Guyana Times - Sunday, August 21, 2022 by Gytimes

Issue No. 5107 PRICE $140 VAT INCLUDED Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana THE BEACON OF TRUTH guyanatimesgy.com SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 WHAT'S INSIDE: Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana THE BEACON OF TRUTH PPP113312P2P10Page3 P31 Economic analysis of Guyana – report also highlights Guyana’s potential to expand its access to capital Agriculture, manufacturing & gold among non-oil sectors projected to grow in 2022 - IDB Govt leaning towards small refinery against bigger operations – VP Jagdeo – says negatives of large refineries outweigh benefits President Dr Irfaan Ali addressing the Guyanese diaspora in Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday evening. The President is accompanied by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha; Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd; Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond; Head of Go-Invest Dr Peter Ramsaroop, and other Government officials Gas-to-Shore project still under EPA review – Director VPreviewedpolicy"moonlighting"GPF'stobe–Jagdeo –Police again slam Bascom for ‘blatant lies’ Rev. Dr Shiwnandan - author of 9 books on spiritualself-guidance,healing – says external assistance being received; review to be completed by year-end intocrashingaftermanCharlestownkilledlorry Page2 Page 9 Page7 $800M uncovers2plaguingteenSchoolseveralcrashesjiltedIntoxicatedGeorgetowntraffictometers,notParkingcontinuesbaseascompensationFishermeninworksrehabilitationroadcommenceReg10togetV/Hoopshoredredginglots,parkingneededalleviatecity’swoes–Mayorlovercar,injureddropouts,pregnanciesRegion–DPPoutreach P14

The mangled car owned by Stewart Dead: Stephon Stewart

The vehicle that the jilted lover was driving The taxi that was involved in the accident

Charlestown man killed after crashing into lorry

One resident recalled, “We were inside the house when he heard the loud im pact on the road and we rushed out to see what hap pened and we neighbour heard the impact also and started to call for her son be cause he left to go out at the saidThetime.”driver of the motor car and the other occupants were rushed to the Suddie Public Hospital where they were treated and admitted as patients. The jilted lover was also treated at the med ical facility and later handed over to the Police as investi gations continue.

Intoxicated jilted lover crashes car, several injured

The dead man has been identified as 32-year-old Stephon Stewart of Charles Street, Charlestown, Georgetown.Policestated that the accident involved PRR 7175 being driven by Stewart, PKK 9331 driven by a resident of One Mile Wismar, Linden; and GAC 1297 being driven by a res ident of Non Pareil, East Coast Demerara However,onlostrylidingwhenRupertwasthatInvestigations(ECD).revealedmotorcarPKK9331proceedingalongtheCraigHighwayheswervedfromcolwiththemotorlorbutinstead,thedrivercontrolandendedupatrenchinthearea.thedriverofthe lorry stopped and was in the process of removing the submerged car out of the trench when the car that was being driven by Stewart crashed into the rear of the lorry. Upon making checks, Stewart was seen motion less in his vehicle. The Police and ambulance were summoned to the scene where Stewart was pro nounced dead. His body was taken to the Memorial Gardens Mortuary await ing a post-mortem while the drivers of the motor car and lorry were taken into custody assisting with investigations.

Three persons narrow ly escaped death af ter the car in which they were travelling collid ed with another along the Riverstown Public Road, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), on Friday eve ning.Based on information re ceived, a taxi was proceed ing along the Riverstown Public Road when an X-Trail bearing registration number PVV 8635, which was trav elling in the same direction at a fast rate of speed, re portedly slammed into the motor car. The taxi toppled several times before coming to a halt while the X-Trail flipped once and crashed into a utility pole. The driver of the X-Trail was allegedly intoxicated and had a relationship issue with his Residentsgirlfriend.inthe area told Guyana Times that af ter the accident, the young man started to cry and said “Nobody don’t know how I feel... My girl giving me problem and I going and commit suicide.”

2 NEWS SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

A identGeorgetownCharlestown,resmethisde mise in the wee hours of Saturday morning after he crashed into a motor lorry that was pulling out anoth er car from a trench along Rupert Craig Highway, Greater Georgetown.

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Parika and Supenaam departure times –05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h, 18:30h daily Sunday, Aug 21 – 12:35h – 14:05h and Monday, Aug 22 – 13:40h – 15:10h. Sunday, Aug 21 – 11:30h – 13:00h and Monday, Aug 22 – No closure.

Govt leaning towards small refinery against bigger operations – VP Jagdeo – says negatives of large refineries outweigh benefits

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo The proposed site for the US$200M refinery which will be built on 492 acres of land at Plantation York

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TODAYFERRY SCHEDULE

“So, these are the variables we're looking at now. But you have a number of people out there who are looking to get an MoU from the Government just to shop around. And I've seen a lot reported as though this is going to happen tomor row. I just want to urge cau tion with that and I've giv en you all the variables that we're considering in this mat ter because the energy secu rity is an important issue for Guyana – future energy secu rity,” the Vice President as serted.Only last month, VP Jagdeo said that Government is prepared to support the es tablishment of a small re finery, and even sell limited amounts of Guyana’s crude to such a facility.

BRIDGE OPENINGS

WEATHER

3NEWS

SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

There will be light rain showers during the day. Expect thundery showers at night. Temperatures should range between 23 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius. Winds: South North-Westerly to West SouthWesterly between 1.78 metres and 3.57 metres. High Tide: 11:46h reaching a maximum height of 2.03 metres. Low Tide: 17:37h reaching a minimum height of 1.21 metre. With light, sweet crude oil produced offshore Guyana, the Government ap pears to be favouring the es tablishment of a small re finery, over a much larger operation, to process the crude for local consumption in order to ensure the country’s energy security in the future. During a press confer ence on Friday, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo disclosed that while the Government has re ceived at least eight or nine proposals for big refineries to be set up here, the conditions for these potential projects are not favourable to Guyana. While he did not go into details about the propos als submitted, Jagdeo point ed out, however, that some of them are making “outlandish claims”. These proposals, the Vice President explained, large ly presuppose, among other things, that Guyana will have to sell crude to the refinery op erator. He added too that the refinery operators would also want fiscal concessions that may be “too lucrative” because of the scale of their invest ment.Another negative coming out of those proposals is the fact that the country will have a greater level of carbon emis sions since refineries are more polluting. Small refinery But while the Government is looking at all of these appli cations for large refinery oper ations here, Jagdeo highlight ed the need for at least one small refinery in the country to ensure Guyana’s energy se curity. “Having a small refinery here could make a big differ ence for energy security be cause if we have, for exam ple, hurricanes or any other disaster [in the region] and we can’t get our supply of gas or kerosene or anything else, then having a local refinery –a small one – can make a big difference for national energy security,” the Vice President posited.According to Jagdeo, while there are a lot of talks and fa vouring of value-added refin ery operations, the conces sions that would have to be given or the increased emis sions from such a project may “net out some of the other ben efits” of such large ventures.

NeilSincerely,Kumar

Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544 223-7230,223-7231,231-0544, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email:marketing@guyanatimesgy.comnews@guyanatimesgy.com, Modernising our financial architecture Last month, the journal Caribbean Economics Quarterly published a report by the IDBs “Caribbean Country Department” and IDB Invest: “Finance for Firms — Options for Improving Access and Inclusion”. As Guyana begins its bold attempt to pull its moribund economy - that was hit by the double-whammy of the COVID-19 pandemic with its attendant supply-chain disruptions and the fallout of the Ukraine War in Europe - the article educates us on the importance of developing and deepening our financial sector. In the last four decades, this sector has become the primary driver of profits in the developed economies, while we languished in the doldrums by remaining as “drawers of water and hewers of wood”. As we begin the diversification of our economy, to move away from primary products and add value to our products and exports by leveraging opportunities in agriculture, tourism, real estate development and business process outsourcing, we must take advantage of the new financial instruments and institutions that now dominate the global powerhouses.Wearereminded, “Financial institutions and markets fulfill several critical functions in modern economies, including (i) enabling transactions across space and over time, thus facilitating division of labour and specialisation in the economy; (ii) pooling savings and intermediating them to enterprises and households in need of external funding; (iii) screening borrowers and their projects and monitoring them, thus deciding where society’s scarce resources are being invested; (iv) reducing liquidity risk for savers by allowing them ready access to them in the traditional sectors, it was explained that the practice is to use mortgages in real estate.” We have already heard concerns raised by the business community about the difficulty of accessing capital from the local financial institutions. Last year, Anthony Sinclair, Finance Specialist and Senior Advisor at the “Centre for Local Business Development” (CLBD), which had been established to coordinate new entrants to support the oil services, noted: “We have to recognise that (Guyana’s) banking system was configured for a different kind of economy and different types of sectors — agriculture, mining and different types. The oil and gas, in particular, is a new type of sector that requires different types of financing products in order to meet the needs of the way those businesses operate.” Previously, the practice was to use mortgages in real estate. “…but in this type of economy that you’re seeking, companies have all sorts of assets, equipment, finance, inventories, and it’s very typical in a developed country to be able to use different assets as collateral for loans,” he said. In terms of this new approach to looking at financing, the Report noted, “One standard measure of financial sector development is financial depth, often measured as credit to the Private Sector as a share of GDP. This measure has been climbing steadily in Guyana, increasing from 22 percent in 2009 to 39 percent in 2020. The average credit-to-GDP ratio for the six Caribbean countries analysed in this Bulletin is 48 percent, while the average for Latin America and the Caribbean is 59.8 percent, suggesting there is potential for credit to continue expanding in Guyana, especially in the current context.” In the meantime, Singapore was on par in the 1960s is 131! Part of our challenge is that a large percentage of our transactions remains cash-based while the rest of the world has moved into electronic cash transactions, which accelerate the circulation of finance in the economy. However, while Guyana is slowly including more technology in the financial system as more Private Sector companies introduce services for electronic bank transfers, online bill payment services, and mobile money accounts, there is a far way to go. As the Report points out, “Of 155 firms surveyed in Guyana, less than half reported accepting payments by credit cards. About a third mentioned accepting bank transfers, while very small shares reported accepting payments from mobile money apps or electronic payments through a mobile phone.”Similarly, even though D’Aguiar financed Banks in 1955 through an IPO, very few Guyanese companies raise funds by offering shares (to be continued).

Views

Dear Editor, It is enterprising that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has announced the commence ment of a twenty-eightday Claims and Objections period, which starts on Monday, August 23, 2022. Inherent in this process is a counterchecking mecha nism all concerned stake holders should use to fur ther cleanse the list of any observed anomalies while providing the necessary evidence of proof. After this exercise, GECOM will be able to produce an Official List of Electors to hold the way-over due Local Government Elections later this year. This positive decision is instructive to the in stitution’s mandate, and would likely ignite a vig orous activation of some political parties. Political interest in this respect seeks to ensure con trol of the various Local Authority Areas (LAAs), thereby strengthening cit izens’ confidence and rec ognition for ensuring the advancement of develop mental and service deliv ery at the community lev els. No doubt, the parties will be seeking to ensure their fortification of indi vidual support bases us ing messages of conviction to ensure all qualified are registered and included. Our registered citizens, as key stakeholders, are encouraged to check the list to ensure their inclu sion, while some political parties will be readying themselves to command the maximum support in each LAA. Activities are therefore expected to be amplified towards ensur ing all citizens pursue the Preliminary Voters List. This Claims and Objections exercise en tails the opportunity to conduct several critical activities in addition to the registration of persons who will be eighteen years old and over by October 31, GECOM2022. has already posted the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) at two prominent locations in every division/sub-di vision across Guyana. Specifically, persons in cluded in the PLE with the relevant proof will be able to apply for the change of name(s) and cor rection(s) to registration data, if they have changed their names or if their listed information is not correct. These claims can be made at the registra tion office for his/her area of residence. Applications for transfers will also be processed if persons have changed their addresses since they were last reg istered. Significantly, it must be noted that per sons who will be eigh teen years old and over by October 31, 2022 can claim to be placed on the OLE if their names are not on the Importantly,List. the up date of persons’ particu lars on the list as well as the removal of the names of deceased persons will have to be evidence-driv en. Further, all Guyanese citizens by birth, descent, or naturalization, or a Commonwealth citizen satisfying the age criteri on and living in Guyana for one year or more, could still be registered. In the case of transfers, chang es of address are very im portant and critical, given the massive housing drive advanced by the PPP/C Government that has re alised a dynamic move ment of citizens to new ar eas.These efforts would certainly aid access to nearby polling stations in the constituency where they currently reside, and allow citizens to contrib ute to the decisions im pacting the development of their new communities. Our citizens need to know that when making claims or objections, they must have the relevant source documents - orig inal birth certificate or a valid passport in the case of registration. Original Naturalization Certificate issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs and original birth certificate or a valid passport in the case of nat uralisation. The original marriage certificate and original birth certificate should be presented in the case of a request for a name change by marriage. Further, it must be not ed that citizens must also present to the officials at the GECOM Registration Office original Deed Poll and original birth certifi cate in the case of a name change by Deed Poll. It is important for any one making an objection to any name on the OLE to be accredited by the scrutineers or by an elec tor who is listed in the same Division List as the person he or she is ob jecting to. Citizens must also be aware that they can and must use this ex ercise to make sure that their ID cards are appro priate. The GECOM of ficial would also conduct updates concerning cor rections of the wrong spelling of one’s name, wrong date of birth, and defaced pictures. Further, lost ID cards could be re placed by the citizens who make an application for this using the statuto ry form from the GECOM Office, after it is signed by a Commissioner of Oaths. This claims and objec tion exercise must be done thoroughly, and GECOM’s forward movement in this way will certainly re alise the overdue Local Government Elections.

4 SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 guyanatimesgy.com

GECOM is on the move! The Claims and Objection process is the way to go!

President Dr Irfaan Ali greets members of the business community on Friday at the Brix Hotel in Port of Spain during which he informed the group of the development trajectory of Guyana and the numerous projects currently in progress across all sectors

Outgoing EU Ambassador to Guyana, Fernando Ponz Canto

By Jarryl Bryan European Union (EU) Ambassador to Guyana Fernando Ponz Canto will be leaving Guyana this month end, af ter an almost three-year stint. And according to him, during his time here he has seen Guyana’s economy tak ing off and setting up the country for a bright econom ic future.During an exclusive in terview with Guyana Times, the diplomat reflected on his time in Guyana and the progress the country has made. He noted that while in Guyana, he was able to wit ness the economy taking off. Ponz Canto, who will be heading to EU headquar ters in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, after he departs Guyana, was accredited in Georgetown in September of 2019. Oil production start ed in December 2019, three months“Youlater.justheard it, one of the speakers gave some very interesting figures. Trade be tween Europe and Guyana has doubled, tripled. And many other things have in creased a lot. I always say these days that I’m happy and“I’msad.” happy because I leave the country at a mo ment where I think it is tak ing off. And there is a bright future happening now. Many people still have to be part of it. But I’m happy for that. I’m also sad because I love this country. And part of me would like to stay behind, of course,” he said. Ponz Canto also spoke about the role he played as the EU Ambassador during the 2020 General and Regional Elections, when de mocracy was under threat for five months as the elec tion results were being deter mined. It is a role he played as one of the ABCE diplo mats.“I’m very happy about the little contribution that we could make during the po litical crisis in 2020. I think of course, the Guyanese, you and all the Guyanese, really making it happen. The final democratic solution that was reached.”“Butif we could contrib ute a little bit, I am proud of that. And I’m also proud of my team, who have been supporting me a lot, all the time. And perhaps, I’m also proud and happy and grate ful that I was welcomed by the people of Guyana,” Ponz Canto said. Forests & mangroves According to the diplo mat, even with his exit, the EU will continue its assis tance to Guyana on proj ects that include its climate change mitigation efforts. He expressed happiness in the projects that would be turned over to his successor, particularly a forest partner ship with Guyana worth €21 million designed to protect the“Inforests.thepast, we have been very focused on the seawall. We have helped, I think, a lot to maintain the seawall defences. But in future, I think we’re going to contin ue to work on mangroves. We have just approved a €5 million allocation for doing so. And this is part of the sea defence.”“Butit is also part of the other thing that we want to do. Which is to protect the forest. We will have what we call a forest partnership, in the next few years, the next seven years. And the total amount we are dedicating to that partnership is €21 mil lion.”In March of this year, Guyana and the EU agreed on a detailed roadmap for implementing the GuyanaEU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA), which aims to im prove forest governance and verify the trade in legal tim ber.An aide-mémoire was signed by the Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, and Ponz Cantó, at the Pegasus Hotel after a meeting with various stake holders. At the time, Bharrat had said that the agreement in no way means that the country is “cutting down” on forest activities, but rather is ensuring that it is done in a sustainable, legal manner.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 5guyanatimesgy.com News

The EU Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, will be Ponz Canto’s next assignment

RobinSincerely,Singh Norton’s threats against GECOM Chair

Guyana-EU forest partnership will be worth €21M over next 7 years – outgoing EU Ambassador – among EU projects diplomat hands over when he departs

06:00 (Sign on) Jewanram Rel. Hour 07:00 Cartoons 08:00 Shekinah Ministry 08:30 Evening News (RB) 09:30 Fast n Loud S7 E13 10:30 Cartoons 11:00 D. Persaud Religious Program 11:30 Prime Series - Blippi’s Educational Ad ventures for Kids 12:00 Dharmic Ki Awaz 12:30 Movie - A Splash of Love (2022) 14:00 Movie - Next Gen (2018) 16:00 Movie - Hint of Love (2020) 17:30 The Healing Touch 18:00 Wheel of Fortune 18:30 Week-in-Review 19:00 Lucifer S3 E1 20:00 Riverdale S3 E12 21:00 Arrow S3 E14 22:00 Umbrella Academy S1 E2 23:00 Girl Boss S1 E3 23:30 Whose Line Is It Anyway? S16 E9 00:00 Sign off Sunday, August AUGUST 06, 2022 Dear Editor, By his admission, Aubrey Norton has spent a lifetime in politics, and should surely know that the leadership of the People’s National Congress is an important office in our country. It is there fore bewildering to wit ness the level of ignorance Norton demonstrates with his threats to the Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission, Justice (retd) Claudette Singh. “And there are many things we can do to put the pressure on the Elections Commission and Claudette Singh. But we had first al lowed her to tender her resignation as a decent judge”.Claudette Singh’s re sponse to Norton was suc cinct, but the silence of ‘civil society organisations begsAnyexplanation.‘fitandproper’ le gally appointed GECOM Chair cannot be removed from office, except by choosing to resign, or by death. It is much the same as a Supreme Court Justice in the United States, and, in my opinion, a threat to Chairman Singh should be treated with the same se riousness as one to a US Supreme Court Judge. In a world’s first, and much to the surprise of many, Policy Forum has anointed itself an ‘um brella body’ for NGOs in Guyana; this clears up the sharing of address and phone numbers with that body, McCormack’s GHRA and The Ursuline Sisters, and maybe the collective/ selective silence of these organisations on Norton’s threat to the GECOM Chair and, by extension, democracy in Guyana. Many are quick to take offence at criticism of ‘civ il society’ organisations and label this as attack ing the messenger or, in a case like this, an attack on the message; but bias must be called out, and silence often speaks volumes. Consider what the re sponse from these ‘impar tial’ organisations would be if the PPPC responded to Norton’s threats with a strong statement of de fence such as “touch one hair on the Chair’s head” … need I say more? Editor, every election cycle sees the emergence of new and/or dormant po litical parties, all eager to contest for various rea sons. It is odd that none of these groups of con cerned citizens has seen fit to condemn the PNC’s Norton. Where is the par ty of doctors or hotel pro prietors? Where are Ralph andThereTimmy?may be no glam orous self-serving pho to ops in standing up for/ with the GECOM Chair on this occasion, but the val ue of this vital autonomous agency to democratic free dom in Guyana should not be judged by such frivolous yardsticks. Political activ ism is not only about elec tions and aspiring to office; it should be about making Guyana a better place for all to live, without threats from Aubrey Norton or anyone else.

21, 2022 COMMODITIES Indicators US$ Change % Crude Oil $96.72/barrel +0.13 Rough Rice $307.35/ton +3.14 London Sugar $548.20/ton +1.73 Live Spot Gold USD Per Ounce Bid/Ask $1747.60 $1748.60 Low/High $1746.00 $1759.90 Change 0.00 0.00 LOTTERY NUMBERS DAILY MILLIONSSATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2022 DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902 LUCKY 3 FREE TICKET 02 03 07 24 25 28H 1813 19155 19 5 2121212041002 Bonus Ball 13 DRAW DE LINE 11 16100706 18 21161502 PAY DAY PAYSUPERDAY 15 5 0 2 Afternoon Draw Evening Draw 76 10 Afternoon Draw Evening Draw 2XFP Afternoon Draw Evening Draw SATURDAY,

I concluded last week’s column by writing that there is a multiplici ty of anti-worm medicines on the market - each of the manufacturers purport ing to have products which contain chemicals that can kill worms (living inside the companion animal’s body – endoparasites) as well as ectoparasites (ticks, fleas, lice and mites – liv ing outside the body, or just under the pet’s skin. I am sure that they all work well – though perhaps not with optimal efficacy. Also, I had mentioned that tapeworms (found in the pet’s intestines) need very special treatment. Scientists have found tape worms in all mammals, (in cluding whales), that have been examined. Often, these worms are found when post-mortems are carried out, not lastly in abattoirs. Also, not all of the animals in which tape worms were discovered had exhibited any overt signs of ailment due to the infesta tion.As an aside, I might mention that, in my young er days, when I was also a field vet, I came across a case of sheep on a farm mysteriously dying, even though they were routine ly dewormed by an all-pur pose dewormer which at the time was the anthel minthic of choice on farm animals. It turned out that the sheep were grazing on some pastures that were infested with toxic plants (saponea pratensis – I re member this name to this day), and not primarily of a sheep tapeworm burden. Caregivers increasing ly ask me which deworm er is the best for dogs and cats. I usually give the an swer that worms living in the intestines of our com panion animals constitute not an immediate and se rious problem, but a po tentially damaging state to the pets’ health. I there fore advise that deworming pets should be placed in the hands of a dewormcondition,theaccordingtheprofessional.knowledgeableForexample,dosageratewillvarytogender,weight,thethe ing protocol, the age, the species, and the level of general care of the animal to beSodewormed.often,patients (pre sented to veterinarians) that are purportedly fol lowing the health care re gimes will exhibit over grown toenails that are so long that they are curv ing back into the pads of the paws. On other occa sions, the hair is knotted into balls which are hang ing loosely from the skin. I find it hard to believe that an animal exhibit ing such signs of deficient care would be dewormed in accordance with an ap proved cycle/dosage rate. Under such condi tions, one can see why vet erinarians (dare I say hu man doctors as well) are reluctant in believe that: i) Everything that a caregiver pronounces about their delivery of ‘monthly’ medications to the pet is true;ii) That the caregiver ac tually understands the ad vice given by “Mr. Google”. Caregivers are notorious for giving less or more of the prescribed dosage, and boasting about it. You may notice that I placed the word “monthly” (in the last sentence) in in verted commas. Why? If the cycle from a Roundworm egg to an adult Roundworm takes three weeks, why are we deworming every month? This latter meth odology might just ensure a perpetuation of adult egg-laying Roundworms. Now, do not get me wrong; there are times when adhering to a threeweek cycle is manda tory and times when a four-week cycle may be permitted. To further com plicate the matter, one has to under stand that inisimplementathetionofathree-weekorfour-weekschedulenotcaststone;it may vary. Again, it is the learned professional, who has been schooled in these matters, who should be making these decisions. Moreover, it is imper ative for me to share this following thought. If the well-advertised veterinary product(s) has(have) three of four components in the tablets/liquid – each pur porting to paralyse/kill the various species of parasites inside and outside the com panion animal’s body - it must be recognised that each species of parasite has its own life cycle. How can one pill cater for all these differences in terms of effi cacy?Bearing in mind the log ic contained in the two pre vious paragraphs, one may wish to agree that each pathogen (worms, ticks, fleas, lice or mites, etc.) should be attacked specifi cally, or at least in groups. I am convinced of this lat ter methodology, and I ad viseForaccordingly.example, tape worms, especially because of their obstinacy in re maining alive, must be tar geted specifically and with the correct dosage rate. Moreover, the stool of the pets (especially those who have/had fleas – the in termediary hosts for tape worms) must be incessantly observed for this parasite, which looks like an undi gested grain of rice squirm ing on the surface of freshly deposited faecal matter. In fact, the caregiver need not be surprised if the vet pro cesses the stool and carries out a special test to ascer tain the presence of tape worm eggs under the mi croscope.Thedrug which cur rently works best against Tapeworms is called “Praziquantel”, and it is often incorporated into the multi-spectrum de wormers. Again, I prefer to use Praziquantel specif ically and only in animals with Tapeworms, while - of course - using concomitant ly any other proven and tested safe flea killer. Next week we will con tinue to provide advice on the use of dewormers and other treatment proto cols for various species of worms.

WORM(continued)TREATMENT

6 SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM FEATURE

Graph showing the barriers firms in the region face in accessing capital due to cost of credit

In its recently re leased quarterly re port entitled “Caribbean Economics, Finance for Firms”, the toGuyanamy,sectorsgrowthhasDevelopmentInter-AmericanBank(IDB)notonlyprojectedtheofvariousproductiveinGuyana’seconobutalsothepotentialfortoexpanditsaccesscapitalforsmall,medium and large firms. According to the report, Guyana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth is ex pected to increase by 47.5 per cent in 2022, compared to 43.5 per cent in 2020. Delving further into the re port, it states that the nonoil economy, which contract ed by 7.3 per cent in 2020, will grow by 7.7 per cent this year. This will be driven by growth in agriculture, mining and construction. Agriculture and gold, which contracted last year, will grow by 8.9 per cent and 12.2 per cent, respectively, in 2022. The manufacturing and construction sectors are also expected to grow by 14.3 per cent and 10.5 per cent, respectively. On the other hand, the large services sec tor is projected to grow by 3.8 per cent. “In summary, the new oil economy has rebalanced as follows: oil and gas are es timated to represent 59.7 per cent of GDP in 2022, fol lowed by services at 16.7 per cent, agriculture at 10 per cent, and gold production at 4 per cent. Oil production’s contribution to GDP growth was 51 per cent and 17 per cent in 2020 and 2021, re spectively, and is projected to be 43.3 per cent in 2022,” the report further detailed. When there is economic growth, access to finance for the private sector is never far from the conversation, as businesses serve as the en gine of growth for the non-oil economic sectors. The devel opment of the financial sec tor of a country is measured by its financial depth, which the report went into detail about. According to the report, Guyana’s financial depth has been climbing steadi ly, increasing from 22 per cent in 2009 to 39 per cent in 2020. The report notes that there is potential for cred it to continue expanding in Guyana. According to a graph in the report that compared the years 2014 and 2020, Guyana has always been one of the countries in the region where firms had minimal barriers to financial access, compared to its regional peers. This became even more apparent in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when major obstacles to accessing finance in Guyana only ac counted for 32 per cent and very severe obstacles ac counted for 18 per cent. In contrast, the obstacles to accessing finance have bal looned in other countries. In Jamaica, these figures were 37 per cent and 22 per cent respectively in 2020. In Suriname it was 46 per cent and 30 per cent, respective ly. In the Bahamas, it was 31 per cent and 21 per cent, while Barbados registered 32 per cent and 40 per cent. And in Trinidad and Tobago, it was 41 per cent and 24 per cent, respective ly. This is in sharp contrast to 2014, when the twin is land republic had the least obstacles to accessing fi nance with 10 per cent ma jor obstacles and four per cent severe obstacles. However, the report high lights than in 2020, Guyana had serious issues with cost of credit, including region ally high interest rates. In 2020, Guyana’s major obsta cles and very severe obsta cles to cost of credit account ed for 36 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively. The closest country to Guyana in terms of its major obsta cles to cost of credit, was Suriname with 26 per cent. “Over 40 per cent of firms in Barbados, Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago reported high in terest rates as a significant barrier to their operations in 2020. For most of these countries, these concerns be came more acute between 2014 and 2020.” “The only country for which firms in aggregate re ported this being less of a constraint in 2020 than in 2014 was Jamaica, though even there, 36 per cent of businesses flagged this as a concern,” the report also states. Again, interest rates were a severe problem in Guyana when surveys were taken. In 2020, a whopping 41 per cent of large firms list ed “interest rates are not fa vourable” as their reason for not applying for credit. Only Bahamas came close, with 30 per cent of large firms listing this as their reason. However, this was the rea son in Barbados for 39 per cent of small firms. Non-favourable inter est rates were also the num ber one reason in Guyana for women-owned and wom en-led firms to not apply for credit. The report contains a number of recommenda tions for how states such as Guyana can improve its ac cess to finance, one of which is the use of more technolo gy. A point in Guyana’s fa vour is that it has slowly been progressing towards the use of more technology, but much more remains to be done.“Of155 firms surveyed in Guyana, less than half re ported accepting payments by credit cards. About a third mentioned accepting bank transfers, while very small shares reported ac cepting payments from mo bile money apps or electronic payments through a mobile phone,” the report states. Firms in Guyana also re ported to the IDB that collat eral for access to loans, is a major or very severe obstacle for them. Other obstacles in clude interest rates. A 2020 survey had reported that average interest rates for Guyana were 11.8 per cent, compared to the Caribbean average of 13.3 per cent. Lending rates have, howev er, declined since the survey and averaged 9 per cent last year.

7NEWS SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

– report also highlights Guyana’s potential to expand its access to capital

Economic analysis of Guyana Agriculture, manufacturing & gold among non-oil sectors projected to grow in 2022 - IDB

Dr Singh challenges BoS staff to apply highest standard of diligence during Census 2022

8 NEWS SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Tradition… …upheld among Zulus

F inance Minister Dr Ashni Singh has charged the staff of the Bureau of Statistics to apply a high standard of diligence in the execution of the Guyana National Population and Housing Census 2022. The Minister deliv ered this charge while addressing staff of the Bureau at its Main Street Office last Friday, ahead of the launch of the Public Education and Information Campaign of the Census, set for Monday, August 22, 2022.Minister Ashni Singh said, “This is an exercise of tremendous importance and I want to wish you ev ery success in its execu tion, I want to urge you to apply the highest standard of diligence in ensuring its completion.”Amongthose present were Chief Statistician Errol La Cruez, Deputy Chief Statistician Maxine Bentt, Deputy Census Officer Vanessa Profitt, and other staff of the Bureau of Statistics. In acknowledging the magnitude of the work re quired for the planning and execution of the cen sus, the Senior Minister further urged the team to make every effort to en sure universal coverage is achieved since it is imper ative that every person in Guyana is CarlaCommunityGeneralficialsdressdeliverPresidentAugustDemerara,Park,theandtheme,beforandpointedorbebabiesservicesuscensusthanexercisethatMinistercounted.Singhdeclaredthereisnostatisticalmoreimportantthecensus.“Itisthedatathatwillguideintermsofwherefutureareneeded.Theoftodayaregoingtotheschool-goersoffivetenyearsfromnow,”heout.ThePublicEducationInformationCampaignthiscensuscyclewillconductedunderthe“WeCountin’We”willbelaunchedatEcclesRecreationalEccles,EastBankonMonday,22,2022,at10:00h.HisExcellencyIrfaanAliwillthekeynoteadalongwithotherofincludingSecretaryoftheCaribbean(Caricom),DrBarnett.

When the Europeans conquered Africa, it wasn’t always a cakewalk. One of the places where they were actually defeated was what’s now part of South Africa. It was at the Battle of Isandlwana, fought on 22nd January 1879, where the Zulus wiped out a substantial British force of 1200 soldiers - including the 1st Battalion, 24th Foot. The defeat rocked Victorian society!! As described by the Brits: “The Zulu warriors were formed in regiments by age, their standard equipment the shield and stabbing spear (assegai) for close combat invented by Shaka. The formation for their attack, described as the ‘horns of the beast’ –also devised by Shaka, the Zulu King who established Zulu hegemony in Southern Africa. The main body of the army delivered a frontal assault, called the ‘loins’, while the ‘horns’ spread out behind each of the enemy’s flanks and delivered the secondary and often fatal attack in the enemy’sShakarear.”Zulu, of course, was the founder of the Zulu Kingdom - from 1816 to 1828. He was one of the most influential Zulu kings – responsible for re-organising the military into a formidable force via a series of wide-reaching and influential reforms. Shaka's hegemony was primarily based on military might, smashing rivals and incorporating scattered remnants into his own army. He supplemented this with a mixture of diplomacy and patronage, incorporating friendly chieftains. These peoples were never defeated in battle by the Zulu; they did not have to be. Shaka won them over by subtler tactics, such as patronage and reward. The queen who visited on Emancipation is descended from one of these chiefs. Shaka was ultimately assassinated by two half-brothers, but the Zulu kingdom persisted. And even though they were incorporated into South Africa, the tradition continues. While the Zulu king doesn’t have any political power, he has tremendous influence, since Zulus are the largest ethnic group in SA - constituting 12 million of its 55 million citizens. Like the British monarch, he’s given a stipend (there about US$4 million annually) and lives in a palace with his wives. (Zulus practice polygamy). The last king, Goodwill Zwelithini, ka Bhekuzulu, had six wives, and had ruled for more than half a century before passing away last year. And therein lies the story that’s transfixing the Zulus right now. In the King’s disputed will, he named his third wife, Queen Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu, as regent - a sort of caretaker role pending the appointment of a successor. She named her son Misuzulu, ka Zwelithini. And after a yearlong family feud – which included applications to the Court - he was finally crowned Zulu king yesterday in a traditional ceremony. He wore the skin of the lion he had killed last week!! …of post-election riots? And here is Guyana, the PNC have steadfastly upheld their tradition of rigging elections, and when that fails –inflicting “condign” violence – in the words of Burnham –on purported PPP supporters!! With the latter assumed to be Indian Guyanese, those who support the PNC are in a quandary to escape the said condign beatings – or worse. Back in the 2000s eruption, one PNC-candidate-talk-showhost – who’d egged on the violence after the PNC’s 2001 loss, advised Indian Guyanese supporters to take refuge at Congress Place. That challenged East Coast supporters, since they had to pass Buxton!! Anyhow, after the last PNC rigging attempt, with Mingo’s stained bedsheets, the worm turned, and PPP supporters on West Berbice came out onto the Public Road and rioted!! Sadly, some schoolchildren were injured when they stoned a school bus with “David Granger” emblazoned on its sides. The riots ended after the Police shot and killed one young man (Devon) and injured a young woman (Anuradha) with pellets. Is this going to be a new “tradition”?? …of incitement The AG came out with a long denunciation of the Symposium at Buxton today, which is titled “Resisting the Emerging Apartheid State”. He didn’t have to. It insults and devalues what Africans and Indians had to undergo in South Africa!!

and

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh addressing the Bureau's Census 2022 Staff Minister Singh being shown the layout of Census 2022 by Chief Statistician La Curez and Deputy Census Officer Profitt

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

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

Gas-to-shore project still under EPA review – Director

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“We have a lot of propos als here for refineries. Right now, we have several, and we said we’re prepared to sell be cause I don’t know which one will go forward. So that if it will lend itself to greater en ergy security – which is a cru cial matter for us – so that we have, in situations of cri ses, the same way we have food crises, that we can have our own domestic supply of gas and everything else; for that reason, we’re prepared to support a small refinery… we’ve had discussions with several groups, and we’re pre pared to sell a limited num ber of barrels of crude to the refinery to make that work,” he said during the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association’s (GMSA) midyear dinner in July. Oil refinery on EBD Already, a United States investor – Chemtech Limited – is planning to set up a US$200 million oil refinery and integrated petrochemical manufacturing complex on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) that will employ some 750 persons during its con struction and another 300 permanentAccordingworkers.toChemtech in its project summary, they have already received no-objection letters from the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) and the Region Four (RDC)Regional(Demerara-Mahaica)DemocraticCouncilfortheproject,which has a proposed site on 492 acres of land at Plantation York.“The Government of the Republic of Guyana is seek ing to further diversify the economy from oil and gas, mining and the export of logs, there is a need to develop the downstream industry,” the special purpose company ex plained. This oil refinery will produce the products that Guyana imports at this time and the excess will be for the markets in the Caribbean. The company went on to list some of the downstream products of the oil and gas sector it will be processing, such as methanol, urea, and melamine, as well as market able products such as veneer board, formaldehyde and fer tiliser. These products, they noted, can generate revenue from exports and domestic profit, as well as the training opportunities for employees. Its first phase will be fo cused on the integrated chem ical complex, while its second phase will see a port being built to service the oil and gas sector and provide shipbuild ing and repairs. All in all, the company estimates the proj ect will cost US$200 million. According to the company, this project will create sever al jobs for the wood indus try – the engineered board will be termite resistant, and not forgetting this will gen erate foreign currency. The Engineered Board OSB will be an opportunity to build low-income houses, luxury homes, and pre-fabricated homes for the export market. Veneer Board will allow the manufacturing sector to ex port world-class furniture. When it comes to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the company assured that the agency’s re quirements will be adhered to and that process and techni cal data will be available for each plant. They also listed their source of financing as United Securities Trust of Switzerland.According to the compa ny, the oil refinery will take between 24 and 30 months to construct, while the inte grated complex will take be tween 18 and 24. The project, it assured, would not need natural gas but would utilise products already made from natural gas, such as metha nol and urea. This is even as procure ment has already been start ed by the Government of Guyana for a gas-to-shore project that will include a power plant and a Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) plant, all of which will be con structed under a combined Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) process within the Wales Development Zone (WDZ). The aim is to deliver rich gas by the end of 2024 for the power plant while the NGL facility is slated to be online by 2025.

The Gas-to-shore proj ect, which was sub ject to a 60-day re view process earlier this year, is still being reviewed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as the agency makes sure that due diligence on the trans formational project is done. In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times, EPA Executive Director Kemraj Parsaram explained that they are still reviewing the project and that they are getting expert assistance in this regard, from both inter nal and external sources. “We’re still reviewing, we’re getting expert reviews and so on, on these things and considering all the com ments received during the 60-day public notice. So, we’re still undergoing the review, internally and with external help,” he said. According to Parsaram, several persons would have made comments during the 60-day review process on the potential environmental impacts of the project, com ments that the EPA is dil igently addressing. Asked about a timeline for the completion of the review process, Parsaram said that this would be completed by year-end.“More than likely, once we are satisfied from our review and we can make a determination whether the project can be approved or not, then we will definite ly, within the timelines that are reasonable, make a deci sion,” Parsaram explained. Procurement has al ready been started by the Government of Guyana for the gas-to-shore project. With a timetable to deliver rich gas by the end of 2024 and the Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) plant to be online by 2025, works are progressing on getting the project off the ground. As such, during the first half of this year, Exxon was expected to source the materials and pipelines, so that they are available for when construction starts later this year. The project will have a 25-year lifespan and is ex pected to employ up to 800 workers during the peak construction stage, as well as some 40 full-time work ers during the operations stage, and another 50 work ers during the decommis sioning stage. The gas-to-shore proj ect will include a pow er plant and a NGL plant, all of which will be con structed within the Wales Development Zone (WDZ). When it comes to the con struction of a combined cy cle power plant, this will generate up to 300 mega watts (MW) of power, with a net 250MW delivered into the Guyana Power and Light Grid at a sub-station located on the East Bank of the Demerara River. The Guyana Government has already invited interested parties to make investments in the WDZ, which will be heav ily industrialised and for which approximately 150 acres of land have been al located. Those lands were previously used by the Wales Sugar Estate. Head of the Gas-toShore Task Force, Winston Brassington has previous ly stated that ExxonMobil Guyana, which is funding the pipeline aspect of the project out of cost oil, has found that there would be substantial savings from combining these two facili ties.The scope of the approx imately US$900 million gas-to-shore project also consists of the construction of 225 kilometres of pipe line from the Liza field in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, where Exxon and its partners are currently producing oil. It features approximate ly 220 kilometres of a sub sea pipeline offshore that will run from Liza Destiny and Liza Unity floating, production, storage and off loading (FPSO) vessels in the Stabroek Block to the shore. Upon landing on the West Coast Demerara shore, the pipeline would continue for approximate ly 25 kilometres to the NGL plant at Wales, West Bank Demerara.Thepipeline would be 12 inches wide, and is ex pected to transport per day some 50 million standard cubic feet (mscfpd) of dry gas to the NGL plant, but it has the capacity to push as much as 120 mscfpd. The pipeline’s route on shore would follow the same path as the fibre optic cables, and will terminate at Hermitage, part of the WDZ which will house the gas-to-shore project.

The gas-to-shore pipeline route

EPA Executive Director Kemraj Parsram Govt leaning towards small...

9NEWS SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

– says external assistance being received; review to be completed by year-end

outreach meetings, the DPP’s team engaged residents of the communities on matters of concern relating to Police and legal issues. Residents took the opportunity to raise complaints affecting them, particularly the con sumption of alcohol by un derage children, teenage pregnancy, school dropouts, and noise nuisance by un scrupulous motorists. The motorists, when under the influence, cre ate havoc for the elderly in these communities. As such, residents have asked for Police patrols to fre quent these remote areas to quell the noise nuisance. Toshaos and residents thanked the DPP’s office for its outreach since it gave them the opportunity to learn and have a better un derstanding of the works and functions of the DPP’s office within the criminal justice system. The DPP’s office was able to assist those residents who have legal matters pending to determine their status and receive on-the-spot com plaints.

Prime Minister Mark Phillips with the 72 graduates and other officials on Saturday

Engaging residents of Region 2 during the outreach

ICT workshops create a foundation for technological development – PM School dropouts, teen pregnancies plaguing Region 2 – DPP outreach uncovers

This curiosity will foster growth; it will foster knowl edge and it will foster orig inality. These are valuable skills that will serve you throughout your lifetime.”

Residents of Mashabo were at one of the meetings

ommunities in Region Two Supenaam)(Pomeroon-have been plagued with issues of school dropouts, teen age pregnancy and under age drinking – a concern for residents as they hope for a turnaround.Theseissues were high lighted when the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) con cluded a three-day pub lic outreach to Essequibo, Region Two. The two-member team of Communications Officer Liz Rahaman and Senior State Counsel Tiffini Lyken were accompanied by Woman Police Sergeant Monnette Boston of the Sexual Offences Unit of the Anna Regina Police Station. The team visited the Amerindian settlements of Bethany in the Supernaam Creek, Mashabo, Saint Denny’s in Tapakuma and Dhaka,DuringMainstay.the

10 NEWS SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

The initiative is one of three ICT summer camp training programmes con ducted countrywide by the Office of the Prime Minister, through the Industry and InnovationRegionalUnit.

Prime Minister, Retired Brigadier Mark Phillips be lieves that the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Summer Camps play a pivotal role in the foundation of technologi cal Hedevelopment.madethese comments while addressing graduates at the graduation ceremo ny of the Berbice leg of the ICT Summer Camp 2022 on Saturday at the Albion Community Centre. Phillips, who is fulfilling the role of President, noted that camps are a testament of the Government’s com mitment to embrace the ICT revolution in Guyana. “We are excited about this initiative because these workshops create a founda tion and provide young peo ple with a glimpse of the opportunities that are avail able to them and how they can access Furthermore,them.” he stat ed that the skills acquired during the learning sessions will not only provide criti cal thinking skills in ICTrelated matters but also fos ter long-term skills. “I encourage you to con tinue to innovate; continue to be curious and to find nov el ways to solve problems through the use of ICTs.

Chairman David Armogan and Director of the Industry and Innovation Unit within the Prime Minister’s Office, Shahrukh Hussain were among the attendees at the graduation ceremony.

Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken had ordered the Office of Professional Responsibility to investi gate the matter and that probe has been complet ed. The findings and rec ommendations were sent to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for legal advice before any ac tion is “Lettaken.better judgement prevail. Wait on the ad vice of the DPP, and then we are going to initiate [ac tions] based on the advice,” the Police Commissioner hadWhilestated.the details of the probe are unknown, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum during a recent press con ference debunked the alle gations being peddled by Bascom.Since making these al legations the Sergeant is now facing several law suits running into millions of dollars from the senior cop along with a prominent businessman and his pri vate security guard, whom the cop also fingered in the cover-upBascom,allegations.through his lawyer, has since written President Dr Irfaan Ali for witness protection after re portedly being threatened.

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

In the letter to President Ali, Bascom claimed that even though he was direct ed to arrest a person of in terest in the case, the per son had advance warning and subsequently called to threaten him. But the Protected Disclosure Act of 2018, states “(1) Where a per son seeks to make a disclo sure in pursuance of this Act, in relation to a mat ter that would prejudice the national security, de fence, or international re lations of Guyana, the clo sure shall be made to the President, the Minster or the Ministers responsi ble for National Security.

In the discourse of hate that is once again rising it is useful to examine its production, dissemination and consumption in our society to note its effects. Discourses are rarely constructed out of thin air but are built on previous narratives and themes that are topical. The “narrative of revolutionary romance” arose as an emancipatory strategy against the seminal discourse on identity framed during slavery and its aftermath – the blackwhite binary. The discourse of “sin and sinners” played a large part in the larger discourse to justify the genocidal treatment of Africans and other “natives”. They both loom large in our nationalTherepsyche.aretwo parts to the construction of identity within discourse: firstly the creation of the ‘other’ – with all negative qualities and secondly the comparison of that ‘other’ to the self – the antithesis imbued with all the “good” qualities. The archetypal binary hegemonic discourse owed its success to its divisive framing of the identities in play, as well as to the ‘truthful’ nature it attributed to that framing during colonialism. It remains firmly in place as “coloniality” with its hierarchies of race, culture and power. Since the PNC split off from the PPP in 1955, the binary discourse was taken over by Indian and African Guyanese – with each “side” alternating for respectively 33 and 25 years in government and leaving their ”other” nursing their wounds. Presently, the PNC and its partisans have defined themselves as fighting for democracy, freedom of speech, justice, workers’ rights and presumably, motherhood (good qualities). In virtually every speech and exposition about the PPP, they are declared to be “ racists committing physical and economic “genocide” against Africans and now creating an “apartheid” state. In this discourse, Guyana is in mortal conflict between good and evil and that evil was real, and must be opposed. Acutely entrenched in our historic binary socio-religious discourses of “us” against “them”, this kind of polemic serves to essentialize the PPP and their supporters as satanic and morally corrupt. Critically, this framing locates evil in the nature of the PPP – and by extension, their supporters – , thereby stigmatizing a whole category of people. Not to mention putting them at risk in an atmosphere dominated by a discourse of “us” against “them” and a history of political violence. The “complicity” and responsibility of the Indian supporter for the sins of the PPP is manifest in their voting pattern and therefore are unlike Africans, who have presumably not displayed “racial preference”. It is a compelling discourse and an act of demagoguery that vitiates the actions of the PPP and their supporters of any political content by de-contextualizing and de-historicizing them. They are simultaneously de-humanized and de-personalized. What justification, ultimately, can be offered for ‘acts of evil’? The wages of sin, I am told, is death. In other words, holding that the PPP and their supporters are by nature evil (and racist to boot) rather than ordinary people, it is not difficult to see how attacks against them can become normalized.

I n light of the controver sy surrounding Police Sergeant Dion Bascom, who made some damning allegations of a cover-up by senior ranks in the murder of Ricardo “Paper Shorts” Fugundes, and recent re ports thereafter that sug gested that he was on the payroll for an Essequibo businessman, the Guyana Police Force’s moonlighting policy could be reviewed. The Police Force’s moonlighting policy allows for ranks to provide ser vices for businesses such as Police escort and security at public events, for which they get However,paid.Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo during a re cent press conference stat ed that the Government must relook at the policy and come up with a safer way to execute what it en tails.“This is sanctioned practice of the Police and it has gone on for many many years, including the five years of APNU, and so the policy is that the Police help to escort the gold, these gold purchas ers when they buy the gold, the Police are then paid. It’s a standard practice; ev ery year of APNU it took place, it didn’t happen re cently and they escort the gold down to Georgetown or wherever they are kept.” “We have to find anoth er safe way in doing this because when this happens there’s a cosiness that de velops between elements in the Police and these peo ple because of that rela tionship…they are work ing legally but the cosiness starts developing there and therefore things has to change,” the VP further ex plained. Nevertheless, Jagdeo noted that the PPP/C Government stands by the decision to have the GPF conduct a full and complete investigation into the mat ter with external support, and more so, it will not con done any illegal acts on the part of any of the persons accused by Bascom to be in volved in the murder. The VP also stated that the issue is a top priority for President Dr Irfaan Ali, who is expected to address same when he returns from Trinidad and Tobago. Days after being bust ed along with others by the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) with cocaine, Sergeant Dion Bascom claimed during a Facebook Live that he was being set up and alleged that a senior Police officer is covering up the murder of Ricardo “Paper Shorts” Fagundes, who was gunned down out side a popular Main Street, Georgetown night spot more than a year ago.

A discourse of hate Over the years, we have emphasised the role narratives play in our historical accounts: not least to act as filters and projectors for events occurring in the world around us. These narratives are part of a whole welter of formal and informal processes, language and performance – dubbed “discourses” – that serve to fix the acceptable meaning of a given notion and literally “hail” it into being. Identity and social action – including political action – are key features fixed largely by narratives and discourses: “How are we made in our culture?” asked Foucault. While not denying the importance of structural features, discourses are most crucial because they sanction certain kinds of action and not others. In times of heightened tension and conflict, narratives and discourses link individual and group identity producing a sense of linked fate among groups. Political actions – and reactions – are therefore highly influenced by the dominant discourses circulating at any given time. When violence is in the air, the fears also include concern for physical security and fears of extinction of self, family, and the group and its culture. The power of discourses lies in their ability to naturalise a particular way of interpreting reality or our perceptions of it – be it an ethnic group or a strategy for political struggle.

– Police again slam Bascom for “blatant lies”

GPF’s “moonlighting” policy to be reviewed – VP Jagdeo

11NEWS SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Ravi Dev

(2) The President, the Minister, and the Ministers responsible for public se curity shall establish and cause to be operated proce dures for receiving, investi gating or otherwise dealing with disclosures made un der subsection (1).”

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo during Friday’s press conference

Police Force firmly reiter ated that at no time what soever was Bascom at the crime scene on official duty. And any such claims made by Bascom during the press conference are blatant lies. During the murder inves tigation, Bascom had re portedly informed one of his superiors that a pop ular businessman from Essequibo was using him to go after Mark Richmond, who is known to him. Investigators have knowl edge that Bascom and the said businessman are close friends.Mark Richmond is also part of the security detail for one of the Essequibo businessman’s competi tors.

Police Sergeant Dion Bascom The late Ricardo “Paper Shorts” Fagundes

On this note, the President Ali had stated that he was yet to see the content of the letter, but once he has a look at it he will address the issue. Meanwhile, on Friday, Bascom and his attorney Nigel Hugues again made several statements in con nection with the case but the Guyana Police Force was quick to point out sev eral turned.ysisalsofromedderthementallyassistedthatThediscrepancies.ForcereiterateditiscurrentlybeingbyaninternationrecognisedlawenforceagencyinconductingRicardoFagundesmurprobe.Further,itstatthatitemsrecoveredthecrimesceneweresentoverseasforanalandarestilltobereFurther,theGuyana

12 NEWS SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

The first phase of the US$300 million project is the deepening, widening, and dredging of the access channel, as well as land reclamation. It also in cludes an offshore termi nal, dry dock facility, and fabrication yard spanning 65 hectares. As the dredging activi ty continues in the coming weeks, developers also ex plained to residents that job opportunities will open up with the roll-out of this massive project. They have committed to working with persons from the communi ty to address other griev ances and have established multiple avenues to file complaints.Theshore base proj ect is being carried out by NRG Holdings by busi nessmen; Nicholas Boyer of National Hardware Guyana Limited, Azruddin Mohamed and Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, and Andron Alphonso of ZRN Investments Incorporated. In April, ExxonMobil Guyana and the Vreeden-Hoop Shorebase Incorporated (VEHSI) signed a 20-year agree ment for shore base ser vices to be provided at the port of Vreed-en-Hoop fa cility to support the US oil giant’s operations offshore Guyana.

F isherfolk affected by the first phase of the Vreed-en-Hoop Shore Base on the West of Coast Demerara, which en tails the dredging of the Demerara River, are to be compensated.Residents and the fish ermen have been assured that the development of this project will not affect their livelihood when they met with developers on Saturday.Compensation will be given to the affected fish ermen, including persons not registered with the Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agriculture. This follows reports of fishermen raising com plaints about the im pact of the dredging on their daily activities. The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) had also disclosed at that time that it was doing daily monitoring of the dredging by NRG Holding Inc. During a public meet ing on Saturday at the Regional Education Office in Region Three, one of the businessmen of the consor tium, Andron Alphonso, re lated that “We are also will ing to speak with persons who are not registered with [Fisheries Department] but operating in that same area.”

VEHSI, which is un dertaking Guyana’s first multi-purpose port facility, is a joint venture between a fully-owned Guyanese con sortium – NRG Holdings Incorporated, and Jan De Nul Group, a Belgiumbased company that spe cialises in offshore, marine, civil, environment, and projectNRGdevelopment.holdsamajori ty stake of 85 per cent in VESHI, while the remain ing 15 per cent is owned by Jan De Nul – the com pany that will construct the facility. The multi-mil lion port of Vreed-en-Hoop, which will be located at the Best, WCD foreshore, will feature an offshore termi nal; fabrication, umbilical and spooling yards; a dry dock facility; a wharf and berths, and administrative buildings, among other fa cilities.This project commenced after the sod was turned in June of this year. That same month, the area for the construction of the fa cility was being surveyed by the Jan De Nul Group.

Fishermen to get compensation as V/

Hoop shore base dredging continues

Andron Alphonso (file photo)A view of the dredging in the estuary of the Demerara River

Further, he told resi dents that “We are not here to disrupt but to develop and there will be challeng es but we just want to let everyone know we are ded icated to overcoming those challenges and working with the affected persons.”

These two young ladies were among many residents who braved the 11:00h sun on Saturday to clean the road shoulder at Cabucalli, Moruca The kayap in full swing. The cooperation among residents of the village of Cabucalli at Moruca was evident as they combined their efforts to clean the road shoulders on Saturday

13FEATURE SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

The villagers were up since 6:00h. The wom en grabbed their forks and rakes while the men shouldered the responsi bilities of cutting the grass along the roadway. It was an event that sparked pride and joy among the villagers of Cabucalli, a small commu nity within the Santa Rosa Village of Moruca. In villages within this sub-region of the North West District, the coopera tion among residents is al ways admired by many, in cluding visitors and the villagers themselves. As such, Saturday’s exercise was one that the residents of Cabucalli were determined to undertake, and the aim was to clear the roadway within the village. “We would normally do kyap to clean our road here at Cabucalli. Residents would come out to clean,” pri mary school teacher Natalie Matthews told Guyana Times.

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F or any writer, com pleting just one book is a feeling of accom plishment but it leads to many sleepless nights of perfecting the editing and placing every word in its perfect place. A feeling like no oth er!

14 SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM FEATURE

Reverend Dr Navindra Shiwnandan

persons at the book launching event

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Infamous Reverend Dr Navindra Shiwnandan is no stranger to this feeling, for he has experienced it a total of nine times over the past four years, having pub lished nine books. Dr Shiwnandan is a man of many different talents, dreams, and aspirations and some may say that he has mastered the art of making his dreams come true, with the help of God, of course.The Reverend is a Senior Pastor of Herstelling Assembly of God Global Outreach Center, and a Practicing Physician at his own medical, Dr. Shiwnandan’s Clinic for more than twenty-seven years. Now he can add nine times published author to his long list of accomplish ments.Dr Shiwnandan has been a credentialed holding Pastor with the Assembly of God (AOG) for more than thirty-two years. He holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S.), a Master of Theology (Th.M.), and a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.), serving on the General Presbytery of the AOG, and as the Director of the AOG Evangelism Association. He and his wife Dr Michelle Shiwnandan, who is also a Physician and Clinical Psychologist, are giving people who believe in whole-person salvation and they have a robust human itarian approach to minis try. Many of their friends and family would describe them as the kindest people they’re ever met.

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Additionally, the power duo also serves on the leader ship team of Early Pregnancy Advisory Services; an orga nization that promotes the Sanctity of Human life and pro vides free counseling services to hundreds of women with crisis pregnancies. For his many strides in his educational advancements in the field of medicine, Dr Shiwnandan received the Prime Minister's Medal for his outstanding performance on the completion of his medical degree at the University of Guyana School of Medicine. He has received his education from various education al institutions across the world. He continued his career development at Queens University, Canada, Gulf Course Ultrasound Institute, National Procedures Institute, and Institute For International Medicine, University of Missouri, Kansas City, USA. For more than twenty-three years, the doctor/pas tor held professional memberships with the American College of Gastroenterology, the West Indian Association of Gastroenterologists, the Christian Medical Foundation, and the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. Additionally, he has been serving as the Representative of the Medical Community on the Central Board of Health and the Pharmacy and Poisons Board in the Guyana Ministry of Public Health until recently. As the country Representative for ISOM, Covent Theological Seminary, and Nation To Nation Christian University, over several years, Reverend Dr. Shiwnandan has seen more than thirty Church Based schools of Ministry, that offer Diplomas and Degrees, organized to train Christian workers for the Kingdom of God. As the doctor would describe it, God is using him as a powerful, prolific speaker and writer, both on medi cal and spiritual matters, with an aim to fulfill the Great Commission.Withhis exemplary achievements in the medical and theology field, he is now taking all of the knowledge he has attained during all these years and channeling it into his writing. It started with Understanding God's End-Time Schedule: Preparing For The Coming Of The Lord, his first book that was published in November of 2018. With this publication, answers several questions about end-time events like: Are there any benefits of knowing about the end-time? Is there a sequence of end-time events? Will Christians go through the Tribulation? What will life be like in the New Earth? Dr. Shiwnandan couldn’t just stop there. He could, but there was too much to be said, too much knowledge to pass on to the younger generation. Overcoming the Strongman was his follow-up publi cation, released in 2019. His second book takes into con sideration the physiological and psychological dimensions as also being important in determining one’s perspective which is vital in overcoming the Strongman. Dr. Shiwnandan went on to publish his next four books in 2019, namely, Advancing Kingdom Citizenship, A Quick Guide for Alter Workers, Called to the Five-Fold Ministry, and Rebounding: A Christian Doctor's Guide to Understand Suffering and Recovery from Life's Difficult Moments.Hisseventh book, Practicing the Principles of Faith: Lessons from the life of the Patriarch Abraham was pub lished in 2021 shows us that faith is a purposeful journey in response to the call of God by providing an analysis of the life of the Patriarch Abraham and extrapolates 37 pow erful principles of faith. The Dynamics of Freedom, published in May of this year, is his eighth publication. The Principles Of Stabilizing Leadership is his ninth publication. On Thursday, a book launching/signing event was host ed at the D’impeccable Banquet Hall in celebration of Dr Shiwnandan’s works where he said that the books are in tended to speak to the younger generation, to give those who may not be in the church an insight into the word of God and some of the Christianity's understandings. He intends to convert his book Rebounding: A Christian Doctor's Guide to Understand Suffering and Recovery from Life's Difficult Moments into a textbook for medical stud ies so that they will be able to understand both the medical and theological aspects of pain and suffering. Currently, the doctor is working on five books to which he refused to divulge any information. Whatever they may be about, it is sure to be educationally inspirational.

Together, Dr Shiwnandan and Dr. Michelle are the CoFounders of the Vocational Skills Training Institute, where hundreds of youths and single parents benefit from free certified skills training. They are also the Co-Founders of the Hinterland Medical Missions, taking the medical mis sion’s teams to various hinterland locations.

16 FEATURE SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Rev. Dr Shiwnandan - author of 9 books...

• Construction, operation and maintenance of primary and secondary roads, bridges, culverts, skid trails, log markets, burrow pits and campsites within concession should be done in an environmentally safe manner.

• City/District Bylaws requirements

• Take all reasonable precautions to prevent wood dust from becoming airborne. Establish and maintain vegetative buffers at the perimeter of the sawmill/ lumberyards to attenuate noise and dust.

• There should be no harvesting of nearby waterways and removal of vegetative debris which may result in erosion, blocked waterways and disturbance to biodiversity. Remove all debris and conduct regular maintenance to allow for free flow of water ways.

•

• Implement a dust extraction system to ensure there is no escape of fugitive dust and employ wet suppression methods such as a sprinklers system where suitable on the premises to control fugitive dust. Sawdust should not be allowed to accumulate to more than 15 cm (6 inches) on the mill floor at any given time.

• Comply with the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) Guidelines for Noise Emission into the Environment, not exceeding the residential limits at a distance of 15 meters (50ft) from the source or property boundary, whichever is closer.

• Restrict all hunting, trapping and trading of endangered and locally protected wildlife species, in keeping with the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, 2016.

•

• Implement turnout drains at regular intervals of roadways to prevent erosion of roads. Runoff from turnout drains along roads and log ponds should not be discharged directly to natural waterways.

Why is Environmental Authorisation required? According to the Environmental Protection Act Cap 20:05, Laws of Guyana, Environmental Authorisation is required for any activity that may have a significant environmental impact(s). The process ensures that developmental activities which may significantly affect the environment are conducted in the most sustainable means possible. Who Needs Environmental Authorisation? yards without processing yards with processing Sawmill Logging Charcoal Burning & Fire wood Log Depots Please note, that this list is not exhaustive, since some projects not listed may require Environmental Authorisation. When applying for Environmental Authorisation, here is what you will need:• Complete application form; Identification (National ID card, passport); Proof of land ownership and approval from Central Housing and Planning Authority; Site plan showing the layout of the operation; • Project description (Summary); and • Business registration/certificate of incorporation. All requested documents must be submitted before your application can be processed and a site visit will be conducted after receipt of your application.Goodpractices for forest sector operators As an operator within the forest sector, it is important to have a clear understanding of the legislative requirements to better manage your operation.Legislative requirements relevant to wood processing operations are as follows:• The Environmental Protection Act

•

• Service and operate all equipment according to manufactures’ recommendations to minimize the impact of sound levels on the environment.

Consideration should be given during the operation layout to the location of equipment. Avoid placing equipment in close proximity to surrounding neighbours, thus avoiding excessive noise emissions.

Good Practices for Forest Sector Operators: Operation • All sound-making devices, e.g. generators, planers, etc. should be suitably enclosed in structures constructed with materials of good noise insulation properties (e.g. hollow concrete blocks, insulation boards, solid clay bricks) and equipped with silencers or mufflers to reduce the noise level.

17 SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM The views expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Guyana Times’ editorial policy and stance FORESTRY GUIDELINES

H ello readers, welcome to another edition of learning more about the EPA. During the month of August, we have been sharing information relevant to the mining sector; in this week’s column, we share information on a sector closely related to mining – forestry and the various operations associated with the sector. What is an Environmental Authorisation? An Environmental Authorisation may include a prescribed process license, an environmental permit, a construction permit, or an operating permit granted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

•

• Labour Act requirements (Code of Practice For Wood Processing Facilities (Sawmill & Lumberyard)-Version 2, January 2012, Guyana Forestry Commission.)

• The Occupational Safety and Health Act • The National Insurance and Social Security Act Public Health requirements

• Undertake removal of trees and vegetation in areas only where absolutely necessary.

You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O Communications, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

• Lumber

• Maintained a dust containment bin with the capacity to store approximately seventy-five percent (75%) of all wood waste (sawdust, wood scraps, etc.) until such time for disposal and/or reuse. Logging

•

• Lumber

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M atthews and her brother Gerald, who is also a school teacher at Santa Rosa, organised the event. The siblings informed other residents of their plans, and according to Matthews, the cooperation was successful. She said the men, young and old, used the available weed ing machines to clear the shoulders of the 500 me tres of roadway. “While the men weed, the wom en and children would rake and throw away the grass,” she reiterated. Such exercises can come at a cost, and be it small or large, the res idents would pool their funds to ensure all the necessities are in order. According to Matthews, the major expense at Saturday’s exercise was the pot. Laughingly, she said the residents cooked a sumptuous pot of cookup rice. In addition, she said the guava fruit is in season at Cabucalli, the residents processed the fruit and made a tasty drink to “wash down the cook-up.”Matthews said the kayap activities are done as soon as the need arises, but she noted that when it rains the grass grows fast er, and, as such, the res idents would undertake cleaning up exercises to ensure the community is spick and span. She said, too, that Moruca is this week host ing the highly anticipated Moruca Expo 2022, and a large number of visitors are expected to converge on the villages there. Matthews noted that the residents want to ensure the visitors have a lasting impression of the village. As she chatted with <<Guyana Times,>> Natalie said the ‘pot’ was finished and the food was ready to share. With a smile, she said the villagers enjoy work ing as a unit. “We enjoy working together,” she said as she prepared to de vour her share of food af ter a hard morning of toil ing in the hot sun.

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Special blend uncapped to raise funds for UG’s 60th anniversary

29NEWS SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM T he University of Guyana Foundation (UGF) in observing its 60th anniversary, has partnered with Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) to create a special 60th an niversary blend of alcohol that will be sold to raise funds for the foundation. The first edition of the special blend was uncapped on Thursday evening at the Black Magenta, Camp StreetDuringGeorgetown.the ceremo ny, Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana (UG), Professor Paloma Mohamed explained that this special blend was launched in or der to raise funds that will go to several initiatives. “The Chancellor of the University, who is chair of the foundation, set a very ambitious target of US$60 million in 5 years start ing this October when we go into our 60th year on October 3, 2022,” she ex plained.“We have no sports fa cility at the University of Guyana… not even a prop er field. This is a tragedy given how many sports peo ple come out of this country. We have no auditorium that could house anything more than 700 people… there are several other small in frastructural projects, and the library, as you probably know, is the oldest heart beat of the university, but it is really in need of rebuild ing now,” the VC added. Dr Mohamed further stated that “while the mar keting on it says 60, you think it’s 60-year-old rum but it is not 60-year-old, it’s for our 60th anniversary, but it is a special blend that you will not get anywhere else.”There are only 6000 bot tles of this limited edition special blend that will be manufactured and sold at a cost of US$100 each. There will be other activities to commemorate the 60th an niversary.Meanwhile, Master Distiller at DDL, Lenox Shaun Caleb stated that the blend was created from several other blends of rums that cannot be repli cated.“We selected three blends that inspired this blend that is in our overseas channels, that best toasted in our view the Demerara Founding and firm footing of the University of Guyana.

The blend of course, though significantly contribut ed by the Demerara con tribution would be incom plete without the influence and the charm of the an cient county, and the coun ty of Berbice was represent ed through the distillate of our double wooden pot still…that is the oldest and the only one of its kind,” he said,“We have chosen such distinct spirits that literal ly nobody else in the world can replicate them.” As such, he stated that the buyers of the blend will truly have a one-of-a-kind experience.Calebfurther explained that the rum contains a wide variety and mixture of flavours that can be com pared to no other. The rum will be avail able at all DSL outlets, the Duty-Free Shop at MovieTowne Mall and soon at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri.

Development is key towards a productive workforce – Brutus tells Essequibo youths

A total of 801 adults, youths and children on Friday received their certificates after com pleting several courses at the Zara Computer Centre at Suddie, Essequibo Coast, on Friday.Speaking about the Zara Computer Centre’s advance ment, Deputy AdministrationCommissioner(ag),Calvin

Acting Deputy Commissioner, Administration, Calvin Brutus

A young graduate receiving her certificate from a member of the Zara Computer Centre

30 NEWS SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Brutus said that while the programmes at the facili ty focus on the entry levels, foundation, and some ad vanced programmes, they are currently looking at the curriculum for other subject areas to offer. He pointed out that the Guyana Police Force is look ing at providing assistance for those students who are undertaking the National Grade Six Examinations at the Zara Computer Centres while adding that in September, the Force will be looking at offering assis tance in terms of lessons and assistance to complete SBAs in five subject ar eas: Mathematics, English, Social Studies, Information Technology, and EDPM. Brutus announced that the Force is resuming train ing and that the goal is to expand across the country. “Essequibo is no differ ent, and we have already set our sights on a building at the Charity compound to open another centre to as sist in taking off the num ber of persons who wish to access our facilities to do IT training.”“Weare about a week away,” he remarked, “from commencing our work to re furbish that building. And hopefully, by December, that centre should be up andFurther,operational.”according to Brutus, the intention of the new centre is to provide ac cess to those persons who live in close proximity so that they can access train ing in computer studies and other technical programmes in the IT sector. The establishment will cut transportation costs for those who wish to access these programmes, while reaching a wider cross-sec tion of society that is adja cent to the facility. He not ed that the community of Aurora is also being looked at to augment the two cen tres to give proper coverage to the Division. With respect to the Force’s strategic plan, Brutus noted that much emphasis is placed on part nership and the develop ment of our people. He ex plained that the facilities under these two pillars in the Strategic Plan caters not only to members of the public but also to the ranks of the Guyana Police Force. “Development is key to having a productive work force in our society.” This, he said, is the Force’s primary objective. In addition, he noted that the Force intends to offer more advanced pro grammes other than PC Repairs, and this, he said, will commence in the first quarter of 2023. “All of this is geared to ward developing youths, young adults and mem bers of the Guyana Police Force in three critical ar eas: to make sure that we have youths who are skilled to take up the jobs that for eign companies and foreign investors are opening in our society; to access and be more productive in our gen eral institutions in Guyana locally; and also when we look at training our per sonnel, we want to have a more technologically edu cated Police Force,” the act ing Deputy AdministrationCommissioneradded.

The Mayor and City Council (M&CC) had en tered into a contract with Smart City Solutions (SCS) under the previous A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) Government in 2016 for the installation of parking meters in the cap italThecity.parking meters were active in January 2017, but this was met with strong resistance from the then PPP/C Opposition, private sector bodies, and citizens, who formed an organisation called Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM). They went on to hold some of the largest non-political pro tests ever seen in the city. Amid public pres sure, the then APNU/AFC Government finally inter vened and suspended the by-laws which paved the way for the implementation of metered parking, thus ef fectively halting the parking meter project. The project has since remained stalled. With the M&CC un der the then mayorship of Patricia Chase-Green and then Town Clerk Royston King failing to implement the parking meter project, SCS is now suing the Guyana Government through the Washington, DC-based International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)—an ar bitration institution estab lished by the World Bank Group to address legal dis pute resolution and concili ation between international investors and States. City Hall is at risk of being levied on if Guyana loses the US$100 million lawsuit brought by interna tional company, Smart City Solutions (SCS) over the ter minated parking meter proj ect. To this end, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, last week said he is standing by his request for US$3 mil lion to pay an internation al law firm to represent the country’sDuringinterest.lastweek’s sitting of the National Assembly, the Attorney General re quested $100 million in sup plementary funds for the Legal Affairs Ministry. Of the entire sum approved by the House, US$3 million will be made as a depos it towards those legal fees. The legal fees have attract ed many public criticisms, with persons accusing the Government of wasting tax payers’ money. But this is far from the truth, Nandlall has clarified, noting that while the APNU/AFC which made the reckless decision is out of office, his Government must defend Guyana. During a recent inter view with the Department of Public Information (DPI), he disclosed that the law firm representing Guyana in the US$100 million lawsuit, Foley Hoag and Associates, “is of very high international standing”. According to him, the Washington law firm is also leading Guyana’s le gal team in the border dis pute case with Venezuela at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

31NEWS SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Contending that park ing meters will not the solve city’s woes in relation to adequate space, Mayor Ubraj Narine has suggested the creation of parking lots instead. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, the Georgetown Mayor stated that the current traffic sit uation in the capital city requires parking facilities rather than just parking me ters.“In this kind of develop ment, you need parking lots. If you bring parking meters in the city, the parking me ter cannot take off all this traffic that you have in the city. While you have parking lots, some people can choose to park their vehicle or if they have parking meters, they can choose to park on the pavement,” he told the media.On the other hand, Narine added that he is not against parking meters but opined that it should be done through consultation and input from the private sector and civil society. “Parking meter is nec essary. I’m not saying no to parking meters. It is neces sary but I believe, it should be done in conjunction with the private sector and other stakeholders within the city. You just can bring parking meters and wake up the next morning and see a meter at your door. That happened before. I believe a proper study, engaging the citizens and civil society, and have something comprehensive.”

Parking lots, not parking meters, needed to alleviate city’s traffic woes – Georgetown Mayor A parking meter from the scrapped project Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine

T otal infections of COVID-19 in Guyana have reached 70,803, after 15 new cases were reported on ThereSaturday.are still 1278 confirmed deaths, with two persons under treat ment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). From the latest dashboard, 13 persons are in institution al isolation, 371 in home isolation and four in insti tutionalAdditionally,quarantine.a total of 69,152 persons have recovered. However, al most 400 active infections are still being monitored across health facilities. Meanwhile, 684,887 tests have been processed to date.

15 new COVID infections recorded, 2 in ICU

32 NEWS SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony

An analysis shows new cases dispersed among five administra tive regions, with one in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), three in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), five in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), four in Region Five (MahaicaBerbice) and two in Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice).Thelatest vaccination numbers show that so far, 445,650 or 86.9 per cent of adults have taken a first dose, while 345,342 or 67.3 per cent are fully vac cinated. For adolescents be tween the ages of 12 and 17, 35,523 or 48.7 per cent have received a first dose. Second doses stand at 26,028 or 35.7 per cent. Vaccines are also avail able for children within five to 11 years, whereby 7581 persons or 7.4 per cent have taken a first dose. Additionally, 2730 or 2.7 per cent have re ceived a second jab. Meanwhile, in excess of 72,000 persons have returned for their first booster dose. In the Region of the Americas, that is, Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cas es has increased to 173 million while the death toll in the Region has gone up to 2.9 Globally,million.there were 590 million confirmed positives with 6.4 million deaths.Ifanyone is displaying any of the symptoms asso ciated with COVID-19 or needs any additional in formation, they are asked to contact the COVID-19 Hotline 231-1166, 2267480 or 624-6674 immedi ately or visit www.health. gov.gy.

Morris Jeffery Enterprise will be undertaking the Block 22 project.The Minister and team, including Public Works Engineer Dwayne Roland and Regional Executive Officer Dwight John, visit ed a number of communities where rehabilitation works are slated to begin. During his visit to Canvas City Back Road, Edghill said he is well aware that rehabilitating these 25 roads would not alleviate all those communities’ is sues, however, he noted it’s a start and that much more development is planned for the“Thefuture.Government is not running and going any where, President Irfaan Ali will be here for a long time, and our commitment is to bring development to all the people, we did not look to see how people vote, we look to see where people living, and the fact the people living at Amelia’s Ward and Amelia’s Ward is a scheme that was developed under the PPP/C, one of the biggest schemes, it was clear that no mainte nance was being done and so we are making some in terventions now. We would have to come back with some new wave of interventions later because they have oth er sections that need to be done.”“So, what we require of you is two things, make sure we tell everybody in the neighbourhood the road start, they have to give full cooperation because the ma chine to clarify and to dig up will be in the way and it means that while the men are working, we can’t have taxi driving in because ev ery time they have to stop for a taxi to pass, the work will not get done.” He urged residents to en dure the temporary incon venience, for the ultimate development of their own communities. He also urged the contractors to work quickly, to put out quali ty work, and to also employ persons from those commu nities on the various road projects.TheMinister related that the unpriced bill of quanti ties will be made available to the communities so that residents can keep track of their road Constructionprojects.and reha bilitation of the Canvas City Back Road will be under taken by JK Enterprise Inc at a cost of $13.9 million, and rehabilitation of Bonus Street, Amelia's Ward, will be undertaken by Legalize Trucking & Contracting Service at a cost of $42.9 million, while another Amelia's Ward street, City Gates, will cost $48 million and will be undertaken by Deodat Sewkumar Charran Construction.Oneofthe largest proj ects covered on this schedule is the construction and re habilitation of the Moblissa Main Road at $119.9 mil lion, to be undertaken by O&O General Contracting Services.Among the areas covered on the List of 25 in this first road rehabilitation sched ule are: Christiansburg, Wismar, Wisroc, Kara Kara, Lower Kara Kara, and MackenzieRehabilitation of internal roads in Kwakwani to the tune of $157 million is also slated to start soon by D&R Construction & Machinery Rental.

$800M road rehabilitation works commence in Reg

Contractors have com mended the rehabil itation of roads in Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice), with an estimated cost of $800 million. On Friday, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill met with contractors who would be undertaking those proj ects, before making several site visits to meet with res idents and speak with them about the upcoming works. The Minister’s first stop was at Block 22 Wismar, Linden.“Now we have a $25 mil lion contract that will begin on Monday, it would take about two weeks. Where the region would have end ed their work, the region’s piece will connect to the Ministry of Public Works’s piece, and this long over due fixing would have been done.”Road rehabilitation in this area would benefit both residents from Block 22 and from Wisroc as well. “I noticed that a certain MP had put on his Facebook page that it (road rehabili tation) is not being done be cause of the arrogance of the Minister, but I don’t know why anyone would say any thing that is easily verifi able. This road deteriorat ed under the APNU/AFC, of which that MP is a mem ber, and here it is President Irfaan Ali, who came from the PPP/C is coming to Block 22 just like we devel oped it because Block 22 was developed under President Jagdeo, as a development scheme, we put in all the roads, but the roads deteri orated, they were not main tained properly and now we are getting those fixed,” EdghillContractoradded.

33NEWS SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Minister Edghill having a discussion with residents of Linden on Friday Public Works Minister Juan Edghill meeting with contractors

The Chilean proposal, however, has divided law makers along party lines in a country that is in the process of voting on a new Constitution, looking to over haul national politics. “I do not agree with the procedure,” independent leg islator Marcela Riquelme told TV Nacional de Chile, with others calling the measure an “unacceptableLegislatorsshow”.whorefuse to take tests could be referred to the house ethics committee. (Reuters)

Regional M exico’s former Attorney General has been arrested in connection with the dis appearance of 43 students in 2014.Jesús Murillo Karam, who led an inquiry into the atrocity, has been charged with forced disappearance, torture and the obstruction of justice.Thestudents vanished while travelling by bus through the city of Iguala on their way to a protest in MexicoOtherCity.than bone frag ments recovered from three of them, nothing is known of theirMunicipalfate. Police opened fire on buses carrying the students on the evening of 26 September 2014 - but what happened next is dis puted.Their mysterious disap pearance sent shockwaves around the world and trig gered widespread protests in Mexico against impunity and state complicity in or ganisedJesuscrime.Murillo Karam, who was arrested on Friday, led a controversial 2015 in vestigation into what hap pened to the students that blamed members of a cartel who were accused of killing them and burning their re mains. His findings, which were endorsed by then President Enrique Peña Nieto, were criticised by independent experts and relatives of the missing students for er rors and for not apportion ing any blame to the armed forces.In a tweet, Karam’s Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which is no lon ger in power, accused those behind Friday’s arrest of be ing politically motivated. He is the highest-profile Government official to be arrested in connection with the disappearance of the students so Investigatorsfar. believe the students were detained by corrupt Police officials and then handed over to a drug cartel who mistook them for members of a rival gang be fore killing them. (Excerpt from BBC News) Jesus Murillo Karam led a controversial investigation into the disappearance of the 43 students as Mexico’s Attorney General (pictured in 2015)

“The paycheck has died”: Argentine workers hold funeral for wages stands at 45,540 Argentine pesos (US$334) while a ba sic food basket for a family of two adults and two chil dren costs more than twice that amount at 111,298 pe sos (US$817), according to the national statistics insti tuteYearsINDEC.ofpolitical efforts to curb inflation have done little to abate price increas es, and in July the coun try registered its highest inflation rate in 20 years. (Excerpt from Reuters)

A Jamaican man is to serve more than 13 years in a United States prison for being one of the leaders of an inter national fraud scam which swindled cash from thou sands of elderly Americans. David Odean McIntosh, 29, was on Tuesday sen tenced by United States District Judge, Raner C Collins, to 160 months in prison.McIntosh was previous ly found guilty by a federal jury of conspiracy to com mit mail and wire fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mon ey laundering.Aspartofhis sentence, the court ordered McIntosh to pay approximately US$1.8 million in restitu tion.According to a release from the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona on Friday, between 2013 and 2018, McIntosh was “one of the leaders of an international fraud ring that targeted thousands of elderly victims across the UnitedInvestigationsStates”. revealed that Jamaican-based scam mers, and others, called el derly victims, claiming the victims had won a lottery or other prize. To receive their win nings, the victims were told that they must first pay money for taxes and fees. The fraudsters also pro vided some victims with phoney letters claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that threatened to seize their assets if they failed to pay the monies requested. The US Attorney’s Office informed that McIntosh’s role in this scam was to “distribute lead lists”, which contained the names and personal information of thousands of primarily elderly individuals for the scammers to contact and lure into the scheme. Following a probe by several agencies, including the IRS and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, McIntosh was arrested and later charged. (Jamaica Observer)

Jamaican lottery scam ringleader gets 13 years in US jail

N icaragua’s Rolando Alvarez, Bishop of Matagalpa and one of the most influen tial leaders of the country’s Catholic Church, is under house arrest in the capital Managua after he was re moved from the northern diocese in a pre-dawn raid, Police said on Friday. Alvarez, a critic of President Daniel Ortega’s Government, had been con fined for two weeks in a Church house in Matagalpa alongside five priests, one seminarian and a camera man for a religious televi sionPolicechannel.said the camera man and clerics had been transferred to a prison in Managua.Nicaraguan authori ties have detained at least three priests in recent months while others have gone into exile. The raid drew interna tional condemnation from public figures and religious groups, while a spokesper son for the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was very worried. Pope Francis has not com mented on the crackdown. The relationship be tween the Catholic Church and Ortega’s Government has been severely strained after a harsh crackdown on anti-Ortega protests in 2018, when the Church act ed as a mediator between the Government and pro testers.The Church has called for justice for more than 360 people who died during theEarlierunrest. this month, Police shut down seven radio stations linked to Alvarez and said they were investigating him for al legedTheconspiracy.head of the Organisation of American States, Luis Almagro, also condemned the detentions in a statement and de manded “their immediate freedom and those of all po litical prisoners.” (Excerpt from Reuters)

Chilean legislators to be drug tested as new initiative begins

A s Barbados gears up to observe 50 years of diplomat ic ties with Mexico, Acting Prime Minister, Santia Bradshaw, is expressing renewed optimism in new areas of cooperation that can be pursued to the bene fit of both countries. Ambassador of Mexico to Barbados, Victor Hugo Morales Meléndez, paid a courtesy call on the Acting Prime Minister at Ilaro Court recently, where the two counterparts held wide-ranging talks on a number of Bradshawareas. told the Ambassador that Government was eager to work with him given the significant work that had been done by his predeces sor, and especially during this year which marks five decades of friendship. She added: “I want to wish you well in terms of the next few years and to give the commitment from Barbados that we look for ward to being able to con tinue building on our bi lateral relationship with Mexico.”Describing Barbados as a “beautiful and very important country”, Ambassador Meléndez said despite the long-standing ties, there were areas of co operation to be pursued not only in academia, but also in the global agenda in ar eas of climate change or sustainable development. The Ambassador also encouraged Barbados to sign on to the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agreement to strengthen the comprehen sive and sustainable devel opment of a regional space programme that will bene fit the Latin American and Caribbean peoples. Acting Prime Minister Bradshaw commended Ambassador Meléndez for his country’s efforts in this regard.Barbados and Mexico established diplomatic ties in 1972. (Excerpt from Nation News)

34 guyanatimesgy.comSUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022

Barbados and Mexico exploring deeper ties

Nicaraguan anti-Ortega bishop under house arrest after pre-dawn raid

Some women wore black funeral attire and sported flower crowns. Other people in the procession in Buenos Aires carried a gigantic coffin. But this funeral procession in the Argentine capital was not honouring a person. Instead it was to mourn the “death” of the wages of Argentine workers in a country where inflation is expected to hit 90 per cent by the end of this year, eat ing up workers’ purchas ing power despite years of Government attempts to curb price increases. “The situation for the workers is devastat ing. Before the middle of the month we don’t have any more salary, it’s not enough,” Melisa Gargarello, a representative of the Front of Organisations in Struggle (FOL), the protest’s organis er, told Reuters. One protester car ried a “clinical history” for Argentine wages, a chart showing how inflation has eaten up the value of pay checks.While much of the world is battling high sin gle-digit inflation this year, Argentina’s struggles are in a different category. “The paycheck has died” read a banner in the sym bolic procession, which toured the main streets of Argentina’s capital and ended in front of the Presidential Palace. The flower crowns worn by wom en carried the message “RIP the minimum wage.” The country’s official monthly minimum wage

Chilean legislators will begin random drug testing in the next few days after a proposal making it compulsory was approved last month, despite criticism from some lawmakers. The first 78 Chilean dep uties to be tested were ran domly drawn this week, and will now have their first se ries of drug tests, in an ef fort to raise the standards of transparency in parliamenta ry work.The new proposal states that all legislators will need to be tested twice in every four-year term, and any posi tive results will be made pub lic. “There is nothing more important than giving people transparency, that their par liamentarians are not [drug] consumers,” right-wing Deputy Juan Antonio Coloma told the country’s public TV channel on Thursday. It comes as the Finish Prime Minister said she would do a voluntary drug test after being filmed on a night out.

Demonstrators carrying a coffin during a symbolic funeral for their wages, as they march towards the Casa Rosada Presidential Palace, in Buenos Aires, Argentina August 19, 2022

Mexico missing students: Former top official arrested over probe

IslamistsAl-Shababkill Somali hotel attack

Around the World OIL NEWS

12 in

R ussia’s Defence Ministry accused Ukraine of poisoning some of its soldiers in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s southeastern re gion of Zaporizhzhia in late July.An adviser to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said on Saturday in response the alleged poisoning could have been caused by Russian forces eating ex pired canned meat. A number of Russian troops were taken to a mil itary hospital with signs of “severe poisoning” on July 31. Tests showed a toxic substance, botulinum toxin type B, in their bodies, the Russian Defence Ministry said.“On the fact of chemi cal terrorism sanctioned by the [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy re gime, Russia is preparing supporting evidence with the results of all the analy ses,” the Ministry said in a statement.Itdidnot say how many soldiers suffered poisoning or what their condition was now, or elaborate on what the “supporting evidence” involved.Botulinum toxin type B is a neurotoxin that can cause botulism when in gested in previously con taminated food products, but it can also have medical uses.Russia’s Defence Ministry said its find ings will be given to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons“Evidence(OPCW).of chemical terrorism by the Kyiv re gime will soon be formal ly forwarded to the OPCW through the permanent mission of Russia,” it said. Ukraine’s Defence Ministry did not immedi ately respond to the ac cusations, but Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko addressed the allegation on the Telegram messaging app. “The department [Russian Defence Ministry] does not clarify whether the poisoning could have been caused by expired canned meat, in which bot ulinum toxin is often found. Overdue rations have been massively complained about by the occupying forc es since the first days of the invasion of Ukraine,” he said. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

F ighting continues at a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu, 24 hours after it was stormed by an Islamist mil itantAtgroup.least 12 people have been killed in the attack by al-Shabab, though some lo cal media reported that the death toll could be higher. Attackers detonated at least two explosives outside the hotel before entering it on Friday evening. An unknown number of gunmen are still inside holdingDozenshostages.ofguests and staff members have been rescued."Sofar we have con firmed 12 people, mostly ci vilians, died," Mohammed, an intelligence officer who only gave one name, told Reuters news agency earli er. After the initial at tack a website affiliated to al-Shabab said a group of militants were "carry ing out random shootings" after having "forcibly en tered" the hotel - described as a popular location for employees of the Federal Government to meet. The director of Mogadishu's main trau ma hospital, Dr Mohamed Abdirahman Jama, told news agency AFP on Saturday that the facili ty was treating at least 40 people wounded in the hotel attack and a separate mor tar strike on another area of theMeanwhile,capital. loved ones of people still trapped or un accounted for gathered out side the hotel, local journal ist Abdalle Mumin told the BBC.In a statement a police officer told Reuters the ini tial attack on the hotel had been two car bombs. "One hit a barrier near the hotel, and then the oth er hit the gate of the hotel," he said. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Weeks of baking heat and drought across Europe have seen water levels in rivers and lakes fall to levels few can remember, exposing long-submerged treasures –and some deadly hazards. In Spain, archaeologists have been delighted by the emergence of a prehistor ic stone circle dubbed the “Spanish Stonehenge” that is usually covered by waters of a dam that have fallen in the worst drought in de cades. Officially known as the Dolmen of Guadalperal, the stone circle currently sits fully exposed in one corner of the Valdecanas reser voir, in the central province of Caceres, where authori ties say the water level has dropped to 28 percent of ca pacity.The stone circle was dis covered by German archae ologist Hugo Obermaier in 1926, but the area was flooded in 1963 in a rural development project under Francisco Franco’s dictator ship. Since then it has only become fully visible four times.Another of Europe’s mighty rivers, the Danube, has fallen to one of its low est levels in almost a centu ry as a result of the drought, exposing the hulks of more than 20 German warships sunk during World War II near Serbia’s river port town of Prahovo.Thevessels were among hundreds scuttled along the Danube by Nazi Germany’s Black Sea fleet in 1944 as they retreated from advanc ing Soviet forces. The sunk en ships still hamper river traffic during low water lev els.Italy has declared a state of emergency for areas around the River Po, and in late July a previously sub merged 450kg (1000-pound) World War II bomb was dis covered in the low-running waters of the country’s lon gest river. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera) A t least 32 people have been killed in two separate events in Turkey when vehicles crashed into first respond ers following earlier acci dents.Abus hit the scene of a road crash near Gaziantep on Saturday morning, kill ing 16 people and injuring 21. Hours later a truck hit a crowd of people 250km (150 miles) away in Mardin, also killing 16 people and reportedly hit ting emergency workers. There have been no re ports of a connection be tween the Twenty-nineincidents. people were injured in the sec ond crash, eight of them seriously, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.The incident in the town of Derik in Mardin province "occurred after the brakes gave out on a lorry, which hit a crowd", he wrote on Twitter. The emergency workers had been sent to the scene following a crash involving three vehicles, Anadolu news agency reported. The first incident on Saturday occurred near the southern town of Nizip in Gaziantep province. A bus ploughed into rescue crews and reporters who had come to the scene of a crash involving a car that had come off the road. Three firefighters, two emergency workers and two journalists were among those killed, the governor of Gaziantep said on twitter.Photos on Turkey's DHA news agency showed the back of an ambulance ripped out and metal de bris strewn around it. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag has announced an investigation into the crash. (Excerpt from BBC News) The wreck of the ambulance after the earlier crash near GaziantepIvica Skodric, a local fisherman, inspecting the wreckage of a German warship in the Danube in Prahovo, Serbia on August 18, 2022 [Fedja Grulovic/Reuters]

A Russian investigation is being conducted on the possible poisoning of the head of the provisional administration of the Kherson region with alleged chemical warfare agents [Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters]

Europe’s drought exposes WWII ships, bombs and prehistoric stones

Separate bus crashes leave 32 dead and 51 injured in Turkey

Russia is China's top oil supplier for 3rd mth in July – customs data Russia held its spot as China's top oil supplier for a third month in July, data showed on Saturday, as independent refiners stepped up purchases of discounted supplies while cutting shipments from rival suppliers such as Angola and Brazil. Imports of Russian oil, including supplies pumped via the East Siberia Pacific Ocean pipeline and seaborne shipments from Russia's European and Far Eastern ports, totalled 7.15 million tonnes, up 7.6 per cent from a year ago, data from the Chinese General Administration of Customs showed. Still, Russian supplies in July, equivalent to about 1.68 million barrels per day (bpd), were below May's record of close to 2 million bpd. China is Russia's largest oil buyer. Imports from second-ranking Saudi Arabia rebounded last month from June, which was the lowest in more than three years, to 6.56 million tonnes, or 1.54 million bpd, but still slightly below year-ago level. Year-to-date imports from Russia totalled 48.45 million tonnes, up 4.4 per cent on the year, still trailing behind Saudi Arabia, which supplied 49.84 million tonnes, or 1 per cent below the year-ago level. China's crude oil imports in July fell 9.5 per cent from a year earlier, with daily volumes at the second lowest in four years, as refiners drew down inventories and domestic fuel demand recovered more slowly than expected. The strong Russian purchases squeezed out competing supplies from Angola and Brazil, which fell 27 per cent yearon-year and 58 per cent, respectively. Customs reported no imports from Venezuela or Iran last month. State oil firms have shunned purchases since late 2019 for fear of falling foul of secondary US sanctions. Imports from Malaysia, often used as a transfer point in the past two years for oil originating from Iran and Venezuela, soared 183 per cent on the year, to 3.34 million tonnes, and up from June's 2.65 million tonnes. (Excerpt from Reuters)

35guyanatimesgy.com SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022

Russia accuses Ukraine of “chemical terrorism” using toxin

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36 guyanatimesgy.comSUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 ARIES

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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21) Serious investigation of your feelings will open possibil ities. Take control and lead the way, and you’ll ward off inter ference from someone trying to outmaneuver you. Figure out how you can help. Keep life simple by doing your best to get along with ev eryone. By being observant, you’ll gain insight into what others want and what they’re willing to do. A positive change may cost you, but it will be worthwhile.Engage in something that excites you. Personal and home improvements will positive ly affect you and your loved ones. A special event will bring you closer to someone you love. Romance is Simplifyfeatured.yourlife instead of taking on too much or over doing it. Focus on your home and surroundings and what you can do that’s affordable yet entertaining. Use your imagination.Don’t lose sight of your goals or lose touch with those who can help you ad vance. Time spent with someone you love will lead to shared plans. An outgoing attitude will win you enthu siasm and support. Note the changes in your community or professional cir cle, and you’ll discover how to incorporate adjustments that keep you ahead of the competi tion. Being informed will posi tion you for success. Emotions will infiltrate your discussions if you aren’t careful. Paying attention to detail, being truthful and playing by the rules will be necessary when it comes to your living arrangements. Wait to see what others do before making a move. Play it safe by paying attention to what matters most to you. You’ll gain insight into how you can satisfy your needs and make someone you love Spendhappy.time with people who make you think and offer stellar advice. Give yourself an image update. A new look will give you a sparkle that will make others gravitate to ward you. Choose peace and love.Check your emotions at the door and refuse to let anyone force you into an ar gument. Your intelligence will falter if you let your feel ings take the reins. A change of scenery will give you a new outlook.Emotional spending will set you back. Occupy your mind with challenges, and use your knowl edge and skills to make a differ ence. Spend less time dwelling on emotional issues and more time helping those in need.

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37SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022

West Indies Women’s

The leading two fought out a tremendous finish to the line at York

'World-class' Kane would swap Premier League records for trophies, claims Conte Antonio Conte has suggested that Harry Kane would gladly swap his goalscoring accolades for a major trophy, after he broke the Premier League's one-club goals record in a hard-fought win overKaneWolves.nodded home from close range to earn Tottenham a 1-0 victory over Bruno Lage's men on Saturday, with his 185th personal achievements,” he said. "At the same time, you know very well my consideration about Harry. We are talking about a world-class striker, but what makes me happy is not only with the ball – that we have in our team a top scorer, a top player – but we have a player totally involved with the other team-mates, and [who] works a lot for the team. For this reason, "The performance at the end was good, because I had to consider everything. First of all, the importance of the opponent," he said. "Wolverhampton, I think, in the last week signed important players like [Goncalo] Guedes, like [Matheus] Nunes. I think when you see their starting XI today, you have to be a bit scared.

New Zealand and England

Trawlerman and Frankie Dettori take victory in Ebor Handicap at York

Programme 2022-2025

T he West Indies Women will start the first ever International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) for the period 20222025 with an eight-match home series against New Zealand Women in Antigua next month, followed by a series against England Women in December 2022. The West Indies Women would play 66 internation al matches home and away across the three-year pe riod, and there would be a major ICC Women’s World Cup tournament each year. West Indies start the year 2023 with a tri-series in South Africa featuring India, as the teams build up to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, to be played in South Africa in 2023. The other major ICC tour naments to follow during the FTP are the Women’s T20 World Cup, to be played in Bangladesh from September to October 2024; and the Women’s Cricket World Cup, to be played in India from September to October 2025. All of the One Day International Series to be played from 2022 to 2025 would form part of the ICC Women’s Championship (IWC), which will feature 10 teams with the inclusion of Bangladesh and Ireland, as the profile of Women’s cricket grows around the world. Each team will play eight Series, four at home and four away, with the top five teams in the IWC table qualifying automatically for the 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup. In addition to the afore mentioned England and New Zealand tours, West Indies will play Bangladesh and Ireland in home ODI series for the first time ever. West Indies’ four away se ries will be against India, Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.CWI Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams, has said that the first-ever FTP put out by the ICC reflects the increased prominence of Women’s Cricket, and will be an incentive for contin ued investment by Cricket West Indies (CWI) in the Women’s game. CWI has greatly increased its invest ment in the Women’s game in the last few years, and the aim across this upcom ing FTP cycle is to increase the levels of consistency from our Women across for mats, both in bilateral se ries and world events. The ICC FTP is a result of a collective effort of Full Members, with ICC’s coor dination and support. The FTP ensures a level of cer tainty of bilateral crick et fixtures across the three cricket formats. The exact dates and venues for each Series will be announced in due course by Cricket West Indies (CWI), following con sultation with each ICC Member nation. (Windies cricket) Tours kick off ICC Future Tours

Foe’s success in 2012, and it evoked memories of Trawlerman’s sire, Golden Horn, who stayed wide when landing the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 2015. “My colleagues gave me a little bit of rope,” admit ted the 51-year-old Italian. “I managed to get him to re lax, and in the straight I thought I was beaten, but the grey horse came and kind of helped me. I thought I was just running out of runway and I might not get there, but on the line, in fairness, he dug deep, put his head down, and I thought ‘Ah! Close!’” John Gosden, who trains Trawlerman along with son Thady, paid tribute to Dettori, with whom he had had a public falling out ear lier in the season, which had resulted in a week’s sabbati cal for the rider. “I could not get his at tention - I could not get him to concentrate, that’s all,” Gosden said. “In the end, we gave him a bit of a pub lic warning - that’s the way it is. He was left on the bench like he would be by a football manager.“Hehas just ridden two fantastic races today, and when our man is in the zone, he is absolutely top-class. When he is not in the zone, he is a menace!” (BBC)

Members of Team Guyana posing with their spoils last evening at Olympic House following the 49th edition of the CAC Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships held earlier this month in Barbados

PM Mark Phillips took to batting as he officially declared the 2021 edition of the tournament open Regal Masters are one of the more successful softball teams in Guyana

GCB President Bissoondyal Singh handing over the donation of gear to President of the West Demerara Cricket Association, Troy Khan

tion. We believe that it will go a long way in assisting us to effectively carry out our coaching education pro gramme.Players’ gears are needed, and a number of players will now have the liberty to use the gears and explore the lev el of skills they possess in the game.”President Khan has as sured the GCB President and Executives that the gear would be accounted for and be well utilised.

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GBBFF host cocktail reception for CAC athletes

GCB presents $1M+ worth of cricket gear to WDCA

The GCB wishes that you continue to produce competi tive players for our domestic and national tournaments.”

important. The GCB has giv en the West Demerara a sub vention for 2022, and will also do so for 2023, along with an other provision of gear. Given your commitment shown, the GCB is confident that the West Demerara Cricket Association will be able to solely fund your programmes in the near future. However, we, the GCB executives, are very pleased with the coop erative approach being em ployed by the West Demerara Cricket Association.

Good things come to those who wait, and for the members of the Guyana Bodybuilding team who had participated in the CAC Championship recently held in Barbados, such was the case. The contingent was able to bag a total of 12 medals at the recently concluded 49th CAC, thus the Guyana Bodybuilding Fitness Federation hosted a cocktail reception in the contingent’s honour on Friday evening at Olympic House in Liliendaal. According to GBBFF Organising Secretary Videsh Sookram, being able to witness such an accomplishment was an extremely happy moment for him. Team Guyana was represented by athletes Rosanna Fung, Emmerson Campbell, Roger Callender, Nicholas Albert, Rawle Green, Julio Sinclair, Jonathan Jeffrey, Christina Ramsammy, Asanti Conway and Hannah Rampersaud. The officials were Keavon Bess (President of the body) and Videsh Sookram (OrganisingTogether,Secretary).theteam secured five gold medals, six silver medals and one bronze medal, the most ever harvested at a single CAC Championship by a national team. Remarkably, Fung used her sharp physique to slice through the competition in the wellness categories and secured the much coveted ‘Pro card’. In doing so, the 22-year-old became the second female from Guyana and the first since 1979 to become a professional bodybuilding athlete. When asked for his view on team Guyana bagging twelve medals, Organizing Secretary of the GBBFF Videsh Sookram said, “It was a really happy feeling, something I never felt before since I have been in the sport of bodybuilding. I’ve been around bodybuilding since I was 18 years old, and I’ve been on the board for 15 years. Many times, we send athletes to competitions to CAC, but to have this accomplishment to happen and with me being present to witness it, it was most definitely something of a different feeling.” Sookram also explained how proud he was of the moment he was able to witness the first Bikini Wellness PRO (Rosanna Fung), five gold, six silver and a bronze medal, as it was a first for him, and he is optimistic that it will go down in history until the end of time. Sookram showered much praise on GBBFF President Keavon Bess, whom he touted as inspirational, as, since he has taken office in 2012, with a group of members, the federation has continued to move “Congratulationsforward.to Mr Bess and the members of the Bodybuilding Federation, and all the athletes who worked so hard and put their all into this competition. And most of all, congratulations to our now PRO Bikini Wellness athlete, Rosanna Fung.”President of the GBBFF, Keavon Bess, noted that the team’s performance was nothing short of exceptional; and he said that for every gold medal won, the National Anthem was loudly and proudly played, and the beloved Golden Arrowhead was displayed as all stood in respect of Guyana and in honour of the athletes.

…Sookram proud of accomplishments

Highly anticipated PM T20 Cup 6 set for launch today at MYO

38 GUYANATIMESGY.COMSUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022

GBBFF Organising Secretary Videsh Sookram

President of the West Demerara Cricket Association, Troy Khan, ac cepted the donation on be half of the members present, who reacted with great ap plause. He posited that “the entire executives of the West Demerara Association, as well as the players who are here today, are happy to re ceive this substantial dona

The 6th edition of the highly anticipat ed Prime Minister’s T20 Cup will officially be launched today at 11:00hrs at the Muslim Youth Organization Ground on Woolford Avenue. This competition, be ing held by the Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc in collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, is expect ed to officially kick off on November 11 and conclude on November 13, 2022, and over one million dollars in prizes will be up for grabs. The competition will fea ture the following categories: Male Legends (O50), Male Masters (O40), Allstars and the Female Allstars. Prime Minister Brigadier (retired) Mark Anthony Phillips and Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, are expected to address attendees of the launch. The Prime Minister has lived up to his word as, in 2021, he touted that as long as he is the Prime Minister, the tournament will contin ue and he will ensure that he supports the tournament and lead from the front. Some of Guyana’s top softball teams and teams from abroad are expect ed to compete in their re spective categories. Those who will be keen on retain ing their titles are Regal, in the Legends category; Fisherman masters in O45 category, and Ariel Allstars in the Open category. The sponsors on board this event are Banks DIH Limited (Rainforest Water), Danny Persaud (youtuber) At our Life ARD, Trophy Stall, P&P Insurance, Regal Stationery and Computer Centre, PRO Signs, I&S Trading, Mohamed’s Enterprise, Atlantic Marine Supplies Inc, Tourism Guyana, Reliance Services, Crown Mining Supplies, Rudisa Motor (Guy) Inc, Free Lancer Advertiser Inc, Krsna & Balram Printery, Parsram Discount Store, and Rajiv Ghandi University.

The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has con tinued its distribution of gear with a valuable dona tion of more than one million dollars’ worth of cricket equip ment to the West Demerara Cricket Association (WADA) for the use of players on the West Demerara coast. The donation included a number of gear bags, bats, batting pads, wicketkeeping pads, balls and stumps. The distribution is an integral aspect of the GCB’s 5-Year Strategic Plan, which aims to transform Guyana’s crick et structure to one of a highly professionalised culture. GCB President Bissoondyal Singh was elat ed at the donation being giv en to this Association. He re marked that though the West Demerara executives have been in office for less than one year, they have been able to identify a number of talented players who can easily prog ress to higher levels, given the required supportive crick et programmes.Singhhas commended the executives for their en thusiasm and proactive ap proach in effectively ad dressing the administrative and developmental needs of the West Demerara Cricket Association, and has point ed out that, like the many as sociations and committees, West Demerara has a wealth of talent, and the Guyana Cricket Board is committed to purposefully assisting the WDCA and other committees in the country in order that they might meet their obliga tions to administer, develop, and promote cricket in their jurisdictions.Singhfurther comment ed, “Team work is the key to effectively implement and sustain cricket development programmes across the coun try. These programmes must have the appropriate struc tures which all affiliate mem bers are part. Therefore, how well we work together will be

Solutions: A collective effort needed By these admissions, it was recognized that there lies a large gap in what Guyanese athletes should be provided with and what they actually receive. As such, Vice- President of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA), Dr. Karen Pilgrim, was quizzed on what more the GOA can offer to full-time Guyanese athletes.Dr.Pilgrim responded, “Coach Julian mentioned Olympic solidarity funds, which was specific to the Olympic games. Also, be fore the Commonwealth Games, as was mentioned in the pre-games press conference by Mr. Juman Yassin, there was prepa rations’ funding. So, we get those specific amounts which was given to the ath letes or to the associations.

T he ODI series has come down to the third and decid er game, where both West Indies, the hosts, and New Zealand, the visitors, look to achieve the same goala win. While the hosts won the first game to take an early lead in the series and break their nine-match los ing streak in the format, the visitors bounced back stronger to level the se ries and take it to the final game.The two teams will lock horns on Sunday, August 21, at the same venuethe Kensington Oval in Barbados, where the win ning side will be crowned as the series champions. New Zealand worked on their flaws after losing the first game, and now West Indies would look to do the same. They faced a terrible col lapse in the previous con test and would look to work in the batting department. Pitch Report The pitch at Kensington Oval has significantly aid ed the bowlers, as was seen in the previous two games, and a similar pitch may be anticipated for the third and final ODI match. The batters might struggle ini tially, but once they pre serve their wicket firm ly, they can go long in the game. The captain who wins the toss may choose to bowl first. Probable Playing XIs West Indies: Shai Hope (wk), Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Shamarh Brooks, Keacy Carty, Nicholas Pooran (c), Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Yannic Cariah, Alzarri Joseph, Kevin Sinclair New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Tom Latham (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (c)/Glenn Phillips, James Neesham/Ish Sodhi, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Trent Boult Probable Top Performers Probable best batter FinnTheAllen:23-year-old young opening batter is in fine touch, and his magnificent knock of a 117-ball 96 runs will back him to put forth yet another thrilling per formance in the series de cider. With his knock in the previous fixture, he moved to the top of the leader board and became the lead ing run-scorer of the ODI series. Probable best bowler Kevin Sinclair: Spinner Kevin Sinclair is having a dream outing against the visitors. He started off his debut game by taking the crucial wicket of Tom Latham and show cased a brilliant spell in the second ODI by taking four big wickets in the form of Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Tim Southee, and Trent Boult, even though the efforts came in a losing cause. Hence, he will be the bowler to watch out for. (Crictraker)

Topic of support arises again

GUYANATIMESGY.COMSUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 39 B y J emima H olmes “I just want to take this opportunity to also lobby for more support for all our sport disciplines. I mean, we have the talent, it’s there, everyone can see it, but the difference between us and other participating coun tries is the preparation andThosesupport.”were the words of reigning National Table Tennis Champion Christopher Franklin, and they resonated the most during the Guyana Olympic Association’s (GOA) Press Conference on Saturday morning at the Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara Head Office, as officials, coaches and athletes summed up their performances at the recently concluded 2022 Commonwealth Games. In a sombre tone, Franklin continued, “So, I’m taking this opportuni ty to lobby for more sup port from the Government (and) Private Sector. Let’s have a partnership to car ry sports forward in this country.”Case in point, much of Franklin’s utteranc es were true. Several Guyanese athletes got very close to the podium in Birmingham, England a few weeks ago. Franklin and Shemar Britton got to the Round of 16 of the Men’s Doubles; Nathalie Cummings led a lone cam paign in the Quarterfinals of the Women’s Singles; Cummings was then joined by Chelsea Edghill in the Women’s Doubles Round of 16; Boxers Keevin Allicock and Desmond Amsterdam both reached to the Quarterfinals of their vary ing weight classes; and in Athletics, the male 4x100M team finished fourth in the final of the However,event.what must be taken into consideration is the Table Tennis team’s initial cry of not having ad equate preparation, and the relay team disclosing that they only had two full practice sessions. The tal ent was there, but the abil ity to fund preparation, unlike in the wider world, wasFranklin’sabsent. plea seemed to have touched a nerve in Athletics Coach Julian Edmonds, who, in his time on the floor, added to the call for more support. “Going forward, our athletes, they’ve got po tential, they’ve got talent, that does not do it alone. Just as Mr. Franklin said, these athletes need sup port,” Edmonds began. He went on to say, “I know the GOA has been trying through the dif ferent solidarity grants, but take for example, we have Aliyah Abrams, who placed fifth in the 400M at the just concluded indoor championships earlier in the year. Her eligibility is finished, which means now she’s on her own. She has to pay her coach, and look after all expenses. It’s un fortunate that Aliyah has to go and work, because in order to sustain herself and she wants to go further in the sport”. To give context to his plea, the Coach re minded, “I’m going to go back in time. This is the same that happened to Ms. Pompey. Whilst Ms. Pompey was successful at the Commonwealth level, I don’t think we should be making the same mistake with somebody that is as talented as Ms. Abrams. So, that’s why I’m making a plea and hope that some body, you know, would come on board and try to support Ms. Abrams in her quest, so that she don’t have to be a semi-profes sional athlete; because she will only reach a certain level and no more,” he ex plained.“You can’t be competing against full-time profes sionals and you’re taking up the sport in a parttime basis. It won’t work,” Coach Edmonds opined.

“Then there is small er amounts available to the GOA to give to the lo cal-level athletes, and it really is not enough,” The GOA VP Respondingcontinued.tothe sec ond part of Guyana Times Sports’ inquiry, on wheth er there is a need for Government to step in and assist, Pilgrim made it clear that there needs to be a collaboration, not only between the GOA and Government, but Corporate Guyana should also be included. She elucidated, “So, most countries that I know of, certainly the ones that are doing well, get heavy investment from their Governments and a lot of investment from the Private Sector, and that re ally is what is needed. “Of course, it requires then working together, be cause there may be Private Sector entities that are giving to the athletes that GOA doesn’t know about. So, it really needs the three groups working together to see how best athletes could be assisted,” Dr. Pilgrim concluded.Tobe frank, the Commonwealth Games may not be the first or last global event that will open the eyes of Guyanese ath letes to the disenfranchise ment that they face. And, unfortunately, “We need support for success” will continue to be a trending topic.

Table Tennis Player Cristopher FranklinGOA VP Dr Karen PilgrimCoach Julian Edmonds as Commonwealth athletes speak of experiences

West Indies, New Zealand to battle in series decider

Sports is no longer our game, it’s our businessSUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 guyanatimesgy.com 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. Topic of support arises again West Indies, New Zealand to battle in series decider GBBFFreceptioncocktailhostforCACathletes Page 39 Page 38 as Commonwealth athletes speak of experiences Page 39 …Sookram proud accomplishmentsof

Guyana Times - Sunday, August 21, 2022

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