Guyana Times - Sunday, July 24, 2022

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Snow-cone vendor ‘Dougla’ keeps his customers ‘cool’ Nationwide coverage coverage from from the the best best news news team team in in Guyana Guyana Nationwide Issue No. 5079 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON BEACON OF OF TRUTH TRUTH THE

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022

“Guyana is the place to be” – local & foreign exhibitors – as new services dominate Int’l Building Expo 2022 Page 3

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WHAT'S INSIDE: Berbice triple murder

Accused P31 whose bail was unlawfully revoked by Judge awarded $5M in damages 96-year-old unvaccinated woman dies from COVID P33 – 81 new cases, 5 in ICU

Nand Persaud & Company Ltd launches prefab & modular P30 homes at Int’l Building Expo

A model house made from recyclable materials on display at the International Building Expo at Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD)

CH&PA, Republic Bank ink MoU for construction of 500 low-income homes on WCD Over $5.8B in “Because Govt tables LCDS 2030 in National We Care” cash grants Assembly with & uniform allowance to full support from be distributed this year –stakeholders more meetings to be held to further refine strategy Page 12

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Drilling of Wei-1 well to commence in October 2022 – as CGX secures funds by selling majority in Corentyne Block Page 9

Govt focuses on transforming lives of Guyanese alongside P11 economy – Min Rodrigues – says Govt will continue to be open, accessible to the people

P2 Ganja, improvised weapons found during raid at Lusignan Prison

2 NEWS

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Ganja, improvised weapons found Police operation at De Kinderen unearths 41g ganja during raid at Lusignan Prison

The items that were confiscated at the Lusignan Prison on Saturday

A The ganja that was found during the Police operation

P

olice on Friday conducted a search on an abandoned lot at De Kinderen, West Coast Demerara, during which a quantity of ganja was unearthed.

Police stated that

during the search, one black plastic bag was found containing a quantity of cannabis. In addition, one transparent plastic bag that contained 28 small Ziplock bags with another set of cannabis

was found.

The ganja was taken to the Leonora Police Station where it was weighed and amounted to 41 grams. No one was arrested as Police continue their investigations.

joint operation conducted at the Lusignan Prison, East Coast Demerara, on Saturday, has resulted in the discovery of several contraband items including improvised weapons and mobile phones.

The activity was headed by Deputy Police Commander for Regional Division 4C, Supt Keithon King along with several other officers from the Tactical Service Unit (TSU) and Guyana Prison Service (GPS).

The operation, which lasted just over three hours, led to the discovery of nine

cell phones, 10 improvised weapons, seven razor blades, one charger head, two phone batteries, three pairs of scissors, five lighters, and one metal spoon.

In addition, 72 grams of ganja were found on the southern side of the prison compound in a black plastic parcel.

This came just a few days after a quantity of marijuana and several other prohibited items were found at Mazaruni Prison.

It was reported that a black plastic bag was found hidden in the ceiling of the structure, which, when inspected, contained 1580

grams (1.508kg) of cannabis.

In addition, five Blu phones, two Samsung phones, one Vodafone phone, two Alcatel phones, two ZTE phones, three Digicel phones, one LG phone, and one Hyundai phone – a total of 17 phones – and 17 batteries were found.

Twenty-two packs of Pall Mall branded cigarettes, 24 improvised weapons, six pairs of scissors, five cigarette lighters, two broken mirrors, four cell phone chargers, two smoking utensils, and two knives were also found.

NEWS

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SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Sunday, July 24 – 01:00h – 02:30h and Monday, July 25 – 01:30h – 03:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, July 24 – 14:00h – 15:30h and Monday, July 25 – 14:50h – 16:20h.

“Guyana is the place to be” – local & foreign exhibitors – as new services dominate Int’l Building Expo 2022

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY There will be light rain showers and thundery showers during the day. Expect thundery showers and partly cloudy skies at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: West South-Westerly to Westerly between 1.78 metres and 3.57 metres.

High Tide: 13:31h reaching a maximum height of 2.15 metres.

Low Tide: 07:00h and 19:19h reaching minimum heights of 0.97 metre and 1.07 metre.

Ian Hamel-Smith brought Trinidad-based Dekking Limited to Guyana

D

iving into the opportunities with Guyana on the cusp of extreme economic growth, newer and foreign companies have entered the market to service the public domain and upcoming industries.

At the International Building Expo currently ongoing at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD), exhibitors are introducing new products and innovative services to the Guyanese market.

Guyana Times visited the exhibition site on Saturday, with the excitement still buzzing to showcase techno-

A model house from DuraVilla Homes

logical and smart housing solutions.

Seal Sprayed Solutions, an insulation company that operates in countries like Trinidad and Jamaica, has introduced its services for companies and homeowners.

Dr Mark Williams said the aim is to introduce insulation to the home building processing in Guyana.

Dr Williams pointed out that insulation is needed, given the high costs for electricity when compared to other regional countries.

Already, they have been contracted to commence works at the Amazonia Mall, East Bank Demerara.

“What we’re doing is introducing insulation to

Guyana. Everybody here lives under concrete or a metal roof and it is an oven in the day. When we ask everybody why they do it, it’s kinda like their parents and neighbours do it. But it is something we should really not be doing.”

“This is a way to insulate your building and keep it cool…Basically, we’re going to turn your house or commercial business into an igloo and it’ll be much cooler with less electricity.”

This company came into the arena a few days ago with this new service. So far, the response has been “excellent”.

He told this publication, “The Government did a wonderful job with this expo. It

Mark Williams has introduced Seal Sprayed Solutions

showcases the possibilities and what is available right now. It is an excellent step

by President Irfaan Ali and his team. I think we’re going forward.”

On the other hand, Dekking Limited is bringing newer finishing products for floors. Ian Hamel-Smith said world-renowned brands are featured in their services.

“We’re based in Trinidad and this is my first time in Guyana. We’re now trying to tap into the Guyanese market now and apparently, this is the place to do it. So far, it is a fantastic place. I’ve been meeting a lot of good people and I’m glad I came.”

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SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022

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

Keep pumping the oil

T

here are many people, even some Guyanese living here, who insist that we should not be extracting the oil that lies under our Atlantic Coast. One group of Guyanese, led by a UG Lecturer, has moved to our Constitutional Court, claiming that the Governments’ (the Coalition and the present PPP) approval of the ExxonMobilled consortium’s developing our 11 billion barrels of oil and gas reserves off our Atlantic coast violates their legal duty “to protect the rights to a healthy environment, sustainable development, and the rights of future generations”.

We could have understood if that notion were being promoted by some foreign environmentalists living in comfort in one of those developed countries, which became “developed” because of their use of fossil fuels since the Industrial Revolution from the mid-18th century. Those environmentalists would have been living in countries that had created the problem, and they would have continued to live there, but would have wanted Guyana -- with one-third of its population still living in poverty, and with pressures unleashed by one of their wars in Europe threatening to push inflation towards 100% -- to freeze oil revenues.

Very simply, we do not have the option of even slowing down our oil spigot, much less turning it off, based on our dire condition. Our people badly need development in every facet of the concept: social, economic, cultural, political; and to satisfy any of these demands - our basic needs - at a minimum, needs money. As VP Bharrat Jagdeo succinctly said, “We have to make sure that we produce the oil and get as much development out of it for our people to invest long-term in other sectors, so that they can get wealthier and have a decent life.”

Now, as far as being environmentally responsible, as a county with not even one million persons in a world of EIGHT BILLION, the VP pointed out, “Guyana is a net carbon sink.

More than 80% of our country - that is, the size of England - is covered by forests that generate oxygen and capture and store carbon; critical environmental and biodiversity services are provided with these standing forests. Guyana can be an oil producer while advocating for a zero-carbon economy." In other words, we have nothing that should allow anyone to shame us into cutting back oil production.

Trinidad has been pumping oil for over one hundred years, and, as such, has an abundance of knowledge on the subject. Last month, the head of the T&T Energy Chamber advised that other oil-producing countries in South America and the Caribbean should be following in Guyana’s footsteps. “I think the key message here is to get your resources to market as quickly as you possibly can. This is something that policymakers should take into account; otherwise, you will be left with assets you cannot monetise in the future.”

Since the matter has moved from the economic to the moral, one would assume the countries that caused the looming crisis in Global Warming – which for decades they irresponsibly fought tooth and nail, even though the science was clear – have a greater moral responsibility to fix the problem. But they have drawn a very firm line in the sand: that they would not accept even a freeze on their present standard of living, but insist that they would continue using outsize portions of the world’s resources for their comparatively small populations. This means they will not cut back their consumption of fossil fuels.

US President Joe Biden has recently given permission to open public lands to fossil fuel development, holding the US’ first onshore lease sales and releasing a proposed plan for offshore drilling that could open parts of the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Cook Inlet to leasing through 2028. Then the EU voted, on July 6, to label natural gas and nuclear energy as green alternatives, and will be increasingly burning coal.

Why should Guyana become Climate Change’s Atlas?

Let’s drill as fast as we can; place the money in our NRF, and control the spending.

President Dr Irfaan Ali and First Lady Arya Ali at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD), after the official opening of International Building Expo 2022

The Opposition cry for sugar Dear Editor, Please allow me to share my views on the above, as the main political Opposition is crying that there is a shortage of sugar here in Guyana.

I would like to go back to the election campaign of 2015; and yes, I must go back to that year, because during that time I was one of the campaigners for the AFC. I can vividly recall that in almost all the political meetings and rallies, sugar and rice were the mantra of the AFC to win the votes of those sugar workers and their families, and rice farmers and their families. But let's talk about sugar.

During those very meetings and rallies, the AFC pleaded with sugar workers and their families for their votes. I can recall at the rally in Whim, Corentyne, Berbice in front of Dr Ramayya (hope you won’t come attacking, doc) all of the AFC speakers - such as Ramayya, Charandass, Ramjattan, Nagamootoo and even PNC Granger - made several promises to the sugar workers and their families.

All of them were full of joy as the sugar workers and their families were loud in applause when they all said they were going to turn around the industry for the better, and workers and their families would again have a good life, rather than what obtained under the PPP. Yes, this was said, and we all believed them and pleaded with the workers for their votes, because Nagamootoo was telling the sugar workers that they are the hardest workers and they are the working class that the PPP let down, and under the APNU+AFC Government, they would have several benefits being restored, as sugar would be profitable again.

We were all told that not a single worker would be sent home, and not a single estate would be closed under Nagamootoo’s watch; and YES, we all believed his words.

Those promises were so soundly told that anyone would have believed that the words spoken on stage, on the ground, on TV and radio programmes, in press releases and on social media outlets were going to all be the reality for the workers and their families.

But then the APNU+AFC were elected into Government, and that is when we all had to face the harsh treatment and false promises made by Nagamootoo and

the AFC, along with the APNU(PNC), to the sugar workers and their families.

The cry by the Opposition, that there is a shortage of sugar in Guyana, should never be, because they are the ones to be blamed if there is a shortage presently. Nagamootoo was so proud to say that he chairs the cabinet most of the time, and that he wants the best for the sugar workers. But not long after, it was Nagamootoo who sat and allowed the APNU(PNC) to start a process with Dr Thomas on the sugar industry to know what to do, and as we all know, the outcome of that report wasn't based on the economic side of GuySuCo or the well-being of thousands of sugar workers and their families, but was based on a racist agenda.

Why did I say that? Because all along, we all knew that GuySuCo was running at a loss, so it wasn’t a surprise, as was mentioned by Dr Thomas in his final report. Nagamootoo sat there at the head of the cabinet and allowed the decision to close some estates and send thousands of workers packing to be voted on, knowingly that the APNU(PNC) would have outnumbered the AFC, which, by the way, always depends on sugar workers' votes to enter Parliament.

The closing of some of the estates means that the mills would stop grinding, and are going to be destroyed or damaged in months and years to come.

But Nagamootoo and the AFC, along with the PNC, didn’t care what the outcome would have been.

Thousands of workers were sent home, and were left without a job for months. Their families suffered economic and mental hardship during that time, but Nagamootoo, the AFC and PNC didn’t care, because those in Government were getting fat cat super salaries and benefits.

In a nutshell, all those things that happened in the industry were the cause of greed for power by some in the AFC and PNC, especially Nagamootoo.

After the decision was made to downsize (as they call it) GuySuCo, Nagamootoo stopped going to Berbice.

He was ashamed to face the workers, so he sent Khemraj Ramjattan to defend his hasty decisions in the industry.

Ramjattan went every week to defend Nagamootoo and PNC's decision to fire sugar workers and close the estates.

But Ramjattan wasn’t making any sense

to the workers, because he, as the leader of the AFC, allowed Nagamootoo to use the AFC and the sugar workers for his political greed for power.

Since then, I have deemed Nagamootoo as the “Conniving Snake”, because he deceived the AFC and failed to defend the sugar workers. He betrayed all of Guyana. The AFC had a Minister of Agriculture who didn’t even offer a reasonable defence to the workers. He didn’t care about what happened.

He was sitting all along, and had to do what was told to him by Nagamootoo.

Today the AFC and PNC want to blame the PPP for what they presumed is happening in the industry, as they deemed it a shortage in sugar. The Opposition should call on Nagamootoo to now come public and say why he betrayed the sugar workers.

If the APNU+AFC hadn’t closed some of the estates and sent home thousands of sugar workers, we would not have reached this stage, as they are saying there is a shortage of sugar.

Today this Government has to spend billions on repairing those very estates that the APNU+AFC closed, in order to get them functioning again. It is the closure of the estates that led to this shortage, if there is a shortage, and the APNU+AFC and Nagamootoo must take the blame.

APNU+AFC closed those estates so that we would not get sugar in the future, and today they are crying bitterly for sweets from sugar that they throw away because of racist politics.

The cry by the Opposition now is wasting time, because we all know they didn’t care for the sugar industry at all, but all they did was to make false promises to the sugar workers and their families to get their votes.

So, Charandass was totally in order in saying, “YES! YES! YES!” to throw the APNU+AFC out of office for failing the sugar workers, and we all know that without the votes of the sugar workers and their families, the AFC can never ever see Government again, nor would the PNC. If there is a crisis in the sugar industry today, I do believe that it was created by the APNU+AFC Government while they were in office.

Respectfully, Abel Seetaram

guyanatimesgy.com

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022

5

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

Advances in the health sector of Guyana (Part 2) interventions than the GPHC team. The transplant unit is the most active in Caricom. Now requests for kidney transplants are coming from Caricom citizens. Thus, it is not all gloom and doom.

While a policy on MRI is still to be made, the GPHC procure MRI services from the Private Sector. The PublicPrivate mix is a policy direction Guyana began some time ago. The PPP Government has announced that the PublicPrivate mix for delivery of healthcare is a policy it wants to promote more aggressively. Working with professionals from the diaspora and with international partners, many new, high-quality interventions are being pursued. For example, Guyana is putting together, with Guyanese professionals in the US, a urogynecology programme to reduce and eliminate the backlog of cases of women living with incontinence.

People flocking outreaches conducted by both local and international teams is not a measure of the quality of services the healthcare system delivers. Some of us have also participated in outreaches in Queens, Bronx, Harlem, and those outreaches are several times larger than the ones in Guyana. There is no need to surmise anything from this observation.

The MoH is presently engaged in standardising the operation of medical schools and other private schools to

Dear Editor, The most critically-ill patients, rich or poor, find themselves at GPHC. For any patient with a poor prognosis, the GPHC is their only destination. Not all the relevant staff is available at GPHC, nor is all the technology. Increasingly, however, the most specialised staff in Guyana is available at the GPHC. More than 90% of the specialised staff at the private hospitals are GPHC staff.

Every new intervention introduced in Guyana has been introduced at GPHC first. We readily concede weaknesses, and are working towards reducing and eliminating them.

But there are things that we can also boast about. It is young Guyanese doctors, many from poor family connections, who are blazing the trail.

Investments are being made to improve equipment and technology at the GPHC. Soon, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) would dominate the surgical space at GPHC. Very soon, lithotripsy (laser) treatment for kidney stones would be available. Already digital imaging (X-Rays, fluoroscopy, CT) is routine, and because these have been installed with PAC systems, the GPHC is able to provide other hospitals with teleradiology services. More than 25 patients receive free cardiology interventions such as angiograms, stents, valve replacements etc. every month.

No single team anywhere in Caricom performs more cardiac

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versities and research centres are welcome to join.

As far as medical tourism is concerned, way back in 2010, Guyana signed an agreement with the EXIM Bank and an Indian company to construct and operate a specialty hospital that would have reduced the need for any Guyanese to travel abroad, and that would have brought people to Guyana for specialised care. Construction started in 2014. The previous Government terminated the contract and ended the move to build a specialty hospital and pursue the medical tourism strategy. We are happy to see that, outside of the PPP Government, there are

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Guyanese both in Guyana and in the diaspora who support medical tourism strategy. It was a horrible misstep on the part of the previous Government to terminate that project. It is too bad that many chose to remain silent when that project was terminated. Today, at least four specialised private hospitals are being constructed, and they will make medical tourism a part of their marketing.

At the end of the day, finding staff will be critical. Presently, a Human Resource for Health strategy is being drafted, and the public will soon be engaged in the outlines of a new Health HR strategy.

The Public Health Sector in

Guyana is a work in progress.

It has imperfections, and we expect to be held accountable for those imperfections. We also hope that attention would be paid to the significant progress that has been made. There are reasons why the maternal and infant mortalities are down, why fewer persons are dying from cardiac conditions before 65 years old, and why persons with end-stage renal diseases are living longer. The GoG is determined to ensure that Guyana has one of the best healthcare services in the region, sooner rather than later.

Sincerely, Dr Leslie Ramsammy

Local businesses must also be allowed to develop

Dear Editor, We, as a nation, must be careful as to how quickly we allow foreign businesses to expand within our borders. The primary risk being that our local business startups and developing businesses will be less competitive, given the early stages of the country’s development. Our business owners must be given the opportunity to raise their quality and service to meet and surpass international standards before we invite stronger competitors to enjoy the growth we are experiencing. Without such a cautious approach, local businesses would never reach their full potential during this growth period in our country’s history.

Having a few strong foreign companies present in each sector would allow local competitors to see what is expected by tourists, and it would also give our people the impetus to implement higher standards within their businesses.

Starbucks is a great example of the local coffee shops.

We, as a nation, would also benefit from broadening our

horizons by looking beyond the USA and also considering strong brands from Europe and Asia. During my travels around the world, Vietnamese coffee has always been heralded as one of the best-tasting coffees. Chinese tea houses are also world-renowned.

No one would doubt the reputation of an English tea shop, or the peaceful experience of a Japanese tea garden. These are experiences that speak to both locals and foreigners. Our country is also known for the wide variety of fresh tea offerings, and their medicinal benefits. Our format of sales may be somewhat rustic in nature, but the quality of our products is among the best in the world.

This growth period offers excellent opportunity to develop the presentation of our offering, and couple it with the peaceful nature of our environment.

Sipping a cup of tea while watching the diverse bird population that only the tropics can offer is an excellent peaceful experience that all can enjoy.

Imagine the joy of a foreigner walking into a local tea gar-

Breakdown in communication

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train healthcare professionals.

Between 2015 and 2020, the private medical schools openly operated in a “Wild West” scenario. We are presently correcting this scandalous situation. The GPHC established the Institute for Health and Science Education in 2006. It presently operates sixteen post-graduate programmes, working alongside UG and many of the top universities in the US and Canada. Together with UG and partners in Caricom and the US, there is a growing research capacity that is being built. In fact, the GPHC would be ranked above the vast majority of Caricom hospitals when it comes to research. Private uni-

Dear Editor, The dismissal in the bizarre case of Justin John, who spent close to 10 years on remand for murder, presents itself as a horrible violation of human rights.

What is even more horrible is the revelation from the DPP’s Chambers that Mr John had not even been formally indicted for murder since the conclusion of the preliminary inquiry in 2015. Prisoner Justin John was admitted into custody on May 27, 2003 after he was charged with murder. He was committed to stand trial in the High Court on June 5, 2008, and was still awaiting trial at that point.

As far back as 2010, Justice Roxane George had indicated that the legal system was malfunctioning, and she had ordered that Mr John’s indictment be presented in the June session of the Demerara Assizes.

Mr. John’s case was never presented, and she was informed that a few attempts had been made, but they failed because of the unavailability of witnesses as well as failed attempts to contact others.

The Judge then ordered that John’s case be called at the next session, regardless of what was happening with witnesses. This was not done for the simple fact that there is a breakdown in communication between the High Court and the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Premeditated killings have been transformed into the watered-down version termed ‘manslaughter’. Coupled with poor Police investigative procedures and seemingly lacklustre efforts by some prosecutors, or more precisely the Director of Public Prosecutions, many victims still cry out for a lack of true justice.

The Attorney General urgently needs a meeting with the Chancellor, the Chief Justice, the Chief Magistrate, the DPP, and the Director of Prisons to ensure there aren’t any other cases like that of Mr John’s in the system.

Sincerely, Leyland Chitlall Roopnaraine

den and saying, “Ma’am, may I please have a cup of your organically grown lemon grass tea, sweetened with your world-renowned Demerara sugar, preferably the Enmore crystal, if available. Please also add a touch of your organic milk from your grass-fed cows?”. Then the hostess politely responds, “Of course you may have a cup, ma’am, it would be a pleasure to have you as a guest”.

We must remember that the objective of prosperity is to allow our citizens to not only make a better living, but to also have a more enjoyable and fulfilling life experience.

Many major hotel brands are also investing, but these hotels also had their humble beginnings. Our local hotel owners should also be allowed to reap the benefits of national growth. Creating more bedand-breakfast locations would provide more business ownership opportunities for our citizens. The risk of allocating all of the growth in rooms/accommodations to strong foreign brands is that it may result in

capping the growth of the local hotel business owners.

Foreigners do prefer what they are used to experiencing in their own homelands, but we must provide opportunity for them to also experience excellent Guyanese hospitality that both they and locals can afford to enjoy. If you speak with the man and woman in the street, I am sure they will tell you that they would prefer to own a business that meets and surpasses international standards, instead of working for one owned by someone from a different culture with different values.

This is the culture of our country, and we must continue to embrace it and enable it to flourish. Those whom we invite to partake in our growth must share the values of our nation, and also respect our way of life.

Then we will be able to continue our growth trajectory without harming the culture of our country.

Best regards, Jamil Changlee

Sunday, July 24, 2022

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6 FEATURE

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

W

hen researching this topic, I came across the actual scientific name for this disorder: "Juvenile Sterile Granulomatous Dermatitis and Lymphadenitis".

I thought I would share this with you, dear readers of this column, not because I wanted to elicit a smile from you (which I hope I just did), but mostly because I wanted to project the truth that every profession has its own scientific word/phrase usage. For example, doctors have this reputation of writing words that are indecipherable; lawyers sometimes use Latin as part of their practice; and so on. However, in defence of technical professionals, the terminologies used have very specific descriptive meanings, with the ailment and the transmitting of a multiple of factors associated therewith.

This "Pet Care" column serves quite a different purpose. Our policy is to identify problems when caring for our pets, and offer simple solutions to ease/cure

PUPPY AILMENTS – continued PUPPY STRANGLES discomfort. So, let us now have a look at the frequently asked questions (FAQ) associated with Puppy Strangles.

Q: What is Puppy Strangles?

A: It is a skin disease (dermatitis) of the face, ear flaps, and lower jaw in puppies (usually occurring between three weeks and 4 months of age).

Q: What are the causes of Strangles?

A: The causes presented are questionable and unconvincing; enough so for me to answer with "unknown". However, since the lesions have been found to be sterile when examined in the laboratory, and the ailment responds well to anti-inflammatory ste-

roids, practitioners believe there is an initial and even more deep-seated dysfunction in the pup's immune system.

If the lab culture does in fact reveal evidence of an infection, it is believed that the infection is secondary, and not the primary cause of Strangles.

I should mention that the caregiver, and even breeder, might con-

fuse Strangles with other ailments, such as Demodectic Mange or a reaction to drugs and other chemicals. It is relatively easy to dispense with such suggestions, not lastly via laboratory test and questioning the caregiver about the chemical agent(s) and levels of application of same.

Q: What are the symptoms?

A: The caregiver first notices a swollen face, which often includes the eyelids and muzzle.

Papules/pustules (small bumps on the facial skin, often containing pus) are clearly visible.

Actually, the condition begins to resemble a blister.

When the ailment spreads to the ear flaps a n d

the bottom jaw, these

areas also become swollen and contain fluids (edema).

This is a fast-moving ailment. Within 48 hours, the areas mentioned above exhibit these bumps (vesicles), which begin to merge into one swollen mass of tissue around the eye, muzzle, lips, and ears. These lesions then begin to exude a sticky fluid (firstly clear, and later puss-like due to infection).

At this point, the skin of the face and ears becomes painful to the touch.

Strangely, there is not usually much of the itch/ scratch cycle at the beginning of the ailment.

I should mention that, as concomitant symptoms, 50% of the affected puppies are listless. They are emaciated; they are not eating/ nursing well (or not at all); they have a fever; some of them exhibit lameness.

Please note that these latter symptoms are all inconclusive findings, and not specifically reflective of the causes of Strangles.

However, they do support the final diagnosis.

Q: What is the treatment?

A: Early and aggressive treatment with steroids and antibiotics seems to give the best results. Of course, this therapeutic intervention must be under supervision of the caregiver's veterinarian.

Supportive treatment would include warm water baths to remove crust and discharge from the affected areas.

Q: Are particular breeds more vulnerable to Strangles?

A: Over the years, irrespective of the continent, I have encountered Strangles in pretty much all breeds. However, the North American literature suggests that predisposed breeds include Golden Retrievers, Labradors, Dachshunds, Lhasa Apsos; and yes, mixed breed puppies as well.

NEWS

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SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt tables LCDS 2030 in National Assembly with full support from stakeholders – more meetings to be held to further refine strategy

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh

T

he Low Carbon D evelopme n t Strategy (LCDS) 2030, which has the seal of approval from multiple stakeholders after seven months of consultations, has been laid in the National Assembly by Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh.

The Government launched consultations on LCDS 2030, which were coordinated by a MultiStakeholder Steering Committee (MSSC), since October of last year. These consultations were able to come up with various ways to invest revenues from forest carbon markets, outside of regular budgetary allocations.

“The LCDS 2030 will be funded from more than just the new revenues from forest carbon markets - regular national finances will also be deployed. However, there are particular new opportunities to use the new revenue streams from carbon markets to the benefit of those who live in, and depend on, the forest - as well as other local communities.”

The national consultation on the LCDS 2030 sought ideas on how these new revenues could be invested. As a result, the strategy sets out two pathways; (one) National programmes as outlined in the draft LCDS 2030, including investments in renewable energy, land titling, protection against climate change and other areas,” the Finance Minister said in a statement.

Another way of investing the money is in community/village-led programmes for Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) as set out in Village Sustainability Plans (VSPs) or equivalent. These plans will be put together by communities themselves in accordance with the principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) as set out

in the LCDS 2030 Chapter Two. Additionally, the strategy will dedicate 15 per cent of all revenues from forest carbon markets, to Amerindian communities who choose to opt in and produce their own Village Sustainability Plans. According to the Ministry, the National Toshaos Council at the just concluded NTC Conference welcomed the strategy in a resolution on the final day.

According to the NTC, “the extensive national-scale and community-based consultations, conducted over the past seven months, have informed the main aspects of LCDS 2030” while welcoming “the commitment expressed in the LCDS 2030 to continued consultation and engagement with Indigenous communities and villages as the LCDS moves to implementation.”

Approval

Following the NTC Conference, the finalisation of the LCDS was approved “based on the wide-ranging stakeholder feedback since October 2021”. It was laid during Thursday’s sitting of National Assembly. The MSSC will meanwhile oversee the consultative process and implementation of the LCDS 2030.

“It comprises representatives of Government Ministries and agencies, non-governmental organisations, the private sector, youth, mining and forestry producers, the National Toshaos Council, Indigenous communities, and civil society,” the Minister explained.

According to the Ministry, the MSSC will continue to meet regularly even after the LCDS would have been tabled in the National Assembly. This will iron out elements of the LCDS that require further consultation and brainstorming.

Since the launch, thousands of people across Guyana participated in information sharing and consultation activities. In his foreword to the LCDS 2030, President Ali thanked all those who participated and contributed ideas and opinions.

The President said: “The strategy that has resulted is not a static document – but rather a vision that will live for years to come.

It sets a direction of travel that I believe will catalyse innovation and new ideas as its various elements move to implementation. I hope that as this implementation pathway evolves, our national conversation and consultation about its important measures will continue.

I want everyone in the country to have the chance to forge opinions about sustainable development.”

The LCDS 2030 seeks to create a new low-carbon economy in Guyana by establishing incentives which value the world’s ecosystem services, and promote these as an essential component of a new model of global development with sustainabil-

ity at its core. In Guyana’s case, it is about harnessing the value of the country’s ecosystem services to build a long-term, low-carbon diversification opportunity.

Guyana, along with a number of other countries, gave its full support at the United Nations 26th Conference of Parties (COP26), held in Glasgow, Scotland, to play its part in protecting against climate change.

In fact, over 130 leaders, representing more than 90 per cent of the world’s forests, have committed to work together to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 in the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use. Countries have also committed to the funding pledge of US$12 billion between 2021 and 2025 to finance forest-related matters.

The LCDS was first launched on June 8, 2009, with the revised version being published in May 2010.

This version was subsequently launched in March 2013. The new draft is intended to continue and

The cover of LCDS 2030

build upon the work started in 2008.

Between the period of 2009 to 2015, Guyana earned US$212.52 million in forest service payments from Norway, to be invested in the LCDS. This has created low-carbon jobs; enabled Amerindian villages to re-

ceive legal titles for communal lands; rehabilitated the Cunha Canal to protect against flooding; and started to equip Amerindian and hinterland communities with renewable energy, digital infrastructure, and sustainable livelihood opportunities.

8 NEWS "Guyana is the place to...

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Housing matters being processed by the Ministry of Housing

Since Guyana is upsurging in infrastructure and new buildings, Dekking Limited is trying to capitalise on this market.

“What we have here to offer is exactly what they need. It’s quality products and its things that you can and cannot find in Guyana.

A lot of it is new and price points is for lower-end, middle and high-end.”

Hamel-Smith shared.

On the infrastructure

side, DuraVilla Homes is focused on modular timber homes, preconstructed and smaller than typical housing units here. Regional Manager, Shalima Fakira said the demand is diversifying and people are now seeking smaller living arrangements that can be expanded.

“We realised that there is a different shift in preferences of homes so persons have now been ask-

ing for starter homes that they can expand in the future. Our homes are expandable so you can start with a two-bedroom home and end up with a four-bedroom home, cause it’s based on panels,” said Fakira.

She added, “We have seen a lot of interest in our homes in particular. It’s very adaptable to any piece of land. You just source your foundation and land.”

GuyBraz is a security company, focusing on automated gates. Marvin Datson highlighted that with developments comes the need for heightened and smart security, which can be operated on a mobile application.

He relayed, “We’re on an industrial boom right now.

We are developing. We are about to get out there in the big market and security is a big factor. We need to be up to standard.”

Gates can be enforced with this automated sys-

FROM PAGE 3

tem for both home and commercial purposes.

Apart from such booths, commercial banks, private sector companies, and State agencies are represented to showcase every aspect of infrastructural development.

The expo has returned after a hiatus under the theme: “A New Frontier For Building a One Guyana” and is dubbed the blueprint of the future infrastructure.

It has attracted some 350 participants, of which at least 25 are foreign companies including some from the Caribbean – Suriname, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados along with others from the United States, Canada, and Ghana.

Over 5000 house lots are also to be distributed this weekend. For today, the gates are opened to the public from 10:00h to 23:00h.

Building Guyana…

I

…physically

t doesn’t matter which side of the divide you are on, you gotta admit that this weekend was a great one for our country as we try to build a new Guyana. First off the bat is the “International Building Expo 2022” - going on at the National Stadium since Friday, and continuing till this afternoon. If you haven’t checked it out yet, then you better drop everything and haul your tail down there right now!!

Your Eyewitness knows there’ve been Building Expos before – but, trust him, this one’s different.

If for nothing else, it’ll make you get a concrete look (pun intended!) as to where this country of ours is headed - now that we’ve got some REAL money coming down the pike!!

OK…let’s be honest…do you think hardnosed business types are going to ship down big-ticket items like the all new 3-D Printer that constructs HOMES, if they didn’t think we have the big bucks to absorb the technology??

Listen to this: “The 3-D system combines the agility and complexity of traditional home building with the precision and speed of robotic “ink jet” technology, producing complex design-driven homes faster, stronger and smarter.

The system, which includes a highly manoeuvrable mobile platform outfitted with a proprietary printer head, “prints” entire houses with hydrophobic, self-binding geopolymer cement, eliminating the need for in-demand subcontracting crews that often contribute to extensive labour costs and delays. The system constructs homes in a matter of days, without the need for specialists such as brick layers, dry wall installers, roofers, carpenters, and their colleagues.” How about them apples, eh??

Additionally, there’re all the traditional ways of building houses and complexes – but bigger and better. Finally, Guyanese gonna have to start getting used to using wood that’s kiln-dried for walls and floors – so you don’t end up with buck-toothed gaps that have to be filled with putty!! But what impressed your Eyewitness most was the emphasis on educating all the builders and contractors who’ll be actually building this new Guyana – extending to roads and bridges.

You’ll learn how to get permits; including environmental ones we never bothered about!! How about “Highway Construction Designs”? Metrology, anyone?? Trust your Eyewitness, you wanna know about this if you want to build ANYTHING!! You wanna get into “Property Management, Real Estate Services, Commercial Real Estate Development”?

Well come on down!! There are 25 modules that cover everything, from designing whatever you conceive of in construction, to delivering it to your customer.

Seriously folks, you know your jaded Eyewitness doesn’t gush. But this is the real deal if you want to get a piece of local content that’s not directly tied to the oil industry.

Excepting it’s gonna provide the money to make everything happen!! …service-wise Now, while the Building Expo was in your face, over on Main Street, IPADA-G held its “Second Ujamaa Exhibition and Sale” on Thursday and Friday. It showed that we don’t have to jettison our traditions in order to make profits, and make a buck to live in dignity in this new Guyana!! As the organizers promised, there were “over 90 African Guyanese businesses in arts and crafts, agro-processing, self-care, home décor, African fashion”.

Your Eyewitness is firmly convinced that, as the big bucks start to circulate, folks gonna inevitably turn towards their roots. Once we take care of our basic needs, questions about “who we are” and how we can be more “authentic” appear. And that’s what your Eyewitness saw on Main Street on Friday. All he can say is: our country has real talent, and it’s just that, while grubbing and hustling for a living, we haven’t paid enough attention.

As for the “financial and institutional support needed”, IPADA-G has been holding seminars on soliciting these.

And with new financial institutions entering the market, that’ll be taken care of!! …politically And your Eyewitness was also very happy to see all our political reps in Parliament jousting verbally. The Opposition made some good points – even though their math was shaky!! – and folks are watching!!

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

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

NEWS

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SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Drilling of Wei-1 well to commence in October 2022 – as CGX secures funds by selling majority in Corentyne Block

CGX Co-Chairman, Professor Suresh Narine

D

rilling of the Wei-1 well in the Corentyne Block is scheduled to commence in October of 2022 and is made possible

by Canadian oil company CGX Energy Incorporated selling its majority stake in the Corentyne Block to its joint venture partner Frontera Energy.

According to the company in a recent release, they expect to spud the Wei-1 well in October. They explained that final preparations are underway before they spud the well, which will be the second exploration well from the joint ventures.

CGX has retained the Maersk Discoverer to drill the Wei-1 exploration well.

It is Maersk that drilled their first well, the Kawa-1 well, last year. As it is now, the participating interest in the Corentyne Block is now 32 per cent for CGX and 68 per cent for Frontera, after CGX decided to sell its majority stake.

It was explained that as part of the agreement, CGX will transfer 29.73 per cent of its participating interest in the Corentyne Block to Frontera in exchange for Frontera funding the joint venture’s costs associated with the Wei-1 exploration well for up to US$130 million.

Additionally, Frontera will provide up to an additional US$29 million for the Kawa-1 exploration well, Wei-1 pre-drill, and other costs. According to Executive Co-Chairman of CGX, Professor Suresh Narine, this deal will allow his company to secure funding for exploration activities.

“CGX is pleased to complete this farm-in agreement with Frontera, which enables CGX to strengthen its balance sheet and secure funding for the Wei-1 exploration well. Our continued partnership with Frontera reflects the significant value we have created on the

Corentyne licence and the opportunity set that is now before us following the discovery of hydrocarbons at the Kawa-1 exploration well.”

“We are focused now on the transformational potential of the Corentyne Block ahead of spudding the Wei-1 exploration well in October 2022, pending rig release from the current operator,” Narine also said.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Orlando Cabrales made it clear that Frontera is excited about the agreement, which allows the two companies to continue their joint venture activities in the Corentyne Block.

“Building on the joint venture’s recent light oil and condensate discovery at the Kawa-1 exploration well, the agreement supports CGX’s capital needs for the Wei-1 exploration well and provides Frontera with an increased participating interest in the Corentyne Block, which is truly one of the most exciting exploration areas in the world,” Cabrales explained.

It was further explained by the company that the agreement remains subject to getting approval from TSX Venture Exchange

Frontera CEO, Orlando Cabrales

(Toronto Stock Exchange), a formal valuation of the Corentyne Block, and regulatory approval from the Government of Guyana.

It was only earlier this month that CGX underwent a major shakeup in management. These changes included the naming of a new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), George Davis, who will be taking over from Hill York Poon. Poon will be retained as CGX’s Director of Finance. Meanwhile, Paul Langlois has been appointed as the new Exploration Manager.

CGX and Frontera Energy Corporation, its joint venture partner, had previously commissioned an independent report which

had revealed that they were potentially sitting on 4.9 million barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) in the Demerara and Corentyne oil blocks under their control.

In February of this year, the partners had announced an oil find of 177 feet of oil-bearing reserves at the Kawa-1 well in the Corentyne Block. Since then, however, the company has been making moves to scale back its presence in the other blocks.

It was announced that CGX had reached an agreement with the Government to relinquish larger sections of the Demerara and Corentyne Blocks, which

will potentially go to auction in September.

Both the Corentyne and Demerara Blocks have been in CGX’s hands for some time without being drilled.

Back in May 2019, the Strategic Joint Venture between CGX and Frontera was approved to farm in to two shallow-water offshore Petroleum Prospecting Licences for the Corentyne and Demerara Blocks.

These blocks are adjacent to ExxonMobil’s Stabroek Block, where multiple discoveries have been made.

The farm-in joint venture allowed Frontera to acquire a 33.333 per cent working interest in the two blocks.

10 NEWS

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Over $5.8B in “Because We Care” cash grants & uniform allowances to be distributed this year T

he Government of Guyana will distribute a total of 193,679 “Because We Care” cash grants and school uniform allowances, with an estimated cost of over $5.8 billion in 2022.

Each child in the public and private school sys-

tem will receive $30,000 – $25,000 as the grant and $5000 as an allowance for school unform.

The distribution of the cash grant will commence on August 2 in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and will continue throughout the country

within the first two weeks of August.

“We’ll start in Region Three but almost everybody is going to be given it at the same between the first and second week in August,” Education Minister Priya Manickchand stated.

Earlier this year, the

Education Ministry in a memorandum indicated that only parents and guardians who returned textbooks loaned to students for the school year by the Ministry will be eligible for the “Because We Care” cash grant.

The memorandum that was addressed to Regional Education Officers from across all ten administrative regions, informed that all textbooks that were loaned to students must be returned on or before July 7 for students to receive the cast grant.

The memorandum had also indicated to parents and guardians that if the textbooks granted to their child and/or children become lost or destroyed, they will be given the option of having the book(s) replaced. If

Education Minister Priya Manickchand

the book cannot be replaced, a $5000 fee will be charged to the parent/guardian.

The “Because We Care” cash grant initiative was

first introduced in 2014 and saw each public school child benefitting from $10,000.

However, the initiative came to a halt by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) Government but was reinstated in 2020 after the current People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Government went back into office.

In addition to resurrecting the programme, the PPP/C increased the value of the cash grant to $15,000.

This was alongside the $4000 uniform grant, meaning every child received a total of $19,000.

The PPP/C Government had initially stated in its manifesto that they will eventually increase these grants so that each student will receive $50,000 by 2025.

NEWS

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SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt focuses on transforming lives of Guyanese alongside economy – Min Rodrigues – says Govt will continue to be open, accessible to the people

India’s new President and Guyana

I

ndia’s lawmakers have elected Droupadi Murmu as the next President of India.

While in India’s parliamentary democracy the Presidency is seen as “symbolic”, the role is very powerful in the symbolism it projects as to the identity of who ‘represents’ the nation.

And it is here that Murmu’s election is historic: because of her identity as a “tribal”.

Ravi Dev In India, there are 705 groups with distinct cultures, who are recognised as “Scheduled Tribes” (ST). They are also referred to as “Adivasis”, which literally means Indigenous Peoples. At approximately 104 million, they comprise 8.6% of India’s population, but are quite fragmented.

In the Ramcharitmanas, composed around 1574 by Tulsidas from the much earlier Ramayan of Valmiki, which was brought to Guyana by the Indentured Labourers (Girmitiyas), there is an interesting anecdote that comments on the status of Tribals at that time. An elderly female Tribal devotee of Sri Ram, Sabari, tells him, “In every society, women are the lowest strata; and as a tribal woman, I am the lowest of the low.” Unfortunately, not much has changed since then for the Tribals.

Murmu is a member of the Murmu clan of the Santhal tribe – the largest in India, with at least 10 million members, and concentrated in Jharkhand (formerly part of Bihar), Odisha and West Bengal. The Santhals have a direct connection with the Indians who were shipped out as Indentured Labourers during the colonial era, starting with Mauritius in 1834, and then British Guiana in 1838. In both cases, they were among the first batches, and were dubbed “Dhangars”, or “Hill Coolies”. In fact, they could have been drawn from any one or combination of the three major tribes who lived in the forested Chhota Nagpur plateau – Santhal, Munda or Oaroan.

But who distinguishes among the “lowest of the low”?

In the case of the then Guiana, in the 1st shipment on the Whitby and Hesperus, there were 150 Tribals among the 414 shipped out.

Eventually, only 90 overall chose to remain after their indentureship ended in 1843. But up to the 1860s, after shipments resumed sputteringly between 1845 and 1851, many others had been brought to Guiana. From the 1860s’, recruitment shipment shifted westwards into Bihar and UP. The Santhal Tribal people, as all Indigenous Peoples, try to live in harmony with their forests, and express their reverence for nature by paying obeisance at Jaher (sacred groves) in their villages. They practice intensive wet cultivation of rice, and some historians have stated that it was “Hill Coolies” who cultivated the first large acreage of rice in Guiana by Girmitiyas - 16 acres at Edinburgh, WCD. This is where the Leonora Secondary School is presently located, next to the National Track and Field Stadium.

We are told that many recruits were picked up in the “bazaars and markets” of Calcutta up to the 1860s. These would mostly have been the tribals of Chota Nagpur, who continued to be driven out from their forest habitation since the British draconian “Permanent Settlement” regulations of 1793. Two years before the 1857 “Indian Rebellion” against the East India Company, there was the “Santal Rebellion” with just as ferocious a reaction as their expulsion accelerated and continues to the present, now pushed by mining interests.

After the 1860s, the Tribals preferred indentureship to the Assam Tea Plantations, from where they could more easily return to their homes. Among the Tribals, Santhals have since become most educated, and President Murmu comes from that stratum.

She graduated from college (1979); worked in the Government of Odissa service; then taught school; elected to District Council (1997), Minister of State (2002); Member of Local Assembly (MLA) (2004) and in 2015, Governor. Tomorrow, in 2022, she becomes President of India.

But Murmu’s accession to this high office, in which she succeeded Ram Nath Kovind, who is the second Dalit or “outcaste” President, raises the issue of whether entrenched inequalities in Indian society are moving beyond symbolism. This entrenchment was codified and made into a procrustean framework by the British when they enforced their painstaking classifications in India and their colonies with their full panoply of force. The “Hill Coolies, as Gillanders & Arbuthnot informed John Gladstone on his 1836 enquiry about shipping some of them to British Guiana, “…have no religion, no education, and, in their present state, no wants beyond eating, drinking and sleeping.”

Will they continue to be just fungible “Dhangars”?

Notwithstanding Murmu? Will we continue to be called “Coolies” in Guyana?

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

Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, making her address

W

ith the launching of the Girls Only Self Defence Programme at State House on Saturday, President Dr Irfaan Ali and members of his Cabinet were on hand to remind those gathered that his Government is focused on both the economic and personal development of citizens.

On Saturday, President Dr Irfaan Ali launched the Girls Only Self Defence programme which will run for one month and is open to girls between the ages of 11 and 18 years.

Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water Susan Rodrigues, who was present, reminded that the Government is not only interested in economic development but rather, the Government and particular, President Ali, places great emphasis on personal development as well.

“As President Ali and as the Government transforms Guyana, in terms of its infrastructure. As he beautifies Guyana, himself and the First Lady. As they transform the landscape of Guyana, we want to ensure there is a conscious leadership attached to that. And so, you would have heard and continue to hear (their advocacy).”

According to Rodrigues, the Government wants to transform lives and bring Guyanese of all ethnicities together. She noted that the country would have heard the President and First Lady be advocates for a range of issues from gender to animal rights “Now you have a President that, yes is looking after the economy and at the same time, ensuring that every single man, woman, and child, is catered for. So that is the type of conscious lead-

ership I’m referring to. As we transform the landscape of Guyana, we want to transform lives,” she said.

“We want to bring Guyanese together. We want to bring people of all ethnicities and classes, where you live, we want to bring people together. That is why you see and have access to all of us. You have access to the President. You have access to Cabinet members. We want to ensure the entire Government is open to you.”

The programme has so far attracted the participation of more than two hundred girls. One-hour classes will be held three times a week. A total of four instructors, including from the Guyana Mixed Martial Arts Federation, will be present with the girls.

Since coming to office, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government has been on a whirlwind of

outreaches where Cabinet Ministers go out into communities across the country to meet the people and hear their concerns.

In this year alone, the Government has held outreaches in several regions including Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), and Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) and Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

As recent as this month, Prime Minister, Retired Brigadier Mark Phillips led a ministerial outreach to the community of Buxton, East Coast Demerara, taking a new course of development and opportunities to residents.

The outreach saw scores of persons showing up, as Government Ministers tended to age-old issues, while announcing solutions and new interventions on the spot. Other issues at the NDC level were also ironed out by the Local Government Minister.

Any works to be done in the community were instructed to be awarded to registered companies in Buxton. Resources will be injected to clean up the area with enhancement workers from the community.

The Cabinet team included Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, Attorney General Anil Nandlall; Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony; Sports Minister Charles Ramson, Housing Minster Collin Croal, Tourism Minister Oneidge Walrond, Local Government Minister Nigel Dharamlall and Minister at the Office of the President Kwame Mc Coy.

12 NEWS

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

CH&PA, Republic Bank ink MoU for construction of 500 low-income homes on WCD T he Housing and Water Ministry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Republic Bank Limited for the construction of 500 low-income homes on the West Coast of Demerara.

Through the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), the framework was signed during the International Building Expo at the National Stadium on Saturday. This financing will cover the construction of homes at Leonora, WCD. Construction works will be executed by pre-qualified contractors. The approximate cost for each housing unit is $5.5 million.

Commenting on this initiative, Housing Minister Collin Croal said, “This is part of what it means about partnership, what it means about development and what is also means to the lives of our citizens of making it much more affordable for them so that we can all achieve this ‘One Guyana’ dream, which includes owning your own home,” he stated.

The low-income homes are in high demand in Guyana, Croal said. He further noted that such mech-

Signing of the MoU between CH&PA and Republic Bank Limited on Saturday

anisms allow to not just own a lot, but also fasttrack the construction process so persons can move into their new homes.

“With more lending institutions coming on stream, we can see us realising our fulfilment, in hoping we can do at least 22,000 within this three years period. This helps with the local economy, employment in the region, the supply chain for various hardware suppliers, the transportation sector.

Everyone benefits. It has a ripple effect when we deal with construction,” Croal

posited.

He further disclosed that construction on the first 100 low-income homes will commence as soon as next week.

“This collaboration starts immediately. In fact, in the new week, one can see the commencement of the tying of the steel for the foundation work to commence the construction of these 500 houses. The first hundred houses will commence next.”

“All across this country and all across the regions, we have a number of persons who have been show-

ing interest more in terms of being able to be part of our collaboration to own their own homes in a fasttrack way,” the Minister stated.

Croal further noted that Government will continue to fast-track homeownership for Guyanese through such collaborations with more lending institutions.

Meanwhile, Republic Bank’s General Manager – Credit, Venus Frith, said Saturday’s MoU signing is reflective of the bank’s commitment to the development of not just Guyana but its communities.

“It is meant to strengthen our existing relationships, all of which we cherish and appreciate, and to be a demonstration of our willingness to embrace new relationships all across the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.”

“Overall, today’s signing signals our continued ambition towards making a meaningful contribution in the lives of the many individuals who are seeking that dream of homeownership,” the RBL official stated.

The MoU was signed by Frith and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CH&PA, Sherwayne Greaves. Also witnessing the signing was Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water Susan Rodrigues.

Only Friday during the opening ceremony of the International Building Expo, President Dr Irfaan Ali announced several new benefits for home builders including lowered interest rates for bank loans and free construction materials.

These will take effect from Monday after the expo ends today.

In consultation, commercial banks have agreed that there will be no percentage requirement for

loans under $6 million once persons qualify under the joint window system.

Banks have also agreed that the interest rates will be reduced for housing loans under $9 million to now 3.8 per cent.

Additionally, for homes $6 million and lower, Government will support homeownership to give every builder the steel and one sling of cement.

Secondly, for every other category over $6 million until $25 million, two slings of cement will be provided.

Since assuming office, Government has lifted the low-income mortgage ceiling from $8 million to $15 million. The NBS ceiling has been lifted from $12 million to $15 million.

Value Added Tax has also been removed on construction items.

Non-performing loans improved from 11 per cent to 6.5 per cent. Loans to household improved to 13 per cent of total loans.

Total loans grew by 20 per cent in less than two years, to $310 billion.

Mortgages grew by $16 billion or $21 per cent.

Total lending to the construction sector was $15.6 billion as of May 2022 - a 50 per cent growth.

13

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

14 FEATURE

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Snow-cone vendor ‘Dougla’ keeps his customers ‘cool’

By Alva Solomon

I

f you disembark your transportation on Regent Road outside the Bourda Market on a hot, sunny day, you may surely encounter ‘Dougla’, the snow-cone vendor who has been at that location for very many years.

His real name is Herman Persaud, and he is the snowcone man whose cart is thronged daily by customers from all walks of life at the busy intersection of Regent Road and Bourda Street. Persaud told Guyana Times recently that he has been selling snow-cone for some 45 years. He said he started the business in front of the Stabroek Market in the late 1980s.

Attractive cups and tasty syrups

He said it is a business which has evolved, and today, his attractive stand boasts various sizes of colourful cups, unique straws, heaps of ice packed on his cart, and multiple tins of condensed milk. His syrups happen to be one of the major attractions to his stand, and according to him, the liquid is pre-

Herman Persaud, aka ‘Dougla’, preparing one of his tasty snow-cones for a customer

pared during the previous night.

A father of five, Persaud said he starts his day as early as 05:00hrs. He said he would roll out his cart to his business spot, and sweep and clean the area surrounding his cart.

“After that, I would go and ride and exercise until 7 o’clock,” he said. He said the exercise is necessary, since he plies his trade all day while standing.

Prior to moving to the busy intersection outside the Bourda Market, Persaud said, he once sold snow-cones outside the East Ruimveldt Secondary School, which many fondly know as the ‘back school’. He said he enjoyed those days when he sold his product to the children there, but he noted that one day he was attacked by bandits.

“I can’t remember the exact date, but it was in the 1990s, and since then, I moved here,” he said. “I here outside Bourda almost 30 years now,” he added.

COVID times

When the COVID-19 disease hit the shores of the country in March 2020, many persons, including the owners of small businesses such as Persaud’s, were forced to remain indoors.

Persaud said it was a challenging period, but he noted that he re-emerged to ply his trade a month after the regulations to remain indoors were lifted.

“I had to ensure I wear my mask and sanitise and so, and I ensure to use my fever grass and lemon grass and so,” Persaud added.

A main reason why people flock to his snow-cone cart is related to his prices. Persaud said that although he sells his colourful cups of snow-cones at standard prices, he also sells the product in transparent cups and also in transparent plastic bags. Persons who may not have the full amount of money to purchase the colourful cups are guaranteed to walk away with a tasty cup or bag of snow-cone from Persaud’s cart.

“You can get one for $60, $100, $140 or $240, different prices,” he added. Persons also purchase bags of ‘plain ice’ from his cart.

In recent weeks, Guyana has been experiencing unusually hot weather, while some days the rain pours. For Persaud, the hotter days are better days for business. “Sometimes when it raining you won’t see the amount of snow-cone selling when compared to when the place sunny; because, when the sun shining, people get more thirsty,” he opined.

As regards his ice, Persaud said, his ice-box is “well sealed”, and the ice can last the entire day until after 17:00hrs, when he ceases to sell for the day.

As regards the future, Persaud said he would be selling his snow-cones in the years ahead, since, according to him, even if he leaves the business behind, he still has to make a living. “So, I know about this, and this is what I will be doing to earn a living,” the ambitious businessman has said.

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IDPADA-G hosts 2-day exhibition with calls for greater support to small businesses

A vendor displaying jewellery at Ujamaa 2.0 on Thursday

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mid calls for greater financial and institutional support for small businesses here, the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly – Guyana (IDPADA-G) on Thursday opened its second Ujamaa Exhibition and Sale on Main Street, between Middle and Church Streets.

The event is seen as the biggest African exhibition to date. The two-day exhibition and sale, called “Ujamaa 2.0”, promotes and caters to more than 90 African Guyanese businesses in arts and crafts, agro-processing, self-care, home décor, African fashion (clothing and jewellery), and much more.

'Ujamaa' - a Swahili word meaning 'Cooperative Economics', is the fourth Principle of Kwanzaa, and calls on people of African descent to support our businesses and share in work and wealth. The principle

of Ujamaa promotes self-reliance, rejects exploitation, and engages in cooperation for the community's common good.

At a simple opening ceremony, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Olive Cannings-Sampson noted that Ujamaa was chosen as the motto and guiding principle of the exhibition and sale as it speaks to cooperative action for economic progress.

“Ujamaa 2.0 also expresses the sentiments and aspirations that fill us today as we approach Emancipation.

Emancipation has been, and must continue to be, a time when we reflect on, and learn from, our history.

The pain of the past guides us and reminds us that we seek healing, and we rededicate to work for a brighter future; a future our ancestors dreamed of, but never saw.”

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British High Commissioner to Guyana, Ms Jane Miller, trying on a necklace at Ujamaa 2.0 on Thursday

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IDPADA-G hosts 2-day exhibition... try,” Professor Lucas said, as he called for a revision of the banking laws so that cooperatives can engage in much greater opportunities for funding, and that financial institutions be created that are directly designed to support entrepreneurial ventures.

He congratulated IDPADA-G on its initiatives, while urging to be resilient the entrepreneurs who had gathered in their numbers on Main Street.

Similarly, Maxine Parris-Aaron, Agricultural Health Specialist at the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture A representative of Nadia’s Craft Shop showcasing items

The CEO told the audience of diplomats, educators, entrepreneurs, and media that Emancipation must inspire us with thoughts of our ancestors.

“Their cooperative action led first to the cooperative purchase of abandoned plantations, and then the structuring and establishment of villages that became the foundation of our nation’s Local Government System. What a demonstration of entrepreneurial spirit that first purchase shows, and that is the entrepreneurial spirit that you see abiding here today and for the next week, and continually across Guyana,” she stated, as she pointed to the entrepreneurial spirit and creativity that are demonstrated in vendors sharing a common space to engage in economic activity.

Professor Leyland Lucas, Dean of the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation (SEBI) at the University of Guyana, in brief remarks, said that African people have a proud history. He reminisced on the story of the Africans who pooled their resources to purchase Plantation Northbrook and established the village of Victoria as the basis for developing a very sustainable village economy, self-sustaining and providing the experience of being entrepreneurial.

“We are at a stage in our existence, not only as a people, but also as a society, where entrepreneurship has become extremely important. We are here to observe a number of entre-

preneurial ventures, things that people and organisations have done, and have been brought together by IDPADA-G so that we can once again celebrate and demonstrate the entrepreneurial drive of Africans,” the Dean of SEBI said.

Professor Lucas reminded the audience that entrepreneurship has been an essential aspect of our lives, and committed the UG and SEBI’s continued commitment “to promoting and supporting entrepreneurial initiatives throughout Guyana.”

“We will continue to work with entrepreneurs and prospective entrepreneurs in every way possible. But to create an entrepreneurial eco-system requires a number of players. I applaud the work of a number of players, such as the Small Business Bureau, but funding remains a critical aspect of entrepreneurial success. In other environments, I have raised this issue, and continue to raise it,” he said while asserting that more must be done to assist entrepreneurs.

“While support is available through certain organisations, more is needed to be done. We need to develop, in addition to that, organisations and entities that permit entrepreneurs and prospective entrepreneurs to not only demonstrate their abilities, but have access to funding through new instruments, venture capitalists, and angel investors; and those things will require some action on the part of the authorities in this coun-

(IICA), recognised IDPADAG’s work and committed to IICA’s continued support.

Noting IICA’s four strategic objectives and its five hemispheric programmes, Mrs Parris-Aaron said they mirror the work and objectives of IDPADA-G. “Consequently, IICA can complement the execution of IDPADA-G’s programme activities upon receipt of the request, and would be happy to facilitate the further empowerment of these and other entrepreneurs,” she said.

Professor Patsy Ann Francis, Executive Director of the Institute

FROM PAGE 15

of Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Guyana (UGIRIE), expressed well wishes to the entrepreneurs, and called for there to be economic cohesiveness.

Attendees included British High Commissioner Ms Jane Miller; Chile’s Ambassador to Guyana, Juan Manuel Pino Vasquez; representatives of the United States Embassy, the Canadian High Commission, the United Nations and other overseas Missions; the University of Guyana, the National Library, and civil society.

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Two female rangers taking a break while completing their data collection tasks in the South Rupununi recently

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cross the world, a ranger is seen as a male dressed in his outdoor attire and being all ready to police the environment.

In the South Rupununi, however, a group of women are breaking that trend. At the same time, the 18 rangers who work with the South Rupununi Conservation Society (SRCS) are setting themselves as role models for the young cadre of ambitious women who are following in their footsteps through the latter’s participation in outdoor activities.

“Their contributions are invaluable. A major part of conservation is behaviour change - to help people to alter their actions that are negative for wildlife and the environment. If we

A group of female rangers of the South Rupununi making checks on the turtle population of the area (SRCS photo)

only involve male rangers, we are missing half of the population, and we will never be able to make a sustained difference,” said Neal Miller, Programme Coordinator of the SRCS, on the subject of the female rangers.

Miller said that, in the early 2000s, when the SRCS was first created, almost all of the rangers were male. “This was a common trend throughout Guyana, and even across the world.

There are many reasons why there were few female rangers, including barriers such as gender bias, gender stereotypes, fears of safety, and poor communication,” Miller said.

He said the conservation body decided to take the bull by its horns and made valiant efforts to change this trend. To undertake this mandate, the entity decided to implement several initiatives to improve gender equality. For instance, Miller said, the SRCS introduced a "childcare stipend", which is paid to any mother with a young child or children. This money is paid to someone to take care of their children while they go to complete fieldwork.

“This stipend is given in addition to what the ranger earns in the field,” Miller explained. In addition, he said, the SRCS actively advocates for gender equality in all of its projects.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

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The Rupununi...

FROM PAGE 24

A female ranger calibrating her equipment while in the field

Whenever new rangers are needed from a community, he said, the SRCS would request that a gender-balanced team be selected by the village leaders. Further, he said, the SRCS ensures that females are given the same roles as men, and all responsibilities are divided equally.

In an environment where the two genders share the same space, care is taken to ensure strict lines of respect are not crossed. “In addition, SRCS also makes it clear to their rangers that they have zero tolerance on harassment of any kind. Due to this, SRCS has built a great reputation in the Rupununi, where females want to work with the organisation because they know it will be safe for them,” Miller said.

He said the women are also supported by their families in their endeavours, due to the positive reputation that the conservation body has created for itself.

For Hazelitha Bernadine, being a ranger can sometimes see the role of the female being reduced to that of the “camp cook.” Bernadine, who hails from the village of Sand Creek, said there are multiple barriers and challenges that females face.

“One of the main challenges is that there is still a stigma that exists globally, in Guyana and in the Rupununi concerning females being able to go out to conduct field work,” she said.

Bernadine, who works as a Turtle Ranger with the SRCS, said many men, “and even a lot of women still believe that females should stay home while the men go and complete conservation work in the field.”

Bernadine said that when organisations are recruiting rangers, they often disregard women, as they think women are not capable of completing the work. “This is even supported by some village leaders, who are still stuck in an old mindset,” she said.

Another female ranger, Claudia Bernard, who works as a Red Siskin Ranger, sees the role as one which keeps the young women meaningfully occupied. Bernard, who also hails from Sand Creek, said that, in the Rupununi, there is a high rate of pregnancy, with many females becoming pregnant only a few years after leaving secondary school.

She said that once a female has become a mother in the Rupununi, this can often prevent them from joining field activities, as they have no one to look after their child while they are away.

“Women who do participate in field activities are often subject to false gossip and rumours from members of their communities, which sometimes leads to them quitting due to the social stigma," said Tabitha Rebiero, a female ranger who oversees the turtle population in the South Rupununi.

Miller said more needs to be done to ensure that the gender balance is achieved. He said more education and awareness would make a difference in achieving the anticipated balance.

“People need to understand through positive examples that conservation requires both male and female rangers,” he added.

Miller said that, as part of its mandate, the SRCS was invited to participate in World Female Ranger Week, which was held from June 23-30 last. He said it is an initiative dedicated to increasing awareness of the need for gender equality in conservation by providing a platform for female rangers to share their experiences, challenges and successes, and helping female rangers from around the world to connect with each other.

It was founded by Holly Budge of the UK, who runs the NGO "How Many Elephants" after her experiences in Africa, which led her to want to amplify the voices of female rangers.

For the female rangers of the South Rupununi, following in Budge’s footsteps maybe be a tall task, but with their grit and determination, they plan to ensure that women across the country can view them as role models and examples, and follow in their footsteps of becoming female rangers.

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HEALTH TIPS MONKEYPOX

Dr Tariq Jagnarine Family Medicine, Endocrinology/Diabetes

M

onkeypox is a rare disease similar to smallpox caused by the monkeypox virus which is a member of a family called orthopoxvirus. While it is found most-

ly in areas of Africa, it has made its way to other areas of the world in recent years. Monkeypox was discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in groups of monkeys being used for research. There are two known types (clades) of monkeypox virus — one that originated in Central Africa and one that originated in West Africa.

In the spring of 2003, the first outbreak of monkeypox outside of Africa occurred in the United States.

A shipment of infected animals from Ghana was imported into Texas. The infected rodents spread the virus to pet prairie dogs, which then infected 47 people in the Midwest.

As international travel becomes more common, viruses that were once fairly confined to certain lo-

cations can more easily spread around the world. In the summer of 2021, a case of monkeypox was found in a U.S. resident who had travelled from Nigeria to the United States. Then, 2022 brought outbreaks to regions outside of Africa, including Europe, the Americas, and Australia.

The current world outbreak (2022) is caused by the less severe West African clade. Monkeypox is rare but the number of cases

is increasing in Africa, as well as in regions that haven’t seen these infections before. On July 19 of this year, a total of 1882 cases of monkeypox were reported.

SYMPTOMS

Monkeypox causes pus-

filled blisters that crust over and fall off. After exposure, it may be several days to a few weeks before developing symptoms.

Early signs of monkeypox include flu-like symptoms like: • Fever • Chills • Headache • Muscle aches • Fatigue • Swollen lymph nodes After a few days, a rash often develops. The rash starts as flat, red bumps, which can be painful. Those bumps turn into blisters, which fill with pus.

Eventually, the blisters crust over and fall off —

the whole process can last two to four weeks. Persons can also get sores in their mouth, vagina, or anus.

Not everyone with monkeypox develops all of the symptoms. In fact, in the current (2022) outbreak, many cases aren’t following the usual pattern of symptoms. This atypical presentation includes only a few lesions, no swollen lymph nodes, less fever, and other signs of illness. Persons can have it and not know it.

But even if they don’t show any signs of infection, it can spread still spread to others through prolonged close contact.

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HEALTH TIPS MONKEYPOX

HOW MONKEY POX IS SPREAD

Monkeypox is spread by coming into contact with an animal or a person infected with the virus. Animal-to-person transmission occurs through broken skin, like from bites or scratches, or through direct contact with an infected animal’s blood, bodily fluids, or pox lesions (sores).

Monkeypox can spread from person to person, but it’s less common. Person-to-person spread (transmission) occurs when persons come in contact with the sores, scabs, respiratory droplets or oral fluids of an infected person usually through close, intimate situations like cuddling, kissing, or sex. Researchers aren’t sure if the virus is transmitted through semen or vaginal fluids.

It can also be spread by coming into contact with recently contaminated materials like clothing, bedding, and other linens used by an infected person or animal.

WHO IS AT RISK?

Anyone can get monkeypox. In Africa, most cases are among children under 15 years old. Outside of Africa, the disease appears to be more common in men who have sex with men, but there are numerous cases in people who don’t fall into that category.

DIAGNOSIS AND TESTS

Healthcare providers may first suspect other rash illnesses, such as measles or chickenpox. But swollen lymph nodes usually distinguish monkeypox from other poxes.

To diagnose monkeypox, a healthcare provider takes a tissue sample from an open sore (lesion). Then they send it to a lab for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing (genetic fingerprinting). A blood sample can be taken for the monkeypox virus or antibodies the immune system makes to it.

MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT

Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting from two to four weeks. Most people with monkeypox get better on their own without treatment.

Following diagnosis, a healthcare provider will monitor a person’s condition and try to relieve their symptoms, prevent dehydration and give them antibiotics to treat secondary bacterial infections if they develop.

There’s currently not an approved antiviral treatment for monkeypox. Antiviral drugs may help, but they haven’t been studied as a treatment for monkeypox. Several investigational antivirals with activity against monkeypox are available, but only as part of a research study.

Monkeypox normally takes about two to four weeks to run its course. If exposed to monkeypox, health care providers will monitor persons until the rash resolves.

PREVENTION

A smallpox vaccine protects monkeypox, but its use is currently limited to clinical trials. Prevention depends on decreasing human contact with infected animals and limiting person-to-person spread. The best way to help the prevent spread of the monkeypox virus is to: • Avoid contact with infected animals (especially sick or dead animals).

• Avoid contact with bedding and other materials contaminated with the virus.

• Thoroughly cook all foods that contain animal meat or parts.

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water.

• Avoid contact with people who may be infected with the virus.

• Practice safe sex, including the use of condoms and dental dams.

• Wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose when around others.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

• Use personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for people infected with the virus.

IS MONKEYPOX DEADLY?

The less severe West African clade causing the current world outbreak (2022) with no deaths thus far. But, monkeypox can lead to other problems (complications) like pneumonia and infections in your brain (encephalitis) or eyes, which can be fatal.

SELF-CARE

FROM PAGE 27

If have monkeypox symptoms, inform a health care worker immediately. There are over-the-counter medications that can help persons feel better, including: • Pain relievers and fever reducers. Medicines like ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®) and acetaminophen (Tylenol®).

• Oatmeal baths. Soaking in a warm bath with colloidal oatmeal can relieve the dry, itchy feeling that comes with skin rashes.

• Isolation if infected. Avoid contact with others until

all lesions have scabbed.

• Cover single or local lesions. Use gauze or bandages to limit the spread to others and the environment.

• Take good care. It’s important to stay home and rest when sick, wear a mask around others and drink plenty of fluids.

• Avoid contact with pets (especially rodents).

The best way to protect yourself is to avoid contact with people who are infected, wash your hands frequently and wear a face mask in crowded, indoor spaces. See your healthcare provider if you develop symptoms.

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Nand Persaud & Company Ltd launches prefab & modular homes at Int’l Building Expo N and Persaud and Company Ltd has officially launched its prefab and modular homes at this year’s International Building Expo which is currently being held at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank

Demerara (EBD).

The company’s prefabricated home that is being offered is currently on display complete with kitchen, bathroom, water, and electrical fixtures.

According to Public Relations Officer (PRO) at

Nand Persaud and Company Ltd Nadia Inshan, this new department under the company’s umbrella was influenced by the Government’s push for rapid development throughout the country coupled with Guyana’s developing oil and gas sector.

“Our economy has transformed and we are now an emerging oil and gas sector coupled with our Government’s commitment to affordable housing that gives us the opportunity to showcase and market the prefab house,” she stated.

The houses being introduced by Nand Persaud have an estimated life span of 60-plus years, requires minimal maintenance and are assembled on-site by the company’s construction team.

Inshan lamented that this process is very time efficient.

“Nand Persaud and com-

Prefabricated homes are currently being offered by Nand Persaud and Company Ltd

pany is offering a more practical housing solution to Guyanese. Prefabricated houses can be assembled at a much shorter time [than] it would take to construct a traditional house. The house panels are cement board and the structure is steel. It’s eco-friendly, durable, customisable, and very cost-effective,” she explained.

“Its insulation keeps the interior cool for a longer time and it’s been known to withstand harsh climate because of its sturdy material,” she added.

The prices of these houses vary depending on their size, with the lowest starting at around $5.

Inshan further encouraged people to come out to the expo and have a chance to interact with their team to have better information on this new product the company offers.

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Berbice triple murder

Accused whose bail was unlawfully revoked

by Judge awarded $5M in damages jail on January 26, spoke with Jagmohan, and attempted to pervert the course of justice.

Chaitram’s lawyer, Senior Counsel Murseline Bacchus said that Justice Kissoon did not take any evidence in relation to the alleged attempt to pervert the course of justice, but instead purported to and did revoke the bail granted by Magistrate Moore, and signed an order that very day for his client to be arrested and remanded to prison.

In an application chal-

High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon

High Court Judge Simone Morris-Ramlall

inding that bail for Chaitram (only name given), a 69-year-old man who is awaiting trial for accessory after the fact to murder was unlawfully revoked by High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon.

Another High Court Judge,

Naresh Rooplall, 33.

On Friday, July 23, 2016, the bodies of the Chandradeos and Rooplall, the elder Chandradeo’s brother-in-law, of Number 73 Village, Corentyne, were discovered lying next to each other on a dam at Cookrite Savannah, Black Bush Polder, with gunshot wounds.

He was charged on the basis that between July 21 and 22, 2016, at Black Bush Polder, he received, conspired, and provided assistance to the four men after they murdered the trio.

The four men are Chaitram’s son, Carlton Chaitram; and Jairam Chaitram, his grandson; along with Tameshwar Jagmohan and Rakesh Karamchand. They were charged and committed to stand trial for the triple murder. Carlton and his son and Karamchand opted to plead guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter and were each handed a life sentence by Justice Sandil Kissoon earlier this year.

Jagmohan, who was found guilty by a jury, was sentenced to death by the same Judge.

Chaitram was granted $2 million bail on October 19, 2016, by Senior Magistrate Alex Moore pending the hearing and determination of a trial at the High Court.

Weeks before the quartet was convicted, one of them give evidence that Chaitram had visited the

F

Chaitram

Simone Morris-Ramlall has ordered the accused’s immediate release from custody, awarding him $5 million in damages for breaches to his constitutional rights by the State.

Chaitram, also known as “Cashew”, a father of four and rice farmer of Black Bush Polder, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), was charged in 2016, in relation to the murders of Pawan Chandradeo, 38; his son, Jaikarran Chandradeo, 15; and his brother-in-law,

lenging the revocation of the bail, Bacchus contended that although Jagmohan’s statement was ruled admissible by Justice Kissoon, it cannot be used as evidence against any of the other persons and that his client never breached any conditions of bail.

Considering this, and that no application was made by the State for the revocation of the bail, he submitted that he was extremely doubtful that Justice Kissoon had any power to revoke the bail.

The Senior Counsel,

therefore, contended that his client’s imprisonment on remand is contrary to law and contrary to Article 139 of the Constitution and orders should be made for his release.

Having found that Justice Kissoon’s order for the accused to be committed to prison is unconstitutional, illegal, void, and of no effect, Justice MorrisRamlall, on Monday, quashed the order revoking the bail, ordering that the man be released from custody forthwith.

She made a further or-

der for the State to pay general damages in the sum of $4 million for Chaitram’s unlawful detention with interest at the rate of six per cent per annum from February 2 to July 18 and at four per cent from July 19 until the judgement sum is fully paid.

The State was also ordered to pay the man $1 million in exemplary damages and $150,000 in court costs. The latter has to be paid on or before August 19. Solicitor General Nigel Hawke represented the State in this matter.

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MoH in talks with PAHO to acquire smallpox vaccines – younger population vulnerable

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ith the worldwide outbreak of monkeypox, Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony stated that his Ministry is working with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) to acquire smallpox vaccines to combat the possibility of a confirmed monkeypox case in Guyana.

“We are working to acquire the vaccine that is being produced in Denmark, but we’re working through PAHO. PAHO has been talking to the manufacturer and they are trying to secure doses for the Americas and out of

the allocation that they are trying to secure, we would benefit from some of those allocations,” he said.

However, he stated that citizens 40 years and younger are more at risk of contracting monkeypox as they would not have gotten the smallpox vaccination since the last smallpox vaccine administration was conducted in 1980 after it was declared to be eradicated by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

He added that the smallpox vaccine would aid in the prevention of contracting the monkeypox disease.

“When we were doing the vaccination for smallpox, that gave you protective effect. If you were vaccinated for smallpox, it protected you against monkeypox because they are of the same family. But, in most of the world, smallpox is now being eliminated, so the last set of vaccines that have probably been given was around the 1980s.

“So, persons now, who are younger than 40, they don’t have any immunity against smallpox and against, obviously, monkeypox because they have not benefited from that type of vaccination. So, with this circulation of these cases going around, obviously, this younger population can be vulnerable. That’s what we’re seeing globally,” Dr Anthony explained.

He noted, however, that the Ministry is working on a plan to combat the possibility of an active monkeypox case here in Guyana with the formation of a

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony

monkeypox committee.

Meanwhile, in preparation for a possible outbreak of the disease, a series of workshops will be conducted in the new week to target groups of people who are at risk of contracting monkeypox. The workshops will begin on Monday, July 25.

“We have, the committee that is, have planned a series of workshops to

meet with persons who we consider to be at risk. That series of workshops will commence from next week where we will be meeting with various at-risk groups,” he said.

Additionally, the Ministry is currently training persons on how to conduct monkeypox testing.

The Ministry is training laboratory staff, and one of the local staff mem-

bers is engaged in training being conducted by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) for the Caribbean region.

“So, we are equipping the system to ensure that we can detect any cases if ever that happens.”

Further, he related that symptoms of the disease can appear about five days after a person is infected, and are similar to smallpox. The virus is not only spread through contact with monkeys but rodents and infected persons.

Monkeypox spreads differently from COVID-19.

WHO encourages people to stay informed from reliable sources, such as national health authorities, on the extent of the outbreak in their community (if any), symptoms, and prevention.

Cases have been reported in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Canada, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Sweden, and Australia among others.

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96-year-old unvaccinated woman dies from COVID – 81 new cases, 5 in ICU

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pensioner who tested positive for the novel coronavirus has died, the Health Ministry reported on Saturday.

This latest fatality is a 96-year-old female from Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) who died on Friday, July 22.

Consequently, Guyana's COVID-19 death toll has gone up to 1269. For the past week, that is, between last Sunday and today, the Ministry reported five COVID-related deaths.

However, another 81 people have tested positive for the virus within a 24-hour period. This is according to the latest statistics released by the Health Ministry on Saturday.

Active cases in the country are now at 868. This includes five patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the remaining persons in either home (833) or institutional (30) isolation.

Five other persons are also in institutional quarantine.

To date, some 67,276

persons have recovered from the life-threatening virus – 164 more recoveries than the figure reported the previous day.

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Guyana over two years ago, a total 673,362 tests have been conducted countrywide and of this, some 31,818 males and 37,595 females were found to be positive.

Of the 81 new cases recorded on Saturday, two were from Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); three more from Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara); 42 cases from the Demerara-Mahaica region, another eight from Region Five (MahaicaBerbice); four cases from Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne); one other case from Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni); 18 from Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and the remaining three cases from Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice).

There were no new cases recorded in the other two

regions across the country within the reporting 24hour period.

After a prolonged period of declining cases, the Guyana Government, back in March, removed most restrictions as the country moves to recover from the pandemic and return to normalcy. But in recent weeks, there have a spike in COVID cases here, which health authorities have attributed to the BA.2 and now BA.5 subvariants of the Omicron strain.

Latest vaccination figures show that so far, more than 444,700 or 86.7 per cent of adults have taken a first dose, while over 344,400 or 67.1 per cent of persons 18 years and over are fully vaccinated.

For adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17, just over 35,300 or 48.4 per cent have received their first dose, while 25,837 or 35.4 per cent of them have returned for their second dose.

Vaccines administered to children within the ages of five and 11 years, have

surpassed 5600 doses which is about 5.6 per cent of that age cohort. Second doses for this group is just over 1070 or 1 per cent.

In addition, in excess of 67,500 persons have returned for their third dose booster shots thus far.

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony during his recent COVID update pointed out that the vaccination campaign has become relatively slow – something they want to change.

“We would like [the vaccination figures] to be much more,” Dr Anthony stated.

The Health Minister urged persons with flulike symptoms to get tested since the BA.5 infection presents with regular cold/

flu symptoms.

“You can have a runny nose, a congested nose or you can have an itchy throat, sore throat or you can have fever, body aches – all these are typical symptoms of someone who has flu. So, I think a lot of people, who would experience these symptoms… they’re thinking that they have flu.”

“But I would advise them that they go and get a test done just to rule out COVID. Because if it is COVID, you would want to prevent transmission. You wouldn’t want to be walking around in the public… for that matter, you should be at home and self-isolate.

We just need people to do

the right thing,” Minister Anthony implored.

According to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recent figures, some 565,207,160 confirmed cases were reported globally along with 6,373,739 deaths.

In the Region of the Americas, that is, Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has increased to 168,183,683 while the death toll in the region has gone up to 2,779,572.

As it relates to vaccination against COVID-19, WHO also reported that a total of 12,219,375,500 doses have been administered worldwide.

34

guyanatimesgy.com

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022

Regional

Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira: 3 charged with Brazil murder

A

Brazilian court has charged three men with the murder last month of British journalist Dom Phillips and a local Indigenous expert, Bruno Pereira.

The crime exposed the lawlessness that prevails in Brazil’s Amazon region.

Two of the suspects helped Police locate the bodies of Phillips and Pereira, who had gone missing in the Javari Valley, a remote area near the border with Peru.

The suspects were fishing illegally there, prosecutors

The Indigenous Xucuru tribe mourned Pereira at his funeral

say.

They allegedly decided to kill the men when Pereira

asked Phillips to take a picture of their boat.

Pereira and Phillips were

shot dead and their bodies burned and buried.

The three were detained about two weeks after the two men went missing, and have been named as Amarildo Oliveira, his brother Oseney Oliveira, and Jefferson Lima.

Pereira had been introducing the journalist to people he could interview for a book about the Amazon.

They were investigating illegal fishing, logging and drug trafficking in Indigenous reserves.

Critics place much of the blame for growing lawlessness

in the Amazon on President Jair Bolsonaro’s Government, which has cut resources from Indigenous and environmental agencies.

The prosecutors’ statement said Amarildo and Jefferson had confessed to the crime. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Chile’s first electric bus factory aims to ease fossil fuel dependency

E

lectric buses built by a Chilean company are now operating in the world’s top copper-producing nation, as the country seeks ways to reduce its use of fossil fuels and achieve its environmental goals.

Reborn Electric Motor, located about 84 kilometers (52 miles) south of Chile’s capital Santiago, aims to produce 200 electric busses a year, enough to keep some 65,000 tonnes of carbon out of the atmosphere.

Chile’s Environment Ministry is spearheading a new law that would commit the country to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, matching a previously stated goal by state-owned copper giant Codelco to become copper neutral.

Reborn’s electric heavy-duty buses are already shuttling workers at Codelco’s Teniente mine.

While Reborn builds the buses from scratch, it also gives existing diesel buses an electric future by converting them in a process the company says produces an option that’s both sustainable and economical.

“We take diesel buses, take out the diesel motor, the diesel tank, and we install lithium ion batteries and electric motor and control system, and with that we have end up with a bus with zero emissions at a much more accessible price,” said Reborn co-founder Ricardo Repenning.

The company hopes its efforts can help promote the industry outside of Chile.

“Our goal is for state-ofthe-art technology to be produced from Chile and that this technology can be used globally,” said Felipe Cevallos, the company’s general manager.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Haitian children who escaped gang violence take shelter in Port-au-Prince school

Haitian children who escaped violence in the town of Cite-Soleil line up to receive food as they seek refuge at a school in Port-auPrince, Haiti, July 22, 2022

H

undreds of Haitian children are taking refuge at a prestigious high school in Port-au-Prince after escaping gang violence in the town of Cite Soleil that killed some 400 people and destroyed hundreds of homes this month.

At the sprawling campus of Institution Saint-Louis de Gonzague, which is currently empty for summer vacation, children ranging from teenagers to toddlers are sleeping in classrooms that are serving as improvised dormitories.

They chatted and joked in the recess yard on Friday, playing hide and seek or improvised soccer games with plastic bottles. They gathered excitedly when a Reuters reporter arrived to ask questions about their situation.

“The kids need a lot of help,” said Sister Rosemiline, a nun with religious community group Kizito Family, who said she stopped using her last name after taking her vows.

“The situation is really bad where they are from. We are waiting for food but what we get is not satisfactory to the kids,” she said, adding that her organisation is hoping to relocate them to five other sites.

The children are part of a group who donned school uniforms to convince gang leaders they were on their way to school in order to escape the turf war, according to a community organiser leading the effort to shelter the children.

The vast majority were there without their parents, most of whom could not leave Cite Soleil because of continuing gang violence, he said, asking not to be identified for fear of gang reprisals.

Children started arriving at the school a week ago, some of them barefoot. Most have nowhere to return to because their homes were burned during the battles between the G9 and G-pep gangs. (Excerpt from Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022

35

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS

Russia hits key Odesa port day after landmark grain deal – Ukraine

Saudi Arabia has big plans to boost oil export capacity

S

audi Arabia expects to have freed up to 1 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil for exports by 2030 by cutting its direct oil use in power generation as it looks to replace petroleum liquids with gas-powered generation and renewables, Energy Intelligence reports, quoting industry sources.

Saudi Arabia relies on crude and fuel oil for electricity generation and cranks up direct crude and fuel burns during the scorching summer months.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s top crude oil exporter, currently generates 51 per cent of its electricity from petroleum liquids, and 49 per cent from natural gas, sources with knowledge of the Saudi energy mix told Energy Intelligence.

The Saudi plan, also part of its 2060 net-zero goal, entails having up to 50 per cent of electricity coming from renewable energy and up to 55 per cent from gas, according to Energy Intelligence’s sources.

In May, as temperatures rose and demand for air conditioning in the Middle East begins to surge, Saudi Arabia raised its direct use of crude oil to 582,000 bpd, up by 185,000 bpd from April, and 131,000 bpd above year-ago levels, according to data from the Joint Organisations Data Initiative (JODI), which compiles self-reported data from countries.

This summer, direct crude and product burn at power generation plants in Saudi Arabia has accelerated, which could leave lower available crude supply for international markets, analysts say.

Reducing direct oil and petroleum liquids burned for power generation would boost the crude oil export capacity of Saudi Arabia, which has already said that its production capacity limit will be 13 million bpd when it’s reached in 2027.

Saudi Arabia will not have additional capacity to increase production above the 13 million bpd it has pledged to have by 2027, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said last week.

Referring to oil supply to global markets, the Crown Prince said that “The Kingdom will do its part in this regard, as it announced an increase in its production capacity to 13 million barrels per day, after which the Kingdom will not have any additional capacity to increase production.” (Excerpt from Oilprice.com)

A worker loading a truck with grain at a terminal during barley harvesting in the Odesa region [Igor Tkachenko/Reuters]

R

ussian missiles have hit infrastructure in Ukraine’s port of Odesa, a day after Russia and Ukraine signed a deal to reopen Black Sea ports, the Ukrainian military has said.

“The enemy attacked the Odesa sea trade port with Kalibr cruise missiles; two missiles were shot down by air defence forces; two hit the infrastructure of the port,” the Operational Command

H

held one year after Saied suspended the Parliament and sacked the Government in what his opponents call a power grab. The President said he was responding to the popular will and saving the country from imminent danger.

He soon began ruling by decree and has dismantled some of the country’s democratic state institutions including the Supreme Judicial Council, while pushing for a new Constitution, a draft of which was published last month.

The charter would limit the powers of the Parliament and Judiciary and enshrine the powers he has accumulated over the past year.

Bottom of Form A member of the executive committee of the National Salvation Front called Monday’s referendum “another link in a series of illegal events.”

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

brokered deal.

“Full implementation (of the deal) by the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Turkey is imperative,” he added.

However, Russia has denied any involvement in the missile strikes Saturday on Odesa, Turkey said.

“In our contact with Russia, the Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with this attack and that they were examining the issue very closely and in detail,” Turkish Defence Minister Hulusai Akar said in a statement.

Bottom of Form “The fact that such an incident took place right after the agreement we made yesterday really worried us.”

(Excerpt from Reuters)

WHO declares global health emergency over monkeypox outbreak

T

he rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak represents a global health emergency, the World Health Organisation's highest level of alert, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Saturday.

The WHO label - a "public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC)" - is designed to trigger a coordinated international response and could unlock funding to collaborate on sharing vaccines and treatments.

Members of an expert committee that met on Thursday to discuss the potential recommendation were split on the decision, with nine members against and six in favour of the declaration, prompting Tedros himself to break the deadlock, he told reporters.

"Although I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern, for the moment this is an outbreak that is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners," Tedros told

China women: Killer Hundreds protest against of popular vlogger Tunisia draft Constitution Lamu executed as vote looms A

undreds of people have rallied in Tunis to protest against a draft Constitution proposed

by President Kais Saied, two days before a planned referendum on the charter.

The National Salvation Front alliance of opposition groups led a march through the Tunisian capital on Saturday to reject the President’s Constitution change programme and decried what they call an undemocratic and illegal process.

Many of the protesters were from the older generation, who had lived under former President Zine Abbedine Ben Ali and took part in the 2011 revolution which forced him from office.

Tension has been rising in the country in advance of the vote amid fears that the draft Constitution would serve as the basis of a new hyper-presidential Government system.

The referendum is being

South wrote on Telegram on Saturday.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday brokered the agreement in a bid to resume grain exports and ease a global food crisis.

Odesa, the largest Ukrainian seaport and one of the largest ports in the Black Sea basin, has remained under Kyiv’s control, albeit being blockaded by Russia.

The signing of the deal on Friday – which includes Odesa as well as the ports of Yuzhne and Chornomorsk – has been hailed as a “beacon of hope” by the UN. Guterres on Saturday “unequivocally” condemned the missile attacks on the port, which is key to the UN-

Chinese man has been executed for murdering his ex-wife by setting her alight while she was livestreaming.

The woman, known as Lamu, was a well-known social media personality on Douyin, China's version of TikTok. Hundreds of thousands of her followers had watched videos about her life in the mountains of Sichuan province.

The case put the spotlight on violence against women in China. One survey suggests a quarter of all Chinese women have suffered from domestic abuse.

The mother-of-two is reported to have approached Police about her husband's violence while they were married only to be told it was a family matter.

When her husband Tang Lu was sentenced to death, the court in Aba prefecture, a remote rural area in the south-west of Sichuan province where a large number of ethnic Tibetans live, found that his crime had been "extremely cruel" and the social

impact had been "extremely bad".

In June 2020, Lamu divorced Tang who, the court said, had had a history of violence against her.

About three months later he doused her with petrol at her father's home and set her alight. She suffered burns to 90 per cent of her body and died two weeks later.

The case caused outrage across the country and prompted renewed debate about violence against women.

Thousands of Lamu's followers left messages on her Douyin page, while millions of users of the microblogging platform Weibo called for justice using hashtags that were later censored.

China criminalised domestic violence in 2016 but it remains widespread, particularly in rural areas.

Some activists fear that a recently introduced mandatory 30-day "cooling off" period for couples who wish to divorce may make it harder for women to leave abusive relationships. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Test tubes labelled "Monkeypox virus positive and negative" are seen in this illustration taken on May 23, 2022

a media briefing in Geneva.

"Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus," he added.

He said the risk of monkeypox - which spreads via close contact and tends to cause flulike symptoms and pus-filled skin lesions - was moderate globally, except in the Europe, where the WHO has deemed the risk as high.

Previously, Tedros has typically endorsed expert com-

mittee recommendations, but the two sources told Reuters earlier on Saturday said he had likely decided to back the highest alert level due to concerns about escalating case rates and a short supply of vaccines and treatments.

So far this year, there have been more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox in more than 75 countries, and five deaths in Africa. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Wildfire rages near Yosemite National Park

A

wildfire near Yosemite National Park in California is spreading quickly, threatening thousands of homes.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) described it as being "zero per cent under control" on Saturday morning.

Central and North Eastern regions of the US are also sweltering under extreme heat.

Temperatures of 38C (100.4 F) are forecast in Washington DC and Dallas, with New York only slightly cooler.

An official in Oklahoma where the temperature is expected to reach 41C today said heat was the main cause of weather-related deaths in

the US. Dubbed the Oak Fire, the blaze in California started on Friday afternoon local time and had grown to 10.2 square miles (26.5 sq km)

by Saturday morning, the Associated Press reports.

On its latest update, Cal Fire said the "fire activity is extreme... Explosive fire behaviour is challenging firefighters".

Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires.

The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. (Excerpt from BBC News)

36

guyanatimesgy.com

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022

ARIES (March 21April 19)

Keep moderation in mind, regardless of what’s happening around you.

Watch out for manipulative people and tempting sales pitches. Say no to what you don’t need in your life.

Someone will cut you off at TAURUS the pass if you are confused or (April 20uncertain regarding your next May 20) move. Don’t panic or let others see you flinch. Stand tall and take ownership of your intentions.

Wait, gather the facts and GEMINI (MAY 28- analyze your next move. Staying in control will help you manipJune 20) ulate situations to fit into your plans instead of adjusting to other people’s whims.

Slow down, relax and enjoy CANCER yourself. Refuse to get wrapped (June 21up in drama or let poor behavior July 22) ruin your day. Focus on health, fitness and emotional well-being.

Choose love over chaos.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO

(Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Dilbert LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Peanuts

You know how to get your way, but if you let temptation take the reins, you’ll fall short. Stay focused and be diligent about getting where you want to go. Don’t let your guard down.

Keep emotions away from your decision-making. A clear head will help you see what’s possible. Don’t trust others to give you the lowdown. Make thorough plans before implementing adjustments.

Recognize what you have to offer and what you enjoy doing most and head in that direction. Don’t spend money or time on things that can’t help you get ahead financially. Keep your mind open.

Ignore negative comments and walk away from people who get in your way. Size up your situation and what you want to do, then make it happen. Be secretive, prepare earnestly and make your mark with actions, not words.

SAGITTARIUS Emotions will be difficult to control, and gullibility will set (Nov. 23Dec. 21) in if you aren’t sure what you

want or how to get it. Don’t be afraid to take a pass if you aren’t ready. Time is on your side.

CAPRICORN Get information in writing.

Mistakes happen when you (Dec. 22rush or don’t take the time to Jan. 19)

fact-check. Ask questions, be bold and get things done your way. Romance is on the rise.

Calvin and Hobbes

Work

on

self-improve-

AQUARIUS ment and forget about try(Jan. 20ing to change others. Strive Feb. 19) to do what makes you happy, and everyone will want to be by your side. Make your home your castle.

PISCES (Feb. 20Mar. 20)

Get out, try something new and engage in pastimes that enhance your skills, challenge you physically or encourage romance with someone special.

Use your imagination and be resourceful.

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022

37

WI vs India: 2022 ODI Series; Game 2 of 3…

WEST INDIES WOULD WANT MORE THAN NEAR MISSES -as India flex their bench strength

T

hey lost the first ODI, and that result means they have suffered seven successive defeats in the ODI format, but after the match, West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran said it "definitely (felt) like a win" for his side.

You could understand why. West Indies had not only lost their previous six games, but had lost the bulk of them comprehensively: by 120 runs and 53 runs respectively against Pakistan; and then with 55 balls remaining and a whopping 176 balls remaining against Bangladesh. In five of those six matches, West Indies had failed to bat out 50 overs.

Against India on Friday, West Indies batted out their full 50 overs, and came within one hit of pulling off only their third successful chase of a 300-plus target in ODIs. There were positives with the ball too; at one stage, India had looked like they would get past 350 with ease, but West Indies pegged them back admirably, taking five wickets and conceding just 83 runs in the last 15 overs.

As impressive as that performance was, though, West Indies were at close to full

strength, and playing at home against an India side lacking the bulk of their first-choice players.

For all the pride Pooran showed in his team's performance on Friday, he and his team-mates would desperately want to put wins on the board. And they'll be wary of false dawns. This run of defeats, after all, began with West Indies scoring 305 in a narrow loss in Multan.

In the spotlight Shai Hope has been among ODI cricket's most consistent rungetters in his time, but as his 7 off 18 balls in the first ODI showed, those runs can sometimes come at a pace that's a throwback to an earlier age. Of the 16 highest run-getters in ODIs since his debut, Hope has the lowest strike rate (74.86), with only one other batter in that top 16 - Tamim Iqbal - striking at below 80.

Hope plays an important role in this West Indies line-up, however, and they will hope he can make a crucial contribution when he plays his 100th ODI on Sunday (today).

Shardul Thakur has an ODI economy rate of 6.63. Of all the bowlers to have taken at least 20 wickets since his debut, only one -

Oshane Thomas - has done worse on that front. Thakur brings other things to the table, though, and his display on Friday summed him up. He came to the crease with only nine balls left, and hit a lastball boundary that turned out to be quite useful, given India's narrow margin of victory.

And while he was India's most expensive bowler in terms of economy rate, and only sent down eight overs, he also picked up two key wickets, both of which owed something to his gambler's instinct of willing batters to go after him. It was, like many of his performances, imperfect, but not without its merits.

But can he do more? And might he need to do more to keep out other contenders for the No. 8 role, particularly with Deepak Chahar now well on the road to recovery from the back injury that ruled him out of IPL 2022?

Team news It seems unlikely that West Indies would make any changes, given how close they came to victory on Friday, with performances coming from numerous members of their XI. Jason Holder, of course, would remain unavailable, having tested

Manchester Utd 2-2 Aston Villa in late header, as game ends even

C

alum Chambers' stoppagetime header cost Manchester United their 100% pre-season record under new manager Erik ten Hag, as Aston Villa came back from two goals down to end their own tour of Australia unbeaten at a rainsodden Optus Stadium in Perth.

Chambers rose unchallenged to nod home a rather soft second, which would give ten Hag something to ponder on his side's return to Manchester.

Jadon Sancho's third goal of the trip had given United an early lead, and when Villa's Matty Cash turned a Marcus Rashford effort beyond the reach of his own keeper Emi Martinez, it seemed victory was secure. But substitute Leon Bailey pulled a goal back right after half-time, and Chambers's effort was reward for a muchimproved performance by Steven Gerrard's men.

United are expected to complete the signing of Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez

from Ajax in time for him to start training with his new team-mates, including Christian Eriksen, early next week, before encounters with Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano. On this evidence, they might need him.

Quite possibly, both ten Hag and Gerrard would be more concerned at finding out if their respective squads got through the game without injury.

Poor weather and poor pitch Numerous heavy showers in the hours before kick-off had left the pitch in an awful state. Ground staff tried to get rid of the excess water from three hours before kick-off, and host broadcaster Channel 10 said in commentary there had even been a plan to fly a helicopter over the grass in an effort to dry out the surface.

That did not happen in the end, although neither set of players looked comfortable when they tried to turn; and as Gerrard

had his hood pulled over his head to protect himself from another downpour when United's second goal went in, it did not indicate he was having a particularly great time.

The Villa boss's mood would have improved when Bailey cut inside Victor Lindelof and curled a shot into the bottom corner at the start of the second half.

Sancho was the wide player who lit up the opening period, though. The former Borussia Dortmund winger has played for England only once since he missed a penalty in the Euro 2020 shootout defeat by Italy in the final just over 12 months ago.

He struggled in his debut season at Old Trafford, but with three goals in four games, he has finished as joint top-scorer on tour with Anthony Martial, and looks like the attacking threat that brought him to United's attention in the first place.

His latest effort was excellent, with Martial, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw all involved, before Sancho volleyed home at the far post.

Not that everything went United's way. Bailey would have levelled had Harry Maguire not slid back to turn away his goalbound effort after the Jamaican had skipped past David de Gea, while Ezri Konsa failed to convert with the goal at his mercy.

Chambers had the final word - allowing both clubs to end their respective tours unbeaten. (BBC)

positive for COVID-19.

West Indies (probable): 1 Shai Hope (wk), 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Shamarh Brooks, 4 Brandon King, 5 Nicholas Pooran (capt), 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Akeal Hosein, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Jayden Seales, 11 Gudakesh Motie.

Ravindra Jadeja sat out the first ODI with a knee injury, and the BCCI have confirmed that he would miss Sunday's match as well. India don't often make unforced changes when a series is still alive, so expect them to retain the same XI from the first ODI, though the fitness status of Axar Patel - who went off the field on Friday with what appeared to be a hamstring issue - is as yet unknown.

India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Sanju Samson (wk), 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Mohammed Siraj, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Prasidh Krishna.

Pitch and conditions The pitch for the first ODI was a curious beast: flat, and exceedingly so for long periods; but there were also phases when run-scoring was a little trickier, with the old ball stopping on the batters.

Nicholas Pooran will be looking to level the series

It resulted in an interesting contest between bat and ball, and conditions should remain similar on Sunday. The weather is expected to be clear, with a maximum temperature of 31°C. Stats and trivia * Of all West Indies bowlers with at least 50 ODI wickets, Alzarri Joseph (31.8) has the best strike rate. * Among players from Full Member teams, Shamarh Brooks (578) is the highest ODI run-getter in 2022, and Akeal Hosein (23) is the highest wicket-taker. * India have won 12 ODIs at Queen's Park Oval. It is their second-most successful ODI venue outside Asia, behind Harare Sports Club, where they have won 16 matches. (Cricinfo)

CLASSIFIED ADS NOTICE Maylene Duncan and Jessie Cozier of Charity, Essequibo, the witnesses to the execution of the last will and testament dated the 11th day of November, 2010 of MOHAN a.k.a MALA, deceased who died on the 10th August, 2021, are hereby requested to contact Mr. Khawn Rodney, Attorney-at-Law at Lot 216 South Road, Lacytown, Georgetown, within 14 (fourteen) days from the date of publication of this Notice for the purpose of swearing the Affidavit of Attesting Witnesses.Dated at Georgetown, Demerara. This 12th day of July, 2022.

38

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022

Emancipation Day horse race meet…

Jockeys, owners excited as July 31 looms

One of the newly imported horses going through its paces

By Brandon Corlette

H

orse owners and jockeys are completing the final preparation of their animals as the Emancipation horse race meet looms.

Set for staging at the Port Mourant Turf Club on the Corentyne Coast in Region Six on July 31, this highly-anticipated one-day horse meet would see a host of newly imported horses turning out to ‘conquer and cash in’, even as they entertain.

Guyana Times Sport visit-

ed the Kennard Memorial Turf Club at Bush Lot Corentyne on Saturday, and witnessed some newly imported horses undergoing full preparation.

Fazal Habibulla, a horse owner from West Coast Berbice in Region Five, noted that his horses are just about ready.

“We are at the ending part of training for the Port Mourant Turf Club meeting,” he said. “Basically, my horse is just about ready with the week that we have left. I will be ready,” this West Berbice businessman has promised.

In terms of the quality of

horses, Habibulla has said it is normal to see one or two newly imported horses competing, but for the July 31 meeting, more top bracket horses have been imported.

Meanwhile, Trinidadian Jockey Nicholas Patrick has said that preparation has been going well, and the horses are “comfortable”. When asked about the rain factor, Patrick said: “If the rain keeps on falling, it will be harder on the horses, especially the imported horses, because they are new to the surface.”

Asked about what fans

should expect, Jockey Patrick said: “I think the fans should have a spectacular day. They will come and have lots of fun.

A lot of horses will be in that race. We will have some international jockeys coming in, and they have some Yankee jockeys; so, on the day, races should be good.”

Winston Appadu, another jockey, has indicated that fans should “expect good races”, because a lot of new horses would be on show. Appadu has said that once there is good weather, fantastic contests should be expected.

Race organizers have said that more than eight million dollars in cash prizes would be up for grabs, and 30 newly imported horses from Trinidad and Tobago and the United States of America would be competing for the first time in Guyana.

Eight races are carded for the Emancipation Meet

on July 31, with the feature event being open to all horses. It would be contested over eight furlongs for a winner’s purse of $1M. The second-placed horse would be awarded $500,000, while the animal placing third is slated to be awarded $100,000.

The action is expected to start promptly at noon (12:00h) with the L Open race, which will be contested over six furlongs for a winner’s purse of $160,000. Second prize is $80,000.

The second race is the eight- furlong contest involving Guyana and West Indiesbred two-year-old horses for a top prize of $500,000, while the second-placed horse would win $250,000. The horse that finishes third will bag $125,000.

Race three would be the J Class race over eight furlongs, for which the top horse would bag $200,000.

Race four will see the J3 maiden (all first-time starters) running over six furlongs for a winner’s prize of $200,000. In the H Class race, which would be run over six furlongs, the top horse will bag $400,000.

Race 6 would be the F Class race to be run over 6.5 furlongs, and the top prize is $500,000. In the race for the Guyana and West Indiesbred two-year-old horses, which would be run over five furlongs, $400,000 would be awarded to the winner.

Entries will be closed on July 25, and the races would be run under updated classification. Persons seeking further information are invited to contact Gingo on 618-7278, Dennis on 640-6396, Alan on 627-5741, or Rabani on 6439696.

Banks DIH, AGM, KP Jagdeo, and Fazal Habibulla are thus far among the sponsors of this event.

GSCL Inc to host Ofimak Office Supplies T20 tourney -registration commences on Tuesday, July 26th

T

he Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc will be hosting the inaugural Ofimak Office Supplies T20 tournament in August.

The competition would be played in the following categories: Open, Over-45, and Female, using the white balls (big ball).

Registration for this tournament would commence on Tuesday, July 26, and forms can be uplifted at the Regal Stationery and Computer

Centre at 69 Seaforth Street Campbellville, Georgetown.

The victorious and runner-up teams in the Open and Over-45 categories would be awarded $75,000 and $25,000 respectively, along with trophies, while the winner in the Female category would be awarded $40,000 and a trophy and the runner-up team would be awarded $20,000 and a trophy.

Teams are asked to note that only round-arm bowl-

ing would be permitted in the Open category.

The organisers are optimistic that the tournament would be successful, following a prolonged break in the sport due to the presence of COVID, and teams are asked to register soonest; no entrance fee is required.

The organisers have indicated that they are looking to stage matches in Georgetown, East and West Bank Demerara, and East

GCB names National team … Mohabir to lead, Ramdeholl is VC

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he Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has named the Guyana Under-15 team to participate in Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) Regional Under-15 Tournament, scheduled for play in Grenada from August 18 to August 28, 2022.

The GCB Junior National Selection Panel, chaired by Andre Percival, has selected a superb blend of skilled players. Dave Mohabir, the brother of Alvin Mohabir (the captain of Guyana’s Under-17 team) will lead the team.

He will be ably assisted by

Romario Ramdeholl.

The other players are Shane Prince, Zandon Rose, Durwin La Rose, Dhanesh Persaud, Arun Gainda, Adrian Hetmyer, Navin Boodwah, Arif Khan, Razam Koobir, Nicholas Lovell, Sohail Mohamed and Jonathan Mentore.

The standbys are Omrion Smith, Mikle Sharma, Nicholas Hall, Thierry Henry, Elis Ramdat and Enrique Mickle. Manager is Elroy Stephany, and Coach is Latchman Yadram.

Dave Mohabir will lead the side

Fraser-Pryce urges fans to be mindful of what they say to athletes

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ive-time World 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has urged fans to be mindful of the things they say to athletes when things aren’t going well.

“Jamaicans have a shortterm memory. You’ll do a great thing this year and come back and not have a good year, and they want to beat you down to the ground,” Fraser-Pryce said to over 8,000 fans who tuned in to her Instagram live on Thursday.

There have been many instances when athletes have had a good year, and because of injury or other troublesome circumstances, they failed to

replicate those performances consistently in the years after.

“It’s a whole lot they have to deal with, so you have to be careful with your comments sometimes, because sometimes you make some comments and some of the athletes take them to heart and dwell on them,” Fraser-Pryce has said.

“You have to big up the athletes. Every year is not the same…it’s not easy, so when you see the athletes out here representing, you must know it takes a whole lot of work, and they’re going to have good times and bad times,”

she added.

Fraser-Pryce used her teammate and 200m gold medallist Shericka Jackson as an example. At last year’s Tokyo Olympics, Jackson failed to advance out of the heats of the 200m, and a year later, she is the World champion and fastest woman alive over that distance.

“Last year, Shericka didn’t run the 200m, and I know she cried; and she came back and look, 21.45! She went back and put in the work, so you just have to understand that everything is a process, and it takes time,” Fraser-Pryce has said. (Sportsmax)

Coast Demerara, depending on availability of the venues in those areas.

Regal Stationery and Computer Centre is the sole distributor for Ofimak Office Supplies in Guyana.

Teams can contact Nicholas Boodhoo on 654-1143 for more information on registration.

The competition is set to bowl off on August 21, while the GSCL Inc Prime Minister’s T20 Cup 6 would also be launched on this date.

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022

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A small portion of the girls that attended the launching

resident Dr Irfaan Ali has announced the launching of a girls-only self-defence programme, which is scheduled to be held three times per week for a period of one month at State House on Main Street, Georgetown.

At the launching of this programme, on Saturday at State House, President Ali said, “This is a new initiative we are launching specifically for our young girls.

State House belongs to all of Guyana, and what we want to do is open up State House for all of Guyana; because the children of Guyana must grow up knowing that this house also belongs to them, and in doing so, we want to impart lifelong skills, we want to impart lifelong discipline, and we want to impart something beneficial and something that can help them in the future, and something that will improve their own self confidence.”

President Ali also stressed the importance of self-defence and the unity it had brought

President Dr Irfaan Ali addressing the girls at State House on Saturday

eficial, and should be taught early to children.

The President noted that

would also be spent with students in order to impart positive messages.

President Dr. Irfaan Ali, along with First Lady Arya Ali, Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr., Minister Susan Rodrigues, and Director of Sport Steve Ninville

among the young people when he was a child. He explained that while the world is changing, elementary skills are ben-

the programme would be for girls under the age of 13 years old, and while self-defence is important, the necessary time

“We are working on a number of programmes, Minister Charles Ramson Jr is working on a number of programmes

for young people in different categories. He launched the swimming programme, a very massive and overwhelming programme. The same thing he is doing in setting up a committee to go and spot talent all across the country. And for us to develop a talent development programme, so we can have the next Usain Bolt or next best person in canoeing coming out of Guyana, we have to start from now,” the President has posited.

President Ali explained that the programme was initially meant to be done twice per week for the entire month, but due to the overwhelming response of over 300 young girls across Guyana, it has been pushed to three times per week.

He said that each session of the weekly sessions would last for one hour, and the programme would be held for one month. Students would also be divided into groups, as it is the intention of the President for the students to maximise the benefits they gain from

the programme. A total of four instructors would be present with the girls, and according to Ali, they would supervise the girls and ensure they are well taken care of.

He said that parents are welcome to attend the programme, but urged them to allow the children to grow in their own space.

The President also commented, “I want you to know: in building this One Guyana, this is perhaps one of the most important initiatives of bringing young girls together and allowing them the opportunity to grow and to understand self-defence. Self-defence is not about fighting; it is not training you to be fighters, it is training you to have basic skills in protecting yourselves; basic skills in protecting your friends; basic skills that require discipline.”

Ali further relayed that the art of self-defence has been lost, but it is his intention to bring back the art, and to reignite the art for the girls of Guyana.

Entertaining double-header on as Milo tourney reaches semifinal stage LGC to launch T summer programme

he Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground on Carifesta Avenue will today be set alight with an entertaining football double-header in the semifinal round of the Milo Under-18 Schools Football tournament.

The Petra-organized Milo semifinal stage would feature 2019 champions Christianburg-Wismar Secondary School (CWSS) making a berth for backto-back final appearances against Golden Grove Secondary from 3pm.

Each team has thus far been formidable in the competition, given the one-off, straight knockout format that has been employed for this year’s competition.

Before their comprehensive victory in last week’s quarterfinals, Golden Grove seemed to have had a liking for penalty shootouts, having won two of their games in this way. A 3-3 meeting with Buxton Secondary went down to penalties, which Golden Grove won 4-2, and again by the same margin in the ensuing penalty-decider against Annandale Secondary.

However, Golden Grove

Scenes from the Milo U18 tournament thus far

sent home four goals against Friendship Secondary last week, and that should send a stern warning to CWSS that the East Coast outfit have the ability to score consistently.

And while the defending Milo champions have not enjoyed the large-margin victories as their 2019 championship team did, they have also displayed a strong defence; arguably the reason why they are yet to concede a goal in this year’s competition.

If Golden Grove are able to destabilise the defending champions with an early goal, then fans are in for a treat in semifinal 1 of the Milo tournament.

On the other hand, semifinals are foreign territory to Dolphin Secondary and North

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Ruimveldt Multilateral, both already in semifinal 2. Both teams can be considered underdogs in this tournament, with not many persons having expected them to reach this far.

The resilience and tactical game awareness displayed by either team have rewarded them richly. Dolphin Secondary possess a lethal attacking duo in Caldwell Peters and team captain Gerry Burnette. Finishing, however, has been the team’s Achilles Heel. Surely, if their pass and shot accuracy were higher, Dolphin would have had larger wins than their season’s best of 5-0 against President’s College in last week’s quarterfinals.

On the other hand, North

Ruimveldt have been extremely reliant on the talents of Akeem Perriera, who has fuelled the team’s success. This youngster has accumulated 6 goals from three games, with a helmet-trick on one occasion. This does not serve to take away from the team’s defensive line, who have done commendable work to back up Perriera’s heroics.

Nonetheless, the obvious key to the semifinal victory for either Dolphin or North Ruimveldt would be to transfer their prolific scorers to the front. As such, an entertaining second game is also on the cards today.

Semifinal one will kick off at 3pm at the MoE Ground, while semifinal two is slated to commence at 5pm at the same venue. (Jemima Holmes) Dolphin: 5, vs Charlestown: 1 Goal-scorers Dolphin Brian Burnette: 15 Gerry Burnette: 47, 64 Jaquan Cole: 32, 40 Charlestown Mickelle Andrews: 58

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espite persistence of the adverse weather pattern in Guyana, the Lusignan Golf Club is confident of being able to host its golf summer camp at the club during the period August 22-26, 2022.

Club Secretary Chet Bowling has said in a statement, “We are planning to host a summer camp in the last week of August. It will run from Monday, August 22 to Friday, August 26, 2022.

It will be a five-day golfing summer camp for kids between the ages of 6-15, both boys and girls; and we expect a large turnout.”

According to Bowling, the club’s recently held Bruster’s Ice Cream Camp was well attended, and winners of the chip and putt competition will be invited to attend this camp free of charge.

LGC Secretary, Chet Bowling

Bowling also relayed that as the club supports the community, a particular amount of space would be allowed to the children of Lusignan free of cost, which would make the event a grand one.

“One additional feature we plan to implement is to get the kids and moms involved.

So, we will get the kids and moms swinging the clubs and trying their hand at golf, and therefore achieving the additional goal of getting women more involved in golf. So, it will be a grand event, and we look forward to making it happen,” Bowling has posited.

Bowling explained that, at the summer camp, there would also be a chip, putt and drive competition, which would allow the children to showcase the skills they have gained over the week.

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022

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

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LGC to launch summer programme

Emancipation Day horse race meet…

Jockeys, owners excited as July 31 looms

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Jockeys Patrick and Appadu in conversation before warming up (Brandon Corlette photos)

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