Guyana Times - Monday January 10, 2022

P14

2021, a transformative year for housing and water sector Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4885

THE BEACON OF TRUTH MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022

FPSO earmarked for Yellowtail project to set records for SBM See story on page 11

PRICE

$100 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE: Bonasika tragedy

Grandmother foresees struggle to maintain P13 surviving children

Lamaha Street hit and run

Relatives of dead pensioner seek P11 justice

– largest FPSO built by company, has capacity of 2 million barrels

Labour Minister calls out GTU for “illegal” isolation day strike

Page 9

T&T: Former MP & Agri Minister, Dr Reeza P16 Mohammed dies

– following failed bid for party chairmanship

Bonasika P13 family seeking assistance to rebuild home destroyed by fire

– says teachers who abandon duties will not be paid

657 new COVID cases, 3 deaths recorded in 24 hours – active cases now 5899,

Simona Broomes resigns from PNCR

Page 12

death toll stands at 1070

Page 15

6 former APNU/ P8 AFC Govt Ministers facing multimilliondollar lawsuits

GFC’s revenue collection increased – 100 new concessions to $90M monthly in 2021 issued to small loggers Page 3

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MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

3 GFC’s revenue collection increased to $90M monthly in 2021 NEWS

MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Monday, Jan 10 – 10:30h – 12:00h and Tuesday, Jan 11 – 00:30h – 02:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Monday, Jan 10 – 10:15h – 11:45h and Tuesday, Jan 11 – 11:25h – 12:55h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY There will be light cloud during the day. Expect partly cloudy skies at night. Temperatures should range between 20 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North North-Easterly to North NorthWesterly between 1.78 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 10:27h and 22:58h reaching maximum heights of 2.24 metres and 2.18 metres.

Low Tide: 16:28h reaching a minimum height of 0.99 metre.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 2022

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COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$81.75/barrel

-0.29

Rough Rice

$265.41/ton

+0.24

London Sugar

$485.80/ton

-0.06

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1794.00

$1795.00

Low/High Change

$1792.50 -3.00

$1798.50 -0.17%

– 100 new concessions issued to small loggers

T

he first full year under the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic Government has seen Guyana’s forestry sector increasing its monthly revenues by approximately $20 million when compared to management under the previous Administration.

According to a report from the Department of Public Information (DPI), the forestry sector made a turnaround in 2021. This resulted in the monthly revenue collection of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) being increased from $70 million in 2019 to over $90 million in 2021.

When the PPP/C Government took office in August 2020, it inherited a grossly mismanaged forestry sector that was on the verge of collapse with no money to pay staff nor its utility expenses.

In its Emergency Budget for that year, the new Government channelled $350 million into the Forestry Commission to cover operational costs and wages for staff for the remainder of 2020.

During the presentation of the 2020 Budget, it was reported that the forestry sector was contracted by an estimated 8.1 per cent that year. Around that time, Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat had disclosed that Guyana only produced about 35 per cent of its permitted logging quota. He had underscored the need for Guyana to not only increase production but also move towards value-added products.

Nevertheless, the Natural Resources Minister had held meetings with staff and other stakeholders to look at strategies that could boost the financial performance and management capabilities of the GFC. With these and other interventions including the removal of Valued-Added Tax (VAT) on exports as well as on machinery and equipment, the forestry sector was able to make a positive turnover and manage on its own by the end of 2021.

In fact, one of the sector’s achievements last year was getting stakeholders, particularly small-scale loggers, back into the business. As such, over 100 new concessions were issued to small loggers.

This move resulted in the construction boom, and an increase in log production, with over 400,000 cubic feet declared by the end of 2021.

However, the performance of large-scale loggers was not so positive. To this end, Minister Bharrat has

Lumber operations (DPI Photo)

stated that his Ministry intends to hold more consultations with the larger companies in order for them to reach their targets.

“Their production was very low when compared to the small loggers. This is an area we will address in 2022.

We can’t have people holding up State land. There is so much room for increased

production. That is not a question that stakeholders should be worried about,” the Minister was quoted as saying in the DPI article.

Additionally, monitoring capabilities were advanced with the procurement of more off-terrain vehicles to venture into the hinterland for exercises.

Meanwhile, roads crucial

to the development of the forestry sector were rehabilitated and new hinterland roads were constructed in Regions One (Barima-Waini), Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) to the tune of over $3 billion.

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guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022

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

Guyana Opposition

O

nce again, we appeared to have reached an impasse in the functioning of the Opposition in our parliamentary democracy. Immediately, we have a potentially fatal situation where the Opposition appears unable to sort out its leadership issues to perform its constitutional duties. More fundamentally, it appears unwilling to perform those duties in accordance to the rules and traditions that have historically guided Oppositions to govern their countries, together with the Executive.

To address the first disability, most Guyanese were pleased when the People’s National Congress (PNC), as the major Opposition party, held internal elections to choose their leader and top leadership in the persons of Aubrey Norton and a 15-member Central Executive Committee (CEC). The latter soon demanded that the former be appointed as Leader of the Opposition (LOO) and also the Representative of the APNU/AFC List (RAAL). Now, this proved nettlesome since these positions had been previously filled and the incumbents, namely Joseph Harmon and David Granger, were still in place.

The office of the LOO quickly pointed out that Harmon was the holder of a constitutional office and as such, could only be removed through the appropriate constitutional measure, in this case Article 184. This states that one-third of the Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) would have to indicate their No Confidence in the present LOO and thereafter a vote of 50 per cent of the total Opposition MPs – which includes a number from the AFC – would be determinative. A second hurdle would also have to be crossed by Mr Norton, who would have to become an MP even if Mr Harmon is removed as the LOO. Opposition MPs can only be appointed or removed by Mr Granger, the RAAL, who Mr Norton also wants removed.

It is clear, therefore, that the situation can only be settled by Mr Granger on his own volition since there are no legal means to remove him as the RAAL. But even if he were to resign as RAAL, the Representation of the People Act (ROPA) that governs the office specifies that he would be succeeded by his Deputy, who is the leader of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjattan. The latter has now declared that he sees no need to change either the LOO or the RAAL, and we seem to have an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, which will paralyse the Opposition for a while.

But we hope that the issue will eventually be resolved and the Opposition will confront the second issue raised above: normative standards for an Opposition. Rather than reinventing the wheel, we will quote extensively from a document issued after a seminar by the “Majority and Minority Parties in African Parliaments”.

“The Opposition in Parliament has a duty to offer voters a credible alternative to the Government in office to make the majority accountable. To be a credible alternative, however, the Opposition must also be ready to exercise the responsibilities to which it aspires on a lasting basis. In other words, it must have a programme which it is ready to implement. In democracy, political life is enriched by free competition of political programmes; it is impoverished by rivalry based on personal ambitions which merely disqualifies it in the eyes of public opinion.

“Moreover, the Opposition in Parliament must show itself to be responsible and be able to act in a statesmanlike manner.

It must engage in constructive and responsible opposition by making counter-proposals. In its action, the Opposition must not seek to hinder pointlessly the action of the Government but rather endeavour to encourage it to improve such action in the general interest.

“The duties of the Opposition are by their very nature defined by political and behavioural rules; not by constitutional norms or parliamentary texts. The duties, therefore, do not require codification. What is required is for the members of the Opposition – like all Members of Parliament – to exercise their responsibilities with due respect for the Constitution and the laws in force. They must, of course, refrain from advocating violence as a means of political expression. Indeed, their action must be in keeping with a spirit of mutual tolerance and a quest for dialogue and concerted action.”

This Michael Charles photo captures an aerial view of Soesdyke on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD)

APNU/AFC’s NRF Act had no place in Guyana’s governance Dear Editor, I am aghast that the Alliance For Change (AFC) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) are so adamantly opposed and antagonistic towards the new Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Bill that was recently passed and later signed into law by President Irfaan Ali. I find it most galling on two grounds: first, the APNU/AFC’s original Bill was wholly illegal; and second, its content was woefully lacking in fundamentals suited to such an all-important Bill.

As regards the illegality of the old APNU/AFC NRF Act, we must remember how and when it was delivered.

As can be corroborated by memory, or actual recorded history, the initial NRF Act was passed in the National Assembly in 2019, but let us remember that by that time, the then APNU/AFC Administration was already toppled by the historical NoConfidence Motion that was tabled by the then People’s Progressive Party/Civic Opposition in December 2018.

This successful motion legally rendered the APNU/AFC Government a ‘care-taking’ one and held them responsible for calling fresh elections within a three-month time frame.

In terms of necessary functions, APNU/AFC was not supposed to do anything save operate on a mere perfunctory basis, and conduct basic duties. In fact, the passage of the NCM meant that they were supposed to pri-

oritise elections by March 2019. As we know, they did not and continued to function in unconstitutional ways.

In his presentation of the new NRF, Dr Ashni Singh succinctly reminded all that “Given that that sitting took place after the passage of the (said) No-Confidence Motion, that (APNU/AFC) Bill suffered the fatal defect of what I would describe as constitutional illegitimacy by the fact that it was considered by a National Assembly that should have been dissolved by that time.”

In this regard alone, APNU/ AFC has been silenced.

The other factor is that the unconstitutional APNU/ AFC’s NRF Act was riddled with a plethora of deficiencies, infused to facilitate the suspicious ‘whims and fancies’ of their members, namely, the excessive powers invested in the Finance Minister; absence of a governing body for the fund; and a complicated formula, governing transfers from the fund and the provisions which allow withdrawals from the fund without parliamentary approval.

In direct opposition to and destruction of these features, the PPP/C’s Bill exudes transparency and offers great confidence to the nation regarding its monetary management.

For example, the new Bill has greatly reduced the powers of the Minister of Finance. Plus, it has added an all-important Board of Directors, making it impossible for a one-man domina-

tion. The Bill is also characterised by a ‘compulsory parliamentary approval’ before any spending, with a provision that every receipt be published in the Official Gazette and be reported to the National Assembly.

As for the much talked-about Santiago Principles, APNU/AFC did not adhere in full, leaving out the ‘governing body’ as stipulated by the said Santiago Principles, estab-

lished back in 2008 to deal with Sovereign Wealth Funds.

Overall, one is left to wonder what is really wrong with the APNU/AFC. They seem intent on ‘opposing just for the sake of opposing.’ They also seem hellbent on using tactics that are unconventional, unruly and unconstitutional.

Yours truly, Thomas Cole

Questionable road works Dear Editor, Of recent, there's been quite a lot of road works going on throughout the country and for quite some time now, I've been hearing complaints about the type of work. It reaches a stage where the Government becomes very critical of the contractors and issue threats of finding means to get back money from contractors who are doing flimsy work.

Most vocal is Minister Edghill who continuously keeps singing the same tune to the media and I'm wondering if that strategy is just to keep the public silent. Throughout the years, questions keep surfacing around the cost to repair/build a road and despite criticism, huge money keeps being paid for works that in most cases are flimsy. For money to pass for these shoddy works, without a doubt, many hands have to be greased. It's unconscionable for contractors alone to

face the blame. An in-depth investigation should be carried out and the corrupt officials must also be made to pay for their corruption.

Editor, on Friday I was taken and shown a four corner/intersection in Zeelugt, which was completed on Thursday. More than one contractor did the four streets, and each street edge was done differently. Whilst the street thickness was supposed to be three inches, inspecting it you could see it did not exceed two inches.

Each contractor's speed humps are different and the two sides/edges of the street are different. In addition, whilst there, a canter passed and the edge started to break away immediately. No doubt that there will be greater damages in days to come. Why is the Government continuously paying huge sums of money for works that are not able to provide a proper service to commuters/residents?

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022

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

GTU has no regard for science Protect yourself against

Dear Editor, In September 2021, when school was scheduled to re-start, the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) called a strike. This is after teachers would have been home from March 2020. The reason the GTU gave as a reason for calling out their teachers on strike is that the Government had said that every person entering a public building including teachers needed to be vaccinated.

The GTU was resisting that and saying to teachers they had a choice and should not be forced and by doing that was sending a strong message not to take the vaccine. The science then was clear and has become clearer since. Only

vaccination will take us out of the pandemic state.

School re-opened on Monday January 3, 2022, after a three-week Christmas holiday. The GTU has again called on teachers to stay home today. This time they say it is because of the rising numbers of COVID cases and teachers who were found to be infected last week.

A few things, Editor.

The GTU is operating like a senseless group that has no regard for science. Firstly, any teacher who tested positive on Monday 3, Tuesday 4, Wednesday 5, Thursday 6, last week, after being out of school for three weeks have been on Christmas vacation did not get COVID from the school sector.

Because they were not in school.

Secondly, the way for teachers to avoid catching COVID or from getting sick from COVID is by being vaccinated - the very thing the GTU was fighting last year.

The GTU must say what they have done as a group to encourage their teachers to become vaccinated. What have they done to encourage their teachers to stay away from groups and large gatherings? What have they done to encourage their teachers to wear masks? And if the GTU is telling teachers not to teach in schools, are they also telling teachers not to hold their lessons?

Sincerely, Alvin Hamilton

Finally…WI Board seems to get it right Dear Editor, Over the past weeks, the Rickey Skerritt-led West Indies (WI) has been making some bold moves in the right direction.

Life has its way of coming full circle. I recall as a school boy in 1988, Pakistan, led by the indomitable Imran Khan, now Prime Minister, came to the Caribbean. Desmond Leo Haynes was at his brilliant best for the Caribbean side.

Starting with the five (5) ODIs that the Windies swept, Desi’s unbeaten hundred in the final match was threatened by Salim Malik’s brilliance, the home side prevailed in the end.

Pakistan’s greatest batsman, Javed Miandad got his only two hundred against the West Indies, one in the first test at Bourda and the other, courtesy of Courtney Walsh at Sabina Park in that series.

The Master Blaster, IVA Richards had already indicated his time as a leader would come to an end.

In my opinion, Desmond Haynes should have been the automatic successor to Viv, only to be overlooked for another great RB Richardson, who eventually quit due to Acute Fatigue Syndrome (AFS).

This decision at that time has haunted Caribbean cricket since, there would have been no campaigning for the captaincy and the constant infighting that led to low team morale and a team disrespected worldwide, as Australia called them ‘Pretenders’ in a Boxing Day Test Match.

It should have been a smooth transition from Richards to Haynes, Richardson, Lara, Gayle, or Sarwan in that order.

It proves time and again, blunders by self-centred and short-sighted administrators in any system can have far reaching consequences, both for a specific individual and to a wider extent an entire institution.

Grenada’s Keith Mitchell, Prime Minister, made a valiant effort to soothe things, for cricket couldn’t die under his watch as Caricom Chairman.

Hillary Beckles went further, “for cricket remains the only single institution that unites us as a people”.

I am absolutely delighted to see Des Haynes named Chairman of Selectors, one of the best moves in years, Sarwan will now be groomed as a future Chairman of this panel.

Heartiest congratulations to you both, with outstanding careers to their credit, among the best to play for the Caribbean.

You are now tasked with transferring your on-field exploits to administrative work, there will be no need to stifle any young player because he achieved more financial success than you, you are both wealthy people, only the best for the Caribbean can come from this brave move.

It’s been a troubling question for the years, why some of the Biggest Underachievers internationally are rewarded with selection duties?

The West Indies is guilty

of that and they have paid a heavy price for this. When you look around the world, Desi and Sars will be in illustrious company, shaping the future of this game we love so much.

Andrew Strauss – England Sourav Ganguly and the wall from Rajasthan, Rahul Dravid – India Graeme Smith – South Africa Michael SlaterAustralia Sanath Jayasuriya – Sri Lanka Ramiz Raja – Pakistan.

We now look forward the best eleven representing the Caribbean in any of the formats going forward.

Caribbean cricket is breathing better.

With regards, Ronald Shepherd

the COVID-19 variants

Dear Editor, The COVID-19 pandemic is decimating lives by the millions worldwide: It is practically impossible that anyone can be found who has not lost a loved one or associate to the dreaded virus.

Despite this reality, it boggles the mind why persons continue to ignore COVID protocols, refuse to take the requisite vaccines and consequently endanger their own and the lives of family members, friends, associates, and even innocent persons who are forced to expose themselves to infected persons because of their jobs; persons like taxi and bus drivers, salespersons, employees in goods and services sectors, private and public sectors and various work environments, like construction, vendors, shopkeepers, et cetera.

There are posts on social media, especially during festive occasions or commemorative celebrations, where absolute irresponsibility and lack of respect for their own and the lives of others is on full display by celebrants.

They ignore the fact that the virus is not discriminatory and affects everyone, including health personnel.

At a press conference recently, featuring President Dr Irfaan Ali, Health Minister Frank Anthony, and senior health sector personnel, persons were urged to take the necessary precautions, follow rules, and observe protocols, not only to avoid infection and/or spread of the disease but in a national cooperative effort to eliminate the virus in its entirety countrywide and re-

store life in Guyana to normalcy.

While the President asserted that the Government has the requisite capacity to effectively manage the current situation, he warned that the dynamics can change day to day if hordes of people continue to flout the rules and refuse to adhere to COVID-19 protocols. While the Government is quick on the uptake – being first to acquire vaccines, first to obtain booster shots and children’s vaccines and making every possible effort to curtail the spread of the disease, with the critical oxygenation needs being enough, there is continual preparation to treat emerging variants.

The team urged that persons heed the fact that the virus is easily transmissible and deadly, especially the Delta variant, although the Omicron is more infectious.

Each person – President Ali, Dr Anthony and the other health personnel stipulated the importance of wearing masks properly, covering the face from nose to chin, and always following COVID-19

guidelines, especially social distancing and sanitising.

Infected persons can be asymptomatic, which means they can be carriers and can unknowingly infect innocent persons with whom they come in contact, especially vulnerable, susceptible family members, such as children and elderly and/or sick relatives. The emerging mutations and diverse variants, such as Omicron and a flulike mutation, with Omicron, projected to be more dominant are changing the dynamics into fluidity that may very well prove more deadly than the first wave of the pandemic. I wonder how many persons are grieving today that their irresponsible, selfish actions in pursuit of enjoyment of the moment – gyrating to loud music and getting close and personal to partners without masks on a dance floor; or simply removing masks in a close grouping for photo shoots may have ensued in the suffering or even demise of a loved one.

Yours very truly, Attiya Baksh

Questionable road...

Finally, Editor, video the various works on Friday, including the damages to upload it on the Ministry of Public Works website/social media, but apparently, the dictators prefer posting what they want without giving you the privilege to show what happens.

I try attaching the files in this email, but they are too large. For clarification, I would be uploading them.

FROM PAGE 4

on my Facebook page. I will also be checking how many government sites give you the option to upload videos/ images on their Facebook page or of the block that feature. It's no secret that Ministers in Guyana continuously post pictures of works being done, but they do not post the full story.

Sincerely, Sahadeo Bates

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MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022

Page

Foundation ◄

Solving equations by addition and subtraction

Y

ou have learnt about the Equality Properties of Addition and Subtraction, which say that if you add or subtract a number to one side of an equation, you must add or subtract the same number to the other side of the equation. This rule is important when you are trying to solve equations that use addition and subtraction.

Examples:

Problem: x – 17 = 51. Find x Can you add 17 to the left side of the equation to leave x by itself? You can do that, but you also have to add 17 to the right side of the equation.

Step 1: Add the same number to both sides of the equation. x = 51 + 17 Step 2: Add 51 + 17 = 68. So x = 68 Problem: y + 10 = 22. Find y This time, you can subtract 10 from the left side of the equation to leave y by itself? But you also have to subtract 10 from the right side of the equation, too.

Step 1: Subtract the same number to both sides of the equation. y = 22 – 10 Step 2: Subtract 22 – 10 = 12. So y = 12

Exercises: Solve 1) x + 5 = 12

5) 6 – n = 0

2) y – 8 = 10

6) 2n + 10 = 20

3) 73 = x + 13

7) 4p – 4 = 20

4) 2b + 20 = 26

8) 9 – 8 = m

Saturday’s answers 1) A number divided by six

4) A number plus ten

2) A number less four, divided by thirty-two

5) Eighteen times a number minus eighteen

3) A number multiplied by two, plus eight

6) Twenty times a number plus one times three

7) Six times a number minus nine 8) Forty-two minus six, times a number, plus four

I

n this fun and easy science experiment, we’re going to explore and investigate carbon dioxide by making corn dance.

Materials:

Clear carbonated soda like Sprite Popcorn kernels Water Two clear cups

Instructions:

Fill one of the cups with water.

Fill the other cup with clear soda.

Now put several popcorn kernels in each cup and observe what happens.

How it works:

The carbon dioxide in the soda attaches to the popcorn kernels. The gas then carries the popcorn kernels to the surface of the soda. The carbon dioxide bubbles pop when they reach the surface and the popcorn kernels sink back toward the bottom. The popcorn kernels begin collecting more carbon dioxide bubbles and the process starts over again. This makes the corn appear to dance.

Make this a science project:

Try different types of soda. Try different items like raisins and small candies.

Try different temperatures of soda. (scienceisfun.org)

By Dennis Brutus It is the constant image of your face framed in my hands as you knelt before my chair the grave attention of your eyes surveying me amid my world of knives that stays with me, perennially accuses and convicts me of heart’s-treachery; and neither you nor I can plead excuses for you , you know, can claim no loyalty – my land takes precedence of all my loves.

Yet I beg mitigation, pleading guilty for you, my dear, accomplice of my heart made, without words, such blackmail with your beauty and proffered me such dear protectiveness that I confess without remorse or shame, my still-fresh treason to my country and I hope that she, my other, dearest love will pardon freely, not attaching blame being your mistress (or your match) in tenderness Summarise the poem Describe its form and whether it is used effectively Discuss two important literary devices in Ol Higue

Teacher’s tip

If we want to reach real peace in this world, we should start educating children.

– Mahatma Gandhi

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

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MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Oil monies will be used to lay foundation for developmental explosion – Nandlall W

ith the Natural Resource Fund legislation now in place, and the way paved for the Guyana Government to access its oil revenues, it is expected that these monies will be used to propel Guyana’s developmental agenda.

This is according to Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall, during his programme – Issues in the News – last week.

He said that 2022 is a landmark year in Guyana’s development trajectory and will see rolling out of some of the largest transformational projects ever executed in Guyana.

“This year will be the first year that Guyana will be receiving proceeds from its oil-rich oil and gas sector that will be used to develop Guyana and will be used to transform the lives of every single Guyanese… There are so many major projects that will kick off this year.

This year we will also witness the presentation of the largest budget in Guyana’s history and that budget will lay the foundation of the developmental explosion,” the Minister stated.

There is currently over US$534 million in the Natural Resource Fund being held at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York.

Among the major projects that will be taking off this year is the Government’s flagship initiative, the US$900 million gas-to-shore project at Wales, which is expected to reduce Guyana’s high electricity cost and increase the country’s energy capacity.

The construction of a series of roadways is also on the slate including the Parika to La Grange alternative highway and a host of farm-

Legal Affairs Minister and Attorney General Anil Nandlall SC

to-market roads across the country, as well as the Linden to Mabura road project.

The new bridge across the Demerara River – for which China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd has been selected to carry out the Design-Build-Finance model with construction cost pegged at US$256.6 million – is also set to commence this year. However, the contract is yet to be signed since negotiations are still ongoing.

Another project on the agenda for this year is the deep-water harbour project in Berbice, which is being undertaken by CGX Energy Inc at the mouth of the Berbice River to the tune of US$80 million.

But according to Nandlall, the oil money will be used to not only create new opportunities but also enhance traditional sectors.

“We are structuring the developmental agenda of this country so as to not concentrate too much on the oil and gas sector but to use the proceeds from that sector to develop our traditional sectors.”

This, he added, entails enhancing the local agriculture sector, moving it from primary production to val-

ue-added and manufacturing.

“We have to hit the export market with our fresh food, our fresh fruits, and vegetables. This is the time to build the foundation…

This is the time that we have to address our energy needs and we have to diversify our energy dependence.

We can’t continue to depend on fossil fuel and we have to diversify into renewable areas,” the Legal Affairs asserted.

Nandlall further pointed out that every single Guyanese will benefit from these resources and initiatives, however, he added that there needs to be cohesion amongst the people.

“This year is the year that will transform Guyana into a completely different place and it is the expectation of your Government, and the hope of our Government, that all hands will be on deck. We don’t want to leave any grouping of Guyanese behind. We want everyone to be on this train to prosperity,” he stressed.

Against this backdrop, the Minister posited that, “This is not the time for divisive politics; this is not the time for ethnic strife [and] this is not the time for racial insularity. This is the time for cohesion; this is the time for togetherness [and] this is the time [for national unity].”

The Legal Affairs Minister noted that it is for this reason that the Government proceeded with the passage of the NRF and Local Content legislation in the National Assembly last month despite protest by the APNU/AFC Opposition.

In fact, President Dr Irfaan Ali has already signed these legislations into law.

Meanwhile, as the coun-

GFC’s revenue collection...

This year, operations in the forestry sector are expected to be even better with the construction boom in the country at an all-time high as the Government’s development agenda takes off.

With more than 90 per cent of the country’s forest cover intact and storing over 20 gigatons of carbon, the PPP/C Government will be looking to implement its revised Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) which includes plans

to use Guyana’s vast forests to earn revenues to develop the country.

Last year, President Dr Irfaan Ali announced that a letter of intent was signed with a US-based non-profit organisation (NGO), Emergent Finance Accelerated Inc, to market Guyana’s carbon credit through a credit contract.

President Ali had said this arrangement has the potential of earning the country millions of US dollars annu-

FROM PAGE 7

ally.

Previously, Guyana had earned more than US$200 million for preserving its forests to store carbon in a deal with Norway.

Guyana’s total forest cover of some 18.4 million hectares holds carbon in a high density of up to 350 tons/ hectare. This amounts to approximately 6638 tons/ person, which is the second-highest forest carbon stock per capita of any country on earth.

A layout of the pipeline that will bring natural gas from production activities offshore Guyana to a plant at Wales, on the West Bank of Demerara

try embarks on its development agenda, Nandlall outlined the need for the country’s laws to be updated to function in a modern nation. As such, he detailed a series of legislations that would be introduced in the National Assembly this year

to build the country’s legal infrastructure.

The Legal Affairs Minister said, “We have to continue to build the legal infrastructure for a modern Guyana and we will continue to reform our archaic statutory framework and

remove from it, the anachronistic elements of our law and replace them with modern legislation that is geared to meet the developmental agenda of our country. We can’t develop the country without a modern legal framework.”

8 NEWS

MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

6 former APNU/AFC Govt Ministers facing multimillion-dollar lawsuits – shady land deals, undelivered scales, defamation among others

It’s all about…

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Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC

S

ix former APNU/ AFC Government Ministers are facing lawsuits before the Demerara High Court.

Ranging from claims for defamation and malfeasance in public office, the former Ministers are being sued for tens of millions of dollars

by Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, who has also filed proceedings against them on behalf of the State, as well as in his personal capacity.

Former Finance Minister Winston Jordan is being sued by the State for more than $300 million over the sale of lands located at Water or Mudlots 1 and 2; Lot F of Mudlot 3 and Lots A, B and D, North Cummingsburg, Georgetown, to BK Marine.

Nandlall contended that the sale of the lands is illegal, unlawful, null, void, repugnant, and contrary to public policy as they were sold at a price below the market value.

“The property was sold at a gross undervalue and way below market value in relation to comparable and competitive facilities of a similar nature, form, and usage which was sold consistent with the market value,” he contended.

According to the Attorney General, the management of National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) “…acted recklessly and without obtaining a Certificate of Value for the property in order to ascertain the current market value.”

As such, the Attorney General is seeking to repossess the lands.

In a Statement of Claim filed on April 4, 2017, Nandlall is seeking over $25 million in damages for slanderous statements made by his predecessor Basil Williams, SC, in which he said that he would be charged criminally for law books unaccounted for during his previous tenure as Attorney General between 2011 and 2015.

Nandlall was subsequently charged in 2017 with the offence of larceny by bailee.

The charge, which was

Former Attorney General Basil Williams, SC

Former APNU/AFC Government Minister Jaipual Sharma

Former Finance Minister Winston Jordan

Former APNU/AFC Government Minister Annette Ferguson

Former APNU/AFC Government Minister David Patterson

Former Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan

withdrawn by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in October 2020, had alleged that between May 18 and May 29, 2015, while being a bailee in his capacity as Attorney General, Nandlall fraudulently converted 14 Commonwealth Law Reports valued at $2.3 million, property of the Ministry of Legal Affairs, to his own use and benefit.

Nandlall had always denied the allegation, stating that the charge was politically motivated and as a result of him constantly criticising Williams’s performance as Attorney General. Williams, on the other hand, had always denied the libel action, and in his defence, contended that at the time of the making of the statements, he was speaking in his capacity as Attorney General, the custodian of State assets, and had a duty to give transparent answers.

Former Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson, a Jamaican company Nevpro Realisation Limited, and two former officials of the said Ministry are being sued by the State over three weigh-in-motion scales valued at $72 million that was paid for under the APNU/ AFC Government, but never delivered.

Nandlall is asking the High Court to order Nevpro Realisation Limited of Haining Road, Kingston, Jamaica, to pay $50 million for loss and damages resulting from a breach of a contract dated December 6, 2016, for the supply and

delivery of three Mettler Toldeo weigh-in-motion scales. He is also asking the court to order the company to return $72,450,000 that had been paid for the items as well as liquidated damages of $7,245,000.

Further, Patterson, former Permanent Secretary at the then Public Infrastructure Ministry, Balraj Balram and then Engineer/Manager of the Special Projects Units Lawrence Mentis are being sued for $50 million for loss and damage due to negligence, malfeasance in public office, misuse, misapplication, and improper disposal of monies in violation of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act. Moreover, the Attorney General is also suing former APNU/AFC Minister Jaipaul Sharma for libel and is seeking more than $25 million in damages over posts made about him via Facebook. Court documents state that on November 17, 2020, Sharma, a former junior Minister of Public Infrastructure, referred to the PPP/C Government as “hypocritical” for going after coalition officials and others for questionable land deals using the office of the Attorney General.

In the Facebook post, Sharma claimed that Mohabir Nandlall & Associates, a law firm for which Nandlall was the senior and managing partner, was involved in some of these land transactions in which a large plot of land was transferred a few days after David Granger was

sworn in as President in 2015.

Nandlall’s lawyers had written to Sharma, informing him that the post was not only libellous, but malicious and completely false, and is causing damage to the standing, integrity, and reputation of the law firm and Nandlall’s reputation.

The Attorney General’s counsel had also demanded that Sharma retract the offensive publication and issue an apology immediately to their client and the law firm.

Sharma, however, did not even bother to issue the apology. Instead, Nandlall said, Sharma aggravated the libel by publishing another post reciting a conversation he had with him about the source of the information contained in his statement about the land transfer.

Nandlall submitted that the ordinary meaning of the publications gives the impression that he is dishonest, unprofessional, engaged in corrupt land deals and criminal activity, that the law firm engages in dishonourable and unlawful activities, and that he has taken steps to intimidate and threaten Sharma.

As a result of the publications, Nandlall deposed that he has suffered public humiliation, ridicule, odium, and anguish. In relation to the law firm, he added that it has suffered irreparable financial loss and damage resulting from the damage to his and its reputation.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

…the economy, budday! our Eyewitness hears a lot of complaints from the Opposition benches about the economy “going to the dogs”. One specific complaint is the “lack of jobs”. Now, while he understands that we’re still in the throes of a persistently high unemployment rate, there are still jobs that are going a-begging. Where are those jobs, you ask, Dear Reader? Well, how about what was once our biggest industry but is now floundering? The one that’s the reason all of us are on this sliver of land along the Atlantic. Yes, your Eyewitness is talking about the sugar industry!!

Hasn’t GuySuCo’s new CEO been pleading with sugar workers to come out to harvest the cane? At best, he says, he can’t get more than 70 per cent or so to show up on the “order lines”. Now, if there’s the need for about 8000 workers in the downsized sugar industry, that means he has jobs for some 2400 able-bodied men. And since the Opposition’s always been complaining about sugar workers being “pampered” and earning massive salaries that have to be “subsidised”, your Eyewitness always wondered why they don’t send their supporters to fill the gap!! Shouldn’t we be sharing the wealth in the country??

After all, it’ll lead to a virtuous circle: more cane being cut will lead to more sugar produced which leads to more of it being EXPORTED and that will lead to more foreign funds earned and let us buy foreign goodies – like ice-apple if we so choose!! And this reminds your Eyewitness about this thing we call the “economy”?? What exactly is this? So, he digs into his memory banks from his days as a freshman – which ain’t so fresh anymore!! – and remembers the formula: C+G+I+NX!! Meaning, “Consumption (that’s us spending our big bucks!)” plus “Government spending” plus “Investment” plus “Net Exports”.

So, we can all do our bit by SPENDING!! And we know that the Government’s certainly spending!!And as such, your Eyewitness can’t understand why the Opposition’s so much up in arms against the Government for saying it’ll withdraw the US$650 Million that’s sitting in the NY Fed earning no interest. If there will be Parliamentary Debate over the specifics of the spending – for infrastructure – what’s the issue? At least there will be the need to hire scads of workers – who’ll be drawing salaries to spend in the economy, no? “C” in the equation!!

As for the “I” – well, we’ve been always dependent on FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT –- but this time with the Government’s Local Content Bill passed, imagine the volume of LOCAL investment that will be made?

But your Eyewitness can understand the Opposition’s discomfiture.

What’ll they complain about?? …strategic spending Your Eyewitness noticed that the Opposition economist fella – who was the Chairman of GuySuCo when Granger shuttered four sugar estates –- just completed THIRTEEN ARTICLES on what he called the “Buxton Proposal”. No…this doesn’t have anything to do with the Buxton Freedom Fighters – at least your Eyewitness hopes so!! It’s his proposal that from the NRF fund, the Government should immediately give US$5000 annually to each Guyanese family!!

Now your Eyewitness remembers there are some 225,000 families in the land. So, this means this economist is asking for US$5000 X 225,000 = US$1,125,000,000 (US$1.125 Billion) be handed out every year. So, why is the Opposition so het up about the Govt spending the half of that now in the NRF for Infrastructure? They feel that “Consumption” by us citizens is better than “Government Spending” on things like roads and bridges??

But doesn’t that mean we’ll be left with nothing to pass on to our grandchildren, Guyana, when the oil runs out?

What kind of economics is that?? …the kind of economist And it’s for the above reason that your Eyewitness agrees with whoever decided to do away with the PNCproposed “Committee of Macroeconomists” to suggest how we spend the NRF. Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

NEWS

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MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Labour Minister calls out GTU for “illegal” isolation day strike – says teachers who abandon duties will not be paid

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he recent call by the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) for teachers across Guyana to abscond from face-to-face or virtual classes today, is not being taken lightly by the Government with Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton making it clear the strike action is illegal.

In a video statement, Hamilton decried the GTU’s call to strike and urged teachers not to be duped. Hamilton explained that by definition, a strike is a collective refusal by a body of workers to work under the conditions set out by their employers. While the GTU may not have expressly called for a strike, Hamilton noted that their call for a “day of isolation” falls under the definition.

According to Hamilton, the Public Utilities Undertaking and Public Health Services Arbitration Act mandates that strike action must also be inspired by a dispute, with

Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton

the objective of compelling employers to accept terms of conditions.

“The Act applies to trade disputes in essential services. Section 12 of the Act prohibits strikes from workers who are in essential services, in connection with any trade dispute, unless conditions under the Act are satisfied.”

“Are teachers prohibited to strike? The schedule of the (Act) defines essential services as including health care workers. However, teachers are not classified as essential workers under the law,” he said.

The Minister noted that while teachers are not prohibited under the Act from striking, certain procedures must be followed before strikes can be held.

Hamilton noted that based on the law, any industrial actions taken by teachers must be governed by the collective labour agreement.

“It is common labour practice that a period of notice be given to the employer before any industrial action is taken. Moreover, labour relations practice requires GTU to register its grievance with the Ministry of Education and enter a period of discourse before initiating any industrial action.”

Minister Hamilton not-

6 former APNU/AFC Govt...

Former Junior Housing and Infrastructure Minister Annette Ferguson is being sued for $20 million by the Attorney General, who claims that she defamed his character in statements she made about him on March 22, 2020, in the presence of electoral observers, members of the diplomatic corps, and the media.

According to Nandlall, in the statements, Ferguson accused him of distributing identification cards on election day last year. In its natural and ordinary meaning, Nandlall

said the words uttered by Ferguson mean that he has committed electoral fraud – a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment.

Moreover, the Senior Counsel argued that her statements infer that he was actively aiding and abetting persons to commit electoral fraud, that he perverted the electoral process, and is unfit to hold public office.

Former Government parliamentarian Charrandas Persaud has sued former Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan for in excess of

FROM PAGE 8

$30 million over alleged libellous statements he made about him after he voted in favour of the December 2018 No-Confidence Motion brought against the coalition Government.

Persaud, through his lawyer, contended that the statements complained of meant and were understood to mean that he was a traitor, dishonest, and had accepted monetary or other inducements or benefits for his vote on a PPP-sponsored motion of no-confidence against the then Government to which Ramjattan was allied.

ed that while there have been reports of GTU writing to Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson, there have been no reports of any formal discussions commencing between the two sides.

Hamilton also explained that Section 4 of the Labour Act sets out the process to be followed by GTU before its call for a strike, including seeking the conciliation services of the Ministry of Labour where the Minister has the power to enquire into the grievance and refer the matter to arbitration.

“Teachers in Guyana ought to be properly advised that heeding the call of the GTU to participate in the isolation day may be considered as an unauthorised absence from work, abandonment of their students and a gross dereliction of duties. In this regard, the Ministry of Education will be under no lawful obliga-

tion to pay persons who are absent on Monday 10.”

“I would hope that all teachers would recognise that going on a strike without legality would consequently ensure that you’re not paid for the day or days you abandon your post,” Minister Hamilton said.

Reports indicate that GTU issued separate letters over the weekend. In one, it called on the Ministry of Education to close schools for 14 days from today and conduct an assessment of the COVID-19 situation, during which teachers would engage learners virtually.

In its second letter, GTU President Mark Lyte informed teachers that the Union had designated today (January 10) as “Isolation Day” where no face-to-face or virtual teaching would be conducted. Efforts to contact Lyte for a comment proved futile.

GTU President Mark Lyte

Presently, all Grade Six pupils are being allowed to attend face-to-face classes on a daily basis since they are scheduled to sit the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) later in the year. In addition, secondary school students are also being engaged in face-to-face learning.

10 NEWS $300M in presidential grants given to Indigenous communities in 2021 MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

President Dr Irfaan Ali

A

whopping $300 million in presidential grants were given to 220 Amerindian villages and communities in 2021. The grants were used to boost the economies of villages and enhance the lives of Amerindians through a variety of projects.

These include developing agricultural enterprises such as cattle and poultry rearing, cash crop farming, tourism ventures, village offices,

and roads. The presidential grants were a major boost to the development of the Amerindian people as some communities received up to $5 million.

The programme was first started in 2007 by the then PPP Government.

Apart from the grants, the Government has implemented several other initiatives to boost the economies of Amerindian villages and by extension, the peoples’ lives.

Last year, the Government procured 112 tractors along with ploughs and harrows at a total cost of $446 million, to boost agriculture production and ensure food security for Amerindians.

Since the PPP/C Government assumed office in August 2020, it has embarked on a number of projects aimed at bettering the lives of the country’s first people.

For instance, in the last few months of 2020, the Government prepared the groundwork for re-energising the Amerindian Land Titling programme

Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai

to achieve its original target to title 68 villages. To this end, $630 million was allocated in Budget 2021 to expedite the granting of titles to Amerindian villages.

Additional hardships were meted out to hinterland communities when almost 2000 Community Service Officers (CSOs) were unceremoniously fired and the stipend of $30,000 monthly, approved by the previous

One of the tractors that was handed over to an Amerindian community

PPP Government, was discontinued under the APNU/AFC regime.

In keeping with its manifesto promise of delivering better Government services to Amerindians, four months after assuming office, the Government resuscitated the CSO programme, by re-engaging over 500 CSOs, providing them with the previously established stipend of

$30,000 monthly.

The PPP Administration also trained 46 CSOs in ICT skills in 2020, returning support to the development of once-neglected Amerindian communities.

The Government has pledged to continue to create employment opportunities for Amerindians.

In its 2021 Budget, the Government noted that it

intends to create employment for Amerindians; provide $196.6 million for boats, engines, and equipment to empower communities and improve their livelihood; invest $1.75 billion for the hinterland road projects to enhance connectivity, and award 196 scholarships to bridge the educational disparities between the hinterland and coastal area.

Govt seeks consultant to draft sentencing guidelines for Judiciary

T

he Government of Guyana, through its Legal Affairs Ministry, has published an invitation for a consulting firm to draft, and support the implementation of a comprehensive set of sentencing guidelines for the Judiciary.

During a previous interview with this publication, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, noted that such guidelines will guide sentencing courts and help to maintain public confidence in the transparency and consistency of judicial approaches.

The Government and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) recently signed a loan agreement for intervention in Guyana’s justice sector.

As such, the Support for Criminal Justice System (SCJS) programme seeks to address institutional issues which affect the country’s criminal justice system.

Part of the loan will go towards consulting

services. The SCJS programme is seeking the services of a consulting firm that is qualified and has relevant experience in sentencing guidelines, encompassing diversion and alternative sentencing options.

The consulting firm will be required to draft, and support the implementation of a comprehensive set of sentencing guidelines that reflects suitable diversions and alternative sentencing options for all, including adults, juveniles, and children.

Given the complexity and magnitude of the task, the lead consultant will be required to convene, coordinate, consult with and work with a group of experts, including personnel from the Judiciary, the Legal Affairs Ministry, and the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) who will form part of the Sentencing Guidelines Committee.

Interested firms are

required to submit documents that would include a letter of intention, the firm’s profile, number and summary of main projects over the last 10 years, and other support information regarding activities relating to the subject. It is advised that submissions not be more than 10 pages.

Consultants will be selected in accordance with the procedures set in the IDB’s Policies for the Selection and Contracting of Consultants financed by the Inter-American Development Bank GN2350-9 and will be in accordance with the principles of comparison based on the Quality and CostBased Selection (QCBS) method of procurement which is open to all eligible bidders as defined in the policy.

A shortlist shall comprise six firms, as stated in the policy and the IDB may accept a reduced number of firms in the shortlist under justifiable special conditions. An ad published

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC

in the newspapers by the Government said that further information can be obtained from: Legal Affairs Ministry, Support for the Criminal Justice System Attn: Procurement Officer, 341 East, South Cummingsburg, Georgetown, Guyana.

Calls can be made to (592)-226-1370 ext 204, or (592)-650-8803 while emails can be sent to rabin-

dra.kandhi@scjs.gy between office hours, 09:00h to 15:00h from Mondays to Fridays. Expressions of Interest (EoI) must be delivered in a written form to the aforementioned address in person, or by mail, or by email before January 20.

In a judgement delivered in May 2020 in the case of Linton Pompey vs the Director of Public Prosecutions of Guyana, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) stressed the need for sentencing guidelines to be developed and published by the Judiciary of Guyana, noting that the absence of such is a disservice to trial Judges.

“This appeal underscores the urgent need for the Judiciary of Guyana to publish sentencing guidelines.

The publication of sentencing guidelines would undoubtedly play a key role in building public trust and confidence in the Judiciary and in promoting the rule of law,” said CCJ Judge Maureen

Rajnauth-Lee. Several states throughout the Caribbean Community have established such sentencing guidelines including Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. In Guyana, on the other hand, there is no statute or regulation guiding Judges and Magistrates in imposing a sentence on a person found guilty of an offence. In the absence of these guidelines, the imposition of a sentence is largely at the judicial officers’ discretion.

“As a result, you find that there is no uniformity and consistency in the sentences imposed. The law offers general principles only in relation to sentences. For example, the statute may impose the number of years as a custodial sentence; let us say between two to five years.

General law outlines the principles that guide Magistrates and Judges,” Nandlall had explained in the earlier interview.

NEWS

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MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

FPSO earmarked for Yellowtail project to set records for SBM – largest FPSO built by company, has capacity of 2 million barrels

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he Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel being built

by SBM Offshore for the Yellowtail development offshore Guyana will set records, since it will be the biggest FPSO ever built by the company.

This observation was made by Norwegian consultancy company Rystad Energy, in a statement that also made note of the fact that Guyana will be among several countries that will have projects and FPSOs coming online this year.

“In 2022, fellow South American player Guyana is expected to contribute one FPSO to the global total, with the UK adding two projects. Angola, Australia, China, and Malaysia are forecast to each award one new FPSO contract this year,” Rystad said in its statement.

Rystad also noted the contract oil giant ExxonMobil awarded to Netherlands-based company SBM Offshore to construct the FPSO for the Yellowtail development.

According to Rystad, this will be the company’s largest-ever FPSO. “Elsewhere in South America, ExxonMobil awarded SBM Offshore

an FPSO FEED contract for the deep-water Yellowtail development in the Stabroek Block off the coast of Guyana,” Rystad said in its missive.

“The FPSO will be designed to have an oil-processing capacity of 250,000 bpd, a gas-processing capacity of 450 million cubic feet per day, and storage of up to 2 million barrels.

When finished, the FPSO will be the company’s largest producing unit ever built.”

SBM was also contracted to construct the Prosperity FPSO vessel that will be used in the Payara development.

According to Rystad, the Prosperity and Yellowtail projects will add to Exxon reaching a processing capacity of over 800,00 barrels of oil per day.

“ExxonMobil is currently producing from Stabroek via the Liza Destiny FPSO. The Liza Unity FPSO arrived in Guyanese waters on 26 October, and ExxonMobil expects both units to produce this year. When the Prosperity and Yellowtail projects come online in 2024 and 2025, respectively, ExxonMobil will have a total processing capacity of more than 800,000 bpd in Guyana,” Rystad noted.

The Prosperity will be Guyana’s third FPSO, and is expected to be deployed at ExxonMobil’s Stabroek Block offshore Guyana as part of the Payara oil field development.

Prosperity, which will be able to produce 220,000 barrels of oil per day, will have an associated gas treatment capacity of 400 million cubic feet per day and water injection capacity of 250,000 barrels per day. It will be spread moored in a water depth of about 1900 metres, and will be able to store around 2 million barrels of crude oil.

The hull for the Prosperity FPSO vessel is complete, and topsides construction activities are ongoing in Singapore with a start-up target of 2024.

The first Payara development well was spudded in June 2021, and the offshore SURF installation began last year.

Meanwhile, the second FPSO, Liza Unity, is on target to achieve the first oil in Guyana in 2022. The Liza Unity will have a capacity of 220,000 bpd per day. The vessel arrived in Guyana’s waters last year October.

The Liza Phase 2 development will be supported by a total of six drill cen-

Lamaha Street hit and run

Relatives of dead pensioner seek justice

Dead: Veronica Lewis

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elatives of a 78-year-old pensioner who was killed in a hit-and-run accident on Lamaha Street in the vicinity of Waterloo Street, North Cummingsburg,

Georgetown in November last year are yet to get justice.

Veronica Lewis of Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD), was killed by an unknown motor vehicle that is suspected to be white in colour, but the registration number, owner, driver, and other particulars remain unavailable.

It was reported that the elderly woman was on the southern side of Lamaha Street when she was struck down by an unknown vehicle that failed to stop.

As a result, the pedestrian was left lying on the road’s surface with severe head and other injuries. Minutes after the accident, the ambulance service attached to the Georgetown Public Hospital was contacted and the elderly woman was pronounced dead.

A family member who contacted Guyana Times related that the Police have been giving them the royal run-around when they attempt to get answers. They believe that further investigation can be done to find the driver of the vehicle.

When this publication contacted Regional Commander Simon Mc Bean on the issue, he stated that no one had been arrested in relation to the accident. More than a month later, Police said they were still investigating the fatal accident.

The Prosperity FPSO in dry dock

tres and approximately 30 wells. This includes 15 production wells, nine water injection wells and six gas injection wells. Phase 2 start-up is expected in early 2022 and will develop approximately 600 million barrels of oil. Liza Phase 2 is expected to cost $6 billion, including a lease capitalisation cost of approximately $1.6 billion for the Liza Unity FPSO. Yellowtail has been identified as the fourth development project in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana with an anticipated start-up in 2025. Following neces-

sary Government approvals and a final investment decision, this project will develop the Yellowtail and Redtail fields, which are located about 19 miles (30 kilometres) southeast of the Liza developments, and potentially adjacent resources.

These new projects continue to contribute to the advancement of the Guyanese economy. More than 2600 Guyanese are now supporting project activities on and offshore, which reflects an increase of more than 20 per cent since the end of 2019.

ExxonMobil and its key

contractors have spent over US$300 million with more than 800 local companies since 2015.

The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometres). ExxonMobil affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited is the operator and holds 45 per cent interest in the Stabroek Block.

Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds 30 per cent interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds 25 per cent interest.

12 NEWS 657 new COVID cases, 3 deaths recorded in 24 hours MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

– active cases now 5899, death toll stands at 1070

C

OVID-19 cases in Guyana continue to be at an all-time high as another 657 new infections were detected within a 24-hour period.

This was reported by the Ministry of Health on Sunday, thus taking the total number of positive cases to 44,902.

The 657 new cases recorded on Sunday have resulted in the country’s active cases increasing to 5899. This includes five patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the remaining persons in isolation, that is, 107 in institutional isolation and the other 5787 in home isolation.

There are also nine persons currently in institutional quarantine.

However, the Ministry also reported that three more persons who tested positive for the novel coronavirus have died.

These latest fatalities are a 74-year-old male from Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) and a 63-yearold female from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), both of whom were unvaccinated and died on Saturday.

The third person is an 84-year-old female also from the East BerbiceCorentyne region, who died on December 23, 2021. She was fully vaccinated.

According to the Ministry, this elderly wom-

an died at her home last month. The other two persons died while receiving care at a medical facility.

Consequently, the total number of deaths from the pandemic in Guyana has gone up to 1070, while the COVID-19 death toll for the year thus far is 14.

On the other hand, some 37,933 persons have recovered from the life-threatening disease to date – a mere three more recoveries than the figure reported the previous day.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, approximately 447,863 persons have been tested so far and of this, some 20,987 males and 23,915 females were found to be positive.

Of the 657 new cases reported on Sunday, 13 were from Region One (BarimaWaini), 18 cases from Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), 89 from Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara), a whopping 345 cases from the Demerara-Mahaica region, another six from Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), 67 cases from Region Six, 35 more from Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), eight cases from Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), 43 from Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), and the remaining 33 cases from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

Health authorities have

attributed the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks to the Omicron variant, which though not deadly is highly transmissible.

In fact, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony on Friday disclosed that the younger age groups, that is, 25 to 44 and 24 to 5, accounted for majority of the new COVID-19 infections that are being detected.

Against this backdrop, Dr Anthony has urged persons who have been infected to stay isolated in order to curb the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, persons are also encouraged to get vaccinated, and for those who are qualified to get their booster shots, in order to add a layer of protection against the virus. The Minister had reported that approximately 20 per cent of the adult population in Guyana are yet to take a COVID-19 vaccine.

Recent figures show that over 413,300 adult persons have received a first dose, while more than 298,900 of them are fully vaccinated with both doses.

With regards to the adolescent age group, that is, 12 to 17, over 30,800 have received a first dose and of that amount, in excess of 21,900 are fully immunised.

To date, more than 15,300 booster doses have been administered.

But as more people con-

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD JANUARY 9, 2022 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

657

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

107

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION

5787

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

5

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

9

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

23,951

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

20,987

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

44,902

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

37,933

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED FULLY IMMUNISED

REGION 1

1744

REGION 2

1719

REGION 3

5840

REGION 4

21,757

REGION 5

1626

REGION 6

4276

REGION 7

1998

REGION 8

633

REGION 9

2769

REGION 10

2540

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

412,288 297,286

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020

1070

Keep a physical distance of at least 6 feet.

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

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

tinue to get vaccinated, authorities are urging the public to continue observing all COVID-19 preventative measures, particularly masking in public, social

distancing and frequent hand washing and sanitising.

The measures also include vaccination requirements to access any

public building such as restaurants, places of worship, schools as well as Government buildings.

There is also a midnight to 04:00h curfew in place.

CSO programme reintegrated over 2000 Amerindian youths into the workforce in 2021

Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai with one of the CSOs who successfully completed the ICT training

T

he PPP/C Government, in just one year, has trained over 2000 Amerindian youths through its Community Service Officers’ (CSO) programme in keeping with a manifesto promise.

Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai, in a recent interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), said that this programme allows for

individuals to be trained and meaningfully contribute to the development of their communities.

“In 2021 we had our full complement of 2000, in fact 2000-plus youths were back on roll with respect to working in their communities meaningfully and being trained and supporting their communities’ development while receiving, of course, a stipend as an incentive,”

Minister Sukhai said.

The Minister said this billion-dollar initiative not only improves the skills of the Amerindian people but also allows for money to circulate in their communities.

She further noted that 600 youths were trained in other areas like solar installation, servicing and operating tractors, as well as in Information and Communications Technology

An ICT classroom constructed by the Government

(ICT).

“We have trained 200 young men and women with respect to solar installation maintenance. We’ve trained another 200 in driving and operating a tractor, as well as servicing the tractor and we have completed training also of 200 young men and women in ICT, in preparation for the major connectivity programme.”

The Minister said the Amerindian people must be

prepared for connectivity, a major project being administered by the Industry and Innovation Unit of the Office of the Prime Minister. This initiative entails several ICT training sessions for young people to bridge the digital divide in the country.

“We have jump-started the Amerindian youths in being prepared for connectivity so that they will be able to, not only manage, but they will be able to

train their peers, farmers, youths, and school children.

They will also be able to provide support to teachers and nurses who may very well have to use the computer,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Government has also synchronised training for medical health practitioners in various fields so that they can better deliver healthcare services in these hinterland regions.

13 Bonasika family seeking assistance to rebuild home destroyed by fire NEWS

MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Joshua Gill

A

The house that was destroyed by fire

Bonasika Island, Lower Essequibo River family whose home was ravaged by fire on December 30, 2021, is seeking the public’s assistance to rebuild in order to provide a better shelter for their children.

Joshua Gill, the head of the family, told Guyana Times that his wife and six

children have been staying at a relative’s vacant house in the area and they have been receiving assistance from residents and organisations.

"We’re currently staying at one of my relatives’ empty houses and whatever the people bring and give us, we’re accepting. We’re asking the public that whatev-

er they give to help us build back a house, we will accept,” Gill said.

Gill explained that he and his wife would usually farm so as to provide for their children. He added that the day before Old Year’s Day, he and his family went home after a rough day at work and saw their house had turned to ashes.

"When we went home, we could drop on our knees and cry, everything inside the

Gill’s wife and children

house was destroyed... Our foodstuff, clothes and household items were all ashes," he recalled.

He is nevertheless thankful that no one was injured during the inferno.

On Saturday, the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha (GHDS) through its Praant on the Essequibo Coast in collaboration with the Human Services and Social Security and the business community

donated hampers to the family.

Persons who are willing to assist the family can contact the GHDS representative on phone number 6646794.

Bonasika tragedy

Grandmother foresees struggle to maintain surviving children

By LaWanda McAllister

L

ess than a week after 35-year-old Seematie Chandra called “Nanda”, a farmer, and her six-year-old daughter Christine Sookdeo called “Pretty” were killed after their house collapsed, the woman’s mother is yet to come to grips with reality.

Shardass Chandra, who hails from Philadelphia, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), told Guyana Times that every time she thinks of her grandchildren’s future without their mother, she shivers in fear. According to the pensioner, her daughter’s death saddens her heart because she had not seen her in more than two years.

The woman said Seematie is a mother of six who endured years of abuse with her current and previous husbands. She said her daughter suffered severely throughout her life, specifically in her marriages, and it is hard to see that she was dealt such a cruel death.

In Seematie’s first marriage, she gave birth to three sons who are now 18, 17, and 15 years old. In that relationship, she was reportedly physically abused by her partner. She was

The house after it collapsed

even deprived of food and money to the point that she had to run.

“He used to beat her bad, bad, bad, bad. She told me she gonna leave him and I tell she to leave him and come back by me. She and him were together for like six years. She left he and she went by she grandmother,” the woman cried.

Sometime later,

Seematie’s mother said she moved to Bonasika, Essequibo River, where she met her second husband.

That union brought forth three children, the 6-yearold girl who died with her daughter, an eight-year-old girl, and a 10-year-old boy.

“After she moved there, he use to beat her bad too and make she drink alcohol and so. All two of them use

to drink. I have a house in Tuschen, and after he use to beat she, I tell she move to the house in Tuschen and live with the three children and come out and work...”.

Shardass said what troubled her heart every day was that her grandchildren were not going to school. She said she begged her daughter to move out of that living condition and come closer to

her so that the children can have an education, but she paid no heed.

“She nah want come out.

Since then, two year and a half me nah see she for.

When she dead Wednesday, that is when me see she.

She stop coming by me because I always row on she about where she living. I tell her leave the man and bring the children out.”

The tearful mother said that the situation got to the point where her daughter’s husband puts his 10-yearold son to smoke and drink alcohol.

“He does smoke and drink with the father so I beg she to bring him out so he can get straight out here and she still didn’t hear. He does even beat she [the dead woman]. Eighteen years her father dead and if she come home and work it would be okay,” the woman explained.

After her daughter’s death, Shardass said the Welfare Department was involved and she offered to take the children. She said though she sees challenges ahead in maintaining them, she is sure that whatever little she has, they will all eat.

“Me say once me get lil

food all a we have to eat.

Me don’t get pension but my son working and my daughter work and when I get the little food they will eat,” she said.

“The Welfare come here with them but the father don’t want the boy to stay and the child don’t want stay either. The girl is with me and will go to school.”

The woman further posited that the double loss is a terrifying experience, but she has to move on for the sake of her grandchildren.

“Wah meh ah go do? If me holler down and kick up and all that me can’t get them back. So far, the girl alright. Me have to try… just the boy with his father”.

On Wednesday last, Seematie and her six-yearold daughter were under their house attending to their puppies when their home collapsed and the beams of the dilapidated pinned them to the ground.

With assistance from villagers, the injured duo was removed and transported via boat to Parika Hubu Stelling, thence to the Leonora Cottage Hospital, where doctors confirmed them dead. They were laid to rest on Saturday.

14 NEWS

MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

2021, a transformative year for housing and water sector T

he Housing and Water Ministry has undoubtedly performed excellently in 2021, which not only saw thousands of working-class Guyanese owning their home but it was able to exceed its target of distributing 10,000 house lots by the end of the year.

In addition, there was evidence of massive infrastructural development throughout the length and breadth of Guyana.

Billions of dollars were invested into the sector over the past year, as the Government continues to make the lives of Guyanese even better.

One of the most successful programmes was

President Dr Irfaan Ali at the commissioning of the Mocha to Diamond interlink road

en significant impetus to the distribution process, and serves as a vehicle for fast-tracking the processing and distribution of house lots and land titles.

It also provides a platform for persons to engage commercial banks on financing options for homeownership.

efits of homeownership, the CH&PA in 2021, constructed over 550 houses for sale in several housing schemes.

Over 350 two-story elevated homes are being constructed in Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown, targeting moderate income households.

Similar model homes are also being built in Linden, Region 10.

For the low-income families, 50 low-income homes are under construction in Prospect on the East Bank of Demerara, while an area was identified to commence the construction for another 1000 of these homes in Great Diamond. Contracts were signed for the construction of another 100 homes at Williamsburg, Region Six. Flat and two-storey young professional homes were also constructed in Providence, East Bank Demerara. A number of these homes were also built in Prospect, East Bank Demerara.

Further, under the

La Parfaite Harmonie, Recht-Door-Zee, and Westminster, targeting vulnerable persons.

Infrastructural development

With the construction of homes and distribution of house lots, comes the responsibility to create new housing schemes, and expand and upgrade existing ones with amenities such as roads, bridges and drainage.

Last year, the Ministry expended over $7.3 billion for infrastructural works in new housing schemes in Regions Three, Four, Five and Six. Another $2.7 billion was allocated to the Ministry in December last year for infrastructural works in new areas, and $2 billion for works in existing schemes.

The construction of the $2.3 billion Eccles to Mandela Highway is nearing completion, and $13.3 billion in contracts were signed for the commencement of the extended highway from Eccles to Great Diamond.

The $5 billion Mocha

A resident of the Essequibo Coast, Region Two, receiving her certificate of title for her land from Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry, Susan Rodrigues

The moderate-income homes in Cummings Lodge

A section of the gathering at the ‘”Dream Realised” Housing Drive in Blairmont, Mahaica-Berbice in December 2021

in fact, the housing drive which saw over 10,000 house lots being allocated in keeping with a promise made by President Dr Irfaan Ali to distribute 50,000 house lots within the five years in office.

This was done through the distribution of house lots and the construction of homes for lower to middle-income families, as

well as young professionals.

Huge demand – "Dream Realised"

Because of the huge demand for housing, coupled with a backlog of applications, the Government, when it got into office, initiated its signature “Dream Realised” house lot distribution exercise held in Regions Two,

Three, Four, Five, Six, Nine, and 10.

The distribution exercises were led by subject Ministers Collin Croal, and Susan Rodrigues with support from the Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Sherwyn Greaves and other technical staff.

The initiative has giv-

One of the young professional homes in Providence, East Bank Demerara

Construction of homes

In an effort to increase the opportunities for lowand moderate-income households to access the social and economic ben-

Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility programme, 25 core homes are under construction in Lust-enRust, Onderneeming,

to Diamond interlink road was also completed and commissioned by His Excellency, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali. CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

NEWS

15

MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Simona Broomes resigns from PNCR – following failed bid for party chairmanship

F

ormer Member of Parliament (MP) and Minister within the Natural Resources Ministry Simona Broomes, who only recently came up empty in her attempts to run for Chairmanship of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), has resigned from the party.

According to a reliable source, Broomes wrote to the party notifying them of her resignation in a letter dated January 7, 2021.

According to the source, Broomes informed the party that her reasons for resigning were personal.

Nevertheless, Broomes extended her best wishes to the party in its future endeavours. When contacted, recently elected PNCR General Secretary Geeta Chandan-Edmonds could not confirm the resignation claiming that she will have

to confirm this today.

In addition, efforts to contact Broomes proved futile.

During the PNCR biennial congress and electoral race last month that resulted in Aubrey Norton being elected the leader of the party, Broomes had run for the Chairmanship of the party - one of 10 party members who contested for the post.

The race for the Chairmanship of the party subsequently turned into a convincing victory for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP) Shurwayne Holder, who secured 407 votes. Analysts have explained that this was due primarily to him being on Norton’s slate.

However, Holder’s closest rival was Member of Parliament and Senior

Counsel Roysdale Forde, who at one point deputised for Harmon as Opposition Leader earlier this year.

Forde could only secure 256 votes. Fellow MP Amanza Walton-Desir, who shadows the Foreign Affairs Ministry, also only mustered 217 votes against Holder.

Former Chief of Staff turned PNCR politician Gary Best was the only other challenger to reach triple figures, securing 156 votes. Christopher Jones, who serves as APNU/AFC’s Chief Whip in Parliament, secured 51 votes, while former Region 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon secured 36. Broomes, meanwhile, mustered 13 votes.

Prior to her entry into politics, Broomes was a vocal activist and President of the Guyana Women Miners Association (GWMA). At

2021, a transformative...

Further, $51 million was invested in a multipurpose facility in Section C Sophia, Greater Georgetown. The project is close to 60 per cent completed.

Lower mortgage rate

The Government also implemented several measures to allow prospective beneficiaries to have easy access to loans to build or purchase their homes.

These included: Removal of VAT from construction materials including sand, stone, concrete blocks, and lumber.

Low-income threshold raised from $8 million to $12 million.

New Building Society’s loan ceiling increased from $12 million to $15 million.

Mortgage Interest Relief threshold increased from $15 million to $30 million.

New legislation

The Ministry, through the Attorney General’s Chambers, advanced work on the Amendment of Condominium (Regulation and Miscellaneous Provisions). This will pave the way for owners of condominiums and duplexes to access the certificate of titles for their land, insurance, and loans.

FROM PAGE 14

Squatting

In 2021, the Ministry regularised over 750 informal settlers residing in Regions Four and Five, while 59 persons squatting on Government reserves were relocated.

The Guyana Strategy for Informal Settlements Upgrading and Prevention (GSISUP) was also launched to address and eliminate squatting countrywide.

In keeping with its manifesto, the PPP/C Government is committed to delivering 50,000 house lots - 10,000 annually to Guyanese within its first term in office.

one point, she actively participated in raids to rescue Trafficking In Person (TIP) victims from the hinterland and was recognised for her work by the United States (US) State Department back in 2013.

Once in Government, Broomes served as Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, before being shuffled to the post of Minister within the Natural Resources Ministry. She last served as Minister within the Ministry of the Presidency with responsibility for Youth Affairs, under the former APNU/AFC Government.

The PNCR and APNU/ AFC in general, have been touched by a number of resignations since their exit from the Government in 2020. Last year, Attorneyat-Law Thandi McAllister, Shawn Hopkinson, and Brian Smith either resigned or chose not to renew their membership with the PNCR. Executive PNCR Member Basil Blackman also resigned from the party’s Central Executive Committee back in 2020, citing his disappointment with the lack of consultation on a number of decisions.

Following his election as

Former APNU MP Simona Broomes

leader of the PNCR, Norton had promised to do his best in unifying the party and had urged all to put the race behind them and join him in rebuilding the PNCR, noting that there would be no vindictiveness under his leadership.

He had also said that under his stewardship, the party will return to the grassroots politics it once practiced, going into every village and feeling the pulse of the base. According to Norton, the party’s work will not be based in Congress Place but rather, will be out in the villages interacting with the people.

“It is clear that our work is cut out. We intend to do the work on the ground. We intend to be on the ground.

And we intend to be in every village, so we can feel the pulse. Because we are elected to represent the people. And we will.”

“I recall being a General Secretary of this party and Congress Place use to be a hive of activity. It will return. But I wanna say this. The focus won’t be so much on people coming to Congress Place, though people must come. The focus will be on us going out to meet our people and work with them,” he had said.

16 NEWS T&T: Former MP & Agri Minister, Dr Reeza Mohammed dies MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

T

Dr Reeza Mohammed

he United National Congress (UNC) and Trinidadians were thrown into mourning on Saturday after the passing of former Member of Parliament (MP) for Princes Town and Minister of Agriculture, Land, and Marine Resources, Dr Reeza Mohammed.

Senator Wade Mark told the Guardian Media he learned of Mohammed’s death, but he was unclear of the circumstances surrounding his passing.

Senator Mark said during the

period 1995 to 2000 they both served under the Basdeo Pandayled Administration and he would always remember Mohammed as an, “extremely thoughtful and thorough-going individual with a keen sense of focus”.

He said Dr Mohammed was also very witty, kind, generous, and, caring, and his sudden passing has left them all in shock and sadness.

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar also expressed bereavement on her Facebook page, saying: “I am saddened to learn of the passing of the former Member of Parliament for Princes Town, Dr Reeza Mohammed. Dr Mohammed was a true stalwart of the United National Congress and a committed servant to the people of our nation. I extend my sincerest condolences to the members of his family.”

Meanwhile, Newsday reported Princes Town MP Barry Padarath, in a separate Facebook post, said, “It is with deep sadness that we advise of the passing of former MP for Princes Town Reeza Mohammed. Our condolences to his family, well-wishers, friends, and all who knew him.”

He described Mohammed as a distinguished son of the soil, who made a significant contribution to the development of Trinidad and Tobago.

Padarath later told Sunday Newsday that Mohammed, who

was in his late 70s, did not die from complications associated with COVID-19 but a heart ailment.

“I am advised it is not COVID19-related. Dr Mohammed has been ailing for the past few months,” he said on Saturday.

He said although Dr Mohammed was no longer an MP and Government Minister, he remained active in the politics in Princes Town both at the local government and General Election levels.

“For the General Election, he provided tremendous support both to myself and to MP Rodney Charles (Naparima). However, his health started getting the better of him about a year now and for the past few months I am advised by those who are closest to him that he had some heart ailments and he succumbed to those early this morning.”

Padarath said Mohammed’s funeral would likely take place today.

“I know that he has children abroad, so I think that they are looking at the possibility of the children returning.”

Panday said he was shocked to learn of Dr Mohammed’s death.

“I am sorry to hear that he has gone,” he told Sunday Newsday.

“I wish to express my condolences to his friends and family and hope that they have the strength to endure this period of sadness.”

The former UNC leader described Mohammed as an intuitive, competent Member of Parliament and Minister who, at the time, was wise beyond his years.

“We worked together. He was a very competent, hard-working person. He had lots of ideas – ideas which were far beyond the conditions under which we (UNC Government) were working. He was a brilliant person, actually, very forward-looking ideas. But this did not go down well with his (Cabinet) colleagues because they were too far behind him.”

Panday said Dr Mohammed was also charming and loved politics.

Former Government Minister Winston Dookeran said he was saddened to learn of Dr Mohammed’s passing.

Like Panday, Dookeran remembers him as a bright man.

“I admired his ability to take those ideas and convert them eventually into policy. I see him, therefore, as a great loss to the world of ideas.”

He said he was not privy to Dr Mohammed’s work within recent years, “but I expect that he would have continued in his ideas”.

Dookeran recalled he had many conversations with Dr Mohammed, particularly on his ideas for the agricultural development of T&T. He added he was particularly impressed by the fact that Dr Mohammed “was not a person who

went along with the normal situation.

“But I think he made his contribution in public life and he also was able to inspire many young people, because he thought outside of the norm. This was my recollection of him and my conversations with him.

“So, I extend my deep sympathy to his family. I really didn’t expect such news.”

UNC deputy political leader Jearlean John described Mohammed as a “bright, hard-working, no-nonsense operator”.

“Really and truly, he was a servant of the people and did his job without fear or favour. What I remember of this gentleman is that he went about his business and did his job.”

Outside of politics, Dr Mohammed remained vocal as an environmental advocate.

In September 2020, as President of the TT Assembly of Hunting Associations, he called for a widening of the pool of honorary game wardens to include law enforcement officers.

Dr Mohammed was also a member of the Cabinet-appointed Hunting and Wildlife Committee established by Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat to review the economic value of wildlife hunting in T&T. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian and Trinidad Newsday)

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MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022

17

Regional

"Argument done!" – Holness T&T: 18 persons caught trying to enter country illegally says no more lockdowns

P

Prime Minister Andrew Holness

rime Minister Andrew Holness has declared that the country will face no more lockdowns.

Tensions were high ahead of Sunday morning's briefing as many anticipated that Holness would again impose more tightened curfew measures amid a fourth wave of the coronavirus.

Holness, while addressing a press briefing on Sunday, said he has “gone overboard to say that we are not going back

to lockdowns” and urged Jamaicans to “be calm.”

But Holness, who was responding to a question on his strategy in light of the increase in COVID cases, said the primary focus in containing the spread of the virus now lies with individual responsibility.

“I wasn't planning on turning this into a COVID Conversation, but I know there is great tension in the air and what it says to me is that people are not listening to what I have said.

I have been very clear in

Parliament, very clear, absolutely gone overboard to say that we are not going back to lockdowns, so be calm. And I have said what the (containment) strategy is. It is now in your hands. Go and take the vaccine. That is the strategy,” Holness shared.

“We can't hold yuh down and put the needle in your hand. If yuh get sick, you take that responsibility,” he continued. “There is an option, we have vaccines all over the place. We have sites all over the place. I don't hear one person complain that they can't get the vaccine anywhere. Go and get vaccinated. Argument done,” he ended.

Jamaica on Friday reported 1593 new COVID-19 cases, a new record high for the island since the start of the pandemic. Friday's numbers marked the third consecutive day the country recorded more than 1000 positive cases. There are now 7229 confirmed active COVID cases on the island. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

E

ighteen persons currently are in custody after being caught attempting to illegally enter the country, said a report from the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG).

According to the Coast Guard report: “While conducting patrols of the south coast of Trinidad, the TTS Scarborough detected a vessel five nautical miles south-east of Anglais Point, Palo Seco, after

the vessel had crossed the border of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago from Venezuela. The boarding party on board the TTS Scarborough pursued the suspect vessel and discovered it abandoned approximately five cables (or 1000 yards) south of Anglais Point.”

The report continued: “Further searches of the area were conducted where luggage and other personal belongings were discovered. Upon further inves-

tigation, the crew of TTS Scarborough saw evidence of human activity which led to extensive searches of the nearby forest.

These searches led to the discovery of 18 persons attempting to illegally enter Trinidad and Tobago.”

“These persons have since been detained and have been processed in accordance with health and immigration protocols,” the Coast Guard report concluded. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

BLP pushes housing, education, tax ease

A

housing revolution which would see the construction of 10,000 houses in five years, education reform committed to the transitioning away from the Barbados Secondary School Entrance Exam (BSSEE) and the elimination of land tax on the first $400,000 of property value.

These are among the major promises being made by the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), as they seek

to be elected for a second term in office when Barbadians go to the polls on January 19.

Prospective voters gained some insight on Saturday into the priorities of a second term of a Mia Amor Mottley-led Government, during the official launch of the BLP’s manifesto at the Island Inn Hotel.

Going into greater detail about the 33-page document entitled Our

Barbados, Owning Our Future, which also included an attached 18-page list of promises kept, the Prime Minister explained that the second-term pledges were centred on five core values.

These are: Peoplecentred leadership matters; Government must deliver for all; pride and industry through active citizenship; Bajan ownership matters; and innovation drives opportunity. (Excerpt from Nation News)

Death toll from Brazil waterfall Tensions rise again against Peru's rock face collapse rises to 10 Las Bambas mine, despite latest deal

T

en people died in the dramatic collapse of a canyon rock face on top of motor boats visiting a waterfall in southeastern Brazil, rescuers said on Sunday.

A tower of rocks suddenly broke away from the canyon wall on Saturday and came crashing down, crushing one of the leisure

boats at Capitolio in Minas Gerais state. Shocking video images circulated on social media.

Firemen and divers recovered three more bodies from the lake on Sunday, raising the death toll to 10 in the disaster that injured some 30 tourists hit by falling rocks and a huge wave of water caused when the

column of rock crashed into the lake.

The region has been under heavy rainfall for two weeks, which could have loosened the rock face.

On Saturday, a dike overflowed at an iron ore mine 300 kilometers to the east, cutting off a major federal highway. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Colombia's leftist ELN rebels claim responsibility for bombing

C

olombia's leftist rebel National Liberation Army (ELN) on Saturday claimed responsibility for an attack in the country's third-largest city, Cali, that injured more than a dozen police officers.

ELN operatives carried out the bombing, which was directed against members of ESMAD, the Colombian National Police's feared anti-riot unit, late on Friday, while they were travelling in a vehicle.

"At 9:55 pm on Jan 7, our units carried out an operation against ESMAD ... in the city of Cali," the ELN said in a statement published on a website belonging to its so-called urban

front, adding that its members withdrew uninjured.

The ELN and National Police both confirmed that 13 officers were injured in the attack, with Police officials saying that some were seriously hurt. No deaths were reported.

The attack drew condemnation from the Government and Police, with President Ivan Duque decrying it as an attempt by the rebels to influence presidential elections later this year.

"Colombia does not and will not bend to terrorism and our Government will never reward terrorists," Duque said in a message on Twitter.

Colombia is offering a

reward of 1 billion pesos for information regarding El Rolo, the leader of the ELN's urban front, and 350 million pesos for information concerning those who planned and executed the attack, said General Jorge Vargas, the country's top police official. Together, the two rewards amount to around US$334,000.

The ELN is estimated to have some 2350 combatants and has fought the Government since its 1964 founding by extremist Roman Catholic priests.

Peace talks between the ELN and Colombia's government were put on ice after a rebel bombing killed 22 police cadets in 2019.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Felicita Quispe looks on as trucks pass on a highway used by mining firms, in the community of Chumbivilcas, outside of Cusco, Peru, October 13, 2021

P

eruvian Prime Minister Mirtha Vasquez said on Friday she would travel again next Friday to an area of frequent protests against MMG Ltd's Las Bambas copper mine as tensions with community protesters build up once again.

The trip will be Vasquez's third to the area since she was appointed in October, following repeated road blockades that have disrupted Las Bambas' operations.

The Chinese-owned copper mine, which has faced repeated protests since it opened in 2016, is one of the biggest mines in Peru, the world's second larg-

est copper producer where mining is a key source of tax revenue.

In December, protesters from the Chumbivilcas province blocked the road for over a month, forcing it to suspend operations and causing a major problem for the leftist administration of President Pedro Castillo, who has promised to prioritise the demands of marginalised communities.

The Chumbivilcas communities mostly Indigenous citizens of Quechua descent - have repeatedly accused the Chinese company of failing to provide jobs and money to the region, one of the poorest in Peru, despite the vast mineral wealth.

Las Bambas just restarted copper output after Vasquez traveled to Chumbivilcas last month and brokered an agreement onsite to prevent further blockades.

But some Chumbivilcas communities have since said they reject that agreement and called on Vasquez for further negotiations, according to meeting minutes seen by Reuters dated Jan 6.

Vasquez told reporters she hopes to hear concerns and resolve any social conflict through dialogue.

A group of four communities said they rejected part of the agreement, including a section that commits locals not to pursue further road blockades.

"Having analysed the agreements, they do not address the proposals and demands of the communities ... and in that sense they do not represent the voice of the people," the meeting minutes said, which called on Vasquez and Castillo to meet with them in person next Friday.

It is unclear if Castillo will attend the meeting. He has generally deferred to Vasquez to handle issues related to Las Bambas.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022

Around the World

COVID pandemic: Chinese city tests 14M people after cluster T

he Chinese port city of Tianjin is aiming to test its 14 million residents within the next 48 hours after the discovery of a cluster of COVID cases.

Residents have been advised to stay home until tested, and must return a negative result to get the health pass needed to use public transport.

Of the 20 cases discovered, two are the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

China is pursuing a zero-COVID policy, which

In Tianjin, residents are lining up to get tested

aims to eradicate the disease in the community.

In contrast to other parts

Kazakhstan: More than 160 killed, 5000 arrested during riots

M

ore than 160 people were killed and 5000 arrested in Kazakhstan after the riots that shook Central Asia’s largest country over the past week.

The Interior Ministry, quoted on Sunday by local media, said initial estimates put property damage at about 175 million euros (US$198 million) after the deadly violence.

More than 100 businesses and banks were attacked and looted and about 400 vehicles destroyed, the Ministry said.

A total of 164 people, including two children, were killed in violent, Russia’s Sputnik news agency cited the Health Ministry as saying on Sunday.

It said 103 people had died in Kazakhstan’s main city of Almaty, where the worst of the violence took place.

“Today the situation is stabilised in all regions of the country,” Interior Minister

Erlan Turgumbayev said, adding nonetheless “the counterterror operation is continuing in a bid to re-establish order in the country”.

Al Jazeera’s Robin Forestier-Walker, reporting from the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, said the death toll is expected to increase.

“To add to that, the socalled anti-terrorism operation is still continuing across the country – so a very big operation going on with the Kazakh Government attempting to take back control of the situation.”

A relative calm appeared to return to Kazakhstan’s main city, Almaty, with Police sometimes firing shots into the air to stop people approaching its central square.

In total, 5135 people have been detained for questioning as part of 125 separate investigations into the unrest, the Interior Ministry said.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

US warns Iran of severe consequences if Americans attacked

I

ran will face severe consequences if it attacks Americans, the White House said on Sunday, including any of those sanctioned by Tehran for the 2020 killing of General Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Iran’s sanctions on Saturday came as Tehran’s proxy militias continue to attack American troops in the Middle East.

“We will work with our allies and partners to deter and respond to any attacks carried out by Iran,” Sullivan said in a statement. “Should Iran attack any of our nationals, including any of the 52 people named yesterday, it will face severe consequences.”

Iran on Saturday imposed sanctions on dozens more Americans, many of them from the US military, over the 2020 killing of Soleimani.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry

said 51 Americans had been targeted for what it called “terrorism” and human rights violations. The step lets Iranian authorities seize any assets they hold in Iran, but the apparent absence of such assets means it will likely be symbolic.

It was not clear why Sullivan’s statement referred to 52 people when Tehran said it had sanctioned 51.

Iran’s sanctions included US General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It also included former White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien.

Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, the overseas arm of the elite Revolutionary Guards, was killed in Iraq in a drone strike on Jan 3, 2020, ordered by then President Donald Trump.

A year ago, Iran imposed sanctions on Trump and several senior US officials.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

of the world, which have opened up following vaccination campaigns, China has responded to small numbers of local cases with mass testing and tight lockdowns.

The policy is likely to come under pressure with Lunar New Year on February 1, when millions of people normally travel, as well as the Winter Olympics starting a few days later.

Host city Beijing is just 115 km (70 miles) from Tianjin.

Olympics’ organisers are operating a “closed loop”, in which games participants can only leave if they enter quarantine or leave the country. Beijing residents have been advised to avoid approaching vehicles used to ferry people to and from the games, Reuters reports.

In Tianjin, there are large queues of people waiting to get tested.

The response stops short of the stricter measures seen in the cities of Xi’an and Yuzhou, which are both under lockdown.

Xi’an has been locked down since late last month and its resident ordered to stay indoors, with shopping for essentials also banned.

Locals have complained that food supplies have run low, with some resorting to bartering. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Nigeria motorbike gang attack: Death toll rises to 200

A

t least 200 people in Nigeria’s north-western Zamfara state have been buried after a wave of vicious attacks by gangs of gunmen over several days.

Survivors told the BBC that motorbike-riding gangsters attacked village after village, shooting indiscriminately.

The attacks are believed to be in response to military air strikes on Monday that forced some of the criminal gangs from their forest hideouts.

The groups have plagued Zamfara and neighbouring states for several years.

Known locally as bandits, these gangs are sophisticated networks of criminals who operate across large swathes of territory, often stealing animals, kidnapping for ransom and killing those who confront them.

This week, the Government officially labelled bandits as terrorists, allowing security forces to impose tougher sanctions on the groups and their

supporters.

On Friday it was initially reported that more than 100 people had been killed by suspected bandit militants in the region, after some 300 gunmen on motorbikes arrived in as many as nine communities between Tuesday and Thursday night.

Gunmen burnt homes and mutilated the bodies of their victims in the assault.

Villager Idi Musa told the AFP news agency that the attackers also stole around 2000 cattle.

Local media reported that the armed groups behind the attacks appeared to be on the move - heading towards the western part of Zamfara state after abandoning hideouts in forested areas in response to sustained Government attacks.

A spokesperson for Humanitarian Affairs Minister Sadiya Umar Farouq told AFP that more than 200 people had been buried.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil rides into 2022 on bullish wave as demand fears fade

O

il has started off 2022 with a bang.

A market that was supposed to suffer a ballooning surplus instead surpassed US$80 a barrel last week as global demand shrugs off the omicron variant, while a host of supply constraints hit producers from Canada to Russia.

With investment banks calling for higher prices, and options contracts invoking the prospect of crude spiralling above US$100, the commodity is threatening to intensify the inflationary pain felt by major consumers.

Such a rally would be bad news for fuel-hungry countries.

It would also be a big blow to US President Joe Biden, who invested a lot of time and effort in jawboning prices lower and orchestrating a global release of strategic petroleum reserves.

Movements in the price of oil are felt more keenly and quickly than any other commodity because it passes almost immediately into the cost of end-products like gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. This month there were riots across Kazakhstan after the Government there allowed the price of liquefied petroleum gas — a key road fuel — to surge.

The dynamic means prices will be monitored closely

by Central Banks that are trying to keep a lid on inflation while at the same time fostering economic growth as nations emerge from the COVID. In terms of petroleum demand, OPEC and its producernation allies have signalled they’re confident the virus won’t derail the recovery, and will continue with their strategy of gradually restoring output halted during the pandemic.

While the group still says it believes markets are tipping back into oversupply, its forecasts for this quarter have turned markedly less pessimistic as supply growth from its rivals disappoints. The alliance sees an excess of 1.4 million barrels a day in the first quarter, 25 per cent less than its projection a month ago. It anticipates a rebound of 4.2 million barrels a day in global consumption this year, and demand topping 100 million barrels a day by June.

A deep freeze in Canada and the northern US is disrupting oil flows, boosting prices just as American stockpiles decline.

Russia failed to boost oil output last month despite a generous ramp-up in its OPEC+ quota, indicating the country has deployed all of its current available production capacity. Protests in Kazakhstan have led to a temporary adjustment in production at the giant Tengiz oil field, the nation’s largest.

Likewise, Libya -- which managed to pump more than 1 million barrels a day every month last year -- is now producing about 25 per cent less than that, while in Nigeria, flows of the once-key export grade Bonny Light are trickling out with significant delays. As recently as 2020, they averaged in excess of 200,000 barrels a day. In December, the country pumped 1.35 million barrels a day of crude, according to Oil Ministry data. That would be the lowest in years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

As well as headline prices, the forward curve for oil has turned more bullish too. More-immediate contracts are commanding larger premiums to later months, an indication that buyers are willing to pay higher to secure barrels more quickly. Brent futures for March are trading at about 70 cents a barrel higher than for April contracts. That compares with about 35 cents a month earlier. (Excerpt from Bloomberg)

Afghanistan: Baby lost in Kabul evacuation is reunited with family

A

baby boy separated from his parents in the chaos of the US evacuation of Afghanistan has finally been reunited with his family.

The Taliban had just seized control of the country in August and many Afghans were desperately trying to flee.

Two-month-old Sohail Ahmadi was handed to an American soldier over a fence, to protect him from the crush as thousands pushed to get into Kabul airport.

But once his family were inside, Sohail was nowhere to be found.

After a frantic but futile search for the infant, his father Mirza Ali Ahmadi, who had worked as a security guard at the US embassy, mother Suraya and their four other children were put on an evacuation flight to the US. For months they had no idea where their young son was.

But after reading a Reuters report on the family’s search for Sohail, in

November he was traced to the home of a 29-year-old taxi driver named Hamid Safi.

Safi said he had found Sohail alone and crying on the ground at the airport, the news agency said. After trying to find the boy’s family, he decided to take him home to his wife and children, and raise him as his own son.

When Sohail’s whereabouts were confirmed, the baby’s grandfather, Mohammad Qasem Razawi, who lives in the north-east-

ern province of Badakhshan, made a long journey to Kabul to ask for the child to be returned.

However, Safi refused to hand the baby over and demanded he and his family also be evacuated to the US, according to Reuters.

After seven weeks of negotiations - and a brief detainment of Safi - Taliban police arranged a settlement between the two families and the baby was returned to his grandfather on Saturday, Reuters reported.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022

19

News

Sidney Poitier immortalised Edward Braithwaite in “To Sir, With Love” and forever gained a place in Guyanese hearts

Sidney Poitier as a teacher who must win over his students in a still from the 1967 film "To Sir, with Love"

S

idney Poitier after his portrayal of Guyanese author, physicist, educator and former Ambassador Edward Ricardo Braithwaite in the film “To Sir, With Love” endeared himself to Guyanese everywhere, and was an enduring icon for many of what highs Caribbean people could achieve.

His passing on Thursday at age 94 some five years after that of the man he so famously brought to life was a shock for many.

Poitier’s elegant bearing and principled onscreen characters made him Hollywood's first Black movie star and the first Black man to win the best actor Oscar.

Clint Watson, Press Secretary for the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, confirmed to CNN that Poitier died Thursday evening.

Poitier overcame an impoverished background in The Bahamas and softened his thick island accent to rise to the top of his profession at a time when prominent roles for Black actors were rare. He won the Oscar for 1963's "Lilies of the Field," in which he played an itinerant labourer who helps a group of White nuns build a chapel.

Many of his best-known films explored racial tensions as Americans were grappling with social changes wrought by the civil rights movement. In 1967 alone, he appeared as a Philadelphia detective fighting bigotry in small-town Mississippi in "In the Heat of the Night" and a doctor who wins over his White fiancée's sceptical parents in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner".

Whites.

"It's been an enormous responsibility," Poitier told Oprah Winfrey in 2000. "And I accepted it, and I lived in a way that showed how I respected that responsibility. I had to. In order for others to come behind me, there were certain things I had to do."

As a young actor he overcame enormous challenges

The youngest of seven children, Poitier was born several months premature in Miami on February 20, 1927, so tiny he could fit in his father's hand. His parents were tomato farmers who often travelled to and from Florida and The Bahamas.

He was not expected to live. His mother consulted a palm reader, who assuaged her fears.

"The lady took her hand and started speaking to my mother: 'Don't worry about your son. He will survive,' " Poitier told CBS News in 2013. "And these were her words; she said, 'He will walk with kings.' " When he was 15, Poitier's parents sent him from The Bahamas to live with an older brother in Miami, where they figured he would have better opportunities. His father took him to the dock and put $3 in his hand.

"He said, 'take care of yourself, son.'

And he turned me around to face the boat," Poitier told NPR in 2009.

Poitier didn't like Miami and soon headed north to New York, where he tried his hand at acting. It did not go well

Poitier being presented with a Hall of Fame Tribute at the 32nd Annual NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles in 2001

Poitier's movies struggled for distribution in the South, and his choice of roles was limited to what White-run studios would produce. Racial taboos, for example, precluded him from most romantic parts. But his dignified roles helped audiences of the 1950s and 1960s envision Black people not just as servants but as doctors, teachers and detectives.

At the same time, as the lone Black leading man in 1960s Hollywood, he came under tremendous scrutiny. He was too often hailed as a noble symbol of his race and endured criticism from some Black people who said he had betrayed them by taking sanitised roles and pandering to

at first. With limited schooling, he had trouble reading a script.

But he got a job as a dishwasher in a restaurant, where a fortuitous encounter changed his life. An elderly waiter took an interest in the teen and spent nights after work reading the newspaper with him to improve his comprehension, grammar, and punctuation.

"That man, every night, the place is closed, everyone's gone, and he sat there with me week after week after week," Poitier told CBS News. "And he told me about punctuations. He told me where dots were and what the dots mean here

between these two words, all of that stuff."

Soon after, Poitier landed work with the American Negro Theatre, where he took acting lessons, softened his Bahamian accent and landed a stage role as an understudy to Harry Belafonte. This led to roles on Broadway and eventually caught the attention of Hollywood.

interviewers questioned him too much about his experiences with racism.

"Racism was horrendous, but there were other aspects to life," he told Winfrey. "There are those who allow their lives to be defined only by race. I correct anyone who comes at me only in terms of race."

He refused to take roles he felt were demeaning

Then came 1967, and one of the most remarkable years any Hollywood star has had before or since. Poitier starred in three high-profile films, starting with "To Sir, With Love", a British drama about an idealistic teacher who must win over rebellious teenagers in a tough East London school.

By this time, Poitier was commanding US$1 million a movie, and the filmmakers weren't sure they could afford to hire him. So they struck a deal to pay the actor scale – the minimum legal amount – in exchange for a percentage of the movie's box-office grosses. Although common in Hollywood today, it was a radical idea at the time – and a savvy one for Poitier. "To Sir, With Love" became a big hit, earning him a huge payday.

Next up was Norman Jewison's "In the Heat of the Night", which gave Poitier his

Poitier's first movie was 1950's "No Way Out", a noir film in which he played a young doctor who must treat a racist patient. That led to increasingly prominent roles as a reverend in the apartheid drama "Cry, the Beloved Country", a troubled student in "Blackboard Jungle" and an escaped prisoner in "The Defiant Ones", in which he and Tony Curtis were shackled together and forced to get along to survive. With that 1958 film, Poitier became the first Black man to be nominated for an Oscar.

But for a dark-skinned actor in the 1950s, finding complex roles was difficult. "(Blacks) were so new in Hollywood.

There was almost no frame of reference for us except as stereotypical, onedimensional characters," Poitier told

A year like no other

Poitier, left, with actor Tony Franciosa, talk show host David Susskind, singer Harry Belafonte and actress Shelley Winters on the talk show "Open End" in 1960 in New York City

Winfrey. "I had in mind what was expected of me – not just what other Blacks expected but what my mother and father expected. And what I expected of myself."

Early on, Poitier made a conscious decision to reject roles that weren't consistent with his values or that reflected badly upon his race. He told Winfrey that as a struggling young actor, he turned down a role that paid US$750 a week because he didn't like the character, a janitor who didn't respond after thugs killed his daughter and threw her body on his lawn.

"I could not imagine playing that part. So I said to myself, 'That's not the kind of work I want.' And I told my agent that I couldn't play the role," Poitier said.

"He said, 'Why can't you play it? There's nothing derogatory about it in racial terms,' and I said, 'I can't do it.' He never understood."

Still, by the late 1950s, Poitier was landing regular acting work. He appeared in the first Broadway production of "A Raisin in the Sun" in 1959 and starred in the movie version two years later. Then came "Lilies of the Field", biblical epic "The Greatest Story Ever Told" and the drama "A Patch of Blue", in which his character had a chaste romance with a blind white woman.

Spurred by his friendship with the more outspoken Belafonte, Poitier also began embracing the civil rights movement. He attended the 1963 March on Washington and in 1964 travelled to Mississippi to meet with activists in the days following the infamous slayings of three young civil rights workers.

But Poitier sometimes bristled when

most enduring role. He played Virgil Tibbs, a homicide detective passing through Mississippi when he is detained by a bigoted White police chief (Rod Steiger) as a possible suspect in a slaying. Tibbs reluctantly agrees to stay and help solve the case, and the two men eventually find a grudging mutual respect.

The movie gave Poitier his most famous line – "They call me Mister Tibbs!"

– an indignant cry for respect after a demeaning slur by Steiger's character.

In another memorable scene, Tibbs is slapped in the face by a racist plantation owner and then slaps him right back.

Before agreeing to do the film, Poitier requested a script change to add the retaliatory slap and even rewrote his contract to prohibit the studio from cutting the scene.

"And of course it is one of those great, great moments in all of film, when you slap him back," CBS News' Lesley Stahl told Poitier in 2013. He replied, "Yes, I knew that I would have been insulting every Black person in the world (if I hadn't)."

Poitier followed that film with Stanley Kramer's "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," another message movie about racial tolerance, in which his doctor character must persuade Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn's characters to let him marry their daughter. The movie was released only six months after the Supreme Court made interracial marriage legal in all 50 states.

However, around the same time some Black people began grumbling that Poitier's saintly, non-sexualised characters bore little resemblance to the complex realities of African-American life. Black

playwright Clifford Mason, in a 1967 New York Times column, argued that Poitier played essentially the same character in every movie: "a good guy in a totally white world, with no wife, no sweetheart, no woman to love or kiss, helping the white man solve the white man's problem".

This criticism stung Poitier so much that he retreated to The Bahamas for months.

"I lived through people turning on me. It was painful for a couple years. ...

I was the most successful Black actor in the history of the country," Poitier told Winfrey. "The criticism I received was principally because I was usually the only Black in the movies. Personally, I thought that was a step (forward)."

Later he became a director and turned to TV

In the 1970s, Poitier scaled back on acting and turned to directing, which he felt gave him more control over his film projects. He teamed up with his pal Belafonte for the Western "Buck and the Preacher", his directorial debut. He directed and co-starred with Bill Cosby in the comedy caper "Uptown Saturday Night", which, along with its spiritual sequels "Let's Do It Again" and "A Piece of the Action", featured largely Black casts.

And in 1980, he directed "Stir Crazy", the Richard Pryor-Gene Wilder prisonbreak comedy, which became one of his biggest hits.

Although he faded as a big boxoffice draw, Poitier continued to appear onscreen sporadically into the 1990s, most notably with Tom Berenger in the 1988 action-thriller "Shoot to Kill", with Robert Redford in the 1992 caper film "Sneakers" and with Bruce Willis and Richard Gere in 1997's "The Jackal," his final film role. He also belatedly turned to television, where he was nominated for Emmys for playing US Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and South African leader Nelson Mandela in two miniseries. He also was considered for the role of President Josiah "Jed" Bartlet on TV's "The West Wing," which eventually went to Martin Sheen.

By 2000, Poitier had retired from acting, choosing instead to play golf and pen a memoir, "The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography", in which he described his lifelong attempt to live according to principles instilled in him by his father and others he admired.

In his later years, as Hollywood sought to recognise a man whose example had opened doors for so many other Black actors, the accolades poured in. In 2001, Poitier received an honorary Academy Award for his overall contribution to American cinema. The following year, in accepting his best actor Oscar for "Training Day", Denzel Washington said, "Forty years I've been chasing Sidney. ... I'll always be chasing you, Sidney. I'll always be following in your footsteps."

In 2009, President Obama awarded Poitier the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honour, saying, "It's been said that Sidney Poitier does not make movies, he makes milestones ... milestones of artistic excellence, milestones of America's progress."

The Film Society of Lincoln Center bestowed its highest award on Poitier in 2011. Among the speakers praising him was filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, who said, "In the history of movies, there've only been a few actors who, once they gained recognition, their influence forever changed the art form.

"There's a time before their arrival, and there's a time after their arrival. And after their arrival, nothing's ever going to be the same again. As far as the movies are concerned, there was pre-Poitier, and there was Hollywood post-Poitier." (CNN)

20

MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022

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ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS

DILBERT

(April 20May 20)

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Put your energy and intelligence where they will bring the highest return.

Implement change that gives you the boost you need to start something new and exciting. Don’t be fooled.

Make new friends, participate in an event and do your part to influence others positively. The people you encounter will offer different perspectives on life, love and happiness.

Keep your thoughts to yourself. Sharing information before verifying facts will leave you subject to criticism or allow someone to copy you and take credit for your idea.

Expand your mind, stretch your imagination and reach out to someone who shares your sentiments. Working in tandem with someone who can pick up where you leave off will turn out well.

Know when to make a move. Study what everyone around you is doing and figure out how best to use your skills and knowledge to surpass any competition. There is money to be made.

You’ll gain ground if you channel your energy where it will be most effective. Don’t waste time arguing or fighting a losing battle. Concentrate on making changes that will help you get ahead. Romance is featured.

Set your course and don’t deviate from it. You’ll encounter temptation along the way, but by sticking to your plan, you will make gains that surpass your expectations and leave a lasting impression.

Do what you can. Your actions will speak louder than words. Your reputation depends on reliability, following through and not being afraid to do things differently.

Change begins with you.

SAGITTARIUS Do something to satisfy your needs. Engage in ac(Nov. 23tivities that require mental, Dec. 21) physical and emotional input.

Touching base with like-minded people will encourage you to make a difference.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

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

Deal with friends, relatives and colleagues respectfully, and you’ll avoid an emotional scene. If you want to make a change, be sure to have your facts and figures straight before proceeding.

Look at every detail and possibility before discussing your concerns. Don’t overreact or make assumptions when dealing with sensitive situations or authoritative people. Bide your time.

Size up a situation be(Feb. 20- fore you proceed. If force is required, it’s better to take March 20) a pass. Focus more on personal gain and how best to use your skills to make a difference or get ahead.

PISCES

MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022

21

England cling on for thrilling final-over draw

T

here is no such thing as a dead rubber in Test cricket.

Australia, 3-0 up, having dominated the game, had their dreams of a whitewash shattered as England finally salvaged something from the wreck of this Ashes tour with Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, and James Anderson surviving 64 balls under floodlights to secure a thrilling draw at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

Leach and Broad faced 52 of them, most of which were from Pat Cummins, Scott Boland, and Mitchell Starc before bad light forced Australia to turn to Steve Smith and he almost became a hero with the ball. He prised out Leach, his first Test scalp since 2016, caught at slip after England's spinner had battled manfully for 34 balls without error.

It left Broad and Anderson to survive six balls each from Nathan Lyon and Smith respectively and England's veterans held on. It was only the second time in Ashes history a team had saved a game nine-down in the fourth innings, the first being the famous 2005 draw at Manchester.

High-quality half-centuries from Zak Crawley and Ben Stokes and a brave 105ball 41 from Jonny Bairstow had earlier put England in

Players embrace each other after the match was drawn

a position to save the Test.

However, Australia will rue a raft of errors that have seen a chance at an Ashes whitewash literally slip through their fingers. They dropped three catches and missed a run-out on the final day. Boland bowled magnificently to take 3 for 30 while Cummins almost turned the game with two wickets in three balls. But questions will be asked of the delayed declaration on Saturday, as Australia failed for the second year in a row to bowl a side out on the final day at the SCG with Lyon and Starc taking

just two wickets between them.

Thanks largely to the excellent work of Crawley and Stokes, England were just three down at lunch, four down at tea and 5 for 218 with just 16 overs remaining, and Bairstow and Jos Buttler at the crease facing the second new ball before the game took a thrilling twist.

Cummins delivered two huge blows in three balls with two extraordinary inswingers to put Australia on the brink of victory.

Buttler, batting bravely with a broken finger that

will force him out of the final Test, copped a vicious inswinger from Cummins.

He over-balanced and hit his boot with his bat. The bat swivelled as a result at the precise moment the ball sneaked through and thundered into the back pad.

Umpire Paul Reiffel gave it not out, but Cummins re-

up to Marnus Labuschagne leaving Australia just two scalps to take in more than 10 overs.

But Leach and Broad were magnificent.

As Australia failed to extract any real venom from the pitch, they defended their off stump with their lives.

Broad was literally put on his backside by a cracking Cummins bouncer.

But he kept his wits about him and his gloves out of the way. Lyon too couldn't break through, having earlier bowled two beauties to dismiss Dawid Malan and Stokes.

Smith conjured one final piece of magic to give Australia hope. He pitched in the footmarks outside Leach's off-stump, but it didn't turn as much as anticipated, the nick brushed Alex Carey's thigh and David Warner held well at slip.

Earlier, Crawley played with a freedom that has not been seen on this Ashes tour from any of England's openers. He struck 13 boundaries and scored at an incredibly brisk rate.

His 77 from 100 balls was

Djokovic case “really not good” for sport, says Murray

A

ndy Murray expressed concern for Novak Djokovic on Sunday, saying that other players were shocked and the circumstances surrounding the world number one's barred entry into Australia was "really not good for tennis".

The Serb was hoping to win a record 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open later this month, but instead of training he has been confined to a room in a hotel in Melbourne used to accommodate a s y l u m seekers.

Djokovic, 34, is challenging the decision to cancel his visa after being stopped on arrival at Melbourne Airport early on Thursday, and a hearing into the case will be held

today.

"I think everyone is shocked by it, to be honest," former world number one Murray was quoted as saying by local media in Australia.

"I hope that Novak is OK. I know him well, and I've always had a good relationship with him and I hope that he's OK." "It's really not good for tennis at all, and I don't think it's good for anyone in-

volved."

Djokovic, who has publicly criticised mandatory vaccines, has consistently refused to disclose his inoculation status and said he had been granted a medical exemption to compete in Australia.

Australian Open chief Craig Tiley blamed conflicting and quickly changing directives in a "challenging environment" for the confusion that resulted in Djokovic being refused entry to the country on a medical exemption. "(I need to) wait and hear exactly what the situation is before commenting on it further, because again I don't think it's fair because some of it is speculation," Murray said. (Reuters)

James Anderson and Stuart Broad resisted

viewed and it was smashing middle and leg. Two balls later, Cummins delivered a searing inswinging yorker that hit Mark Wood flush on the front foot. Reiffel gave it out immediately and Wood knew his fate as he hobbled to his feet after crumpling over when he was struck.

He reviewed, but it was fruitless.

Bairstow then nicked Starc to second slip, but the normally reliable Smith grassed the chance low to his right. Smith redeemed himself not long after, insisting Cummins place a silly midoff for Boland in addition to the short leg. Boland's belligerent length produced some nip off the seam, caught Bairstow's inside edge and ricocheted onto the pad before ballooning

the fastest Test innings by an Englishman in terms of strike-rate in 17 years. He also had 77 of England's first 91 runs.

Crawley moved his guard almost outside off stump and profited by picking off anything straight

from Australia's quicks. He was also savage on the short ball, pounding several pull shots forward of square. It took a peach to dismiss him.

Cameron Green delivered a searing yorker that hit Crawley flush on the toe. He was one of three wickets to fall in the opening session.

Haseeb Hameed's horror tour continued. He registered his sixth single-figure score and nicked off twice in his 9. He survived the first off Cummins when Carey put him down in a similar fashion to the first innings, diving late to his right with one hand. He didn't survive the second off Boland.

Lyon removed Malan for the fifth time in Test cricket eight overs later. Malan paid dearly for his penchant for trying to cut Lyon off the back foot, as a quicker 95 kilometre-per-hour (kph) arm-ball skidded on and crashed into off-stump.

Australia could have had four before lunch. Marcus Harris dropped a very tough chance at short leg off Cummins. Stokes was only 16 at the time. It proved very costly. Stokes battled through the pain of a side strain to make 60 from 123 balls, his second half-century of the match.

He lost skipper Joe Root, who was undone by Boland for the third time in three innings and was caught behind the wicket for the eighth time in the series. Boland's immaculate length and hint of nip away scratched the outside edge as Root tried to defend.

Bairstow should have been run out next over trying for a suicidal two to fine leg. Lyon's throw was a missile that barely missed at the keeper's end, but Carey failed to glove it cleanly thinking it would hit the stumps direct. It took Australia 22 overs to break through again with Lyon producing his best ball of the match. Sharp bounce and turn undid Stokes as he fended to slip. But that was the last wicket Lyon would take on the final day.

(ESPNcricinfo)

SCOREBOARD England 2nd Innings Zak Crawley lbw b Green Haseeb Hameed c †Carey b Boland Dawid Malan b Lyon Joe Root (c)c †Carey b Boland Ben Stokes c Smith b Lyon Jonny Bairstow c Labuschagne b Boland Jos Buttler †lbw b Cummins Mark Wood lbw b Cummins Jack Leach c Warner b Smith Stuart Broad not out James Anderson not out Extras (lb 7, nb 3)

77 9 4 24 60 41 11 0 26 8 0 10

TOTAL (102 Ov, RR: 2.64) 270/9 Fall of wickets: 1-46 (Haseeb Hameed, 19.2 ov), 2-74 (Dawid Malan, 27.5 ov), 3-96 (Zak Crawley, 32.6 ov), 4-156 (Joe Root, 58.1 ov), 5-193 (Ben Stokes, 74.4 ov), 6-218 (Jos Buttler, 84.4 ov), 7-218 (Mark Wood, 84.6 ov), 8-237 (Jonny Bairstow, 91.2 ov), 9-270 (Jack Leach, 99.6 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Mitchell Starc 18-2-68-0 Pat Cummins 22-5-80-2 Scott Boland 24-11-30-3 Nathan Lyon 22-10-28-2 Cameron Green 10-1-38-1 Marnus Labuschagne 2-0-9-0

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MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

T

eam Sparta Boss reigned supreme on Saturday night in a high-energy final to become champions of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF)Kashif and Shanghai (K&S) Year-end Futsal tournament.

Hundreds of avid fans turned up at the Cliff Anderson’s Sports Hall (CASH), Homestretch Avenue, on Saturday night to witness what was another instalment in the age- old Guyanese futsal rivalry between Bent Street and Sparta Boss.

This time around, the teams were fighting for the million-dollar grand prize in the 2021-2022 year-end futsal tournament.

With Bent Street in their signature red and Sparta Boss sporting a PSG kit, the final contest got underway, much to the delight of the boisterous crowd. And surely, they were in for a treat as early as the first half, when the teams went tit for tat with the scoring.

Bent Street’s Clive Nobrega put his team in the

Sparta Boss were ecstatic following their championship win

driver’s seat quite early with a fourth minute goal, however Ryan “Bom Bom” Hackett, following up on his stellar semi-final performance, sent home the first goal for Sparta Boss to level the scores in the seventh minute.

With both teams including several national football players, past and present, the quality exuded in their play and ability to hold off the opposition.

In the second half, “Bom

Bom” found the back of the net once again to give his team the edge. But it didn’t last long, compliments of marksman shooting from Jermin Junor, who equalised just in the nick of time to keep Bent Street’s campaign alive.

Heading into extra time, Gregory “Jackie Chan” Richardson had the first strike in the first minute, but Pernell Schultz showed off his skill with a double strike in the fifth and sixth to back Sparta Boss

into a corner. Another ‘in the nick of time’ instance came to pass when Sheldon Shepherd moved the score to 4-4 just before the final whistle blew.

The last resort for the teams to thrash it out was kicks from the penalty mark, it was here that Sparta Boss showed their superiority over Bent Street.

While the Sparta remain pristine with their shots at the goal, their goalkeeper was inventive with his saves to keep

out two of Bent Street’s shots, handing Sparta the victory and the championship 5-3, on penalties.

Earlier in the night, Gold is Money solidified their spot at third place, after defeating Leopold Street in the thirdplace playoff.

Darron Niles got the scoring started with a goal in the 11th minute for Leopold Street, but as fate would have it, that became Leopold’s only goal of the game, as Joel Yhap, Gold is Money’s goalkeeper tightened up the reins thereafter.

It was not long after that,

Jamal Pedro levelled the score for Gold is Money in the 18th minute, to set up a 1-1 game at the half. Just as the second began, Pedro completed his brace with another goal in the 21st.

While Leopold Street hunted for a reply, Simeon Moore struck a consolation goal for Gold is Money in the 39th, for a 3-1 victory.

Aside from the teams being awarded their prizes, the coveted Most Valuable Player (MVP) accolade went to Hackett, who rode away with a motorcycle, compliments of Rose Ramdehol.

Arjune Nandu enjoys son Matthew’s half-century in U-19 World Cup warm-up

Matthew Nandu celebrates his 50

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he Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) on Friday attracted more sponsorship as it forges ahead with its plans for a very active 2022 cricket season despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Board President Hilbert Foster, who also serves as the Managing Manager, was able to get Chandradat Chintamani to renew his sponsorship of the Ivan Madray Memorial 20/20 First-Division tournament.

The sponsorship worth $380,000 was handed over to Foster at the Water Street, Georgetown office of Chintamani, who is the General Manager of Muneshwers Ltd. The Madray Cup is one of at least four First-Division tournaments that the vibrant BCB hopes to put on in 2022. The Board has already obtained sponsorship for the Tenelec Inc 50over tournament from overseas-based Berbician Bobby Deonarine and plans to lobby for a 40-over tournament and another 20/20.

Foster expressed thanks to Chintamani for his support and committed the Board to organising a tournament of the highest standard.

Chintamani had sponsored the tournament in 2018 and 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation in 2020 and 2021. The teams that would play in the third edition are West Berbice, Blairmont, Police, Tucber

Chandradat Chintamani hands over the sponsorship to BCB President Hilbert Foster

Park, Young Warriors, Rose Hall Canje, Albion, Rose Hall Town Thunderbolt Flour, Port Mourant, Upper Corentyne, Skeldon and Berbice River.

The involvement of the Berbice River team would be historic as it would be their first time playing at the FirstDivision level in the county.

Foster disclosed that the BCB wanted to give all persons across the county the opportunity to develop their

potential and as such, the riverine team have been given the chance to play at the highest level in the county.

Chintamani, in brief remarks, stated that he was very impressed with the development of Berbice cricket and was delighted to contribute to the BCB. The Berbiceborn business executive explained that Madray had played a major role in his early development and as such,

he was pleased to keep his memory alive by sponsoring the tournament in his name.

Madray was the third Berbician to play Test cricket after John Trim and Rohan Kanhai. He played two Test matches in 1958 before migrating to England, where he died in 2009 at the age of 75.

The first edition was won by Young Warriors CC in 2018 and the second, by Rose Hall Town Thunderbolt Flour in 2019.

Meanwhile, Foster on Friday also collected the $1.3 million sponsorship from Dr Frank Denbow for the upcoming visit of Sir Curtly Ambrose to Berbice. Ambrose would be visiting the county from the 9th to 14th of February to host three days of fast-bowling clinics at the Albion Ground.

The sponsorship was handed over by a representative at the Princess Hotel in Providence, and would cover all the costs of the visit, including stipend, airline ticket, accommodation, meals, etc.

The BCB would also be distributing close to $1 million worth of cricket balls to the 12 teams that would be playing in the 2022 FirstDivision season . The distribution would be done as part of the BCB Patron Fund, which is financed by BCB Patron, Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat. The donation of balls should allow the clubs to play the entire 2022 season.

A

pair of proud fathers were Arjune Nandu (left); Marcus Nandu among the first (centre) and Wayne Auguste at fans watching action in the Guyana National Stadium the International Cricket Ackeem has been playing cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022 on since he was about two-and-aSunday at the Guyana National half years old – so we’ve been Stadium, which saw India at it a long time. He definitely Under-19s beat the West Indies wants to go all the way in cricket, Under-19 side by 108 runs in the and we give him all the support possible.” warm-up encounter.

Meanwhile, the elder Nandu Batting first, India U-19s posted 278-6 in 50 overs with – who played First-Class cricket Nishant Sindhu, scoring an for Guyana (1988-1992) and unbeaten 78 and Yash Dull two Youth Tests for West Indies scoring 52. Johann Layne claimed Under-19s (1990) – left the 3-51 for the West Indies. In reply, talking to his other son, Marcus West Indies posted 178 all out Nandu, also a talented cricketer in 43 overs, with Guyanese who was in Canada’s squad for Matthew Nandu scoring 52 from the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket 101 balls while Carlon Bowen- World Cup 2018.

“It’s a nice feeling to see Tuckett made 20. Kaushal Tambe claimed 3-30 while Manav him playing for the West Indies.

Normally, we play together so Parakh had 3-34.

Although it was a warm- to see him out there is cool,” up match, Wayne Auguste and said 21-year-old Marcus of his Arjune Nandu were riveted to 18-year-old brother who scored the activity in the middle as their a half-century in a losing cause.

Regarding the family’s plan sons – Ackeem Auguste and Matthew Nandu respectively – for the tournament, which starts were in the thick of battle for the on Friday with the West Indies West Indies versus India at the opposing Australia at the same Providence venue. Both fathers venue, Marcus revealed he have been following their sons’ and his dad would “watch the progress for years and are hoping matches in Guyana and then we this campaign on home turf will may go to St Kitts”.

Auguste – whose son be successful. For the St Lucian Auguste it would be particularly suffered a first-ball duck – is pleasing if the Rising Stars could hoping his travels will take him all the way to Antigua and Barbuda win the tournament.

“My son is the Captain of – to watch the West Indies in the West Indies Under 19s. I’m happy business end of the event.

Warm-up fixtures continue and proud that he is learning and growing in the sport. He started today (Monday) at ECC and a very long time ago and just to Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) see him progress makes me feel in Guyana and, in St Kitts and Nevis, at Warner Park and good,” said Auguste.

“I always travel whenever Conaree Cricket Center. (Adapted he plays. I follow him around. from ICC)

MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

By Brandon Corlette

T

he last time Keemo Paul played for West Indies was on November 28, 2020.

Paul's journey to the top was halted by injuries, but the man from Essequibo is fit, focused and ready to go.

Paul bowls during the first Guyana Harpy Eagles trial match

Recently, Paul showed his high level of fitness at the yo-yo test where he scored more than level 40 and he is currently preparing for the regional 4-Day tournament with the Guyana Harpy Eagles.

In a recent interview, the all-rounder gave an up-

date on his body, and he also spoke about his experience in the Lankan Premier League.

"I am feeling excellent, I think I needed this to get back out there and bowl a few overs to get the feel of four-day cricket. My body is responding really well and for me personally, I am feel-

ing really happy with where I am right now. I bowled a few overs on the trot, I was not feeling tired, I just wanted to put a few balls in the right area and it's coming out really nice and I am happy with that," Paul said.

He added: "I was in the Sri Lankan Premier League, it was not the best of tournaments for me, but it is always a learning experience for me; you go to these different leagues in the different continents and you play on different pitches, you gain a lot of experience so that was a major learning curve for me. My body is starting to feel like where it was when I first started playing. I am in the gym and I am trying not to worry about injuries. I just

“I'll take this one on the chin” – Brooks stoic after missing century on ODI debut

S

hamarh Brooks was within touching distance of becoming only the second West Indian to hit a century on One-Day International (ODI) debut, when he went back to a Mark Adair delivery and was adjudged lbw in the first ODI against Ireland on Saturday.

Brooks had made 93 off 89 balls, having come in at 59 for 2 and seen that become 62 for 4. He rebuilt alongside Captain Kieron Pollard and then shifted gears to accelerate, as West Indies got to 269 -= enough for a 24-run win. Looking back on his dismissal, Brooks felt he should have played forward rather than back to that delivery.

"Oh, words can't express," Brooks said after the match about missing out on a century. "But, at the end of the day, it was my first game, and I am still happy with the score that I got. Unfortunately, I didn't get those three figures. I wouldn't say I panicked in the nervous 90s. Some people would probably end up being a little too cautious after being set, but as we all know, it's a learning curve at this level, and I'll take this one on the chin and look to

go from strength to strength.

"In hindsight, now, looking back on it, I probably should have stayed on the front foot. There was a big space or a big gap on the leg side with the field that the bowler had set, so that's the only real change I would make – instead of going back on the back foot, pressing forward on the front foot."

Brooks had made his Test debut back in 2019, but his limited-overs career is only taking off now, with the ODI appearance coming on the back of a T20 International (T20I) debut last month against Pakistan.

"For me, it comes down

to being able to rotate the strike in terms of the middle overs," Brooks said of his role in white-ball cricket. "We've always produced guys who can hit the ball over the rope, so for me, it's just to really come in and play my part in the middle overs – especially in a situation like today where we lost early wickets, and get the innings going again, then continue with a flurry at the back end."

The next two ODIs are scheduled for January 11 and January 14, with a lone T20I to be played on January 17. (ESPNcricinfo)

want to try and enjoy my cricket as best as I can. I want to represent my country and hopefully, back to the West Indies team sometime soon."

Paul, who has an impressive First-Class record under his belt with 88 wickets from 29 matches, said he was really looking forward to the upcoming regional 4-Day tournament.

"Well, I am really looking forward to the regional 4-Day tournament right now. This is where I first made my mark, where I took a lot of wickets and scored some runs. I want to get back into the setup, go out there and do well for Guyana, especial-

23

ly, it's a new season and I have not played cricket for two years – my last being in New Zealand, so I just want to go out there and play some good cricket, do well, and get back into the West Indies colours that's my goal," Paul explained.

Paul has played three Test matches, 19 One-Day Internationals and 20 T20 Internationals. In Paul's 22 First-Class matches, he scored 710 runs with one century and two fifties. The bowling all-rounder averages 22 with the bat and an impressive 18 with the ball for his 88 wickets in only 39 innings. He has best bowling figures of 6-28 and a best match haul of 10-129.

Willey, Hetmyer headline PSL supplementary draft picks

Shimron Hetmyer

E

ngland international all-rounder David Willey has been picked up by Multan Sultans in the diamond category, while West Indies batsman Shimron Hetmyer was selected by Quetta Gladiators as a partial replacement for Jason Roy. Willey and Hetmyer were among the high-profile signings as the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises completed their squads on Saturday. The six teams took part in a virtual supplementary draft to fill their rosters and replace players who will either be partially or wholly unavailable for the tournament.

Will Smeed, the Somerset batsman who impressed for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred last year, will join Quetta to deputise for James Vince, who like Roy is to be involved in the five-match T20 trip to Barbados, which overlaps with the start of the PSL. Karachi Kings replaced Pakistan Under-19 Captain Qasim Akram, who is on national duty at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men's Under-19 Cricket World Cup, with left-arm spinner Mohammad Taha Khan.

Australian Ben Dunk

David Willey

will return to Lahore Qalandars to fill in for Phil Salt, while the England keeper-batsman is in the Caribbean, while Yorkshire all-rounder Jordan Thompson will follow his spell in the Big Bash with Hobart Hurricanes with a stint in the PSL after being picked up by Karachi Kings.

The PSL season is scheduled to start on January 27, with matches set to take place in Lahore and Karachi. Multan Sultans are the defending champions. (thecricketer.com)

Full list of selections in supplementary draft

Islamabad United Supplementary draft: Musa Khan, Zahir Khan Partial replacement: Mohammad Huraira Karachi Kings

Supplementary round: Sahibzada Farhan, Jordan Thompson Partial replacement: Mohammad Taha Khan Lahore Qalandars Supplementary round: Mohammad Imran Randhawa, Akif Javed Partial replacement: Ben Dunk Multan Sultans Supplementary round: David Willey, Rizwan Hussain Partial replacements: Johnson Charles, Dominic Drakes Peshawar Zalmi Supplementary round: Mohammad Umer Quetta Gladiators Supplementary round: Ghulam Mudassar Partial replacements: Will Smeed, Ali Imran, Shimron Hetmyer

MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022

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

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