Guyana Times - Friday, December 9, 2022

BRIDGE OPENINGS

“I was afraid for my life” – GECOM Chair

Building

FERRY SCHEDULE

Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh on Thursday took the stand be fore the ongoing Commission of Inquiry (CoI) during which she recalled feeling over whelmed by events that played out in the days follow ing the March 2, 2020 elec tions and locking herself in a room at the Ashmins Building out of fear for her life.

“I felt a bit dizzy; I wasn’t feeling well. There were so many things on my mind, I was actually shaking be cause then with the declara tion [made by then Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo be fore the completion of the tab ulation of the Region Four votes] and then… there was an injunction filed by [PPP/ C’s Anil] Nandlall [against Mingo’s declaration]… So, I just couldn’t be bothered with anybody, so I went up to there, just to have a quiet moment,” Justice Singh related about her retreating to a room on March 5, 2020.

On that day, howev er, there were reports that the GECOM Chair had been held hostage in the room at Ashmins Building, which was being used as the Region Four Command Centre.

But Justice Singh clarified during her testimony that it was she who had locked her self in, since she was afraid for her safety.

“I heard sounds from out side; I heard a lot of sounds. But then after I heard people say “We want the Chairman” and then I heard footsteps and like people were rushing in… and then I heard them say they will break the door and I panicked. I became very much afraid,” she recalled.

According to the GECOM Chair, she then called A Partnership for National

Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Minister at the time, Amna Ally, because “I was afraid for my life and I thought people were coming to harm me… I know [Ally] and she told me she would be call ing someone”.

Justice Singh explained that it was only until she eventually came out of the room that she realised that persons outside thought she was being held captive inside in the room. At the time when she exited the room, she was met by a then party agent of the New Movement Party, Dr Josh Kanhai, and Inspector Prem Narine, whom she had called by mistake – both of whom dispelled a sigh of relief upon finding out from her that she was fine.

The GECOM Chair went on to explain that while she was in the room having a qui et moment to herself, there were several calls coming to her cellphone, but she did not take them.

This prompted a se ries of questions from the Commissioners, who sought to ascertain why she isolat ed herself in a room amid the chaos that had erupted re garding the electoral process.

But Justice Singh contend

ed, “I couldn’t talk to anyone. I didn’t feel up to it to talk to anyone… I couldn’t be both ered, because I was upset by the events of the day.”

In fact, the GECOM Head related that she did not know who to trust and just wanted to be by herself.

When questioned about whom she did not trust, Justice Singh said she was just speaking about “some thing at large”. In fact, she was specifically asked by the CoI Chairman, Retired Justice of Appeal Stanley John, wheth er she was referring to her fel low GECOM Commissioners or senior GECOM officials, and Justice Singh clarified that she had no reason not to trust either of those groups of persons. However, she went on to point out to the CoI that she was still fairly new and a “stranger” at the Elections Commission, having only tak en up the chairmanship role some eight months prior to the March 2020 polls.

Against this backdrop, another CoI Commissioner, Justice Godfrey Smith point ed out that it was odd that as the GECOM Chair she isolat ed herself at such a critical juncture in the post-electoral process.

“It was quite a commo tion in the day that caused you stress, but to say you couldn’t be bothered seems odd, because you’re the Chair and you’re in the middle of a very serious situation. I sim ply want to know at that point did you call other [GECOM] Commissioners and say I’m feeling stressed, let’s meet to gether and weather the storm – I’m not taking this on, on my own. Did that occur to you or you just preferred to shut yourself in,” Commissioner Smith questioned.

In response, Justice Singh explained that at that time the GECOM Commissioners had left, since it was late in the afternoon and staff at the location had already begun clearing out.

“I went upstairs because I was stressed out, and that’s it. It’s my personal moment when I went up there [to the room]… When I said I couldn’t be bothered, I wasn’t speaking about the Commission’s work or anything. This is person al… I just wanted that quiet moment and then I heard all this noise and I was afraid for my life… I thought they were going to harm me,” she relat ed.

The GECOM Chair went on to declare, “Commissioner, you would not understand what was happening. And you would not understand, because you didn’t live here, what stress I was going through and the threats which were making against me.”

Nevertheless, eventually the door was broken open and Justice Singh indicated that she was escorted out of the building by the Police and she never returned to Ashmins Building until the following week when the tabulation of the Region Four votes were slated to recommence follow ing a High Court ruling. (G8)

…says she locked herself in a room amid chaos at Ashmins

GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh

Editor: Tusika Martin

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Boost to Guyana’s coconut industry

As Guyana continues to evolve in the expansion of its coconut industry, there has been another boost with the injection of 1,000 seed nuts of Brazilian Green Dwarf coconut variety in Guyana.

Research has shown that this particular variety is very high-yielding, has a higher volume of water, and has a high tolerance from pests and diseases. This can only augur well for our local industry. Giving the magnitude of the industry, Guyana’s Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, revealed that some $1.5B has been earned from January to September of this year from the export of coconut and coconut products.

To quote the Minister: “As Caricom seeks to reduce the food import bill by 25% by 2025, with Guyana having the lead responsibility of agriculture in the region, coconut is one of the priority commodities that have been identified for increased production… internationally, the coconut industry is expected to be a US$30 billion industry by 2026, therefore it is important for us to set the stage to tap into this market.”

If one can recall, in 2021, there was another major investor in the industry, who invested US$8 million in the Pomeroon area, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

The coconut industry is one which could be a moneyspinner for the country. Already, coconut is the third major crop cultivated in Guyana, after rice and sugar cane. This industry can be one which could produce scores of byproducts, for which there is demand for export as well as local use. As it stands, according to the British investor of the Pomeroon project, Duncan Turnbull, the company cultivates the three-year dwarf variety primarily for the production of coconut water. The company is also involved in inter-cropping, with crops like passion fruit, bananas, turmeric, and ginger under cultivation.

What is noteworthy is that the investor said a relationship has been established with farmers of the Pomeroon. This is the kind of collaboration Guyana needs, wherein local farmers are able to benefit from large projects.

In 2020, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha had made a welcoming announcement that Guyana would soon gain membership of the International Coconut Community (ICC) as Government advances plans to increase cultivation of this crop countrywide.

The coconut and its by-products are now in growing demand worldwide.

Coconut oil, which once used to be wrongly labelled as high-cholesterol, is now regarded as among the best cooking oils, many consumers preferring it to olive and canola oils.

It could be recalled that a coconut expert from India, Dr Shivarama Reddy, had come to Guyana some years ago to work with NAREI and local farmers to examine ways in which the coconut industry could be revitalised, and to look at possible markets for the product. Also, a position paper by NAREI had outlined three main areas of intervention to aid in the coconut industry: increasing the productivity and production potential of the sector; assessing the state of Guyana’s coconut oil industry and its future, and considering possible support mechanisms; and exploring other coconutderived products in terms of their value-added and export potentials.

The coconut industry has the potential to become more profitable by 2026, and this can be achieved if suitable lands are leased to prospective farmers, and intensive agricultural extension services are provided, as well as soft loans and marketing exploration.

The Agriculture Ministry and the Lands and Surveys Commission, with the help of experts, should be able to locate good coconut-growing lands and advertise for suitable takers. Unlike in the past, when there were talks of the massive production, giving optimistic hopes propagated to the public but never materialised, it is time that serious effort be expended in reviving the industry. This industry has very huge potential for expansion and development, especially as it relates to processing and value-added products. Guyana could tremendously increase its earnings from exports in this industry.

Proposing a solution to a problem that did not exist

Dear Editor, Increasingly, since the 2020 national elections, members of the APNUAFC Opposition have been calling for the use of bio metrics for voter identifica tion, in order to cast a vote in regional and national elections in Guyana.

On the other hand, the governing PPP has shown no interest in moving in this direction.

In my view, apart from the fact that implementa tion of a robust, secure bio metrics system could be costly, depending on what features the system would capture, ie: fingerprint, or facial recognition, or both, and that the use of bio metrics may violate the Constitution, as was the case with photo Identity Card for the 1997 elections, biometrics will not elimi nate claims by a losing par ty of electoral fraud.

Biometrics is a front-end process to verify the identi ty of a voter before the in dividual is allowed to vote.

In the 2020 elections, vot ing was observed by hun dreds, if not thousands, of scrutineers from each par ty. In addition, there were international observers from the Commonwealth Secretariat, Caricom, the European Union (EU), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the Carter Center, as well as

local observers from the Private Sector Commission, the Guyana Public Service Union, and other civil so ciety organizations. And there was no report of fraud on election day.

With reference to the voting on election day 2020, a clip of a videotape presented at the current Commission of Inquiry into the elections shows the Head of the OAS team of ob servers, Mr Bruce Golding, former Prime Minister of Jamaica, stating, “I have never seen a more trans parent effort”. Another clip shows the European Union Ambassador, Mr Fernando, who was also an election observer, explaining the process of checking voter identity at polling stations, and stating, “It was safe guard after safeguard after safeguard. It was impos sible to cheat…I was posi tively impressed”.

At the close of vot ing, the then APNU-AFC Government was all set to swear-in Mr Granger as President on the belief that the coalition had won the elections. There was no concern expressed by the APNU-AFC team at that time about voter fraud. Fraud was only seen during the declaration of results, when the Regional Officer for Region 4 was observed in plain view by local and international election ob

servers, ambassadors of the ABC and EU countries, and party agents blatant ly flouting the established procedure for declaration of the results, and present ing fraudulent numbers in favour of the APNU-AFC coalition.

After extensive delays due to machinations by GECOM staff followed by court challenges, when re count was finally allowed under the watchful eyes of a team from Caricom, vot er fraud on election day was then raised as an issue by the APNU-AFC team. Another claim made by the APNU-AFC team, which is now no longer mentioned because it was proven fac tually to be untrue, is that votes cast by members of the Defence Force were not counted. As far as I am aware, the claim of voter fraud on election day is still to be proven.

However, cases which were investigated by the major newspapers in Guyana have proven this claim to be untrue. In the view of all independent ob servers, both local and in ternational, fraud did not occur at the front-end of the election process, i.e: at the voter identification stage prior to voting. In fact, they all agree that fraud was at tempted only when the dec laration of votes for the last remaining region, Region

4, was being conducted.

It seems to me that the proponents of the use of biometrics are obfuscating the unproven claim of voter fraud with actual fraud at tempted by GECOM staff, and are proposing a solu tion to a problem that did not exist.

Another factor to bear in mind is that biometrics’ authentication requires the use of computer technolo gy. In an article captioned “Ramjattan says Russians, Libyan expelled over sus pected plot to interfere in polls”, Stabroek News of March 6, 2020 reported “Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan yes terday (three days after the elections) said the Police expelled two Russians and a Libyan national from Guyana on Monday on the belief that they were here to interfere in the electoral process at the behest of the Opposition PPP”. According to the report, he also stat ed that computers, tablets, flash drives and a number of ‘other things electron ic’ were seized from them. Further, it quotes him as saying, “We had to deport them on elections day af ter our intelligence real ised that there (was) some conspiracy to tap into [the] GECOM [Guyana Elections Commission] computer sys tem.

Children from a school at Kaikan, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) are seen singing at the Guyana Defence Force’s (GDF’s) end-ofyear social for ranks serving at the border community. As Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Godfrey Bess hosted ranks of the army, children and other residents of the small community were invited to the social (GDF photos)

“Aunty Betty” murder

Joint murder charge instituted against great-niece, neighbour

Ajoint murder charge was on Thursday in stituted against the two accused in the murder of 85-year-old Sumintra Sawh, called “Aunty Betty”.

Sawh’s great-niece, Roshnie Basdeo, also called “Mala”, a mother of three, made a virtual court ap pearance on Thursday when Magistrate Peter Hugh, sit ting at the Fort Wellington Magistrate’s Court, told her that the Police were with drawing the murder charge against her.

The 37-year-old was then charged jointly with Mohammed Shaheed in re lation to the murder of Sawh of Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice (WCB).

It is alleged that the duo murdered the pensioner be tween November 27 and November 28 on her birth day.

Police Prosecutor, Corporal Garfield Edwards told the court that the pros ecution was ready to com

mence the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the mur der.

Both accused will have to return to court on December 14 when the prosecution is expected to make available all statements that it has.

Sawh’s lifeless body was discovered lying in a pool of blood on the morning of November 28, about 04:00h at her Bush Lot home.

The media subsequent

ly reported that Basdeo had confessed to killing her great-aunt. She reportedly gave three different confes sions, including the last one last Thursday, before she was charged.

In that statement, the woman reportedly said that her aunt visited her in the Police lock-ups and told her to tell the truth.

It was also reported that in that final confession state ment, she said it was she alone who killed her greataunt – contradicting the two previous statements she al legedly gave to the Police.

She was initially charged last Friday with murder.

Shaheed also reportedly confessed to the crime.

He allegedly told inves tigators that it was he who killed the pensioner.

Shaheed was arrested on Saturday and on Monday, exactly one week after the pensioner’s murder, alleged ly told investigators that he was hired as the ‘hitman’.

He said he met Basdeo just over a week prior to the incident and she told him that she was being put out of the house that she was living in at the time and she wanted to go and live in Aunty Betty’s house but she has to “Get rid of Aunty

Betty first (kill she)”.

He confessed to agreeing to take the job if he was go ing to be paid.

Shaheed, in his confes sion statement, allegedly further told investigators that he instructed Basdeo to leave the door open on

Sunday night.

After entering the house, he went to the back room where Basdeo was and asked her to go and check to see if “Aunty Betty” was asleep and after checking she told him yes, he alleged ly said in a caution state ment.

In his shocking confes sion statement, Shaheed allegedly said that he went into the pensioner’s room and took the piece of wood he was carrying and hit her four times to her head while she was asleep.

Investigators were also told that the woman started to groan as she was receiving the lashes.

In the alleged confession statement Shaheed said that he then walked out of the room, threw the piece of wood in the hallway and told Basdeo to give him the money as he had completed his task, but she said she did not have the money at the time. (G4)

What is Republic Bank’s justification for this new policy?

Dear Editor,

As if the many scan dals and complaints from Guyanese about funds missing from their accounts were not enough(see arti cles https:// guyanatimes gy.com/republic-banks-vi sa-debit-cards-hacked/), the Trinidad and Tobagoowned Republic Bank is at it again.

Today I ventured into

the Camp and Robb Streets branch to change a cheque issued by the bank, and was informed by the teller that there is now a $1,500 charge attached to this ser vice if you do not have an existing account with the bank.

Why are these over seas-based institutions allowed to impose such charges on hard-working

Guyanese at their conve nience? Where are the no tices about this new poli cy? The teller informed me that this policy was put into place this week, but I was later informed that this is something that was started at the beginning of the month. When I en quired about public notic es, the teller simply said, “It is out there”.

As at today, December 8, 2022, no notice has been placed on the bank’s web site or Facebook page to give citizens a heads-up about this nonsensical policy, so where exactly were these notices placed? Where are these profits go ing? Are Guyanese now be ing left to pay to keep other regional banks afloat? Are the Trinidad and Tobago

Proposing a solution to a problem that...

They were immediately deported. A fourth one, who was not found at his Marriott room, is on the run some where…”

In a March 11, 2020 arti

cle captioned “Teixeira dis misses ‘comical’ Gov’t claim of Russian plot to interfere in polls”, Ms Teixeira is quoted as saying, in a video on the PPP/C Facebook page, “The

Flawed interpretation

Dear Editor, Regarding Attorney Eusi Anderson citing Article 144 of the Constitution of Guyana as a constitution al protection of self-incrim ination, and that Carolyn Duncan, Shefern February and Denise Babb-Cummings ought not to be made an swerable for their alleged criminal conduct as employ ees of the Guyana Elections Commission, be it noted that Mr. Anderson's take on the matter is flawed for the fol lowing reasons:

First, it is a universal ly well-known doctrine that a charge alleging criminal conduct does not in itself pre-determine guilt.

Secondly, by saying that

mere attendance before a court of enquiry is a viola tion of someone's constitu tional right does not in it self frustrate the right of the authority to subpoena them to appear before a lawfully constituted tribunal, namely the Commission of Enquiry. Personal attendance per se does not in itself impute self-incrimination. It is only when an accused is intimi dated or coerced in an inves tigated milieu.

Editor, it may be instruc tive to note the maxim held by the court of public opin ion that “silence is tanta mount of guilt.”

Yours truly, Albert Khan

count in the polling station is done manually, not electron ically, and the statements of poll are verified and tab ulated manually, so there is no electronic systems for Russians or anybody else to hack into”.

To this day, Mr Ramjattan has not provided any proof to validate his claim, and he avoids any mention of this matter. His claim has since become a joke; however, had computers been used for vot er identification, as would be the case with the use of bio metrics, his claim could have gained credibility, there by resulting in serious con sequences. Interestingly, in the USA, Arkansas is one of the states where former President Donald Trump and his supporters claim there was a high degree of fraud ulent votes cast in the 2020 presidential election. Yet, the politicians who control the elections machinery in that state, mainly supporters of Mr Trump’s party, have refused to consider biomet rics for voter identification.

FROM PAGE 4

In a September 21, 2022 arti cle captioned “US State law makers look at biometrics for voting, say it’s just not ready” (Biometrics News), Jim Nash reports the views of state pol iticians. “The fraud commit ted in Arkansas is too …com plex or unusual, maybe, to be addressed by the early ex amples of biometric systems used around the nation and the globe”.

In Guyana, biometrics would not have deterred the attempted fraud during the declaration of the election results. Instead of pushing biometrics to deal with an unproven claim, I believe the major Opposition par ty should be taking steps to win legitimately the support of the majority of voters, so it can be truly “a Government in waiting” ready to re place the current incum bent at the next elections. Unfortunately, it seems to be a long way from being ready to pursue such a course.

Sincerely, Harry Hergash

holdings doing well? Is the money earned from such a policy going towards pay ing to cover the severance payments for the many staff that allegedly were and are still to be laid off from branches in the twin-island republic? What is their justification for this

new policy? Republic Bank, let me inform you that, contrary to your slogan, you are most definitely not the one for me!

Sincerely, Janell Cameron

Roshnie Basdeo, also called “Mala”

Murder accused Mohammed Shaheed being escorted by Police ranks after his court appearance on Thursday

Page Foundation

◄

What you need:

Picture of you with your face cut out Assortment of construction paper Scissors Glue Scrap paper for notes Tape (optional) Pictures of Mae Jemison in space

What you do:

Cut: a long rectangle for the body of the ship a triangle for the top of the ship little circles or squares for the windows two rhombuses for the fins at the bottom of the rocket wavy flames for the exhaust Glue all the pieces of the rocket as seen in the picture.

CONTINUED FROM THURSDAY

By The BroThers Grimm

TO BE CONTINUED

3 GECOM staff to pay State $75,000 each

Three employ ees of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) have been each or dered to pay $75,000 in court costs to the State by January 16, 2023, after their request for a conservatory order to restrain the presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the March 2020 General and Regional Elections from summoning anyone charged criminally in relation to those said elections was de nied.

On Monday, one day be fore they were set to ap pear before the CoI, Denise Babb-Cummings, Shefern February, and Michelle Miller—who are all facing electoral fraud charges— filed a $150 million lawsuit against State, for what they described as a breach of their constitutional right against self-incrimination as pro tected by Article 144 of the Constitution of Guyana.

In that Fixed Date Application (FDA) filed against the Attorney General and the CoI, they are, among other things, seeking a per manent injunction to pre vent the CoI from compelling the attendance of anyone charged with a criminal of fence arising from the factu al circumstances the CoI is charged with inquiring into.

Notwithstanding this, their Attorney, Eusi Anderson, also filed a Notice of Application (NoA), seek

ing virtually similar orders as requested by their FDA.

In reply to the NoA, the State, according to a state ment from the Attorney General’s Chambers on Thursday, submitted that while the High Court was vested with the power to grant an injunction un der Section 23 (1) of the High Court Act, Sections 16 (6) and 16 (8) of the State Liability and Proceedings Act, expressly and specifical ly prohibit the High Court from granting prohibitory or mandatory injunctions against the State in the form of injunctive/coercive orders.

The statement added: “[The State] further sub mitted that the CoI into the 2020 General and Regional Elections is a State entity, given that it was established by the President [Dr Irfaan Ali], exercising constitution ally-granted supreme exec utive authority, and having activated Section 2 of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, Cap 19:03, Laws of Guyana.”

That Section, the missive noted, provides that “The President [who] may issue a commission appointing one or more commissioners and authorising such commis sioner or commissioners to inquire into any matter in which an inquiry would, in the opinion of the President, be for the public welfare.”

Having had the bene fit of the State’s submis

sions, the Attorney General’s Chambers pointed out that the trio’s lawyer “sought to abandon the application for an injunction, and instead requested a conservatory or der, which may be granted against the State in appro priate cases”.

High Court Judge Damone Younge declined to grant the conservatory or der and dismissed the NoA on Tuesday, stating that the declarations prayed for in the NoA were identical to those in the substantive FDA and to grant them would deter mine the FDA, said the AG’s Chambers.

Consequently, they were each ordered to pay $75,000 in court costs to the State. The hearing of the FDA was adjourned until February 2, 2023, by which time the State must file a defence.

On December 2, the wom en were summoned to appear before the CoI on Tuesday, and when they did in the company of their counsel, they invoked their constitu tional right to remain silent.

In the FDA, Anderson contended that given that Babb-Cummings, Miller, and February were charged with diverse criminal of fences related to their of ficial duties at GECOM in the conduct of the 2020 na tional elections, by summon ing them to appear before the CoI, the State was seek ing a conviction in the crim

inal proceedings before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, while simultaneous ly seeking a conviction in the court of public opinion and the said CoI.

According to counsel, his clients remain in jeopardy as the fraud-related charges against them are yet to be decided; and if convicted, they face imprisonment for not less than five years.

“The State is crimi nally prosecuting [BabbCummings, February, and Miller] and the State is seeking to compel them to give evidence in a tribunal [CoI] which has identical, if not greater, powers than a Magistrate...”, Anderson fur ther contended.

He said that by doing this, the State was breaching his clients’ right to a fair tri al in both fora of inquiry.

He argued: “The risk of contradictory answers, con trary findings, pollution of public opinion, varying stan

dards of proof, the absolute right to silence in criminal proceedings and the tacit putting of their case through cross-examination in the said criminal proceedings and any adverse findings of the CoI are all red flags which the resourced and all-power ful State should not ignore.”

He noted that since the State has wilfully exposed the GECOM employees to self-incriminating testimo ny under risk of compulsion or contempt and has failed to ensure that they receive a fair trial in the criminal pro ceedings, he submitted that they were entitled to damag es for breach of their consti tutional right to due process, and a fair trial.

Criminal charges

Shortly after the re sults for the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections were officially de clared by GECOM, BabbCummings, February and

Miller, along with other GECOM staff, including for mer Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield and former Deputy CEO Roxanne Myers, and several mem bers of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC), including former Health Minister Volda Lawrence, were charged with varying offences stemming from al leged wrongdoings during the elections.

Specifically, BabbCummings, February, and Miller were each charged with conspiracy to commit fraud. It is alleged that on March 13, 2020, February, while a clerk for District Four, attempted to defraud the people of Guyana by not using figures from the Statements of Poll (SoPs). Babb-Cummings, February, and Miller have pleaded not guilty to the charges. They are on bail. (G1)

Denise Babb-Cummings

Shefern February

Michelle Miller

3 found not guilty in fatal beating of farmer

The three men who had been charged in con nection with a brutal gang attack that had left 24-year-old Cheddi Eshwar Sawh dead walked out of the Berbice High Court as free men on Wednesday, af ter a jury found them not guilty of the capital offence of murder.

Before Justice Navindra Singh, Reaz Munroe, 23,

Reaz Hack, 28, and Sunil Manniram, 28, had been on trial for the murder of Sawh, of Grant 2767 Crabwood Creek, Corentyne, Berbice, after they had each entered a not guilty plea to the joint murder indictment.

According to the indict ment, Sawh was killed be tween July 23 and July 29, 2017. Just after he had left his girlfriend’s home at

around 10:30h on July 23, 2017, Sawh was reportedly attacked by a group of sev en men, who were armed with pieces of wood, and was left for dead.

Mostly beaten in the head, Sawh was left with severe injuries, and was ad mitted in a critical condi tion at the hospital, where he died without regaining consciousness six days lat

er.

April 2019, Surendranauth Sookdeo, who along with Munroe, Hack, and Manniram had been committed to stand trial for the capi tal offence, was freed af ter the indictment against him was quashed by High Court Judge Fidela CorbinLincoln on the ground of in sufficient evidence. (G1)

Kitty man accused of trafficking $6M in ganja freed

Protecting...

…or spinning wheels?

How many times must we “fix” our election rules before the PNC says it’s “fair”? The answer, my friend ain’t blowin’ in no wind!! We’ll be forced to keep on changing those rules until they GUARANTEE them winning whatever elections they enter - to get their paws on power! Your Eyewitness knows that all politicians enter politics to get power, but what do you do when a party accepts specific changes - then goes on to renege on them if they end up losing??

Six months ago, Devon Gomes, a resident of Station Street, Kitty, Georgetown, was ar raigned before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Diamond/Golden Grove Magistrates’ Courts for the offence of trafficking in narcotics. On Thursday, December 8, the charge against him was dismissed by that Magistrate on the ground of insufficient evi dence.

Gomes was represented by Attorney-at-Law Bernard Da Silva.

Guyana Times had previ ously reported that on April

13, ranks of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) had arrested the driver of a minibus and five passen gers after 19.593 kilograms of marijuana, valued at ap proximately $6 million, was discovered inside the vehi cle. As a result, they were all charged and admitted to $60,000 bail.

Apart from Gomes, bus driver Nelvern Isaacs, 40, of Supply, East Bank Demerara (EBD); Mervin Reddock of Lodge Housing Scheme, Georgetown; Edward Evans of Uitvlugt Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara (WCD);

Keron Tyrell of Wismar, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice); and Mahendra Ballsarran of North East Grove, EBD had also been charged. This pub lication understands that Magistrate Latchman will rule on the fate of the oth er accused persons at a lat er date.

On the day in question, CANU officers conducted an intelligence-led opera tion that resulted in the in terception of a minibus des tined for Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), carrying passengers and food supplies. The bus was stopped at Yarrowkabra vil lage on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway, and a subsequent search of the minibus result

ed in the discovery of par cels of suspected cannabis sativa concealed in pieces of sponge, thus the six persons were arrested. (G1)

$200,000 bail for causing death accused

Take that 1997 elections that led to so much bloodshed in Guyana. The PNC agreed in Parliament with the PPP that the National ID Card with the holder’s picture could be used to identify persons to vote. So far…so good. The elections went on, were certified as fair by observers, domestic and foreign, but, lo and behold, the PNC cried foul!! Not for alleged “irregularities” – which were proven by a forensic audit to be just crying wolf – but over the use of ID Cards!! They claimed this wasn’t allowed by the Constitution: and the High Court - presided by Justice Claudette Singh - agreed!! And to rub salt into the wound, up to this day, the PNC insists the 1997 elections were rigged by the PPP!!

So, are you surprised the PPP’s leery about agreeing with the PNC to introduce more biometric features to make voting more foolproof?? The PPP knows that this “burden” on the right of Guyanese to exercise their franchise will be challenged by the PNC in the courts using the same constitutional argument – if they lose!! Point of the matter is the PNC doesn’t believe in democracy – which essentially means governments are selected through the garnering of a majority. If they did get into Government in 2015 through the very system they are denouncing now, why didn’t they denounce the electoral system as fatally flawed then??

Take, for instance, the testimony of the Assistant Registration Officer of GECOM last Wednesday. She testified that she was arbitrarily given a spreadsheetrather than the SoPs - by Mingo or his assistant, to read out the “results” from her EBD sub-region. Yet she confirmed the SoPs were in the room as she tried vainly to project the spreadsheet numbers on a wall. Upon objections from observers, that the numbers didn’t match theirs, she said she was exhorted to continue reading by Mingo’s deputy!!

Now, your Eyewitness accepts that the PPP gotta try closin the door through which the latest (PNC election) horse bolted. But they – and we – can bet our bottom dollar some new doors will be created, come 2025 and thereafter!!

The PNC has earned PhDs in elections’ rigging – while the PPP is in lil ABC!!

…the greenback??

The man accused of causing the death of Teekah (only name given) as a result of driv ing dangerously has been admitted to $200,000 bail when he appeared at the Anna Regina Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

Shawn John, a 25-yearold labourer of Lot 42 Lima Sands, Essequibo Coast, de nied the charge which al leges that, on August 16 at Anna Regina Access Road, he drove a motor vehicle in a manner dangerous to the public, thereby causing the death of the 56-year-old Teekah.

John has been admitted to bail with the condition that he reports to the Anna Regina Police Station every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, pending the hear ing and determination of his trial. His case will be called again on January 3, 2023. (G1)

Paper US currency - printed in green ink - was first issued during their 1860s Civil War – and hence the name “greenback”!! Before that, gold and silver coins were used!! Since then, the dollar went on to replace the British pound sterling – originally silver coins!) as the dominant currency for world trade after WWII. It signalled the US displacing the British economy as #1!!

Now that China’s about to pip the US economy, there are lots of speculation about the greenback also being replaced by the Chinese Yuan. How likely is this?? Well, whatever the argument for or against that, one thing your Eyewitness can say for sure – it ain’t gonna be happening anytime soon!! And while there are numerous reasons for saying that, he’s only gonna mention ONE – to be a reserve currency, most countries have to be willing to hold the currency.

But that’ll only happen if China runs a deficit with those countries – like the US having US$7 TRILLION foreign debt!! Ain’t gonna happen with China!!

…the environment

The kvetching from the Carbon Credits awarded because of our standing forests, that cover 85% of our landmass, continues from the woke brigade.

Since they live in foreign…why don’t they take the big bad oil companies to court??

Shawn John

A quantity of marijuana concealed in pieces of sponge was found in the bus

L-R: Nelvern Isaacs and Devon Gomes

Nomination Day for LGE postponed

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has post poned Nomination Day for Local Government Elections (LGE), which was initially scheduled for December 12, 2022.

On Thursday, the Commission said that this decision was taken at a spe cial meeting that very day, which was held to deliberate on a proposal submitted by the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Vishnu Persaud to conduct an exercise to cor rect the Registers of Voters for LGE under Section 24A of the Local Authorities (Elections) Act, Chapter 28:03.

“Subject to further de liberations on this matter, which has been deemed nec essary by the Commission, information on the way for ward would be shared, in a timely manner, with all stakeholders,” GECOM said in a statement.

Earlier this week, the CEO sent a letter to GECOM

Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, seeking a 14-day extension to the period of Claims and Objections.

The missive proposed that GECOM should have an extended “Correction of Registers” period within the additional two weeks, be fore the holding of the LGE which were scheduled for March 13, 2023.

In this exercise, GECOM

would facilitate the submis sion of claims for admission to the voters’ register, the correcting incorrect listings, and applications for name changes and transfers, ob jections and verifications of address. Notably, Persaud indicated in his letter that this proposal, if accepted, “would cause the conduct of Local Government Elections to be further delayed”.

A previous Claims and

17 years’ jailtime for man who raped 7-year-old

For raping a sevenyear-old girl, Donald Chan, called “Dano”, has been sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment by Justice Jo-Ann Barlow on Thursday in the Essequibo High Court.

Chan was indicted on one count of rape of a child under 16 years, commit ted between December 1 and 24, 2020 in the county of Essequibo. Upon his ar raignment, he had denied the charge, but was later

Objections exercise was con ducted between August and September 2022. In October, GECOM had completed its Claims and Objections pe

riod, capturing more than 3000 new applicants who will be eligible to vote by October 31, 2022, as well as a total of 18 objections to names on the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE).

LGE, which are usually due every two years, were last held in 2018. At the last LGE in November 2018, the then People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Opposition had secured 52 of the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs). This followed the holding of the LGE in 2016, during which the PPP/C also claimed the ma jority of the LAAs.

In October, Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall had set Monday,

March 13, 2023, as the date for hosting the long-overdue Local Government polls in Guyana. This was the earli est date that GECOM indi cated the elections could be held.

Last week, APNU/AFC Chief Scrutineer Carol Smith-Joseph filed legal ac tion against GECOM, chal lenging the process used to compile the List of Electors, or voters’ list, for the up coming LGE.

The Fixed Date Application, which was filed at the High Court in Georgetown, lists GECOM, the Chief Elections Officer, the Commissioner of Registration, and the Attorney General as respon dents. (G12)

Rape accused to face retrial after jury fails to reach verdict

Aman accused of rap ing another man has been found not guilty on one count, but has to await a retrial for the second count, after the jury was unable to reach a ver dict following deliberations on Tuesday.

Ryan Guyandat had been on trial before Justice Sandil Kissoon and a mixed 12-member jury at the Sexual Offences Court for two counts of rape commit ted on a man on October 4, 2020. After almost two hours of discussions, the jury panel was unable to arrive at a verdict on the first count, and as such, Guyandat will have to be retried for the offence at a date to be decided by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

On the second count of rape, in which he is ac cused of causing a third party to penetrate the vir tual complainant (VC),

the accused was found not guilty, and accordingly was discharged.

According to the pros ecution’s facts, the com plainant and Guyandat are known to each other. At around 22:00h on the day in question, the VC was making his way home when he was confronted by Guyandat and two men who were on a bicycle. It is alleged that the accused then dragged the VC into an abandoned building, where he and another man (acting on his direction) raped the complainant.

State Counsels Cicelia Corbin, Caressa Henry, and Marisa Edwards pros ecuted the matter, while Guyandat was represented by Attorney-at-Law Tracy Marks. (G1)

Rape accused Ryan Guyandat

found guilty by the jury. The prosecution was represent ed by Senior State Counsel Tiffini Lyken. (G1)

16 Days of Activism

“We need to take a serious stance against violence” – Human Services Minister …raises concerns amid escalating murders of women

Unit, and Gender Affairs Bureau on Wednesday as part of the 16 Days of Activism efforts.

Throughout the ses sion, officers of the Guyana Defence Force participat ed in the CAN - Community Advocates Network training - as part of sensitization and awareness efforts.

Human Services and Social Security Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud has called for ac tion to be taken in address ing the worrisome rate at which women of all ages are being killed in Guyana – in most instances, at the hands

of people they know or live with.

The Human Services Minister has engaged ranks and senior members of that Ministry’s team from the Childcare and Protection Agency, Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Policy

It has been pointed out that the recent escalation in women being killed needs to be addressed. “We’re all aware that, in the last few weeks, women of various ages have lost their lives to many persons, including at the hands of persons with in their families. Domestic violence, gender-based vio lence, is not a new phenom enon… The important thing is: ‘What are we going to do about it?’, because we can not continue to remain an onlooker without exercising our personal or profession al responsibility to confront, address, and eradicate vi

olence where it exists,” Dr Persaud relayed.

The Minister explained that in many cases, alcohol and drug abuse contribute to higher chances of abuse and violence in the home. “If we are not capable of con trolling our anger, that can easily erupt into violence. We have seen it time and time again; and if that anger is accompanied by the usage of alcohol and drugs, then it becomes an even more fear ful sight, especially if that person enters their home and sits with their family.”

Dr Persaud has urged the ranks to exercise their professional responsibility in bringing down the num

bers of abuse and violence cases, since they are among the prime contacts for vic tims to reach out to. She urged,” Whichever compo nent of the Joint Services you find yourself in, you will come into contact with vi olence; whether someone from the public comes to you with a complaint or some one within the Forces comes to you with a complaint… The mindset of everyone go ing forward needs to change. We’ve come up in a culture where we see in homes con flicts being resolved with vi olence.”

Relative to the male pop ulation, the issue of stigma and ostracisation in sharing

their experiences is a preva lent occurrence. The Human Services Ministry has a tollfree hotline number, 914, on which persons can report in stances of abuse or violence.

“We need to take a seri ous stance against violence. When we say zero-tolerance, it must be zero-tolerance…

The Ministry of Human Services has a strong and healthy partnership with the Joint Services, because we depend heavily on all of you to carry out your duties so that we can support those with our intervention of counselling, socioeconomic support, and ensuring that there is intense awareness,” she told the ranks. (G12)

Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud

GDF ranks participating in the training (MHS&SS photo)

Ferry Pass booking system now available for Parika-Bartica route

for their tickets beforehand from any location.

This is a significant upgrade from showing up hours prior at the Parika Ferry Stelling to secure a spot. Previously, travellers had also complained about persons using cor rupt practices to acquire tickets, by bypassing the lines and disenfran chising them.

The Public Works Ministry has announced the introduction of the Ferry Pass booking sys tem for persons travelling between Parika and Bartica – a much-antic ipated development that would ease the ticketing process for many.

The Ministry shared on Thursday that the system was ac tivated last weekend. This online

booking mechanism was already set in motion back in October for the Parika- Supenaam route, with MMG offering the payment solution. Online reservations would get first preference against those who prefer the in-person ticketing system.

Online booking means persons using the ferry service would save time by simply reserving and paying

In fact, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill has been quoted as saying, “A system that is transpar ent, accountable, accessible; where it’s not left to the discretion of an in dividual at any level, but is one that is open to the entire public, makes travelling easier and more comfort able, and (is obviously) saving lots and lots of time. And that is what Ferry Pass will do… This is making life easy for everybody, and it is mak ing the system one that is fair and

predictable.”

When the Ferry Pass system was initially launched, there was the as surance that, by Jan 2023, online booking for Leguan, Wakenaam, Mabaruma, Port Kaituma, Morawhanna and Fort Island would come on steam. The Ministry was

also looking at the possibility of in stalling this system for the MV Canawaima, which plies the route between Guyana and Suriname.

Persons can book their tickets by visiting ferrypass.gy. With four sim ple steps, they can acquire tickets and a pass for their vehicles. (G12)

Heavy rainfall Citizens urged to take precautions against possible flooding – PM

Prime Minister of Guyana, Brigadier (re tired) Mark Phillips, has urged persons in low-ly ing and flood-prone areas to take precautions in the com ing days, as Guyana con tinues to experience heavy rainfall.

Prime Minister Phillips, under whose purview the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) falls, made this com ment during a briefing held at the CDC Headquarters at Thomas Lands on Thursday.

“We are in the rainy sea son, and some amount of flooding is expected. While we do not hope for it, we are working to closely monitor the situation. Persons who reside on low-lying areas and those who are affected by flooding, I encourage you to take all precautions to minimise the damage that is associated with flooding in all communities,” he ad vised.

The Prime Minister, who also holds responsibility for

disaster risk management, revealed that the Cabinet Taskforce on Flooding is also monitoring the rainfall. Director-General of the Civil Defence Commission, Colonel (retired) Nazrul Hussain, has added that the CDC has embarked on a public awareness cam paign on its social media platforms, and is urging res idents to take all necessary precautions.

Prime Minister Mark Phillips engaging officials of the CDC

Citizens urged to take...

He noted that the Commission is working with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Hydrometeorological Service and several other stakehold ers to monitor and respond to reports of flooding.

In the meantime, a flood advisory warning is being issued, based on the pre dicted weather forecast for the week. CDC has also ad vised citizens to remain vig ilant and cautious, and to report any impacts to local authorities or the National Emergency Monitoring System (NEMS) on 6007500 at any time.

The Hydrometeorological Service of the Agriculture

Ministry has forecasted wet ter-than-usual rainfall con ditions across all regions of Guyana until January 2023, as the country experiences the secondary rainfall sea son. The usual secondary rainfall season will be aug mented by persistent La Nina conditions during the season. Rainfall is expected to increase considerably at least to January. During the upcoming rainy season, wa ter levels in conservancies, reservoirs, and inland rivers across Regions One to Eight and 10 are likely to increase, and there is a high risk of flooding.

On the other hand,

Region Nine would contin ue to be dry, but can expect more than the usual number of rainy days.

It has been noted that the continued maintenance of drainage infrastructure is essential as the country progresses towards the wet season. Farmers have been urged to take all the neces sary precautions to secure crops and livestock in ad vance of significant rainfall events. Miners are similarly cautioned to exercise maxi mum care on interior roads and on mining sites, while the applicable public health protocols should be activat ed across the Regions. (G12)

Elections CoI

Mingo, Lowenfield did not use SoPs as instructed by Commission – Claudette Singh

ruling to mean that docu ments other than the SoPs can be used to verify the votes.

However, Justice Singh said, “My understanding was that the Chief Justice said to use the SoPs.”

As a result, the process was then deferred until the GECOM Chair could obtain the court ruling and proper ly examine it.

The Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the events that fol lowed the March 2020 elec tions heard that both for mer Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield and former Region Four Returning Officer (RO) Clairmont Mingo failed to follow the instructions of the seven-member Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on several occa sions after the March 2 polls.

This was revealed during the testimony of GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, who took the stand on Thursday. She also disclosed that despite the actions of these two em battled officials, who are currently before the courts, along with others, facing electoral fraud charges, no actions were taken against them at the level of the Commission during the fivemonth impasse.

With regard to Mingo, Justice Singh recalled that she had learnt that there was an attempt to use spreadsheets instead of the Statements of Poll (SoPs), as per standard practice, to conduct the tabulation of the votes from Region Four – Guyana’s largest voting district – but did not do any thing about the situation.

She explained that the issue was brought to her at tention on March 4, 2020 by

then People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)nominated Commissioner at GECOM, the late Bibi Shadick, who received a phone call that “someone was trying to use a spread sheet” with incorrect figures during the tabulation of the District Four votes.

The GECOM Chair re lated that Commissioner Shadick returned after some time and said the matter was resolved; hence she nev er looked into it.

“I was awaiting [on Shadick] to return to tell me what took place… She told me the matter was re solved… As far as I’m aware no decision was taken by the Commission to use the spreadsheet… At that time, no [I did not ascertain my self whether the spreadsheet was being used],” Justice Singh stated when probed by the CoI Commissioners.

Nevertheless, the GECOM Chair said she lat er learnt that it was Mingo who tried to implement the use of spreadsheets, which she said “…the Commission had never sanctioned. There was no agreement on that, no decision”.

The following day, how ever, while the seven-mem ber Elections Commission was discussing the spread sheet issue, People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) – the leading par

ty in the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC)

– Commissioner Charles Corbin declared that she “cannot interfere” with the RO’s work.

But before she could have responded to this statement, Justice Singh related that the meeting was interrupted and they were informed that Mingo was attempting to declare the Region Four re sults without completing the verification process – some thing which the GECOM Chair said was unheard of.

“By the time everybody ran out, Mingo had already made his declaration… This was something unheard of. Nobody thought that would’ve [happened espe cially since the tabulation of the District Four votes were not completed],” Justice Singh stated.

That declaration was subsequently set aside by the High Court judge, Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, who ruled that the SoPs should be used to conduct the tabulation of the Region Four votes.

But according to the GECOM Chair, at the time when the tabulation of the Region Four votes was slat ed to recommence, the then Deputy Chief Elections Officer Roxanne Myers in formed her via phone that they interpreted the CJ’s

Two days later, on March 13, 2020, there was a hear ing before the Chief Justice (ag) after another legal pro ceeding was filed, claiming that GECOM and the RO were in contempt of the pre vious court ruling by not us ing the SoPs to conduct the tabulation.

“I went along with the CEO [Keith Lowenfield] and Mr Mingo… We went to Court… [I gave an un dertaking to] facilitate a re count [of the Region Four votes]. Although, that was in the RO’s domain, that was his power, what I said if the RO had turned down the application for recount [filed by at least agents of at least two political parties], I will facilitate it by going to Commission and get their consent.”

According to Justice Singh, while the Chief Justice instructed Mingo on how he should proceed, she too spoke with him after wards and warned him to use the SoPs figures in his tabulation exercise to which he responded, saying “yes”.

Nevertheless, that en tire process was eventu ally abandoned by March 14, 2020 after there was an agreement between the then President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo for a nation al recount of all the votes cast to be carried out.

Meanwhile, follow ing the 33-day recount ex ercise, CEO Lowenfield was required to tabulate the results of the March 2020 General and Regional

Elections based on the re sults from that recount. But according to the GECOM Chair, in his report, the CEO said the elections were marred by anomalies and al legations of voters’ imper sonation; therefore, it was not a credible process.

Justice Singh indicat ed, however, only a court of law can annul an elec tion under Article 163 of the Constitution of Guyana.

Nevertheless, in a sub sequent report by the CEO, in which he was guided by another court ruling on the validity of votes, Lowenfield invalidated about 100,000 votes based on the Appeal Court’s decision.

The GECOM Chair said that report was discounted by the Elections Commission after the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) dismissed the Appeal Court ruling. Following this, the CEO is sued a press statement in which he claimed that he acted constitutionally and executed his duties.

He was again instruct ed by the GECOM Chair on July 9, 2020 to produce a re port the following day, but instead, he sought clarifica tion from her on her request. That report was submitted, but contained the figures from the initial tabulation process and not the recount process.

Justice Singh said she did not accept this and again directed the CEO to submit another report on July 14. On that day, however, an other court challenge was filed, challenging whether the GECOM Chair can in struct the CEO to prepare a report using the recount fig ures.

Again, that challenge was dismissed at the level of the Court of Appeal and the CEO finally submitted his report on August 2, 2020 using the recount figures as instructed. A declaration of the March 2, 2020 results were then made, naming the PPP/C as the winner with 15,000 more votes than the APNU/AFC.

In light of the fact that she made six attempts before finally receiving the correct report from the CEO, Justice Singh, when asked, indicat ed that no actions were tak en during that time to dis cipline Lowenfield since the Elections Commission was more focused on having him submit his report. However, she did note that action was subsequently taken and Lowenfield, his deputy and Mingo were all terminated.

The election CoI will be taking a break for the Christmas holidays and will resume its work on January 4, 2023. (G8)

Woman living in fear after neighbour allegedly beats, threatens to kill her …reputed husband lashed with wood

Awoman of Rotterdam, East Bank Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) is now living in fear after a neigh bour had allegedly attacked her in her home, and is now making threats to beat her and end her life because she had reported the incident to the Police.

According to this pen sioner, 72-year-old Deorattie Nekram, as she was on her way to the Police station to report the incident, the man tried to stop her. She said the incident occurred at just before nightfall on Sunday, December 4.

According to her, after she had had a conversation with one of her neighbour’s children, the neighbour

came into her house and grabbed her by the throat,

choking and slapping her several times. She said that at the time she was ap proached, she was sitting on a bench, and the neighbour pulled her by her neck out of her seat and tightened his fingers around her throat.

“When he slap me and choke me, I urine up my self,” the woman told this publication as she recounted the ordeal.

Meanwhile, her reputed husband Vernon Cozier was lying in a hammock when the neighbour returned, and he was this time targeted.

“When he slap this lady, I was in the hammock lying down. When he run into the house, I didn’t have noth

ing in my hand. The guy is a very strapping chap, I couldn’t fight with him. He choking the lady and I hol lering for her son; he was at the back in the bathroom bathing. By the time he come, she already got what

she got.”

Cozier said the neigh bour left the house, but re turned shortly after, this time armed with a piece of wood which he had picked up from Nekram’s yard.

The piece of wood that was used to lash Vernon Cozier

Deorattie Nekram and her reputed husband, Vernon Cozier

GECOM Chair, Justice Claudette Singh, testifying on Thursday

Former CEO Keith Lowenfield Former Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo

International Anti-Corruption Day

ABCE diplomats applaud Govt for anti-corruption initiatives

…call for more robust legislative framework, more effort to “root out corruption”

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention against Corruption, Western diplomats have lauded the Guyana Government for its anti-corruption efforts al ready undertaken, while also calling for more robust legislation to root out cor rupt practices.

This was indicated in a joint statement from the Ambassador of the United States of America, Sarah-Ann Lynch; British High Commissioner Jane Miller OBE; Canadian High Commissioner Mark Berman, and the Ambassador of the European Union, René van Nes, in com memoration of International Anti-Corruption Day, being observed today across the world.

This is reflected by the theme of this year’s interna tional day. The IACD theme this year is “UNCAC at 20: Uniting the World Against Corruption”, and it reflects the 20th anniversary of the Nations’ Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).

According to the ABCE diplomats, this year’s International AntiCorruption Day highlights the crucial link between an ti-corruption and peace, se curity, and development. They acknowledged that Guyana, over the years, has held anti-corruption workshops and developed an anti-corruption manu al. It was noted, too, that recent amendments to the Representation of the People Act (ROPA) have been made to try to further promote fair and transparent elections.

In addition, the revised Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Act allows for in creased transparency and improved management of Guyana’s natural resource wealth. Importantly, it was

outlined that amendments to Guyana’s anti-money laundering and counter ing the financing of terror ism (AML/CFT) legislation may clear Guyana’s path to membership in the presti gious Egmont Group, which facilitates cooperation and intelligence- sharing among international financial intel ligence units to investigate and prevent money launder ing and terrorist financing.

But the ABCE en voys said, “We applaud the Government for these ac tions. However, combat ting corruption requires more than a robust legisla tive framework. In each case where the legal framework allows for best practices, those practices must be im plemented for all to see and experience.”

They pointed out that since corruption dispro portionately impacts the most vulnerable in society, Governments have a duty to hold to account those who engage in fraud, bribery, and collusion with criminal elements.

However, the diplomats stated that Governments alone cannot solve this so

cial disease, adding that civ il society and the Private Sector must also do their part to work collectively with Governments to eradi cate corruption at all levels.

“As the year draws to a close, we look forward to more initiatives by the Guyanese Government to address and eventually root out corruption. Guyana’s sturdy anti-corruption poli cies, together with swift re sponses to evidence-based cases of corrupt practices, will clearly demonstrate to Guyana’s citizens and the rest of the world that the Government is committed to transparency, account ability, and responsiveness for the future benefit of all Guyanese,” the western en voys posited.

Globally, they outlined that corruption is a corrosive influence that undermines public faith in institutions, resulting in diminished cit izen security, stunted eco nomic growth, and a drain on public and private re sources.

To this end, they un derscored the importance of ensuring improved ac countability, increased

Woman living in fear after...

“When he come back, I didn’t know that he com ing back, and (I) was lying down in the hammock and the wood catch me straight here,” Cozier said as he pointed to a swelling on his jaw that was covered with a band-aid plaster.

“I get so dizzy after, and it was plenty blood, and then her son come and say let us go to the station. When they going out on the road, he block them. I walk away be cause I fricken. He harass her son and blocking them from going to the station,”

Nekram’s husband re vealed that he had had to seek medical attention at the New Amsterdam Hospital. The man showed this pub lication the piece of wool he was hit with from his own yard.

Nekram said that during the confrontation on the road, during which her neighbour tried to prevent her from go ing to the Police station, he threatened to kill her.

Cozier says that threats were also made to burn the house down.

“Me nah sleeping at this house, because he said he gon kill me,” the frightened Nekram added.

Cozier has expressed con cerns that up to Thursday the Police had not visited the scene, even after prom ising to do so. “They say the patrol would come, so that they could get him, but he does only come in the night. The Police never turn up. I had report it to a normal Police, and the next day I go to the Corporal. (She) take a statement and told them the

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Police not doing nothing, and she gon get it done. She sent us home and said she would deal with it.”

However, the injured man said, the Police have not visited his home. The house still has the muddy foot prints of the intruder, and Nekram has said she had left them (neighbours) and was hoping that the Police would be able to see them as they gather evidence.

Cozier also showed this publication the piece of wood which he was allegedly hit with. That, too, they say was evidence that they hoped the Police would be able to cap ture.

The Sisters Police Station is three villages away from where the incident occurred, and that is less than a mile in distance. (G4)

transparency, and the dis mantling of corruption in all its forms in order to build a

more inclusive future for all.

On this note, the ABCE diplomats said in their joint missive that Governments

at all levels all around the world should honour their obligation to tackle corrup tion.

“At the local level, Governments should com mit to anti-corruption ini tiatives in collaboration with the Public and Private Sectors as well as Civil Society. Such cooperation will yield positive outcomes leading to good governance, a robust Civil Society, re spect for the rule of law, and the preservation of human rights norms,” they stressed.

The diplomats further contended that strengthen ing legislative frameworks to deter corrupt practices, promote transparency, and uphold accountability is a key step in addressing cor ruption.

Russia frees US basketball star in swap for arms dealer Viktor Bout

The United States and Russia have exchanged jailed US basketball star Brittney Griner for no torious arms dealer Viktor Bout, held in an American prison for 12 years.

President Joe Biden said Griner was safe and on a plane home from the United Arab Emirates.

"I'm glad to say Brittney's in good spirits... she needs time and space to recover," he said at the White House.

Bout – widely known as the "merchant of death" –has arrived back in Moscow, Russian media reports.

"In the middle of the night they simply woke me up and said 'Get your things togeth er' and that was it," Bout said in brief remarks to a reporter from national television, after landing in Russia.

Bout reportedly came down the aeroplane steps car rying a bouquet of flowers be fore embracing his mother and his wife.

Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February for possessing cannabis oil and last month sent to a pe nal colony.

The Biden Administration proposed a prisoner exchange in July, aware Moscow had long sought Bout's release.

The elaborate swap in volved two private planes bringing the pair to Abu Dhabi airport from Moscow and Washington, and then flying them home.

Footage on Russian state media – apparently provided by Russian security services –showed them crossing on the tarmac with their respective teams.

"The Russian citizen has been returned to his home land," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Russian forc es shelled the entire front line of Donetsk region in east ern Ukraine on Thursday, Ukrainian officials said, part of what appeared to be the Kremlin's scaled-back ambi tion to secure only the bulk of lands it has claimed.

The fiercest fighting was near the towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, the region's governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said in a TV interview.

Artillery slammed into the town of Toretsk southwest of Bakhmut, killing one civilian and damaging 12 buildings, Kyrylenko said. (Excerpts from BBC News and Reuters)

Celine Dion diagnosed with rare neurological disorder

Singer Celine Dion has been diagnosed with a rare neurological disor der that causes spasms and makes it difficult for her to sing, the global superstar said in emotional videos re leased on social media.

Dion said on Thursday that she was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, an ex tremely rare condition that affects one to two people per million and causes progres sive muscle stiffness.

“While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what’s been causing all of the spasms that I’ve been having,” a vis ibly emotional Dion said in English in one of the videos. A second video was released in French.

“Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the

way I’m used to,” said Dion, known for ballads including “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” and “My Heart Will Go On”.

“It hurts me to tell you today,” the 54-year-old con tinued in the tearful vid eo shared on her Instagram page, her voice breaking, “that this means I won’t be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February.”

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch

British High Commissioner Jane Miller

Canadian High Commissioner Mark Berman

EU Ambassador René van Nes

Jailed US basketball star Brittney Griner was swapped for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout

DAILY HOROSCOPES

Trips, seminars, meetings or any thing that gives you the wisdom and knowledge required to further your plans is encouraged. A personal pickme-up will boost your ego.

(March 21-April 19)

(April 20-May 20)

Inconsistency will stand between you and your objective. Keep your emotions in check, and don’t make changes or pur chases you can’t afford. Be a reasonable observer.

Use your wisdom, experience and con nections to help you manage your life, fi nances and relationships. Ask questions and offer suggestions; something good will develop. Leave nothing to chance.

(May 21-June 20)

(June 21-July 22) (July 23-Aug. 22)

Emotions will surface quickly. Go over recent events and assess a tricky situation before you take sides or make a move. Speak from the heart while stick ing to the facts.

Set your sights on something, and don’t stop until you reach your destina tion. A hands-on approach will give oth ers a chance to witness your skills and enjoy watching you work.

Strive for perfection in all you do, and you won’t be disappointed. A change of attitude will develop as you gather in formation about work or one of your col leagues. Leave nothing to chance.

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

Strategize, and you’ll devise a plan that excites you. Gather information and proceed to dazzle friends, relatives and peers. A reunion or conference will encourage you to set high standards.

SUDOKU

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

Money and emotions won’t mix. Don’t feel obligated to pay for others or spend money to impress. Trying to buy love won’t make you feel good about yourself. Concentrate on what you have to offer.

A change will inspire you. Spend time with someone who brings out the best in you; your conversation will lead to excit ing prospects. Do only what you can af ford, and you’ll avoid money worries.

Keep your opinions to yourself, and don’t believe everything you hear. Expect someone to exaggerate or use un fair tactics to get you to reveal sensitive information. Stick close to home.

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

Host an event, entertain people you want to work with or make your home a sanctuary where you feel relaxed. Discuss your intentions with a loved one to find out where you stand.

Listen to others, be helpful and work to make a difference. How you handle re quests and take care of responsibilities will determine what others will do for you in return.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

ARCHIE PEANUTS

CALVIN AND HOBBES

DILBERT

FIFA World Cup: Qatar 2022…

Quarterfinal stage: England vs France; Croatia vs Brazil

‘Fabulous Friday’ awaits with tasty World Cup ties

If the two appetising showdowns which kick off the World Cup quar terfinal stage don’t give you that ‘Friday feeling’, then nothing will.

There is a showdown in volving tournament favou rites Brazil versus the 2018 runners-up Croatia. Then there is a repeat of the 1978 final involving Argentina and the Netherlands in an other glamorous match-up.

Both of these quarterfi nal matches would be live on BBC TV, radio, and online on ‘Fabulous’ Friday; mean ing, you can spend most of the day following our cov erage and ensuring you don’t miss a thing. The two matches will be broadcast on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer. Radio commentary of both quarterfinals will be available in the UK on BBC Sounds, with live text cover age on the BBC Sport web site and app.

Here is a summary of what we have got to look for ward to:

Can Croatia stop ‘terrifying’ Brazil’s carnival?

Brazil have long been an alluring attraction for foot ball fans, and they have

again been delighting their supporters - plus many neu trals from around the worldwith their free-flowing moves in Qatar.

The Selecao tore South Korea apart with a devastat ing attacking performance in their last-16 tie, underlin ing why Tite’s side are con sidered the favourites to lift the trophy on 18 December. Even the manager enjoyed the show, joining with his players as they danced in celebration of the 4-1 win.

Now they’re aiming to pro vide more entertainment on Friday (today).

“What I’ve seen so far, when you take a look at their players, their quality, skills and value, then it is indeed terrifying,” said Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic.

“We need to enter the match with much faith, self-confidence, and looking for our chances; enjoy the occasion of playing Brazil, that’s it.”

Croatia, who lost to

France in the 2018 World Cup final, are likely to pose the toughest test so far for five-time champions Brazil.

Their progression has again been orchestrated by 37-year-old Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, who indicated before arriv ing in Qatar that this would likely be his last major tour nament.

“When you see people like Luka Modric running and dying on the pitch, it gives us younger players extra ener

Portugal deny Ronaldo threatened to leave World Cup squad

The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) has denied that Cristiano Ronaldo had threatened to leave the World Cup.

Portuguese publication “Record” claims the forward, 37, made the threat after be ing told he would not start their last-16 game against Switzerland. In the previous game against South Korea, the Portugal captain had re acted angrily when he was substituted.

The FPF said: "At no time did Cristiano Ronaldo threaten to leave the nation al team during the stay in Qatar."

Ronaldo left Manchester United by mutual agreement before Portugal's World Cup opener, after a controver sial interview in which the five-time Ballon d'Or winner criticised the club. Ronaldo was substituted off the field in both of Portugal's opening games, and coach Fernando Santos said he "didn't like" Ronaldo's reaction when he was again replaced during the 2-1 group defeat by South Korea.

Goncalo Ramos start ed instead of Ronaldo

against Switzerland, and the 21-year-old scored a hattrick in the 6-1 victory.

Ronaldo, who is Portugal's most-capped player (195) and all-time leading goal-scorer (118), was used as a late substitute in that game, but afterwards left the field while his teammates were still celebrating.

"Cristiano Ronaldo builds up a unique track re cord every day at the service of the national team and the country, which must be re spected," added the FPF.

"The degree of dedication of the player most capped by Portugal was again demon strated - if necessary - in the

victory against Switzerland in the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup."

Portugal face Morocco in the quarter-finals on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Ronaldo did not train with the other substitutes after Wednesday's game. Instead, he took part in a gym session alongside those that had started against Switzerland.

After the FPF state ment was released on Thursday, Ronaldo tweet ed: "A group too close to be broken by outside forces. A nation too brave to let itself be frightened by any adver sary. A team in the truest

(BBC Sport)

gy to run,” said Croatia fullback Josip Juranovic.

Messi or Van Gaal heading for World Cup farewell?

The prospect of Netherlands and Argentina coming together again at a World Cup evokes vivid memories across different generations.

Whether it is Mario Kempes inspiring Argentina to victory in the 1978 fi nal, that sublime touch and finish from Dennis Bergkamp to put the Dutch into the 1998 semi-finals, or a drab 2014 encounter end ing with Argentine keeper Sergio Romero becoming the penalty shootout hero, there is a long-developed rivalry between the nations, which adds a romanticism to the proceedings.

American basketball…

This occasion should be no different. It could be the last time we see Argentina’s Lionel Messi - considered by many as the greatest player ever seen - on the biggest in ternational stage of all.

It could also be the last time we see the Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal in the dugout.

Messi, 35, carries the hopes of his nation, as he aims to land a title which has so far eluded him; while 71-year-old Van Gaal - who recovered from prostate can cer earlier this year and is set to step down after the World Cup - is trying to en sure the three-time run ners-up finally go one step further. The veteran coach’s plan may largely focus on containing Messi and catch ing Argentina on the break, as the Dutch look to take re venge for their semi-final de feat in 2014.

“We can surprise teams with our plan. We were also the better team then, and Messi didn’t see much of the ball,” said Van Gaal, whose bullish talk further stokes anticipation for the contest.

Wherever you are, and whatever you’re doing, it promises to be a World Cup Friday which you won’t want to miss. (BBC Sport)

Irving scores 33 as Nets beat Hornets

Kyrie Irving scored 33 points and made nine assists as the Brooklyn Nets held on for a 122-116 win over the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA.

Kevin Durant also claimed 29 points, nine rebounds and eight assists at the Barclays Center in New York.

The Nets set a sea son-high for points in the first half to lead 73-55, as they bounced back from Sunday's 103-92 loss to the Boston Celtics. They are fourth in the Eastern Conference, with a 14-12 record.

The Boston Celtics ce mented their spot at the top of the Eastern Conference standings with a domi nant 125-98 win against the Phoenix Suns.

Josh Okogie scored 28 points for the Suns, but five players reached double figures for the Celtics, with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum

each scoring 25 points as the Celtics improved to 21-5.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, the NBA's two-time Most Valuable Player, scored 35 points, and Jrue Holiday scored 31 as the Milwaukee Bucks pulled away late to beat the Sacramento Kings 126-113 and move to 18-6.

The New Orleans Pelicans now have the best record in the Western Conference, af

ter holding off the Detroit Pistons for a 104-98 home win. Zion Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas each had a double-double, with Williamson claiming 29 points and 10 rebounds, and Valanciunas claiming 14 points and 12 rebounds, as the Pelicans claimed a fifth successive victory.

Rookie Simone Fontecchio made a last-second game-win ning dunk as the Utah Jazz scored five points in the fi nal 7.8 seconds to earn an improbable 124-123 win over the Golden State Warriors.

Jordan Poole made one of two free throws with 13.3 sec onds remaining - he scored 36 points in the game - to give the Warriors a four-point lead; but Malik Beasley hit a three-pointer before Nickeil Alexander-Walker stole the ball from Poole with 4.3 sec onds remaining, to set up Fontecchio. (BBC Sport)

sense of the word, which will fight for the dream un til the end. Believe with us."

Croatia playmaker Luka Modric, Brazil talisman Neymar, Argentina skipper Lionel Messi, and Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal are all aiming for World Cup quarter-final glory on Friday

Ronaldo was dropped to the bench during Portugal’s 6-1 victory over Switzerland

Kyrie Irving was recently suspended for promoting a documentary which contained anti-Semitic material on social media

WI vs Aus: Sir Frank Worrell Trophy: Test 2 of 2…

Australia dominate West Indies on opening day of pink ball Test

Marnus Labuschagne and hometown hero

Travis Head struck near-flawless centuries to dominate the pink ball Test, as Australia put a struggling West Indies attack to the sword on day one of the sec ond Test in Adelaide.

After stand-in captain Steven Smith had elected to bat, Labuschagne and Head combined for an unbeaten fourth-wicket partnership of 199, to power Australia to

wavering concentration and patience in tricky early con ditions, before he toyed with West Indies’ flagging bowl ers. He was well support ed by Head, who scored his fifth Test ton and first on his home ground with a brilliant drive to the boundary, much to the delight of the Adelaide Oval faithful. Head’s ag gressive mood continued af ter making 99 in his sole in nings in Perth, targeting the short square boundaries and

line quicks Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales, West Indies speedster Alzarri Joseph un successfully targeted a shortball strategy, and resisted trying to conjure swing with the new ball.

But he did dismiss open er David Warner, who was caught behind for 21 in a rash dismissal in another missed opportunity to end a near three-year Test century drought. Briefly attempting a rally, West Indies bowled with more discipline in the second session through seamers Jason Holder and Anderson Phillip, who im pressed with accuracy in just his second Test match.

a commanding position at stumps.

Labuschagne hit his 10th Test century on the back of his double-century and hun dred in Australia’s 164-run series opening win in Perth. While his good fortune has been widely noted, rearing again after riding his luck in the first Test, Labuschagne produced a chanceless in nings as he became the first Australian batter to notch three straight Test tons since Adam Voges in 2015-16.

He completed the feat with a boundary through point under lights in the final session, and raised his arms aloft to strong applause from the 24,449-person crowd at the Adelaide Oval.

Labuschagne’s 235-ball knock was marked by un

continually plundering West Indies’ increasingly ragged bowling through point.

The pair flattened West Indies’ attempts at a come back after the quick wick ets in the middle session of opener Usman Khawaja and Smith, who fell for just his fifth duck in Tests in Australia. But sloppy bowl ing and fielding left West Indies frustrated as their hopes of ending a 25-year Test drought in Australia with a series-levelling victo ry already appearing forlorn.

Much like in Perth, where they claimed only six wickets in 190 overs across two in nings, West indies’ bowlers were inconsistent, and failed to penetrate on a surface with occasional bounce and move ment. Without injured front

But it was debutant Devon Thomas who broke through by trapping Khawaja lbw for 62, with his handy seamers providing a surprise option. It was a much-needed tonic for an injury-hit West Indies, whose woes deepened when debutant quick Marquino Mindley left the field in the first session with a suspected hamstring injury, after bowl ing just two overs. Mindley

day’s play, and used seven bowlers. He unsuccessfully reverted to spinner Roston Chase as the first change bowler in a baffling move. He again unwisely used Chase and his own part-time spin before the tea break, to re

second new ball failing to do the trick as the beleaguered tourists stare down the bar rel of conceding another massive first-innings total to Australia.

Both teams made a host of changes, with Australia’s regular captain Pat Cummins failing to overcome a quad strain he picked up during the first Test, while quick Josh Hazlewood was ruled out with a side strain.

Seamers Scott Boland and Michael Neser add

ed to Test matches they played last summer against England, while former cap tain Smith took the reins from Cummins like he did in last year’s Ashes Test in Adelaide.

Even though he endured an uncharacteristic fail ure with the bat, falling to Holder in a return catch, Smith should be well pleased with Australia making a strong start in their bid for an 11th straight day-night Test victory. (ESPN Cricinfo)

(David Warner, 8.6 ov), 2-129 (Usman Khawaja, 41.1 ov), 3-131 (Steven Smith, 42.4 ov)

BOWLING O-M-R-W

Alzarri Joseph 21-2-81-1

Jason Holder 21-6-42-1

Roston Chase 14-0-66-0

had arrived in Adelaide on Monday from the Caribbean as injury cover.

Captain Kraigg Brathwaite scrambled for inspiration throughout the

lease the pressure on new batter Head, who counterat tacked with ease.

It paved the way for a sub-par final session for West Indies under lights, with the

MVP Sports’ final futsal showdown on tomorrow

The MVP Sports Futsal tournament is expected to culminate tomorrow night in a wave of thrills and excitement and with two blis tering finals on the cards. Both the male and inau gural female tournament fi nals will be contested tomor row night at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue. For the women, Tiger Bay will oppose Fruta Conquerors, while the men’s final will see Bent Street tak ing on Future Stars.

In a pre-game press con ference on Thursday at the MVP Sports’ branch at the Giftland Mall, Petra Organization’s Co-Director Troy Mendonca spoke to the uniqueness of the tourna ment, while predicting an ex citing final.

Mendonca related, “I said unique because it’s the first ever MVP futsal tournament that has the girls’ segment as part of it. I also want to say that this tournament is a tour nament for the teams and the people. We anticipate a very exciting final on Saturday. We have Conquerors and we have Tiger Bay, a fusion of club and community teams. And we have the - I refer to

them as giant killers - Future Stars, because, as you know they knocked out one of the favourite teams in this form of competition.

“And then we have the big, mighty Bent Street. I think the fans are in for a treat on Saturday,” The Petra Co- Director shared.

Meanwhile, MVP Sports’ proprietor Ian Ramdeo is quite pleased with the tour nament thus far, as he also shared his expectations.

“MVP Sports is very pleased to be a part of this particular format of the game, especially because it reaches into the communities and the grassroots of football, and we’re definitely looking

forward to an exciting final,” he said.

Meanwhile, fans, orga nizers and sponsors are not the only ones pumped-up for Saturday’s games. Speaking with media operatives, team

representatives vowed to put on quite a show.

Tiger Bay’s Afena Baptiste pledged, “We’re going against Fruta Conquerors, and we’re expecting to bring home the trophy.”

“On Saturday, we’re ex pecting to dominate com pletely and take home the tro phy by all means necessary,” Fruta Conquerors’ Hasha Holder shared in reply.

Meanwhile, Nicholas McArthur of the Future Stars had a word for the team’s fans.

“I would like to thank the fans that have supported us from the start of this tour nament; and come Saturday, we won’t let you down,” Mc

Arthur said.

“You could come and ex pect a very good final. We won’t be taking anybody lightly,” Bent Street’s Akel Clarke has promised.

In addition to the final games, the two third-place playoffs will also be on the cards on Saturday night. The MVP Sports final showdown is expected to commence at 20:30hrs.

The men will battle for a $500,000 grand prize. Second place is worth $300,000, while third place is worth $200,00 and fourth place $100,000.

The women will fight for a chance to grab the $200,000 first prize. Second, third and fourth places will be reward ed with $100,000, $50,000, and $25,000 respectively. Additionally, the male MVP and a fan will ride away with motorcycles, compliments of Luminous.

Aside from title spon sors, the tournament is sup ported by ANSA McAL through their Lucozade and Magnum brands, Luminous Manufacturing and Distribution, and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.

Marquino Mindley 2-0-11-0

Anderson Phillip 16-2-56-0

Kraigg Brathwaite 6-0-28-0

Devon Thomas 9-0-43-1

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Devon Thomas got a wicket on debut

Marnus and Head are delighted after scoring centuries

Mindley left the field after two overs

Representatives of the female teams that will be vying for the MVP Sports Female Futsal Title

Representatives of the male teams that will be vying for the MVP Sports Male Futsal Title

MVP Sports’ Ian Ramdeo

Significant investment plugged into One Guyana President’s Cup

By Jemima Holmes

In other sectors, for in stance healthcare, educa tion, or even agriculture, seeing a $30M price tag on a project wouldn’t surprise many people. However, when such a figure is attached to Sport, it is an occurrence that would turn heads.

$30M is the approximate figure that has been placed on the inaugural One Guyana President’s Cup football tour nament; a significant amount that has never been attached to a tournament locally, or at the very least, not in recent history.

Taking into account that 28 players and staff from ten teams representing Guyana’s administrative regions will be given $80,000 just to play, while their coach and cap tain are remunerated with $100,000, that is already ground-breaking.

But it does not end there.

For every victory a team clinches in the group stage (4 games per team), they will be rewarded with Gy$200,000 (US$1000) and the four teams that reach the semifinal stage would receive Gy$400,000 (US$2000). This is, of course, in addition to the $2M grand prize and the $1M prize for the second-place finishers.

Surely, it is an investment that would fuel otherwise un derpaid players to put extra effort into their trade.

Cosigning the magnitude

of Government’s investment into this tournament was GFF President Wayne Forde.

“The incentives that have been offered by the Government of Guyana through His Excellency (are) unprecedented in every mea sure for our game,” Forde told those gathered at the tourna ment’s launch on Wednesday evening at State House.

He boldly declared, “Accumulatively, the tourna ment will have an incentive budget exceeding Gy$30M.”

Although Forde was quick to clarify that the price tag is not the sole factor of impor tance, he was appreciative of the Government’s invest ment.

“It is important to men tion that our players are not only inspired and motivat ed by finances. Every young

man that you see out here this evening is driven by a de sire to represent the Golden Arrowhead, and we’ve al ways stated consistently that the Government of Guyana is the most strategic partner for football development, and I’m happy to be in the posi tion that I am today, to see that vision and expectation being realised through the vi sion and the patronage of our President,” Forde explained.

Also taking notice of the capital that has been injected into the tournament are the players, on whose behalf na tional player Jeremy Garrett spoke.

“On behalf of the players, I just want to say a special thank you to the Government of Guyana for the investment, and showing us how import ant the footballers are; more

so, the development of foot ball across all regions,” the footballer remarked.

Alluding to a piece of ad vice that was once given by Golden Jaguars Coach Jamaal Shabazz, Garrett ex plained the likely result of the investment and interest that has been placed on Guyana’s footballers this year-end sea son.

Garrett further stated, “From my heart, I must men tion that we’re seeing the sac rifices that the Government is making for us; and as players, we are thankful, and as play ers, we will continue to make the sacrifice for this country, to do our best.”

Without a doubt, the man without whose patronage the tournament would not be pos sible has taken note of the in vestment his charges are currently making to see the tournament through.

As such, President Dr. Irfaan Ali shared, ‘A lot of in vestment… It’s not only the cash investment by game, it’s investment in uniform, in vestment in logistics, trans portation. It’s not easy, it’s a very, very expensive endeav our to put this tournament to gether.”

And even after the President’s Cup is completed on January 1, 2023, the work will continue. “At the end of this tournament, I’ve commit ted to the Guyana Football Federation that we will joint ly work in,” The Head of State

Guyana’s Munisar to lead WIW at U19 World Cup

Guyanese Ashmini Munisar will be tasked with leading the West Indies Women’s Under-19 team into the ICC Women’s U19 World Cup, af ter being selected as Captain.

Cricket West Indies(CWI) Selection Panel on Thursday named the 15-member West Indies Women’s Under19s Rising Stars squad for the ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup in South Africa in January 2023. Munisar recently captained the West Indies team on their tours to the USA in August, and last month in India, and as such has been handed the job for the World Cup.

Lead Selector Mrs. Ann Browne-John said: “The Under-19 girls T20 World Cup will be an historic event, being the first of its kind in women’s international crick et. In preparation for this, the team embarked on tours of the USA and the recent Tri-Series in India against the hosts and New Zealand. These series have identi fied some competent up-andcoming batters, like Djenaba Joseph, Shunelle Sawh and Trishan Holder, who are showing potential to transi tion to a higher level.

“We also had excel lent performances from the two main spinners, cap tain Ashmini Munisar and Shalini Samaroo.” She add ed: “We’ve held training

camps over the past few months, and the preparation will culminate with a final camp to be held in Antigua this month. This internation al exposure would no doubt be extremely beneficial, not only to this group of players, but (would) also serve as an investment and feeder group into the Senior West Indies Women’s set up.”

Captain Ashmini Munisar has expressed her happiness at being selected to lead the squad. “It is every cricketer’s dream to play for their coun try, let alone be able to captain their team. It is an immense honour that I get to do it at this historic inaugural ICC Women’s U19 World Cup. We have been playing together for the past few months, and all the players are gelling and progressing quite nicely, and we’re all excited to represent the West Indies.”

The ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup will feature

41 matches, to be played from 14 to 29 January in South Africa. The official warm-up matches will be from 9 to 11 January. The 16 participat ing teams would play in four groups in the preliminary round. West Indies have been drawn in Group C, alongside New Zealand, Ireland and Indonesia.

WEST INDIES WOMEN’S UNDER-19s RISING

STARS SQUAD

Ashmini Munisar (captain)

Asabi Callendar

Jahzara Claxton

Naijanni Cumberbatch Earnisha Fontaine

Jannillea Glasgow

Realanna Grimmond

Trishan Holder

Zaida James Djenaba Joseph

K D Jazz Mitchell

Shalini Samaroo

Shunelle Sawh

Lena Scott Abini St Jean

GROUPS

Group A: Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, USA

Group B: England, Pakistan, Rwanda, Zimbabwe

Group C: Indonesia, Ireland, New Zealand, West Indies

Group D: India, Scotland, South Africa, UAE

GROUP C - WEST INDIES MATCH SCHEDULE

Sunday January 15: vs Ireland at NW University, Potchefstroom – 4am Eastern Caribbean/3am Jamaica

Tuesday January 17: vs Indonesia at NW University, Potchefstroom – 7:45am Eastern Caribbean/6:45am Jamaica

Thursday January 19: vs New Zealand, JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom – 7:45am Eastern Caribbean/6:45am Jamaica.

added.

However, as has become evident from President Ali’s remarks, the investment in football will not end there. In fact, one can expect another significant investment when the female version of the tour nament is organized.

“This is not only an en deavour that we’re looking at from the male perspective, because our female Jaguars are incredible, and perhaps if you speak to footballers, they will tell you that they have a better chance of making the World Cup. That is just what

they say,” President Ali dis closed on Wednesday eve ning.

He added, “They’re an in credible unit, and they’ve done us proud, and we in tend to invest in their devel opment too. We intend to in vest in bringing them in an Easter tournament in a sim ilar setting, so that they can also have this opportunity.”

The national leg of the One Guyana President’s Cup will commence on Sunday, December 11, at the Leonora Track and Field Center at 18:30hrs.

West Indies should give Schultz an opportunity in today’s final ODI

The West Indies Women have lost against South Africa Women 2-1, and against New Zealand Women 2-1, and are now on the brink of a whitewash against England in the One Day International Series.

The Hayely Matthewsled side will seek to avoid a whitewash in today’s (Friday December 9) final ODI, being played at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua starting from 13:00h. Guyanese Kaysia Schultz is the only uncapped player in the side, and she should be given an opportu nity, with the series already lost.

Schultz, a 25-year-old un capped left-arm spinner who was in West Indies squads against England, South Africa and New Zealand, was among the wickets in the last regional tour nament, held in Guyana. Schultz was the leading spin bowler in the 2022 T20 Blaze tournament, where she claimed eight wickets in four matches at a stellar av erage of 6.87.

Only Barbadian Shanika Bruce had more wickets than Schultz, she having claimed nine wickets in five innings.

Additionally, after two matches, the West Indies batting has been poor, with Rashada Williams being the only batter to surpass 50 in an innings. Williams, who has 88 in her two innings, including an unbeaten 54,

has led the batting charts for West Indies. Kycia Knight has 39 runs in two innings, while Hayley Matthews has 35 runs in the two matches.

Meanwhile, Head Coach of the West Indies team, Courtney Walsh, has lamented the poor batting in both games. “In both games, we haven’t batted well,” Walsh said after Tuesday’s humiliating defeat.

“We were a lot better with the ball in this game on a good batting track, and for the score where we had them at 260, I thought we would have batted better.”

Walsh reserved praise for Rashada Williams, who stood out among the batters.

“We lost those early wickets and just never recovered,” he said. “The batters can take a lot from Rashada’s perfor mance. I am pleased with how she went about it, and showed that it can be done. We have a lot at stake with one game remaining, and we need to get championship points. Our momentum is good, but performance and execution, we have to try and get better.”

The likes of senior play ers Hayley Matthews, Shemaine Campbelle and Chedean Nation will have to come to the par ty and save West Indies from a whitewash in the fi nal ODI. Moreover, with the future being important, young players should be giv en more opportunities and take more responsibility.

(Brandon Corlette)

National Footballer Jeremy Garrett

Kaysia Schultz

West Indies Women’s U19 Rising Stars celebrating