating with John Hopkins University, identifying how the techniques, technology, and apparatus used can be brought here.

Interest has been shown for a specific device that can conduct eye tests at a faster rate during outreaches.

“They have piloted snapon spectacles or lens and this is a very simple technology to use but it can have a great impact. You go into a community, you’re able to test everyone’s eyes very quickly and based on the results of those tests, you can give them a spec-

tacle.”

This programme will be piloted this year, commencing in remote areas where residents do not have much access to such services. If successful, it will be replicated in other areas.

“We’ve also been expanding our services as it regards to checking the retina. With diabetic patients, it is a requirement as part of the management protocol to check the retina of the eye periodically. This has been a challenge because there are few places that would offer those checks. We’re now expanding that service,” the Minister added.

20 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana ready for sitting of NGSA – Min Manickchand ...says effects of COVID closure now unfolding Speaking on the concluded mock exams, intended to prepare students for the assessment, the Minister outlined that she was satisfied with its rollout. Students would also be able to identify their weaknesses ahead of the exams.

“Mock exams are usually made up so that we can give children the experience of sitting an exam as well as exposure to the type of environment that will come so that on the exam day, there is no shock. Students can

Education Minister Priya Manickchand

E

ducation Minister Priya Manickchand stated that Guyana is prepared for the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), scheduled to be written this July.

In an engagement with the media on Monday, Manickchand revealed that while a section of the population is also lobbying for schools to remain closed, the effects of closure during the pandemic are manifesting now. Moreover, there can be a higher dropout rate.

In this light, she underscored that the country must remain steadfast, sit the exams and formulate actions to address recovery.

“We are physically ready.

We will have the exam paper in July, that is set and marked by CXC. I think now though, we are now seeing an unfolding across the country, in the Ministry, of the effects of two years of school closure. It was something a lot of people dealt with lightly. The Opposition still is calling for schools to remain closed.”

“You might even have the phenomena of dropouts presenting itself in larger numbers than we have seen before. We have seen indications of all of those things.

We’re ready to sit the exams.

The better question I think is are we ready to recover from the two years of school closure,” Manickchand shared.

go in and do their best. The first one is usually a wakeup call to many, including parents who think their children were high-flyers and doing very well. There’s a lot of space between the first and the exam day. I’m satisfied that it was run-off very well. I’m satisfied that there was no indication to us from schools, parents, students one anyone else that mistakes were on the paper.”

On the other hand, while some stakeholders had called for an extension for

the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), the Minister said the dates remain unchanged. She pointed out that it is a regional examination, and the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) is responsible for finalising the timeline.

“Any kind of CXC exams, except for NGSA, is not a decision we can take by ourselves in Guyana. We can advocate vociferously and

aggressively about what our students want and what would be in their best interest but it is not something we can do by ourselves. It’s a regional exam. Personally, I think the exams could have been put back a little bit. We cannot continue or begin as though we did not sit it out for two years. Guyana is the first country that went back into schools so our children are not that badly off but at this stage, the exams remain when they were scheduled for,” she related.

Region 2 residents urged to take advantage of GOAL programme

V

ice President Bharrat Jagdeo called on young people and to an extent all residents in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) to take full advantage of the opportunity of the Government’s Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) scholarship programme.

He made this call to those who attended a public meeting at the Anna Regina Multilateral School on Tuesday as a part of his three-day visit to the Essequibo Coast.

The initiative is a part-

nership between the Education and Public Service Ministries which provides online studies at several recognised universities.

These include Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), India; JAIN “deemed to be” University, India; University of West Indies (Open Campus); University of Southern Caribbean (Trinidad) and International University of Applied Sciences (IU), Germany.

The VP stressed the im-

portance of enrolling, noting that it will chart a new course for Guyana’s future. He also said the GOAL Scholarship is the realisation of the PPP/C Administration’s manifesto promise to enhance education nationwide.

“I hope that as students and particularly given what our desire is for you when you graduate that is to create a job in the future that will allow you to lead the country to the potential that we outline. The GOAL scholarship is an essential skill that will allow you to prosper in this world... A deserving type of skill we searched for.” Dr Jagdeo told the awardees.

He further noted that Government understands the value of Information and Communications Technology and as such, pointed out that with more competition and greater bandwidth, the cost will decrease.

Jagdeo assured the attendees that the main aim is to bring the cost down and make sure the scholars have stable, reliable, and

accessible internet capacity.

Meanwhile, an awardee of the GOAL Scholarship, Devin Persaud said that he is thankful for the initiative, and as such he is sure that the scholarship will assist him to gain a job in the future.

“I finished school over a year now and I have applied to several places for employment and never get through... However, I saw that the GOAL Scholarship application is open and I decided to apply, luckily, I am appointed to be a part of to study. I am thankful that I am accepted because I don’t work and I rather study than waste time home and I’m sure it will assist me in gaining a job in the future,” Persaud said.

The Vice President was accompanied by Education Minister Priya Manickchand; Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall; Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry Susan Rodrigues; GOAL Director, Professor Jacob Opadeyi, and regional officials.

NEWS

21

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana exploring more options to access potable water

Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal

T

he need for Guyana to explore, analyse and monitor its groundwater resources was underscored by several officials on Tuesday during an event to commemorate World Water Day 2022 which is being observed under the theme “Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible.”

Chief Executive Officer of Guyana Water Inc (GWI) Shaik Baksh believes that the local water supply sector needs to be re-envisioned while Water Minister Collin Croal posited that the sustainable use of water resources is the way into the future.

During the opening of

the exhibition that was held at the National Cultural Centre Tarmac in recognition of World Water Day 2022, Head of GWI Shaik Baksh revealed that the company has 135 wells that are currently functioning as the major suppliers of potable water.

This is coupled with over 20 Private Sector wells.

He added that the company is currently looking at ways to support the dynamic drive of the Government and will have to drill more wells to accommodate those projects. However, he said going into the future, the Government needs to explore other options of access-

58% Guyanese businesses need to outsource ICT needs to stay competitive

W

ith smart solutions, cybersecurity, and cloud services all being cited by businesses in Guyana as vital to future business growth, the issue may not be one of technology availability and awareness, but of human capital.

That’s one of the key findings from the latest research carried out by Digicel Business with business customers in Guyana.

Conducted with the top decision-makers in 117 businesses in Guyana, 53 per cent of the businesses interviewed had an annual turnover in excess of US$1 million with 32 per cent recording over US$6 million in annual turnover and 33 per cent of the companies were multi-nationals.

Interestingly with 64 per cent of respondents managing and maintaining their technology platforms themselves in-house, only 42 per cent of businesses declared themselves confident that they could secure the technology human capital required to continue to manage their ICT platforms themselves and keep up with the rapid pace of technology advancement and change.

And with 38 per cent saying that they would require a technology partner to manage their ICT requirements in a fast-changing environment, a further 13 per cent of businesses declared themselves to be “struggling” in this area - all of which points to a technical skills shortage in Guyana which, in good news for Guyanese businesses, can be filled with partners like Digicel Business.

“We bring the technology human capital so that our business customers don’t need to. There’s a high awareness among Guyanese businesses of the fundamental need to embrace cloud solutions, cybersecurity and smart solutions in order to stay connected, competitive and customer-centric. And with the explosion of industries like oil and gas, there’s a huge demand for ICT solutions, but there’s a blocker when it comes to finding and retaining that tech talent. That’s where Digicel Business comes in. It’s our job to take the technology headaches away and free up our customers to do what they do best – looking after their customers,” Digicel’s Head of Business-toBusiness Sales, ICT Sales, Nalini Vieira related.

ing water. “…in Region 10 there is a source there in which we extract the water directly from the creek, and it is fed with chlorination into the distribution network. This is what we would like to see replicated… only last week I was at the East Demerara Conservancy, we looked at the water, and it looked like a very good source of water…much more work has to be done,” he said.

Baksh said the extraction of water for the year 2019 was 13 million cubic meters of water a month, and that rose to 15 million cubic metres monthly, something the company cannot sustain.

“Better management of the resource, and of the unfractured is required…by 2021, we were back to the 2019 figure… we recognise these things and there is a big cost.”

GWI CEO Shaik Baksh

He further revealed that GWI spent $606 million in chemicals last year for their treatment plants.

“This is a huge sum indeed. For the energy to drive our wells and the treatment

plants, is nearly $3 billion we spent last year. We are on the move to construct 12 new treatment plants so we have to plan carefully in terms of energy efficiency and chemical use,” he ex-

plained.

According to Baksh, the water supply sector in Guyana needs to be re-envisioned.

Meanwhile, Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal stated that with the increasing demand for clean water, it is pertinent that all of our water sources are protected.

As such, the Government has set clear objectives to achieve Sustainable Development Goal Six: water and sanitation for all by 2030. These include increasing potable water coverage to 100 per cent by 2025 and increasing treated water coverage.

The Minister has already disclosed that a study would soon get underway to determine whether the water captured at the Hope Canal facility can be treated to be used as a sustainable source to serve the East Coast Demerara (ECD) corridor.

22

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

23

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Corentyne hit and run

Driver slapped with 2 counts of causing death, 3 other charges

A

37-year-old driver was on Tuesday remanded to prison for causing the deaths of two persons who were killed in a hit-and-run accident along the Number 70 Public Road on Friday evening last.

Vivendra Ramdharry of Number 69 Village, Corentyne, was slapped with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, two counts of failing to render assistance and one count of failing to stop after accident.

He appeared at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Alex Moore and was not required to plead to the causing death

Charged: Vivendra Ramdharry

charges. However, he pleaded not guilty to failing to render assistance and failing to stop after accident.

Ramdharry was represented by Attorney-at-Law Bernard DaSilva.

It is alleged at on March 18, 2022, Ramdharry drove motor van PVV 1015 in a dangerous manner causing the death of 28-year-old Felicia Fernandes of Coveden, East Bank Demerara (EBD), and Toney Lakeram, 19, of Number 71 Village, Corentyne.

Police prosecutor, Corporal Winston Poliah objected to bail saying that the accused rendered no assistance after hitting the duo.

Dead: Toney Lakeram

Dead: Felicia Fernandes

He told the court that Ramdharry, rather than taking the two injured persons to seek medical attention,

went home and changed vehicles, and made his way to Georgetown.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

24 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Taxi driver shot while Driver slapped with 2... at Timehri nightclub

FROM PAGE 23

A

30-year-old taxi driver of Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara (ECD), is a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) after he was shot whilst imbibing at a nightclub at Timehri, EBD. Though the incident occurred since March 17, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is only now releasing details on the crime.

According to the Police, the suspect remains at large.

Reports are that at around 22:30h on Thursday

last, the victim was at the Freedom Bar Night Club with friends when the suspect approached, withdrew a handgun, and fired a single shot at the taxi driver.

The bullet struck him to his left leg.

The victim was immediately taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre and later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital for advanced medical treatment. His condition is listed as stable.

Investigations are ongoing.

He pointed out that Ramdharry was arrested

by Police in Division 4 and handed over to the Police in B Division.

On the other hand, Attorney-at-Law Bernard DaSilva told the court that his client travelled to Georgetown to meet him while a relative in Berbice made the report at Springlands Police Station.

“Ramdharry is not a flight risk and should be granted bail,” DaSilva told the court while noting that the accused’s relatives are currently negotiating with the relatives of the deceased.

The lawyer also sought the court’s permission to

grant the relatives of deceased time to share their sentiments of granting bail.

Permission was granted and an uncle of Lakeram told the court, “I think you should put he on bail because the family come forward and they were nice”.

On the other hand, Fernandes’s mother also indicated to the court that bail should be granted.

Nevertheless, Magistrate Moore said he has to protect both sides and was looking into the interest of the deceased, thus bail was denied.

Ramdharry will have to return to court on April 14, when the matter comes up for a Police progress report.

25 Guyana embarks on modernisation of public sector G NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

eared at overhauling the public sector through the use of information technology and other modernised approaches, Guyana has initiated efforts to ensure it achieves the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Public Service Ministry partnered with several international organisations for a virtual workshop on “Innovation, Digital Government and Changing Mindsets for Public Sector Transformation in Guyana

to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”.

The objective was to develop an understanding of the key role of the public administration in implementing the SDGs and the need for changing mindsets. This forum also allowed stakeholders to explore the role of innovation in public sector transformation and Guyana’s vision to undertake this target.

Government Advisor, Dr Jennifer Westford said this is a turning point for trans-

formation and will result in a public sector that can keep pace with the fast-growing economy. She lamented that public sector services cannot continue in an “archaic or lackadaisical” way.

“Guyana is undoubtedly a breath-taking country, which possesses every enviable resource one could think of but even so, our society is not as advanced and modernised as we would want it to be. It is, therefore, time to breathe life into the public sector and begin implement-

Sexual, gender-based...

Meanwhile, Minister Persaud participated in the Ministerial Roundtable for the Commission on the Status of Women under the theme, “Achieving Gender Equality and Empowerment of all Women and Girls in the Context of Climate Change, Environmental and Disaster Risk Reduction Policies and Programmes: Advancing Gender Equality Through Holistic and Integrated Actions from Global to Local”.

“Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy, which seeks to transform the economy while combat-

ing climate change, promotes the inclusion of women and vulnerable groups in key economic sectors.

Since the strategy’s launch in 2009, women have benefitted significantly, including through micro, small enterprise and entrepreneurial projects and job opportunities. 62 per cent of the low carbon cash grants were awarded to women, who were trained in climate smart agriculture, sustainable forestry, photography and business development,” Minister Persaud detailed.

With 85 per cent of Guyana covered in forest, it

Public Service Ministry Advisor, Dr Jennifer Westford FROM PAGE 14

has the second-highest percentage on earth. Minister Persaud reiterated that Guyanese women are leading in climate action and advocacy while also dominating agricultural subsectors with rural and remote communities having economic opportunities in the expanding low carbon eco-tourism sector.

“Our global achievement of gender equality in the context of climate change is heavily reliant on each country’s commitment and genuine desire to mitigate the devastating impact of climate change globally,” Minister Persaud said.

ing policies and programmes that are modern.”

Westford added, “There is much to be done, starting with the creation of a comprehensive, strategic plan…

The services that we offer must be modern and easily accessible. Our systems must no longer frustrate our people but alleviate their daily worries and challenges”.

Executive Director of the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD), Devon Rowe

said improvement requires a change in mindset.

“The mindset of the public service must change and one important change is to move from a total focus on rules and procedures towards an equal focus on results. We’re all aware that there is still an implementation deficit in our region. Improvement requires a change in mindset.

Our behaviours and organisational cultures need to change.”

Regional Coordinator

and Lead Technical Advisor on ICT at Caricom, Jennifer Briton identified that from surveys conducted over the past two years, many respondents flagged Government’s leadership as an important catalyst in responding to the digital ecosystem that is dawning.

According to her, Guyana has already understood the benefits of integration and can share its successes with the region.

“We anticipate that Guyana will continue to show the leadership that it has always shown through this initiative and all other areas that are related to transformation and innovation. Guyana is on the cusp of a brand-new economic model and landscape. That requires additional attention from senior public servants.”

Partners in this mechanism include the Caribbean Community (Caricom), the United Nations, and the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD).

26

guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

Regional

Former Nicaragua presidential Venezuela’s Opposition presses US to hold off its consideration of oil imports candidate Chamorro gets 8 S years for financial crimes

Cristiana Chamorro talks to the media outside the Interior Ministry, where she was notified of an investigation against her due to inconsistencies in the financial reports of the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation, in Managua, Nicaragua, May 20, 2021

A

Judge late on Monday sentenced former Nicaraguan presidential candidate Cristiana Chamorro to eight years of detention for money laundering and misuse of funds, in a case that Government opponents argue was politically motivated.

A Judge will later decide if she will serve her sentence under house arrest or in prison.

Chamorro and her broth-

er were convicted of various financial crimes on March 11. They are children of former President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, who defeated current President Daniel Ortega in 1990 elections to end his first term in power.

Chamorro’s brother, Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, received a nine-year sentence from the same Judge, while three workers from the free speech foundation

bearing Chamorro’s mother’s name were ordered to pay US$2 million each.

A lawyer representing Cristiana Chamorro, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to fears of reprisals, dismissed the sentence, saying there was no evidence to support the charges.

Prosecutors alleged that Chamorro received, through the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation, millions of dollars to help destabilise the Government.

She has dismissed the accusations as political revenge to tar the legacy of her mother and her father, Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, a Journalist assassinated by the Somoza dictatorship in 1978.

Another brother living in exile in Costa Rica, Carlos Fernando Chamorro, said the sentences “show the Ortega regime is in crisis, that it can no longer govern and has nothing to offer Nicaraguans.”

The Government did not immediately reply to a request for comment. (Excerpt from Reuters)

idelined in high-level talks between the United States and Venezuela, the South American country’s Opposition is pressing Washington to condition any easing of oil sanctions on political concessions, three people involved in the matter said, adding new hurdles to oil companies hoping to resume operations there.

US diplomats have sought to find energy supplies worldwide that can help replace Russian oil and gas as buyers steer clear of Russia’s imports over its invasion of Ukraine.

US officials met Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas for the first bilateral talks in years earlier this

month.

The Venezuelan Opposition request adds to the issues temporarily thwarting efforts by oil firms to win US approvals to get access to the country’s crude for unpaid debts. If accepted, the Opposition’s proposal will pause any consideration of US imports of Venezuelan oil.

Furore created by the diplomats’ visit to Caracas has effectively chilled hopes for Chevron Corp, Eni SpA and Repsol to win US approvals that would help them trade Venezuelan oil cargoes for billions of dollars in past debts.

The Opposition’s stance, laid out in recent meetings between US State

Department officials and Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó’s envoys, undercuts a faction within President Joe Biden’s Administration seeking a new policy toward the country with the world’s largest crude reserves.

Washington recognises Guaidó as Venezuela’s rightful leader and had shunned Maduro after calling his 2018 re-election a sham.

US oil sanctions imposed in 2019 were aimed at ousting Maduro. The US officials’ visit to Venezuela caught the Opposition by surprise and sparked a backlash from US Republicans and some of Biden’s fellow Democrats in Congress. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Guatemala detains dozens of migrants, mostly Cubans, in boats heading to US

G

uatemala’s migration institute said on Tuesday it found two boats transporting 50 Cuban migrants and two Honduran migrants trying to reach the United States illegally by sea.

The boats were discovered on Monday night by the National Defence Navy in the area of ??Rio Dulce, a lake and river system on Guatemala’s eastern coast, according to a statement by the institute released on Tuesday. Another eight Cuban migrants, part of the same group, were detained while travelling in the

area by land.

The immigration authority called the attempted maritime passage “a new trend in the region” in its statement.

The migrants were expelled to Honduras, where they had set out from, the authority said.

Cuban nationals must present a visa to enter Guatemala.

Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama now also require a visa to pass through their airports, frustrating waves of Cubans looking to flee the Caribbean country as its economy fal-

ters.

According to migration data, 84 Cubans have been expelled so far this year and last year after trying to cross through Guatemala, part of the route to reach the United States.

The number of Cubans detained at the border between the United States and Mexico also sky-rocketed in February, reaching to 16,531, the highest monthly figure on record, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. (Excerpt from Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

27

Around the World Russian air strikes wreak havoc on Mariupol, turning Ukrainian city to "ashes"

I

ntense Russian air strikes hit the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and street fighting raged on Tuesday, a day after it rejected Moscow's demand to surrender, Ukrainian officials said.

The city council said the bombardments were turning Mariupol into the "ashes of a dead land".

Russia's RIA news agency said Russian forces and units of Russian-backed separatists had taken about half of the city, citing a separatist leader.

The Governor of Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said street fighting was taking place there and civilians as well as Ukrainian troops were coming under Russian fire.

On the 27th day of war

A Ukrainian service member walks, as the Russian invasion continues, in a destroyed village on the front line in the east Kyiv region, Ukraine, March 21, 2022

in Ukraine, the plight of civilians in Mariupol, normally home to 400,000 people, grew ever more desperate.

Hundreds of thousands are believed to be trapped inside buildings, with no access to food, water, power or heat.

"There is nothing left

there," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video address to Italy's Parliament.

Deputy Mayor Sergei Orlov told CNN the city was under a full blockade and had received no humanitarian aid.

"The city is under continuous bombing, from 50 bombs to 100 bombs Russian aircraft drops each day... A lot of death, a lot of crying, a lot of awful war crimes," Orlov said.

Mariupol has become the focus of the war that erupted on Feb 24 when Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his troops over the border on what he calls a "special military operation" to demilitarise Ukraine and replace its pro-Western leadership.

Having failed to seize the capital Kyiv or any other major city with a swift offensive, Russian forces are waging a war of attrition that has reduced some urban areas to rubble and taken a huge civilian toll. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Canada's NDP agrees to support Trudeau's Liberals until 2025

C

anadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal minority government has reached a deal with the New Democratic Party (NDP) to stay in power until 2025.

In exchange, the Liberals will support the left-leaning NDP on several of the party's key priorities in Parliament.

Trudeau said on Tuesday that he believes the agreement will provide "stability" for Canadians.

The move has been strongly criticised by Canada's Conservative

Party.

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Trudeau said that the deal - which he termed a "supply and confidence" agreement - begins today and will continue through the end of Canada's current Parliament in 2025.

"What this means is that during this uncertain time, the Government can function with predictability and stability, present and implement budgets and get things done for Canadians," he said.

The deal differs to a coalition, where parties share

4 killed after stabbing attack in Israel’s Naqab region

A

Palestinian man was fatally shot after reportedly carrying out a stabbing attack near a shopping centre in the southern Israeli city of Beer al-Sabe (Be’er Sheva), killing at least four people and wounding two others.

The suspected attacker was identified by local media as 33-year-old Ahmed alQiaan, a teacher who hailed from the town of Hura in the Naqab (Negev) region, and had been imprisoned for alleged links to the ISIL (ISIS) group. He was shot by a passer-by at a petrol station, Israeli Police said on Tuesday.

“It appeared to be a single terrorist who went on a stabbing spree,” Police spokesman Eli Levy said on Tuesday, in remarks to Channel 13 TV. “A civilian took the initiative and shot and killed him.”

Medics said three wom-

en and a man were killed by the attacker, and that at least two other people were wounded, one critically.

Palestinian media reported that Israeli Police carried out a raid in Hura later on Tuesday, shutting down roads and surrounding al-Qiaan’s residence.

An Israeli court in 2015 had sentenced him to four years in prison after accusing him of being an ISIL member.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office said in a statement that security forces were “on high alert”.

“We will act vigorously against terrorist operations.

We will follow up and arrest those who provided them with assistance,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, Hamas, the group that governs the occupied Gaza Strip, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, praised the attack. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

power. Instead, the Liberals - who failed to win a majority in the past two elections - will continue to govern as a minority, but with assurances the NDP will support them in confidence votes.

While Trudeau predicted that the two parties would continue to disagree in some areas, he said they had identified some key policy areas in which they share similar

objectives, including healthcare, housing and the environment.

"These are things that fit within our universe of priorities, but are easy to move forward in a constructive way that assures that, on a broad range of issues, Parliament gets to focus on delivering for Canadians," he added. (Excerpt from BBC News)

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil edges lower as EU looks less likely to ban Russian oil

O

il edged lower on Tuesday after it looked unlikely that European Union nations would agree to join the United States in a Russian oil embargo in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine.

EU Foreign Ministers were split on the ban as some countries, including Germany, say the bloc is too dependent on Russia's fossil fuels to withstand such a step.

"It's pretty clear that the German economy will seize up so the EU is backing away from a Russian ban," said John Kilduff, partner at Again LLC in New York.

Brent crude fell 14 cents, or 0.2 per cent, to settle at US$115.48 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude ended 36 cents, or 0.3 per cent, lower at US$111.76. On Monday, both contracts had settled up more than 7 per cent on the potential EU ban.

Adding to supply shortages, oil exports by Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) may fall by around 1 million barrels per day (bpd) while it repairs two of three mooring points damaged by a storm in Russia's section of the Black Sea, RIA news agency quoted Russia's energy ministry as saying.

French oil major TotalEnergies, which has come under criticism after it stopped short of joining rivals Shell and BP in planning to divest oil and gas assets in Russia, said on Tuesday it would to quit Russian oil supply contracts.

Oil prices also drew support from threats to supply as Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group attacked Saudi energy and water desalination facilities over the weekend. On Monday, Saudi Arabia said it would not bear responsibility for any global supply shortages after the attacks by the Houthis, signalling growing Saudi frustration with Washington's handling of Yemen and Iran.

The oil market will watch the latest round of weekly US inventory data for clearer direction. Analysts expect crude oil inventories to rise slightly. (Excerpt from Reuters)

28

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

guyanatimesgy.com

DAILY HOROSCOPES

ARCHIE

Reach out to someone who can help you excel. Don’t wait for things to come to you; take control and do your part.

Change begins with you. Now’s the time to chase your dreams.

(March 21-April 19) If the path is clear, move ahead, but if it’s not, back away. Keep life simple and your plans doable. Refuse to let emotional situations push you toward indulgence. Know your limits.

DILBERT

(April 20-May 20)

(May 21-June 20)

Be original without being impractical. Push forward with common sense.

You’ll recognize when situations and suggestions are not worthy of your time or money. Put your strength where it will count.

An emotional response will not help you get your way. Look for the good in everything and everyone. Do your best to make a difference and be part of the solution.

PEANUTS

(June 21-July 22) Unreasonable behavior won’t impress anyone, but a kind gesture will attract the people you want in your circle.

You’ll figure out the changes required to set you on a positive path.

(July 23-Aug. 22) Concentrate on changes that improve your life and relationships. Channel your energy into the things that make you happy, and it will ease stress and inspire you.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

If you trust others to do things your way, you’ll be disappointed. Be passionate about your beliefs and dedicated to your loved ones and the causes you care about. Don’t overspend to impress someone.

Put yourself in someone else’s shoes and rethink your next move. You can bring about positive change without disrupting or challenging someone’s beliefs.

Give others the freedom to do as they please.

SUDOKU (Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Actions will take precedence over words. How you use your skills, knowledge and experience to reach your goals will make a bold statement. Do what’s best for you while also helping others.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

Be careful how and who you defend.

Gather information before joining a movement that may not live up to your principles. A change at home can alter how you feel about someone close to you.

Don’t assume; verify facts.

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19) A direct approach to professional and financial matters will be essential.

Emotional spending or letting your feelings disrupt your responsibilities will hinder your progress.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Put everything in place before you share your intentions with others. A sudden change will leave you scrambling. Focus on doing things right the first time and sticking to a budget.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

29

Georgetown, West Demerara record wins A

s the action continued in the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB)/ Premier Insurance U-15 Inter-association 2022 tournament, Georgetown batters humbled East Bank Demerara to claim their fourth win at MYO Ground, while at MetenMeer-Zorg, Naresh Sankar ripped through the Upper Demerara line-up to give West Demerara their second win.

At MYO, East Bank won the toss and chose to bat, scoring a meagre 71 all out from 33.3 overs from their allotted 50 overs. Middleorder batter Roupie Rajaran top-scored with 17 while opener Josiah Lim chipped in with 11; no other batter managed to reach double figures. Spinner Dhanesh Persaud collected 3 for 14 while Brandon Henry claimed 2 for 8 and Shane Prince, Kwesi Wikinson,

Reyaz Latif and Johnathan Mentore took one wicket apiece.

In reply, Georgetown raced to their target from 17.4 overs as openers Lomar Seecharran and Kishan Silas contributed 29 and 23 respectively.

Sayyad Lakeram was the lone wicket-taker for the East Bank team as Georgetown won by 7 wickets.

Meanwhile, at Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Demerara won the toss and elected to bat scoring 63 all out from 21.3 overs.

Arvind Suknanad topscored with 12 and was the lone batter to score double figures. Keron Phillips and Vickram Persaud claimed 3 for 13 and 3 for 9 respectively, while Carlos Clark collected 2 for 13.

In response, Upper Demerara struggled as they fell for 41 from 13 overs.

Phillips came out with the bat and tried to take his team to their target before he was dismissed for 14.

Bowling for West Demerara, Sankar ripped through the Upper Demerara batting line-up as he claimed 8 for 7 and was supported by Shaker Lall and Joshua Kishudidial who took one wicket each. West Demerara won by 22 runs.

Lomar Seecharran and Kishan Silas scored 29 and 23 for Georgetown

Bulls to “pull back” on Lonzo Ball knee return ahead of play-offs

L

Windies’ Brathwaite wants pacer-friendly pitch in Grenada

K

West Indies Test Captain Kraigg Braithwaite

raigg Brathwaite, Captain of the West Indies Test team, is expecting an easier pitch for the pace bowlers in Grenada, where the third Test of the Apex Test series takes place from Thursday, at the National Stadium in St George’s.

The previous two Tests ended in drawn results, at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Asked during a postgame media conference if he expected his bowlers to have

an easier surface in Grenada, Brathwaite responded, “Let’s hope so. I haven’t been there in a while, so we’ve got to see when we get there. The guys are looking forward to the third Test.”

There has been much debate over the lifeless surfaces provided at both Antigua and Barbados. Brathwaite pointed out, “They didn’t offer much to the pacers, but it’s not much I can do. Let’s hope in Grenada we can get some more assistance for the pacers.”

Brathwaite was named as the Man of the Match in the

Dhanesh Persaud bagged 3-14 while Brandon Henry claimed 2-8

second Test after his knocks of 160 and 56 not out, and he spent a combined total of 955 minutes at the crease.

He acknowledged, “The guys bowled well, but I just decided I would stick to my plan as long as possible, and it paid off.”

Concerning the factors which enabled him to spend so much time at the crease (the most by a West Indian batsman in a Test match, in terms of minutes), Brathwaite pointed out, “Discipline, knowing my strengths, knowing what I can do and sticking to it as long as possible.”

The West Indies were set a victory target of 282 in two sessions to win the second Test.

Asked if there was any thought of going for the target, the WI skipper replied, “At the start, yes. We lost some wickets and that put us under a little bit of pressure.

From there, we just batted, spending time and seeing out the day.” (TT Newsday)

onzo Ball’s recovery from a left knee injury will be slowed with Chicago Bulls Head Coach Billy Donovan revealing they will “pull back” on the guard’s rehabilitation process.

Ball, who is averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists this season, has not played since January 14 when he sustained a slight meniscus tear, which required arthroscopic surgery.

The Bulls have been without Alex Caruso in recent weeks too, coinciding with their slide down the Eastern

Conference standings to fifth with a 42-29 record.

Donovan said the Bulls would pause Ball’s recovery for 10 days, taking him up to April 1, leaving only five regular-season games for him to return prior to the play-offs.

“The feeling was, let’s really pull back on what he’s doing and let’s let him, I don’t want to use the word rest because it’s not like he’s sitting around doing nothing – he’ll do strength training and those kind of things – but take a break on the running and trying to ramp him up,” Donovan told reporters prior to Monday’s 113-99 win

over the Toronto Raptors.

He added: “We’ll have a better feel of that once they get through this next 10 days. Obviously, it’s coming to the end of the season.

“I think that they felt like, OK if he can, over this 10-day period, really get back to the ramp-up period, because he has been out for quite some time, that would enable him to get back into contact relatively soon.

“But we can’t even get him into that until he gets over that hump, so I don’t want to speculate what may or may not happen after 10 days.” (Sportsmax)

30

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GISE/Star Party/Trophy Stall-GCA 1stDivision 2-day competition launched

GISE representative Verlene Van Lange

G

… Van Lange urges GCA to help develop players academically

eorgetown Cricket Association (GCA) launched its 2022 First-Division 2-day competition on Tuesday at the General & Industrial Supplies Enterprise (GISE) head office on Church Street. GISE is co-sponsor of the competition alongside Star Party Rentals and Trophy Stall.

Speaking at the simple ceremony was GCA President Neil Barry Sr, who showered the GISE with praise for coming on board yet again to sponsor the tournament.

Barry said, “On behalf of the GCA, we wish to extend our sincere gratitude, this group has been very significant to us. We recently completed the 2019 tournament due to COVID and now we are launching the 2022 tournament. First-Division cricket as you mentioned is the closest step from the Georgetown level to prepare our players for inter-county, then the national [level] and go on to West Indian cricket.”

Barry also noted that the two-day ver-

sion of cricket is where the cricketers learn to craft their skills, develop them and learn to become Test cricketers. He further relayed that the two-day version was also beneficial in preparing the players for the T20 and 50-over formats.

“The game of cricket also demands a lot from a young cricketer – participation, especially from Test level. Because as times change and as the game goes through the different days and different sessions, one has to be fully alert and concentrate. The GCA is cognisant of that and we do have some programmes in place, starting from as young as the primary school level which will be launched shortly, where we will be engaging the young students to get involved in the game of cricket,” Barry explained.

He further divulged that the GCA was looking to develop a female programme as cricket was open to everyone. Barry also made mention that he would accept the challenge of focusing on the development of

athletes not only in the field of cricket but in the academic arena.

Also sharing her sentiments was GISE representative Verlene Van Lange, who restated her company’s commitment to cricket in Georgetown. Van Lange shared the history of GISE founder Yadram Rajkumar, whose vision was to afford youths the opportunity to play sports, an opportunity which he never had. Van Lange explained that the sponsorship was aimed at facilitating players to aspire to become future members of the West Indies cricket team.

“Over the years, research has shown the strong relationship between cricket and academia. To become efficient and excel at any sport requires dedication and prac-

tice to that sport. This dedication used to develop oneself can be applied to academia.

Consequently, we would like to challenge the GCA to not only focus on the performance of the players on the field, but also play a significant role in ensuring that players are exposed to classes, in order for them to be a well-rounded Guyanese sports personality,” Van Lange posited.

She noted that this education would equip the players to speak well publicly and inspire other young men to become future cricketers.

All GCA cricket matches can be followed live on https://cricclubs.com/ GeorgetownCricketAssociation.

Hennessy pours support for Rawle Toney 3x3 Classic in Linden

“House of Majesty Golf Tourney represented family A and community,” says Bowling … LGC unveils tournament schedule

GCA President Neil Barry Sr

NSA McAL Trading Limited, the distributor behind the world’s most popular cognac, Hennessy, has pledged its support towards the Rawle Toney 3x3 Classic Linden edition, which is set for April 23 in Richmond Hill.

Hennessy made a grand beginning to its sponsorship of basketball in Guyana when it refurbished and beautified the storied Burnham Basketball Court in January.

ANSA McAL’s Hennessy, Moet, and Wines Manager, Atina Samad pointed out that the brand planned to “continue to refurbish courts throughout the communities and continue

and we will continue to sponsor and support the tournaments. One of our drivers is to align entertainment with sports and that’s one of our biggest takeaways this year.”

Tournament organiser Rawle Toney thanked Hennessy for its support, explaining that “Ansa McAl and Hennessy didn’t hesitate in offering support. And that says a lot about their belief in what I’m trying to achieve in Linden with my 3x3 event”.

Toney said the event in Linden, which is set for the residence of Kashif Muhammad, will feature Barbados recording artiste ‘Mole de Chief’,

in basketball, where similarly to what is done in the Kashif and Shanghai Football Tournament, teams are given a fee to participate. It might seem farfetched to some, but you have to respect the players; they’re the commodity.”

Jump ball time is 18:00h (6:00 pm), with live entertainment right after the basketball aspect of the event.

CLASSIFIED ADS ACCOMMODATIONS

LGC Club Secretary Chet Bowling

By Timothy Jaikarran

T

he Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) recently concluded its House of Majesty Golf Tournament over the weekend and a plethora of winners were rewarded.

According to LGC Club Secretary Chet Bowling, the tournament created an atmosphere which represented family and community.

He also revealed other tournaments on the Club’s agenda as it was on course to complete yet another successful year.

In a sit-down with Guyana Times Sport, when asked his view on the recently-concluded tournament, Bowling

said, “The House of Majesty Beacon Ministries hosted a fantastic tournament, creating a family and community environment, which is very important to golf and which is something the Lusignan Golf Club cherishes. The atmosphere created by Beacon Ministries was one of family and community. The competition itself was very competitive with players grinding to be in the winners’ row, but the celebration of family and community after the tournament was definitely the high point of the day’s activities.

In addition to the golfers, the Beacon Ministry invited a full house of guests which included several children and youths. The atmosphere was one the LGC hopes to see more often.”

The LGC Club Secretary further divulged that the Club has a full slate of events leading up to a very full and exciting Easter weekend of golf, parties and kite flying. He noted that the LGC would soon put out the full agenda for the Easter weekend – in addition to the golf and kite flying the weekend

will also feature kids’ activities designed to get more kids playing golf regularly at LGC as 2022 is already off to an exciting start.

“The LGC will continue following COVID guidelines but we are cautiously optimistic that unlike a year ago we will be able to run full events where people are free to come out with family and friends to enjoy some of the exciting activities being planned. Last year, we had to pause or scale back our activities and outreach, but with the country almost back to normal, our plans will take flight in 2022,” Bowling explained.

As it pertains to what is on the LGC’S agenda, he relayed the schedule of events to follow includes this coming weekend’s golf tournament sponsored by Genuine Auto. The other tournaments on the schedule are: * April 2 – STP Investment Inc * April 9 – Amazone Planx * April 16 – Brusters Real ice cream * April 23 – IBGL * April 30 – Vincent Thakur

Aracari Hotel, West Bank Demerara (Versailles – between Harbor Bridge and Vreed-en-Hoop) – AirConditioned Comfort. Amenities include TV, Restaurant, Bar, Swimming Pool, Gym. Free Parking, Free WiFi. Spend 7 nights and get 1 Free. Rates from $45 US. Breakfast included.

Long term rates available. Phone: 264-2946-9. www.aracariresort. com

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Restaurant for Rent – West Bank Demerara (at Aracari Resort, Versailles – between Harbor Bridge and Vreed-en-Hoop). Turn Key Business. Covid-19 Reduced Capacity 60; furnished and equipped.

Phone 264-2946; 626-5290 Rawle Toney (left) and Hennessy, Moet and Wines Manager Atina Samad

to sponsor similar initiatives in terms of basketball”.

Hennessy was also one of the key sponsors for the February 19-20 Rawle Toney 3x3 at Burnham Court and according to Samad, ANSA McAL will continue to support basketball.

She added, “Hennessy recently signed on to basketball, specifically the NBA and one of the things they’re planning to do is improve the sport aspect of basketball throughout the Caribbean and other countries.”

“We’ve recently sponsored the Rawle Toney 3x3 Classic

whom he said would be visiting Guyana for the first time to perform.

“The idea is to fuse entertainment and basketball and I think for the first time, we’ll see that happening in Guyana.

3x3 basketball is the only sport that can give you nonstop music throughout the night while enjoying the game. Afterward, we’ll have a nice concert,” Toney said.

Eight teams will compete for $100,000 and other prizes. Each team will also receive an appearance fee of $25,000, with Toney stating, “the idea is to set a precedent

CAYMAN ISLANDS EMPLOYMENT Upholsterers and Drapery Makers/ Seamstresses NEEDED! Applicants should possess 5 years' experience.

Statutory benefits Inquiries: trimworksttd@outlook.com 1-345-9294038

ENTERTAINMENT Swimming Pool Family Fun & Picnic – Crystal Clear Pool. Kids and Adult Sections. Very Safe. Aracari Resort : West Bank Demerara (Versailles, between Harbor Bridge and Vreed-enHoop)- Every Weekend. DJ Music.

Groups and Excursions welcome.

(Fee applies)- Phone: 264-2946-9.

WANTED Person to cook and manage restaurant in Charity, Essequibo.

Accommodation provided. Attractive Salary. 223-5273/223-5274

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

turning to the fold.

The Courts Caribbean Classic will see Guyana take on Barbados on Sunday, March 27, and hosts Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday, March 29 in a three-team international friendly tournament. The competition is designed to prepare the rivals for their forthcoming CONCACAF Golden Jaguars Head Coach Nations League B Jamaal Shabazz fixtures in June.

“Our goal in olden Jaguars Head Coach Jamaal these matches is to inteShabazz has named grate the local core from the six overseas-based play- Suriname trip with some of ers in his squad for the the overseas based,” said Courts Caribbean Classic in Head Coach Shabazz. “We Trinidad and Tobago, which want to test the patterns kicks off this weekend, with of play we've been working playmaker Neil Danns, for- on and rekindle our rivalry mer Captain Sam Cox and with Barbados and Trinidad forward Terell Ondaan re- and Tobago.”

G

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“The local based players and staff have shown tremendous commitment, rising above a few challenges,” Shabazz added. “And the guys who have committed from overseas have my admiration.”

Former Premier League playmaker Danns has enjoyed a successful season in England with North West Counties League Premier Division champions Macclesfield, while Ondaan has been plying his trade in the top flight of Romanian football. The squad will also feature Guyana-born Kevin Layne and Akel Clarke, from professional Jamaican side Mount Pleasant Football Academy, and Bournemouth AFC’s Nathan Moriah-Welsh.

Guyana participated in a friendly, three-team tournament with Suriname and Barbados in January,

but the competition was cut short by the discovery of COVID-19 cases. As such, the Courts Caribbean Classic will be a crucial stepping stone towards the CONCACAF Nations League this year.

“Everything in these two matches is geared towards the CONCACAF Nations League,” Shabazz said.

“Commitment to the programme is key, and the sacrifices being made now go a long way with me.”

The Golden Jaguars Coach urged the Guyanese community at home and

abroad, including the public and private sectors, to rally behind the squad to drive improved performances.

“The success of our work depends heavily on the kind of support we get, not just from the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), but the Government of Guyana, corporate Guyana, and our fans at home and in the Diaspora,” he said. “We look forward to the future with courage and confidence.”

GFF President Wayne Forde said the competition underlined the Federation’s sustained commitment to in-

31

vest in the Golden Jaguars as it sought to chart a course to Guyana’s first appearance at a FIFA World Cup this decade.

“We look forward to seeing progress from the squad during this exciting new tournament,” Forde said.

“We know the Guyanabased players and staff have been working hard in training, and these matches will provide an opportunity for the whole squad to gel and build together for the challenge of the CONCACAF Nations League in June.”

GCB XI overpower touring ACS in Everest thriller

notching 44 from 54 balls, embellished by two fours and one maximum. Try as they may, ACS were soon overpowered by the GCB XI, succumbing for 175 all out.

Both Adams and Gudakesh Motie claimed three wickets (3-27 and 3-21 from 7 overs respectively), as Akshaya Persaud pitched in with 2-10 from his three.

The ACS have so far

Seven Seas Archery Guyana 2021 Outdoor Championships to shoot off this Sunday Gudakesh Motie picked up 3-27

T

H

Chair of Archery Guyana’s Competitions Committee, Umasankar Madray flanked

by Seven Seas representatives Neelam Dharmo (left) and Stacy Sam (right)

aving just concluded a safe and successful 2021 National Indoor Competition, Archery Guyana proudly announced that this coming weekend, on Sunday, March 27, 2022, it will be hosting its 2021 Outdoor Championships sponsored

by Seven Seas. Even more exciting is the fact that for the first time, the Guyana National Stadium will have on its grounds, archers vying for the top position.

“Seven Seas”, a brand distributed by Massy Distribution (Guyana) Inc, has continued to re-commit its support to Archery Guyana, and will be exclusively sponsoring this 2021 Outdoor Archery Competition.

Seven Seas has been around for generations, becoming a household name over half a century ago. Its products are the culmina-

tion of a continuous, rigorous, and intense research and development process resulting in formulations that are known for their excellent quality and high standards. Seven Seas products help families live their TRUEAGE through the range of products built on the science of OMEGA-3.

The Seven Seas brand started out with Cod Liver Oil, which our parents fed to us at a tender age, and has since developed a range of essential health products, aimed at enhancing our hair, skin and nails; reducing joint inflammation and most importantly, assisting with brain development and memory support. Helping us to look younger, think smarter, and be radiant inside and out are some of the benefits of using Seven Seas Products.

It should also be noted that Seven Seas has an es-

tablished JointCare range, which supports an active lifestyle and consists of different formulations, such as JointCare Supplex, Complete, and Max. These products start with Omega-3 and Glucosamine and include various additions such as Calcium and Chondroitin which focus on the health of bones, cartilage, muscles, and connective tissue.

Thanks are expressed by Chairman of the Competitions Committee, Umasankar Madray for Seven Seas’ continued collaboration as a competition sponsor. Special thanks were also expressed to the management of Massy Distribution (Guyana) Inc and Seven Seas, and Oasis Water sponsor Guyana Beverages Inc and its management as Archery Guyana moves forward to promote the sport of archery in Guyana.

he Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) XI romped to a comprehensive win over the American Cricket Society (ACS) on Tuesday afternoon at the Everest Cricket Club (ECC) Ground in Georgetown.

Opposing the Guyanese team, mainly comprised of a number of national cricketers, the ACS were in for more than they bargained, coming up 76 runs short after being bowled out by the GCB XI in their chase.

Leading from the front was Guyanese Captain Keemo Paul, who blasted a classy 70 from 35 balls, comprising three fours and seven sixes. In tandem with Paul’s innings was one from Under-19 sensation Matthew Nandu, who struck an unbeaten 68 from 70 balls. Nandu smashed four boundaries in his anchor-like innings.

The partnership acted as the fuel to get Guyana to 251-9 in their allotted 35 overs. Nial Smith was the pick of the ACS bowlers, claiming 3-31 in seven overs. Assad Fudadin also picked up three wickets, for 35 runs in four overs.

Trinson Carmichael, Karan Ganesh, and Damion Jacobs had one scalp each.

In the chase, ACS got off to a fiery start as Akshay Homraj and Dominique Rikki smashed boundaries in all directions, before the 88-run first-wicket partnership was broken by Anthony Adams. Backed by cheers from the boisterous crowd, Homraj raced to 54 from 39

Akshay Homraj looked threatening to Guyana’s bowling

balls, inclusive of five fours and three sixes.

Rikki, in a bid to keep the chase alive, eventually fell short of his half-century,

played a string of matches in Guyana, but their contest with the GCB XI was a oneoff event.

SCOREBOARD

Guyana Cricket Board Guyana Select XI Trevon Griffith b N Smith 4 Chanderpaul Hemraj c R Wilson b T Carmichael 28 Tevin Imlach+ st K Boodie b K Ganesh 22 Akshaya Persaud c R Wilson b D Jacobs 23 Matthew Nandu not out 68 Christopher Barnwell c O Williams b N Smith 2 Keemo Paul* c D Jacobs b A Fudadin 70 Kevin Sinclair c K Boodieb N Smith 5 Anthony Adams c K Boodie b A Fudadin 5 Gudakesh Motie b A Fudadin 2 Ronsford Beaton not out 1 Extras 2b 4lb 15w 0nb 0pen 21 Provisional Score For Innings 251 Penalties awarded following Innings 0 Total 251 for 9 Bowler O-M-R-W Nial Smith 7.0-1-31-3 Trinson Carmichael 5.0-0-34-1 Karan Ganesh 7.0-0-40-1 Dominique Rikki 2.0-0-16-0 Damion Jacobs 6.0-0-46-1 Oraine Williams 4.0-0-43-0 Assad Fudadin 4.0-0-35-3

American Cricket Society Team Akshay Homraj st T Imlach b A Adams 54 Dominique Rikki c T Griffith b G Motie 44 Oraine Williams c &b A Adams 3 Assad Fudadin c K Paul b G Motie 12 Kevon Boodie+ c A Adams b G Motie 8 Jeetendra Sookdeo not out 19 Karan Ganesh* run out (K Paul) 0 Randall Wilson c K Paul b A Adams 12 Trinson Carmichael b A Persaud 7 Nial Smith c R Beaton b A Persaud 4 Damion Jacobs st T Imlach b C Hemraj 2 Extras 2b 1lb 7w 0nb 0pen 10 Provisional Score For Innings 175 Penalties awarded following Innings 0 Total 175 all out Bowler O-M-R-W Ronsford Beaton 4.0-0-29-0 Christopher Barnwell 3.0-0-22-0 Anthony Adams 7.0-0-37-3 Keemo Paul 1.0-0-13-0 Gudakesh Motie 7.0-1-21-3 Kevin Sinclair 7.0-0-29-0 Akshaya Persaud 3.0-0-10-2 Matthew Nandu 2.0-0-6-0 Chanderpaul Hemraj 0.5-0-5-1

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

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

GCB XI overpower touring ACS in Everest thriller

Pg 31

Captain Keemo Paul led with a classy 70

GCA President Neil Barry Sr receives the sponsorship cheque from GISE representative Verlene Van Lange, alongside Roger Harper

Page 30

GISE/Star Party/Trophy Stall-GCA 1st-Division 2-day competition launched … Van Lange urges GCA to help develop players academically

Page 31

Neil Danns (right) and Sam Cox (left)

recalls Danns, Cox and Ondaan for Courts Caribbean Classic 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.