Guyana Times - Saturday, February 3, 2024

“I am totally impressed” – Sentence Management Board member on P Mazaruni facility 5

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 5631

THE BEACON OF TRUTH SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024

$1.146 trillion Budget 2024 passed ...Bill passed to increase NRF withdrawals, debt ceilings See story on page 3

PRICE $100 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Essequibo Coast man dies while performing ‘stunts’ on P17 motorcycle

...GRA’s Petroleum Cost Recovery Unit to be strengthened with $1B increase

30 prison officers displaced as fire destroys living quarters

Guyana has 2nd lowest debt-to GDP ratio when compared to G20 countries – VP P

…borrowing to invest 16 is a “good thing”

Kitty man busted with ganja jailed for 4 years, P16 fined $112M Page 2

US Southern Command assessing GDF’s aviation capability See story on page 7

…this is 1st stage in building army’s airspace strength – Brigadier Khan

Govt prepared to support P14 Stock Exchange modernisation – Jagdeo

US base in Guyana Jewellery, cash as armed a “rumour”, has taken bandits invade no foundation Corentyne home military – Air Force Brazil's reinforces border Commander with Venezuela and Guyana “You will see action” – Pres Ali orders prompt solutions to issues affecting EBD residents Police Force to get surveillance chopper to improve See crime-fighting story on page – President Ali 17

P5

Page 17

…squatting, drainage, water concerns to be addressed See story on page 18

P19

2 NEWS

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

30 Prison officers displaced as fire ravages Parade St living quarters

Scenes of the fire (GPF photos)

A

mid-morning fire on Friday has completely gutted the living quarters of the Guyana Prison Service at Parade Street in Kingston, Georgetown, leaving 30 Prison officers displaced.

When this disastrous fire became ignited at around 09:26h, three water bowsers, a hydraulic platform and several crews were dispatched to the site. Upon arrival, they observed one wooden building fully engulfed, and without hesitation, they commenced fighting the blaze.

Divisional Fire Commander Hemchandra Persaud told the media that firefighters had encountered difficulty in accessing water

Divisional Commander Hemchandra Persaud

from a nearby hydrant to battle the blaze, and had to tap into an open water source – the canal on Lamaha Street.

In the meantime, the Guyana Water Incorporated was requested to boost pressure in that area.

Persaud affirmed, "There [was] no likelihood that the fire would’ve spread; we [had] it under control."

The building, which had accommodated Prison officers from Lusignan and Georgetown prisons, was promptly evacuated, ensuring the safety of all occupants.

Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot, has said alternative accommodations have been secured for the affected officers, and measures are in place to address their immediate needs.

Despite being equipped with fire extinguishers, the building was destroyed, and Elliot has said this highlights the necessity for a comprehensive review of fire prevention

techniques at all facilities.

“We received a call just around 9:30h. I was at the Lusignan Prison, and we

quickly headed over here…

We are looking to address the immediate needs [of the Prison officers]…they lost everything, and the Fire Service is currently working to ascer-

tain the cause of the fire…We have already procured housing and clothing for them, until we can have a permanent accommodation for them”, Elliot detailed.

He said this fire has occurred just one day after the Prison Service had hosted a fire prevention talk done by Fire officials. “…unfortunately, this has happened today, and we will have to review all of our facilities about fire prevention techniques. I know the building was equipped with fire extinguishers, and I think that, based on the initial assessments, that was used by one officer; but I guess because of the heat and the smoke, it

would have caused them to retreat,” Elliot added.

With the affected building being adjacent to the Theatre Guild on Parade Street, where the area is bustling with businesses and schools, the nec-

Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot

essary precautionary evacuation method was reinforced.

Guyana Times understands that children at Chase’s Academy and a nearby nursery school were taken to safety, and there were no reports of injuries.

The Guyana Fire Service has initiated a thorough investigation to ascertain the cause of this devastating fire.

A comprehensive incident report is anticipated upon conclusion of this investigation.

These Prison officers living quarters were commissioned some 13 years ago.

They were built to bring relief to Prison officers who, in previous times, had had to pay a lot of hotel bills for their accommodation when they were brought from outlying areas to the city. (G9)

3 $1.146 trillion Budget 2024 passed NEWS

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

…GRA’s Petroleum Cost Recovery Unit to be strengthened with $1B increase …Bill passed to increase NRF withdrawals, debt ceilings The Berbice Bridge will be closed Saturday, February 3 – 23:00h-00:30h and Sunday, February 4 – 10:30h-11:15h. to vehicular traffic on:

Saturday, February 3 – 09:35h-11:05h and Sunday, February 4 – 11:05h-12:35h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunshine is expected during the day. Clear skies are expected at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to Easterly between 2.23 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 10:06h and 22:47h reaching maximum heights of 2.27 metres and 2.15 metres.

Low Tide: 16:13h reaching a minimum height of 0.95 metre.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2024

LOTTERY NUMBERS C

01

03 10

23

24 25

17

FREE TICKET

Bonus Ball

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2024 DAILY MILLIONS

12 16 18

01 05 LUCKY 3

8

9

3

7

Afternoon Draw

1

9

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

08

10

12 13

02

14 16 21

18

SUPER

PAY DAY

PAY DAY

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2024

04 07 08 11 16 1

13

01 05 09 11 14

4

3 Afternoon Draw

3X Afternoon Draw

5

6 Evening Draw

3X Evening Draw

955

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

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$77.33/barrel

-1.74

Rough Rice London Sugar

$331.02/ton $661.80/ton

+1.57 +1.47

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask Low/High

$2039.70 $2026.80

$2040.70 $2058.00

Change

-14.50

-0.71%

A

fter four days of intense scrutiny, the National Assembly passed the $1.146 trillion Budget 2024 in the late hours of Friday evening.

Under the theme, "Staying the Course: Building Prosperity for All", Budget 2024 was presented on January 15 and was historic in the sense that it is Guyana’s first trillion-dollar budget. The 2024 Budget debate was conducted last week, followed by the fourday Consideration of the Estimates, which wrapped up on Friday evening with the Committee of Supply going through the Finance Ministry’s allocations.

During the intense scrutiny, Senior Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh revealed that plans are in place this year to strengthen the Petroleum Cost Recovery Unit of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). He was at the time responding to a question posed

by Opposition Member of Parliament Volda Lawrence, who asked whether a $1 billion increase to GRA would cater for the Unit to be fully staffed.

However, Dr Singh posited that in addition to staffing, efforts would also be made to conduct training at not just the GRA but all other State agencies and departments that have oversight on Guyana’s oil and gas sector.

“Amongst the units that have been identified for strengthening during the course of 2024, not only with additional recruitment but also with training and other capacity building efforts, is in fact the Petroleum Unit [at GRA]. There are, of course, other units including audits and customs and so on, where we will, similarly, be making efforts to strengthen institutional capacity…

[This] has been identified as high priority…,” the Finance Minister revealed.

Back in August 2023, GRA Commissioner General Godfrey Statia had lamented during an appearance before the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that the tax agency was grappling with its staff being lured away by greater pay from oil companies operating in Guyana.

Statia said they were working assiduously to fully staff the GRA and had even poached some staff from other Ministries. But as they in-

Senior Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh

crease pay for some persons and train them, they still leave.

Meanwhile, during Friday evening’s Consideration of the Estimates, the Finance Minister was grilled by the Opposition parliamentarians on a host of other matters, including the Amerindian Land Titling Project for which he disclosed some $800 million has been allocated in this year’s budget.

According to Dr Singh, Government will be conducting 24 investigations, issuing 15 absolute grants, 50 completions of cadastral surveys and demarcations of granted lots this year.

“This represents… a very significant scaling up of works that is being done on Amerindian Land Titling, which we have treated as amongst our highest priority since our return to office,” the Minister stated.

In fact, since 2020, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government done 43 investigations, eight absolute grants and eight demarcations – a significant achievement compared to the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change regime’s “dismal” failure in granting land titles to Amerindian communities during its entire fiveyear term.

Meanwhile, the Finance Minister also took on several MPs from the APNU/AFC Opposition on the constitution of the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN) Board, which he said Government was firmly committed to addressing. Dr Singh argued, however, that in the absence of the LEN Board, Government has been giving out a large number of grants to small entrepreneurs in Linden and across Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) – an ini-

tiative that will continue this year.

Following the approval of the Finance Ministry's budget after nearly two hours of scrutiny in the Committee of Supply, the Estimates of Expenditure for Financial Year 2024 was put on the floor of the National Assembly and subsequently approved.

This paved the way for the House to pass the Appropriate Bill 2024 – Bill No 1 of 2024 – after it was read three times.

However, the passage of Budget 2024 was not without drama as the Opposition MPs staged a walkout in the National Assembly. This was after their Chief Whip, Christopher Jones raised concerns about the audio in the Opposition’s Lounge being breached during the livestream of the parliamentary proceedings Friday night.

According to Jones, the “sanctity” of the Opposition Lounge was “breached” since the Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton, can be heard in that audio along with the conversations of several other Opposition Members.

Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, expressed concern about the situation especially after he had previously instructed that the cameras in the Opposition Lounge be shut down. “Certainly, we will have to deal with this condignly,” Nadir assured.

Despite this, however, Jones along with the remaining new APNU/AFC Opposition parliamentarians exited the Dome at the Arthur Chung Conference

Centre (ACCC) while the sitting was still in progress to pass the Fiscal Enactments (Amendment) Bill 2024.

This bill, which was tabled last Friday, seeks to increase the withdrawal amount from the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) as well as raise the ceilings on domestic and external debts.

Minister Singh said the Opposition’s walkout was reminiscent of the events that played out in December 2021 when the APNU/AFC MPs disrupted the National Assembly sitting, stole and broke the Mace and assaulted Parliament staff.

Nevertheless, the Fiscal Enactments (Amendment) Bill was eventually passed by the one-seat majority Government. It now allows for the NRF Act 2021 to be amended to increase the ceiling on annual withdrawals. Under the revised proposals, a sliding scale is proposed for withdrawals from the first US$5 billion of deposits paid into the Fund in the immediately preceding fiscal year. Beyond the first US$5 billion, 90 per cent of deposits in the immediately preceding fiscal year will be saved.

Another component of the Bill is provisions to effect the Removal of Duty and Value Added Tax (VAT) on Sports Equipment and Technology, the Removal of Duty and VAT on Firefighting Equipment, Reducing the Cost of Life and Medical Insurance and increasing the Income Tax Threshold to $100,000.

The Fiscal Enactment Bill also includes proposals to update the debt ceilings, that is, the domestic public debt ceiling being increased to $1.5 trillion and the external borrowing ceiling raised to $1.5 trillion.

According to Minister Singh, this Bill has “…critical legislative and statutory elements contained in Budget 2024 and also establishes the legal framework to ensure sustainable and optimal financing of the accelerated development agenda that we, in the People’s Progressive Party, will be delivering to the Guyanese people in the near, immediate and long term.” (G8)

4

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024

Views

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

Teaching youths life skills

T

here are many social ills affecting Guyanese society, especially the younger segment of the population; and programmes and support services to help address these issues could never be enough. For example, the use of illegal drugs and alcohol, crime, suicide, domestic and other forms of violence are having a huge negative impact on communities across Guyana. And now, more than ever, there is a need for a genuine collaborative approach, with inclusive planning and coordination, where volunteerism is a key element, to help find practical and lasting solutions to these many ills.

We are well aware that sometimes young people feel there is no end or solution to the problems they are facing, and hence they turn to various forms of anti-social behaviours, thereby creating more challenges for an alreadyburdened society.

While the Government must play a crucial role in designing the relevant policies and putting in place the necessary legislative framework and other support mechanisms aimed at addressing these issues, this burden must also be shared by various actors within the society, such as religious groups, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), etc; since such problems affect everyone. For example, there is hardly any family in Guyana which was never touched directly or indirectly by suicide. Experts have pointed to the fact that about 90 per cent of people who die by suicide had some sort of mental illness at the time of their death.

Many people die by suicide, because depression is triggered by several negative life experiences, and the suffering person does not receive effective treatment or support. In many communities across the country, persons are crying out for attention; they need guidance, or simply someone to speak with; many want to find a way out of their misery. However, sometimes accessing that source of help is very difficult.

At present, there are quite a few NGOs, faith-based organisations, etc offering such support services, but there is a need for more to get involved. Those who are already on board should be commended for the work they are doing. Such work is invaluable and must be supported and encouraged. A few new organisations are also coming on board, and some are expanding their services offered.

The role of the Private Sector should also never be underestimated. There is a need for funding for many crucial programmes aimed at creating better opportunities for young persons, and businesses should step up to the challenge.

Such programmes, once effectively implemented, would see our children and young people become well-equipped with the necessary skills to develop themselves, and in turn, contribute to the overall development of the country as a whole.

Former Caricom Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque had, some time ago, said the majority of victims as well as perpetrators of crimes reported by the Police are young males 18 to 35 years old. This is surely reason to be concerned, as right away one would begin to worry about the kind of future these persons would have and the contributions they would make to their societies, if any at all.

Certainly, there is a great need for intervention in order to combat the challenges facing young people. In order to prepare young people for workplace success, job training programmes need to go beyond technical instruction and also teach “life skills” such as communication, reliability, and teamwork. This push to teach youths life skills has been validated by employers who have consistently reported that, above all, they want to hire employees who possess workplace-ready skills such as communication, teamwork, motivation, and responsibility. Technical skills, they say, can be learned on the job.

We believe that if our young people are to move from the less mature and irresponsible ways of thinking and acting to making more mature and responsible judgments and engaging in activities that are the hallmark of a sociallyproductive adulthood, certain support systems must be provided.

Students participating in the physical display competition at the National Cultural Centre on Friday. Friday’s activities brought the curtains down on the Department of Education - Georgetown Children's Mashramani Competition 2024. Mashramani 2024 is being celebrated under the theme "Celebrating Our Peoples and Our Prosperity" (Education Ministry photo)

President Ali is world class material

Dear Editor, Rugby, like wrestling, is a game for the “fit and proper.” At the end of the game, one may be mentally and physically exhausted.

Parliament is the place of sophistication, where you trade blows with words which hurt, and exchange greetings with smiles which kill. It is neither a sport nor a ground for the meek and feeble, nor is it for those with thin skins!

Be prepared to indulge in the sporty game of tit-for -tat! If you don’t like it, then leave it. All’s fair in love and war.

“You can’t keep a good man down” is a song from the 80s. Speak the truth, and the truth will forever set you free. It is the connivers who stumble when calamity strikes. The truth can never tell lies, but lies can sometimes tell the truth.

President Ali and the PPP/C Party were voted into governance in 2020, and in the Regional Election in 2023, it was the PNC who again failed to triumph! The school children present in Parliament certainly walked away with a lot of lessons learnt, which are not taught in school!

As estimates for allocation of the first of more trillion -dollar budgets to follow by the PPP/C Government wound down, after being examined in Parliament for approval, it is obvious that the questions, queries and qualms pursued by the Opposition

do reflect that they would be enduring this exercise for many years to come in the future in this quivering position. Being unsupportive of this budget means denying the financial gains catered and provided for by the PPP/C Government, especially for those who qualify in these brackets.

Meanwhile, His Excellency President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, untouched by the low blows being delivered to him in his absence by the nervous Opposition in Parliament, continues to “break new ground all over”, as he perseveres with his peoples outreach programme in various villages. He intends to carry on his campaign to “win the hearts of the people through hard work and through results…”. A victory at Victoria validates the value of a PPP venture over the vanity of a PNCventilated vendetta!

Undaunted by the threat of a teachers’ strike being urged by the GTU, President Ali visited Victoria village on the East Coast of Demerara, an assumed PNC stronghold constituency. He made great inroads with the villagers, as they flocked to welcome him and air their concerns.

His resolutions were greeted with much appreciation and jubilation. All reached out to him, shaking his hands, embracing him, and exchanging pleasantries while congratulating him on the Government’s performance. Was this another slap in the face of the

Opposition? The present is the new phase, and is replacing the fading past!

President Ali is hugging the center stage once again as Guyana makes its grand appearance on the international arena.

All eyes will be focused on President Ali, as he would preside over the United Nations Security Council for the month of February.

The envious ones would become pale with the colour green. Time for the Party to change colour? You can try, but you cannot pull a good man down! Venezuela will certainly not “try a thing” with Guyana.

Acknowledged by the international community, President Ali, a visionary leader with a proven track record for not being prejudiced in any shape or form, while walking away with the coveted 2024 Global Africa Leadership Award, simply added salt to the wounds of the PNC. Those preaching racism received a shock and a setback in their campaign to tarnish the unblemished figure of Guyana’s President. If your own “kit and kin” do not support your unjust cause, then you’re fighting a losing battle!

As leader of Guyana and Caricom, Dr. Irfaan Ali is forging a closer and productive relationship between Africa and the Caribbean region. This will again highlight the performance of a President who does not preach or practice “apartheid,” as poorly claimed by those detrac-

tors who have their backs against the wall and are feverishly grasping at straws in the stormy ocean.

President Ali is “world class material”, and all those who refuse to see the daylight are simply digging their own graves and taking down those who are ill advised and deliberately misled!

It’s time for the peeved agitators to stop playing the game of dirty politics while satisfying their own agenda. They need to support the good tidings in a trillion-dollar budget which means well for the progress and prosperity of a nation on the road to becoming a developing and modern economy. Getting the colour right and playing the game correct is not calling a heart a spade!

Guyanese are quickly and surely waking up to the smell of pure, strong, ground coffee grown right here through the thrust of the agriculture agenda of the PPP/C Government.

They refuse to be fooled by those who are clamouring for the unachieved. They realize that what is possible is done by the careful PPP/C Government, and what is impossible is undertaken by the careless PNC Party. That is the difference between the PPP/C planners, who propose, and the PNC plotters, who dispose. Guyanese will have an easy choice at the 2025 General Elections.

Yours respectfully, Jai Lall

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024

5

News

Jewellery, cash taken as armed bandits invade Corentyne home A

n overseas-based Guyanese was robbed on Thursday evening when four armed bandits invaded a Corentyne home and carted off US currency, jewellery, and other valuables.

During the robbery, the persons in the household were held at gunpoint.

Two of the men were armed with handguns, one with a knife and the other with a cutlass.

Guyana Times was told that the men were all wearing masks when they entered the yard at Sharpel Street, Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

Reports are that the bandits scaled the back fence of the yard to gain entry to the property. At the time there were five adults and four children under the house socialising.

Overseas-based Guyanese, Rashad Singh, 62, who arrived in the country on Sunday for a five-day stay, was in a hammock when the bandits pounced on the family.

Speaking with this publication, Oumawattie Khuldith said she left her husband and two neighbours conversing and went upstairs to shower.

According to the woman,

The house where the robbery occurred Some of the persons who were robbed

she was by her bedroom window when she saw someone jump over the back fence.

“I pull the window blind to lock the window and there is a guy on the fence about to jump into the yard.

I did not think about robbery, so I asked him what he was coming into the yard for and I told him to come off of the fence,” the woman related.

She said just as she shouted at the intruder get off the fence, she realised that someone had already made their way into the yard.

Khuldith said she immediately alerted her husband that thieves were in the yard.

Her husband, Ryan Rupert, said when he was alerted, he armed himself

with his neighbour’s walking clutch and moved toward the side of the house.

"By the time I reached the corner, one of them reach already and he point the gun to me; I raised the clutch to lash him, but he already had the gun pointing at me, so I could not lash him with the clutch,” the man related.

At the time, Singh was lying in a hammock while his cousin Chandrawattie Doodnauth and her husband Tariq were seated nearby.

Singh was gun-butted and a knife was placed to his neck as the bandits demanded that he hand over his keys.

In recounting the ordeal, Doodnauth said, “We could not escape to go nowhere. They told us not to move or they will kill us. We

all get scared and they put all of us to lie down.”

Her husband, who has an injured leg and uses a clutch to walk, said that he was kicked while one of the bandits rested his foot on his face as he fell to the ground and told him not to move.

Meanwhile, Khuldith armed herself with a piece of wood and went downstairs hoping to confront the bandits.

“I picked up the ‘knock wood’ and run downstairs and when I come through the kitchen door, one of them was standing in the walkway out with a sword knife.

I say if I run up to him and knock him with the wood, it would assist the others and one of them could get up and help. I did not know

that some of them had guns and that it was four of them.

They had put my husband to lie on the ground and he tell me not to do it, because they have guns. So, I drop the wood and tell the man with the sword-knife that 'I sorry',” the woman said.

The bandits asked about who was the foreigner as they took away everyone’s cell phones and jewellery, and then took Khuldith and her two children into the house while one of them guarded the others.

She was asked to show them the room in which Singh was staying.

“They keep asking me which is the foreigner's room. They tell me if I don’t give them all of the gold and all of the money that they would kill me,” Khuldith related.

The mother of three said she was wearing some artificial gold jewellery and she took it off and gave it to the bandits.

She said they ransacked Singh’s room, taking important documents in addition to valuables.

“My son see that they had a gun to my head and a knife to my neck and he tell them not to do his mother nothing. He was crying and begging them not to do me anything...,” Khuldith said.

The men carted off seven cellular phones, some $300,000 worth of jewellery and about US$1600 along with an undisclosed amount of local currency. They also took Singh’s passport, which was later recovered.

Police have since arrested four persons as the investigation continues. (G4)

“I am totally impressed” - Sentence Management Board member speaking about Mazaruni facility

Captain Gouveia, Chairman of the Sentence Management Board, and other officials visiting the facility

H

ome Affairs Minister Robeson Benn’s recent announcement signalling a shift in Government’s prison system approach has prompted active monitoring by the Sentence Management Board of the Guyana Prison Service at Mazaruni Prison.

The current focus emphasises steering away from physical punishment for inmates; instead, promoting their engagement in self-development, self-improvement, and rehabilitation.

Accompanied by Director of Prisons Nicklon Elliot, Captain Gerry Gouveia and Major-General (ret’d) Norman McLean, along with other board members, visited the Mazaruni facility on Wednesday, and were moved

to express admiration for the modern correctional infrastructure and Government’s commitment to prison system reform. The visit highlighted an investment plan aimed at constructing state-of-the-art prison facilities that meet international standards.

In his capacity as Chairman of the Sentence Management Board, Gouveia commended the Government’s dedication to the security sector, and emphasised the potential improvement in overall security for both prisoners and officers.

“The investment plan for the construction of stateof-the-art prison facilities, meeting international standards including security and safety systems, demonstrate

Government’s commitment towards the security sector,” he said.

He lauded the exemplary treatment of prisoners, which emphasises the importance of creating favourable living conditions, and their being facilitated with skills development preparatory to their being released back into society.

“You have to create a good living condition for prisoners, and at the same time enable them to learn skills that would help them once they have completed their terms,” he said.

Expressing encouragement, Gouveia praised the Guyana Prison Service’s comprehensive rehabilitation programmes, particularly the agriculture initiative. He acknowledged the efforts, sacri-

fices and significant contributions of the GPS as indicative of effective leadership.

“I am totally impressed with this facility. It will definitely improve overall security among prisoners and officers,” he declared.

During the visit, board members engaged with inmates and staff, inspected accommodations, sampled prepared meals, and toured the prison farms.

Director of Prisons Nicklon Elliot shared insights into the ongoing transformation of the Guyana Prison Service, which extends beyond construction of new facilities. He said the $4 billion expansion of Mazaruni Prison aims to ensure effective classification and segregation, and completion of phase two construction is imminent. Upon its finalisation, this facility would aid in minimization of overcrowding, while meeting international standards.

Moreover, extension of ten living quarters dedicated to the Prison officers, valued at over G$89 million and currently standing at an advanced 95 percent completion, aims to significantly improve the residential facilities for the staff, thereby ensuring an optimised working environment. (G9)

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024

06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:30 13:00 14:30 16:30 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:30 22:00 00:00

(Sign on) Inspiration Time Cartoons Evening News (RB) Stop Suffering Movie - Rally Road Racers (2023) Indian Movie - Pyaar Impossible (2010) Movie - Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front (2006) Movie - Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) Explained Payless Power Hour Evangelistic Hour Hepzibah The Evening News Movie - True Justice: Family Ties (2024) Stand-up Comedy Movie - Lift (2024) Sign off

6

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024

Foundation ◄

Page

Decimal place value and rounding Exercises: Round to the nearest whole number: 34.050 2) 2.897 3) 67.900 4) 110.125 Round to the nearest tenth: 34.050 6) 2.897 7) 67.900 8) 110.125 Round to the nearest hundredth: 34.050 10) 2.897 11) 67.900 12) 110.125

by Doris Harper

Round to the nearest thousandth: 34.050 14) 2.897 15) 67.900 16) 110.125

In this fun and easy animal science experiment, we are going to investigate earthworms and try to determine if they like light.

Materials:

Earthworms (You can often find these under rocks in your yard or you can purchase them at a bait or pet shop) Scissors Desk lamp Paper towels Box or plastic tub

Instructions:

Cover up half of the box with a piece of cardboard, book, or some other item that will not allow light to pass

through. If you are using a shoebox, cut the lid in half.

Fold up several paper towels.

Make a layer out of several sheets and place it in the bottom of your container.

Wet the towels so they are nearly saturated.

Gently place your earthworms into the container. Space them out evenly and try to make sure they are not touching.

Return the cover to your container if you removed it while placing the earthworms inside.

Place the desk lamp nearby and turn it on. Make sure it is one to two feet above the top of the container.

Do not disturb the container for 15 to 20 minutes.

Observe where the earthworms have ended up.

How it works:

By creating an area with light and dark sections, you provide the earthworms an opportunity to essentially make a choice of which area they prefer.

Make This A Science Project:

Try leaving the paper towels in the dark side dry to see if this effects the earthworms’ preference on where to move. Try different temperatures of water on the paper towels, making sure not to make the temperatures too extreme to avoid injuring the earthworms. (sciencefun.org)

WORD SEARCH

MEGAMOUTH LEOPARD WHALE COOKIECUTTER MEGALODON MAKO SILKY

BLUE LEMON BASKING SILVERTIP ANGEL GOBLIN COPPER

SAWFISH THRESHER NURSE REEF FRILLED BULL

NEWS

7

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

US Southern Command assessing GDF’s aviation capability …this is 1st stage in building army’s airspace strength – Brigadier Khan

E

fforts are now underway to assist the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) in developing a roadmap to enhance its aviation capability, following a needs assessment conducted by the Air Force arm of the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).

This has been revealed

by Major General Evan Pettus, Commander of the Air Forces Southern, who wrapped up a three-day visit to Guyana on Friday.

During his visit, the US Air Force official met with senior officials of the Guyana Government, the GDF, and the US Embassy in Georgetown, to discuss domain awareness and collaborate on advancing Guyana’s airspace awareness capacity to protect its national security and sovereignty.

At a media briefing following his engagements on Friday, Major General Pettus explained that the main aim of the visit was to conclude the air domain awareness assessment of the GDF. He explained: “The purpose was to work together to assess Guyana’s current capabilities with respect to its ability to sense and make sense of what is happening in its airspace, and to develop a roadmap of ways we can work together to grow that capability over the coming years.”

GDF Chief of Staff Brigadier Omar Khan and US Air Forces Southern Commander Major General Evan Pettus

This assessment is a cooperation between the GDF and the US Department of Defense, organized in cooperation with the Military Liaison Officer at the US Embassy here. According to the Air Forces Southern Commander, this process involves multiple security agencies.

He added that the discussions over the past three days “…allowed us to talk about where the Guyana Defence Force is, and where Brigadier [Omar] Khan wants to go; and how we can work on things like planning, policy, training, and equipping down the road to get them there in a bilateral cooperation.”

Asked about the findings of that assessment, Major General Pettus opted not to go into details, but underscored the importance for the army to modernise and equip itself to meet current requirements and needs.

The US Air Force official also praised the GDF’s action plan for enhancement of its overall capabilities. Major General Pettus said, “I would say that the Guyana Defence Force has a good plan to meet the needs of the nation of Guyana”.

Expand army’s capabilities

Meanwhile, Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Omar

Khan, outlined the importance of bilateral cooperation to expand the army’s capabilities. He pointed out that the defence sector is expected to enhance its capability to match the rapid economic growth of Guyana, and said he believes the US Army could provide the support needed to do this. “[This is] an ongoing process; you don't just buy a capability, you have to build it, and this is the first stage of that process. And you will see many more visits, following up, to generate the kind of discussions and data that we can assess further in how we optimise our efforts to bring that capability to fruition and re-

alisation,” Brigadier Khan has said.

As the Air Force component of the US SOUTHCOM, Air Forces Southern conducts security cooperation and provides airspace and cyberspace capabilities throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. The Air Forces Southern supports SOUTHCOM to deter aggression, defeat threats, rapidly respond to crises, and work with allies and partner nations to build regional capacity to ensure a secure, free, and prosperous Western Hemisphere.

Just last week, a team of Air Forces Southern Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaisance experts were in Guyana to exchange knowledge and ideas with GDF intel experts. During the visit, the team coached the GDF ranks on how to make SOUTHCOM's Enhanced Domain Awareness system work best for them. EDA is a secure, unclassified, virtual environment where users can leverage commercially and publicly available information and analytics to more easily collaborate and share information.

According to Major General Pettus, the USGuyana bilateral security partnership continues to focus on areas of mutual interest, cooperation, training, information sharing

and interoperability. This level of cooperation, he noted, has accelerated over the past several years with the aim of not only ensuring national security in Guyana, but regional security, by extension.

“Security for Guyana and the Guyanese people is good for the region, and it's good for the United States.

It's a mutually beneficial partnership, and so I think we will continue to work together on all those areas that will be mutually beneficial to our peoples,” the US Air Force official noted.

In fact, Major General Pettus has said that in its military-to-military cooperation with the GDF, SOUTHCOM is placing emphasis on cybersecurity tactics, techniques, procedures and capabilities.

Only in December, a US SOUTHCOM delegation was in Guyana to assess the GDF military communications network and to discuss emerging threats in the cyber and 5G domains.

The participants discussed how the Guyanese army has made significant progress in implementing recommendations from the assessment to improve their cyber security posture, and reaffirmed mutual commitments to collaborating on countering threats in the GDF’s cyber domain.

(Vahnu Manikchand)

8

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Sussing out… …Mad Maduro S

ome might’ve thought our Government had fallen for Mad Maduro’s tricks that led to the Argyle Declaration – that Venezuela’s committed to our region being a “zone of peace”. But the VP’s advice to Rowley on Mad Maduro’s promises on the Dragon Gas Field - which was gonna be a life saviour to T&T’s economy - shows that the VP hasn’t been hoodwinked.

Basically, Jagdeo echoed your Eyewitness’s blunt assessment expressed yesterday - that Mad Maduro’s not to be trusted, even an inch. He’s the kind of slimeball who causes you to count your fingers after shaking hands with him!!

What brought about this assessment also concerns our relations with the madman on the Border Controversy the Venezies have been stoking since 1962. As we all know – because it was so widely broadcasted - Mad Maduro, through his hand-picked representatives, had agreed in Barbados to free and fair Presidential elections being held later this year. Your Eyewitness had snorted so derisively at the time that he had actually injured his nose!! There was no way in hell that Mad Maduro would’ve agreed to that contingency – since all of his sabre-rattling at our western border was geared precisely at heading off the certain defeat he’d suffer!! He’s mad, but not THAT mad!!

Mad Maduro just wanted to have the Yanks suspend the sanctions they’d slapped on him and his cohorts for massively rigging the 2019 elections; and the US and EU oil majors return to pump out the oil his own PDVSA didn’t have the expertise to do. That expertise, of course, had been driven away when Chavez unilaterally altered the contract to reduce the oil majors’ share!! The ink had barely dried on the Barbados Agreement, and Chevron had returned, and was pumping and shipping oil, when one of Mad Maduro’s crony institutions, the Venezuela Supreme Justice Tribunal, upheld a ban which prevented Opposition presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado from contesting the elections!!

As Jagdeo pointed out, this was a direct violation of the Barbados Agreement – and was tantamount to sticking his finger in the Americans’ eyes!! The latter immediately reinstated the sanctions on gold exports, and reiterated that when the licences for oil expire in April, they won’t be renewed.

Last Wednesday, however, Mad Maduro started talking fat! He boasted that “a new world has already been born”, which no longer accepts “imperial tutelage” from the US, and asserted that many allied nations “want to come and invest in Venezuela…We do not depend on the Yankees to invest, prosper and grow!”

Well, if Mad Maduro could renege on commitments made to the Americans - who determine whether the Venezuelan economy would ever recover - why would he keep his word on the Argyle Declaration?? Gwan da side, Mad Maduro!! …cricketing pressure OK…OK…we’ve honoured young Shamar Joseph for his extraordinary exploits against the Aussies. This is as it ought to be: he did what entire WI teams couldn’t do in TWENTYSEVEN YEARS!!

He hadn’t even been born when we’d last beaten Australia in Australia!! He’s gotten a CWI international contract, and has signed on with the Pakistan League. The Amazon Warriors - who gave him his original break into the big leagues - would also be there for him. Maybe he’ll get that house from the Govt??

But your Eyewitness thinks we gotta let up on the serenading and felicitating. Why?? Well, all of that inevitably places tremendous pressure on the young man – which he really doesn’t need right now. Who can forget what Ian Bishop screamed after Carlos Brathwaite had hit the fourth six to clinch the 2016 T20 World Cup? “Carlos Brathwaite! Carlos Brathwaite! Remember the name!” But it put so much pressure on the young man, who could never replicate the feat. He wrote a book about the pressure!

We wouldn’t want that for Shamar, would we? …GT vending The signal by Clifford Reis of Banks DIH: that they’ll be going to the courts to prevent those vendors who’ve been blocking the entrances of Demico House, is a seismic event.

This will reverse half a century of lawless squatting!!

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

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

9

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

10

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

11

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

12

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

13

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

14 NEWS

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt prepared to support Stock Exchange modernisation – Jagdeo T

he Guyana Government is prepared to support modernisation of the Guyana Stock Exchange (GSE), but has reminded that it is a privately-owned mechanism.

During his Thursday press conference, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo took this position amid recent calls from the private sector and Opposition for the Stock Exchange to be modernised.

While Government is committed to ensuring the Stock Exchange is revamped, he added, the onus is also on the stakeholders to do their part.

He pointed to introduction of the Securities Industry Act, which provides for the registration of securities brokers and dealers, certain self-regulatory organizations, and certain issuers of securities; and for the regulation of securities issuances with the purpose of encouraging capital formation and the growth of efficient securities markets,

while protecting purchases of securities and promoting ethical behaviour in the securities industry.

“The Stock Exchange is a self-regulatory organisation. It’s privately owned in Guyana, like in many parts of the world. It is not owned by the Government.

The Government passed supporting legislation that people have to comply with in managing the exchange and participants on the exchange,” he explained, and added, “We’re prepared to modernise this, but it is not owned by the Government of Guyana”.

He lamented, “We’re now giving them money and all kinds of stuff.

The Government is supplementing the exchange, and is prepared to give more to modernize (it), but if you’ve got an old computer, buy yourself a new computer.”

Public companies with the Stock Exchange Market are: Banks DIH, Caribbean Containers, Citizen’s Bank, Demerara Bank, Demerara Distillers Ltd, Demerara

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo

Tobacco Company, Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI), Guyana Stockfeeds Inc, JP Santos and Sons, Property Holdings Inc, Republic Bank Ltd, Rupununi Development Company Ltd, and Sterling Products Limited.

Once listed publicly on the exchange, Jagdeo is contending, share prices would grow in accordance with the company’s profitability and

dividend policy. However, a big problem in the country is that many companies are private, owing to the greater level of scrutiny attached to being listed publicly.

Not listed on exchange

The Vice President noted, “In Guyana’s case, the first thing is that we don’t have a large share volume.

Very few public companies are private, and they

don’t want to go public.

Even now, the public companies are not listed on the exchange because there is a greater level of scrutiny over your accounts. They are trading through the exchange but they don’t pay a fee. It requires higher level of scrutiny over your account and regular publishing of the accounts. A lot of private companies don’t want to go public because they’re afraid of this.”

A few days ago, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) called for an overhaul of the Guyana Stock Exchange, after highlighting the negatives of current operations and its effect on the business community. With access to financing being a leading hurdle for many businesses in Guyana, GCCI said, GSE has a significant role to play in facilitating a transparent and efficient marketplace for companies to raise capital, invest, and grow.

In a statement, the Chamber noted the lack

of necessary infrastructure, technological advancements, and regulatory framework at the GSE, which compromise the financial health of businesses, restrict their ability to attract investment, and ultimately hamper their growth potential.

A stock market allows owners of stocks and shares to dispose of them at fair prices. It allows new investors to buy them at fair prices, and it allows companies to sell new shares to finance the growth of their businesses.

The Guyana Association of Securities Companies is the local Stock Exchange that organises and supervises the stock market in Guyana.

On Friday last, during his contribution to the 2024 Budget Debate, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton had also called for the rollout of comprehensive financial literacy programmes and the development of the local Stock Exchange Market.

(G12)

NEWS

15

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Education Ministry pushing for smart schools as AI revolution takes off –Manickchand A

s the Education Ministry tailors a comprehensive infrastructure in which Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be incorporated into learning, there has been an aggressive push for smart schools and technology-driven operations.

Day four of the Consideration of Estimates got underway in the National Assembly on Friday with Education Minister Priya Manickchand defending the $135.2 billion allocated to education this year.

Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Jermaine Figueira acknowledged that the use of AI has created a plethora of opportunities to enhance learning, and inquired whether the Education Ministry is considering implementing AI in Guyana’s school system.

Manickchand pointed out that the AI revolution is one which cannot be stopped, and is one which education systems across the region are

analysing. The minister responded, “I don’t think we could escape AI integrated into education, given the direction and trajectory of the world. How we do that to maximize results, even as we teach our children about plagiarism and how that would not inure to their benefit, is something that many of us are studying across the region.”

It was outlined that while the Ministry works on creating a model wherein AI can be incorporated constructively, smart classrooms, and eventually small schools, would ensure that technology is embraced.

The minister explained: “What we have done is expanded our ICT access across schools. All of our secondary schools have a computer lab, (and) most of our primary schools are outfitted with computer labs. We’re even moving to the point where more than 60 percent of our secondary schools have smart classrooms, and to the

Education Minister Priya Manickchand and senior staff of the MoE in Parliament on Friday during the Consideration of Estimates for Budget 2024 (Education Ministry photo)

point where we want to have SMART schools where every classroom is connected. As we study how to incorporate AI into education, which is something we will not be able to stop anyway, how do we build out the infrastructure so that people can use that constructively? That’s the undertaking.”

The first smart classroom was introduced at North Ruimveldt Secondary in 2014.

When Government returned

to office in 2020, several others were added across the country. Presently, Smart classrooms exist in Berbice, Essequibo, Georgetown, and in several other areas.

In October 2023, the Ministry launched its Education Management Information System (EMIS), wherein private and public schools and other institutions within the education sector would have access to a secure database, allowing for a comprehensive range of tools for

record-keeping and management of data.

The minister informed the House that this project is in the implementation stage. “It is our intention to have data processing clerks at all schools. We’re now implementing and rolling out the Education Management Information System (EMIS), which would be a gamechanger in our country’s education system. To do that, we will need data processing clerks across the country, so we will be doing that shortly.”

With over 1500 public and private schools, teaching instruction centres, regional departments, and practical instruction centres in the system, the cumbersome process of storing and accessing data is now available at the fingertips of stakeholders.

In schools, this mechanism would eliminate paper-based record-keeping, which is not only bulky but time-consuming. Attendance, performance, and other relevant information can be re-

corded by using data analytics, and the Ministry would be able to identify trends and make informed policy decisions.

With centralised data, the Ministry can ensure better accountability with administrative tasks such as student enrolment, attendance tracking, and evaluating performance categories at all levels, while identifying gaps and disparities in the education system.

Educators can address specific needs and adaptive teaching methodologies, thus creating a more personalised learning experience and improving outcomes and retention rates.

More than bringing ease to data monitoring in the sector is the ability of EMIS to address social issues such as dropouts and absenteeism in classrooms. A digital attendance register for each student and teacher is linked to a risk module, alerting the Welfare Department if a student has not shown up at class for a long period of time. (G12)

16 NEWS

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana has 2nd lowest debt-to-GDP ratio when compared to G20 countries – VP …borrowing to invest is a “good thing”

G

uyana sports the second lowest debtto-GDP (Gross Domestic Product) ratio when compared to G20 countries, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo is contending in light of repeated contentions that Government is borrowing too much.

Speaking during his weekly press conference, Vice President Jagdeo – an economist by profession – sought to further simplify the fact that the country is on a steady pace, and borrowing to finance key projects would only expand the economy further. He iterated that borrowing to invest in the country is a good thing, given the spinoff positives that would be generated in the future.

The G20 consists of 19 of the largest economies in the world, producing 80 percent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product and 75 percent of global trade.

Drawing comparisons with

Guyana, he shared, “If you look at their debt-to-GDP ratio, only one country is lower than Guyana, and that’s Russia; it has a debtto-GDP ratio of about 17 percent. Greece is like 165 percent. In Guyana’s case, it’s 22 percent. We have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G20, excluding Russia.”

Borrow to invest

According to Jagdeo, many of the world’s developed countries have utilised borrowing mechanisms to build strong economies. He said, “If you borrow to invest, it’s a good thing, because you expect that the investment would yield a return far greater than the cost of the credit to you in the future. Once that happens, that is how countries grow wealthy…

“If that didn’t happen, we didn’t need banks; people wouldn’t have borrowed.

But I suspect your capacity to repay is often as-

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo

sessed when you’re going to borrow, your creditworthiness,” he explained.

Guyana’s external debt stands at some US$1.8 billion currently in a US$22 billion economy. In 1990, it stood at US$2.1 billion in a US$300 million economy, Jagdeo explained. As such, he said, “It’s not a massive accumulation of debt, be-

cause we repaid a lot and we got a significant amount written off in the 20-odd years…

“It’s significantly lower in nominal dollars, because US$2.1 billion in 1990 in today’s dollar would probably be US$5 billion, when you look at time value of money,” he explained.

The VP has posited that Guyana is borrowing to add to its productive economy.

He said this is a different picture when compared to the 1990s, when debt service was 94 percent of revenue.

Jagdeo had previously insisted that the economy would not be harmed by borrowing, because it is projected to continue down a path of rapid growth: at 34.3 per cent this year, on the heels of an incredible 33 per cent expansion is 2023.

“Most of our recurrent budget is self-financed; that is, from revenue. The capital budget, we borrow mainly for capital expenditure; and anyone who knows, if you have a business, you borrow to invest in the future, for future income. And all of these investments that we’re making will enhance our capacity to have greater income in the future as a country; more revenue, so we can get wealthier… the investments are made so we can reduce costs…,” Jagdeo had explained in relation to the gas-to-energy project, which is calculated to save Guyana about US$100 million each year when electricity rates are slashed. (G12)

Kitty man busted with ganja jailed for 4 years, fined $112M

S

ean Thomas, also called "Yankee", 43, of William Street, Kitty, Georgetown, was on Friday sentenced to four years’ imprisonment and fined $112,052,000 after he was found guilty on two counts of trafficking in narcotics.

Thomas appeared before Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Diamond-Grove Magistrates’ Courts accused of having 123.85 kilograms of cannabis in his possession.

Thomas and another man were arrested in January 2023 at a house in Eccles Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD) after several parcels containing ganja were unearthed in plastic barrels. They were subsequently charged and remanded to prison after pleading not guilty to the charges.

Jailed: Sean Thomas

NEWS

17

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Police Force to get surveillance chopper to improve crime-fighting – Pres Ali W

ith the Guyana Police Force (GPF) looking to develop an air wing as part of its modernisation agenda, President Dr Irfaan Ali has announced that the organisation will soon be outfitted with a surveillance chopper.

Addressing residents of Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD) on Friday, the President explained that the chopper would be utilised to conduct aerial surveillance of the country to aid in crime-fighting efforts.

Last year, acting

Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken, during the Force’s 184th Anniversary Awards Ceremony, announced that the organisation was moving to establish an air wing in order to enhance its capacity.

At the time, he had explained that the air wing will either be established in conjunction with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) or separately.

Moreover, he had revealed that two pilots attached to the Police Force were sent for advanced training in Miami, USA.

Aeronautical engineers were also being trained to complement the pilots for the Force’s air wing.

The GPF is also in the process of developing its marine division. President Ali told the residents on Friday that landing docks would be established throughout the Demerara River along the East Coast and East Bank.

Last month, at the sod-turning ceremony for the new US$28 million 12-storey Police Headquarters at Brickdam, Georgetown, President Ali had announced plans to en-

ligence work. So, right now, we are in the process of acquiring state-of-the-art marine assets to support the work of the Guyana Police Force”.

During his presentation of the 2024 Budget, Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh had revealed that a total of $1 billion has been proposed to be expended this year to expand the Police Force’s land and water fleet.

He said this would include the purchase of additional vehicles, boats, and engines.

Last year, $900 million was expended to advance procurement of additional motorcycles, pick-ups, boats, motor cars, and trucks for the GPF. In totality, $30.3 billion was allotted to the Police Force in Budget 2024.(G11)

US base in Guyana a “rumour”, has no foundation – Air Force commander Essequibo Coast man dies while President Dr Irfaan Ali

hance the GPF’s defence capabilities, noting that “we’re building out for the first time a marine divi-

United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) Air Force Commander, Major General Evan Pettus, has dismissed claims by Venezuela that the US is setting up a base in Guyana.

Major General Pettus was on a three-day visit to Guyana to continue discussions with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) on its air domain awareness and collaborate on advancing Guyana’s airspace awareness capacity.

During a media briefing on Friday following his engagements with Guyanese officials, the Commander of the Air Force arm of SOUTHCOM was questioned about the steps taken to counter the narrative being peddled by Venezuela that the US was setting up a miliary base in Guyana.

“That's an interesting rumour. It’s not one that I'm aware has any foundation,” Major General Pettus stated.

According to the Air Force Commander, the US military, especially through SOUTHCOM, has had a strong bilateral security partnership with Guyana, dating back several decades, and one which spans a vast spectrum of areas. These range from military and medical capabilities, humanitarian assistance, and disaster response.

“So, this is an ongoing relationship and I think that, specifically, tying any of these things to current events in Venezuela would be overstating the important [military cooperation] relationship that we've had since 1966 since the independence of Guyana,” the SOUTHCOM Commander posited.

Similar sentiments were expressed by GDF Chief-ofStaff, Brigadier Omar Khan, who pointed out that Guyana not only has military cooperation with the US but other Western nations as well as those within the Region.

Asked whether it is concerned that the GDF’s con-

sion that would be capable of utilising our river assets in crime positioning, crime fighting and proactive intel-

performing ‘stunts’ on motorcycle

K

GDF Chief-of-Staff Brigadier Omar Khan and SOUTHCOM’s Air Force Commander, Major General Evan Pettus

tinued military engagements with various partners could be viewed by Venezuela as an act of aggression, Brigadier Khan contended that these collaborations were geared towards not only ensuring Guyana’s security but also a collective regional security and the stability of the Region.

“The Region is made up of many actors, several countries and no one country can say to themselves that they can do it on their own.

We always need partnership, and partnership has been the foundation for collective security across this Region. We’ve not only had the US, we’ve had the UK (United Kingdom), we have the Netherlands, we have forces [in the Region like] French Guiana, and they have been doing their work as part of this collective security. Caricom (Caribbean Community) as you know has its own security component that we are a part of. The Regional Security System – Guyana became a full member [of the RSS] in 2022. And that is all part of this, what we call regional security. So, it’s not Guyana alone; it’s not the US alone. But I must say the US has been a major part of bringing all the actors

together,” the Army Chief pointed out.

Back in December 2023, the UK sent a Royal Navy patrol vessel to Guyana’s waters as part of a series of engagements in this region – a move which was viewed

by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as a threat to the peace and sovereignty of his country by the UK. He also said the deployment of the British warship to Guyana’s waters violates the spirit of the December 14, 2023 Argyle Agreement between the two South American neighbours signed in St Vincent and the Grenadines and called for the vessel to be withdrawn.

However, President Dr Irfaan Ali declared that, “Guyana has long been engaged in partnerships with regional and international States, aimed at enhancing internal security. These partnerships pose a threat to no one, and are in no way intended to be aggressive or constitute an offensive act against any State.”

Britain’s Defence Ministry had said the HMS Trent, a river-class patrol vessel, would take part in joint exercises with Guyana after Christmas.

TURN TO PAGE 18

enford Stephens of Dartmouth Village, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) has lost his life after he lost control of the bike he was driving along the Evergreen Public Road on the Essequibo Coast and it toppled several times before coming to a halt.

Reports received are that, before the tragedy occurred on Thursday, the 22-yearold Stephen was proceeding along the roadway at a fast rate while performing ‘stunts’ by lying on his motorcycle.

After the accident, he was

The bike Stephens was riding when he met his demise

picked up in an unconscious state by his friends who were riding a short distance away from him, and was taken to

the Charity Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigations are ongoing.

18 NEWS

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“You will see action” – Pres Ali orders prompt solutions to issues affecting EBD residents

…squatting, drainage, water concerns to be addressed

I

n a move that has become known as one of the hallmarks of his presidency, President Dr Irfaan Ali on Friday led a high-level team of Government officials to several East Bank Demerara (EBD) communities, as he continued his progressive outreaches to openly engage citizens on matters affecting them.

His first stop was Base Road, Timehri, where he engaged scores of citizens on a myriad of issues affecting them and their communities.

Citizens with personal issues also had the opportunity to engage one-on-one with

the cleaning of the trenches and the streetlights,” the President announced, after listening to the residents’ concerns.

Similar interventions, he explained, will be made within villages along the Demerara River. “[Today], the Ministry of Agriculture will launch a programme throughout the Demerara River, they will visit every community, they will highlight the priority for every community and within two weeks, we will work on implementing actions to resolve the problems within the Demerara River, in-

regularised. We’ll also give a list of all that cannot be regularised. We’re gonna work in the next six months to ensure that all that can be regularised, the application process is completed and you will get your leases for those that will be regularised. For those that cannot be regularised, the Ministry of Housing will take your information and you will be part of the development that we’re going to do to ensure that you live in good conditions…”

The Head of State committed to returning in two weeks to hand out titles to some persons within the

Meeting with residents of Timehri Base Road

respective officials to have them resolved.

One of the main issues raised had to do with agriculture, drainage and irrigation, for which the President ordered a prompt plan to be devised to have them addressed. “[Today], the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, led by the PSs (Permanent Secretaries), and the senior officers, including water and electricity, will be launching

cluding drainage and irrigation…

“We’ll work on helping every farmer, initially, to get five acres of land ready for farming. We’re also going to work to give the Demerara River [community] a tractor and plough to help with the preparation of lands there, all of this has to be done within next week, including the tools, seedlings and planting materials…and I’m gonna come to the Demerara River sometime in March to see you actually planting

squatter settlement that is being regularised at Timehri.

This squatter settlement has about 400 households. The Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) has advanced the process of regularising the area. President Ali, however, highlighted that out of the 400 households in the area, only 43 have processed their application for regularisation.

Moreover, he noted the ongoing efforts to regularise Timehri North and plans to complete that process be-

President Dr Irfaan Ali interacting with resident at Friendship, East Bank Demerara

ing the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport visit the communities to look into the possibility of developing proper recreational facilities.

Over at Friendship, EBD, a similar activity was held whereby residents ventilated the issues affecting them, the majority of which had to do with land and water challenges.

In one case, there was a problem with overlapping titles which President Ali acknowledged is a private matter, but nevertheless committed to having the Attorney General Chambers

At his last stop at Grove, EBD, residents – mostly of the Kaneville community – sought the President’s intervention for infrastructural works and in getting jobs for youths.

President Ali committed

of agency heads had the opportunity to address residents on developments ongoing in their sector and how such programmes would benefit them.

The GWI boss acknowledged the water woes affecting that area and committed that by July, the level of service to the residences will be improved, since a new well will be constructed.

Meanwhile, Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) CEO Kesh Nandlall also addressed the residents on plans to reduce blackouts and improve the util-

that, “a team will come back within a week, all the roads and bridges will be done.” “…within the next two weeks, you will see action,” he assured.

Also at Grove, a number

ity company’s reliability, with President Ali reminding that when the current Administration took office in August 2020, “the entire transmission system was in a mess”. (G11)

ed issues addressed.

On the water challenges affecting the community, Guyana Water Inc (GWI) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shaik Baksh recognised the lack of water access for some residents and asked for their patience.

Infrastructural works, jobs

Resdients at the Grove meeting

appoint a mediator to try and have it resolved among the parties.

The Lands and Surveys Commission was also instructed to visit the community to have other land-relat-

FROM PAGE 17

US base in Guyana a “rumour”...

Resdients of Grove at the meeting

a comprehensive review and meetings in every single one of the communities that raised concerns…they will bring it back to me and within one week, they will come back here to outline to you the course of action that we will take…this includes the Alliance Road bridges, all the incomplete works that Public Works is doing,

and see the work that is being done.”

Squatting and regularising

President Ali also addressed the issue of squatting and regularising communities.

“Lands and Survey and Housing will work together to come up with a list of every single lot that would be

fore the end of the year. At Hauraruni, Soesdyke, about 800 lots are being legalised.

Assessment

Meanwhile, the Head of State also instructed that an assessment be conducted on schools within the district and identified problems be resolved.

He also committed to hav-

However, in response to the deployment of the British naval ship, Maduro ordered “the activation of a joint defensive action of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces” off the coast of Guyana’s Essequibo region, to which the Spanishspeaking nation is laying claim.

Those tensions were eventually calmed following the intervention of St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, in his role as interlocutor between the two nations following the recent Argyle declaration.

In that declaration,

Guyana and Venezuela agreed, among other things, to not threaten or use force against one another, and to continue dialogue in Brazil.

That first meeting was held on January 25 in Brasilia between the Joint Commission of Foreign Ministers and Technicians of Guyana and Venezuela.

Guyana’s delegation was led by Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd, who described the meeting as a “good start” to creating a better future of good neighbourliness for the next generation.

Meanwhile, even as

tensions have seemingly simmered down between Guyana and Venezuela, international media Reuters reported on Friday that Brazil has deployed a convoy of military trucks and armoured vehicles to its northern border.

According to the article, the Brazilian army has moved more than two dozen armoured cars from Manaus to Boa Vista, the capital of Roraima state, where the local garrison will be increased to 600 soldiers. Boa Vista is home to the official border crossing between Guyana and Brazil. (Vahnu Manikchand)

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024

19

Around the World

Brazil's military reinforces border with OILNEWS OIL NEWS Venezuela and Guyana due to Essequibo European industry hesitant to boost natural gas demand amid price volatility

E

uropean industries continue to be hesitant about boosting natural gas consumption, although prices are now a fraction of the records seen in 2022, and Europe appears to have put the worst of the energy crisis behind it.

The still high volatility in gas futures prices, compared to historical averages, and uncertainties ranging from geopolitical flare-ups in the Middle East to the US pausing new Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export project approvals, continue to be a concern for European industrial gas customers, analysts tell Bloomberg.

The implied volatility of the Dutch TTF futures, the benchmark for Europe’s gas trading, has eased in recent months, but it is still holding above the average levels from before the energy crisis, per Bloomberg’s estimates.

This makes Europe’s industrial gas buyers anxious about increasing their consumption of the fuel, especially if they have to make expensive hedges that may go the wrong way.

“Bringing back industrial activity requires a degree of confidence that prices will stay steady and, recently, we have seen a wide range of possible outcomes, which makes hedging — particularly in options — very hard and expensive,” Martijn Rats, global commodities strategist and head of European energy research at Morgan Stanley, told Bloomberg.

“It’s not about the absolute price level, but the expected volatility in markets,” Rats added.

The hesitance among European industrial gas users in evident in the fact that despite the plunge in benchmark gas prices, consumption has not rebounded, according to Morgan Stanley’s strategist.

Weak demand from Europe’s industry, due to lower consumption and weak economies, has been one of the reasons of the gas price slump this winter, despite being the peak demand period for heating.

High level of inventories, weak demand from industry, and increased confidence that Europe could go through the winter without major supply disruptions have all led to traders becoming more bearish on Europe’s natural gas prices in recent weeks. (Oilprice.com)

Jamaican Government loses CCJ case on soap tax waiver

A

victory by DCP Successors Limited has left Jamaican soap manufacturers pondering their next move as the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has ruled that Jamaica is in breach of regional trade rules by not applying tariffs to soap noodles imported into the country from non-Caricom sources.

The ruling on Wednesday has created a state of perplexity for Jamaican consumers who might be faced with an additional cost at corner shops and supermarkets for their everyday soap products. Prior to the ruling, several Jamaican soap manufacturers imported their key raw materials — soap noodles — from coun-

tries like Indonesia and Malaysia before transforming them into finished soap products at home.

However, this situation might change as the CCJ ruled that Government of Jamaica was in breach of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC) by not applying the 40 per cent Common External Tariff (CET) to soap noodles imported into Jamaica from these non-Caricom states.

The CET is meant to remove barriers for intra-regional trade among Caricom members whose goods have received a Caricom certificate of origin — a passport to confirm that a good was made in Caricom and is exempt from the CET. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

A

convoy of military trucks and armoured vehicles set off for Brazil's northern border on Friday to reinforce the presence of the Brazilian army in response to tensions over Venezuela's claim to Guyana's Essequibo region.

More than two dozen armoured cars arrived in Manaus by river transport and some left by road for Boa Vista, capital of Roraima state, where the local garrison will be increased to 600 soldiers, the Army said in a statement.

The armoured vehicle reinforcements include six Cascavel, a six-wheeled Brazilian armoured car with a 37-mm cannon; eight Guarani, a 6×6 personnel carrier; and 14 Guaicuru, a four-wheel drive multitask light armoured car, the army said. The heavier armoured cars were transported on flatbed trailer trucks.

Army officers could not say if the vehicles would

stay in Boa Vista or be deployed to Pacaraima on the border with Venezuela.

The border conflict involves a 160,000-square kilometres (62,000 sq mile) region of Guyana that is more than twice the size of Ireland and mostly thick jungle.

Venezuela has reactivated an old claim to Essequibo in recent years after large oil and gas deposits were discovered offshore.

Venezuela and Guyana agreed in December not to use force or escalate tension in the matter at a meeting in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Last week, at a meeting mediated by Brazil, Venezuela vowed to stick to diplomacy to resolve the conflict.

But Caracas' revival of its claim, nevertheless, prompted Brazil to say it would not let Venezuela use Brazilian territory in Roraima to invade Essequibo, there being no other land route through

Brazil's army moved armoured vehicles from Manaus to Boa Vista to reinforce the border with Venezuela and Guyana due to tensions over Venezuelan claims to the Essequibo region, in Manaus, Brazil, February 2, 2024 (Reuters/Bruno Kelly photo)

the jungle.

A report by the Brazilian military Joint Chiefs of Staff found that Venezuela does not have the military capability to invade Essequibo, because it has "little logistical capacity" to support missions over the border.

The seven-page document seen by Reuters

said Brazil has a contingency plan to prevent any Venezuelan military incursion against Guyana passing through Brazilian territory.

It concluded, however, that a clash between Brazil's two neighbours was unlikely as a peaceful solution was emerging. (Reuters)

Gazans fear Israeli attack on their last refuge; US launches retaliatory strikes

I

sraeli forces shelled the outskirts of Rafah on Friday, the last refuge on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip where hundreds of thousands displaced people, penned against the border fence, feared a new assault with nowhere left to flee.

The United States also began retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria, the US military said, after a drone attack in Jordan this week killed three US troops, developments likely to increase concern about spiralling tensions in the Middle East.

The US strikes targeted Iran-backed militants that Washington has blamed for the drone attack, the first deadly strike against US forces since the Israel-Gaza war erupted in October.

More than half of Gaza's 2.3 million residents are now homeless and crammed into Rafah on the Egyptian border. Tens of thousands have arrived in recent days, carry-

ing belongings in their arms and pulling children on carts, since Israeli forces last week launched one of the biggest assaults of the war to capture adjacent Khan Younis, the main southern city.

If the Israeli tanks keep coming, "we will be left with two choices: stay and die or climb the walls into Egypt," said Emad, 55, a businessman and father of six, reached on a mobile phone chat app.

"Most of Gaza's population are in Rafah. If the tanks storm in, it will be a massacre like never before during this war."

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Thursday that troops would now "eliminate terror elements" in Rafah, one of the few areas not yet taken in an almost four-month-old assault.

As the only part of Gaza with access to the limited food and medical aid trickling across the border, Rafah and

A displaced Palestinian woman trying to get Internet signal to communicate with her relatives, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, at the border with Egypt, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip ,February 1, 2024 (Reuters/Mohammed Salem photo)

nearby parts of Khan Younis have become a warren of makeshift tents, clogged by winter mud. Wind and cold add to the misery, blowing tents down or flooding them and the ground in-between.

"What should we do? We live in multiple miseries, a war, starvation, and now the rain," said Um Badri,

a mother of five from Gaza City, now in a tent in Khan Younis.

"We used to wait for winter, to enjoy watching the rain from the balcony of our house. Now, our house is gone, and the rainwater has flooded the tent we have ended up in." (Excerpt from Reuters)

World Court says it will hear part of Russia-Ukraine genocide case

T

he United Nations' highest court on Friday ruled that it will hear a case in which Kyiv has asked it to declare it did not commit genocide in eastern Ukraine, as Russia claimed as a pretext for attacking its smaller neighbour.

Ukraine brought the case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), also known as

the World Court, days after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

On Friday, Judges found the court had jurisdiction to hear just a small part of the original case. The Judges threw out a request by Ukraine to rule on whether or not the Russian invasion violated the 1948 Genocide Convention.

Instead the panel of 16 Judges said they would rule at a later stage on whether or not Ukraine committed genocide in the Donetsk and Luhansk areas of eastern Ukraine now occupied

by Russia.

"It is important that the court will decide on the issue that Ukraine is not responsible for some mythical genocide which the Russian

Federation falsely alleged that Ukraine has committed," Ukraine's representative Anton Korynevych told Journalists at the ICJ. He added that it was also important that the emergency order by the court in March 2022 -- that Russia immediately halt its military operations in Ukraine -- still stands. (Excerpt from Reuters)

20

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024

guyanatimesgy.com

DAILY HOROSCOPES

ARCHIE

Consider your financial situation before initiating change. Sticking to a budget and planning carefully are in your best interest. Don't trust someone else to know what's best for you.

(March 21-April 19)

PICKLES (April 20-May 20)

Don't let someone distract you from positioning yourself for advancement.

Use your connections, flaunt your strengths and enforce changes that make people in high positions take notice.

Don't let others' actions lead you astray. Stick to your plans and finish what you start. Gather information that can help you improve your qualifications. Send out resumes or portfolios.

(May 21-June 20) You'll discover a way to show off your skills and experience. Don't limit what you can do when the world is starving for something you have to offer. Trust in your ability. Love is favored.

PEANUTS (June 21-July 22)

Take a moment and size up your situation. Without the facts, you will miscalculate and make poor decisions. Your best course of action is to bide your time and focus on positive gains.

(July 23-Aug. 22) Get into the mainstream. If you show everyone what you can offer, you will bring about positive change. Learn as you go and expand your wisdom and insight. Romance is apparent.

CALVIN AND HOBBES (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Put your head down and move forward with discipline, and you'll accomplish your agenda. Don't let anyone stand in your way or become an expense you cannot afford. Learn to say no.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

Disregard anyone who tries to take charge or push you aside. Carve your way forward with discipline and unique ideas; you will make a difference and attract the people you want on your team.

(Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Charity begins at home. Refuse to let anyone talk you out of your cash. Hold on to power and decide how you want your life to unfold. Dismiss temptation and embrace what makes you feel alive.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Pace yourself and make a point to clear up unfinished business at home and within meaningful relationships.

Put the past behind you. Promote joy and gratitude.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Distance yourself from anyone putting pressure on you. You'll regret placing someone else's dreams in front of your own. Dig in, and don't stop until you are happy with the results.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Your popularity will grow if you are true to yourself and take the path that offers the freedom to do what you do best and enjoy most. Let your mind wander.

Romance is favored.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 3, 2024

21

Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’…

Teams scrambling to make final 16 qualifiers U

ndoubtedly the most famous of the street football tournaments in the country, teams are scrambling to fill up entry forms to participate in the qualifiers to make this year’s Georgetown Zone of the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ tournament, set to kick off on March 15 at the National Park.

With sixteen teams already automatically qualified, the race is on to see who would join them in this year’s eagerly anticipated competition, which is returning after an unavoidable hiatus.

Thirty-two of the top teams from Georgetown will vie, over eight days of competition, for bragging rights and the right to be crowned champion, along with lucrative prize monies and trophies; while an automatic berth in the national final is assured.

Speaking about this tournament recently, Guinness

A glimpse of what to expect in the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ competition

Brand executive Lee Baptiste said that, because of the tournament’s absence for a prolonged period, the company is just as excited and anxious as the teams and fans to see the unrivalled tournament make its return to the sports calendar.

“We are hoping that the

tournament enjoys a triumphant return, and it is played with the same discipline and creates a similar kind of excitement that was witnessed in previous years,” Baptiste said.

He revealed that, to this end, they have been planning meticulously to ensure that

Richmond Hill CC tour to Guyana…

Pestano, Rampersaud power RHT NAMILCO to exciting victory over visitors

D

iscarded all-rounder Clinton Pestano has shown his value as a solid middle order batsman with a blazing 74 to lead his team, Rose Hall Town NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour, to an exciting 4-wicket victory against the visiting Richmond Hill Cricket Club of New York USA. Playing in front of a packed Area H crowd, Pestano struck 4 massive sixes and 9 delightful boundaries in his innings of 34 balls. National under 19 allrounder Jonathan Rampersaud supported his captain with 62 not out to guide Rose Hall Town NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour to victory with the last ball of the innings.

Richmond Hill SC won the toss in steaming heat, and elected to bat first in front of a massive crowd. They were off to a flying start, with openers Alex Algoo and former USA ODI player Dominic Rickey adding 76 in seven overs before Ricky became the first wicket to fall - for 29, caught off the bowling of Pestano.

Teo Henry’s fall for zero put the score at 79 for 2, Pestano having beaten him for pace and causing him to be trapped LBW. Former national junior player Jamal LaFleur was bowled by Matthew Pattaya for eight, leaving the score at 91 for three in the 11th over, when Nicky Rambarose joined the aggressive Algoo and the pair added 70 for the 4th wicket before Rambarose fell for 12, caught off the bowling of Junior Sinclair.

Alex Algoo

Former national U19 opener Algoo struck 14 delightful boundaries and five sixes in his unbeaten 117 from 63 balls, as Richmond Hill CC ended on 201 for four from their allotted 20 overs. Lachman supported with 10 not out. Clinton Pestano took two for 31, Junior Sinclair took one for 33, and Matthew Pottaya took one for 15.

Needing to score 202 to remain unbeaten in their cricket season, Rose Hall Town NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour lost Junior Sinclair to the bowling of Emmanuel Seecharan for 14, rendering the score at 24 for one in the 3rd over.

Pestano walked to the crease, and struck his first 3 balls to the boundary as he raced to 74 before he was trapped LBW. Rampersaud then took his team home with an innings of 62 not out, which included six boundaries and four sixes.

Victory was achieved when

Clinton Pestano

Jonathan Rampersad

the veteran Jason Sinclair turn the final ball of the innings, from Shamar Angel, for a single.

Pestano was adjudged player of the match, while Pottaya and Rampersaud were adjudged respective best bowler and best batsman.

teams, management staff, and fans who come out to the event have a great time, a feature that is usually associated with the tournament.

The other playing days are March 16th, 17th, 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 30th, with the final set for the 31st. He added that this year’s zone opener would enjoy unprecedented media exposure, in that all platforms would be utilized to promote the event.

Defending champions Gold is Money would be aiming to secure their third consecutive title, an honour that would

make them the first team to do so if they are successful.

However, teams such as Sparta Boss, Bent Street, Back Circle, Stabroek Ballers, Sophia, Team Cruel and Alexander Village, among others, would be aiming to dethrone them.

Judging from recent competitions, this year’s tournament could be one of the most evenly contested and exciting in recent memory, with a cadre of young upcoming teams eager to stamp their name in the annals of the tournament.

There is sufficient proof to sug-

gest a new champion would be crowned, but not many pundits are daring to write off the more established teams yet.

This year would also witness a more vibrant community interaction, all aimed at bringing communities together to create social cohesion among their residents and to identify talent within the participating communities.

What is guaranteed are exciting matches and giveaways for fans.

Details of the tournament’s official launch would be released shortly.

Wolff ‘surprised’ by Hamilton’s decision

M

ercedes team principal Toto Wolff has admitted that Lewis Hamilton's decision to join Ferrari in 2025 is a "surprise", but said it could provide the opportunity to "do something bold".

Hamilton, 39, who has signed a new two-year deal with Mercedes only last August, told Wolff of his decision to leave after 11 years over a planned breakfast at the Austrian's home on Wednesday.

Wolff said he did not "hold a grudge" against the seven-time world champion, and did not attempt to change his mind.

"He felt he needed change, and I can understand that," Wolff said on Friday. "We have had tremendous success. We shared the opinion when we decided to sign a short-term contract that there may be opportunities for him and for us.

Maybe one consideration was the opportunity to sign a longer-term contract with Ferrari and give it a really big go at the end of his career.

"We have had a sensational journey together, that will go down in the history books.

We want to finish on a high in terms of his [Mercedes] career, but we will build another phase of success - and we will look back on this very good time with Lewis."

'Our professional journey ends, but I have found a friend' Wolff has overseen six of Hamilton's world title triumphs since their relationship at Mercedes began in 2013, paving the way for a period of unprecedented team success that delivered eight consecutive constructors' titles from 2014 to 2021.

The 52-year-old described the partnership between Mercedes and Hamilton as "the most successful the sport has seen" when the team confirmed the driver's departure on Thursday.

Although Wolff said he had heard rumours regarding Hamilton's future earlier in the week, he wanted to wait until he had the chance to hear from him in person.

"We got together for coffee at my place in Oxford. He said

Lewis Hamilton won his seventh world title in 2020, equalling Michael Schumacher's record

to me he had decided to race for Ferrari in 2025, and that was basically it. We had a good hour of conversation," Wolff said.

"Formula 1 has made me resilient to surprises, [but] it was a surprise. Once he said 'this is what I'm trying to do', that was the fact. I didn't try to convince him otherwise.

"It means that our professional journey comes to an end, but it doesn't mean our personal relationship ends. I have found a friend. We have built a relationship over the past 10 years. He faced a very difficult situation, maybe for the first time in 10 years without being able to brainstorm with me," Wolff joked. "I will always respect the difficult situation he faced. In the future, we can discuss whether this could have been done in a different way or not; but I will hold no grudge."

'Hamilton chose to roll the dice' Hamilton and Mercedes' dominant partnership has faltered over recent years in the face of competition from Max Verstappen and Red Bull.

The Briton has not won a race since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021, which preceded that season's controversial title-decider in Abu Dhabi where the race director failed to follow the rules correctly, and Hamilton missed out on a record eighth world title.

Hamilton placed sixth in

2022 and third last season 341 points behind champion Verstappen, who will aim to win a fourth consecutive drivers' title this year.

"He needed a new challenge; he was looking for a different environment, and it was maybe a last possibility to do something else," Wolff said.

"We knew by signing a shortterm contract it could be of benefit to both sides. He is taking the option to exit. We totally respect that you can change your mind.

Switching to Ferrari, may be rolling the dice a bit, I can follow that decision."

It was only in August, after signing his new deal, that Hamilton said he and Mercedes had "unfinished business" in Formula 1. But it is in pursuit of an eighth title, which he believes should already be in his possession, that Hamilton has made his shock decision.

Having had time to reflect, it is one Wolff said is "perfectly understandable".

"When we signed the contract with Lewis, we opted for short-term; so, the events are not a surprise, but maybe the timing [is]," Wolff said.

"The friend side of me says he should have an eighth because that was taken away from him. If he wins that in 2024, that would be a great thing. But going forward, I would rather we win." (BBC Sport)

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 3, 2024

National U20 team to be named in mid-February …42 attended training camp

N

ewly appointed Under-20 Men’s National Team Head Coach Kayode McKinnon will reveal his squad for the Concacaf Under-20 Championship Qualifiers in mid-February.

McKinnon has hit the ground running with an intensive pre-tournament training camp which started on January 21 at the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Training Centre in Providence, East Bank Demerara.

Prior to McKinnon’s arrival, Assistant Coach Vurlon Mills worked with the local players, focusing on small sided games to observe the players’ understanding of their respective positions.

Forty-two young players, including several who have moved up from the Under-15 and Under-17 national teams, are focused on impressing McKinnon and the recently appointed Goalkeeping Coach Richard Reynolds.

But only twenty-one (21) players will be selected to participate in the Concacaf Under-20 Championship Qualifiers, scheduled from February 23 to March 2.

Guyana has been placed in Group B, alongside El Salvador, Antigua and Barbuda, Suriname, and Turks and Caicos Islands.

The Junior Golden Jaguars’ inaugural match is set for February 23 against the host nation Antigua & Barbuda at the ABFA Technical Centre in Antigua. McKinnon shared that the team's training is advancing positively, providing space for players to adapt to the introduction of new coaching perspectives.

“I understand the tal-

ent that we have, so we're excited to work with them.

Obviously, we're new coaches to them, we're new people, there’re new voices.

Everything takes a bit of time for people to adapt,” he said.

The coaching staff also

firstly the intensity and the ability to execute at a high level in the decision making that is our foundation for success. Yes, we've identified some key players, and we're still looking.”

There are twenty-seven teams in the tournament.

Snippets from the national U20 training camp/trials

includes Richard Reynolds, who has been recently appointed as the Goalkeeping Coach, and Assistant Coaches Vurlon Mills and John Saunders.

According to McKinnon, there is an ongoing effort to cultivate a good relationship with the players based on trust in an environment where they feel at ease to deliver top performances.

“Once players start becoming much (more) comfortable, they begin to show who they really are, so we're cognizant of that. But the exciting part is the relationship we're building with the players, and one of the things we talk about here in this short stint is about trust,” he said.

He added that the coaching team is “trying to identify those players that show

Following the round-robin stage.

Guyana has to finish top of Group B to advance to the 2024 Concacaf Men's U-20 Championship, joining the six pre-seeded top-ranked nations.

GFF Technical Director Bryan Joseph said the training camp comprises a blend of players, based locally and young talents from overseas, and disclosed that addition of the new coaches has brought a fresh energy to the training programme.

“They've injected a fresh perspective and a new energy, and it's evident that the players are enthusiastic.

Their seamless integration into the existing structure is because of their understanding of the game,” he said.

“Our extensive scouting efforts, reaching across

“One Guyana” Basketball play-offs resume tonight

B

asketball action returns to the National G y m n a s i u m on Mandela Avenue, Georgetown today with play-offs of the “One Guyana” Basketball tournament continuing with a double-header.

The first jump ball is set for 19:00hrs, and an exhilarating showcase of basketball is expected.

The Jaguar Conference will see Bounty Colts, with their feisty style of play, looking to seal the Playoff series against McDoom/ Prospect Kobras after a fifteen-point victory, with the two teams sharing the court on Saturday igniting the action.

The second game of the night will see UG Trojans looking to tie the series and maintain a chance to advance closer to the conference final, after facing a

Guyana via the Under-15 National Team programme and the Namilco Under-17 League, ensure that the coaches have the opportunity to choose from the finest talent in the country. We are thankful to parents overseas who responded to our invitations, enabling their children to participate in the local training camp.

“To afford the newly- appointed coaches opportunity

to assess the players' gameplay techniques, the youngsters engaged in a match against the reigning KFC Elite League champions, Guyana Defence Force, on January 28 at the Training Centre at Providence, EBD. This created an ideal setting for players to display their gaming techniques, allowing the coaches to conduct comprehensive evaluations. I was pleased to see

Windies U19 miss out on semi-final spot – as rain, lightning spoil the party …faces no-result against Australia U19

W

est Indies Under19s have unfortunately missed out on a spot in the semi-finals of the ICC Under-19 World Cup in South Africa, after their crucial final Super Six match against Australia ended in a no result on Friday at the Diamond Oval in Kimberly.

The West Indies entered the game third in Group 2, behind Australia and South Africa, knowing they needed a win to keep their final four hopes alive. After winning the toss and electing to field first, things started really well for the Windies, as they restricted the Aussies to 87-5 at just past the halfway mark of their innings.

West Indies players acknowledging fans after their Super Six match against Australia was abandoned

However, an 89-run sixth wicket partnership between Sam Konstas and Raf MacMillan provided some much-needed stability to the Australian batting effort. In

SCOREBOARD

The Stabroek Eagles Team

twenty-point defeat in the first game of the playoff series against the Stabroek Eagles.

At the Conference Finals, teams will play the best-of-three games to determine who advances to the National Finals. The team winning the tournament would receive $1M along with trophies, while

the runners-up would receive $500,000 plus trophies.

The tournament was made possible by sponsorship from the Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry; G-Boats Guyana; National Sports Commission, Guyana Basketball Federation, and Georgetown Basketball Federation.

the young players giving their all on the pitch against some of our best senior players.”

GFF President Wayne Forde's administration continues to invest substantially in the junior national team programme — a route for players to secure coveted positions on the Golden Jaguars Team. The unveiling of the team is scheduled for mid-February.

Australia Under-19s (50 ovs maximum) Harry Dixon c Dorne b N Edward 10 Harjas Singh c Dorne b Thorne 16 Sam Konstas c Johnson b N Edward 108 Hugh Weibgen (c)c T Edward b Smith 22 Oliver Peake c Dorne b Sealy 0 Lachlan Aitken †c †Andrew b T Edward 11 Raf MacMillan c Pascal b Thorne 29 Charlie Anderson c Sealy b N Edward 5 Harkirat Bajwa not out 7 Mahli Beardman not out 2 Extras (b 5, lb 2, w 10) 17 TOTAL 50 Ov (RR: 4.54) 227/8 Did not bat: Callum Vidler Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Harry Dixon, 4.5 ov), 2-28 (Harjas Singh, 5.6 ov), 3-67 (Hugh Weibgen, 17.4 ov), 4-68 (Oliver Peake, 18.4 ov), 5-87 (Lachlan Aitken, 25.6 ov), 6-176 (Raf MacMillan, 42.6 ov),

7-203 (Charlie Anderson, 46.5 ov), 8-222 (Sam Konstas, 49.2 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Nathan Edward 9-1-32-3 Isai Thorne 10-1-50-2 Raneico Smith 10-0-63-1 Nathan Sealy 10-0-23-1 Tarrique Edward 8-0-41-1 Joshua Dorne 3-0-11-0 West Indies Under-19s (T: 228 runs from 50 ovs) Stephan Pascal (c) c †Aitken b Anderson 8 Steve Wedderburn not out 1 Joshua Dorne c †Aitken b Anderson 9 Jordan Johnson not out 4 Extras (w 2) 2 TOTAL4.3 Ov (RR: 5.33) 24/2 Did not bat: Mavendra Dindyal, Jewel Andrew †, Nathan Edward, Nathan Sealy, Tarrique Edward, Isai Thorne, Raneico Smith Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Stephan Pascal, 0.6 ov), 2-20 (Joshua Dorne, 4.1 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Charlie Anderson 2.3-1-12-2 Callum Vidler 2-0-12-0

the end, Australia were reduced to 227-8 from their 50 overs. Konstas led the way with a brilliantly compiled 108 off 121 balls, including 11 fours and three sixes, while MacMillan was the next highest scorer with 29.

Nathan Edward led the way with the ball for the West Indies with 3-32 off nine overs, while Isai Thorne took 2-50 from 10.

In reply, the West Indies were 24-2 off 4.3 overs when play was halted due to lightning. As time passed, the lightning was joined by rain, and the match was eventually called off.

The no-result meant that the West Indies ended the Super Six on five points from their four games, one point behind hosts South Africa, who booked their spot in the semis with a dominant 119-run win over Sri Lanka in Potchefstroom to move to six points.

Australia ended up on seven points to win the group. (Sportsmax)

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 3, 2024

23

Bartlett's four-for, Green's allround effort give Australia 1-0 lead A

stunning debut spell from Xavier Bartlett and a classy all-round display from Cameron Green guided Australia to a comfortable eight-wicket win in the opening ODI at the MCG. Bartlett tore through West Indies' top order on his ODI debut to finish with 4 for 17, the second-best figures on ODI debut for Australia behind current selector Tony Dodemaide, while Green claimed 2 for 40 and then made 77 not out in his first innings at No. 3 in ODI cricket to showcase his immense all-round talent.

Josh Inglis also made a blistering 43-ball 65 while Steven Smith made an unassuming unbeaten run-aball 79 as Australia mowed

Steven Smith pulled one away on his way to an unbeaten 79

After Bartlett's burst, West Indies slumped to 59 for 4 when Green picked up the first of his two wickets.

But Carty and Chase steadied the ship with an impressive century stand.

Carty deserved a century of his own. Having passed his highest ODI score after losing Chase, he was 12 runs shy when Hayden Walsh Jr called him through for a ka-

the spin, striking four of his seven boundaries off Adam Zampa. He bravely swept and pulled off the stumps, and profited as a result. But it later brought about his downfall at a critical moment. He was bowled around his legs in trying to sweep Zampa off middle stump, having gone across too far and completely misjudging the length.

Keacy Carty was steady despite wickets falling at the other end

down West Indies' under-par total of 231, which was underpinned by a career-best 88 from Keacy Carty and 59 from Roston Chase.

It was Bartlett's spell that set up the win. The 25-year-old Queenslander and Lance Morris became the first debutants for Australia to open the bowling together in an ODI since 2016, and just the third pair

ball-tracking projection suggested the ball was smashing the top of leg stump.

It did not cost Bartlett though, as he showcased the new-ball skills he displayed in the BBL, swerving one the other way across Athanaze to scratch his outside edge.

Later, in his six-over spell with the new ball, he shaped another outswinger away from the right-handed Shai

Australia could have wrapped the innings up a little sooner, but some sloppy errors allowed West Indies to drag on. Travis Head dropped a sitter in the deep to deny Green a third wicket, before Inglis and Marnus Labuschagne both fluffed easy run outs.

Australia's chase got off to a horror start with Head falling in Matthew Forde's opening over for just 4, after bagging a pair in the second Test in Brisbane.

But any hope West Indies might have had of reproducing their Gabba heroics evaporated in less than ten overs as Inglis smashed a 28-ball half-century to whisk the game away. Opening for just the second time in ODIs, having also tested positive for Covid on Thursday, Inglis smoked ten fours and a six in a statement innings.

Anything fractionally short

SCOREBOARD West Indies (50 ovs maximum) Alick Athanaze c †Inglis b Bartlett 5 Justin Greaves b Bartlett 1 Keacy Carty run out (Abbott) 88 Shai Hope (c)†c Short b Bartlett 12 Kavem Hodge c sub (MW Harvey) b Green 11 Roston Chase b Zampa 59 Hayden Walsh c Labuschagne b Abbott 20 Romario Shepherd lbw b Green 0 Matthew Forde c Hardie b Abbott 19 Gudakesh Motie c Labuschagne b Bartlett 3 Oshane Thomas not out 2 Extras (lb 5, nb 1, w 5) 11 TOTAL 48.4 Ov (RR: 4.74, 213 Mins) 231 Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Justin Greaves, 1.3 ov), 2-17 (Alick Athanaze, 3.6 ov), 3-37 (Shai Hope, 9.5 ov), 4-59 (Kavem Hodge, 15.2 ov), 5-169 (Roston Chase, 36.3 ov), 6-193 (Keacy Carty, 40.6 ov), 7-194 (Romario Shepherd, 41.2 ov), 8-222 (Matthew Forde, 46.2 ov), 9-226 (Gudakesh Motie, 47.1 ov), 10231 (Hayden Walsh, 48.4 ov) • DRS

Cameron Green reached fifty in 61 balls

Gudakesh Motie removed the in-form Josh Inglis

since 1975. Bartlett claimed a wicket with his third ball in ODI cricket, clipping the top of Justin Greaves's off stump with a magical outswinger. He should have had a second three balls later as he hooped an inswinger into Alick Athanaze's front pad, but the umpire thought it was shaping down and Smith opted not to review it. The

Hope to catch a thick edge, which was well-pouched by Matt Short at slip.

He had figures of 3 for 10 with a maiden after his opening spell. He later returned to pick up his fourth wicket with the first ball of the 48th over, but could not grab a fifth as Sean Abbott finished the innings in the 49th over.

mikaze single to cover and Abbott produced a direct hit with Carty miles short of his ground.

It was a cruel end for Carty after playing so well.

Walsh squatted low at the other end hoping for the ground to swallow him up, knowing fully well he had barbequed Carty trying to get off strike.

Carty took a particular shining to the extra pace of Morris, producing two jaw-dropping flicks for six over backward square.

He was also savage when Australia's new firebrand overpitched, thumping several of his 140kph-plus offerings back down the ground.

Morris's debut was far less eye-catching than Bartlett's, as he conceded 59 from his 10 overs without claiming a wicket.

While Carty took on the pace, Chase attacked

from Forde and Oshane Thomas was hammered, including a huge six over square leg. He also produced some stunning drives down the ground. He fell trying to reverse-sweep Gudakesh Motie.

But his whirlwind knock allowed Green all the time in the world to settle, and after a sluggish start, he got flowing with two massive sixes off Motie and Romario Shepherd.

Green benefitted from Smith's calm influence at the other end. On another day, he might have felt more pressure to up the ante with higher-risk stroke play, but the stand-in skipper was happy to cruise to the total without any unnecessary acceleration. They picked off the spinners in a calm century stand to guide Australia home with 11.3 overs to spare. (ESPNCricInfo)

BOWLING Lance Morris Xavier Bartlett Sean Abbott Cameron Green Adam Zampa Matthew Short

O-M-R-W 10-2-59-0 9-1-17-4 9.4-0-42-2 8-0-40-2 10-0-56-1 2-0-12-0

Australia (T: 232 runs from 50 ovs) Travis Head c †Hope b Forde 4 Josh Inglis †c Athanaze b Motie 65 Cameron Green not out 77 Steven Smith (c) not out 79 Extras (lb 1, w 6) 7 TOTAL 38.3 Ov (RR: 6.02, 143 Mins) 232/2 Did not bat: Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Short,Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Lance Morris, Adam Zampa Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Travis Head, 0.5 ov), 2-83 (Josh Inglis, 11.3 ov) • DRS BOWLING O-M-R-W Matthew Forde 4-0-37-1 Oshane Thomas 5-0-40-0 Gudakesh Motie 10-0-58-1 Romario Shepherd 4-0-14-0 Hayden Walsh 7.3-0-41-0 Roston Chase 6-0-31-0 Kavem Hodge 2-0-10-0

P&P powers West Ruimveldt Secondary football team

P

&P Insurance Brokers recently sponsored the West Ruimveldt Secondary School Football Team for the upcoming Milo Secondary Schools Football tournament.

At a simple ceremony, the Chief Executive of P&P Insurance Brokers, Mr. Bish Panday, made the donation to Mr. Leon Bishop - coach of the football team and teacher at the West Ruimveldt Secondary School. Also present were two students, Jamal Fraser - captain of the football team, and Timothy Goppy, player on the team.

Mr. Vikash Panday, Director of P&P Insurance Brokers, was also present at the ceremony, and noted that P&P was happy to con-

Bish Panday (left) along with the Mr. Bishop (right) and members of the team

tinue its relationship with the school even as he wished the team every success. Mr. Bishop and the players

two

thanked Mr. Panday and P&P for the continued support, and pledged to do well in the tournament.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024

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

Pg 23

Bartlett's four-for, P&P powers West Green's all-round effort Ruimveldt Secondary give Australia 1-0 lead football team Pg 23

Pg 22

to be named in mid-February …42 attended training camp

GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, NEWS HOTLINE: 231-8063 EDITORIAL: 223-7230, 223-7231, 231-0544, 225-7761 SPORT: sport@guyanatimesgy.com SALES AND MARKETING: 231-8064 - marketing@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.