Guyana Times - Sunday, December 11, 2022

Several communities in Reg 7 inundated – water levels continue

Several riverine communities in Region

Seven CuyuniMazaruni) are currently inundated, and according to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), water levels are expected to rise as heavy rainfall is expected.

Those communities, according to the CDC, are Quebanang, Kangaruma, Waramadong, Philippi, Pappy Show Landing, and Mango Landing. They are all experiencing different levels of flooding.

Other areas such as Eteringbang and Arau Village are experiencing rising river levels and are cautiously monitoring the situation.

As such, a team from the region led by the Regional Chairman Kenneth Williams is assessing the impact of the flood.

“The CDC will remain in

constant contact with persons on the ground there throughout an extensive period to determine what measures should be taken,” the commission said in a release to the media.

Meanwhile, residents countrywide are urged to take precautions where necessary and to report any impacts to local authorities

or the National Emergency Monitoring System (NEMS) on telephone numbers 6007500 or 226-1114 at any time.

The current rainy season is expected to be wetter and longer than normal according to the Hydrometeorological Service.

Just a few days ago,

Prime Minister of Guyana, Brigadier (Retired) Mark Phillips urged persons in low-lying and flood-prone areas to take precautions in the coming days, as Guyana

flooding is expected. While we do not hope for it, we are working to closely monitor the situation. Persons who reside in low-lying areas and those who are affected

Taskforce on Flooding is also monitoring the rainfall.

Director-General of the Civil Defence Commission, Colonel (retired) Nazrul Hussain, has added that the CDC has embarked on a public awareness campaign on its social media platforms, and is urging residents to take all necessary precautions.

The Hydrometeorological Service of the Agriculture Ministry has forecasted wetter-than-usual rainfall conditions across all regions of Guyana until January 2023, as the country experiences the secondary rainfall season.

continues to experience heavy rainfall.

Phillips, under whose purview the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) falls, made this comment during a briefing held at the CDC Headquarters at Thomas Lands last Thursday.

“We are in the rainy season, and some amount of

by flooding, I encourage you to take all precautions to minimise the damage that is associated with flooding in all communities,” he advised.

The Prime Minister, who also holds responsibility for disaster risk management, revealed that the Cabinet

The usual secondary rainfall season will be augmented by persistent La Nina conditions during the season. Rainfall is expected to increase considerably at least until January. During the upcoming rainy season, water levels in conservancies, reservoirs, and inland rivers across Regions One to Eight and 10 are likely to increase, and a high risk of flooding was expected.

The flooding situation at Mango Landing in Region Seven

Middle Mazaruni

Pappy Show Landing

to rise as heavy rain continues

BRIDGE OPENINGS

Sunday,

WEATHER

Sunday,

FERRY SCHEDULE

$23.5B from carbon credit sales will go to Indigenous communities – VP Jagdeo

Over the duration of Guyana’s 10-year agreement with Hess Corporation for the purchase of 37.5 million credits, Indigenous communities will receive 15 per cent or $23 billion, which they will spend according to their village development plans.

This was explained by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, during a recent press conference during which he pointed out that the National Toshaos Council (NTC), comprised of elected Indigenous leaders, has been the primary interlocuter between the State and the Indigenous people.

“We’re so pleased that the Indigenous communities worked on this… the National Toshaos Council is the primary interlocutor with the Government. At that meeting, a resolution was passed that they wanted this to go forward. And they said that the 15 per cent will go directly to Amerindian communities,” he said.

The Government’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030 sets out that 15 per cent of all revenues from forest carbon markets, will be dedicated to Amerindian communities who choose to opt-in and produce their own Village Sustainability Plans.

According to Jagdeo, it is envisioned that this money will make a big difference in the lives of the Indigenous people since these communities have been working on their village development plans for a long time. He noted that the Indigenous people will make their decisions on what they want to be funded from these plans.

“There would be more money going, but through other things. For example, if we have to do a project on addressing drought in the Rupununi. That would be funded from other sources. The 15 per cent goes directly to the Indigenous communities. They will determine its use.”

“Over the period, $23 billion will go to the Indigenous communities. Based on the payments in two weeks’ time, you will have $2.4 billion that will be ready to go to the Amerindian communities immediately. Their 15 per cent share in a couple weeks’ time, will be equivalent to $2.4 billion,” the Vice President further explained.

Only recently, Guyana inked a historic, multi-year agreement for the sale of

high-quality carbon credits to United States energy major, Hess Corporation, to the tune of a whopping US$750 million – the 1st payment from which is expected by Dec 15, 2022.

Addressing stakeholders at the packed Baridi Benab, President Dr Irfaan Ali had pointed out that Guyana continues to take the lead globally on the forest and carbon credit fronts. The Head of State had disclosed that this historic agreement will see Hess Corp, which is one of the partners operating in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, buying 2.5 million credits per year for the period 2016 and 2032, valuing US$750 million.

However, it was explained that while the deal is for a 10-year period, that is, 2022 to 2032, the Government was able to negotiate, as part of the sale agreement, for the oil major to also purchase some 12.5 million carbon credits from the period 2016 to 2020 –referred to as “legacy credit”.

This deal came on the heels of Guyana being the first country to receive a certification of over 33 million carbon credits by the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) on December 1, 2022. That issuance of the REDD+ jurisdictional carbon credits paved the way for the signing of the sale agreement by

Hess Corp Chief Executive Officer, John Hess, and Permanent Secretary of the Office of the President, Abena Moore, at State House.

Unlike the arrangements with the Norway deal, payments from this Hess agreement go directly into the Treasury as revenue but will be placed in a separate account for auditing and parliamentary accountability purposes as well as to allow for easy access to financing.

The 37.5 million credits being sold to Hess Corp is just 30 per cent of the carbon sink contained in Guyana’s vast forest cover. The country’s more than 18 million hectares of forests are estimated to store approximately 20 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. The remaining 70 per cent of carbon credit will be put on the market for future sale agreements.

A carbon credit is a tradable permit or certificate that allows the holder of the credit the right to emit a stated tonnage of carbon dioxide or an equivalent of another greenhouse gas. Countries and companies that exceed their permitted limits can purchase carbon credits from nations that have low emissions such as Guyana.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

– says communities will determine how to use money based on villages' developmental plans

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Family-schoolcommunity partnerships

Family-school-community partnerships are a shared responsibility and reciprocal process by which schools and other community agencies and organizations engage families in meaningful and culturally appropriate ways, and families take initiative to actively support their children’s development and learning. Partnerships are essential for helping students achieve at their maximum potential, and greater efforts need to be made to actualize and support such collaborative efforts.

These could include:

· Annual school fairs, to bring school and community together, showcase school and students, honour strong school supporters, and establish partnerships with local businesses, organizations, institutions, leaders and influencers. Such fairs should also bring wrap-around services for the school community, along with fun and entertainment.

· Wrap-around services should be a cornerstone of schoolcommunity relationships, with the school being used as a venue for the community to access resources and services that are not available locally. Such services could be sourced through Government, professionals, organizations and businesses, and be assisted by local organizations and PTAs.

· Parents’/Community/Family Evenings in which parents and the community are invited to spend time with school staff and their children in understanding curricula, viewing exhibitions of their children’s work and innovations, listening to students perform, participating in related activities, and exploring ways of collaboration and cooperation.

· Parenting classes offered by schools. Parenting education promotes the use of positive parenting practices, such as using positive language, planned discipline, and family routines. It also encourages nurturing behaviour and increases parents' knowledge of child development and communication styles. Such classes enable parents to be better informed and more involved in their children’s education, and positively impact the overall education dynamic in schools.

· Parents’ conference at the end of each term, whereby parents go to the schools to discuss their children's grades, overall performances, needs, and strategise to foster students’ overall school life. This is also when parents would receive their children’s report cards.

· An outdoor reading garden. Students and the community can construct such a space, which could include flowering plants (and planting of trees, if space allows) and rocks; a seating arrangement or alcove, possibly under a shade; and a wall with artwork done by students and community members. Classes can be time-tabled to use this garden periodically, as is possible.

· The Big Brother/Big Sister institution. There are so many benefits to this, including many that have been outlined as goals of the 1000 Men mechanism launched by Preside Irfaan Ali.

· School visits/talks by members of the community and further afield. This takes many forms: career days, motivational talks, rap sessions (which take various forms, such as role plays, how-tos, simulations, focus groups, and so on, especially by entertainers and influencers) and achievers sharing their experiences, especially the challenges and how these were overcome. Lived experiences are a powerful motivator.

The education process has students at the crux, but there are also certain mechanisms that should be built into the education dynamic. One such is a students’ council. Student councils offer numerous and obvious benefits, including fostering activism, advocacy, and leadership among students. As well, they can be involved in representing students’ views to the administration, fostering students’ rights, making suggestions for better student life, and organise for student initiatives such as a monthly student newspaper, field trips, cultural observances such as Eid or Diwali, and entertainment initiatives such as the whole school Christmas Party.

Another is the involvement of students in the behaviour modification process via a monitor system and peer mediation.

As well, an after-school homework centre would help those students who struggle with homework, which can happen for a variety of reasons. Such a centre can also be involved in remediation and reinforcement.

In terms of the classroom, teachers can set up the “buddy system”, so students who are absent can reach out to their buddies to know what homework was given and what lessons were taught, as well as to get information and any handouts provided during instructions, as well as anything else they would need to know. Cell phones now make reaching out easy.

(Guest Editorial from CaribVoice)

PNC practise immunity to rig elections! Guyana must cleanse itself of the riggers

Dear Editor, Against the backdrop of a necessity to urgently remove the double-edged hatchet from the necks of Guyanese, one cannot ignore the persistent threat of the PNC to free and fair electoral practices.

The role of key players from the PNC ranks, historically and in the March 2020 General and Regional Elections, resulted in their open support of the blatantly incorrect and infamous declarations, the flagrant abuse of discretion and procedures, coupled with eventual charges levelled against key elections officials that form part of the evidence of the then contaminated Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). Since then, GECOM has made some efforts to address the conundrum, but there is more work to be done in this respect.

From its inception, the PNC, under its founder leader LFS Burnham, was adamant about staying in power at all cost. Party Paramountcy was used to strengthen the typical one-party rule approach, as Guyanese were forced to live under desperate conditions. However, a united people struggled for free and fair elections, and when we overcame, it witnessed “The Dawn of a New Era” in 1992.

For twenty-eight years, the PNC utilised its influence and control in manipulating the Guyana Elections Commission. The general strategy was to ensure that key leadership within the organisation was controlled by a

party diehard, who would ensure a balance of elections officials to advance the Party’s Paramountcy Ideology towards satisfying its power-hungry thirst and survival.

Their use of party influence at the various levels ensured the blatant rigging of the National Elections in 1968, 1973, 1978/1980 and 1985 in the PNC’s favour. However, it was the Political Committee for Democracy (PCD) that struggled with the PPP and all other Progressive Forces, particularly decent and imminent personalities, for international support to enable the Guyanese people to free themselves from the PNC riggers.

Typically, the events that unfolded during the five months of March/August 2020 expressed the characteristic behaviour of the PNC+ APNU/ AFC coalition, which was trying desperately to steal the Government and reposition the controls it had over GECOM before the restoration of democracy in 1992. Their excessive abuse of procedure and twisting of the laws led to challenges heard at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), and resulted in rulings that deposed the Granger-led strategy to control GECOM.

With David Granger's self-imposed choice of James Patterson as Chairman of GECOM gone, the already-in-motion plan lost major support, and it meant that the other clandestine orchestrators implanted in GECOM had to step up as they became

required, without cover if necessary. It was the boldest attempt, in this modern era, of some unscrupulous staff at GECOM, who acted in collusion with the PNC riggers to steal the Government.

Notably, the PNC support inside of GECOM stood committed to the Party Paramountcy platform, and did not care about the exposure that modern technological developments would provide to the world as their plan fell apart; albeit, the emergence of a vigilant and connected PPPC with other national and global democratic support. Such abuse of a national constitutional body must never be allowed to happen again in our dear country.

These “Riggers” believed they could use the courts at their will to procrastinate and frustrate the efforts of this nation to get timely and favourable justice. Three of the GECOM leading administrative staff at the Secretariat level, who were in the plot to rig the Elections, are currently facing fraud charges in our court. Recently, they were denied an injunction filed to prevent them from giving testimony before the ongoing Presidential Elections Commission of Inquiry (CoI), but the wounds to the soul of the Guyanese people are too fresh for the truth to be lost. They will be caught, and should be severely sanctioned.

Several presentations to the CoI are indeed a revelation, and will expose many

of those who played key roles in the plot. Where there is enough credible evidence to affirm a connection to the election machinery or existing influencing relationships, these should be removed or censored forthwith.

The security/senior officers of the Police Force, the staff of GECOM presentation, along with civic persons’ contribution, and more recently the Chairperson of GECOM accepting that she was scared for her life on that dreaded day, must never happen again.

Let us hear what took place on Election Day, March 2, 2020, on the East Coast of Demerara at those polling booths, where there are serious questions about the documents that were not in the ballot boxes. My experience reminds me that in 2015 the ‘Famous spreadsheet’ was used, and the 2015 election petition was never heard. Further, the then Chairman said that thousands of votes from that very area were never counted.

This Commission of Inquiry (CoI) must provide recommendations to put an end to all forms of rigging. GECOM staff must be accountable, transparent and fair. Our country is blessed with diversity in unity. Let us unite and tell the riggers that we no longer need them. GECOM must cleanse itself and remove all the rogues. We must have LGEs now.

Sincerely, Neil Kumar

The La Jalousie Family Park was officially opened by First Lady Arya Ali on Saturday evening in the form of a Christmas tree light-up. Inset is Mrs Ali unveiling the plaque at the facility in the presence of the Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, and other officials (Ameer Sattaur Photos)

How to deal with the speedboat bullies

Dear Editor,

The strike by the speedboat operators plying the Vreed-en-Hoop/Georgetown route didn’t come to me as a surprise, and if commuters didn’t expect that, then they should check their sanity.

Following the news, I see the operators claiming that they haven’t increased their fares for 13 years, but I would like to inform them that most of the commuters using their ser-

vice have been working for the same salary for over 15 years. The last time the fare increased was to $80, but the operators’ greed overcame them and they started keeping the $20 change, which eventually caused the authorities to make the adjustment.

These bullies would charge double on Sundays and holidays, despite the authorities instructing them not to, and in cas-

es of an accident at the Demerara Habour Bridge, they would also increase their fares without consideration. Should you refuse to pay, embarrassment and bullying are meted out to you.

Whenever an accident occurs at the bridge, they get tremendous work during that period, and openly they would be boasting of how much money they earned. So, apparently, they don’t

see an opportunity this season, and have decided to hold this country to ransom.

Editor, repeatedly, there’ve been complaints about the service provided by the operators, and periodically they would be adjusted, and gradually they return to their despicable behaviour.

Authorities would sometimes be there, but conveniently; they are not around to witness when these oper-

Kwame’s encapsulation vindicates PPP/C as non-racist

Dear Editor, Minister Kwame McCoy’s Dec 08, 2022 letter, “APNU+AFC placed a target on Afro-Guyanese professionals in public service”, is a timely reminder that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic is all about destroying racism in Guyana. The Minister desires “…that Guyanese confront the dirty washedup wolf (APNU+AFC), seeking to disguise (itself) as a sheep, which is seeking to uproot our democracy through race-baiting campaigns to divide our country.”

Well, in many ways these attempts are happening, and sometimes in such a natural way that it takes a Kwame-like letter to bring alertness to reality. So, in like manner, I add my voice to this issue: that is, the PPP/C is all bent on uniting Guyana.

Editor, before coming to the commendations of Dr. Marcel Hutson (alluded to by Minister Kwame), who richly heaped praise on President Dr. Irfaan Ali (while at the same time lavished opprobrious comments on APNU+AFC), I am forced to revisit (just one) earlier incident, the August 2022 ‘Cuffy 250’ forum with its theme, “Resisting the emerging apartheid state”. In this ugly recall, I invoke the outrage of Floyd Haynes, who distanced himself from that acrimonious forum that never really had a chance to take off.

Haynes, an upright and exemplary Afro-Guyanese, described the theme as ludicrous and vexatious at its best. Haynes in fact wrote the Chairman of the Committee, Norman Ng-AQui, “…protesting his (assumed) inclusion in the line-up of speakers at the forum that was scheduled for August 21st, calling for the immediate removal of his name.” Haynes at the time detailed that he “…completely rejected the phrase ‘resisting the

emerging apartheid state’ to describe conditions in Guyana.” He emphasised that “In my view, this statement is a disservice to all Guyanese, as such, (and hence) I wish to categorically disassociate myself from it. More importantly, I am a firm supporter of His Excellency, the President of Guyana, and I am absolutely convinced that it is not part of the President’s agenda to create any disparity based on race.”

This is exactly the sentiments of Dr. Marcel Hutson. He stated that “After August 2020, still shaken by what the coalition did, (my) flagging spirits were revived by a call from President Dr. Irfaan Ali. Out of sheer compassion, I heard President Ali say: ‘You cannot finish like this. Go to Priya.’ I did, and she welcomed me with open arms. The President and I had no prior relationship, yet he reached out to me. Others (APNU+AFC) tried to bury me, but did not know I was a seed.” I need not say anymore. Dr. Hutson, like Floyd Haynes, has summarised it well.

Editor, as I am on the subject of education, I recall when the PPP/C took office in August 2020, there was

the resounding policy of ‘No Discrimination’ in the distribution of the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant. This sentiment was expressed by Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, as she vowed that each child in the public school system must benefit from this yearly and ever-increasing rollout.

She declared then that “Whether you’re African, Chinese, Indo-Guyanese, Amerindian, Portuguese, Mixed, you will leave here with your cash grant because we’re not asking about your ethnicity…whether you are Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Rastafarian, nothing or Baháí, once your children are in school, you will receive the cash grant.” She went on to state that “We are here to give every single nursery, primary, secondary-age child who’s in a public school, or applied to come to a public school, this grant.”

In contrast, let us recall what took place in November 2018. That was when the former Minister of Public Health and Chairwoman of the People’s National Congress (PNC), Volda Lawrence, sounded the warning that “The only friends I got is PNC, so the only people I gon give wuk

to is PNC; and right now I looking for a doctor who can talk Spanish or Portuguese, and ah want one that is PNC.” Lawrence later apologized, but that apology did not erase her and her party’s duplicity and discrimination, reflective of their hidden apartheid.

So I am with Mr. McCoy, as indeed “The truth has slapped the detractors in the APNU+AFC in the face. No longer can they keep up the shenanigans and pretense about caring for the advancement of AfroGuyanese, when in fact they have worked silently, and in some cases openly, to destroy Afro-Guyanese professionals in the public service and elsewhere.”

It’s a fact that “The scars of the failed APNU+AFC regime are still fresh, and haunt many Afro-Guyanese professionals who lost their jobs to PNC members. But now Dr. Irfan and company are healing these wounds.

Yours truly, H Singh

ators overcharge people, behave in an atrocious manner, openly use the foulest language available, dress improperly, and consume alcohol whilst waiting for their turn to work.

At times, it’s a disaster to embark or disembark a boat, and for the years they have plied there, none has ever seen it fit to make it more comfortable for commuters, especially females. Instead, they find it funny, telling each other about the colour or type of underwear someone wearing when they are accidentally forced into a revealing position.

It should be noted that these operators work to their own interest, and decide what time to drive the boat fast and when not to, which causes commuters to vent their anger against the operators. Mini bus operators face more expenses than speedboat operators. They take passengers further, and charge only $100. There’s no fight down, as with speedboat operators; they all work by a turn system, and at the end of the day, their take-home salary is more than what an average person earns, despite them working whenever they feel.

So, how do we deal with these bullies? The authorities have the names of the boats and operators that refuse to work/strike, and they should leave the present system in place until the holidays are over, and let them stay home and enjoy the holidays.

Finally, Editor, over the years, there have been many calls for a better system to be put in place for commuters traversing the Demerara River and other rivers using the speed-

boats, and despite all the boasting of Guyana morning forward, that area still remains in a deplorable condition. That’s the development/moving forward we have to show the foreigners/ investors visiting Guyana? For some unknown reason, some escape the eyes of the authorities, and they continue to unsafely put people’s lives at risk with their compromised vessels.

Of recent, quite a few seem to be experiencing problems that attract media attention, and in some cases lives are lost. There is no proper solution or alternative when disaster happens, but confusion. I cannot understand why there isn’t a restroom provided around the speedboat areas for the operators/commuters.

Instead, you are witnessing a ‘stink and dutty’ place when you walking, or would accidentally witness someone relieving themselves at some corner. The recreational park under construction at Windsor Forest already has toilets installed.

It is no doubt that we have a mediocre Opposition to properly challenge this Government, and this Government knows this, so they are governing to their pleasure. Indeed, with the newfound wealth, they have become more corrupt, and do as they please, but at the same time, they could make lives easier for the citizens even as they continue to rape this country of her money. They have many of their cronies whom they give contracts aimlessly, they could make the stelling a priority.

Sincerely, Sahadeo Bates

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

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS ON THE OVERZEALOUS BARKER

Over the past few weeks, we have, in detail, been addressing the very disturbing issue of incessant and uncontrollable barking of a companion animal, which is frustratingly disturbing to one’s own family and those persons living in the immediate environment – one’s neighbours.

We have cited the probable causes for this continuous barking condition. We have also answered questions pertaining to those possibilities that might be associated with age, gender, and breed; and we have discussed the treatment possibilities in depth.

Today we will look at possible complications, and the prognosis which may be very positive or may end up as a failure.

It should be noted that the suggested may result in a complete remedy of the condition associated with frequent, inconvenient, and even perpetual barking if the caregivers, together with the animal’s veterinarian, have diagnosed and understood the problem correctly. If not, the removal of the disorder may range from fair to good, depending on the severity and the chronicity of the barking episodes. Of course, the willingness of the caregiver to follow the vet’s advice plays a crucial role in complete healing. So also do environmental circumstances surrounding the dog’s life.

It is important for you to understand that certain psychotropic medications may

not bring about the success anticipated. Again, without getting too involved in the actual chemistry of the drugs which are prescribed (and their interaction with each other), it is imperative to keep your vet constantly – daily, or at least weekly – informed about the progress being made. Most vets would not immediately cease the medication if the barking is not appreciably reduced. They may consider the introduction of sedatives. The literature advises that one could lower the dosage rate and further observe the patient. I, personally, prefer to go this route, rather than introduce chemical sedation to keep the dog quiet.

Caregivers might wish to attempt behaviour modification techniques too quickly, and without veterinary advice and/or supervision, because they would have heard or read somewhere that certain psychological treatment regimes could be successful. I understand this caregiver’s reaction. Such is the frustration produced

by an incessant barker. The patience shown by the caregiver is, however, especially important. The dog would quickly notice the owner’s disappointment, dissatisfaction, and disenchantment, and would itself become distressed. Any therapy, especially one that involves rewards, must be conducted in a relaxed atmosphere, and must be consistent. This is not easy to achieve when there are many persons (especially caring children) observing the dilemma of slothful success and deciding to take inappropriate remedies in their own hands.

Suddenly, everyone has a solution.

I insist that the caregiver must not undertake “corrective” methodologies without first receiving tested and proven solutions.

Very often, force is applied. Leashes, choke chains or pinch collars, or any such radical interventions are contraindicated –not lastly because they can produce further mechanical trauma to the dog’s windpipe and adjacent structures in the neck.

Similarly, shock collars have no place in the treatment of any behavioural condition. These instruments of torture almost always increase anxiety – although the caregiver and other non-schooled helpers might see some small and temporary signs of success. Our experience is that dogs “trained” with shock collars always display signs of exaggerated nervousness and neuroses towards the home family and visitors/ strangers. Actually, my own conviction is that the use of any such supposed healing in-

strument represents companion animal abuse.

Just as patience in treating the incessant barker is very important, so is early intervention when the episodes begin. As soon as the puppies and/or the new adult dogs join the family, education must commence. This takes the form of training, which focuses on a level of acceptable barking, and which is instituted at the first sign of undesirable barking.

Of course, shouting at the dog to be quiet would only arouse and increase nervousness. Let us face it: verbal rep-

rimands seem not to serve any useful purpose. Just calmly take the barking dog away from the stimulus which precipitated the barking; sit with him/her in a relaxed way, and then reward the pet for discontinuing the barking exhibition. Petting and calmly speaking to the animal are consistent with good TLC for your forever pet in its forever home.

Now that the Festive Season is about to begin, it is apposite for this column to address those things which we – as serious and caring owners – must and must not do to and for our wards during Christmas. This advice will begin next week.

Guyana asked to help lead steering group of RSS asset recovery arm

Guyana is making waves in the international finance oversight world, with its recent participation at the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) plenary resulting in the country being asked to become a member of the steering group of one of the Regional Security Services (RSS) operating arms.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Attorney General Anil Nandlall recently led a delegation of senior local officials to CFATF’s 55th plenary and working group meetings in the Cayman Islands.

While at the meeting –the first in-person one of the CFATF member countries since the COVID-19 pandemic – Guyana engaged in a number of meetings and formed strategic alliances on the margins of the plenary.

One such alliance was with the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network of the Caribbean (ARINCARIB), which has invited Guyana to join its steering group. It was explained in the statement that the steering group is comprised of eight members of the network and is responsible for the administration of the group.

“Guyana’s participation in the plenary is in line with the Government’s commitment to fighting financial crime and money laundering on all fronts. It is also aligned with our recent acceptance as a member of the Regional Security Services (RSS),” the AG Chambers announced.

“Guyana also attended the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of ARIN-

CARIB, which is the operating arm of the RSS, focused on informal cooperation of the law enforcement agencies to facilitate the exchange of intelligence in the recovery of assets accumulated from the proceeds of crime.”

During the meeting, Guyana also received an update on its application for Egmont membership. The Egmont Group is made

up of over 150 Financial Intelligence Units (FIU) and is affiliated with the Anti-Money Laundering/ Combatting the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) organisational structure. Among other things, they facilitate intelligence exchange and cooperation on money laundering.

“The country is now a step closer to acquiring membership, having re-

cently passed further necessary amendments to the AML/CFT legislation. Guyana’s application is expected to be presented to the Egmont Group’s Membership, Support and Compliance Working Group on the Margins of the next Egmont Plenary scheduled for early 2023,” the AG chambers announced.

“Delegations benefitted from presentations from regional and international bodies including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the United States Department of Treasury - Office of Terrorism Financing and Financial Crimes (OTFFC). This is in addition to extensive discussions on the mutual evaluation reports of Suriname and Venezuela.”

Meanwhile, six Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed on the margins of the event, with FIUs from Bermuda, Bahamas, Haiti, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the British Virgin Islands. These MoUs, according to the statement, will assist in supporting money laundering investigations.

And as Guyana prepares for its September 2023 mutual evaluation, it was agreed that additional training would be provided to Guyana. In fact, a virtual 4th Round FATF Standards Training is scheduled to occur in early January 2023.

The Bank of Guyana, which was represented by its Governor, Dr Gobind Ganga, meanwhile had discussions with CFATF on the margins of the plenary… also regarding sector specific training for its staff in preparation for the upcoming Mutual Evaluation.

The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), represented by its head Faizal Karimbaksh, also met with other regional law enforcement agencies to create strategic alliances that will aid in combatting cross border related issues of money laundering.

Others from the Guyana delegation who were present included the Director of the FIU, Matthew Langevine, Head of Compliance

Alicia Williams, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Natasha Backer and Rommel St Hill, who is the AML/CFT Officer in the Attorney General’s Office.

Guyana’s AML/CFT delegation to the plenary. In the centre is Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC

Rights, wrongs… …and survival

In case you missed it, yesterday was declared by the UN to be “Human Rights Day”. And, as usual, there was a declared theme: "Dignity, Freedom, and Justice For All." Now, what in the world does that mean?? Is there any "Dignity, Freedom and Justice For All" in having hundreds of thousands of human beings - even millions - dubbed “refugees” and refused admission to the countries that have made them flee their own countries, to begin with??

Rather than looking too far afield, let’s just consider next-door Venezuela and not-so-far-away Haiti. What kinda human rights are their citizens experiencing right now?? And to appreciate their plight, those old enough to remember have a duty to pass on their personal experiences when the depredations of the Burnham dictatorship caused half of our country to flee, and then knock from “pillar to post” across the world! Same thing, ain’t it?? Leaders who’re totally anti-democratic, and run their countries like their personal fiefdoms, to grind their citizens into the ground.

Imagine, Venezuela has the largest deposits of oil in the world, and its citizens have to forage for food from garbage cans. And Haiti staged the first and only successful slave rebellion in the world – only to have a string of dictators make them exist worse than slaves!! The UN’s founding principle was it wouldn’t intervene into the “internal” affairs of its members, but we know from our bitter experience that this is just a good ole boy agreement to turn a blind eye to each other’s excesses towards their citizens.

But after they turned a blind eye to similar atrocities in Rwanda – even as 800,000 were hacked to death and their bodies floated downriver, the UN finally started to push a doctrine of R2P – the Right to Protect - by intervening when such atrocities are being committed. So we had interventions in Bosnia, in Europe, when the Serbs were butchering the Bosnians. While, in Venezuela, Maduro can say with a straight face that he holds elections and the citizens return him year after year because they like to suffer, what’s the reason for the hesitation to intervene in Haiti to protect the human rights of ordinary Haitians?? There, the incumbent President had links to the gangs and groups who hired Colombian mercenaries to assassinate his predecessor, and conceded sovereignty to the said gangs and groups while ordinary Haitians risk life and limb and everything else to get into the United States!! Where’s the dignity and justice for them?

In the meantime, our local woke groups who protested their right to end up in Brazilian favelas are quiet on insisting that the international community get involved.

O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts!!

…and hope

Your Eyewitness was told that the US has passed a “Global Fragility Act” – actually, a “Global Failed-State Act”, but it ain’t politically correct to say “failed state” no mo’!! That’s even worse that “sh*thole country”!! Anyway, the Act authorises their Government to “pre-emptively” get involved (NOT “intervene”!!) to work with locals to set matters right. Now, your Eyewitness knows he’s gonna raise a lotta eyebrows when he says he welcomes this move by the Yanks.

Right off the bat he figures that since they’ll be getting involved OPENLY – before the local tyrants’ sh*t hits the fan – it’s not in their interest to allow matters to get outta hand!! So, to keep on with our local illustration, those nutcakes who’re calling for an “armed insurrection” like the “Buxton Freedom Fighters” against the legally elected PPP Government are just baying at the moon!! The US ain’t gonna allow that!!

They already took enough heat for Fat Boy forty years ago - and they don’t even have to deal with a doctrinaire PPP!

…and hard ears

While there’s a lot of gnashing of teeth by the Opposition about the unemployment problem in “their” communities, which they’re guarding against PPP “subversion”, why don’t they assist them to cultivate the ancestral lands??

Guyana asked to help lead steering group of RSS asset recovery arm

Guyana is making waves in the international finance oversight world, with its recent participation at the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) plenary resulting in the country being asked to become a member of the steering group of one of the Regional Security Services (RSS) operating arms.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Attorney General Anil Nandlall recently led a delegation of senior local officials to CFATF’s 55th plenary and working group meetings in the Cayman Islands.

While at the meeting –the first in-person one of the CFATF member countries since the COVID-19 pandemic – Guyana engaged in a number of meetings and formed strategic alliances on the margins of the plenary.

One such alliance was with the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network of the Caribbean (ARINCARIB), which has invited Guyana to join its steering group. It was explained in the statement that the steering group is comprised of eight members of the network and is responsible for the administration of the group.

“Guyana’s participation in the plenary is in line with the Government’s commitment to fighting financial crime and money laundering on all fronts. It is also aligned with our recent acceptance as a member of the Regional Security Services (RSS),” the AG Chambers announced.

“Guyana also attended the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of ARIN-

CARIB, which is the operating arm of the RSS, focused on informal cooperation of the law enforcement agencies to facilitate the exchange of intelligence in the recovery of assets accumulated from the proceeds of crime.”

During the meeting, Guyana also received an update on its application for Egmont membership. The Egmont Group is made

up of over 150 Financial Intelligence Units (FIU) and is affiliated with the Anti-Money Laundering/ Combatting the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) organisational structure. Among other things, they facilitate intelligence exchange and cooperation on money laundering.

“The country is now a step closer to acquiring membership, having re-

cently passed further necessary amendments to the AML/CFT legislation. Guyana’s application is expected to be presented to the Egmont Group’s Membership, Support and Compliance Working Group on the Margins of the next Egmont Plenary scheduled for early 2023,” the AG chambers announced.

“Delegations benefitted from presentations from regional and international bodies including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the United States Department of Treasury - Office of Terrorism Financing and Financial Crimes (OTFFC). This is in addition to extensive discussions on the mutual evaluation reports of Suriname and Venezuela.”

Meanwhile, six Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed on the margins of the event, with FIUs from Bermuda, Bahamas, Haiti, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the British Virgin Islands. These MoUs, according to the statement, will assist in supporting money laundering investigations.

And as Guyana prepares for its September 2023 mutual evaluation, it was agreed that additional training would be provided to Guyana. In fact, a virtual 4th Round FATF Standards Training is scheduled to occur in early January 2023.

The Bank of Guyana, which was represented by its Governor, Dr Gobind Ganga, meanwhile had discussions with CFATF on the margins of the plenary… also regarding sector specific training for its staff in preparation for the upcoming Mutual Evaluation.

The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), represented by its head Faizal Karimbaksh, also met with other regional law enforcement agencies to create strategic alliances that will aid in combatting cross border related issues of money laundering.

Others from the Guyana delegation who were present included the Director of the FIU, Matthew Langevine, Head of Compliance

Alicia Williams, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Natasha Backer and Rommel St Hill, who is the AML/CFT Officer in the Attorney General’s Office.

Guyana’s AML/CFT delegation to the plenary. In the centre is Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC

$84M development projects to enhance public access at Wismar

In fulfilling a recent promise made by President Dr Irfaan Ali to Wismar, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-

Berbice), an $84 million community development package was on Friday set in motion.

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips led a ministerial delegation at the contract signing, which in-

cluded Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, Minister within the Public Works Ministry Deodat Indar, and Minister within the Local Government Ministry Anand Persaud.

Contractors in Linden are the beneficiaries of several community development projects that will see the further enhancement of public accesses at Victory Valley.

These projects will include the construction of six concrete footpaths and three concrete drains totalling $50 million.

Another $34 million was invested to construct and rehabilitate the ‘Block 22’ Wismar bridge. This project went to public tender and was awarded to the most competitive bidder.

At a contract signing ceremony on Friday, several youths indicated their interest to work on the development projects as a form of being meaningfully employed.

Public Works Minister

Juan Edghill explained, “These contracts are being executed under the Procurement Act in a category that is called community engagement. This is not just something we’re doing here in the Valley. We’re doing this in various parts of the country.”

“It is not just about getting the work done. It is about getting people meaningfully employed and meaningfully engaged. The truth about it is all the workers who will be working on these contracts should really be people from this area,” he added.

Speaking on the investments, the Minister expressed that this injection of funds and opportunities has never happened before.

“All across Guyana, what you are seeing with your own eyes, is what we’re doing… We are prepared to work with every community that is prepared to work with us.”

On the other hand, Prime Minister Phillips assured that development will continue for the regions, be it through better facilities for education, health and accessibility.

“We just want you to play your part by being part of this whole thrust to develop all of Guyana. When they come to you and try to tell you nonsense, I would say listen but keep the focus. This is not about racial politics. The Government has the mandate to run the affairs of this country until the next election. What we’re focusing on now is bringing development to all the people in Linden, Region 10 and all the other nine regions,” Phillips expressed.

The works to be executed will complement numerous projects that have been initiated by the Aliled Administration to enhance the quality of life for Lindeners.

Contractors with Ministers and officials of the Public Works Ministry

What’s behind our conflict?

Back in mid-December 2020, I was asked by the ERC to make a presentation in a “National Conversation on Ethnic Relations” they sponsored with UG on “How can we improve ethnic relations in Guyana?” I pointed out that it was because our “ethnic relations” are conflicted that we are having the conversation; so, essentially, we are trying to address our “ethnic conflict”. Since this was confirmed in several clashes of varying intensity since then, I repeat my observations, since some stubbornly deny any ethnic nexus.

We have to start off with some agreement – a ‘theory’, if you will – on the wellsprings of our tensions or conflict. Inevitably, such a theory – implicit or explicit – would have crucial implications for how we seek to resolve that conflict, and obviously, its chances of success. For example, if our conflict is viewed as, say, only competition over material resources, those trying to end it would propose equal access to those resources. But will this suffice if there are cultural structural barriers preventing some groups from advancing? Similarly, those who attribute the same conflict to incompatible cultures or identities would make bridging these differences central to their conflict management efforts.

Theories on ethnic conflict are legion, and what I have done over the years is to extract and synthesize those elements I felt were apropos to our specific Guyanese circumstances. Our ethnic groups lived for a hundred years together without any major conflicts between them – with the significant exception of two African-Portuguese clashes in the 19th century. This means that it is not cultural differences, per se, that cause the conflict, which only sprouted in the 1950s, erupted in the 1960s, and has done so sporadically ever since.

What happened in the 1950s and ‘60s? Modern democratic politics was inaugurated with the universal franchise in 1950, and, starting in 1953, elections that would eventually determine who would “rule” independent Guyana. Democratic elections mean agglomerating people into groups that would vote according to their common interests. And this seismic political change opened Pandora’s Box to let out “ethnic conflict”, which should therefore be more properly called “ethnopolitical conflict”.

Inaugurally, a carefully crafted leadership of all the ethnic groups was constructed as the PPP, and they won the 1953 elections overwhelmingly. But while we may blame the ambitions of Burnham for the subsequent split that has never been healed, certain structural features were already present that presaged the eventual conflict. Pared to its bare bones, these factors can be summarized in a simple formula: Group Comparison /Group Worth + Group Legitimacy = the Politics of Entitlement.

Before the elections, the Coloured/African elite assumed they would inherit the British mantle, and concerns about the growing Indian-Guyanese demographic had been raised since the 1920s. The latter had inexorably moved from then being a despised group at the bottom of the barrel to now competing, and, horror of horrors, possibly obtaining political power. As Arthur Lewis said in the 1960s re democratic elections, “Are the Negroes of British Guiana to be liquidated on the counting of heads?” For African-Guyanese, the inevitable social comparison process as articulated by some leaders was also not sanguine on what it implied for their “worth”.

This was because the premise of the modern state system and its politics about the equality of citizens was not acceptable to many African/ Coloured Guyanese because of their greater claim to “legitimacy”. Because of their prior arrival, slave labour without being recompensed, earlier westernization/ “civilization” etc. leaders made (and still make) the claim that they had greater entitlement to the national patrimony than others, especially Indian-Guyanese. This demanded their control of the state for the distribution of resources.

This point of view still receives great traction in the AfricanGuyanese community, and must be addressed if we are to change our ethnic relations from one of conflict to peace. The notion of greater legitimacy precipitated counterclaims from other Guyanese, insisting on equal rights to the national patrimony. Indian Guyanese claimed they “saved” Guyana as a viable proposition in the 19th century with their indentured labour; and Indigenous Guyanese claimed that this was their country, to begin with.

Conflict arises when the aspirations of the various groups cannot be realised to an extent they believe is “just”, yet where the “deprivation” – especially economic – is unfortunately perceived relatively. The sources of these perceptions are justified and revealed in the groups’ narratives.

Policies to rectify objective group inequalities must be introduced, implemented, monitored, and reported.

Guyana aiming for 500,000 annual visitor arrivals by 2025 – PM –

The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government is laying the groundwork for Guyana, which averaged 300,000 visitors before COVID-19 struck, to eventually reach 500,000 annual visitors by 2025.

This was explained by Prime Minister, Brigadier (retired) Mark Phillips, during the recent hosting of the Guyana Tourism Awards & Gala 2022. According to him, visitor arrival numbers are already increasing and will continue to rebound.

“Tourism is rebounding in Guyana. Visitor arrival increased by 52 per cent last year and is expected to grow even further… our eco-tourism product is peerless in the Region. We’re also capable of providing the widest range of tourism offerings, including adventure, conferences and events, culture, heritage, sporting and family-based tourism products,” he said.

“Guyana is also suited for tourists who enjoy boating, fishing, hiking, ranching, safaris and yachting. Knowing what we have and where we are, the question is where do we go from here?”

Moving forward, the Government is targeting the increase of visitor arrival numbers to as much

as 500,000 by 2025, a number Phillips said they can achieve once they continue to attract big names in the international tourism sector, to Guyana.

“I would like to see us move rapidly towards 500,000 visitor arrivals by the end of 2025. And that is the strategic direction of His Excellency. In order to achieve this target, we need a big player in the industry. We cannot hope to incrementally increase arrivals each year and still expect a transformative sector.”

“That big push has to come from a big player. We’re looking for that big player that will catapult tourism to a higher level of development. In regards to

accommodation, we’re moving quickly to increase the number of rooms,” the Prime Minister said.

According to the midyear report, Guyana has seen an increase in visitor arrivals compared to 2021. The report notes that there was a 103 per cent increase in visitor arrival from January to May, compared to the same period last year.

It was revealed that 105,905 visitors were recorded during that time. The reason for this increase is multi-dimensional. While a lot of persons visited due to increased oil and gas activities, the resumption of tourism attractions like the Bartica Regatta was also a factor.

“There was a 103 per cent increase in visitor arrivals from January to May 2022 from 48,626 to 105,905, when compared to the same period in 2021. This is primarily due to increased oil and gas activities as well as the resumption of tourist activities such as the Bartica Regatta and Pakaraima Safaris,” the report said.

The report meanwhile expects a further 158,223 additional visitors will be recorded in the second half of the year. This it attributed to Guyana hosting the finals of the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League.

restrictions

In the first half of the year, $312.8 million was spent in the tourism sector, out of a budgeted $732.1 million. Despite the increase in visitors, it was noted that the tourism sector continues to face challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Guyana’s first quarter, the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) had announced earlier this year that the country recorded 51,389 visitors. Last year, Guyana also registered 158,347 overall visitors.

As Guyana continues to welcome travellers, there has been a number of notable achievements in the tourism sector. Guyana is featured as the cover story of the April edition of the National Geographic magazine. “Up the Mountain, to a World Apart” is a 36-page feature, inclusive of pullouts and maps, covering the full story of the adventure by climber Mark Synnott, with stunning photography by Renan Ozturk.

Additionally, Guyana has been ranked among the top 12 places to visit in 2023 by the popular US lifestyle magazine, Essence, in its most recent issue. According to the magazine, Guyana is the seventh best place to visit. In fact, Guyana was described as an “underrated” tourist destination.

Ravi Dev

as tourism sector continues to rebound post-COVID

Prime Minister Brigadier (rtd) Mark Phillips

$51.5M multipurpose facility commissioned at Sophia

address, stated that the project is designed to improve the lives of low-income Guyanese in urban and peri-urban Georgetown. This is done through the provision of better access to housing and basic infrastructure. The Minister underscored that over $942 million has been expended thus far in Sophia, including the new core homes and commissioned facility.

markably…It has improved tremendously over the years and now that you have a Government that is accelerating development, we want to see Sophia change even more and we want everybody in here to be able to have equal access to Government services and to have their quality of life improved,” she affirmed.

The Housing and Water Ministry through the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) on Friday commissioned a $51.5 million multipurpose facility at Sophia, Greater Georgetown.

In addition, six families have received keys for their brand-new core homes, valued at approximately $4 million each; while 22 Home Improvement Subsidy beneficiaries were presented their completion certificates. Each subsidy is no more than $500,000 for building materials to enhance their

homes.

These initiatives were executed under the US$28 million Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme (AHUAP), funded by the Inter-American Bank (IDB).

At the commissioning ceremony were Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal, Minister within the Housing Ministry Susan Rodrigues, CH&PA Chief Executive Officer Sherwyn Greaves, and IBD Country Representative (ag) Lorena Solórzano-Salazar.

Minister Croal, in his

“We want to ensure that the area you live in is an environment that is healthy and safe for your families… We want the upliftment of our country and our people and you must feel it, you must feel that you are a part of this beautiful country called Guyana,” he expressed.

Minister Rodrigues also noted that the Government will work to ensure that the negative stigma attached to Sophia is removed by transforming the community through infrastructure, providing job opportunities, and more sustainable housing options.

“Sophia has changed re-

The core homes are single-family units measuring about 400 square feet, with concrete blocks for outer walls and floors, basic doors, windows, electrical wiring, and water connections among other utilities.

The units are designed to meet basic standards that a family can move into and affordably expand over time. Each beneficiary is only required to contribute a sum of $100,000 towards the cost of the home.

Meanwhile, the multipurpose facility, which was constructed using labour from the area, is a concrete structure measuring approximately 30 ft x 50 feet. Works were also done for the upgrading of the play-

ground, playpen area, part pavilion, basketball court, construction of a fence, and the installation of solar street lights. It will serve all areas within the boundaries of Sophia. Minister Croal urged the management committee of the multipurpose facility to ensure it is managed properly and utilised for social, educational, and economic activities.

Some 50 Sophia residents have been selected to benefit from the core home initiative, including 31 female-headed households. This represents 20 per cent of the overall 250 homes being built in different communities in Regions Three

and Four.

The other 44 homes are at varying stages of completion. Further, some 130 Sophia residents will also benefit from a total of 2000 home improvement subsidies. So far, 111 residents have received the materials, 35 have completed works and another 76 persons are currently executing works.

Approximately 17.5 km roads were upgraded to asphaltic concrete, 1.8 km of drains built, 2 km of sidewalks were constructed, 155 concrete culverts built, 100 solar/LED lights installed and macro and micro drains cleaned, among other initiatives.

IDB, Housing Ministry and other officials with the core homes’ recipients

The multipurpose facility commissioned in Sophia

Symertha Bridgewater-Moore: 25 years & counting in the aviation sector

On December 7, Guyana joined the rest of the world in observing World Aviation Day, 2022. Over the years, the aviation section has evolved and would have seen more women taking up some of the toughest jobs.

In Guyana, women have become more interested in the aviation section whether at the level of the con-

trol towers or working from behind the scenes. Today, we would like to recognise these women who have played an integral role in changing the aviation landscape.

One such woman is Symertha BridgewaterMoore, who joined the Aviation fraternity in 1997.

In July 2015, she became the first female air traf-

fic controller in Guyana to be successfully trained and licensed in Automatic Dependent SurveillanceBroadcast (ADS-B) in Enroute Air Traffic Control.

Today she is the most senior female in the Air Navigation Services Department within the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority and holds the position of an Area Control

Centre Supervisor. She is tasked with supervising the operations of the Area Control Centre located at the Timehri Control Tower, ensuring air traffic services are provided with the established policies, standards and procedures of the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority.

Throughout the last 25 years, she has successfully completed training as an Air Traffic Control Assistant, Aerodrome and Approach licensed Air Traffic Controller and an Area Procedural and Surveillance licensed Air Traffic Controller.

Bridgewater-Moore hails from Soesdyke on the East Bank of Demerara

and is a former student of Christ Church Secondary School. She is a graduate of the University of Guyana with a Bachelor of Science in Public Management.

She has amassed a wealth of knowledge and experience in air traffic control and aircraft search and rescue operations within this dynamic aviation sector.

Symertha Bridgewater-Moore in the Control Tower at CJIA

Bridgewater-Moore and her colleagues

Symertha Bridgewater-Moore...

Over the years, when people ask her what she does, and she responded, “Air Traffic Controller” their response would be, “Oh you are the person that is on the ground giving the pilots signals how to park the aircraft on the airport tarmac”.

She would then explain that her role is to monitor the aircraft on a surveillance screen and control them by speaking to them on a frequency through a headset, providing them with instructions to keep them safely separated from other aircraft

and obstructions.

Her role is literally to be the voice in the pilot’s headset. Other times, she would receive comments like, “Why you didn’t become a pilot “and her response would be, “Why control one aircraft when I can control all of them?”. Air traffic controllers work assiduously in the background to ensure that passengers and cargo are moved safely and expeditiously from Point A to Point B.

Air traffic control has been known as a male-dominated field; however, it doesn’t mean that women cannot dominate the challenge. Throughout her years

FROM

in air traffic control, she was always the only female in all her training courses.

Today this is changing and there is almost 50/50 in every batch. BridgewaterMoore encouraged women to pursue any career in aviation. It requires you to love what you do, hard work, being disciplined and determined.

The feeling she gets from controlling and separating aircraft and ensuring the airspace is manned safely, efficiently, and expeditiously is simply exhilarating. A poem that she tries to live by is “Desiderata by Max Ehrmann”.

INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN DAY 2022

Mountains are home to 15% of the world’s population, and host about half of the world's biodiversity hotspots. They provide freshwater for everyday life to half of humanity. Their conservation is a key factor for sustainable development, and is part of Goal 15 of the SDGs.

Unfortunately, mountains are under threat from climate change and overexploitation. As the global climate continues to warm, mountain people — some of the world’s poorest — face even greater struggles to survive. The rising temperatures also mean that mountain glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates, affecting freshwater supplies downstream for millions of people.

This problem affects us all. We must reduce our carbon footprint and take care of these natural treasures. The increasing attention to the importance of mountains led the UN to declare 2002 the UN International Year of Mountains.

International Mountain Day is celebrated annually on 11 December, to create awareness about the importance of mountains to life, to highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development, and to build alliances that would bring positive change to mountain peoples and environments around the world.

“Women Move Mountains” is the theme of this year's International Mountain Day on 11 December. Women play a key role in environmental protection and social and economic development in mountain areas. They are often the primary managers of mountain resources, guardians of biodiversity, keepers of traditional knowledge, custodians of local culture, and experts in traditional medicine.

Increasing climate variability, coupled with a lack of investment in mountain agriculture and rural development, has often pushed men to migrate elsewhere in search of alternative livelihoods. Women have therefore taken on many tasks formerly done by men, yet mountain women are often invisible, due to a lack of decision-making power and unequal access to resources.

As farmers, market sellers, businesswomen, artisans, entrepreneurs, and community leaders, mountain women and girls, in particular in rural areas, have the potential to be major agents of change. When rural women have access to resources, services and opportunities, they become a driving force against hunger, malnutrition and rural poverty, and are active in the development of mountain economies.

To trigger real change towards sustainable development, it is important to engage in gender-transformative change.

International Mountain Day 2022 is an opportunity to raise awareness about the need to empower mountain women, so they can participate more effectively in decisionmaking processes and have more control over productive resources. By sharing excellence, opportunities and capacity development in mountains, the day can promote gender equality, and therefore contribute to improved social justice, livelihoods and resilience.

Mountains in Guyana

Mountains and their surrounding landscape are often picturesque, and attract many tourists and nature lovers. Guyana has more than 200 named mountains, with four mountain ranges which are mostly found in the highland region.

Did you know that

* 57 peaks are found in Cuyuni-Mazaruni

* 45 peaks are found in Potaro-Siparuni

* 52 peaks are found in Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo

There are four mountain ranges in Guyana: 1. The Acarai Mountains 2. The Imataka Mountains 3. The Pakaraima Mountains and 4. The Kanuku Mountains.

The main mountain range in Guyana is the “Kanuku”, which separates the North and South Rupununi Savannahs.

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.

References

https://www.un.org/en/observances/mountain-day https://www.fao.org/international-mountain-day/ theme/en/ https://www.thingsguyana.com/guyana-has-manymountains-here-are-a-few-things-you-didnt-know/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanuku_Mountains https://protectedareastrust.org.gy/protected-areas/ kanuku-mountains/ https://fzs.org/en/projects/guyana/kanuku-mountains/

Faye Stewart makes Mahdia proud

Attending university

Stewart eventually left a permanent job at NCN but she remained focused on the classes at UG. Thankfully, she said a month after leaving the job, she was offered a freelance position where she could balance her studies with work. “Overall, I generally had a good experience at UG. The people of the Centre for Communication Studies have been very supportive,” she said.

According to Stewart, attending university may have been a far-fetched idea in her mind while she lived in Mahdia, where she had lived all her life; even her first job was in that mining community.

B y A lv A S olom A n

She is well-known across the country as an eloquent presenter on the National Communications Network (NCN) and in many regards, she stands out as a unique communications talent from the town of Mahdia.

Meet Faye Stewart, a young woman whose ambitious pedigree has scored her yet another accomplishment; a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies. Like many other Guyanese, Stewart is graduating this month from the University of Guyana (UG) with a tertiary qualification which will take her into the next phase of her life.

For her, the accomplishment may be significant. But for the town of Mahdia, being the first Indigenous person from the area to host programmes on national television and radio is even greater. Stewart said she is also the first from one side of her family to attend university.

Challenging start

Stewart recalled leaving Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni) in 2018 to pursue higher education in Georgetown.

“I applied to go to UG at 2 o’clock in the morning one night and I got accepted sometime after. I left Mahdia with no idea of how I was going to survive for the first couple of months in the city. I had some savings and I decided to pay for the first year at UG,” she said.

She said she doesn’t have many family members in the city except for her sister but she didn’t wish to impose too much on her sibling. She said she moved in with an adoptive family and they provided

her with much-needed support.

Stewart eventually found a job and the young mother tried her best to adjust, even as she attended classes at the university’s Turkeyen campus. But she found it difficult to manage the two and soon after she decided to leave. She

“For students coming out of the hinterland to study in Georgetown, it is very difficult. First, you have to secure a place to stay and as long as you find a place to stay then you have to finance yourself, that is if you are not coming on a scholarship,” Stewart added.

She said the opportunity for her to attend UG did

then landed another job. This time at NCN, which was easy at first but things began to get a bit difficult when the class and work times clashed.

not come about until she was 27. “That was working after all of my life coming out of high school and then saving a little bit of money just to give me that start

and of course a lot of motivation,” she added.

As regards the latter, she said she had become very motivated to study although she wasn’t sure how life would have played out once in the city.

Adjusting to classes

Thankfully for Stewart, the CCS at the university already had systems streamlined for students in terms of providing them with the requisite information regarding class venues, such as the George Walcott Lecture Theatre and other aspects of study preparations such as timetables. “The CCS helped us in familiarising ourselves with the environment,” she said.

She said she had a few experiences which weren’t too favourable and one of those was the English grade in her first year at UG. “I couldn’t understand, I had to rewrite that course during the summer, I paid for it all over again and to this day I do

not know why I was given that grade, I really do not know what had happened,” she said.

She said a similar occurrence came about in her final year but she was mentally drained at that point. She said she recovered and was focused on finishing the programme completely. “Those were my worst experiences,” she said.

On the flip side, Stewart said one of her fond memories of the study institution was working on group assignments and according to her, her colleagues were always supportive and dedicated to the cause of the task at hand.

There are perceptions by some who work in the media that obtaining a degree in the communication field at UG may not be worth the try. But Stewart begged to differ. “There is this disposition that you shouldn’t attend UG because you may not learn anything new but that is a very wrong opinion on what the university of-

fers,” she said.

She said she found the university’s communication programme to be “holistic” in that one is taught how to cover various beats such as science, culture and the arts. In addition, she noted that there are cross-faculty courses which exposed her to other aspects of the study.

“In my first elective I did archaeology and anthropology and then I went on to study diplomacy and international negotiation as another elective and I also did technical communication,” she said.

Stewart said those courses allowed her to have a wider perspective of academics. “This is to show that the communication programme is holistic and comprehensive and I think it encompasses a whole lot,” she said.

She said persons who work in the field may be exposed to the realities of journalism and communication but the academic side of things widens that perspective.

Balancing studies

Stewart said her greatest challenge while at UG was balancing her studies with work. She said to get by, at one point she held down three jobs but most of the time she was working two jobs while studying. In addition, her daughter was preparing to sit the National Grade Six Examination and assisting her was also another challenge. “I had to work. It was either I work and not attend class. But it was not like that for me, I had to do both,” she said.

Currently, Stewart is a freelancer at NCN where she is a broadcaster for both radio and television, including the Guyana Today programme. She hosts programmes on both mediums at NCN.

She is also the network relations coordinator for EduFM, the Ministry of Education’s radio station where she was offered that position given her talent. The station is in its developmental stage. Her task entails visiting the relay sites of the station across Guyana and sensitising schools to the programmes on the station.

“Everything that I am doing now in relation to work, they are all related to the field of communication,” she said. As for her future, the young woman plans to explore her academic talent as well as opportunities which will catapult her into her dreams of being a successful product of Mahdia.

Faye Stewart in her graduation apparel

On set at the National Communications Network

On assignment in the fields

Spike in construction, development puts pressure on supply chains …efforts

Due to the escalation of construction and other private sector developments, the demand for materials has been skyrocketing, but the Government is making strides in ensuring there are adequate supplies.

This was according to Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, who on Friday stated that while some may refer to this occurrence as a shortage, in actuality, it is

a measure of success for the country. Despite importers bringing more and production ramping up, there is still great demand.

“There are hundreds of roads that are being executed. That is why we would have gone the full distance and you have seen the public call to acquire aggregates. The Ministry is going out to get materials because even though the quarries are producing more, the importers

are bringing in more, but there is still not enough. Some people will call that a shortage but I will call it being a victim of our own success,” Edghill explained.

With this pressure to support the market, he noted that contractors have to adapt and work smarter to ensure smooth flow with little disturbance.

“The hundreds of homes under construction, the hundreds of roads under

construction, the private sector development taking place has put pressure on the market…We have to be able to increase capacity but in doing so, we must act sensibly, where work could be done offsite and then we bring it onsite. I’ve seen some contractors taking those necessary steps.”

For 2021, the Government was working with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to up production of construction aggregates to over one million tonnes. The production rate for quarriable substances had been much lower than the demand over the last few years.

For 2020, just about 650,000 tonnes of materials were produced.

President Dr Irfaan Ali

had also revealed last year that as many as 20 companies are vying to establish concrete plants, a service that is in demand with the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government’s housing drive and ambitious construction goals.

A massive housing drive is also underway that targets thousands of new homes. The Government also intends to allocate some 50,000 house lots within five years – adding to the demand.

This year, Hadi’s World Incorporated, a subsidiary of Mohamed’s Enterprise, partnered with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) Guyana Inc to pursue its US$25 million quarry project to cater to the needs of the country’s booming construction sec-

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill

tor.

Only recently, equipment was deployed to the area and the production of stones is expected to commence in the first quarter in the new year.

being taken to ensure materials are available – Edghill

$37M agro-processing facility commissioned at Fort Wellington

The Government of Guyana, in an effort to further commercialise value-added production through agro-processing, has been working to establish agro-processing facilities across the country.

On Saturday, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha commissioned a state-of-theart agro-processing facility at Fort Wellington, West Coast Berbice in Region Five (Mahaica Berbice).

The $37 million investment will see approximately 700 persons including farmers, agro-processors, women, youth, and other stakeholders from Regions Five and Six benefiting from improved ser-

vices geared at increasing the value and extending the shelf life of their products.

The facility is outfitted with the necessary equipment to process and package approximately 4320 litres of green seasoning and 3600 litres of pepper sauce monthly and is designed to offer 24-hour service as well as a mechanisation process to reduce operational costs.

While offering remarks, Minister Mustapha challenged farmers to make full use of the facility and said that the Government intends to ensure the agriculture sector develops its agro-processing capabilities.

“Many times, the

Government may expend large sums of money to build new facilities but the farmers are not making full use of it. These facilities will help us to develop and modernise our agriculture sector. These initiatives are not new for this Government because when you look at the plans, we have for the agriculture sector; the plans that were detailed in our manifesto, it stated that we have to move the sector from a primary productive sector to one with value-added capabilities. By the end of the year, we’ll see around nine facilities like this one being opened across the country,” the Minister said.

– approximately 700 farmers, agro-processors to benefit – as Govt continues to push value-added production

UG’s Valedictorian calls for more opportunities for internships, jobs, and scholarships for continuous elevation – over 3,000 students graduated over weekend

ed that after battling many struggles during his time at the university, graduating is a stepping stone for himself and fellow graduates in becoming agents of change for the betterment of the country.

Pemberton posited that even with the COVID-19 pandemic posing many challenges, it did not prevent the students of the university from pursuing their studies. In this light, he reminded his colleagues of Nelson Mandela’s famous quote “education is the most powerful weapon that can be used to change the world”.

ic development with the burgeoning opportunities not just in the oil exploration but in agriculture, renewables, and ICT…,” he said.

“We didn’t allow COVID-19 to crush our spirits but in fact, it strengthened our resolve to confront the challenges and overcome them… and with a profound sense of humility interspersed with elation and tremendous feeling of gratitude…,” the young man thanked all who contributed to his success.

use this opportunity to implore the relevant institutions, for opportunities for internships, jobs, and more scholarships to allow for holistic and all-inclusive education and to facilitate that process of continuous elevation of graduates,” he said.

The 2022 valedictorian further asked for consideration to be given for a tax incentive programme to intensify the establishment of the requisite internship programmes, to facilitate the engagement of recent graduates.

Graduates from a range of disciplines including nursing, communication studies, business and law, health and human sciences, engineering, economics, the environment, education, and the arts among others, have celebrated their academic journey across those series of ceremonies.

Sean Pemberton is revelling in the glory of securing the coveted title of the University of Guyana’s Valedictorian for the Class of 2021/2022 after successfully completing the requirement

for a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics with a 4.0 GPA, a perfect score.

He has also the winner of the President’s Medal.

The valedictorian during his speech on Friday posit-

He said Guyana is on the cusp of transformational economic development and urged his colleagues to seize every opportunity.

“To graduate at this time is exceedingly fortuitous as we collectively recognise that Guyana is now on the cusp of transformational econom-

$37M agro-processing facility...

FROM PAGE 27

Pemberton further opined that education is a lifelong experience, and must be supplemented with appropriate experiences, higher studies, and character development. For too long, he said, graduates are faced with the dilemma of not acquiring jobs after graduating.

“They require you to have experience, but you cannot get that experience without first getting a job. How are we, the new graduates, expected to proceed under such circumstances?”

“To our business leaders, HR executives, policymakers, university officials, and hirers in general, I want to

“Similarly, it will also be helpful if due consideration could be given to the establishment of a task force, charged to develop a conducive framework for the entry of new graduates into the workforce… it is Guyanese resources that will move this country where it needs to be,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the 56th convocation ceremony saw the first batch of some 3000 students graduating and celebrating their academic achievements at four separate graduation ceremonies held at the National Cultural Centre in Georgetown.

Those graduating have completed a range of Associate degrees [Diplomas], Bachelor’s Degrees, and Master’s Degrees within the faculties of Medical Sciences (COMs), the College of Behavioural Sciences and Research (CoRES), Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry (FAF), Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences (FEES), the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE) and School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation, the Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET), the Faculties of Education and Humanities (FEH) and Social Sciences.

Also, during Friday’s ceremonies, the university conferred two honorary doctorates to Sir Clive Hubert Lloyd and Dr Andrew Boyle.

Convicted child rapist to know fate on Monday in appeal against 28-year sentence

Minister Mustapha also said with Caricom now looking to reduce its food import bill, more locally-made products are being exported to countries in the Region.

“When you look around the Caribbean, our produce is in demand. We are working to remove all the non-tariff barriers that were preventing our products from entering those markets. We are now seeing more products being exported to Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and other countries in the Eastern Caribbean,” he noted.

General Manager of the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (New GMC), Teshawna Lall said the establishment of the facility is a result of multiple dialogues and engagements between Minister Mustapha and various stakeholders from Regions Five and Six. She added that stakeholders will now benefit from better prices as well as an increase in access to regional and international markets.

“Given the geographical location of this facility, its

design encompasses modern equipment, and an effortless production process to reduce wastage and spoilage drastically. Additionally, all stakeholders will also enjoy better prices for their products by penetrating more markets locally and internationally as a result of valued added production,” she noted.

This year, the New GMC is expected to commence construction and/or retrofit-

ting of a number of agro-processing and packaging facilities across the country. Last month, Minister Mustapha commissioned a similar facility in St Ignatius in Region Nine that will be used primarily for the production and packaging of peanut butter. Another facility is expected to be commissioned in Region Nine (deep south) before the end of the year.

After several months of deliberations, the Court of Appeal (CoA) of Guyana will on Monday deliver its ruling in an appeal filed by a convicted child rapist who is seeking to have his 28-year jail sentence set aside.

In April 2018, 28-yearold Colvin Norton was jailed after being found guilty by a jury of the offence of engaging in sexual penetration with a child under the age of 16.

The charges against Norton had stated that he sexually penetrated a sixyear-old girl on August 1, 2013, and then again on August 6 of that same year. He was 19 years old at the time.

For the first count, he was sentenced to 24 years in prison, however, on the second count, trial Judge Jo Ann Barlow added four more years to the first sentence for aggravating factors, thereby sentencing him to 28 years on that count. The two sentences were ordered to be served concurrently.

The court was told that Norton was caught in the act by the child’s mother on the second occasion.

It was revealed that after he had sexually pene-

trated the child, he told her not to tell anyone as her mother would not believe her. It was also revealed that he had also threatened the girl, that if she told her mother, he would kill both her and her mother.

At Norton’s sentencing hearing in April 2018, the child, in her impact statement, had expressed that she still gets flashbacks about the incident, which she blamed for causing a decline in her grades at school.

At first, she said she felt sad and as though she was the cause of it happening. However, after realising that she was not the only

child who had something like this happen to them and that Norton would be punished, the girl said she was not ashamed anymore.

High Court Judge Jo Ann Barlow, in sentencing the convict, considered his age at the time of the commissioning of the offence, but stressed that it was not an excuse for violating the young girl.

Justice Barlow considered that the offender breached the trust of the child’s mother, who had entrusted him to care for not only the six-year-old but others as well. “Like a thief in the night, you violated a six-year-old,” the Judge remarked.

She also pointed out that Norton trying to silence the victim showed his total disregard for proper moral values. The Judge further noted that sexual offenders have issues with controlling their emotions and ordered that Norton undergo treatment under the sexual offender’s rehabilitation programme.

She also ordered the prison service to expose him to programmes to improve his literacy. Justice Barlow had also expressed hope for the child to continue receiving counselling.

Convicted child rapist Colvin Norton

Sean Pemberton, UG’s 2022 Valedictorian

Minister Zulfikar Mustapha examining a bottle of pepper sauce along with GMC GM Teshawna Lall and GMC staff Dwight Harris

The newly commissioned facility is outfitted with equipment to package sauces in bottles and packets

Guyana’s top chess player Jessica Callender has maintained her impressive form to add to her resume another victory in a year of numerous international events.

In the recent Srefidensi Open Online Blitz, hosted by the Suriname Chess Federation, she finished third overall, a position which has placed her as the top female in the competition. In the two sections of that event, more than 60 players were featured, and they represented up to 9 regional countries from as far south as hosts Suriname to as far north as regional chess power Cuba. Excelling in this elite field of players has given Callender a place on a team to represent the Caribbean in a team match against China this weekend.

The Caribbean team features Callender alongside Cuban Grand Master Jimenez Luis Lazaro Aguero, Barbadian International Master Orlando Husbands, and Surinamese Women’s Fide Master Catherine Kaslan. The Caribbean

team’s contest against China will consist of a team match played with 4 rounds of Scheveningen. Each player will be given a time limit of five minutes, with a three-second increment, to complete their game. The team with higher total game points would be the winner.

Matches, organised by the Chinese Chess Association, will be played on the chess. com platform on December 10

and 11.

Jessica has shown prowess in international chess across multiple formats this year. She has earned her WCM norm at the recent Olympiad in Chennai, and returned home as one of Guyana’s top performers. And she has won “best female” accolade in the Margaret Prince Memorial Rapid chess tournament hosted by the Barbados Chess Federation.

Jessica Callender

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

Australia poised to sweep series after 16-wicket day

– Scott Boland claims stunning 3-wkt maiden

Astunning three-wicket maiden from Scott Boland has put Australia on track for a 2-0 series sweep following a day in which the game accelerated dramatically at the Adelaide Oval. Boland's bedazzling spell has reduced West Indies to 38 for 4 at stumps on day three as they chase an improbable fourth innings target of 497.

The visitors lost 10 wickets on day three across two innings, with Australia piling up 199 for 6 declared in 31 overs in-between after opting against enforcing the follow-on, as they did in Perth. Instead, they declared at sunset, and asked West Indies to face 22 overs under lights, with Boland ripping through their top order in taking three wickets in his first over to leave the visitors reeling at 15 for 3.

Having gone wicketless in the first innings to see his Test bowling average reach doublefigures, Boland dropped it back under 10 as he nicked off Kraigg Brathwaite, pinned Shamarh Brooks lbw, and had

Jermaine Blackwood caught superbly at gully by Cameron Green in six perfect deliveries.

Three wickets soon became four when Tagenarine Chanderpaul attempted to glance Mitchell Starc down the leg side.

Australia's half-hearted appeal was turned down, but their review showed a tiny spot on his bat, and the decision was overturned.

Devon Thomas and Jason Holder dug in valiantly for 13.3 overs to prevent further losses, but pushing the game beyond a fourth day looks improbable.

Earlier, West Indies lost six wickets in the morning session for 112, to be bowled out for just 214 in their first innings.

Having started the day at 102 for 4, they conceded a first innings’ deficit of 297. The morning was highlighted by two calamitous run-outs of West Indies' two top scorers in the innings, with Chanderpaul and nightwatchman Anderson Phillip falling to needless mix-ups.

Nathan Lyon also extracted sharp spin to pick up two

wickets and finish with three in the innings, as West Indies were bowled out on the stroke of dinner. Starc bagged two in an extended session that lasted longer than it should have, after Australia missed three catches behind the wicket.

The West Indies’ day started with Chanderpaul run-out in the opening over without adding to his overnight score of 47. He defended a ball close into the off side and wanted a quick single, but Phillip did not respond, leaving Chanderpaul scrambling to return to safety. Starc, having

delivered from around the wicket, raced across to his right and opened his body superbly to fire with his left hand and hit the middle of middle from close range, with Chanderpaul's fulllength dive not enough to save him.

Holder was out two overs later, edging a full ball from Starc that tailed away, and Alex Carey took an excellent catch low to his right.

Phillip and Joshua Da Silva then mounted a positive rearguard, putting together a brisk 60-run stand in 13 overs.

The strokeplay was aggressive despite the running between the wickets remaining questionable. Playing in just his second Test match, Phillip had only reached double-figures in ten of his previous 30 first-class innings, with a highest score of 36 not out.

He struck five boundaries and a six to post his highest firstclass score, while Da Silva looked secure and rotated the strike well, and was threatened only by Phillip's lackadaisical running. Da Silva could have been run out at the striker's end after Phillip made a very late call to take a single to mid-off, but the throw from Michael Neser was wide of the stumps.

Phillip nearly ran himself out, having lazily grounded his bat short of his ground when Marnus Labuschagne missed an attempt to break the stumps after gathering a wide throw. It would have been no surprise, given he was penalised for running one short earlier in the partnership.

Da Silva was trapped lbw by Lyon, playing deep in his crease to a ball that spun back sharply. Umpire Kumar Dharmasena initially shook his head, but Australia's review overturned the call, as it was hitting the top of middle. Lyon later snared Alzarri Joseph with an identical dismissal.

Phillip finally ran himself out when Roston Chase ignored a needless call for a single after a misfield at cover. The ball ricocheted to Labuschagne at mid-off. Phillip came halfway

down before turning back after Chase called no. Labuschagne's throw at the striker's end missed, but Carey had time to collect and underarm onto the stumps as he was still running up from his keeping position.

Chase and Marquino Mindley frustrated the Australians with a last-wicket stand of 43. Mindley fought admirably, given he was batting with a hamstring injury, flicking Starc for six over backward square. Carey, David Warner and Labuschagne all missed chances behind the wicket off sharp edges, with Cameron Green denied twice.

Australia's batters enjoyed a centre-wicket in the second session twilight, with Usman Khawaja in particular cashing in on a tiring West Indies attack, top-scoring with 45. Warner looked less fluent, but the pair added 77 before both fell to Chase in the same over.

Labuschagne and Steven Smith feasted on the spin of Chase and Brathwaite thereafter, with a relentless array of sweeps and reverse sweeps before tea. Labuschagne become just the second Australian batter to pass 500 runs in a two-Test series, but fell in the last over before the break for 31.

Travis Head came out after tea and clubbed 38 not out off 27 balls to set up a declaration. Green and Carey were the only ones failing to make 28 or more, both falling unselfishly in pursuit of quick runs, with Green's lack of time in the middle this summer remaining a concern. (Cricinfo)

Fall of wickets: 1-15 (Kraigg Brathwaite, 5.1 ov), 2-15 (Shamarh Brooks, 5.3 ov), 3-15 (Jermaine Blackwood, 5.6 ov), 4-21 (Tagenarine Chanderpaul, 8.3 ov)

BOWLING O-M-R-W

Mitchell Starc 5-2-11-1

Michael Neser 6-2-9-0

Scott Boland 6-3-9-3

Nathan Lyon 5-3-7-0

Scott Boland's first over in West Indies' second innings was a triple-wicket maiden

Mitchell Starc's direct hit found Tagenarine Chanderpaul short

The Leonora Track and Field Centre (NTFC) on the West Coast of Demerara (WCD) will come alive this evening when the ‘National’ stage of the One Guyana President’s Cup football tournament commences.

Having started as an inter-ward competition featuring community teams competing within Guyana’s 10 administrative Regions, this

One Guyana President’s Cup kicks off tonight!

tournament has now blossomed into the ‘National’ leg, in which 25 players have been picked to represent each region.

The ultimate prize for the 10 competing regional teams is Gy$2M, but there also are many incentives the Guyanese ballers would pick up along the way. This has been assured by President Dr. Irfaan Ali, who has long ex-

plained that the tournament is of paramount importance to him. In fact, at the tournament’s official launch last week, the Head of State emphasised the benefit of sport to communities, the level at which he wished to have the football tournament commence.

“Now, I believe that sport is a very important aspect of national life, from many per-

spectives. Not only from a talent perspective, but culturally, socially, sports is critical. It is a unifying force, it is a transformative force,” President Dr. Irfaan Ali said as he addressed a gathering of corporate sponsors, football stakeholders and players at State House.

“If you look at communities that have a very vibrant sporting environment, you will see less social problems in those communities, because a lot of energy from young people is positively directed on the field. And sports, if done in the correct way, is the greatest teacher of discipline,” the President has reasoned.

“And this is what we need

to understand, the sports family in this country need to understand, this is not just about going out there and playing football; you influence people,” the Head of State said about the players who are now going on to represent their regions.

With 20 group games scheduled before the tournament heads into the knockout round, the Head of State had an additional charge for Guyana’s footballers who will be on show.

President Ali said, “All I ask for is for total commitment to this initiative, and to say to you that we, in the Government, we are committed to working with you, advancing this cause. Matter of fact, we’ve already started discussions on next year’s tournament.”

The ‘National’ stage of the President’s Cup will commence with a clash between Region 6 (East Berbice-Corentyne) and Region 9 (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo) at 18:00hrs. At 20:30hrs, the home team Region 3 (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara) will lock horns with Region 1 (BarimaWaini).

The tournament will continue on Wednesday, December 14, at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) Ground with Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) battling Region 5 (MahaicaBerbice) at 18:00hrs, and Region 4 (Demerara-Mahaica) looking to utilize their home advantage against Region 7 (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) from 20:30hrs. (Jemima Holmes)

Rain forces postponement of Shivtahal Sukhram Memorial Cup horse meet at PMTC

By

The Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) continues to move from strength to strength with the passage of time. A successful 2022 has thus far been recorded, with the greatest LGC success being the GTT Guyana Open tournament; and according to Club Secretary Chet Bowling, the club is happy to have been able to experience such memorable moments in 2022.

In a comment invited by this publication in regard to how the fortunes of golf have been progressing at the club for 2022, Bowling said, “I think there were a bunch of high points this year, our main one being the GTT Guyana Open that was concluded successfully. We are happy that our main sponsor came on board - GTT Fibre - as they continue to demonstrate their good corporate social responsibility in supporting the golf club. We had in excess of 80 players, and that was a fantastic tournament.

The grounds were in perfect condition, and the weather (had) held up nicely.”

He noted that prior to the GTT Open, the club was able to send a contingent of 40+ players to represent Guyana at the Suriname Open, and this was for the first time since onset of COVID-19. He said that what had impressed him most was the camaraderie among members of the LGC and Suriname Golf Club, which had resulted in a number of Surinamese golfers participating in the GTT Guyana Open.

Bowling also mentioned that Shanella London had been a dominant force on the course, winning the female title in both the Suriname Open and the GTT Open in this same year.

“A next big event was the MACORP Golf Tournament. It was well played, and is a traditional high-interest golfing event on the calendar, as a lot of people stay after the GTT Guyana Open to play that tournament. It was

well attended, well played, and well-coordinated,” he explained.

“A high point was the kids’ golf camp; we reinstated that after COVID. It is something we aim to continue into next year and make into something more frequent. We had in excess of 60 kids for a oneweek camp. We also had a satellite camp in Hopetown, Berbice; and, on the final day, we had them come to LGC and compete against each other,” Bowling shared.

Further, Bowling divulged that although the weather is currently not conducive, the club would like to do something for the members before the end of the year, and that ideally is the hosting of a club tournament.

He clarified that such an activity would be open to the public, as golf is a family event, and even if the competition ends up being a chip-andputt because of the weather, the club intends to create that family atmosphere for which it is known.

The rain postponed an exciting event that was billed for December 11

Persistent rainfall in the East BerbiceCorentyne area of Region Six has forced postponement of the Port Mourant Turf Club’s horse meet that was to be run off today, Sunday December 11; and according to race organizers, a new date for this meet is yet to be decided.

A number of top local horses had been slated to repel the invasion of foreign horses and their top jockeys from the Caribbean, whose handlers had set their sights on the more than eight million dollars cash that was up for the take.

Seven races were on the card, and more than 50 horses were in contention, among which were top-performing local animals Looking to Heaven, Our Stuie, Smoking Heels, Red Star, and Eldorado Queen.

The main event would

have been the race for West Indian-bred horses over one mile, wherein the top horse would have bagged one million dollars. The total purse for that race was approximately two million dollars.

Other races that were on the cards included the H & Lower six-furlong race; the race for two-year-old West Indies and Guyana-bred animals; the J Open; the J NonStarter; and the race for horses placed second and Lower in the J3 Non-Starter/Earner. The K&L race was set to round off the day’s activities.

The Shivtahal Sukhram Memorial Cup/Port Mourant Turf Club event had major sponsors on board. The sponsors included Motie Shivtahal Sukhram and Ramesh Sukhram, Banks DIH, Jumbo Jet, AJM, Delmur Company Limited, Kascon Engineering, Anil Shaw Contracting, Satesh Beer Garden, Archway Snackette,

Sandeep Poultry Supply, Shook Shivmangal, and KP Jagdeo General Contractors.

TimoThy Jaikarran

President Dr Irfaan Ali is flanked by players who will turn out for the One Guyana President’s Cup, commencing tonight

President Dr Irfaan Ali

LGC

Quarterfinal match…

Morocco beat Portugal to make World Cup history

Morocco became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final, and ended the hopes of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

Striker Youssef En-Nesyri scored the winning goal in the first half, leaping highest to beat goalkeeper Diogo Costa to the ball, and heading in to spark pandemonium at Al Thumama Stadium.

The North African side’s supporters populated most of the venue, and joyously celebrated their breakthrough moment on the global stage.

Ronaldo came off the bench in the 50th minute to equal

the men’s all-time appearance record of 196 in international matches, but he could not drag his side back into the contest.

Morocco, who will face France in the last four, were happy to play on the counter, and grabbed the opener just before the break when En-Nesyri headed in from Yahya AttiyatAllah’s cross.

Portugal skipper Bruno Fernandes came agonisingly close to levelling just minutes later, but a brilliant individual effort struck the crossbar.

Decimated by injuries, Morocco sat back for the majority of the second half,

and Yassine Bounou brilliantly tipped over Joao Felix’s drive - the closest they came to an equaliser.

Morocco striker Walid Cheddira was sent off for a second yellow card in eight minutes of additional time, but Portugal could not find the equalizer, as their last-four hopes were dashed.

Magnificent Moroccans make history

Three African sides had previously reached this stage of the World Cup, but none had progressed any further. Until

now.

The marvellous Moroccan players and fans rejoiced as EnNesyri’s header on 42 minutes proved to be the pivotal moment.

Fans whistled and jeered every pass the Portuguese players made, and then the rowdiest section behind the goal seemed to suck the ball into the net.

Walid Regragui’s side were missing West Ham’s Nayef Aguerd, Bayern Munich’s Noussair Mazraoui and lost captain Romain Saiss to injury early in the second period, but they defended resolutely, and

frustrated Portugal to keep their seventh clean sheet in eight games under their boss, and have conceded just once in this tournament.

Morocco are a tough proposition, and buoyed on by a partisan crowd in Doha, they will present a difficult challenge to whoever they face in the last four on Wednesday.

Goalkeeper Bounou, earning his 50th cap, pushed away a header from Felix early on, and a deflected strike flew narrowly over. Morocco had carved out the better opportunities on the break, but En-Nesyri sent two free headers off target

and Sofiane Boufal’s curler was straight at Costa.

In his desperation for an equaliser, Fernando Santos sent on Ronaldo early in the second half, but the 37-year-old - who equalled Kuwait striker Bader Al-Mutawa’s international caps record - found it difficult to make any impact.

Having seen rival Lionel Messi reach the semi-finals on Friday, Ronaldo could not do the same with his side on what is likely to be his final World Cup appearance, and he trudged down the tunnel in tears at fulltime as his dream was over. (BBC Sport)

France defeats European rival England to seal spot in World Cup semis

France will take on Morocco in the Qatar 2022 semi-finals after securing a thrilling, topsy-turvy 2-1 win over England at Al Bayt Stadium.

Olivier Giroud’s deflected second-half header ultimately proved to be the winner, after Harry Kane had blazed over a late penalty, having earlier scored from the spot to cancel out Aurelien Tchouameni’s beautifully struck opener.

Much had been expected of this clash of two European titans, and the game more than lived up to its lofty billing. Neither team

was able to maintain control, as momentum shifted one direction, then the other, with England starting the brighter before France capitalised on a short spell of pressure.

Few would have predicted the goalscorer, though, with Tchouameni smashing into the bottom-left corner from 25 yards for his first-ever competitive goal for Les Bleus. The remainder of the first half became something of a personal battle between Kane and Hugo Lloris, clubmates at Tottenham Hotspur, with the keeper racing from his goal to save at the striker’s feet

before agilely tipping away a deflected 20-yard effort.

England’s captain would not be denied, however, and claimed a deserved equaliser nine minutes into the second half with a trademark penalty into the top-left corner after the lively Bukayo Saka had been upended.

Both teams created chances in the spell that followed, with Jordan Pickford producing one particularly impressive save to divert a net-bound Giroud volley behind for a corner.

France’s record scorer also showed his persistence, though,

and was rewarded when his near-post header from Antoine Griezmann’s inviting cross from the left flashed past Pickford via a touch off Harry Maguire.

Game over and drama at an end? No chance. England earned another penalty soon after a crazy Theo Hernandez shove on the back of Mason Mount was penalised following a VAR check. Kane again stepped up, aiming for the same part of the goal, but this time his normally flawless technique let him down and the ball flew wildly over. England huffed and puffed thereafter, with Marcus Rashford curling

just over from a late free-kick.

But the title holders held on, albeit only just, to progress to face Qatar 2022’s surprise package in the last four.

Key moment:

There are few more reliable penalty takers in world football than Kane. He won the adidas Golden Boot largely as a result of his expertise from the spot, having scored just once from open play. But although England expected the net to bulge when he stepped up for a second time at Al Bayt Stadium, he sent the ball high into the stands,

231-0544,

and extended the Three Lions’ agonising wait for major tournament success.

Key stat

With his 53rd international goal, Harry Kane equalled Wayne Rooney’s national scoring record. The Three Lions captain, Russia 2018’s top scorer, has reached this impressive tally in 40 fewer appearances (80 to 120) than his former teammate required. All the same, thanks to that second penalty, it will be a night that would stay in his memory for all the wrong reasons. (FIFA)