Guyana Times - Sunday, January 15, 2023

China seen as important partner in Guyana’s energy equation – Ali

Welcoming investments and support from the People’s Republic of China, President Dr Irfaan Ali has positioned that the country is seen as an important piece in the puzzle of Guyana’s energy equation.

The Guyanese leader appeared virtually on the China Global Television Network’s Leaders’ Talk where he labelled China as an important partner for Guyana. In this regard, participation is encouraged as work unfolds to develop a robust energy platform for global benefit.

“We see China as an important part in the energy equation of our country. We continue to encourage China as we encourage every single one to participate fully in the public process, in the bidding process of this energy platform that we’re developing at a global scale,” President Ali underscored.

President Ali highlighted Government’s intention of pursuing a renewable energy pathway, and using gas as a transitional supplier for energy. He also mentioned the revised Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030. When asked where he sees China fitting into these plans, Ali reiterated that cooperation remains critical. “We don’t believe there is an immediate end to fossil fuel but we believe that we must pursue a path of renewable energy. Our forest stores 19.5 gigatons of carbon. It’s the size of England…We’re also working on a national gas masterplan because gas can be an important transitional supplier for energy.”

He added, “China has technology and resources from a capital and human resource perspective to fast-track and accelerate investment in greener energy provider, for

example, hydropower and solar. What is a great problem of the developing world is the capital costs for some of these alternative energy solutions.

Sharing that Chinese businesses have been able to establish across the length and breadth of the country, the Head of State explained that it is because of an equal platform created for stakeholders. In the same regard, the Chinese business community has been integrated in the social framework of Guyana.

Ali reminded, “We are not only hosts to Chinese investment. We have people to people link. The Chinese are part of our country. They are part of the diversity of our country and the bloodline of our country. From a people and culture perspective, China is an equal part of Guyana because they make up the six peoples…We have always provided an equal platform. We have always pro-

vided a respectful platform in which their presence and investment must not only be welcomed but supported.”

In expanding production to one million barrels daily in a few years, Ali shared that world-class education and healthcare system; diversified agricultural systems; a robust housing programme; increased manufacturing capacity and lowered energy costs will be realised.

“We are going to have a situation by 2027 going onto 2028 where we will be closing in on maybe one million barrels per day. What that gives us now is the opportunity to build out the other sectors and make the other sectors more competitive.”

He also pointed out that while many speak of the oil curse, it is the prudent management of these resources that will see the benefits trickling down the right stream.

“The problem is never really a resource problem. The problem has always been the management of the resources and that is what is critical; ensuring that in the management of this resource, there is transparency and accountability and that the system enables the country to develop and widen its economic base… You must not go on a wild spending spree,” said Ali.

Meanwhile, the Guyanese

Head of State positioned that Guyana stands by the One China principle, which is the position held by the People's Republic of China (PRC) that there is only one sovereign state under the name China, with the PRC serving as the sole legitimate government of that China, and Taiwan is a part of China. This opposes the idea that there are two states holding the name "China", the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC); as well as the idea that China and Taiwan form two separate countries.

“We have made it very clear that we continue to respect the One China Policy. That is part of our policy agenda. This is our position internationally and we believe that the One China Policy is important not only for China but for the stability of the region. More importantly, we believe that the region itself, as we work in a global community, must find ways in which there are can be deeper partnerships and collaboration.” (G12)

President Irfaan Ali appearing on CGTN’s Leaders’ Talk

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Sunday, Jan 15 – 10:30 – 12:00h and 23:00 – 00:30h and Monday, Jan 16 –11:30h – 13:00h and 23:30 – 01:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, Jan 15 – 09:55h – 11:25h and Monday, Jan 16 – 11:20h – 12:40h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

There will be sunshine and light cloud during the day. Expect partly cloudy skies at night.

Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North North-Easterly to East NorthEasterly between 1.78 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 10:18h and 22:54h reaching maximum heights of 2.32 metres and 2.26 metres.

Low Tide: 16:22h reaching a minimum height of 0.9 metre.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 2023 |

Budget 2023 will contain major shift to community development – VP

…says policy document will be consistent with PPP/C promises

With budget 2023 on the horizon, the Government has signalled that this year would see, among other things, a major shift to community building and improving infrastructure, which will include massive spending on community roads and drainage systems.

This was explained by Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo, during a recent pre-budget interview in which he was asked what persons can expect from this year’s budget. The last budget was $552.9 billion. According to Jagdeo, this new budget will capitalise on the framework built by previous budgets and bring increased development into communities.

“The first two years, we had to focus on the immediate issues, which were reversal of taxes, etc, to get things going. And the big projects. They’re many, I wouldn’t list all… the highways, power plants, new hospitals. Towards the middle of last year, we started going out and shifting our focus to community infrastructure. Because that has been neglected for a long time.”

“And this year, you’re going to see a massive focus on community infrastructure. Roads in communities. That’s the biggest concern of people. Roads and drainage. And there’ll be thousands of new roads done in communities this year,” Jagdeo said.

Jagdeo also reminded that the Government has been saying since last year that all roads providing access to public buildings such as schools and health clinics, would be top priority in 2023. As such, the VP noted that budget 2023 will demonstrate this.

Other areas highlighted by Jagdeo in which the Government would provide support, include the agriculture sector, where they will endeavour to get more young people involved. But he urged persons to keep in mind that the budget is meant to be consistent with all the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) outlined in their manifesto and their development strategy.

“There [will be] lots of support in the budget for agriculture, because we take this seriously. And in the involvement of young people in agriculture and the technology… we’re not looking for newness. We’re looking for consistency in what we’ve said. The budget is not a PR document,” Jagdeo said.

“It is a policy document with resources to support the goals outlined either through our National Development Strategy or our manifesto. Some people look for newness all the

time, but it’s more a solid, sturdy foundation type budget that moves us forward, that pays particular attention to our oil resources and how we utilise them.”

Budget Day

It was announced last week that budget day would be Monday, January 16, 2023. Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh has over the last several months been meeting and consulting with various stakeholders including the private sector, Government Ministries, other agencies, and civil society.

Recently, President Irfaan Ali hosted the latest consultative meeting at State House with representatives from several private sector and other agencies to listen to their concerns and receive suggestions for Budget 2023. These all formed part of possible inclusions as the Budget 2023 planning process continues.

As with Budget 2022, this year’s budget is expected to see critical development programmes for Government being fast-tracked and many more expanded to reflect Government’s continued

transformational agenda for the country, which has been taking it forward at a rapid pace over the last two years and five months since the PPP/C’s return to office in August 2020.

It will be the fourth Budget presented by the current Administration and the third by Dr Singh, who commenced his current tenure as Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance in November 2020.

Prior to this, Government’s first budget for its current term was presented in August 2020. In that first budget, Government reversed a large number of harsh taxes instituted on citizens by the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) Government.

The second budget in 2021 was presented under the theme “A Path to Recovery, Economic Dynamism, and Resilience” while the third was unveiled under the theme “Steadfast Against All Challenges, Resolute in Building Our One Guyana”. Budget 2021 comprised a number of developmental measures and

also included funding for the construction of a number of housing schemes and expansion of existing ones along with investment in the revitalisation of the country’s sugar industry.

There were also programmes that the Government implemented in partnership with private sector bodies and other stakeholders, especially with regard to the tourism, hospitality, and agriculture sectors. Several relief cash grant measures were also implemented and saw thousands of citizens across the country benefitting from the relief.

A number of areas had been devastated by flooding and Government also provided relief for affected persons, especially those who had suffered the loss of crops and livestock. The health, infrastructure, and education sectors also saw major injections in Budget 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic was ongoing.

Budget 2022 also saw major injections in a number of sectors, including the expansion of the Government’s housing drive, the infrastructure sector catapulted with an increased number of roads and bridges constructed, energy expansion and diversification, provisions for persons with disabilities, several injections toward Amerindian and hinterland development as Government proved its commitment to bettering the lives of Indigenous people. It also saw large injections in the health, education and security sectors.

(G3)

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and Finance Minister Ashni Singh at a recent engagement

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Threat to democracy

Brazil is a very important neighbour on our southern border. Our relationship has always been very correct, even during the colonial era and its military dictatorship between 1964 and 1985, which eerily coincides with the establishment of the Burnhamite dictatorship and the economic, social and political collapse of our country. As they slowly adopted democratic institutions, as we did after 1992, their economy and ours spurted ahead under the neo-liberal reforms instituted by the IMF. Because of their massive size, Brazil became one of the fastest growing emerging economies, and indeed became one of the BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – that challenged the premises of the Old World Order.

But as with all countries that swallowed the neo-liberal conditionalities of the so-called “Washington Consensus”, to privatise, stabilise and globalise (their financial system), inequalities increased exponentially. Into this milieu stepped the leftist Workers Party of Lula da Silva, who, after four attempts, became President from 2003 to 2011, when he was succeeded by his protégé Dilma Rousseff. They successfully attacked poverty, but faced a backlash from the nouveau riche that created a very combustible political atmosphere. Corruption scandals were the downfall of the Workers Party, and saw Lula being imprisoned, and more “law and order” meritocratic parties becoming ascendant. The extreme right wing was epitomised by Jair Bolsonaro, who imitated US President Donald Trump’s conservative views on a wide spectrum of issues, and won the presidential elections in 2019.

In the meantime, Lula was released from prison with all charges dismissed, and was permitted to run for office, which he did, and narrowly won the bitterly contested election two months ago. During his term, Bolsonaro persistently questioned the veracity of the very electronic voting system that had given him victory - along the lines of Trump and his supporters. That, of course, resulted in the infamous attack by Trump’s supporters on the Capitol, resulting in seven deaths. Bolsonaro was obviously setting up Brazil for a similar outcome, when he did not concede defeat and flew to Florida two days before Lula’s inauguration. Thousands of his supporters had camped outside military bases, calling on the military to stage a coup. And it was not very surprising in a Brazil divided down the middle when Bolsonaro’s supporters, spurred by the unfounded claims of election fraud, invaded their Congress, the Presidential Palace when Lula was away, and the Supreme Court. The Federal Police have arrested more than a thousand attackers, and Lula has indicated they will face the full force of the law.

But there is a lesson in all of this for our own country. The APNU/AFC, as with Bolsonaro, have refused to accept the result of the March 2020 elections, and have now further divided our country along the ethnic lines that have bedevilled us since independence. They claim –with transparently fabricated allegations – that the PPP Government is discriminating against African Guyanese and creating an “emerging apartheid state”. Reducing our 2019s 48% swathe of poverty, even with oil revenues, will take time, so it becomes easy to persuade some of their constituents that they are being discriminated against.

As the Opposition use every incident where Africans might be randomly affected – such as the relocation of squatters from Mocha to facilitate the construction of a new highway from Eccles to Diamond – to persuade them of their persecution, they are provoking an attack on our democratic order and institutions. They have already delegitimised those institutions by calling the PPP Government an “illegal imposed cabal”. What we have seen, not only in the US and Brazil, but in other jurisdictions, is that extremism and disinformation can take on a self-reinforcing life of its own in an escalating spital that would lead to violence.

It is very encouraging that US President Joe Biden forthrightly announced: “I condemn the assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil…Brazil’s democratic institutions have our full support, and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined.”

And so for Guyana.

Assault on our schools and teachers

Dear Editor, Recently, there has been an upsurge in attacks on teachers, as well as the fiery end to a number of our schools. It is a very troubling situation facing us as we try to grapple with this serious malady enveloping our society. In both cases, the education of our children, who are the nation's future, suffer a great setback, and development as it relates to future plans for their good is affected.

We cannot just throw in the towel and say that there is nothing we can do. Certainly, we can do something; that is, confront the situation with that positive optimism, and in the end come up with valuable solutions.

Now, I shall deal with the first aspect of our discourse; that is, these violent attacks on our teachers. The other aspect, as it relates to the burning of our schools, I would address in a subsequent article. On the violent invasion of our schools by parents and guardians, I am of the opinion that these are cases in which the school system is reaping the raw negatives of its actions; or, in other words, it is the negative, far-reaching effect of bad parent-teacher/school interaction.

You might be puzzled by my use of the term "negative parent-teacher/school relation”, and as such be quick to ask the question, “Where is Mister Adams going with this one?” So, to lend clarity to the matter, I call to our remembrance the incident involving a judge's daughter.

Here we had a parent who was concerned about his daughter's safety and wellbeing at the school, after news surfaced of her being

assaulted by a male student of the said school. Now, the normal thing for any normal parent to do is to visit the school to get to the bottom of the matter. On his first encounter with the administration, he was cold- shouldered by the authorities there, and got no redress. Interesting!

On his second visit, the legal luminary took along a Policeman as an independent witness to the proceedings. On that second visit, the very same lame excuse was made by the administration. On the second visit, things got a little heated, and the administration and union readily jumped on the airwaves with all the negatives to castigate the parent, not stopping one minute to think of their own callous approach to the situation.

They were not in the least interested that a concerned parent was out waiting to be properly apprised on the wellbeing of his child, and how the matter was resolved, if it was resolved at all.

And here's my point: to be rebuffed on two occasions would cause any parent to be annoyed. I am talking from my standpoint; I might have been tempted to do something very derogatory and crude. The judge did not react that way, so maybe, and just maybe, the teacher and administration of that school might have run away with the false idea that they (as we commonly would say, "manners the judge”, because we run things in this school). Well, they are ever so wrong, because not every parent would be so tolerant as the judge was, and, as such, would be very rustic in their approach - something we are witnessing right now.

Some parents, especially

those from the fringes of society, would go right through that school and barge through security and physically assault that teacher. God forbid, if the present situation continues, in which some teachers believe that a school is their stomping ground to play out their bullying ways, political or otherwise, I'm afraid many more of these violent confrontations would occur. In

this regard, the education authorities must take steps and make urgent interventions for this malady to stop. This is something the Education Ministry and the school authorities have to sit down and seriously address, in order for us to move forward in a positive way.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

Discipline in our schools

Dear Editor, There has been much uproar as it pertains to discipline in our schools. Many of us remember the wild cane and the thick ruler being present in the school system from nursery through secondary. We also remember very well which teachers were the strictest and which students got into most trouble. Disciplinary system ranged from being verbally corrected and warned in a gradual progression that led to the use of the wild cane. Depending on the bad act, you could be quickly moved up the scale to detention, or lashes from the Headmaster/ Headmistress, followed by the teacher meeting with the parents.

This respected part of the British disciplinary system of the past had worked well for many decades in Guyana, and continues to work well in countries like Singapore, where the strictest part of the disciplinary process has been extended to the courts and penal system. Just recently, I had a conversation with some friends from China, and we were discussing the resurgence of COVID in their

country. Their President had been criticised by the West over how strict and restrictive his policies were, and as a result of this criticism, and internal protests, he relaxed the policies. The result was a severe outbreak that overconsumed the capacity of their hospitals. Many Chinese citizens lost their lives. I mention this because a leader must know the culture of those who are being led, and do what he/she knows would work best.

A possible solution to the current impasse between our school system and some parents may be for the Ministry of Education to make it very clear what the public school system's disciplinary process is, and will continue to be. This will give parents the option to exclude themselves and their children from the public school system if it does not align with their personal beliefs.

The current impression is that the unruly children have unruly parents, who lack respect for teachers and would resort to violence to resolve their differences.

President Dr Irfaan Ali and Guyana’s delegation met with Panama’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Janaina Tewaney Mencomo, in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India on Tuesday last (Office of the President photo)

GECOM will now be ready to hold elections, maybe at very short notice

Dear Editor, His Excellency President Dr Irfaan Ali assented to the National Registration (Amendment) Act No. 26 of 2022 on December 13, 2022.

The essentials of objective improvements attained via the changes pave the way for an enhanced transparent and facilitative mechanism to support and provide GECOM with an improved, time-responsive, and accountable framework to support readiness for the various elections to be held under its mandate.

After widespread national consultations engaging various representative stakeholders, the sweeping objective Amendments to the National Registration Act, Chapter 19:08, were recommended, revised, debated, and advanced as appropriate. Fixed periods for voter registration, regular removal of deceased persons from the official list of electors, and cyclic issuance of National Identification Cards are among the significant

amendments to the National Registration Act (NRA).

GECOM is now mandated to facilitate registration transactions throughout the year, with two small breaks, during which the publication and finalisation of a valid Official List of Electors (OLE) would be facilitated. Significantly, any eligible person can now approach the established GECOM offices for continuous registration of voters to be done in two periods: from January to May, with the qualifying date being June 30; and from July to November, with the qualifying date being December 31. This is provided that that person would be 14 years and older at the qualifying dates.

To apply for registration, persons are reminded that they must be Guyanese citizens by birth or naturalisation, or be a citizen from a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for one year or more, provided that they were never registered.

Consequently, a qualifying person can now update their records and make sure that all their information is correct concerning the various transactions that legally support voting in the Local Authority Area where they are living.

Hence, all name changes (because of marriage), date of birth, occupation, or updating of addresses can now be done during the ongoing Continuous Registration which would be done almost all year around. The PPP/C Government must be commended for putting better systems in place, so that elections and (by-elections) can be held when necessary.

There is also included an updated position to deal with issues relating to the names of deceased people being on the list. New Sections 8A, 8B, and 8C are inserted concerning the cancellation of the registration of persons who are dead. It requires the Registrar General of Births and Deaths to send to the

Commissioner once every month a list of all persons 14 years and older whose deaths have been registered in the preceding month.

Further, supportive reconciling positions are mandated by the health departments and the Commissioner of Police regarding persons who have died, which reflects a gap position with the report from the Registrar General of Births and Deaths.

With this process now in place, GECOM will be able to have a short period of Claims and Objections; proceed with the address of any necessary corrections and after cross-matching, and publish a Supplementary List. Hence, GECOM would be ready to communicate its readiness for the holding of Local Government Elections to the Minister of Local Government, to facilitate the necessary announcements of the dates for the due Local Government Elections.

All GECOM permanent

Offices around the country are fully staffed and equipped to facilitate all the necessary transactions during this period of Continuous Registration. Further, it must be noted that the main political parties have appointed scrutineers in all areas, so that GECOM can conduct verification of all transactions using a collective approach, and this togetherness would likely guarantee a successful process.

Importantly, under the amended act, references to residency and house-to-house registration are removed. Instead, GECOM would be responsible for the establishment of offices in registration districts at which registration officers would receive registration applications from eligible persons with addresses in that district. It is also noteworthy that stricter penalties have been imposed for breaches in provisions of the Act, which ought to be a deterrent for those who may

wish to consider conflicting clandestine activities.

Notably, the Act makes provision for GECOM officers and party scrutineers to visit persons unable to attend registration offices due to physical incapacity. Under new subsection (4A), a registration officer, with the approval of the GECOM Commissioner, may visit the address of the person to accept his or her application for registration.

The updated positions leave no room for the flimsy excuses commonly and conveniently projected by the Opposition and their cohorts. For the upcoming LGE, GECOM will have to establish Electoral Registrar Offices in every Local Authority Area during the claims and objections process. This would further enhance and enable GECOM to produce the best possible List for the LGEs.

Let us have LGEs now!

Sincerely, Neil Kumar

Equalise legal playing field as far as domestic violence is concerned

Dear Editor, Lisa Haley, Dacia Bourne and Melisha Cylus each face a judge and jury for killing their partners. All three had reportedly been abused by their now dead partners. This situation can very easily end up victimising the abused a second time; because Guyana, like the wider Caribbean, does not accept battered women’s syndrome as a defence.

The number of women globally who have committed violent crimes is very small. Women are far more likely to be victims, rather than perpe-

trators. However, when women have been convicted of murder or manslaughter, in a significant number of cases, the victim is a male partner or male family member, and there is a history of domestic violence.

But it’s not only the justice system that’s inherently biased. Even women themselves sometimes oppose the ‘justification’ of murder via battered women’s syndrome, as a PAHO consultant so adamantly put it in an email exchange.

A 2016 study entitled

Discipline in our....

An example of a poorly raised adult poorly raising their offspring. Many would argue that a lack of discipline in the upbringing of those violent parents has brought the current uproar in our school system. Home schooling is always another option that they can pursue.

We must also remember that drugs and weapons are being found in some of our schools. This has to be corrected, and students must know that they are expected to follow the rules. If the rules are not being followed, the consequences must also be clear from the onset.

Our school system should not be allowed to be weakened because of the unruly few among us. Guyana's school system has always been very strict, and should continue to be this way going forward. We aren't in the business of raising criminals and juvenile delinquents. Students must re-

ceive a clear message that they must accept correction at home and at school, or experience the harsh reality outside of those controlled environments. This is what we were also taught when we were young, and if the parent or teacher is trying to cross the line into what would be classified as abuse of a minor, then the child has a right to call the Police or notify someone who would help to quickly end it.

I encourage those parents that do not like the Guyanese school system’s way of helping to raise their children to please make constructive suggestions on how to improve the system without losing the level of self-discipline expected from our students and their parents. You are the most important example of behaviour that your child would follow.

concern, Jamil Changlee

“Women who kill in response to domestic violence: How do criminal justice systems respond?” found that, in almost all jurisdictions covered, there is no separate basis in law for a history of abuse to be considered, and generally, women have to rely on existing legal defences (eg: self-defence, provocation, or temporary insanity). These typical defences tend to be ill-adapted to women who have experienced prolonged abuse.

Courts are not equipped with the right guidance, or show a consistent reluctance to take victimisation into account as a factor either in establishing culpability or in sentencing.

Some promising practices have developed in a few jurisdictions researched (eg. a number of Australian and US states), establishing defences or partial defences for abuse cases, or enabling greater weight to be given to the mitigating circumstance of domestic violence when establishing culpability or in sentencing.

Battered Women’s Syndrome (BWS) was recognised in the US, Canada, UK and Australia in 1990, 1991 and 1992 respectively, where expert testimony supported a defence plea and justified an abused woman’s actions. Subsequently, those countries modified their criminal laws and implemented BWS in three ways: by changing previous defences, introducing a new defence, or expanding expert testimony. Despite creating the perception of battered women as weak, helpless victims, BWS helped raise awareness of domestic abuse and the necessity for ungendering criminal legislation.

According to American University Literature and Journalism Professor Rachel Louise Snyder, one of the US leading writers on domestic violence, “Self-defense laws were written with the proverbial bar fight in mind – two people of equal ability, strength, and intent. Or they were written to say a man could protect his castle from intruders. But what if that person was not an intruder? What if that person had the same rights to be there as the person pulling the trigger? Or what if you’re talking about two people who are not unknown to each other, who know well how a given person will react to a situation in which their power and control is being called into question?”

She pointed out that, “Canada did a study like what we’re doing with the Regilla Project, (a project she started at Stanford University) and they discovered that more than 65 percent of the women imprisoned for homicide in their country killed someone who was abusing them. So, they essentially rewrote their self-defense laws so that size, weight, physical strength or ability, intent and domestic violence histories must be taken into account.

In the case of nations that do not accept BWS as a defence, Professor Snyder said, “Although our current self-defense laws should allow for these elements as they’re currently written, judges will bar a lot of this type of evidence. They’ll cite hearsay or irrelevance, or any number of statutes. Judges have incredible power. I would like to see our laws rewritten to reflect this very different reality that victims of domestic violence en-

dure.”

Indeed, laws in Guyana and the Caribbean need to also be so rewritten. Thus, The Caribbean Voice calls upon Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud to lead this charge and persuade the Government to do what is necessary to strike another nail, by enabling BWS to become law in Guyana. We also call upon women’s or-

ganizations, women’s rights and domestic violence activists and advocates, and the President of Guyana to place BWS at the top of their efforts to equalise the legal playing field as far as domestic violence is concerned.

Sincerely, Annan Boodram

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

With

Making the right choice in adopting/acquiring a puppy

Iam fairly optimistic that many of our readers, having read last week’s column, are giving positive consideration to adopting/acquiring a puppy (or even an adult or elderly dog) for the benefit of their families.

The immediate questions that arise are:

Q: Where can I get such an animal?

A: You, the potential canine caregiver, will have to decide whether you prefer to adopt/purchase a purebred dog (e.g. a German Shepherd, a Rottweiler, a Bichon Frise, Poodle, a Chihuahua), or would be satisfied with a happy, al though abandoned, com mon breed dog.

We will return shortly to discuss the compatibility of your choice of breed rela tive to your home accom modation circumstances. It would be ill-advised to acquire a Rottweiler, which potentially grows into a 100-pound canine Goliath, if you live in a small apart ment without yard space, and with thin walls separating your

home from those of your neighbours.

My first reaction to the query associated with the source of the adoptee is: turn to your veterinarian for advice on the matter. He/she could/would point you in the direction of a bona fide breeder. I say this tonguein-cheek, because I am not totally convinced of the existence of kennel clubs/registered dog breeding establishments, nor about rules in Guyana governing the registration of such entities and dog breeders.

Consequently, I advise, especially if you are a first-

time care giver, that you visit the GSPCA’s Bourda Animal Shelter and discuss the issue of adoption with the management. If during your first visit you do not find a compatible pet, then visit the shelter 2/3 weeks later. There is no rush. The important consideration is that the adopted animal is becoming a new member of its forever family. We do not wish to have a re

volving door situation in which you take home the animal then you return it because it is incompatible with your family’s hopes and desires when you decided – as a family – to adopt a pet.

In essence, an important part of the decision-making process is to know what you want from the adopted companion animal, and how it will fit into your lifestyle and those of your other family members.

Q: Are there other shelters other than the GSPCA?

A: The GSPCA’s shelter has been in existence for decades. The rules associated with the adoption process are well established, and tested and proven – including follow-up visits, etc.

However, over recent years, we have seen the emergence of noteworthy humane societies and philanthropic individuals and groups who, from most reports, are doing fabulous work. These include “Paws for a Cause”, Rosewood Foundation”, and “Tails of Hope”. All of these groups are involved in rescuing animals, and would have an inventory of animals which can be shared with potential adopters. Turn to them and the well-established and recognized GSPCA for

Let me hasten to caution you on being lured into purchasing from “puppy mills”, with their inbreeding activities and their totally different and possibly unworthy agendas from those of the humane societies. This is an issue that is of grave concern to veterinarians when confronted with the physical and physiological abnormalities that become more apparent as the inbred puppies grow.

Q: What are the most salient considerations involved in adoption?

Does the caregiver have the time to adequately exercise and train the pet?

(iii) COSTS associated with keeping the animal healthy.

(iv) TREATMENT: of the pet by the persons living in the house.

(v) HEALTH of the puppy/dog at the time when the caregiver makes his or her choice to take home the prospective pet.

All five of these considerations will be expanded upon in next week’s “PET CARE” column.

In summary, the most important factors and immediate considerations prior to acquisition/adoption are that the puppy/young dog/mature dog should:

 Appear alert and energetic – not listless and tired-looking, hiding constantly in a corner.

 Be well fed, with a little fat covering the ribcage and hipbone.

 Have a smooth and shiny coat without dry, flaky skin and bald patches.

 Walk and run around playfully, and without limping.

 Have no watery, discoloured discharge from the eyes, nose and ears.

 Follow a tossed toy with its eyes.

 Exhibit no coughing, sneezing, or breathing distress.

 Exhibit no signs of anaemia (e.g., pale gums) Not vomiting or

Puppies, in particular, should be comfortable when handled. Try holding the pup, touching its ears, mouth and paws. If the pup responds to this manipulation by becoming aggressive or struggles away, it might have some underlying ailment, or might never develop the temperament to snuggle up with you on the couch, or allow you to clip its toenails.

Choosing a healthy pup/dog with a pleasant disposition would increase the chances of raising a pet that would be a good fit for your household, and become your best friend for years to come.

Guyana’s 2021-2025 carbon credit registration, monitoring report approved

of carbon credit funds

The Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART), which is in charge of certifying forest carbon credits so that they can be sold on the international market, has announced its approval of Guyana’s registration for 2021 to 2025, as well as the monitoring report for Guyana’s forests.

In a statement on Friday, ART noted that it approved these two documents for Guyana and that they are now available for stakeholder comments which must be submitted within 30 days. The first document is a TREES (The REDD+ Environmental Excellence Standard) registration document for 2021 to 2025, while the second is a TREES monitoring report for 2021.

“The approval of these documents indicates their completeness and the programme’s eligibility to move forward with independent validation and verification by an accredited verification body. Following successful validation and verification, the ART board may approve the issuance of serialised TREES credits to Guyana,” ART announced in their statement.

ART’s approval of Guyana’s 2021-2025 registration document and monitoring report are important follow ups on its approval last year of 33.47 million forest carbon credits for Guyana, dating from 20162020. These credits were verified by a third-party against ART’s robust environmental and social requirements.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government has said that having carbon credits from 2016 to 2020 certified, was intended to ensure Guyana does not lose out on retroactive payments for the period when A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) were in power and failed to capitalise on the potential of Guyana’s forest carbon.

Earnings

During a pre-budget interview, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo spoke about the Government’s approach to forest carbon and the process they went through. Guyana is currently earning money from the 2016-2020 legacy carbon.

“We worked early, as soon as we got back in (to office), to get our forest carbon certified. Now that’s a rigorous process. And we’re the only country (to do this). It’s a great achievement, to have a jurisdictional scale, national scale, certification for forest carbon in the whole world,” Jagdeo said.

“And some of this now, can be used by the airlines for the compliance markets. So that is why people wanted to buy our forest carbon. Because it’s offered at US$15 a tonne, for vintage carbon. That’s legacy carbon from 2016 to 2020. So, the period that has passed, we’re still getting paid for that.”

He pointed out that this will then increase to US$20 a tonne, from 2020 to 2025 and US$25 a tonne in the future. Additionally, there’s the benefit of Guyana getting a percentage if someone purchases the carbon to sell at a profit. All things considered, Jagdeo noted that significant money will flow into the treasury from the forest carbon.

“So that has brought in a significant and will bring in a significant amount of money to the treasury. At a minimum, US$700 million for just 30 per cent of our forest carbon. We still have 70 per cent that we can sell in the future,” Jagdeo added.

Transparency

Meanwhile, the Government sent out a statement on Saturday in which they emphasised that transparency is at the heart of all transactions concerning Guyana’s carbon credits. This comes only a short while after it was announced that US$150 million in carbon credit earnings would be available for use in the 2023 national budget.

It also comes after reports in the media painted this announcement in an unflattering light. In their statement, the Ministry of Finance lambasted any implication that the money is not being handled in a transparent manner, noting that the PPP/C Government has always been upfront in how the earnings from forest carbon would be used.

“Forest carbon revenues and the approach being ap-

plied represent every facet of a transparent and legally underpinned process for the allocation and utilisation of carbon credits revenues using Guyana’s national system for doing so – the National Budgetary Process,” the Ministry said in their statement.

“It also represents a stark contrast to the very recent practices of the previous Administration where the signing bonus on OIL CONTRACTS were not de-

clared and hidden away, subject to no scrutiny or financial structure, understood to be a gift by some, devoid of any recognition of legal requirements such as the national budgetary process and parliamentary oversight.”

The Ministry noted that following feedback received from the Guyanese public for the draft Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030 during seven months of consultations, a

commitment was made for all forest carbon financing to be publicly declared, transparently administered, and legally scrutinised.

“Any view that seeks to distort or falsely represent the facts surrounding the structures that have been publicly communicated, legally grounded and anchored by transparency and accountability provisions of our Fiscal Management and Accountability Act including the work of our Public

Account Committee with the deliberate intent to mislead the public… is disingenuous and dangerous,” the Ministry further added.

Last year, Guyana signed a historic, multi-year US$750 million agreement with Hess Corporation for the purchase of 37.5 million carbon credits. Guyana is, in fact, the first country to conclude the ART process of certifying its forest carbon.

These serialised credits, listed on ART’s public registry, are available to buyers on the global carbon market, including for use by airlines for compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s global emission reduction programme, CORSIA, as well as for use toward voluntary corporate climate commitments.

Guyana’s completion of the ART process paved the way for other governments that are looking to receive carbon market finance for success in protecting and restoring forests. At the time Guyana was issued with the credits, 14 other countries and large sub-national jurisdictions are working toward their own issuances of TREES credits.

…Govt commits to transparent management

Hess Corp became the first purchaser of Guyana’s 2016-2020 legacy carbon last year

Significant interest in Guyana’s oil bid round – Jagdeo …investor

interest for almost every single economic sector

Alittle over a month since the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government put Guyana’s oil blocks on the international market for bids, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has said that there has been significant interest in buying a stake in Guyana’s oil and gas reserves.

With Monday set as budget day, Jagdeo in a recent interview reflected on the period between the previous budget and the upcoming one. He referenced the economic growth and increased investor interest in Guyana, noting that the country needs both foreign and local investors.

When it comes to the bid round recently launched for Guyana’s oil blocks, Jagdeo noted that this has also attracted significant investor interest. In fact, Jagdeo emphasised that investor interest has extended to nearly every major sector in the economy.

“We’re hoping to capitalise on the interest in

Guyana, because a lot of people are interested in our country. One, we have a predictable, clear economic strategy. Our business environment is a very competitive one. And it’s becoming even more competitive and encouraging. In terms of the fiscal incentives available to invest in Guyana.”

“So, it’s not a surprise that so many people are interested. We’ve already gotten quite a bit of interest in the new bid round, that we launched for the

oil blocks. And we have interest in almost every single area, from agriculture to manufacturing to construction, because they all recognise that this country has a great economic future.”

According to Jagdeo, Guyana’s economic future is not a given. As other countries have found out to their detriment, the economic future can be eroded by poor policies and a “fickle government that is not clear on what it wants to achieve.”

The Vice President made it clear that they don’t want to emulate A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), who while in Government from 2015 to 2020, did not want to renegotiate the oil contract with ExxonMobil but have since changed their tune now that they’re in the Opposition.

In December 2022, President Dr Irfaan Ali officially launched the much-anticipated first auction of the remaining oil blocks. There will be 14 oil blocks up for tender including 11 in the shallow area and three in the deepsea area.

These blocks will range from 1000 square kilometres (sq km) to 2000 sq km. However, most of the blocks are approximately 2000 sq km. A minimum signing bonus of US$10 million was set for the shallow water and US$20 million for the deep-water blocks.

“We’re hoping that the close of the submission of the bids will be on the 14th of April, 2023 and our timeline is to have contracts awarded by end of May 2023. This of course will follow negotiations and evaluation of the bids that we received during this bidding round…,” the President had disclosed.

Each bidder would be charged a participation fee of US$20,000 to join the auction and according to President Ali, this cost was settled so as to not dissuade interest in the bidding process. The payment of this fee will allow bidders access to a virtual data room which will have all the details on the blocks so that interested parties can participate in a competitive bidding process.

Guyana has long been expected to go out and auction oil blocks, both untapped and relinquished. There are relinquishment clauses, which are typically included in contracts so that companies can relinquish a portion of the block when the renewable period is up, thereby allowing other companies to buy into the respective blocks.

A new model Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) has also been developed by the Government, to guide participating companies at the auction on what fiscal terms to expect. The new PSA includes terms like a 10 per cent royalty rate, an increase on the previous 2 per cent in the former Government’s PSA it signed with ExxonMobil. The cost recovery ceiling is now 65 per cent, a decrease from 75 per cent. Companies will for the first time also pay a corporate tax, 10 per cent. (G3)

From one thing…

…to multitudes in India

President Ali must now know how Little Jack Horner felt when he put in his thumb and pulled out a plum!! The Pres was invited to India just to receive an award for being of Indian origin, and here he is, coming back with the highest number of business contracts even signed with any one country on any one occasion in the history of our country!! That’s a heck of a lot of plums pulled!!

Take the last one, where he’s allocating 200 acres to India for the production of the grain millet in this UN “International Year of Millet”. This is gonna be one of the most significant agricultural innovations, since this is one of the healthiest grains that’s poised to hit a healthconscious world!! But India aren’t going to just help with millet production; they’ll advise on sugar, coconut, and other crops that’ll be critical for us to help Caricom achieve reduction of our food imports by 25% by 2025!!

Then there was the offer to modernise our GDF!! While several GDF officers have been sent to India to receive training…no one expected the cooperation would extend into the aviation sector, which we so badly need to expand to cover our massive land space!! While the military-heavy Granger had spent a fortune for drones to do that job, there’s been an astounding silence about what happened to those drones!! Droning??

Then there’s the contract signed by the Guyana Manufacturers Assoc with NBR - a well-established manufacturer of a wide array of engine radiators, radiator core intercoolers and condensers, and engine coolant – to establish a factory in Guyana with a consortium of local businesses. At last, we’ll become part of a manufacturing supply chain - here engines. Another contract was signed for supplying technical manpower to our O&G sector - icing on the cake for India to get involved in the oil sector with increased long-term offtake, participation in exploration and production activities, technical cooperation in the midstream and downstream sectors, and capacity building! VP Jagdeo will be going over to India next month to consummate this deal with the largest importer of oil in the world!!

Our fledgling Guyana Power and Gas (GPG) also signed a deal for a consultancy with an experienced Indian company for our integrated NGL Plant and 300 MW CCGT Power Plant project at Wales. Our Go-Invest – tasked with bringing businesses to Guyana - also signed an agreement with Invest India, that are in the throes of consummating their long-sought desire to replace China as the world’s factory. Guyana can become part of the supply chain in that ecosystem by supplying intermediate goods, as countries like the Far Eastern Tigers did decades ago.

Jack Horner, move aside!! Pressie’s here!!

…to

another in PNC

In a real-life drama playing out in the PNC right now, it seems that a whole lotta folks have a “Get Norton” idee fixe that’s coming to a boil in time for the PNC Congress in March (?)!! The latest one was revealed in a secret recording that came to your Eyewitness’s notice on Friday 13th!! Wasn’t a good omen!! Like that secret recording by two PNC operatives back in the day of the Agricola Killings – this one was of three top execs of the party who’re clearly recognised by their voices. They were discussing how to use the Treasurer’s claim of having to sign blank cheques to oust Norton.

But while that one was about a tragedy, this one ended in a farce. Imagine the fella making the potentially politically fatal accusation against Norton with the corrupt blank cheques’ accusation asking his co-conspirators to prepare the written accusation - which he would sign!!

He confessed he wasn’t capable of composing the missive!!

…to another tragedy

In the wake of the mega success of the Bio-pic of Elvis winning a Golden Globe best actor award came the news of Elvis’s daughter Priscilla – now 54 years old – dying from a heart attack.

It’s like a Faulkner tragedy.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

Guyana seeks “comprehensive” help from India to reorganise, modernise GDF

The Guyana Government is looking to reorganise and modernise the country’s Defence Force and is turning to India for comprehensive assistance.

While this engagement is in the early stages, President Dr Irfaan Ali has disclosed that technology and capacity building, especially in the aviation field, is Govt’s top priority needs.

The Head of State made these remarks during a recent interview with India’s NDTV in which he pointed out that both Guyana and India are looking to further expand their bilateral ties in a number of sectors.

Locally, however, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in Guyana noted that help was being sought to strengthen and modernisation the country’s army.

“We have to reorganise and modernise our military. And part of the discussions with Prime Minister [of India Narendra] Modi is how we can build a partnership through which India can support this modernisation of our military – the equipment and needs of our military,” the President stated.

According to the Guyanese leader, there is a mutual excitement shared with Prime Minister Modi on expanding the partnership between the two countries.

“As a matter of fact, we are moving so quickly that we have agreed to set up a technical working group. From the side of Guyana, we are putting Ministers to cochair those technical groups so that we can remove the bureaucracy and we can advance the work in all the ar-

eas I’ve identified very quickly,” he added.

On this note, President Ali has disclosed that he has expressed a strong desire to have the Indian Prime Minister visit Guyana sometime this year to not only follow up on these discussions but also “solidify and concretise” many of the initiatives.

The Head of State revealed that his invitation was received favourably by PM Modi, whom he said is “working on ensuring this happens very quickly”.

Already, several military officers from the Guyana Defence Force have benefited, while others are currently undergoing training in India including academic development.

President Ali stated that Guyana is also looking to tap into the capacity-building expertise of India in the aviation sector as well as in technology.

“We are looking at many things. One is technology; one is weapons, and we are also looking at the aviation side. India has developed tremendous capacity and capability in military equipment, hardware and tech-

nology, and training on the aviation side.”

“So, it is a comprehensive package that we would like to discuss with India. But as I said, this is in the very early stages and in another few weeks, we will have a broader understanding and agreement as to what this partnership would look like,” the Commander in Chief noted.

India is the world’s third-largest military power. Only last May, Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr KJ Srinivasa committed his country’s willingness to help Guyana strengthen its security capabilities by providing scholarships for GDF officers.

In 2021, the Government of India for the first time provided 19 scholarships which saw local soldiers undergoing various military training in India. Of the 19 scholarships, 10 were allotted to army ranks, five to the Air Corps, and the rest to the Coast Guard. Those scholarships were offered under the Indian Government’s Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC).

Dr Srinivasa had told Guyana Times that from

mid-2022 to this year, the Indian Government will be increasing the number of military scholarships from 19 to 28.

In fact, only in October 2022, GDF Corporal Trevon Jeffers travelled to India to participate in a course that is part of the ITEC training programme.

Corporal Jeffers was slated to engage in NCOs Transport Supervisory Course (NTSC) at the ACS Centre & College for a period of two months.

This followed the selection of another GDF rank, Corporal Deron Jermin Harvey, for the Young Bandsmen Course at Army Education Corps Training College and Centre in Pachmarhi, India. Harvey is currently participating in this course, which runs from August 10, 2022, to June 20, 2023.

Since taking office, the Commander-in-Chief, President Ali, has openly committed to providing increased training for the

GDF, Guyana Police Force (GPF), Guyana Fire Service (GFS), and Guyana Prison Service (GPS) ranks.

Over the years, GDF ranks have benefitted from various military training such as emergency medical evacuation, marksmanship, medical evacuation, recovery response, search-and-rescue, and engineering. GDF ranks have also been sent on exchange programmes in the United States and Caribbean countries.

President Dr Irfaan Ali with India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi

Guyana seeking help from India to reorganise and modernise the Guyana Defence Force

$1.18B farm-to-market road caves in 3 months after construction ...contractor blames excavator operators working for NDIA

that excavator operators working for the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) has damaged a recently completed road.

The Minister made the decision to call the meeting after inspecting the recently constructed $1.18 billion farm-to-market access road at Number 58 Village Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) on Friday.

“I will have to raise this at a higher level because this is a lack of inter-agency engagement. This road was built with a particular design.” In explaining this, he pointed out that geo-fabric and geo-cells were used in the construction because there are two waterways; one on each side of the road.

“So, we had to build this road to avoid slippage. We had to ensure that the shoulders are adequate. Since we build this road, another Government agen-

cy awarded contracts to deal with the drains and it is clear that they are inexperienced operators.”

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill has called for an urgent

meeting with Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha and Local Government and

Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall after a contractor claimed

The damaged section of the road

For nation-building narratives

Our political disagreements reveal contrasting narratives and histories of our past. And this is partially because even academic histories are written within particular “spaces of experience” - the ways that the past is remembered in their present; and a “horizon of expectation” –the anticipation of the nonyet-known future beyond the horizon. So, imagine our partisan interlocutors’ views with their axes to grind.

A history of our present, which is what we ought to be interrogating in our discussions, demands - in the words of David Scott - that “histories of the past ought to be interventions in the present, strategic interrogations of the present’s norms as a way of helping us to glimpse the possibilities for an alternative future.” Somehow the finger-pointing narratives that are circulating at best just keep looking backwards, nursing old Cold War-generated grievances.

But our “problem space” – the threats and opportunities that confront us now in our sociohistorical conjuncture - is radically different today. We now have a demographic distribution bereft of built-in majorities, in which the two parties surviving from that era have equal possibilities of winning elections within a world order that is again polarising. What, then, should be our “horizon of expectation”?

Criticism, and implicitly even analyses, are always strategic. What is it that our interlocutors want as a consequence of their criticisms, narratives, actions and exhortations? What is their “Good”? While there will never be – for the simple reason that it just cannot be – a single horizon of ends for all of us, I am pretty sure that, among the various possibly competing ends, that of a more harmonious society would be there in common in all formulations.

I am suggesting that, with the privilege of hindsight, we should connect the past with the present in a broader narrative, that is healing rather than destructive. We cannot change the past, but we can certainly change the future. Have the strident politics and resort to arms helped our situation? I say no. Our horizon of expectation must generate strategies that speak to those normative ends of the “good”, rather than further divide us, as some seem determined to do. They must ask whether their particular narratives (of “emerging apartheid state”, for instance), or any narrative that seeks to connect our past to the present and envision a more positive future, would deliver those normative ends. A constructive narrative cannot then picture our opposing groups locked forever in mortal combat.

Crucial to the formulation of a constructive narrative would be its plot to link past, present and future. Most of the present narratives set “us” against “them” in a frenzy of nihilistic Fanonian violence – not to mention teleologically promising a future that can never be delivered. Democracy is always a work in progress, and still remains the best form of governance out there.

Leaders must remain committed to the rule of law. But we must be sympathetic to the travails of the “other”. Hegel’s famous interpretation of Antigone as the paradigmatic Greek tragedy might be particularly apt to our situation. In this narrative, both “sides” are morally right: the conflict is not between good and evil, but between “goods” on which each is making exclusive claim. Isn’t this the situation that our mutually exclusive narratives of victimhood, with their facile binary oppositions, have delivered us into?

Look at what has unfolded in Mocha. Such an emplotment within a narrative should suggest compromise, rather than a battle of one side overcoming. That would be a constructive narrative for our time, place and circumstances.

In noting the importance of narratives in the task of nation building, Benedict Anderson had identified the importance of newspapers that are read every morning in constructing what he has tellingly labelled “Imagined Communities”: “The significance of this mass ceremony – Hegel observed that newspapers serve modern man as a substitute for morning prayers – is paradoxical. It is performed in silent privacy, in the lair of the skull. Yet each communicant is well aware that the ceremony he performs is being replicated simultaneously by thousands (or millions) of others, of whose existence he is confident, yet of whose identity he has not the slightest notion.”

Today our newspapers have been joined by social media. Let us use them for nation-building, rather than nation-breaking, by discarding narratives that are fighting long-gone terrors.

2 prisoners kick open prison van door, escape

Ranks of the Guyana Police Force are on the hunt for two prisoners who escaped on Friday afternoon by kicking open the door of the prison van that was transporting them.

Wanted are Ryan Wilson called “Pepsi”, a 28-year-old of Lot 69 Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo, who was charged with indecent assault; and Shamar Singh, a 22-yearold of Hague, West Coast Demerara, who is facing the offences of simple larceny and possession of narcotics.

The duo escaped while being transported to the Lusignan Prison.

According to the Police Force, the prisoners kicked

Ravi Dev

open the prison van’s door around 16:15h while the vehicle was on the eastern end of

the Demerara Harbour Bridge, en route to Lusignan on the East Coast of Demerara.

Police said committed efforts are being made to recapture the two men.

Wanted: Ryan Wilson, called “Pepsi” (left), and Shamar Singh

BV man busted with ganja in mailbox

ABeterverwagting, East Coast Demerara resident was arrested with 64.9 grams of marijuana on Friday night.

Reports from the Guyana Police Force revealed that sometime around 20:45h, a party of Police ranks were on mobile patrol duty in the vicinity of Beterverwagting (BV) Sideline Dam when

they busted a 28-year-old unemployed man for possession cannabis.

The ranks observed the suspect standing on a wooden bridge acting in a suspicious manner. They carried out a search on his person and on a mailbox next to him and found one transparent plastic bag which contained a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems

suspected to be cannabis.

He was immediately told of the allegation, cautioned, arrested and escorted to the Beterverwagting Police Station where the suspected cannabis was weighed in his presence and amounted to 64.9 grams.

He was placed into custody pending further investigation.

Pedestrian dies after being struck by speeding minibus

Apedestrian was killed in an accident on the Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara Public Road on Friday evening.

Dead is 55-year-old Linden Johnson of Lot F-D New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop.

Police said the accident occurred at about 18:10h at New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop.

Investigations so far disclosed that minibus BAB 1624 was proceeding east along the northern side of New Road, Vreed-en- Hoop, at a fast rate of speed when the driver alleged that Johnson ran from south to north across the road into the path of the minibus. This resulted in the front left side of the vehicle colliding with Johnson. As a result of the collision, the pedestrian

fell onto the parapet where he received injuries about his body.

The pedestrian was subsequently picked up in an unconscious state and taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival by a doctor.

Notice of intended prosecution was served on the minibus driver, who is a 40-year-

A breathalyser test was conducted on the driver and no trace of alcohol was found in his breath.

Johnson’s body is presently lying at Ezekiel Funeral Parlour awaiting a post-mortem examination. The driver remains in custody assisting with the investigation.

$1.18B farm-to-market road...

Rather than digging the drains with a slope to ensure that the toe is in place, the

walls of the canals were dug vertically.

“As a result of that, they are interfering with the shoulders of the road which is leading to slippage,” Edghill explained.

He said since taking up the position at the helm of the Public Works Ministry, he was able to address the issue of agencies digging roads shortly after they were constructed to plant utility infrastructure. Edghill said since discussing the matter with Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal, the issue has not surfaced again.

“There is a need for a discussion with the Minister of Agriculture who oversees the NDIA and we have an excellent working relationship but then there is also a need for a conversation at the technical level... Minister Mustapha with his wisdom would have awarded contracts to get this work done. The problem is when contractors are engaged, they must know what they are doing and not just what they want to do because, in the digging of these drains, they are going to affect the road,” Edghill said.

Remedial work will be done on the damaged sections to prevent water from getting under the road and to prevent further damage.

“Once water gets under there, this whole section of the road will disappear. This is a lesson that we have to learn.”

Edghill noted that in the past, draglines were used to dig canals. However, more contractors are using excavators.

“When they are digging, they are pulling mud from the actual shoulders of the road. So, we have to have a conversation with local authorities when they are looking after community roads, the Ministry of Agriculture, NDIA and we have to deal with private developers who are seeking to build bridges

FROM PAGE 10

and to excavate and clean in front of them.... from this it is a clear case where I would have to convene a meeting with the technical people as well as the Ministers and ensure that we don’t have a repeat of this because it would be spending money only for somebody to come behind and destroy. And we will have to spend money again.”

In October, President Dr Irfaan Aly commissioned the 6.5km all-weather road.

According to President Ali, these roads will allow farmers to cut costs in repairing their vehicles and invest more into expanding their cultivation. The Head of State pointed out that in order for agricultural production to increase, infrastructure to support agriculture and food production must be transformed into a more effective transportation and production system.

Speaking at that commissioning ceremony, Edghill pointed out that there is still a further stretch to be made into a road leading to the Canje River. However, two bridges must be constructed first across the Seaforth and the Fowler Canals.

On Friday the Minister got a first-hand look at work being done to install the first of the two bridges.

“This road would link the Corentyne Highway with the Canje River. This is the Seaforth and just beyond this is the Fowler Canal. We are bridging both canals so that we can continue the road going further in. We anticipate that in another couple of months, these two bridges would be in place and then we would be able to cater for the continuation of the farmto-market access road beyond the Fowler Canal right down to the Canje River,” Minister Edghill told the media. He was on a two-day visit to the region, inspecting ongoing and completed infrastructural projects. (G4)

old resident of Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE).

The marijuana that was found in the mailbox

By AlvA Solomon

He says he made a commitment to the Almighty to preach and despite losing his sight more than a decade ago, David Domingo continues to undertake his religious duties as a pastor and marriage officer across the Moruca sub-region.

Domingo has been a church leader at Moruca for over three decades and despite being visually impaired, he is well-known for preaching to congregations in the area including at the village of Parakese, where he resides.

There are times when he would travel throughout the sub-region, ministering to audiences within the Full Gospel Fellowship and also carrying out his duties as a marriage officer; he has been in the latter role for some 28 years.

Following his calling

Domingo told Guyana Times that at the age of 18, he decided to follow his calling and undertake bible studies. As such, he enrolled in a 3-year sojourn at the Hauraruni International Missionary training centre on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.

Domingo, who is now 64, said some three years after completing his studies he moved back to Moruca. At age 25 he said he decided to get married and since then, his wife, Magdalene, has been by his side.

He said he commenced minis-

tering the bible on the outskirts of Moruca at Kwebanna, a remote village that sits some 22 miles away on the Waini River, from his home. “I spent seven years there and during that time I would also visit other communities such as Manawarin, Wallaba and Santa Cruz,” he added.

In July 1993, Domingo said he moved back to Parakese and he and his wife continued to build their family life. He said the couple produced three children, two boys, and a girl. “All the while, my wife would also study the bible with me so we are always reading the word of God,” he added.

Losing his sight

Domingo said as time passed, he observed that he was not seeing words properly while reading and he said sometimes his vision would become blurry. That was a few years prior to 2011. He said he travelled to the coastland to determine what was the problem.

“My sight was going and I went to an ophthalmologist and they diagnosed me with glaucoma,” he added. “It was so advanced that nothing could be done.”

He said he was using a treatment for the condition but in 2011, things took a dark turn then one day, he could not see anything. “It is 11 years-plus now, but I am still very much involved in the work of the Lord,” he said.

He noted that he became very worried when he lost his sight,

noting that his immediate worry was how he would be able to move around. Domingo said he gradually accepted the fact and calmed his mind. “I had to accept it, that nothing could be done about my sight,” he said.

With his wife by his side, he said he made adjustments to his life and his wife would spend more time reading the bible with him as he would prepare his sermons for church. “My wife is always my biggest supporter,” he said.

He said in the initial days of being visually impaired, he bought a cassette recorder and he would play the biblical cassettes as a guide to assist him in his religious

duties. He said he then upgraded to a Compact Disc (CD) player and he would listen to the verses of the bible while his wife wrote his notes.

Pastor Domingo said he managed to obtain an audio version of the bible and he noted that this assisted him greatly. But these days, he said he knows the bible from his heart and he and his wife would sit and prepare his sermons at their home. “Whenever I want to study the bible, my wife would always be there to assist, ever since we got married,” he added.

He said she would read the sections of the bible he requests and he would then listen to the notes she records. “I would then prepare it in my mind and in my heart, I try to memorise it in order to bring out my points in front of the congregation,” he added.

He said his three children also support him. He noted that they have all gone into the world of work. He said his daughter and one of his sons, Dwayne, decided to join the teaching profession while his other son works in the mining sector. He said too that Dwayne is also following in his footsteps since he too has decided to become a pastor in the church.

Message to the youth

Pastor Domingo said when he preaches to the general church population his advice is always to follow the word of the Almighty.

He said those who listen would

have to decide in their minds the type of life they choose to live but he noted that “we should try live by the word of God and try to apply his teachings to life.”

He said today’s youth may have many challenges which confront them but he noted that they should always trust in the Almighty. “Trust in the lord to lead and direct and you got to just be sensitive to what God wants for you,” he added.

Outside of preaching

Despite his current condition, Pastor Domingo said he still carries out his duties around the home. He said he has adjusted to ensure that he knows how to find his way around the house and also within his yard. He said he and his wife are also ardent farmers and he noted that he would accompany her to their farm whenever the need arises. He said he usually assists by fetching their goods out of the farmland.

He noted too that he is always occupied around the home or out in the community. “Sometimes I would have to travel to carry out marriage ceremonies as far up in the Barama River. The people would come for me and transport me back to my home. So I am always trying to keep myself busy. I don’t want to just be at home sitting and watching,” he said.

“I live by the word of God and I will continue to do so for as long as I live,” Pastor Domingo added with a smile.

Pastor David Domingo

“I am completely blind, but I still preach the Word of God” – visually-impaired pastor

“Nachle Designs”: stand-out modern Indian-wear brand by Guyanese designers

after realising that the things that they would prefer to wear, are not always found in local boutiques or online.

“Sometimes you don’t always find what you’re looking for at a boutique or online so it came in the inspiration that we started making our own things, stuff that we wanted to wear and we just started creating from there. That is where our idea of ‘Nachle Designs’ birthed, where we wanted a certain look and we wanted it to be extravagant, we wanted it to be vibrant, and we wanted it to be ours,” PartabAlli said cheerily.

Cultural and creative grant

Forging ahead with the idea of bringing something different to the traditional wear market, Hashim Alli and Melicia Partab-Alli have left their mark on Guyana’s fashion industry with the creation of their modern traditional Indian wear brand “Nachle Designs”.

The brand, which was launched in 2014, features a mix of Eastern and Western cultures while still displaying a modern look.

“Designing started in 2014 and has evolved throughout the years to now, we are the only Indian fashion line that uses western cultures as well into our fashion.”

Speaking with this publication, Melicia Partab-Alli shared that fashion came quite easily to her and her husband and it

was just one of the hobbies that she and her husband enjoy doing together. She added that a career in fashion is quite fruitful despite facing a few challenges.

“It has been an incredible journey so far, one with triumphs, of course, that comes with challenges as well. But it’s very fruitful, I must say in this profession. Designing is just one of the… hobbies that my husband and I do together,” she expressed.

“We not only do fashion, myself and my husband, we own the… Mrs. Teen and Mr. India Guyana franchise so we’re actually part of this Indian culture for a very long time, we’ve both been dancing and event planning and a whole lot of other things, so fashion has been

a part of everything else and now… we have our own fashion brand that complements it,” she made known.

Fashion in bloodline

Adding to that, Partab-Alli shared that fashion has always been in her and her husband’s lives, and has always been an interest to them. “Fashion has always been something that is quite in our bloodline because we gravitated towards it early on. Everybody loves to look good and we always try to have really nice outfits and look outstanding… so fashion came easy for us, because… I consider myself to be a fashionista at this point,” she remarked.

According to the designer, the inspiration to get into the fashion industry came simply

In January 2022, the talented designers were afforded the opportunity of being granted the cultural and creative grant for “Nachle Designs” by the Culture Youth, and Sport Ministry. With this financing, the couple was able to lunch two new clothing lines, one for the working people, which was done for the holiday of Holi, and their second collection “Habibi” which was created as more of a resort wear and everyday look collection. This line of clothing featured pieces using signature Indian designs with a mix of western flair.

After launching this line at the POSH fashion show for the cricket carnival festival, it was then selected to be a part of the First Lady’s charity event, Chari-Tea, and shortly after was displayed at the Orange the Runway Fashion show in December 2022.

Added to that, these designers are determined to take their business to the next level in 2023. The main goal for “Nachle Designs” this year isto

have a physical location, which would allow the duo to have a more welcoming environment for their clients and a space to display their outstanding and exceptional pieces.

“Our 2023 goals would be to have a physical location… or studio where we can actually have clients over to have a more inviting environment for them and also display our pieces… currently we’re only an online store and we actually just go to our clients,” Partab-Alli stated.

Evolving industry

The young designer and businesswoman noted too that fashion is currently the most evolving industry in the world and it changes drastically, as she encouraged all youths who want to join the industry to hop on board and follow their passion. Though it’s risky, she said with determination and consistency shall come great rewards.

Hashim Alli and Melicia Partab-Alli and their team of models who showcased their Habibi Collection

A piece offered by the Habibi Collection

“Nachle Designs”: stand-out modern...

“Fashion… has become like second nature at this point for us. To young people joining this industry, I say go for it, put your all into it, there are going to be days where you’re going to stumble and fall, but always remember, you can step on up and look fashionable doing it. I think you need to know that it’s not going to be all stars and bright lights all the time, you’re going to have dark moments, but it’s what you do in those dark moments that prevail and make you successful,” she encouraged.

“If you’re going to just stay down when you fall and not get up… you’re not going to see the outcome of it, you have to have the battles, you have to have the challenges, that’s the only way, when you have the success, it’s going to mean the world to you,” she added.

One of the main challenges of being in the creative industry, according to Partab-Alli, would be keeping it financially stable. Being in the creative industry, she stressed, is not always stable but she and her husband always manage to push through.

“Being a designer as any other career…. It can have its moments where it’s profitable, but like any other career it does have its moments where you have to put in the work and you have to dedicate yourself to it, sometimes you have inspiration, sometimes you do not, sometimes it’s easy to get inspiration, sometimes it’s not as that easy. But throughout the challenges comes very sweet rewards,” PartabAlli Shared.

Partab-Alli explained that most of the materials she uses for her stand-

out pieces are sourced from overseas as she shared how disadvantageous it is to be unable to source materials for a desired look from the local market.

“It would actually be awesome if it had one general place that had the latest in terms of materials to source in terms of the finishing products, in terms of everything, because right now as it is… you have to go to multiple places, sometimes it’s a drag. And you have to just use what you have, so I find that currently in Guyana we have a lot of outdated fabric,” she remarked.

This year, “Nachle Designs” will be launching its first line for the holiday of Holi and will see other collections follow shortly after. Also offered are custom designs for special occasions, upon customers’ request. (Tassia Dickenson)

UNDERSTANDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT PROCESS

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as the body responsible for the management, conservation, protection and improvement of Guyana’s natural environment, is required to ensure that any developmental activity which may cause an adverse effect on the environment is assessed before such activity commences.

It is important to note that environmental assessments may take several forms. Therefore, the type of environmental assessment required for a particular activity is decided by determining the significance of the impacts of the activity on the environment.

When is an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) required?

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an evaluation of the environmental and socio-economic impacts likely to arise from a major project. It is the process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made for providing authorisation.

There is a common misconception that the EPA should require an EIA for all projects or developmental activities. However, pursuant to Section 11(2) of the Environmental Protection Act, Cap 20:05, Laws of Guyana (EP Act), only projects which may significantly affect the environment would require an EIA.

A decision by the Agency to require an EIA would therefore depend on the environmental information available to the Agency, and whether the environmental impacts are minimal, reversible, and capable of being mitigated.

What are some areas covered by an EIA?

The EIA should be able to identify, describe, and evaluate the direct and indirect effects of the proposed project on the environment, including:

● Impacts on human beings;

● Impacts on plants, animals, species, and habitats;

● Impacts of soil composition and integrity;

● Impacts on water quality;

● Impacts on air and climatic factors;

● Impacts on cultural heritage, material assessment, and the landscape;

● Impacts on the natural resources etc.

An important component of the EIA is an outline of the main alternatives studied by the developer, and an indication of the main reasons for his/her choice, taking into account the environmental factors.

EIAs are NOT CONDUCTED by the EPA. They are conducted by independent and suitably qualified persons who have been approved by the EPA.

Other forms of environmental assessment

The EPA has the power to request other forms of assessment. The EPA can require an assessment of the cumulative effects of certain activities pursuant to Section 17 of the EP Act; or an Environmental Management Plan, an Ecosystem Assessment, a Vulnerability Assessment, or such other form of information as may be necessary pursuant to Regulation 3 and 17 of the Environmental Protection (Authorisations) Regulations.

Not all projects require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

There are some proposed projects whose impacts on the environment can be so significant that, in accordance with section 11(2) of the EP Act, an EIA would be required.

However, some projects, although they may be considered large-scale, may require a less rigorous environmental assessment report, such as an Environmental Management Plan (EMP), or a Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA).

In instances where an EIA is not required for seemingly large-scale projects, it simply means that:

● The EPA has sufficient environmental information in its database;

● The possible impacts are known, and are capable of being sufficiently mitigated; or

● Potential environmental impacts are minimal or reversible.

EIA not required does not mean the project is approved.

The decision that an EIA is not required is an initial step in the authorisation process.

The decision on whether a project is approved or rejected is made after further considerations, such as submissions made by the public, are taken into account.

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.

Dr. Tariq Jagnarine Family meDicine, enDocrinology/ DiabeTes

Asthenia, also known as weakness, is the feeling of body fatigue or tiredness. A person experiencing weakness may not be able to move a certain part of their body properly. Asthenia may also result in a lack of energy to move certain, or even all, parts of the body, and it can also cause mental fatigue.

Some people experience asthenia in a certain area of their body, such as the arms or legs. Others may experience full-body weakness, which is often the result of a bacterial or viral infection,

such as influenza or hepatitis. Weakness may be temporary, but it’s chronic or continuous in some cases.

CAUSES OF WEAKNESS

There are several potential causes to consider, including:

• Flu

Thyroid disease

• Anaemia

• Celiac disease

Chronic fatigue syndrome

• Fibromyalgia

• Depression Anxiety Lack of sleep

• Sleep apnea

• Poorly managed or undiagnosed diabetes

Congestive heart failure

• Vitamin B-12 deficiency Cancer

• Stroke

Heart attack

Although weakness caused by cancer may appear slowly over an extended period of time, weakness caused by a heart attack or stroke often occurs immediately.

HEALTH TIPS

FEELING WEAK

MEDICATION SIDE EFFECTS

Side effects from certain medications may cause asthenia, including:

• Mild tranquilizers to treat anxiety

Antidepressants

• Antihistaminescough syrups Chemotherapy Opioids

Overdoses of medications and vitamins may also lead to asthenia.

NATURAL AGING

Certain conditions, seen more prominently as a part of aging, may also lead to weakness. Possibilities include:

• Certain muscle diseases

• Arthritis

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Kidney disease

• Liver disease

• Insomnia or other sleep disorders

Other causes may include:

• Nerve or muscle injuries

Diseases affecting the nerves or muscles

• Poison Not eating a bal-

anced diet

• Sedentary lifestyle Isolated weakness

If feeling weak in one area of the body, people may realize that they can’t move that part of their body efficiently. They may also experience:

• Delayed or slow movement Uncontrollable shaking, or tremors

• Muscle twitching

• Muscle cramps

Full body weakness

Full body weakness causes persons to feel run down, similar to the feeling when they have the flu. This is known as fatigue, but it’s also possible to experience fullbody weakness without feeling tired. Some people who have full-body weakness also experience:

• Fever

Flu-like symptoms Pain in the affected area

EMERGENCY SYMPTOMS

Contact a doctor if experiencing any of the following symptoms with weakness:

• Dizziness

Lightheadedness Confusion

• Difficulty speaking

• Changes in vision Chest pain

Difficulty breathing

DIAGNOSIS

There are many treatment options for weakness. Determining the underlying cause helps doctors to determine the best treatment method.

A doctor may request a urine sample. A doctor may also request a blood sample. The lab will test these samples for signs of infection and possible medical conditions that may cause weakness.

If experiencing pain, the doctor may also order an imaging test to have a look at the area. Imaging tests may include:

• X-rays

• MRI scans

CT scans

Ultrasounds

Your doctor will order a brain scan and electrocardiogram if he/she suspects persons of having or having had a heart attack or stroke.

WEAKNESS VS FATIGUE

Weakness may also cause mental and body fatigue. Fatigue itself is a term that describes being too tired to engage in everyday activities. This level of tiredness persists, despite getting adequate sleep.

Fatigue can interfere with one’s quality of life, and become frustrating. One may have the desire to stay active, but feel too tired to participate in day-to-day life, even after resting.

As with weakness, there are numerous conditions that may cause fatigue. It’s also the most common symptom seen in advanced medical conditions.

TREATMENT

Once a doctor diagnoses the cause of weakness, that doctor would discuss treat-

ment options based on the diagnosis.

WEAKNESS PREVENTION

Since weakness is related to a variety of conditions, perhaps the most effective way to prevent it is to treat the underlying cause(s). Other possible preventive measures include:

Physical activity

• Eating nutritious foods

Treating underlying sleep disorders

• Taking medications, if needed

Supplements, such as iron, folate, or vitamin B12, if deficient in any nutrient

• Reducing caffeine and alcohol intake

Counselling

Some of the causes of weakness are part of a normal life. For example, if having a weakness due to a cold, time and rest should eventually clear up the weakness.

If the weakness originates from a more serious condition, seeing a doctor early and regularly can help people recover more quickly.

Taking care of one’s physical health is a good preventive measure. Drinking plenty of fluids, getting adequate rest, and exercising regularly can help you recover from weakness, and also prevent it.

As a rule of thumb, it’s a good idea for one to talk with a doctor if any weakness or fatigue is bothersome and interfering with one’s quality of life.

New insurance brokerage company aims to engage Guyanese on importance of being insured

economy, we feel that the time is now right to bring our insurance expertise and relationships with strong A-rated insurance companies to provide the necessary insurance products to the people of Guyana,” Jermyn relayed.

The Managing Director gave credit to the Ali-led Government, for its contribution to the change in economic landscape. In their contribution, the company is aiming to make Guyanese more aware of the importance of insurance.

the aim is not just offering the cheapest options available, but to understand their needs and offering a policy that will lend sufficient coverage.

Attending the launch was Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who pledged his Government’s full support to the company. He shared that while oil and gas has been heavily talked about, the growth of the country is also heavily influenced by development in traditional and non-oil sectors.

never seen more. As such, the local content framework catered for this in allowing international players to offer their services.”

“We have to be alive and cognisant of those commercial realities…The type of finances that is required need to be insured. There’s a series of mechanisms to protect the particular investment and liability.

Atlantic Edge Insurance Brokerage Incorporated on Friday officially launched its services in Guyana, with the aim of educating the public on the right policies and offering products that will offer significant coverage at affordable rates.

The new licensed insurance brokerage will provide

services from its Lot 85 David Street, Georgetown office. It brings years of experience in the business from its Caribbean Insurers Limited operations in the British Virgin Islands.

Managing Director Brian Jermyn noted that given Guyana’s growth trajectory, coupled with investments in various sec -

tors and interests from multi-national companies, it was time to launch here.

“It is also an exciting time for Guyana. These are times of exponential development, which will ultimately lead to the continued future prosperity for all Guyanese residents. With a continued expected increase in the Guyanese

“Atlantic Edge Insurance Brokerage hope to be part of this expansion and make our contribution to this exciting Guyanese business landscape…We plan to be a brokerage that not only sells a portfolio of motor, property, casualty, marine, health and life insurance products but we also hope to educate the Guyanese public on the importance and value of insurance through education and interactive events with the public.”

According to Jermyn,

“It is no secret anymore that Guyana is one of the most sought-after investment destinations in the Western Hemisphere. We are growing at a rate that is several times over any other country in the Caribbean. While that is so because of oil and gas, that growth is taking place significantly in the nonoil sector,” Nandlall positioned.

Recognising that the oil and gas sector is a multi-billion-dollar industry, the AG said insurance will be needed at a level

Insurance is one of those protective mechanisms. If hundreds of millions of US dollars are required to be vested onshore and offshore, we don’t have the insurance capabilities here.

We had to devise a way to accommodate local operators and the international players.”

The company has partnered with GTM Fire and Life, CG United Insurance, Hand-InHand Insurance, Assuria, Premier Insurance, New India Assurance Company, Demerara Mutual, NALICO/NAFICO, and Diamond Insurance to provide a wide range of options for its clients. (G12)

Attorney General Anil Nandlall joins Managing Director Brian Jermyn and other officials of the company for the ribbon-cutting ceremony

Random checks to be done at health centres to determine service quality – Health Minister

In order to gauge the level of service provided at health centres and respond to complaints from the public, random checks will be ongoing at these facilities to have a first-hand view of the operations.

Announcing this measure was Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony on Friday, in ensuring that health posts are function -

ing as they are intended and patients get the level of service needed.

“One of the things we want to do is random checks at our health centres because from time to time, there would be complaints from people that the health centres are not functioning as they should. A random check to the facility would give a firsthand impression of what

takes place there on a daily basis,” he detailed.

More importantly is the fact that through checks, areas which need improvement could be identified and fixed. Some facilities have already been subjected to such checks in areas such as Mahaica, Cane Grove, Unity, Anns Grove, Kuru Kuru, Grove among others.

Dr Anthony identified

that from recent visits, small improvements were needed to enhance the services provided.

“We will continue these types of visits. By and large, what we have found is that there are minor things that one may need to do at these sites. In some cases, there can be bits of equipment that we can supply. In other cases, they may have a drug that needs replenishment. These things, we can fix them very quickly.”

It was outlined that the Health Ministry is working to establish a better system for medicines to be readily available at all times, as well as point-ofcare diagnostic testing in health centres.

“When people come and you have to send them somewhere else to be tested, it takes a lot of time. Point-of-care testing can help some of that time wastage because we’d be able to do some of the tests right there at the point where the person is interacting with the doctor,” he

related.

In 2022, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government expended approximately $1 billion to upgrade primary healthcare facilities across the country.

In Region One, the Health Ministry executed work on 35 health centres and health posts, spending approximately $99.3 million. For Region Two, 24 health centres and health posts were upgraded for $99.9 million, while Region Three saw 31 health facilities being upgraded at a

cost of $99.7 million.

In Region Four, work on 30 facilities amounted to $138.9 million, while in Region Five, 14 health centres were identified for upgrades totalling $46.9 million. In Region Seven, 16 facilities, at a cost of $99.6 million, were upgraded. In Region Eight, 22 facilities saw upgrades valued at $99.5 million.

Meanwhile, in Regions Nine and 10, 53 and 17 facilities saw improvements to the value of $99.9 million and $48.4 million respectively.

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony

Theodore Williams loves making Nibbi furniture

By AlvA Solomon

It’s a style of furniture which catches the eye but it is sometimes difficult to source locally since they are usually made in hard-to-reach areas outside of Georgetown. But Theodore Williams, a craftsman who has been making Nibbi furniture for more than 15 years, plans to tap into the demand for the product.

He told Guyana Times from his home at the remote village of White Water outside Mabaruma in the North West District that he usually makes chair sets using the Nibbi and Kufa vines on a small scale or on a large scale, given the demand.

He explained that sometimes persons would order two or three sets of furniture and this, he noted, is considered small scale. He said the set would include two smaller chairs, a double-crafted chair and a centre table. The cost for the set would depend on the style requested by the customer. He also makes other products such as bar stools.

How it’s made Williams said the process involved in making this type of furniture can be demanding. He said he would first venture deep into the forest in search of the Nibbi and Kufa vines. The vines are usually found on the large trees and he noted that they are chopped down and cleaned on the forest floor. He said on occasions he would find as much as 25 “strand” of the vines.

He noted that the Kufa vine, which is the much thicker of the two, is cleaned and soaked in water in order to make it soft. The vine has to be soaked for a week

in order to for it to bend to the design requested by the customer. Williams noted that it is this vine which forms the frame of the item such as a chair or a table.

The Nibbi vine, he noted, is then dried and stripped using a sharp knife. The vine is stripped into minute widths of various length and this, he noted, is then knitted around the frame. Williams said his wife and children would assist in the knitting of the vines around the frames. He said there are times when the item, such as a chair, would be made by knitting two separate frames.

Then, he would be called in to assemble the two parts

to make the final product, such as the chair. The item is then polished or painted, depending on the customer’s demand. He added that a chair set can take as much as three weeks to complete.

He said that in addition to chair sets, he makes tables, beds, baby cradles among other products. Williams noted too that his wife does other Nibbi craft and she would make flower vases as well as hats among other items. “We do it to make our ends meet,” he said.

Where he started Williams noted that he is not originally from the North West District but

where he grew up. He then moved to Venezuela and after

der with the neighbouring country.

He said at the moment he is looking to expand the business from mainly making the furniture on a small scale and according to him, one of his plans is to sell his Nibbi furniture to customers in the capital city. He said sometimes it may be difficult to reach certain areas to the customer but he noted that he is working to set an arrangement in place to market his most treasured skill output, making Nibbi furniture.

Anyone who wishes to contact Williams can reach him on (592) 670-2573.

he has made the area his home for many years. He said he started making Nibbi craft while he lived in the Pomeroon River area

spending a few years, he relocated to White Water which sits close to the bor-

Chair sets such as this one designed and built by Williams can take as much as three weeks to build

Theodore Williams standing alongside a chair which he made from Nibbi and Kufa vines

Nothing wrong with doing something different – new GPF pilot

in pursuit of his dream

Constable Troy Doris was lauded and recognised by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) during a simple yet momentous ceremony on Friday at the Commissioner’s Conference Room, Eve Leary, for successfully completing the requirements for the Private Pilot Licence — Single Engine certificate and graduating as the valedictorian of his programme.

Clifton Hicken, acting Commissioner of Police, applauded Constable Troy Doris’ stellar accomplishments and lauded his father, Sergeant Troy Doris, for supporting his son in this endeavour.

The Top Cop stated that as a motivator and as a reward, a letter will be sent

on Constable Troy Doris’ behalf to the Police Service Commission requesting that he be elevated to the level of Cadet Officer.

“The Force is going places, and this will be an organisation that is contemporary and second to none,” the Top Cop is quoted as saying by the

GPF press unit.

According to Hicken, “in order to accomplish a contemporary Police Force, partnership is necessary. We need to develop our people to meet the standard that is necessary... and to create infrastructure that is conducive, and build the bridge between the Police and the public”.

Further, the Top Cop said the Force’s Executive Leadership Team has decided that the emphasis for this year would be on operational priorities, performance, professionalism, and accountability.

Hicken stated that Guyana is undergoing rapid infrastructural development, which would provide challenges for the GPF. As a result, the GPF is collaborating with the Ministries and other governmental and private sector agencies to build capacity.

Police Air Wing

Speaking about the GPF’s

Strategic Plan and under the “Developing Our People” pillar, Deputy Commissioner ‘Administration’ Calvin Brutus, noted that a proposal was made for the establishment of a Police Airway, which he said is for the “independence, efficiency, and effective operational capabilities of the Guyana Police Force.

In this regard, Brutus pointed out that capable persons were selected to be trained in Aeronautical Engineering and also Cadet courses.

Brutus noted that Constable Doris commenced training online in 2018 and completed the practical training of his course at the Flight Training Institute Barbados Inc on January 8, 2023.

“We are proud as an organisation,” Brutus declared.

Brutus further noted that this will serve as a major motivator to other members of the Guyana Police Force to seek to embrace the pillar of developing our people. In fact, three other Police ranks are

currently enrolled in the Art Williams and Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School, one in his second year and two in their first.

According to Brutus, the Guyana Police Force intends to continue training ranks in all necessary fields as the GPF prepares to acquire its own Air Wing in a bid to become self-sufficient.

Brutus assured that the GPF will continue to support Constable Doris in furthering his studies to pursue a programme in multi-engine certification.

Supporting aspirations

During his response, an elated and enthusiastic Troy Doris thanked God and the Force’s administration for supporting his aspirations.

22-year-old Doris, who joined the Guyana Police Force on March 7, 2019, noted that there is nothing wrong with doing something different or thinking about how you can be of benefit to the organisation. He said being a pilot in the Guyana Police Force and being part of a major development in the Force is a great feeling.

Doris recalled his first time entering the Officers’ Training Centre, where he saw a sign that read, “Am I a Credit to the Force?” and asked himself, “How can I be a credit to the Force?” This, he noted, occurred while he was still contemplating joining the Force.

He aspires to become a certified flight instructor so that he can teach his fellow colleagues and help in the GPF’s self-sufficiency agenda.

His father, Sergeant Troy Doris, thanked the Force’s administration for its unwavering support while noting that being a pilot has been his son’s dream since the tender age of four, when, while cleaning the yard with his parents, he spotted a plane and told his mother that one day he would be a pilot and he would put her in the front seat of the plane.

Also present at the appreciation ceremony was

Superintendent Nichola Kendall, Head of GPF’s Strategic Planning Unit.

…says Police administration offered unwavering support

Constable Troy Doris along with acting Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken; Deputy Commissioner ‘Administration’ Calvin Brutus; SPU Head Nicola Kendall and his father Sergeant Troy Doris (Snr) (right)

Constable Troy Doris, who is now a pilot in the Guyana Police Force

“Guyana will not be used as a trans-shipment point for narcotics” – CANU Head

The Customs AntiNarcotics Unit’s (CANU) aggressive approach to combating drug trafficking has proven fruitful, with the agency destroying 140.6 kilograms (kg) of seized cocaine and 454.7kg of seized marijuana. This totals around 596kg of narcotics that were destroyed and are from cases that have concluded in the Magistrates’ Courts.

Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn and CANU Head James Singh observed the destruction at the former Housing Ministry’s tarmac on Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown, in the wee

he is quoted as saying.

The Home Affairs Minister commended the leadership of CANU for the valiant efforts in the fight against drug trafficking and implored the unit to continue in this direction. “I want to thank Mr Singh (James Singh) and his team for the continu -

achieved several milestones in the seizure of narcotics in 2022. He noted that the unit will continue to work in this fight. “We want to send a strong message that the Government is serious about fighting narcotics within Guyana and also Guyana will not be used as a transhipment point for narcotics to other territories,” he is quoted as saying by DPI.

Singh, however, noted that it is disturbing that it takes months for a person found with narcotics to be prosecuted.

hours of Saturday.

A DPI report stated that Benn, while engaging with ranks, assured that Government will continue to support the agency as they work to prevent Guyana from being used as a transhipment point for drug trafficking. “Our President, Irfaan Ali has committed with us to bring more resources and more support in respect of this fight but there is so much we can do even at this point in time…. We have to rely on our development partners to step in with this fight and also to work with us in the communities… and the particular persons in our communities who need rehabilitation in respect of drug use but the destruction in the communities has to stop,”

ing efforts, for the increase in the number of captures, in reductions in respect of cocaine, particularly mar -

“While I do not want to criticise the Judiciary, I guess there’s a backlog but it doesn’t help when you arrest someone today and they’re placed on bail and their cases are being called until four, five months after. It’s been seen as not mocking us but here it is we have seized you with the drugs, we have seized the drugs, we have arrested you, we have put you before the court only for you to be placed on bail. It’s a bit disheartening at times,” he noted. The street value for the destroyed narcotics varies as they were seized at ports of entry to countries like the United States and the United Kingdom.

ijuana on the Canje and Berbice Rivers, Region 10 and some other places. This work has to continue,” Benn expressed.

Meanwhile, the CANU Head noted that the unit

In 2022, 3.7 tonnes of marijuana and over 124kg of cocaine were seized from various ports of entry and through operations conducted by CANU.

CANU Head James Singh

Motorcyclist, 22, killed after crashing into van at Foulis

Ayoung man died on Saturday morning after his motorcycle crashed into a parked van on the East Coast Demerara (ECD) road and he was left there for nearly an hour.

Dead is Jevon Chappell, a 22-year-old resident of Section D Non-Pareil, East Coast Demerara.

The Guyana Police Force said the accident occurred sometime around 05:00h on Foulis Access Road, ECD.

According to reports, Chappell was proceeding west along the southern side of the Foulis Access Road at a fast rate of speed and whilst negotiating a right turn, he lost control of his bike, CK 648.

This resulted in the motorcycle colliding with the side of a motor van, GJJ

9493, which was stationary on the western grass parapet facing east.

As a result of the collision, the motorcyclist was flung through the win-

dow and into the motor van, where he received injuries. It is suspected that the young man died at the scene.

In fact, it was not until 05:55h that an unknown caller contacted the Enmore Police Station to report the accident after discovering Chappell’s motionless body hanging from the window of the van.

The injured man was subsequently was picked up in an unconscious condition and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he was examined by a doctor and pronounced dead on arrival (DOA).

His body was escorted to Georgetown Public Hospital's Mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examina-

tion (PME).

The Police are continuing their investigations.

The Guyana Government, including President Dr Irfaan Ali, has highlighted the need to protect citizens, promote road safety, and improve the flow of traffic by clearing the roadways of all derelict vehicles and encumbrances.

Only last November, the National Enhancement Committee of the Public Works Ministry conducted a clean-up exercise aimed mainly at removing all derelict vehicles, materials and other encumbrances from alongside roadways across the country.

A notice was sent to owners, days prior, to have their derelict vehicles removed before the Ministry’s

clean-up team commenced the exercise.

The National Cleanup and Derelict Vehicle Removal Exercise was carried out in accordance with the Laws of Guyana, Section 29 of the Road Act, Cap 51:01 – seizure and disposal of property obstructing road.

Section 29 of this Act directs, “Any property obstructing or damaging a road or canal may be seized and removed by the Road Officer of the district, or by anyone by him thereto authorised in writing, and if it remains unclaimed for fourteen days after notice given to the owner thereof to come forward and claim the property, and pay all damages incurred, it shall be sold, and the proceeds paid to the Accountant General.”

Govt committed to business development in Region 6 - Tourism National Coordinator

The government is committed to business development in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne).

This is according to the National Coordinator at the Tourism, Industry and Commerce Ministry, Tameca Sukhdeo-Singh.

Delivering an address on behalf of Tourism Minister Oneidge Walrond at the launch of a training programme for female entrepreneurs - Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) - on Saturday, the tourism coordinator said the programme which is being funded by the US Embassy in Guyana is complementary to the government's policy for promoting entrepreneurship outside of the capital city and building sustainable communities.

Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) will run from February to May 2023.

According to SukhdeoSingh, the government identified Region Six as the hub for the National Training Institute at Port Mourant where we will also house the tourism and hospitality training institute.

“Guyana is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and this is an opportune time for an initiative as this to assist in developing and empowering our local entrepreneurs especially to strengthen and equip our vulnerable groups to become resilient in the face of encouraging challenges and to turn those challenges into opportunity,” she pointed out.

The programme will initially benefit the first batch of thirty who were chosen from a list of 150 applicants.

“Programmes of that nature spread across communities in Guyana are geared towards the power women and assisting them to become independent. This program since that guide you in establishing your business giving you the necessary tools such as product development, marketing, branding, business plan development, food safety, and financial accountability which are all necessities for an entrepreneur like yourselves,” Sukhdeo-Singh added.

She noted that the government is there to lend support and to provide and enabling environment for entrepreneurs.

“Through our food security policies, there are various agricultural projects in Regions Six as well as a spectrum of tourism opportunities to grow and develop. As part of our Ministry's commitments to business development in Region Six our Belvedere Business Incubator Center was op-

erationalised and permission last year as a Belvedere Industrial Site.”

Empower female entrepreneurs

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Guyana Sarah Ann Lynch said it is an important initiative to empower female entrepreneurs, noting that it is in keeping with the US’s mandate in providing support and resources to aid in the economic development of women across the globe.

“Given the overwhelming success of the programme in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) and additional interest in developing entrepreneurs’ skills of women. The programme has been expanded to Berbice.”

She pointed out that it targets women from varying backgrounds especially agriculture and fishery industries.

Supporting partner of the initiative, the InterAmerican Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) Representative/

noting IICA will work with you(participants) over the next few months to promote capacity building in various

areas.

Founder of WeLead, Abbigale Loncke-Wilson explained that her experience at the Young Leaders of the Americas she was inspired her to return to the country to share her knowledge.

She launched the first training programme in May 2021, in her hometown of Region Two, where twenty-five women were trained.

According to LonckeWilson, all participants have new packaging with labels and barcodes, business cards, fliers and helping them with their social media page/ websites. Further, their products and services will be on display at a grand fair displaying Guyanese and Surinamese products which is expected to be held in Georgetown. (G4)

Woman fined after admitting to ganja possession

A29-year-old woman of Ogle Street, Triumph, East Coast Demerara, was fined $10,000 after she admitted to a charge of possession of narcotics.

Chrisann Duggan was arrested on Wednesday last by ranks of the Sparendaam Police Station and appeared in court on Friday.

Duggan appeared before Magistrate Alisha George at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court where the charge was read to her. She was charged with the offence of Possession of Narcotic Contrary to Section 4 (1) (a) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic

Substances (Control) Act, Chapter 10:10.

She admitted to the offence and was fined $10,000.

Dead: Jevon Chappell

Fined: Chrisann Duggan

Caricom Laison of IICA Wilmot Garnett said he is pleased to be partnering with the stakeholders while

US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, along with Tourism National Coordinator, Tameca Sukhdeo-Singh; IICA) Representative/ Caricom Laison of IICA Wilmot Garnett; Regional Chairman Vickchand Ramphal; Founder of WeLead, Abbigale Loncke-Wilson, and some of the participants of the empowerment programme at the launch on Saturday

Tobago moving away from February Carnival - Chief Secretary

Last October the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) took the bold step of hosting the island’s first-ever stand-alone Carnival. Now it seems the plan is for that event to replace the traditional February festivities altogether.

THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine explained that in the longterm, February Carnival in Tobago would mean something different than in Trinidad and October will eventually become the island’s main stake in Carnival festivities.

“Hopefully sooner rather than later we get to the point where we can transition away from the traditional February Carnival and transition to a period where this period for us in Tobago is marketed heavily for our campers, the retreaters, those who normally would leave Trinidad to

get away. Tobago would be the best place to get away to,” he said.

Augustine said such people should be encouraged to visit Tobago during the Carnival period rather than other Caribbean destinations.

He said the first Tobago Carnival as successful but admitted there are kinks to be worked on. However, he assured that the 2023 offering will be superior to the inaugural event.

However, with the national Carnival in focus there is a controversy brewing among bandleaders in Tobago. Earlier this week, the bandleaders expressed disappointment at the $1.3 million allocation for Carnival bands. They said many of them made a loss taking part in the October festivities.

But according to Augustine, “what we got in October was a superi-

or product to what we normally get in February and the THA contributed far less to getting that done to what we normally do in February.”

He explained that one

Romanian prosecutors take away luxury cars seized in Andrew Tate case

of the differences between February and October is that prize money is involved in the former.

Responding to claims that he has not been available to meet with the band-

leaders, Augustine said he met with them before the October Carnival but has no problem meeting with them again. “And I will be open to meeting with them as a stakeholder in this year,

but the decision whether they produce something for the road or not, that’s obviously their call.

The Chief Secretary said what bandleaders are doing might speed up the transition away from February Carnival in Tobago.

But whether there are bands on the road or not, Carnival is taking place at a time when COVID-19 is again a cause for concern.

Augustine said he is extremely concerned.

“The economy cannot afford more shutdowns,” he said.

However, he said Tobago has been doing well in keeping infection numbers down but if it gets worse a mask mandate might be necessary.

Augustine appealed to Tobagonians to be more cautious to keep the numbers down and restrict the spread of the disease.

(T&T Guardian)

China reports huge rise in COVID-related deaths after data criticism

Romanian authorities started on Saturday to take away luxury cars from a property close to the capital as part of a criminal inquiry into alleged human trafficking that led to the arrest of divisive internet personality Andrew Tate.

Romanian anti-organised crime prosecutors detained Tate, his brother Tristan and two Romanian female suspects on December 29, 2022 on charges of forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit six women. They have denied wrongdoing.

A Reuters reporter saw several cars, including a

Rolls-Royce, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, being taken from the Tate compound on the outskirts of the capital, Bucharest, to be transported to a storage location.

Earlier this week, prosecutors told Reuters they had seized 15 luxury vehicles and more than 10 properties and homes belonging to the suspects in Bucharest and the counties of Prahova and Brasov to prevent the assets being sold or hidden.

Tate’s lawyer was not immediately available for comment.

The four suspects challenged their 30-day arrest warrant earlier this week,

but the Bucharest court of appeals rejected the challenge and said they should remain in police custody.

Tate, a former contestant on the UK reality show Big Brother, gained notoriety for misogynistic remarks and hate speech.

His remarks got him banned from all major social media platforms, although his Twitter account became active again in November after Elon Musk acquired the platform.

Tate, who holds U.S. and British nationality, has said women are partially responsible for being raped and that they belong to men. (Reuters)

China said on Saturday nearly 60,000 people with COVID-19 had died in hospital since it abandoned its zero-COVID policy last month, a huge increase from previously reported figures that follows global criticism of the country’s coronavirus data.

In early December, Beijing abruptly dismantled its strict three-year anti-virus regime of frequent testing, travel curbs and mass lockdowns after widespread protests in late November, and cases have surged since then across the nation of 1.4 billion.

A health official said on Saturday that COVID fever and emergency hospitalisations had peaked and the

number of hospitalised patients was continuing to decline.

Between Dec 8 and Jan 12, the number of COVID-related deaths in Chinese hospitals totalled 59,938, Jiao Yahui, head of the Bureau of Medical Administration under the National Health Commission (NHC), told a media briefing.

Of those fatalities, 5503 were caused by respiratory failure due to COVID and the remainder resulted from a combination of COVID and other diseases, she said.

The World Health Organisation, which earlier this week said that China was heavily under-reporting deaths from the virus

and called for more information, on Saturday welcomed Beijing’s announcement, while renewing its plea for more detailed data.

The UN agency said its Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had spoken with Ma Xiaowei, director of China’s National Health Commission, about the latest outbreak, which the WHO said was similar to what had been seen in other countries.

While international health experts have predicted at least 1 million COVID-related deaths this year, China had previously reported just over 5000 deaths since the pandemic began, one of the lowest death rates in the world.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Patients lying on beds in the emergency department of a hospital, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai, China, January 5, 2023

Romanian officials transport the cars seized from Andrew Tate’s compound to a storage location in Pipera, Ilfov, Romania, January 14, 2023. Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea via REUTERS

Regional

Brazil’s top court to investigate Bolsonaro role in Brasilia riots

Peru President will not resign, apologises for protest death toll

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte has apologised for dozens of deaths in protests that have broken out across the country in recent weeks, but insisted that she will not step down.

Speaking to the nation in a late night address on Friday, Boluarte lamented the violence that has killed more than 40 people since December – mostly protesters during clashes with security forces, but also a Police officer burned alive in a vehicle – and injured hundreds more Police and demonstrators.

“Some voices that have come from the violent and

radical factions are asking for my resignation, provoking the population into chaos, disorder and destruction,” Boluarte said in the address.

“I will not resign. My commitment is with Peru,” she said.

“I cannot stop reiterating my regret for the deaths of Peruvians in these protests,” she said.

“I apologise for this situation.”

Protests have gripped the South American nation since former President Pedro Castillo was removed from office in December and detained after he tried to illegally dissolve

Congress. He was replaced in the President’s position by Boluarte, who was Vice President.

Boluarte also rejected the possibility of calling a constitutional assembly as demanded by protesters, pointing to the difficulties Peru’s neighbour Chile has had in drafting and approving a new Constitution.

“That cannot happen overnight,” she said.

Supporters of the former President have marched and barricaded streets around the country for weeks, demanding that new elections be held and for Boluarte to step down.

(Al Jazeera)

Brazil’s Supreme Court agreed on Friday to open an investigation into former President Jair Bolsonaro for allegedly encouraging anti-democratic protests that ended in the storming of government buildings by his supporters in Brasilia.

“Public figures who continue to cowardly conspire against democracy trying to establish a state of exception will be held accountable,” said Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who agreed to the request by federal prosecutors to launch the probe.

Bolsonaro, who is currently in the United States, will be investigated by prosecutors for possible “instigation and intellectual authorship of the anti-democratic acts that resulted in vandalism and violence in Brasilia last Sunday,” the top public prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The Supreme Court had already ordered the arrest of Bolsonaro’s former Justice Minister, Anderson Torres, for allowing the protests to take place in the Brazilian capital after he assumed responsibility for

Jamaica launches fraud probe after Bolt reports millions missing

Jamaican financial authorities have launched an investigation into a company holding investments for eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt after reports that he may have lost millions to large-scale fraud.

Stocks & Securities Ltd, a private wealth management company based in the capital of Kingston, was placed under “enhanced oversight” while the Financial Services Commission (FSC) conducts the inquiry.

Bolt’s manager, Nugent Walker, told The Gleaner newspaper that the retired sprinter has had investments with the company for more than a decade.

The daily said millions of dollars were reported missing from Bolt’s account.

“All the relevant steps have been taken to come to the bottom of this,” Walker told the news outlet, saying

the athlete had noticed discrepancies with his account on Wednesday. “He’s been with this entity over 10 years … His entire portfolio is being reviewed.”

The FSC said it was “aware of reports of allegations of fraud at one of its licensees, Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL)”.

Bolt retired from athletics in 2017 after a career that, in addition to eight Olympic golds, included 11 World Championship titles.

He sprung to global fame at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 when he won the 100 metres and 200m sprints, setting new world records in both races.

The Jamaican went on to win both races in the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Games.

Bolt’s 100m time of 9.57 seconds, set in Berlin in 2009, remains the world record and he also retains the fastest time in 200m. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Brasilia’s public security.

Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters vandalised the Supreme Court, Congress and presidential palace last weekend, seeking to provoke chaos and a military coup that would oust President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and restore the far-right leader to power

Having lost Brazil’s October election to Lula, Bolsonaro left Brazil for the United States on the eve of the end of his term, avoiding passing the presidential sash to his leftist rival at his inauguration. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Venezuelan economy grew above 15% in 2022, President says

Venezuela's economy expanded around 15 per cent last year, President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday during his annual state of the nation address, crediting the expansion to diversification of the largely oil-focused economy.

The South American country's economy grew 17.73 per cent year-over-year in the first three quarters of 2022, its central bank said in December, following an eight-year economic collapse.

The country has seen extended economic hardship

Major Ecuador Indigenous group threatens

anti-mining protests

Ecuador's major Indigenous organisation said on Thursday it was preparing to hold protests in mining areas in an attempt to stop extractive activities near its communities.

The CONAIE Indigenous organisation - which led protests that paralysed the country for nearly two weeks last year - and an anti-mining group voted during an assembly to oppose the expansion of mining in Ecuador because of its social and environmental harm.

The groups voted to "prepare conditions of territorial defense" in areas where mining companies were present, CONAIE leader Leonidas Iza said, adding measures would be progressive.

"We want to say to trans-national mining companies, to mining business people in our country: don't invest more in mining because we are going to defend our land," Iza said, without specifying when protests might begin.

Indigenous and environmental organisations say the government of conservative President Guillermo Lasso has not complied with deals made after last year's demonstrations to place a moratorium on mining in ancestral Indigenous territories until the legislature approves a law to outline community consultation rules for projects.

Indigenous groups have also rejected a government announcement that it will declare "security zones" around some mining projects and have decried illegal mining taking place in the Amazon.

Lasso, a former banker, has promised to bolster mining in the South American country, but projects have been hampered by court rulings and community opposition.

From January through October 2022, mining brought in some $2.3 billion in export revenue, more than 42 per cent higher than the same period a year before, the central bank has said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

under its largely state-controlled model, prompting more than 7 million people to migrate.

"Venezuela has had growth in 2022 above 15 per cent of gross domestic product, the best growth in Latin America and the Caribbean," Maduro told lawmakers, ministers and other guests during an hours-long speech, thanking business people and entrepreneurs for their efforts.

Maduro's government, facing US sanctions, relaxed private sector regulations in 2019 to allow more foreign currency inflows.

While the move helped some industries, annual inflation remains high - hitting some 37 per cent in

The government and state-run firms like oil company PDVSA had begun paying some suppliers in dollars to cut expenses in bolivars and reduce inflation. But the government fell behind on payments at the end of 2022 amid dwindling income in the foreign currency.

Maduro reiterated his frequent call for the United States to lift sanctions, saying "imperialism and its lackeys" cost the Venezuelan economy $411 million a day, though he did not provide evidence for that figure. (Excerpt from Reuters)

J$7 billion cocaine bust at Kingston Freeport Terminal

Amassive cocaine seizure was made at the Kingston Freeport Terminal on Saturday morning, according to a reliable Police source.

Reports are that the contraband is estimated to weigh hundreds of kilograms, and was found concealed among the cargo of a vessel which arrived from Colombia on Friday. According to the source, the total value of the drugs could be in the region of US$50 million (J$7.1 billion).

The source said it was a joint operation among the

Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Narcotics Division, the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and Jamaica Customs Agency.

Observer Online understands that the operation, which began from 10:00 am on Friday, is still ongoing.

According to a JCF media release, representatives of the Police and Jamaica Customs have indicated that the operation on the port will continue for an extended period to ensure the integrity of items arriving at the port.

(Jamaica Observer)

Supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro demonstrating against President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as security forces operate, outside Brazil’s National Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, January 8, 2023

December according to a non-governmental group - and many Venezuelans struggle to afford food and other basic items.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro attending a State of the Nation address at the National Assembly, in Caracas, Venezuela January 12, 2023

Around the World

OIL NEWS

Oil prices expected to average around $90 in 2023-2027

Brent oil prices are expected to remain around US$90 per barrel throughout the next five years, according to my eighth annual survey of energy market professionals.

Forecasts are mostly US$4-US$10 per barrel above predictions at the time of the 2022 survey, conducted before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and up by around US$20 compared with the 2020 survey, before the coronavirus pandemic.

In this year’s survey, prices are forecast to average US$87 in 2023, down from US$99 realised in 2022, when prices surged following Russia’s invasion and sanctions imposed in response by the United States and European Union.

Forecasts for 2023 are tightly clustered, with half of respondents expecting the average price to lie between US$80 and US$95, and more than 90 per cent expecting the average to lie between US$70 and US$105.

Prices are expected to continue averaging around US$90 from 2024 to 2027, with a slight downward skew in forecasts later in the period.

Forecast prices are US$15-20 per barrel above where the futures strip was trading at the time of the survey, a similar premium to the one revealed in last year’s survey, but up from a premium of around US$10 before the pandemic.

Understandably, there is more dispersion in forecasts for later years, reflecting greater uncertainty about the evolution of the business cycle and structural changes affecting the industry.

But uncertainty over all time horizons has jumped significantly following the pandemic and continued to increase in the most recent survey.

Both short-term forecasts for 2023-2024 and longer-term forecasts for 2025-2027 are characterised by much higher standard deviations than comparable forecasting horizons before the pandemic.

Conflict in Ukraine, sanctions on Russia, intensifying rivalry between the United States and China, lingering pandemic disruptions, and the slowdown in the business cycle all seem to be combining to make forecasts more uncertain.

METHODOLOGY

The survey is based on a questionnaire emailed to over 13,000 energy market professionals and others on the “best in energy” mailing list, which received more than 1000 responses between Jan 10 and Jan 12.

Among survey respondents, 22 per cent are directly involved in oil and gas production (exploration, drilling, production, refining, distribution, marketing and oilfield services).

Most of the rest work in banking and finance (18 per cent), research (8 per cent), professional services (8 per cent), hedge funds (8 per cent), physical commodity trading (7 per cent), other energy businesses (6 per cent) and other nonenergy corporations (5 per cent). (Reuters)

John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own

Russia fires new waves of missiles at Ukraine and hits energy infrastructure

Russia launched fresh waves of missile attacks across Ukraine on Saturday, killing at least five people in a strike on an apartment block in the eastern city of Dnipro.

A number of other cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa, were also hit.

Much of Ukraine is now under an emergency blackout after missiles hit power infrastructure in several cities.

Earlier, the UK said it would send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine to help the country’s defence.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the Challengers, the British army’s main battle tank, would help Kyiv’s forces “push Russian troops back”.

Later on Saturday - a day when Ukrainians celebrate the Old (or Orthodox) New Year - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian attacks on civil-

ian targets could be stopped only if Ukraine’s Western partners supplied necessary weapons.

“What is needed for this? Those weapons which are in the depots of our partners and which our soldiers are waiting for so much”, he said in his nightly video address, adding that his forces shot down more than 20 out of 30 Russian missiles fired at Ukraine.

The strike in Dnipro hit the entrance of a nine-storey building, turning several floors into smouldering rubble, and leaving nearly 40 injured, including seven children, Ukrainian officials said, in what is likely to be the worst attack in months.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Iran executes British-Iranian accused of spying

leashed a deadly crackdown on protesters last year.

In an audio recording purportedly from Akbari and broadcast by BBC Persian on Wednesday, he said he had confessed to crimes he had not committed after extensive torture.

The Mizan report accused Akbari of receiving payments of 1,805,000 euros (US$1.95 million), 265,000 pounds

(US$323,989.00), and US$50,000 for spying.

Cleverly said in a statement the execution would “not stand unchallenged”.

He later announced Britain had summoned the Iranian Charge d’Affaires, imposed sanctions on Iran’s prosecutor general, and temporarily withdrawn its ambassador from Tehran for further consultations.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Iran has executed a British-Iranian national who once served as its Deputy Defence Minister, its Judiciary said, defying calls from London and Washington for his release after he was handed the death sentence on charges of spying for Britain.

Britain, which had declared the case against Alireza Akbari politically motivated, condemned the execution, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calling it “a callous and cowardly act carried out by a barbaric regime”.

Akbari, 61, was arrested in 2019.

The Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported the execution without saying when it had taken place. Late on Friday, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly had urged Iran not to follow through with the sentence.

Also condemned by the United States and France, the execution looks set to further worsen Iran’s longstrained relations with the West, which have deteriorated since talks to revive its 2015 nuclear deal hit deadlock and after Tehran un-

California braces for 2 more atmospheric rivers

California’s parade of atmospheric rivers may be nearing an end but not before at least two more of the rainstorms are due to drench the waterlogged state starting on Saturday, forecasters said.

A series of atmospheric rivers rarely seen in such frequent succession has pounded the state since Dec 26, killing at least 19 people and bringing floods, power outages, mudslides, evacuations and road closures.

The storms have dropped half the average annual rainfall on the agricultural Central Valley and as much as 15 feet (4.5 m) of snow in the mountains.

The six-day forecast called for 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) more rain in California’s north and 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5 cm) in its south, the state’s water resources department said on Friday.

At least seven waterways were officially flooded, it added.

The latest storm, the season’s eighth, is expected to begin dumping heavy rain on California from early on Saturday, the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center said.

The ninth and final atmospheric river of the series is due to make landfall on Monday and last a couple of days.

Among the waterways of concern, the Salinas River in northern California flooded roads and farmland on

Friday, when 24,000 people were urged to evacuate.

The storms have mitigated but not solved the region’s drought.

The US Drought Monitor revised on Thursday its assessment to lift virtually all of the state out of extreme drought or exceptional drought, the two worst categories, though much of it is still considered to be suffering moderate or severe drought. (Excerpt from Reuters)

More classified material found at Joe Biden’s Delaware home

An additional five pages of classified material has been found in US President Joe Biden’s family home in Delaware, the White House has said.

Biden’s lawyer Richard Sauber said he discovered the additional documents on Thursday which were immediately handed to the Justice Department.

Biden’s lawyers have said the documents relate to his time as Barack Obama’s Vice-President.

A special counsel is investigating Biden’s handling of the files.

The discovery of documents throughout the investigation has been called a political embarrassment for Biden, as it comes during an ongoing investigation into former President Donald Trump’s own alleged mishandling of classified files.

One document with classified markings had already been found in the garage of Biden’s Delaware family home this week, where he keeps his 1960s Chevrolet Corvette sports car.

But now, the White House has said an additional five pages of classified documents were found at Biden’s residence on Thursday evening.

In a statement shared on Twitter, Sauber said the President’s lawyers did not have security clearance and therefore stopped searching the immediate area where the first page of classified material was found on Wednesday.

But Sauber, who has security clearance, said he returned to Biden’s Delaware home on Thursday evening to get the documents ready to hand to the Justice Department.

That was when Sauber found the additional classified material.

He added that the White House will co-operate with the newly appointed special counsel.

The six pages found in Biden’s home this week are in addition to documents found in Biden’s garage in December and at his former offices at the Penn Biden Center in November. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Russia responded by saying that providing more weapons to Ukraine would lead to intensified Russian operations and more civilian casualties.

Rescue teams working in the rubble of the damaged residential building hit by shelling in Dnipro

Alireza Akbari, Iran’s former Deputy Defence Minister, speaking during an interview with Khabaronline in Tehran, Iran, in this undated picture obtained on January 12, 2023

ARIES

(March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

The obvious will be misleading. A unique approach will take you on a journey that helps you find solutions. Take responsibility for your life and do what makes you happy.

Don’t count on honesty from others. Question everyone and everything before you get involved in something that limits your freedom. Physical activity will relieve stress.

GEMINI (MAY 28June 20)

CANCER

You’ll have too many choices and not enough hours to sort through what’s best for you. Think standing up, ask a reliable confidant for insight and take care of responsibilities.

Verify information if you think someone is exaggerating. Find an alternative way to use your talents to get what you want. If you value what you do, so will the people you serve.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Uncertainty is the enemy. Find out how you can make a difference, then shift your attention from waste and haste to efficiency. A domestic change won’t give you the satisfaction you desire.

You’ll gain support if you offer solutions and ask for help. Reach out to an expert and get firsthand information. A discovery you make will lead to an educational pursuit.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Fill your day with excitement. Do something exhilarating. Focus on what’s trending and how you can adapt your look to reflect who you are. Refuse to let a bully hold you back.

Change your routine to accommodate others. Don’t let your emotions lead to a stalemate with a loved one. Make concessions at home that will help keep the peace. Be a gracious leader.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

CAPRICORN

(Dec. 22Jan. 19)

Embrace self-improvement and refrain from trying to change others. Pitch in and help a cause; the people you encounter will help you make your dreams come true.

Apply a little pressure, and presto, you’ll get your way; however, if you exaggerate or give a false impression, expect to face ridicule and be corrected. Stick close to home.

AQUARIUS

(June 21July 22) (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES

(Feb. 20Mar. 20)

Gather the facts and adjust your plans accordingly. Don’t waste time and energy on people offering inconsistent data and operating under false pretenses. Romance is featured.

Expect the unexpected. Compensate for others’ shortcomings by maintaining structure. If you react too fast, you will make a mistake. Stay calm and seize the right moment.

Peanuts

Calvin and Hobbes

Dilbert

Bissoondyal Singh re-elected President of Demerara Cricket Board

At 5:30pm on Friday, January 06, 2023, at the LBI Cricket Facility, East Coast Demerara, President Singh, chairman of the board, called the meeting to order, and thereafter conducted the business of the meeting efficiently.

During discussions, a number of issues were highlighted, the most important being the phenomenon of senior GCA members regularly failing to attend Executive meetings of the Demerara Cricket Board.

The Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) has held its Annual General Meeting, and all its member Associations, such as the East Coast Cricket Board, East Bank Cricket Association, Georgetown Cricket Association, Upper Demerara Cricket Association, and the West Demerara Cricket Association, along with their respective allocation of delegates, attended.

It has been recorded that GCA President Neil Barry attended 5 out of 9 meetings, Vice- President Roger Harper attended 4 out of 9 meetings, and Treasurer Azad Ibrahim attended 2 out of 9 meetings.

It was also disclosed that Barry, as Marketing Committee Chairman, had failed to acquire a single sponsor throughout the year; while Roger Harper never convened a single Cricket Development Committee meeting, although he was the Chairman for that period.

Members expressed total dissatisfaction with this very unacceptable state of affairs, and opined that GCA was deliberately underperforming. The nomination/election process that followed saw GCA members being excluded from any position.

Immediately after this meeting, Ombudsman Mr. Malcolm Peters began the election process, with the delegates nominating Mr. Arnold Sukraj as the Returning Officer. The

first nomination for office was that of the President of the DCB, where the GCA-nominated Speaker of the National Assembly (Parliament) Manzoor Nadir came up against Mr. Bissoondyal Singh and was trashed by a margin of 24 votes to 7 votes.

The delegates of the GCA immediately walked out of the meeting after that embarrassing loss, and were thereafter not recommended for nomination to any other position for the

remainder of the election process.

The following members were elected to office of the Demerara Cricket Board.

1. Mr. Bissoondyal Singh as President

2. Mr. Puneet Jaigopaul as 1st Vice-President

3. Mr. Bradley Fredericks as 2nd VicePresident

4. Mr. Davteerth Anandjit as Secretary

5. Mr. Ronald Williams as Assistant Secretary

6. Mr. Vicky Bharosay

as Treasurer

7. Mr. Azeem Troy Khan as Assistant Treasurer

8. Ms. Kavita Yadram as Chairperson of the Competitions Committee

9. Mr. Clarence Brotherson as Public Relations Officer

10. Mr. Anil Beharry as Marketing Manager

11. Mr. Fazal Ishak as Trustee

12. Mr. Avinash Ganesh as Trustee

13. Chaitram Ramdial & Associates as Auditor

Stunning comeback helps United beat City in Manchester derby

Manchester United staged a stunning late turnaround to come from behind and beat Manchester City in a dramatic derby at Old Trafford.

City looked to be closing the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal after substitute Jack Grealish headed them in front from Kevin de Bruyne's cross on the hour, only for United to send their fans into raptures with a superb recovery.

Erik ten Hag's side drew level in contentious fashion with 12 minutes left, as Bruno Fernandes scored despite the presence of Marcus Rashford in an offside position, City's protests that he had interfered with play being ignored despite the flag going up.

Rashford was the central figure again four minutes later when he swept in substitute Alejandro Garnacho's cross at the Stretford end to move United to within one point of City, who remain five points adrift of Arsenal.

United make statement

United left Etihad Stadium in early October, chastened and bruised following a 6-3 thrashing, a scoreline that actually flattered them - but Ten Hag insisted lessons had been learned.

And so they have! This win means United have lost only one of their past 19 games in all competitions, and are now on City's heels in third place in the table: barely credible, after that derby beating and a dreadful start to the season that saw them lose at home to Brighton, before being overwhelmed at Brentford.

The debate over the equaliser by Fernandes will go on, but what is inescapable is the significant improvement made under the disciplinarian and tactically astute Ten Hag, to the point where United are looking solid in the top four, and may even be casting a glance at leaders Arsenal, who are six points

ahead of them.

The sight of the diminutive Luke Shaw winning a series of headers among Erling Haaland and others in stoppage time, and Raphael Varane fist-pumping and whipping up the fans at the final whistle, was a sign of the renewed belief and confidence surging through United.

The reborn Rashford was not deterred by missing two first-half chances to pounce and turn Garnacho's cross past exposed City keeper Ederson for the winner.

United's recovery has been slow but assured under Ten Hag, and the scenes at the final whistle demonstrated that a giant that had lost

its way is slowing finding itself again.

City disappointed - and furious City's players were left with a mixture of emotions at the final whistle following this tumultuous defeat.

The Premier League champions looked in control following Grealish's goal, after a shaky first half, only for United to turn the tables on them amid chaotic scenes late on.

City were bitterly disappointed at the loss and infuriated by the decision to allow Fernandes's equaliser.

Rashford was clearly offside as he chased Casemiro's pass, but did not touch the

ball, leaving it for Fernandes to whip his finish beyond Ederson.

City's argument, with justification, was that Rashford was having a significant impact on the incident even without touching the ball, because his presence clearly put him in a position where he had an effect on Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji's ability to make a challenge.

Referee Stuart Attwell consulted his assistant, and

the goal was given, much to City's anger, as their players confronted the official at the final whistle.

City, trying to recover from Wednesday's Carabao Cup quarter-final loss at Southampton, were not their usual fluent selves, but their unhappiness at the result will be even more acute because of their discontent at the decision that went against them.

(BBC Sport)

Re-elected DCB President Bissoondyal Singh

The New Executive of the DCB

Marcus Rashford (left) has scored at least one goal in his past seven games in all competitions

English Premier League Football…

Tiger Rentals U13 Developmental League…

Upper Demerara, West Berbice taste victory

Some of the country’s youngest footballers on Saturday afternoon put on a show in which they lit-up the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF’s) National Training Center (NTC) at Providence as the Tiger Rentals Under-13 Developmental League continued.

The NTC was a hive of activity on the tournament’s second day of play, with four thrilling matches being on the cards. Registering victories were East Bank Football Association (EBFA), West Berbice ATC, and Upper Demerara.

The day’s play kicked off just before 11:00hrs with two matches being played

simultaneously. In the first game, EBFA defeated Bartica 2-0, while West Berbice proved too good for West Demerara in registering a similar 2-0 victory.

Twelve-year-old Nicholoi Archer and Clifton Sampson each scored a goal for the EBFA, while Quivion Julius of Rosignol Secondary scored the first for West Berbice and Leron Grosvenor scored the second.

In yesterday’s other matches, East Coast were held to a 1-1 draw by Georgetown ATC after being up 1-0, thanks to Mark Glasgow. Darius Chester found the back of the net to ensure Georgetown walked away with a point.

Cricket Board

Berbice

(BCB) President Hilbert Foster has said that 2023 would see major developments in Berbice cricket in general and massive investment in the county’s junior cricket in particular in an effort to unearth promising talents for the future.

Foster has said that 2023 would see the return of cricket at the secondary school level and the historic introduction of the game at a competitive stage at the primary school level.

Late last year, with assistance from US-based Guyanese businessman Lochan Samkarran, the BCB distributed close to two million dollars’ worth of uniforms, gear and cricket balls to 23 secondary schools in the county. And more than 65 primary schools in both Regions Five and Six would shortly receive almost one million dollars’ worth of tape ball bats and taped balls as the BCB continues to invest in the school system.

The BCB last Friday received two major sponsorships from Government officials as the drive progresses to advance the interests of the county’s cricket. People’s Progressive Party Member of Parliament Faizal Jaffarally, a longtime supporter of the Hilbert Foster-led BCB, handed over a sponsorship package of five hundred thousand dollars to the BCB. The funds would be equally utilised to host the annual Jaffarally 20/20 Knockout tournament for second-division teams in West Berbice

and provide cricket balls under the second annual Jaffarally Cricket Trust Fund. Twelve clubs in West Berbice would receive red cricket balls to assist them to play in the numerous BCB tournaments scheduled for 2023.

Government MP Faizal Jaffarally has been a massive supporter of cricket in

crete courts with nets at the Bush Lot United and Cotton Tree grounds.

Construction at Bush Lot is expected to start shortly, while construction at Cotton Tree would start later in the year. The pitches would be of major assistance to players during the off-season and the rainy season, and coaches would also be facilitated to conduct sessions with youths there.

Clubs and schools in the area would also have access to a four hundred thousand dollars’ worth of bowling machines, compliments of the Rion Peters Trust Fund.

Foster, who was elected to the presidency of the BCB in 2018, has committed to obtaining four bowling machines this year, after the BCB coaching staff had requested them in order to work on the county’s youth batsmen’s ability to play fast bowling.

The country’s biggest 3x3 basketball tournament, the Rawle Toney Classic, will be played on March 18–19 at the Burnham Basketball Court in Georgetown.

According to organizer Rawle Toney, this 16team tourney, first held in 2019, will be a club competition this time around, with teams coming from Linden, Bartica, Berbice and Georgetown. Toney added that several teams from the Caribbean have signalled an interest to participate, which would help to boost the competitiveness of the tournament.

Berbice, and has even assisted the BCB to find sponsors at several levels.

Region Five Vice Chairman Rion Peters has also readily agreed to establish a trust fund in his name, and has handed over two hundred thousand dollars to the BCB during a meeting with a four-member BCB delegation led by Foster.

These funds would be used to assist primary schools with tape balls and bats for the upcoming InterPrimary School 10 Overs tournament. Vice Chairman Peters has also committed to assisting with the construction of two all-weather con-

The BCB has already obtained sponsorship for two machines for the New Amsterdam/Canje and Lower Corentyne sub-zones, and is currently working to get one for the Upper Corentyne area. Foster is confident that all four sub-zones would get their bowling machines by April, 2023.

The BCB has expressed deep gratitude to MP Jaffarally and to Rion Peters for the investments they have made in Berbice cricket. The board is seeking to produce a total of sixty players for the national teams at the different levels, surpassing the fifty produced in 2022.

“The idea is to strengthen club basketball, and since there are now two formats of the game, it is only fitting that clubs be given a chance to compete. It’s about also giving clubs some revenue,” Toney explained.

Last year, the team comprising Harold Adams, Stanton Rose and Shelroy Thomas won the championship trophy, the championship ring and other prizes. Thomas was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, and he, Adams and Rose represented Guyana at the Islamic Games in

Toney has said that other details regarding the tournament would be made available at its launching on February 1.

The Rawle Toney 3x3 Classic serves to give 3X3 basketball a platform in Guyana that’s unmatched by the conventional 5-v-5 format. Over the years, the tournament has enjoyed support from GoMoseley Media, The Muse Bar, Brother’s Security, Mackeson, Hennessy, MVP Sports, Trophy Stall, Hits and Jams Entertainment, E-Net,

scored the other.

The inaugural matches of this league are sponsored by Tiger Rentals, which has plugged more than $10m into the tournament. The tournament will feature clubs and Academy Training Centers (ATC) going head-to-head for top honours, while member associations of the GFF have been funded to run inter-association football tournaments.

On January 7th, the EBFA kicked off its inter-association tournament with two matches at the NTC. Diamond United edged Agricola Red triangle 4-3, while the Timehri A team defeated Herstelling Raiders 8-0.

Jacob’s Jewellery, FireSide Grill, Team Mohamed’s, Star Party Rentals, Shi-Oil, Slingerz Entertainment, Government of Guyana, and other notable entities.

Very Safe. Aracari Resort: West Bank Demerara (Versailles, Vreed-en-Hoop) – Every Weekend. DJ Music. Groups and Excursions welcome – Phone: 264-2946-9.

Meanwhile, Upper Demerara defeated East Berbice 3-0 in the fourth and final game. Devon

Stuart produced two goals, while Darius Chester

Istanbul, Turkaiye and at the FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup in Miami, Florida.

Youngsters from Georgetown and East Bank Demerara were locked in a ferocious battle

Flashback: Members of Team Linden, from left: Harold Adams, Shelroy Thomas, Organiser Rawle Toney and Stanton Rose, pose with their replica trophies and Championship rings

Rawle Toney

MP Faizal Jaffarally handing over sponsorship to Chairman of the Selectors Balram Samaroo in the presence of BCB officials Angela Haniff and Leslie Soloman

Region Five Vice Chairman Rion Peters handing over his sponsorship to BCB Secretary Angela Haniff in the presence of Leslie Soloman and Balram Soloman

Nandu misses out on century, but sends strong signal to selectors

By Brandon Corlette at ProvidenCe, eBd

West Indies Under-19 batsman Matthew Nandu has shown grit and determination in compiling a solid 78 runs in the Guyana Harpy Eagles’ first four-day practice match at Providence, EBD.

On a day blessed with glorious sunshine, Veerasammy Permaul’s XI were bowled out for 261 in 86 overs. Right-arm fast-bowler Shamar Joseph claimed 4-30 in eight overs, while Gudakesh Motie took 3-38 in 16 overs.

Tagenarine Chanderpaul’s XI had earlier won the toss and opted to bowl on a surface that was assailed by a lot of rain over the past weeks. Young left-handed openers Matthew Nandu and Rampertab Ramnauth negotiated well in adding 60 runs for the opening stand. The duo saw off the dangerous quicks Clinton Pestano, Demetri Cameron and Shamar Joseph.

Then the spin trio of Kevin Sinclair, Anthony Adams and Gudakesh Motie came into play, and Motie removed the 17-yearold Ramnauth for 27. The left-hander Ramnauth had looked promising with his 59-ball knock, which included five fours, before he was caught at deep square leg by a diving Mavindra Dindyal.

Nandu, showing more patience, was unbeaten on 35 at lunch, while Imlach was on 11, as Permaul’s XI

reached 89-1 after 32 overs at the interval.

In the afternoon session, the Canada-born Nandu showed more positivity and played some top shots, among them edging Tyndall to third man for a boundary, to reach his fifty from 124 balls. Nandu struck Tyndall for four boundaries in the 43rd over, apparently signalling to the selectors that he wants the opening batsman’s position for the upcoming Regional FourDay.

The left-handed Nandu stroked Motie for four at point to take his score to 73, then then paddle-scooped Motie for another boundary, but his innings came to a close when he was run out. Nandu struck 12 fours in his 78 runs from 147 balls, during which he occupied the crease for 190 minutes.

Imlach, who looked comfortable, was stumped for 33 off Motie, after he had struck three fours and one six. The duo of Imlach and Nandu added 86 runs for the second wicket.

Akshaya Persaud looked out of sorts, and was caught off Motie for a duck when he skied one to midwicket.

Kevlon Anderson slammed Rampersaud for two boundaries in his first over, and his promising innings of 25 lasted for 45 balls. Anderson stroked five fours before he was caught at short midwicket off the bowling of Antony Adams.

At tea, Permaul’s XI had reached 192-5 off 65 overs. Garfield Benjamin and

Shamar Yearwood were the unbeaten batsmen. Benjamin was then left high and dry when he was run out for four. Yearwood and Ronaldo Ali Mohammed added 43 runs together.

The left-handed Yearwood looked promising in scoring 36 from 97 balls, but was undone by the brilliance of the young Berbician pacer Joseph, who had a late burst with the new ball. This seamer, who plays for Tucber Park in Berbice, has also thrown his name in the selectors hat for the upcoming Regional Four-Day tournament.

Ali-Mohammed continued to play positive strokes, but then lost his partner Junior Sinclair for a duck to Joseph at 248-8. With a fast-bowler’s place up for grabs, Joseph continued to

chip away with wickets. AliMohamed, his third wicket, was caught behind for a shot-filled 34 at 261-9.

Joseph, who put the ball in the right areas during his last spell, closed the innings when he removed Nial Smith for a duck at 261 all out in 86 overs. Joseph and Motie were the star bowlers of the day.

In reply, Chanderpaul's XI negotiated the two overs, ending on 3-0 at stumps. Tagenarine Chanderpaul was on two while Chandrapaul Hemraj was on one.

The second day of the four-day match is expected to resume at 9:30h. Guyana Harpy Eagles are preparing for the West Indies Championships. They start their campaign on February 1, against Barbados Pride in Antigua.

Guyana to change CARIFTA qualification template

By Jemima Holmes

With the aim to not only better Guyana’s returns at the CARIFTA Games, but of increasing the number of athletes that qualify for the premier track and field event in the Caribbean Region, the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) is hyper-focused on changing the qualification template.

What had obtained in the past was that Guyanese athletes had the chance to make the qualification mark for their events at three CARIFTA trials, usually held from February to March. Now AAG President Aubrey Hutson says the association is looking at hosting one big trial in anticipation of the 50th edition of the CARIFTA Games, scheduled for The Bahamas this easter weekend.

“Yes, we have a different approach, because I think Guyana has reached a point where we have to change our approach to get more success,” Hutson reasoned.

He explained, “First we used to hold like 3 trials in order for athletes to make the standards, but I think we are at a place now where we would like to set entry standards for the trial, and

whoever gets first and second in those events that we would’ve agreed to prior, to select whoever gets first and second.

“Because we know our athletes are at a particular standard, that once they get to CARIFTA, they can do well,” he clarified.

As Hutson expounded on the reason behind the change of heart, he highlighted that the current qualification process does not allow much training time before the games. With the change, athletes would

have at least a month to prepare with the national coaches.

“The system we used prior, to me, was putting too much stress on the athletes too late, or too close to CARIFTA. So, while we may have had them struggling to make the standards, they were not given the necessary space between the final trials and CARIFTA to really and truly maximise on what they would’ve built on to be good at CARIFTA,” he explained.

The AAG Boss further

stated, “So, you may find they do a good trial, but once they got to CARIFTA, they were burnt out. We’re trying now to do trials a bit earlier.”

The ‘one big trial’ template is one that Jamaica has utilised successfully, and according to Hutson, it is time Guyana borrows a page from the Jamaicans’ book.

“So, we’re going to use the results from Schools’ Nationals, last year’s Youth and Juniors, and do a compilation of what Guyana’s

standards really are. So, for the female 100m U17, not the athlete, but what the athletes are doing, is it good enough to go to CARIFTA and compete in these events.

And once we would’ve selected those events, we hold trials specific to those events, and whoever come through will be selected,” Hutson said as he went into more details about the intended change to the qualification process.

Shifting his focus to Guyana’s Caribbean counterpart, he explained,

“Jamaica would do it! I mean, they’ve got the financing to do that kind of stuff, because they basically fill every event, so they hold one trial. While we do not have to hold trials to see who is good enough to make our team, I think we should walk past that and start doing like the Jamaicans.

“While we may not be able to do all the events, we must select those events that we think we’re going to be competitive at,” he concluded.

This year’s CARIFTA Games are scheduled for April 7th-10th in Nassau, Bahamas. Last year, a 14-member team returned with 7 medals from the Games: 2 gold, three silver and two bronze. Attoya Harvey bagged the lion’s share of medals, with a gold (U17: 1500M), a silver (U17: 3000M) and a bronze (U17: 800M). Anisha Gibbons went for back-to-back gold medals in the U20 Javelin, while Adriel Austin roped in another U20 medal in the 800M event.

Javon Roberts clinched silver in the Boys’ U17: 1500M event, while Naris McPherson grabbed silver in the Girls’ 800M.

Harpy Eagles’ practice match prior to Regional 4-Day 2023…

Shamar Joseph claimed four wickets

Matthew Nandu was solid in his innings (Brandon Corlette photos)

Nandu celebrating his fifty

Flashback: Guyana’s 2022 CARIFTA team showcasing their accolades alongside

Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr., DoS Steve Ninvalle, and AAG President Aubrey Hutson