Guyana Times - Sunday March 13, 2022

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Jagdeo, Sadhguru discuss Guyana’s climate mitigation plan, Save Soil Movement Nationwide coverage coverage from from the the best best news news team team in in Guyana Guyana Nationwide Issue No. 4947 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON BEACON OF OF TRUTH TRUTH THE

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022

Reduction in paddy price

Govt intervenes, millers agree to pay $65,000 per tonne Page 3

…“we will continue to support rice industry” – Agri Minister to farmers

“We are facing soil extinction” – Sadhguru

See story on page 20

…Guyana signs on to Save Soil Movement

Justice Cecil Kennard dies at age 86 See story on page 9

…contributions to Guyana nothing short of extraordinary – President Ali … distinguished jurist who delivered justice with dignity – Bar Association

Enmore sugar workers Unfair not to let being integrated Guyana into oil industry exploit petroleum resources to develop economy – IDB President Story on page 31

Page 7

…wants Guyana to be like Norway, not stalled development like Middle East or Africa

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Wapishana P13 Linguist: Dr Adrian Gomes credits humble beginnings to recent academic achievement

Migrants' issue being handled P30 from humanitarian perspective – Ali

Cops attacked, injured while responding P34 to domestic violence report …warning shot fired after disorderly crowd gathered at scene

Barbados-bound passenger P40 busted with $7M worth of weed

Police fire P33 warning shots to disperse rowdy crowd at Parika …rescue man from angry mob

Security guard dies in Berbice accident P38

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SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Sunday, Mar 13 – 01:00h – 02:30h and Monday, Mar 14 – 01:30h – 03:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, Mar 13 – 12:45h – 14:15h and Monday, Mar 14 – 13:45h – 15:15h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY There will be light cloud and light rain during the day. Expect thundery showers at night.

Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North North-Easterly to North NorthEasterly between 2.23 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 13:48h reaching a maximum height of 2.08 metres.

Low Tide: 06:48h and 19:31h reaching minimum heights of 1.26 metre and 1.06 metre.

Reduction in paddy price

Govt intervenes, millers agree to pay $65,000 per tonne …“we will continue to support rice industry” – Agri Minister to farmers

A

griculture Minister Zulfikar Mustafa has assured rice farmers that they will receive no less than $65,000 per tonne for paddy.

The assurance was given when he met with rice farmers in the Black Bush Polder on Saturday.

Farmers had taken to the streets in protest after millers reduced the price from $70,000 per tonne to $65,000 per tonne for paddy and further reduced it to $60,000.

At Saturday’s meeting, the Minister assured farmers of the Government’s support toward the growth and development of the sector.

Mustapha held meetings at Yakusari, Lesbeholden, and Auchlyne on the Corentyne following days of protests by rice farmers demanding higher prices for their paddy from millers in the region.

While at Yakusari, Mustapha told the farmers

that the Government recognises the importance of the industry and has been taking the necessary steps to improve the sector. In Black Bush Polder, he added, rice farmers are now seeing higher yields following the Government’s intervention since taking office in August 2020.

“As a Government, we recognise the importance of this rice industry. That’s why, in places like Black Bush

Polder, we are now seeing increased yields. This was a very low-yielding area. Now farmers from Black Bush are cutting higher yields per acre

prices in the region, Minister Mustapha explained that the Government has been in constant dialogue with the millers on the matter but given the global increases for fuel and freight charges, the millers had indicated that they were unable to pay what was offered during the last crop.

He pointed out that millers had agreed to pay rice farmers $2264 per bag of paddy.

Farmers currently get an average of 28 bags of paddy per acre.

“Now let’s talk about the prices for paddy from 2015 to 2020. In 2015, farmers were promised $9000 for a bag of

Some of the BBP farmers at the meeting on Saturday

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COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change % +3.06

Crude Oil

$112.67/barrel

Rough Rice

$283.32/ton

-0.94

London Sugar

$530.20/ton

+0.06

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1991.10

$1992.10

Low/High Change

$1957.50 0.00

$1996.70 0.00%

because of the inputs and the interventions the Government has made over the last 18 months. Even with the flood relief, in Black Bush Polder, farmers received over about $400 million in relief. So you see how much input we’ve made,” the Minister said.

While addressing the farmers’ concerns about the recent reduction in paddy

paddy, and instead, they got $2200 per bag and were told rice is a private business. In the latter part of 2020, we saw an increase in the price of paddy. Last year, when there was a scarcity of paddy, one miller raised the price from $52,000 to $70,000 per tonne and today he cannot maintain that price.

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guyanatimesgy.com

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 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

Jagdeo, Sadhguru discuss Guyana’s climate mitigation plan, Save Soil Movement

Technology and diasporic networks

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he interest in our diaspora to assisting with our development drive is mirroring a path that has been well trod for decades by so many other countries. There is much we can learn and by which we can save time and money.

The following is excerpted from “Routed” magazine, and is taken from the Greek experience.

“In the current era, the scrutinizing of the interrelationship between homeland and diaspora needs to include three important aspects. The first is that diasporas can only be seen through a transnational prism, affected by a multitude of goals, actors and agendas, with a capacity to affect economic and political developments in the homeland. The second is that the rapidly expanding technological innovations and the wide use of a variety of platforms, especially in the pandemic era, have upended the patterns of human communication and societal synergies. The third is that the networks between diasporas, as well as the networks between homeland and diaspora, follow different interactive patterns in comparison to previous eras, and this can be associated, to a great extent, with the digitization of human interaction.

According to academic literature, diasporas have the capacity to influence the homeland negatively through, for example, conflictual claims and radicalization of certain groups, or positively through partaking in fundraising activities, humanitarian causes, and business investments.

Certainly, information technology has reshaped the ways that these interactions take place. The flexible character of the internet contributes to the formation, configuration and dissemination of agendas, goals, ideas, and networks. Through the employment of information technology, diasporas have the capacity to influence policy changes easily and quickly, to show their solidarity through lobbying, and to strengthen social bonds, professional networks and relationships.

These new and altered modes of homeland-diaspora communication set a different framework for scrutiny for migration and diaspora researchers. Using the Greek Diaspora Project at South East European Studies at the University of Oxford (SEESOX) as a case study, there is a firm realization that there is a necessity to develop technological tools responding to the demands of the current era, such as the Greek Diaspora Digital Map. The goal of this tool is to promote the interaction between the country of origin and its diaspora, and also among the diaspora itself. The map constitutes a user-friendly tool, through which people can access the rich information on different diasporic organisations and filter them according to the country they are located in, their activity profile, and also their connection to a specific geographical origin in their origin country. The essential benefit of technology in facilitating and analysing diasporic networks is it can contain not only organisations that traditionally exist physically, but also newly created organisations with only a digital presence – a growing trend. There can be multiple benefits from the usage of the digital map that can be placed in the wider framework of muchneeded diasporic engagement with the homeland, particularly due to the economic crisis.

Diasporans of older generations participate in diaspora communities, for example cultural or professional associations, in those connected with church, (mandirs and Masjids), or in associations based on regional origins. These have been the traditional ways of staying in touch with their national and cultural identity and traditions. Newer generations also choose to connect through online communities. Technology can be an indispensable medium for interaction between globally scattered communities. It can bring diasporans with a specific cause together (i.e. funding schools abroad) in an online forum, or help them mobilise for economic, philanthropic, or political purposes in the homeland. Especially during the pandemic, there have been numerous examples that demonstrate diasporic engagement facilitated through information technology. Technology has been progressively nurturing diasporic networks. Especially during this unparalleled pandemic crisis, it has assisted recent emigrants and diasporans to remain in touch with their loved ones, to retain social bonds to their homeland and psychological links to their identity. In fact, the impact of technology since the outbreak of the pandemic has further eradicated boundaries and helped in the creation of new diaspora groups, which offered support, connectivity and valuable information to communities in need.”

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ice President Bharrat Jagdeo and world-famous yoga guru and spiritual master Jagadish Vasudev, better known as ‘Sadhguru’, on Saturday discussed Guyana’s expanded Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and climate mitigation plan, along with the Save Soil

Movement.

Discussions also centred around Guyana poising to lead the Net Zero by 2050 Agenda through its robust plans for energy security and renewable generation, while continuously recording increased economic prosperity.

Save Soil’ is a glob-

al movement launched by Sadhguru to address the soil crisis by bringing together people from around the world to stand up for soil health, and supporting leaders of all nations to institute national policies and actions toward increasing the organic content in cultivable soil.

Supporting partners include the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, UN Environment Programme – Faith for Earth, World Food Programme, Partnerships For Change, International Union for Conservation of Nature, and Global Citizen Forum.

Spiritual master and yoga guru Jagadish Vasudev, known as Sadhguru, and Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Save Soil Movement at State House on Saturday, after a breakfast reception hosted by President Ali and First Lady Arya Ali. Also in photo is Soca star Machel Montano who is an ambassador of the Save Soil movement(OP photo)

guyanatimesgy.com

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022

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

Continuous registration must be supported!

Dear Editor, The Local Government Elections are overdue, and the present Continuous Registration is certainly the most acceptable, transparent, and balanced approach to updating the Register of Registrants (RoR). It guarantees the holding of the LGEs this year, and must be supported!

The utter nonsense that we are hearing from the Opposition quarters about the Voters List must neither be condoned nor be the problem of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

There is rich and valuable precedence in the use of the Continuous Registration approach, which is empowered by a foundational legal position. Section 6(1) of the National Registration Act, Cap. 19.08, states: it shall be lawful for the Commission by order from time to time to appoint a date with reference to which persons to whom the order applies shall be registered, a day on which the registration of such persons upon their application therefor pursuant to the order shall begin and a day on which such registration shall end.”

Contextually, the Elections Commission shall use the Official List of Electors from the 2001 General and

Regional Elections as the base to commence continuing registration. Hence, our country has been using the accepted process to update the RoR and prepare the appropriate Voters list.

The provocateurs in the PNC, who are always afraid to face the electorate, have always made excuses and played the blame game regarding the Voters List, to dodge LGEs. Their adapting myriad approaches have always been of convenience, directed solely towards the paramount benefit of the PNC party, while sacrificing balance, transparency, and fairness.

It is factual that when the APNU/AFC assumed power in 2015, they quickly went to Parliament and adjusted legislation to affirm that the Continuous Registration process, as the mechanism to update the Register of Registrants, must be conducted twice yearly, for six-month periods. The duplicitous behaviour of the PNCR, as the leading force in the APNU/ AFC main Opposition, has no boundaries. Our nation would recall that while they are always opposing the holding of LGEs under successive PPP/C Governments, they quickly held LGEs in 2016 and again in 2018, using the same pro-

An urgent call for authorities to address irresponsible actions of weeding machine operators Dear Editor, Please allow me space in your letters’ columns to bring a matter for urgent attention of the authorities.

The issue rewlates to weeding machine operators who undertaken works along the roadside and other areas close to where persons walk or drive.

Editor, in the past, several persons have complained about having their vehicles damaged or their persons hit by bricks and other objects through the actions of weeders. As recent as last Thursday, the Parika NDCcontracted workers were doing work, and an object pitched and damage a car.

The driver of the vehicle was very frustrated, as no one wanted to take responsibility to repay for the damages.

I heard of another incident in which a brick pitched up and hit an elderly man to his shoulder as he was sitting in a vehicle while someone was weeding. He is currently facing life-threatening damages to his shoulder, which he has to live with forever.

In all of these cases, there is no compensation or anything being offered, as the persons doing the job were contracted by other individuals and companies, and are firm in their view that nothing can be done

about their actions. All this is happening because there is not in place any legislation that would hold persons accountable for operating in this manner.

This happens regularly, and the authorities must do something urgently to address the situation. In other countries, when weeding is being done in highly populated areas, a net would be erected as a barrier between the person weeding and passersby and vehicles etc.

This is standard safety practice in other countries, and Guyana must adopt same.

We cannot go on being backward, as now our country is moving at a rapid pace of development.

Also, the time these weeders start working in the mornings, especially on weekends, is another matter, and I would not delve into that at this time. Suffice to say that it must be addressed, as it is a nuisance to persons who are tired and want to get their rest.

I am therefore calling on the authorities to have in place the necessary legislation that would make it mandatory for all involved in weeding or cleaning to ensure that these safety methods are employed to protect life and property.

Yours sincerely, M Persaud

cess and the same continuous registration process and list.

Now that GECOM has commenced this Continuous Registration Cycle, no traction must be given to the foolhardy attempts at further delays from the APNU/AFC cabal. It is without a shred of decency that some of their representatives still attempt to defend the indefensible rigging. We are living the sad and shameful memories of the 2020 five torturous months of all-out attempts to change the results of the National and Regional Elections. Our Guyanese citizens must therefore support and make sure that our democracy prevails, as GECOM moves forward to hold LGEs. Editor, the process must be carefully explained to ensure that our citizenry fully understands the dynamics and guard against any camouflaged impropriety. Please permit me to highlight and make the clarion call for all persons to whom the Continuous Registration Order applies

to visit the GECOM offices around the country and get registered. Among the ‘New Registrants’ category are young people who were born on or before October 31, 2018, or who would be (14) years old and over by October 31, 2022.

They must have their original birth certificates or valid Guyana Passports when visiting the GECOM Office. In addition, an original ‘Deed Poll’ along with his/her original birth certificate is required in cases where a name will be used that is different from the names stated on the birth certificate.

Because of the massive PPPC Government housing drive and development across the country, many persons are now living in a new local government constituency that is different from where they were first registered. It is appropriate and necessary for these persons to present their Identification Cards to the officials at the GECOM Office covering their area of resi-

dence, in support of their application to be transferred to the constituency where they now reside. This should also make it easier for voting on polling day.

Transfers will be facilitated during this continuous period, provided the applicants give the information regarding where they were registered and where they voted in the previous elections.

Transfers are recommended, as they also allow persons the opportunity to play a real role in their immediate community development at the levels of Municipalities, Neighbourhood Democratic, and Village Councils.

Corrections to registration particulars are changes that are also updated during this cycle. Categories such as incorrect spelling of name(s), wrong date of birth, and incorrect gender can be corrected.

To do so, the applicants must submit original birth certificates and ID cards.

Persons could also apply

for replacement ID Cards, if they have lost their original ID Cards. In this case, applicants are required to fill (complete) a copy of the statutory declaration form, which is available from the GECOM Office, and have it authenticated (signed) by a Commissioner of Oaths.

The office would also facilitate the distribution of their ID Cards, if they are already registered but did not collect their ID Cards. In addition, persons could have their photos retaken and be issued with a new ID card if the photos on their current ID Cards are damaged/faded beyond recognition.

This process is very important, and would enable GECOM to update the National Register of Registrants and prepare the appropriate Voters List for LGEs. All eligible persons are encouraged to get on board and support the process.

Sincerely, Neil Kumar

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SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

4 tips for parents on how to make homework fun

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ith the competitive, not to mention stressful, academic environment today, more and more kids are experiencing difficulty keeping up with the demands of the school.

Experts say that one of the primary reasons why students, especially the younger ones, get tired or bored is that they are given lots of assignments without knowing where to get help with their homework. At home, it is parents who take on the responsibility of helping their children with assignments.

Since they are adults, they are expected to know more than their kids. However, the traditional techniques and strategies for providing homework help don’t work for everyone. Some children get bored quickly and don’t listen. Others get distracted by things inside the house and don’t pay attention to what their parents are saying. Parents who want to help

motivate their kids to complete their homework should find methods to be more creative. If kids see that schoolwork assistance is given differently—aside from what they see in school—they are more likely to be cooperative.

UNITY IN DIVERSITY: Observing the year of India’s 75th Independence Anniversary

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Here are some ways parents can be creative when helping their kids with homework: 1. Think out of the box. If you are tutoring your child on a particular topic or assignment, it would be best if you use various approaches so he or she won’t be bored. You can present the discussion differently, in a way that he or she will enjoy. Out of the box would mean that you are willing to use methods outside of the typical ones just

for your child to pay attention to what are you teaching.

2. Be more engaging. Kids love activities that are interactive. If you provide homework help, make sure that your focus is one hundred percent on the topic so your

child will be more attentive.

Remember, if your child sees that you are not really into what you are doing, he or she will also think of other things. When your child is distracted, it will be more difficult for him or her to absorb any information or learn.

3. Provide more freedom.

Children get easily stressed if the homework session is too rigid or strict. Instead of paying attention, they will be anxious for the session to be over. To avoid this scenario, try to provide a venue where your children can feel more relaxed. Also, give ten-minute breaks where your kids can do what that they want to do.

4. Use props. Some kids are “visual learners,” meaning that they learn faster by reading, seeing images, or objects. Visual learners understand and remember information by sight. When having a conversation with your child about a certain topic, show him or her materials that he or she can relate to the discussion at hand. During homework help sessions, parents could use props such as toys and other materials for each respective subject. (Excerpt from Childdevelopmentinfo.com)

k Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” is an Indian national and cultural integration program that is being observed in Trinidad and Tobago and other parts of world. Here, in Trinidad and Tobago, reflections are around the theme of “Unity in Diversity.” August 15, 2021 marked India’s 75th year as an independent country, after some 200 years of British rule, and reflections continue into this year.

As we in the Caribbean

His Excellency Arun Kumar Sahu, High Commissioner of India to Trinidad and Tobago

reflect with India and reflect on our colonised past and present, we remember the pillage of colonization; the pains, loss of life, exploitation and dehumanisation of Indians, Africans, Chinese, Portuguese, and others who were brought to this part of the world as bonded and slave labour under European capitalism.

India fought for Independence with the weapons of peace, non-violence, and sometimes with violent resistance, as in the First War of Independence in 1847, that started with an Indian uprising against the British armed forces. The country gained political independence from the British on August15, 1947, after some 200 years of British rule.

In my reflections on the

theme of “Unity in Diversity,” I see the flip side of “Diversity in Unity.” When I first went to Benares, India as a college student in 1973, I saw civilization's oldest alongside the newest. I find the example of bicycles on a Banaras main street a powerful metaphor for describing India's Unity in Diversity. So, I am on the street waiting to cross over. I see what looks like hundreds of bicycles going in one direction, and even more in the opposite direction.

And more folks are trying to weave their bicycles into the many undefined lanes of traffic.

One makes space for the other to merge. And if the cow is on the road, you have to ride around the cow. She rules.

Western eyes see India as cows, caste, curry and chaos. I saw great compassion, accommodation, respect for all life forms, and an ancient and wise civilisation whose knowledge systems are applicable in all spheres of life, especially science.

Aside from college life, I stayed with families and in ashramas, and rarely in hotels on my several visits to India.

So, I got a peek into the heart of India – an ancient heart that beats within an ever-renewing body. India is not a land where binaries hold sway. Instead, all shades of differences hold sway.

Does India have challenges in managing ancient and contemporary realities wherein hostile and harmonious forces operate? Of course it does, and as the world's largest democracy, it is doing a remarkable job.

Management of diversity seems easier in autocratic and theocratic societies, where homogeneity is the order – one way to dress, one religion, etc.

India was never, and can never be that, as I see it, for that is not the Indian ethos…

I learned to appreciate India's diversity from within its domestic space. I became an insider. One must give respect and earn trust to enter new spaces, and I did that. It was easy, because my DNA tests say I am approximately half northIndian and half south-Indian.

Ancient India demonstrated respect for diversity when their intellectuals reflected on the purpose of life, pain and suffering, the afterlife, the nature of the atman, paramatman, moksha, etc. Satyam eva Jayate (Truth alone Triumphs), India's national motto, demonstrates the highest respect for Truth in the existential and cosmic sense. India gave the world the sad-darshanas or six systems of philosophy for viewing life.

Most of these systems believe in God, while some don't. Can you imagine believers in God living in harmony with nonbelievers in any God? Well, it's been happening in India since antiquity.

Main religions in India include: Hinduism, Islam,

Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism (Parsis), Judaism, and the Adivasis.

Jains are one of the oldest dharma communities in India, dating back to some 3,000 years.

They are atheistic, and retain their distinct identity in India's diversity. They are unique in the world in how they practise ahimsa. They are India's smallest community (just 0.4 percent of the population), yet they are more highly educated and wealthier than Indians overall, and few identify as lower jatis/ varnas (caste is a Portuguese and erroneous categorisation of communities in India. The preferable term is jati/varna and approximate to “community” or “clan”).

Did you know that India has small African communities?

Some were called habshis, and I recall that word here in Trinidad.

So, perhaps some habshis came as indentured Indians?

Persecuted Parsis fled Iran around the tenth century because they could not practise their religion. They were welcomed in Gujarat, and though a tiny community, they have a literacy rate of 98 percent, and are among the wealthiest in India.

Word War II pushed Polish refugees to India. The colonisers had drained India's wealth, and the country was fighting for its political Independence. Yet, The Maharaja of Nawanagar opened his summer palace to some 15,000 war-ravaged and displaced children.

The Jews are one the world’s most persecuted peoples. They have a long history in India.

Many came to India as refugees, but today their numbers are greatly reduced due to migration to Israel. They are also a very wealthy minority group, with high positions in society.

The Tibetans are unique as refugees in India. Their country was annexed by China, and their whole country came over to India in 1959. The Tibetan Government operates as a Government-in-Exile in India.

This is just a snapshot that India is a model for "unity in diversity and diversity in unity."

India has been a historical haven for the persecuted. It encourages a shared vision for living in harmony by respecting diversity. What stands out for me is that all refugee groups managed to retain their distinct identity while blending in with the culture of the Indian. They remained loyal to their Indian identity and India, endearing them to those amongst whom they lived… May the great land of the ancestors, India that is Bharat, be ever victorious, and continue to be a guiding light to humanity. Jai Hind! Jai Trinidad and Tobago!

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

NEWS

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SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Unfair not to let Guyana exploit petroleum resources to develop economy – IDB President …wants Guyana to be like Norway, not stalled development like Middle East or Africa

IDB President Mauricio Claver-Carone

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ommitting to help the country develop its oil and gas resources while simultaneously transitioning to clean energy, President of the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) Mauricio Claver-Carone said they

want Guyana to be like Norway and not have a stalled economy like some countries.

“We have a unique opportunity here to help a country to take that developmental path like Norway did. We want Guyana to be Norway. We don’t want it necessarily to be the Middle Eastern and African models that have actually seen development stalled with the new resources and democracy trampled in that regard,” the IDB President said during a roundtable session with Caribbean journalists last week.

According to ClaverCarone, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity – last seen with Norway when it discovered oil in the 20th century. Consequently, he noted that eyes around the world should be on Guyana as it positions itself to be the largest per capita oil and

“It’s not our fault that now Guyana and Suriname have discovered these resources in the 21st century when the rest of the world is moving towards transition to green energy and towards ensuring that they have the least climate impact possible and eventually zero climate impact” – IDB President gas producer globally.

This, he explained, is a tremendous opportunity with a tremendous amount of responsibility. As such, the IDB Head outlined the importance of helping democratic countries like Guyana to truly ensure its resources go towards the development and benefit of the country in a sustainable manner.

But he posited this can only be achieved if the resources are able, and in Guyana they are.

“That is something we haven’t seen in Latin America and the Caribbean… They will have the per capita re-

source to do so if managed well and if everyone can benefit from it. How do we do that? We have an opportunity here to help that country to take on that complete development path like Norway did… Here, our goal is for Guyana to be the Norway model. And if we can help them do that successfully, it will be the first time in Latin America and the Caribbean [that] we can

help a country through its entire development phase,” he asserted.

Green transition efforts

At the same time, ClaverCarone noted that the IDB will also help the country through its green transition efforts. Describing it as “walking and chewing gum”, the IDB President reminded that Norway is now a champion in green energy and

sustainability after having a viable oil and gas industry.

He said the financing institution will be working to Guyana, and Guyanese companies as well as investors to ensure that development projects are done in an inclusive and sustainable fashion in keeping with the energy transition efforts.

Claver-Carone’s remarks were in response to questions about IDB’s support for developing countries like Guyana, which has been producing oil for more than two years after first discovering the light sweet crude offshore in 2015, and its Dutch neighbour, Suriname, which has also found oil offshore but is yet to produce.

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SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Local…

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…politics urnham was a fella full of ideas. He was full of a lot of other stuff - like the kind into which Rodney said things were transmuted when he touched them!! - but the ideas were there! We’ll be reminded of one - eat local - now that wheat and flour are “dear a’ shap” with the war in Ukraine!! Luckily for the PPP, the shortage of roti and bread won’t be cause for them banning flour like Burnham - but from that war, where they’ve already denounced the Russian bad guys.

But another bright idea that Burnham had was local government. It’s not that he invented the idea or anything - it was here since the days of the Brits after slavery, with Village Councils and District Commissioners to run matters for us natives. Burnham came up with this elaborate “devolution” of administration by going so far as having a team of geographers use a seven-digit numbering scheme to divvy up Guyana to the tiniest hamlet. You think he only introduced the ten regions with identifying numbers? Those numbers are just the prefix for identifying down to the aforementioned hamlets!!

Nowadays, they show up in the maps of the voting areas for each of those 2299 or so polling stations whenever elections roll around. Like the Local Government Elections due this year. But like with all his ideas, Burnham invariably threw out the baby with the bath water, and made a mess of things!! Here, dissolving the venerable Village Councils, in which the local folks had been making decisions ever since they formed the villages after emancipation.

He then arbitrarily lumped several villages together, calling them “Neighbourhood Democratic Councils”, and decreed they manage their own affairs - upwards to the Regional Democratic Councils, and then to the National Assembly, with the now discarded 10 National Democratic MPs!! On paper it sounded great, but in practice - because our villages were strung sequentially along a strip of road and were separated by canals folks at one end of the NDC invariably had no relations or interest in folks at the other end. It wasn’t the organic “neighbourhood”, as were the villages. And that’s ONE of the reasons they’ve never worked!! Another, of course, was that Burnham never wanted anyone to govern themselves, since he had to “mould” their destinies!! What did ordinary - or even extraordinary people know!!??

But anyway, LGE is nigh upon us - as they used to say in Bible class! - and your Eyewitness sees that the PNC wants the COVID restrictions to be waived for all new registrants in the “continuous registration” phase just launched.

But a little bird informed your Eyewitness that the PNC’s coming out into the streets to demand “a new voters list, or else”!! …content so far Some might’ve forgotten, but we were told there was never gonna be scads and scads of jobs in the actual extraction of the oil from under the Atlantic with those FPSOs. The action for us would come from the “local content”, that could be mobilised to supply the work offshore. The PNC, of course, sat on its haunches after giving away the store in Houston, rather than conducting a survey on the state of our capacity to do the necessary work. And could’ve given us a head start in preparing our businesses and our people.

So, it’s only NOW we’re training welders and extending machining outfits like Guysons etc. Even getting auditors. So, of course, there will be some outsiders. Blame the PNC! But be as it may, we all have to do our part to get a piece of the action.

Starting with the construction boom in housing, shore bases and infrastructure etc, there will be lots of jobs. Whether manual labour or engineering! Get ready!! …excitement Took a holy man from India to bring Soca mega star Machel Montano onto a Hindu Shiva platform in the Caribbean. Almost a hundred years after the Hindu Indian Jamaican inspired the Rastafarian ganja sacrament!

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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Justice Cecil Kennard dies at age 86 …contributions to Guyana nothing short of extraordinary – President Ali …distinguished jurist who delivered justice with dignity – Bar Association Justice Kennard’s family for sharing the distinguished husband, father and friend with Guyana.

Additionally, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo also said in a post on his Facebook page, “It is with much sadness that I learned of the passing of former Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Cecil Kennard, who died at his home this morning. I wish to express condolences to his relatives, friends, and those whose lives he made Former Chancellor Justice Cecil Kennard

F

ormer Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Cecil Kennard, CCH, died on Saturday morning at age 86.

Guyana Times understands that he was hospitalised several weeks ago but subsequently returned home. However, on Wednesday his condition began to worsen.

Consequently, Justice Kennard died just before 02:00h on Saturday at his home in Georgetown.

Since then, tributes have been pouring in throughout Saturday over the demise of the judicial stalwart who has over 50 years of public service in Guyana, having held several positions in the legal fraternity including senior State Counsel in the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Court of Appeal Justice, Chief Justice, Chancellor of the Judiciary and Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA).

Extraordinary

In a statement, President Dr Irfaan Ali said he was saddened to learn of the passing of former Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority

(PCA).

“Justice Kennard’s contribution to Guyana is nothing short of extraordinary.

His relentless and unwavering work in the Judiciary and on improving the governance of our country has created a better Guyana for all of us. As we say farewell to the great Guyanese soul, let us recommit in his honour to do our very best to further the development of Guyana,” the Guyanese leader stated.

President Ali also extended condolences to the family and friends of Justice Kennard.

Meanwhile, the Government of Guyana also expressed its deep regret at the death of the former Chancellor.

“The passing of such an exemplary son of the soil also creates a void in the sporting fraternity in Guyana, more specifically the horse racing and cricket administrations. He presided over the Judiciary at a time when Guyana experienced major constitutional reforms and the respect and independence of the Judiciary was restored,” it outlined in a statement.

The Guyana Government also thanked

an impact on during his years as a member of the legal fraternity and as an avid supporter of horseracing”.

Joining in extending condolences to this family, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall, SC, reflected on the multi-decade illustrious career of Justice Kennard and his achievements during that time.

During his stellar career, the AG recalled that Justice Kennard would

have prosecuted some of the most high-profile cases both in Guyana and Antigua, some of which have been recorded as landmark judgements.

Nandlall noted that criminal law was his forte and that he was always willing to offer advice and guidance to young lawyers. The AG added Justice Kennard’s hunger to render public service was another of his many phenomenal characteristics.

“Only a few weeks again

he and I spoke about his interest to serve in a particular legal office. He certainly has left his indelible print on the fabric of Guyana’s and indeed, the Caribbean’s criminal jurisprudence…

Justice Kennard’s contributions to Guyana and in particular, Guyanese jurisprudence, are indeed formidable. The legal profession has certainly lost an outstanding stalwart and jurist,” AG Nandlall said.

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Dancing with Shiva

Y

esterday, the Indian mystic Sadhguru made a presentation at the National Cultural Center, along with the Soca artiste Machel Montano, as part of his Isha Foundation’s “SaveSoil” project.

This endeavour is to raise awareness of the need to replenish the soil with organic matter, without which it is simply sand, which is incapable of sustaining plants, and therefore food protection.

One may wonder why an Indian mystic would be involved in what would be considered an “ecological” Ravi Dev project, but then that would simply illustrate the profound lack of understanding for what has been dubbed “Hinduism” by the West. In its own designation of itself - “Hindu Dharma” or “Sanaatan Dharma” - the “eternal way of life”, the earth has been revered as “Mother”, or Dharti Mata”, for eons. One of the prayers that are uttered by Hindus every morning before stepping out of bed is to ask forgiveness from Mother Earth for stepping on her.

Sadhguru is the designation adopted by the 65-year-old Jagadesh Vasudeva from South India, who started out as a poultry farmer after earning a degree in English. He said he had a mystical experience in his twenties, and after training under a guru in Yoga, established the Isha Foundation to teach Yoga based on his apprehension of the Divine Cosmic Consciousness of Shiva. In traditional Hindu Dharma, Shiva is regarded as one of the three elemental aspects of the Divine - Brahma, the Creator; Vishnu, the Sustainer; and Shiva, the Destroyer. But as Jagadesh apprehended, they were a unity that we humans could only conceive cognitively in various aspects.

There was no “creation” since –as has been now proposed by modern science - the cosmos merely projects itself outwards after immense periods of contraction (billions of years), after which it will contract again. The new Webb telescope is supposed to literally look back in time at stars born millions of years ago in the last “Big Bang”. Sadhguru started writing in a local paper and giving talks about these ideas of Hindu Dharma as “seers” had done for thousands of years. But his wit, humour and connectedness with the challenges of modern life - plus his impeccable English articulation - have made him into a world-famous personage, thanks to the new technologies now available and accessible through his business acumen.

He has stressed the basic facticity of Hindu Dharma, that the entire “creation” is interconnected at a fundamental level through vibrations and movement all the way down to the cosmic energy that is sometimes perceived by our senses as “matter”.

This constant movement that “sustains” the universe has been represented by the sculpture of Shiva dancing as “Nataraja”, This message had been brought to the West by Swami Vivekananda in 1993, and is reflected, for instance, in the description of the philosopher Coomarswamy, curator of Boston Museum, in his 1918 book, “The Dance of Shiva”: “In the night of Brahma, Nature is inert, and cannot dance till Shiva wills it. He rises from His rapture, and dancing sends through inert matter pulsing waves of awakening sound, and lo! matter also dances appearing as a glory round about Him. Dancing He sustains its manifold phenomena. In the fullness of time, still dancing, he destroys all forms and names by fire and gives now rest. This is poetry; but none the less science.” The “science” was stressed by the writer Aldous Huxley in 1961: “The whole thing is there, you see. The world of space and time, and matter and energy, the world of creation and destruction, the world of psychology…

We (the West) don’t have anything remotely approaching such a comprehensive symbol, which is both cosmic and psychological, and spiritual.”

Sadhguru has endeared himself to modern audiences through his return to the Dharmic position that truth (“Sad” or “Sat”) can only be “experienced”, rather than “understood”. And exemplifies this by his stress on music and dance as integral practices in what is considered “worship” of the Divine, even though he disavows this word “worship”.

He stresses that these dances all originated in ancient spontaneous practices, and were captured in the imagery and sculptures later placed in temples. As such, he had invited Trinidadian artiste Machel Montano of Soca fame, and a graduate of his Isha Yoga programme, to perform at his last Maha Shivratri commemoration. Eighty years ago, Shiva devotees from the Indentured Indians in Jamaica had introduced the smoking of ganja and notions of the non-duality of the Divine to the founders of the Rastafarian Movement.

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

12 NEWS

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Justice Cecil Kennard dies...

Distinguished legal career Meanwhile, the Bar Association of Guyana also

mourned the loss of Justice Kennard, noting that the sun has set on the distinguished legal ca-

reer of a worthy son of Guyana’s soil.

“A distinguished jurist who

FROM PAGE 9

delivered justice with the dignity befitting the revered Honourable which accompanies the word, Justice. His tall stature could be seen as an indicator that he would have made colossal strides through the course of his practice at the Bar and later service at the Bench, culminating in the attainment of the highest judicial office in Guyana, that of Chancellor.”

The Bar Association further recalled in its statement that Justice Kennard continued serving the country even after his retirement from the Bench, including the Bar. It went onto reflect on one of his most recent addresses on the occasion of a Full Court sitting to pay tribute to another distinguished jurist during which former Chancellor Kennard reminded that central to any system of democratic governance is the doctrine of separation of powers.

For the administration of justice in Guyana, the Association said Justice Kennard was a champion of the doctrine of separation of powers, particularly in the face of executive excess, speaking out against violation without fear or favour.

The former Chancellor, who is a recipient of the Order of Roraima (OR), studied Law in the United Kingdom’s prestigious Lincoln’s Inn. He returned to Guyana in 1962 to open a private practice in Berbice, from where he hailed. In 1965 he was appointed State Counsel (prosecutor) in the Director of Public Prosecutions

Chambers, before being elevated to senior State Counsel in 1968.

He also served as the Guyana Police Force’s legal advisor.

Kennard served in the Court of Appeal before becoming Chief Justice, serving from 1995 to 1996. He then served as Chancellor of the Judiciary from 1996 to 2002, when he left the Judiciary to take up his position at the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) where he served until 2017.

Horse racing Outside of the legal fraternity, Justice Kennard was also an avid horse racing fan and was the honorary President of his family-owned Kennard Memorial Turf Club located at Bush Lot. He was most famous in the sporting fraternity for hosting his annual Boxing Day horse racing meet, Emancipation Day Horse racing meet and Independence Day meet which were held every year at the club until the pandemic put a halt on the proceedings.

Forced to retire After devoting over 50 years of his life to serving Guyana, Justice Kennard was in 2017 forced to retire from his post as PCA Chairman by the then President David Granger.

In an interview with this media house at the time, Justice Kennard had expressed his disappointment with the manner in which he was forced out of office.

It was reported that Granger,

who was in his early 70s at the time, had dismissed the former PCA Chairman due to his old age. It was reported that Granger, who was in his early 70s at the time, had dismissed the former PCA Chairman due to his old age. However, Granger then went on to appoint 84-year-old Retired judge James Patterson as chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission.

Kennard who was disheartened with the manner in which the APNU/AFC Government was coercing him to retire from his post as Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) had told Guyana Times in an exclusive interview he was initially only given practically 36 hours’ notice via a letter sent to his office while he was on vacation to step down from his position.

In the interview in January 2017, Justice Kennard had said he was “shocked and upset” upon receiving that information as he had no prior indication that his service was going to be brought to an end. He also contended that the time frame in which the APNU/ AFC Government gave him to retire was unfair, especially for a senior officer of his capacity.

“To give me 36 hours to vacate is very shocking and even the two months extension is not fair to me because the annual report will take a lot of time to prepare… I am very disturbed and upset that having served this country for 50 years to be given such a short notice,” he had emphasised. . (G8)

Unfair not to let...

The IDB Head was asked about the two countries developing their resources at a time when the world is trying to shift from fossil fuel to cut emissions so as to combat the climate crisis. But Claver-Carone argued that since countries like the United States, Europe and in the Middle East were allowed to exploit their petroleum resources to develop their economies; it would be unfair to not let Guyana and Suriname as developing states to similarly do the same.

“It’s not our fault that now Guyana and Suriname have discovered these resources in the 21st century when the rest of the world is moving towards transition to green energy and towards ensuring that they have the least climate impact possible and eventually zero climate impact.”

He added, “What we are doing is helping Guyana and Suriname… first and foremost, [to ensure] that its peoples are not punished because that would be unfair. In the same time, helping with the energy transition both the sustainable goals how to ensure a country’s development is not punished – how to exploit these resources in a way that benefits its population, in a way that is sustainable and inclusive and at the same time; because we are literally doing something that has never been done before – walking and chewing gum – while at the same time helping Guyana and Suriname with that energy transition towards cleaner energy and the sustainable goals that Guyana and Suriname have committed to.”

Against this backdrop, ClaverCarone outlined that with lessons

FROM PAGE 7

learned from the 20th century, the IDB has developed a novel approach to that would allow for the two countries to continue their oil and gas activities while also transitioning to renewable energy.

While Guyana has a thriving oil and gas industry, the country continues to remain a carbon sink with its vast, largely untouched, pristine forests and is now looking to sell its carbon on the world market.

After more than 20 discoveries offshore Guyana, US oil giant ExxonMobil and its partners are currently producing oil with two Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels in the Stabroek Block, which has more than 10 billion oil equivalent barrels.

Discoveries have also been made in other blocks offshore. (G8)

FEATURE

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Wapishana linguist Dr Adrian Gomes credits humble beginnings, dedication to recent academic achievement pect of his academic life at Leiden University in the Netherlands and he told Guyana Times that he travelled to St Ignatius village near Lethem with his family and siblings by his side in order to defend his dissertation on Mash Day last. “It is an extraordinary achievement for me,” Dr Gomes said during the recent interview.

Academic achievements

Dr Gomes’ list of academic achievements is lengthy, having started his school

Dr Gomes says he has a lighter side, which involves farming, an activity he enjoys as he supports his wife at their farm in the South Rupununi By: Alva Solomon

W

hen the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, he was stranded in the Netherlands for 5 months. Then when he came back to Guyana, he had to adapt to riding 5 to 10 miles from his home on a motorcycle to use the WiFi at nearby villages in the South Rupununi in order to complete his recent doctoral studies.

For this interview, he sat on his bike under a mango tree at the village of Shea, enjoying the cool breeze as he stared into the distance, contemplating what more he can do to make a difference in the academic and cultural

field in the Rupununi and beyond. But such is the humble temperament of Dr Adrian Gomes that one would understand why he has dedicated much of his life to education, a trait which among other things, has seen his efforts produce outstanding students as he clambers up the academic ladder.

On February 23, 2022, as Guyana celebrated its 52nd Republic Anniversary, Dr Gomes successfully defended his doctoral thesis entitled “Introduction of a WapishanaEnglish Bilingual Education Programme” following which he was conferred with his doctoral degree.

He pursued this as-

life at Maruranau village in the South Rupununi. After writing the school leaving exams at primary school, he was awarded a place at the Central High School in Georgetown and from there on, he was destined to a life in education. Since he is the firstborn of his parents and the first to complete secondary education, his parents made numerous sacrifices as he attended school in the city. “My dad had to support him on a meagre untrained teacher’s salary,” his sister

Francine noted.

Dr Gomes then returned to the Rupununi and taught at the primary school at Maruranau in 1982 and it is there he found his love for teaching. He said he was so obsessed with teaching that he offered lessons for free.

“You don’t need to charge children if you want to see your children pass,” he said, adding that, “my reward was to see them successful”. And that was exactly what happened.

His students were award-

ed Government scholarships under the hinterland scholarship programme to attend some of the top secondary schools in the country including The Bishops’ High, Saint Stanislaus College and President’s College, to name a few. During this time, he completed studies at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and he went on to pursue his degree in primary education at the University of Guyana in 1994.

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INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FORESTS

F

orests cover 30% of the planet’s land surface, and they’re critical for the quality of the air we breathe 20% of which comes from the Amazonian rainforest.

Forests are also crucial for the quality of the rivers’ waters that cities directly or indirectly consume, and for the regulation of the water cycle. Further, they play a key role in fighting climate change, as they soak up and store CO2 into their biomass, preventing it from going to the atmosphere.

In fact, protecting forests has the power to help us fulfil the Paris Agreement by 37%.

Approximately 85% of the total land area of Guyana is covered in various types of forests, so the celebration of this day is of significance to our country.

The theme for each International Day of Forests is chosen by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, and this year it's no different. The theme for 2022 is "Forests and sustainable production and consumption." Today, forests are facing unprecedented challenges, with human development activities being among the most pressing of all. These challenges threaten the well-being of people, especially indigenous people and nature (wildlife) habitats. A call is being made for immediate action to develop innovative and creative solutions that set the world on a path to peace and prosperity on a healthy planet.

The Forestry Programme Area at the EPA is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring forest conservation through our environmental authorisation process. The Programme Area coordinates and implements activities in keeping with the Environmental Protection Act Cap 20:05, and works with the Guyana Forestry Commission and other partners in ensuring the wise use of this natural resource and associated resources like water and biodiversity.

In addition to the authorisation process, the Department also monitors and provides compliance assistance, and responds to complaints related to activities in the sector.

DID YOU KNOW THAT

- Some 1.6 billion people rely on forests for their livelihoods.

- Forests are also home to over 80% of terrestrial species.

- They can play a vital role in combating climate change.

- Sustainable management can also aid future generations.

It is our duty to protect and preserve the forest, no matter what development activity we are involved in. So, as the slogan for this year says, “Choose sustainable wood for people and the planet”. We can start by refusing to buy, or buy fewer types of harmful products, and looking for the ones certified as fair-trade or coming from responsibly managed forests. If many people contribute to a reduction in demand, it would have a significant effect on the suppliers’ side.

You can also spread this issue among your friends, family, and community, and ask them to do the same within theirs.

You can directly ask businesses to change and to follow a more sustainable path by making specific suggestions or just sharing your concerns. If many people do it, organizations would understand you’re expecting something different from them, and change would be facilitated.

Ask political leaders for change as well, and use your social networks to be a voice for positive change. Try to have a positive impact on your organization or the organization you’re working with. Let us inspire the change.

References

h t t p s : / / w w w. w e f o r u m . o r g / a g e n d a / 2 0 2 1 / 0 3 / deforestation-biodiversity-protect-international-day/ h t t p s : / / y o u m a t t e r.w o r l d / e n / f o r e s t- p r o t e c t i o n important-help-28321/ You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O Communications Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail.com, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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

FEATURE

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Wapishana linguist Dr Adrian Gomes credits...

After completing the degree, he went back to his hometown and served another period of years and during this time the Aishalton Secondary School opened its doors. The year was 1999 and Dr Gomes was appointed the first Head Teacher of the school.

He said it was a task he welcomed since educating the children was always a priority for him.

In 2002 things changed for him when he encountered a visiting British diplomat who informed him that he should pursue a Master’s degree programme since his potential as an educator was evident.

Then more luck came his way when he applied for and was awarded the prestigious Chevening scholarship.

After successfully completing the paperwork, he travelled to the UK to read for a Master’s in LanguageTeaching English to speakers of other languages at Leeds University. It is there that he begun to focus on the Wapishana language of his ancestors.

After completing the Master’s degree, he said his focus sharpened on promoting the language of his ancestors. He said that he

spent additional time improving his knowledge of languages and through his efforts, he managed to complete another literacy programme overseas at the North Dakota University in the United States. He then enrolled and completed another linguistic programme at the University of Oregon.

In 2010 he retired from teaching and immediately focused on the Wapishana literacy programme which he and several others launched after forming an association. He coordinated the project which entailed not only speaking but also reading and writing in the Indigenous language.

Doctoral studies

Fast Forward to 2022, Dr Gomes is now at the peak of his academic life.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic hampered his studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands to where he relocated around 2016.

He said he managed to come home to Guyana in 2020 after being stranded in the Netherlands for some 5 months. His contract with the university was up and he said coming back to the Rupununi was a welcomed change of life for him. But then a major challenge

awaited them.

The Wi-Fi services offered by the Government at Maruranau has been unserviceable since early 2020 and as such communication with his supervisors in the Netherlands at Leiden was difficult. As such he decided to find a remedy and the only option available was to ride to the village of Shea, some 5 hours away, or another village, Arauranawau, some 10 hours away. He eventually worked out a plan and according to him, “I prevailed”.

He said he received heartening news recently when he was told that the Wapishana bilingual programme, which was introduced to three nursery schools in the South Rupununi in 2016 will be enhanced and another three schools will be added to the programme this September.

As regards his role in the programme, he said he evaluated the early stages of the project and oversaw its implementation for a few months before leaving for the Netherlands.

He posited that the programme should be spread across the Rupununi and at other Indigenous villag-

es across the country as an option for students to learn another language.

At the moment, Dr Gomes said that some 900 persons are literate in the Wapishana language as a result of the efforts of him-

self and other administrators of the language project.

Dr Gomes is a father of two and when he is home at Maruranau, he spends much of his time on the farm with his wife and two children. He said he

FROM PAGE 13

will continue to spread his knowledge within the communities of the Rupununi, and according to him, “I will willingly share what I know with others including Village Councils and Toshaos”.

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Nikhan’s Organic – a skincare business created from a university course By: Alva Solomon

W

hen Nickishaw Khan was on the final leg of university studies back in 2017, she completed a marketing and communication course in which she made scented candles and crafted a plan on how to market the item.

Three years later she would transform her knowledge into a hobby and subsequently, a small business. She named it Nikhan’s Organic, an entity in which she makes body oils, coconut oils, homemade natural soaps as well as body wash and face and body scrubs.

At the time the young woman pondered on her business ideas, she was searching for another job and according to her, she stepped back a bit and realised she could create her own means of an income.

“I used the knowledge from the Integrated Marketing Communication course, what we call IMC, and I decided that I needed to find a way out,” she said.

Khan, who holds a degree in Communication Studies, told Guyana Times that when she was completing the course at the University of Guyana, she thought that one day she would be able to enhance her newfound knowledge. “For Nikhan’s Organic, I simply switched

Several skincare products made by Nikhan’s Organic

it up,” Khan said.

“I started doing this as means of earning an income because I was also depressed since I had just lost my job and I started to notice a lot of acne marks and skin issues,” she added. She said she visited a doctor and she was told that the acne was the result of stress-related issues she was experiencing.

She said she decided to create her own product to treat her skin and her family members encouraged her to pursue the initiative. Khan then contacted her university colleague Tara Smith and the two ladies decided to work on labelling for the

products. “We learnt at university that labelling is one of the ways in which a product sells,” she added.

For the products, she purchases her bottles online and she noted that she buys them in bulk since her business grew beyond what she expected. She said she utilises social media as a means of selling her products, noting that Instagram is where she finds most of her customers.

First customer

Khan recalled that after her family members greenlighted her products, she was contacted by a woman who was trying to rid

her body of stretch marks related to pregnancy. She said the woman bought her African raw black soap as well as her turmeric soaks and the results were encouraging. “So she started telling other people and so I started to get more orders,” she said, adding that a majority of her customers received referrals from others while some contacted her out of curiosity.

Khan said that she is always carrying out research to ensure that her products are safe and healthy for use.

In terms of the branding, she said she chose colours which are eye-catching and which also match nature since the items are all natural.

Nickishaw Khan preparing for a recent business workshop

Scented candles

She said that her scented candles remain her “baby”, noting that it was this product that gave her the confidence to create something and market it. She said that that the candles also go hand-in-hand with her skincare products and she explained that when one feels uplifted after using the products, the scented candles bring out an aura which strengthens that feeling. “It sets your mood higher,” she noted. On this note, she said that persons involved in the hospitality industry such as hotels and guest houses have bought her candles for

their rooms.

Khan, who is pursuing a Master’s in Digital Marketing, plans to enhance her products and she noted that she will continue to develop her products while also advancing her business. She said her university studies provided her with an ideal opportunity on how to market one’s skills. “We hope to improve the overall lifestyle of the customers so that they can regain that confidence in their skin,” she added.

Anyone who wishes to contact the young entrepreneur can call the number 676-3862 or via Instagram: nikhan’s_organic.

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“We are facing soil extinction” – Sadhguru …Guyana signs onto Save Soil Movement

T

he Government of Guyana has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Isha Foundation, one of several Caribbean countries that is supporting the Save Soil Movement.

Spiritual master and yoga guru, Jagadish Vasudev, who is prominently known as Sadhguru, was in Guyana over the course of Saturday, where the framework was signed at State House during a reception hosted by President Irfaan Ali. Sadhguru is leading a global effort called the Conscious Planet—which, among other things, promotes awareness of soil degradation through the Save Soil Movement. The movement is geared towards inspiring people to support policy redirections to safeguard, nurture and sustain soil and drive national policy changes in 193 nations toward raising and maintaining the organic content of the soil to a minimum of three to six per cent.

At an event hosted at the National Cultural Centre on Saturday afternoon, he shared, “Soil depletion may come to such a point where people may try to transport food to feed people but if

Sadhguru, with President Dr Irfaan Ali and First Lady Arya Ali, along with Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, Ministers of Government, renowned singer Machael Montano and Indian High Commissioner Dr KJ Srinivasa, at State House on Saturday

people are not growing food where they are living, at least 60 per cent of it, you are sitting on a potential disaster. It is great today that the Caribbean nations are focusing on that direction. In the Caricom region, everybody is thinking in terms of how we must be producing the food that we need”.

This is the first time Sadhguru has visited the Caribbean region. He is accompanied by Soca icon

Machel Montano. Montano, in his remarks, outlined the devastating impact which soil extinction could bring to the globe, as he lauded the cooperation activated by the Caribbean behind this cause.

“We are facing soil extinction, and by that, I mean this soil is a living organism. And over the last few decades we have been losing the biodiversity, the soil microorganisms, the microbes, the life of the soil. Life insurance was

to provide nutritious food for humanity and of course, the wellbeing of our children and generations. So, this movement is very important and I’m very, very proud to use my voice using platform that I have to encourage others to join…I just want to say how proud I am to be from the Caribbean and see us as people leading this charge to encourage the rest of the world.

We are united as a people, different nations different

countries, but one people one culture,” the singer expressed.

Montano and Sadhguru were previously in Antigua, where an MoU was signed with Prime Minister Gaston Browne to promote soil health and soil protection in that country.

Montano became an ambassador of the Save Soil Movement during his journey to greater spirituality and awareness, where he

completed a seven-month Sadhanapada programme at the Isha Yoga Centre in India, under the tutelage of Sadhguru.

Save Soil will address the soil crisis by bringing together people from around the world to stand up for soil health, and supporting leaders of all nations to institute national policies and actions toward increasing the organic content in cultivable soil.

FEATURE

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Scenes from the visit of spiritual master and yoga guru Jagadish Vasudev, known as Sadhguru, on Saturday

Office of the President photos

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HEALTH TIPS BAD BREATH

odour. * The best treatment for bad breath is regular brushing, flossing, and hydration.

Dr. Tariq Jagnarine Family Medicine, Endocrinology/Diabetes

B

ad breath (Halitosis) affects an estimated 25 percent of people.

There are a number of possible causes of halitosis, but the vast majority come down to oral hygiene. Halitosis can cause significant worry, embarrassment, and anxiety, but it is relatively easy to remedy. * Bad breath is estimated to affect 1 in 4 people globally. * If particles of food are left in the mouth, their breakdown by bacteria produces sulfur compounds. * Keeping the mouth hydrated can reduce mouth

Halitosis is the third most common reason why people seek dental care, after tooth decay and gum disease. Simple home remedies, and lifestyle changes such as improved dental hygiene and quitting smoking, can often remove the issue. If bad breath persists, however, it is advisable to visit a doctor to check for underlying causes.

CAUSES Potential causes of bad breath include: * Tobacco: Tobacco products cause their own types of mouth odour. Additionally, they increase the chances of gum disease, which can also cause bad breath. * Food: The breakdown of food particles stuck in the teeth can cause odours. Some foods, such as onions and garlic, can also cause bad breath.

After they are digested, their breakdown products are carried in the blood to the lungs, where they can affect the breath. * Dry mouth: Saliva nat-

urally cleans the mouth. If the mouth is naturally dry, or dry due to a specific disease such as xerostomia, odours can build up. * Dental hygiene: Brushing and flossing ensure the removal of small particles of food, which can build up and slowly break down, producing odour. A film of bacteria called plaque builds up if brushing is not regular. This plaque can irritate the gums and cause inflammation between the teeth and gums, called periodontitis. Dentures that are not cleaned regularly or properly can also harbour bacteria that cause halitosis. * Crash diets: Fasting and low-carbohydrate eating programmes can produce halitosis. This is due to the breakdown of fats, producing chemicals called ketones.

These ketones have a strong aroma. * Drugs: Certain medications can reduce saliva, and therefore increase odours.

Other drugs can produce odours as they break down and release chemicals in the breath. Examples include nitrates used to treat angina, some chemotherapy chemi-

cals, and some tranquilizers, such as phenothiazines.

Individuals who take vitamin supplements in large doses can also be prone to bad breath. * Mouth, nose, and throat conditions: Sometimes small, bacteria-covered stones can form on the tonsils at the back of the throat, and produce odour. Also, infections or inflammation in the nose, throat, or sinuses can cause halitosis. * Foreign body: Bad breath can be caused if a person has a foreign body lodged in their nasal cavity, especially in children. * Diseases: Some cancers, liver failure, and other metabolic diseases can cause halitosis, due to the specific mixes of chemicals that they produce.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can cause bad breath due to the regular reflux of stomach acids.

Rarer causes of bad breath * Ketoacidosis: When the insulin levels of a person with diabetes are very low, their bodies can no lon-

ger use sugar, and begin to use fat stores instead. When fat is broken down, ketones are produced and build up.

Ketones can be poisonous when found in large numbers, and produce a distinctive and unpleasant breath odour.

Ketoacidosis is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition. * Bowel obstruction: Breath can smell like faeces if there has been a prolonged period of vomiting, especially if a bowel obstruction is present. * Bronchiectasis: This is a long-term condition in which airways become wider than normal, allowing for a build-up of mucus, which leads to bad breath. * Aspiration pneumonia: A swelling or infection in the lungs or airways due to inhaling vomit, saliva, food, or liquids.

SYMPTOMS The specific odour of breath can vary, depending on the cause of the problem. It is best to ask a close friend or relative to gauge our mouth odour, as it can be difficult to assess it by our-

selves.

If no one is available, one way of checking the odour is to lick the wrist, leave it to dry, and then smell it. A bad smell on this area of the wrist is likely to suggest that halitosis is present.

Some individuals are concerned about their breath even though they may have little or no mouth odour. This condition is called halitophobia, and can lead to obsessive mouth-cleansing behaviour.

Diagnosis Often, a dentist would simply smell the breath of a person with suspected halitosis and rate the odour on a six-point intensity scale. The dentist may scrape the back of the tongue and smell the scrapings, as this area can often be a source of the aroma.

There are a variety of sophisticated detectors that can rate odour more precisely.

They include the following: * Halimeter: This detects low levels of sulfur. * Gas chromatography: This test measures three volatile sulfur compounds: Hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, and dimethyl sulfide.

TURN TO PAGE 28

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HEALTH TIPS BAD BREATH

* BANA test: This measures levels of a specific enzyme produced by halitosis-causing bacteria. * Beta-galactosidase test: Levels of the enzyme beta-galactosidase have been found to correlate with mouth odour.

The dentist will then be able to identify the likely cause of the bad breath.

TREATMENT The best method to reduce halitosis is good oral hygiene. This ensures that cavities are avoided, and reduces the likelihood of gum disease.

It is recommended that individuals visit the dentist for a check-up and cleaning twice a year. The dentist may

recommend a toothpaste that includes an antibacterial agent, or an antibacterial mouthwash. Alternatively, if gum disease is present, professional cleaning may be necessary to clear out the buildup of bacteria in pockets between the gums and teeth.

HOME REMEDIES Other lifestyle changes and home remedies for bad breath include: * Brush the teeth: Be sure to brush at least twice a day, preferably after each meal. * Floss: Flossing reduces the build-up of food particles and plaque between the teeth. Brushing cleans only around 60

FROM PAGE 26

percent of the surface of the tooth. * Clean dentures: Anything that goes into the mouth, including dentures, a bridge, or a mouth guard, should be cleaned as recommended on a daily basis. Cleaning prevents the bacteria from building up and being transferred back into the mouth. Changing toothbrushes every 2 to 3 months is also important for similar reasons. * Brush tongue: Bacteria, food, and dead cells commonly build up on the tongue, especially in smokers or those with a particularly dry mouth. A tongue scraper can sometimes be useful. * Avoid dry mouth: Drink plenty of water. Avoid alcohol and tobacco, both

of which dehydrate the mouth. Chewing gum or sucking a sweet, preferably sugar-free, can help stimulate the production of saliva. If the mouth is chronically dry, a doctor may prescribe medication that stimulates the flow of saliva. * Diet: Avoid onions, garlic, and spicy food. Sugary foods are also linked to bad breath.

Reduce coffee and alcohol consumption. Eating a breakfast that includes rough foods can help clean the back of the tongue.

If breath odour persists despite controlling these factors, it is recommended that an individual visits a doctor for further tests, to rule out other conditions.

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30 NEWS Migrants’ issue being handled from humanitarian perspective – Ali P SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

resident Dr Irfaan Ali has positioned that Government is working to address the situation of migrants in Guyana from a humanitarian perspective, and not refugee camps.

During a recent engagement, the Head of State indicated that the issue of migrants entering the country is a serious concern for authorities, and his Administration is strategising a response to not only support these persons, but integrate them into communities.

“This is a serious issue for our country…The truth is up to yesterday, we had a high-level meeting, not only strategising as to support migrants but how do we incorporate them into communities. How do we support their livelihoods, hygiene, health? We’re not running refugee camps like many countries. We are approaching this from a humanitarian perspective.”

He reminded that in addition to the Task Force being effectuated, Guyana Police Force, Cabinet Members and the international community among other stakeholders are monitoring the situation and making rational decisions. The international community has also been briefed as of this week.

“We had a briefing with the international community. We have established a high-level task force…We do recognise that this is a serious issue. We also have serious concerns.”

Just a few months ago, the United Nations had disclosed that Guyana is currently home to an estimated 24,500 refugees and migrants from Venezuela, including some 2500 Indigenous Warraus.

Assessments conducted in October and November among the Warrau refugee and migrant households indicated mounting needs, ag-

gravated by the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, Government said it would work in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IMO), to draft a migration policy for those Guyanese who have returned to Guyana from Venezuela. It would entail a holistic plan to deal with those Guyanese returning from Venezuela, and those Venezuelans who have fled their country due to the political and economic crisis.

Last week, it was reported that over 100 Venezuelans of the Warrau tribe, including children who were living in the vicinity of Arpiaco, Upper Pomeroon, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), were escorted out of the region following reports of illegal occupation and alleged vandalism.

They reportedly arrived in the region via several ca-

Some of the Venezuelan migrants who were escorted out of Region Two

noes sometime last week, and settled in the Pomeroon area. However, while paddling up the Pomeroon River, they made stops and raided several farmlands in order to gather provisions and vegetables to prepare meals.

Regional Chairperson Vilma De Silva has said she was told of the incident, and rendered immediate assistance. She noted that a num-

ber of food hampers were distributed to the Venezuelans to cook and provide meals for their families. She also added that measures were put in place to ensure that the refugees remain spacious, owing to health concerns.

This follows events last November, whereby large number of Amerindians suspected to be migrants including children were found

at Anabisi, Port Kaituma, Region One, North West District (NWD), and appeared to be malnourished and in poor health.

After reports of the discovery in sections of the media, the Office of the Prime Minister and several Government agencies had immediately responded with necessary emergency interventions. (G12)

NEWS

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Enmore sugar workers being integrated into oil industry I

n keeping with an agreement with the State to train and employ Enmore sugar workers at the new US$37.5 million industrial development site, GKB Industries Incorporated has commenced this process.

The company has started the training needs assessment and administrative process to employ over 40 workers from GuySuCo’s Enmore Sugar Packaging Facility. The investment will see the creation of a world-class oilfield service and manufacturing facility which will create 500 jobs over the next five years.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GKB, Faizal Khan, along with the company’s human resources, community support and administrative teams, recently visited Enmore and met with the workers to register their details and understand the roles they played previously. The GKB team also presented to the workers the company’s plans,

The Enmore workers engaged in a training exercise

while both sides shared their enthusiasm about the new venture.

Khan informed, “We have agreed to take on the entire Enmore facility team, which guaranteed jobs in the transition from sugar to oilfield. Given that this is a different industry, the current staff will require training. They will be

trained by GKB with trainers from America coming to Guyana regularly. The GKB training is going to last a minimum of 90 days and includes health and safety as well as oilfield machine shop training. We were happy to meet and interact with the people and we look forward to working with them.”

The CEO noted that the training is necessary to ensure that the workers can effectively and efficiently transition into the new sector which has very strict health, safety and security standards and requires more technical skills than they may have been used to in the sugar industry.

“The current staff would

have to become used to strict international health and safety standards, which would include proper use of oilfield equipment and safety gear as well as handling of materials, and there would be regular drug and alcohol screenings. The training will take some time, it will take money, but we are committed to making it work and have already started investing into their oilfield training programme.”

Thus far, 12 females and 30 males have registered for the transition into the new company which is a joint venture between Guysons Engineering and US owned K + B Industries Inc. GKB is a joint venture made up of Guysons Engineering Ltd, a Guyanese company operating in Guyana for 30 years, and K+B Industries Inc, its American partner established in 1972.

Guysons Engineering was founded in 1992, Guysons Oil and Gas in

2017, both becoming ISO 9001:2015 certified via the Centre for Local Business Development (CLBD), an ExxonMobil backed scheme geared to support local Guyanese companies into the oilfield since 2018.

GKB has already set up a licensed machine shop in West Ruimveldt that is already operational to offer threading and accessory support to the industry. It is now expanding its operations by establishing additional services, including manufacture at the Enmore 55-acre site.

The Enmore project will be set up to manufacture and repair oilfield tubular goods such as completion accessories, drill pipe and deliver turn-key manufacturing services. These are needed by international oil companies to develop Guyana’s oilfield. GKB will also offer premium threading of tubular goods, accessory services, and turn-key manufacturing solutions in the country. (G12)

32 NEWS

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Vaccination prevents post-COVID syndrome – Dr Anthony

H

ealth Minister, Dr Frank Anthony has urged Guyanese to consider the slew of benefits which COVID vaccination will bring about, one of which is the prevention of post-COVID syndrome should a person become infected.

Post-COVID syndrome includes a wide range of new or ongoing health problems people can experience weeks after first being infected with COVID-19. Even people who did not have COVID-19 symptoms in the days or weeks after they were infected can have post-COVID conditions.

As such, the Health Minister said these lingering effects can be avoided with vaccination against the virus.

“With vaccination, it makes a big difference because all the evidence has shown that people who are vaccinated, even if they get COVID, they will get a milder form, but it would also prevent them from getting post-COVID syndrome or all the lingering effects after an acute infection. I think that’s a really great benefit so if people have not been vaccinated, this is something they should think about and go get vaccinated,” he outlined.

He underscored the fact that COVID-19 can affect any part of the body, and this is evidenced by manifestations which even affect organs. After a person makes it through the acute phase, a “host of problems” can still arise.

“Even if you get COVID now and you get a milder form of COVID, it does not prevent you from getting post-COVID syndrome because the virus itself can infect almost any part of the body. In some, we have seen manifestation of COVID after the acute phase of the infection, that they can have problems with the virus getting into their brain and it creates inflammation in the brain, which results in things like brain fog, confusion and a whole host of other problems.”

“In some people who would have gotten past the acute phase, they can have heart problems. We have seen COVID mimic heart attacks and create a lot of problems for people. We know that with COVID, you can have renal diseases, lung diseases, so there are a whole host of problems that even after you get through the acute phase, this thing can be there for many months after,” he added.

Dr Anthony pointed out that in countries with low vaccination rate, the virus tends to spread faster among populations because no immunity was developed to fend off the coronavirus.

“One way of addressing that is to make sure that you have high vaccination rates in those countries. If you have a country that didn’t have a lot of cases initially in the different waves and they’re not vaccinated, they are going to get lots of cases. You are going to see spikes of cases and waves of cases in those countries.”

In Guyana, first dose vaccination accounts for 435,509 doses or 84.9 per cent of the adult population; with 323,605 jabs or 64.8 per cent of the adult population being fully vaccinated.

For children aged 12 to 17, there is a 33,938 or 46.5 per cent first dose coverage; and 24,612 or 33.7 per cent second doses. Booster shots have moved up to 54,195.

(G12)

NEWS

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Police fire warning shots to disperse rowdy crowd at Parika …rescue man from angry mob

A

30-year-old man was rescued by Police on Saturday afternoon after he was flocked and beaten by a group of men at the Parika Junction, East Bank Essequibo.

Injured is Dorrel Cambridge of Naamryck, East Bank Essequibo. The incident occurred at about 00:30h on Saturday morning.

It was reported that the ranks were called to the Parika Junction, and when they arrived, they saw several males engaged in a fight. At the time, the men were armed with broken bottles.

Upon enquiring, a Police rank observed Cambridge was bleeding from his chest area and attempted to break up the fight.

Reports are that the angry crowd then turned their attention on the Police, who discharged two rounds in the air which caused the crowd to disperse in various directions. No arrests were made.

Cambridge was later taken to the Leonora Cottage Hospital where he was seen and examined by a doctor on duty and later sent away.

Two days ago, a Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) businessman was stabbed multiple times by customers who became annoyed that he was closing his shop.

Injured is Haslim Mohamed, 40, who resides and operates a grocery shop and Superbet outlet at Number 77 Village Housing Scheme, Corriverton.

It was reported that the man had come home shortly after 20:00h, and he informed the three customers that he was going to close the shop. The men became annoyed, armed themselves with a broken beer bottle, a piece of wood, and a cutlass, and began beating the man.

He was also stabbed nine times to his neck and head.

The men subsequently made good their escape.

Police have said the suspects were drunk, but the businessman has said the customers were only playing Superbet.

(G9)

“You have to be multiskilled and multitalented” – Labour Minister to young people

N

oting that there are many job opportunities across the country, Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton recently encouraged youths to take up employment in areas that may be considered outside their district.

He was at the time addressing a gathering at a seminar on conditions of work, occupational safety and health (OSH) requirements and employment exchange service at the Regional Democratic Council of Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara).

“As I travel this country, I make this point to young people, more so, us rural people. You know I’m a country boy and I understand that how much we like our village bad, bad, bad. You cannot be crying in Region Three that you have a difficulty finding jobs and you have in the papers, vacancies for your skill set in Berbice and you don’t want to go the work,” the Labour Minister contended.

“And you know we go to America and we travel three hours to get to work but we don’t want to leave our village and go and work some place and come home weekend…and for you, young people, we have to be mobile employees,” the Minister added.

Further sharing his thoughts on how young people can make themselves more marketable, the Labour Minister encouraged them to expand their skill set.

“I believe a person with one skill will not survive the world…you have to be multiskilled and multitalented, you have to be able to recognise that you can move from one profession to another,” Hamilton expressed.

Additionally, the Minister reiterated his call for more women to take up jobs in fields that are dominated by men.

“The society and us males, we have done an injustice to women that we have to correct. We have fashioned and taught women that this is the only type of job for you, this is the only type of training for you…so my encouragement to females is think outside the box. Don’t stay in this narrow path men has defined for you.”

34 NEWS

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Cops attacked, injured while responding to domestic violence report …warning shot fired after disorderly crowd gathered at scene

T

wo Police ranks in Regional Division Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) were attacked and injured while responding to a domestic violence report at Crane Housing Scheme,

West Coast Demerara (WCD).

Reports are that at about 21:40h on Friday evening, a 26-year-old female reported via telephone that her 24-year-old male partner had assaulted her.

The cops went to the scene and upon arrival, the male suspect and another man attacked the ranks with a piece of wood. This caused injuries to one of the officer’s backs and to another’s right hand.

Police said that several persons who were at the scene started to gather around and began to behave in an aggressive manner, chanting to the ranks to leave the suspects alone.

As a result, one of the

officers discharged a round in the air to disperse the crowd.

This led ranks to arrest both suspects who were then taken to the La Parfaite Harmonie Police Station, where they were placed into

custody pending charges.

Both officers were then taken for medical attention at West Demerara Regional Hospital where they were treated and sent away.

Investigations are continuing. (G9)

35 Transformation in Guyana to benefit all Guyanese living at home, in diaspora – PM during NY visit NEWS

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

T

he Guyana Consulate in New York recently hosted several events in New York and New Jersey for the diaspora that was attended by the Guyana delegation.

These events were organised by Fazal (Joe) Yussuff, Advisor on Investment and Diaspora Affairs and Neera Dukhi from the Guyana Consulate.

The delegation from Guyana was headed by Prime Minster, Retired Brigadier Mark Phillips along with Public Service Minister Sonia Parag, Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall, Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud and Head of Diaspora Unit at the Foreign Affairs Ministry Rosalinda Rasul.

Guyana’s 52nd Republic Day was celebrated at a gala event that was organised by the diaspora in conjunction with the Guyana Consulate at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center.

The Prime Minister was the keynote speaker representing President Dr Irfaan Ali. Also in attendance were Guyana’s Ambassador to the United States and Permanent Representative to the OAS Samuel Hinds, Guyana’s Representative to the United Nations Caroline RodriquesBerkitt, New York State Senators Roxanne Persaud and Jenifer Rajkumar along with representatives from the Mayor’s Office,

Prime Minister Mark Phillips addressing a section of the Guyanese diaspora

New York Department of Correction DESI Society and other public officials.

In-person attendees were limited because of COVID-19. This event was streamed live and viewed by thousands in Guyana and throughout the diaspora.

The Guyana Consulate in New York put together a packed agenda for the entire week for several meet and greet events held in New Jersey, Brooklyn and Queens that included visits to churches, mandirs and mosques where the Muslim community was delighted that the delegation was able to visit Masjid ArRahaman on 211 Street in Queens Village and Masjid Al-Abadin on 127th Richmond Hill, Queens.

President of Masjid Ar-Rahman and Shaykh Safraz Bacchus from Masjid Al-Abadin both thanked the delegation for

taking time out from their busy schedule to visit their masjids.

The delegation wrapped up their week-long out-

reach with the diaspora in grand style in Queens with a reception hosted

by Uriel Seenarine of US Realty, Carib Media Corp, The Caribbean Radio, The Jamaica Rotary Club along with other New York business groups consisting of Kenny Ross-Code Lounge, Marlon SeenarineMGN Funding and Wee Radio, Jack RassbeharryWR Plumbing, Yogesh Singh-UG Insurance, Paul Indarjeet-Hillside Homes, Karran RupansinghKaieteur Restaurant, Hansa Persaud-Hansa Building Services, Stanley Raj-Main Street Insurance, Mark Ramdeen-Ramdeen Electrical, Dave NarineDave Imports, Ossie Rogers-Broadcaster, Seopaul Singh and Chief Samsair -Bakewell.

The open event was well

attended by the public and business community.

The Prime Minister, in his address, encouraged attendees to return to Guyana and invest.

Specifically, the Prime Minster said the transformation in Guyana is not only for the benefit of Guyanese living in Guyana but also for Guyanese in the diaspora. He emphasised that the PPP/C Government represents all Guyanese and does not discriminate against anyone.

The Prime Minister and the other Government officials who spoke all reinforced their commitment to the diaspora and their continued engagement with the diaspora going forward.

Meanwhile, attendees at the event were able to engage the delegation on a one-on-one basis.

36 NEWS

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

3 slapped with DUI charges

T

hree persons were charged last week for failing the breathalyser tests that were administered by ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

Charged are Ion Degonge, 42, of Lot 385 Swamp Section Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, Berbice; Troy Gonsalves, 33, of Industry, East Coast Demerara (ECD), and Parmanand Sharma, 33, of Area H Top Flat Cummings Lodge, ECD. Police said all three men were stopped on the Sparendaam Public Road, ECD. Degonge, when stopped, was found with 250 per cent micrograms of alcohol in his breath, Gonsalves was found with 189 per cent micrograms, while Sharma had 142 per cent micrograms of alcohol in his breath.

The trio was arrested, charged, and processed to attend the

Parmanand Sharma

Troy Gonsalves

Ian DeJonge

Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, March 16, 2022.

Only recently Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn noted that breathalyser kits were provided to divisions across all regions to

clamp down on DUI cases. He also said that only authorised officers are allowed to conduct breathalyser tests on civilians who are suspected to be driving under the influence of alcohol.

Persons can be charged for drunk driving if, when tested, their blood alcohol content is found to exceed the prescribed limit of 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, and

their blood alcohol concentration exceeds 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.

Under the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act, “A person shall not drive or attempt to drive or be in charge of a motor vehicle on the road or other public place if he has consumed alcohol in such a quantity that the proportion thereof in his breath or blood exceeds the prescribed limits”.

If found in contradiction of such, they are convicted of two consecutive offences and can be disqualified for a period of one year from holding or obtaining a licence, or a longer period if the court sees fit for any special reason.

A third conviction for a similar offence shall see the person being permanently disqualified from holding or obtaining a licence.

(G9)

37 HPV vaccination campaign to roll out in coming months – Health Minister NEWS

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…as Guyana Cancer Society launched

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony, along with US Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch, stand among other officials at the launching of the NGO on Saturday

Persons gathered at the launching of the Guyana Cancer Society

H

ealth Minister, Dr Frank Anthony on Saturday said that the Ministry will roll out its Human Papillomavirus (HPV) campaign in the following two months as a response to combat Cervical Cancer – Guyana’s second most prevalent cancer in women.

The Minister made this announcement at the launching of the Guyana Cancer Society at MovieTowne, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

“In the next two months or so, we want to start, at the Ministry level, to roll out HPV vaccines,” Dr Anthony said.

He stated that the Ministry had started the efforts to administer the vaccine on two occasions, but the initiative was met with poor response from the public.

“In this country, we have made two attempts to do HPV

once the vaccination campaign begins in the next two months, the Ministry plans on moving quickly to administer the doses.

“When we start in about two months from now, we want to move very quickly and scale so that we can cover everyone who is eligible within this age group of 9 to 14, both boys and girls.”

He further added that the HPV vaccine can eliminate cervical cancer from Guyana if administered effectively and continuously.

“If we’re able to vaccinate persons between 9 to 14, both male and female, and do it across that age cohort and continue to do that for a number of years, we can eventually eliminate cervical cancer from Guyana. And that is something we have to work towards,” he said.

With that, he mentioned

vaccination, but on both occasions, they have been unsuccessful because we’ve not been able to do it in a very comprehensible way. The first time we started it, we did it as a pilot and it really never took off, so we were not able to scale it up… When we re-attempted it again, it didn’t go very far,” the Minister admitted.

In this regard, the Minister stated that he has had discussions with the various people involved in the HPV campaign and voiced his commitment to the longevity and consistency of the campaign in Guyana.

“As I was talking with the staff who was responsible for this, I said, ‘I don’t want to hear any more about no pilot if we’re doing this, we know, in other countries where it has been done, it has worked and it has worked very well.’ We don’t need to do a pilot to tell us whether this thing is effective or not. It is worth it,” he said.

The Minister noted that

that misinformation still plays a part in the encouragement of parents being willing for their children to take the vaccine. This is something he will be working on with various organisations to spread the correct pieces of information as it pertains to the pros and cons of taking the HPV vaccine.

Meanwhile, the non-governmental organisation, Guyana Cancer Society, was launched in hopes of providing assistance to patients diagnosed with cancer from the time they are diagnosed to the end of their cancer therapy.

The organisation will also provide counselling, including family counselling; financial, such as help with surgery or daily medical needs; medical intervention; legal aid reference; and other areas that pertain to assisting diagnosed patients.

The NGO seeks to educate the general public about cancer and how to avoid a positive screening; conduct wellness

tests to determine the physical health of a person being treated; distribute foodstuff and other essential items to the general population, and teach commu-

nities about the importance of living in a clean and sustainable environment.

President of the organisation, Sharir Chan said that

he has partnered with the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana, and the US Embassy to Guyana to bring the organisation to fruition. (G2)

38 NEWS

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Security guard dies in Berbice accident A

security guard is now dead after a motorcycle collided with the bicycle he was riding in the Black Bush Polder (BBP).

Dead is Ramesh Kumar, 64, of Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice).

The now dead man and the injured motorcyclist were left waiting for about an hour as rice farmers at Lesbeholden in the Black Bush Polder blocked the road in protest action over a reduction in the price for paddy being offered by millers.

The accident took place on Tuesday at Mibicuri Public Road, BBP. Kumar, who had been providing security services for a rice farmer, was on his way home from work when he was hit. The impact occurred a short distance

Dead: Ramesh Kumar

from the Mibicuri Hospital.

His son, Narindat Kumar, 40, said as the two injured men were taken to the hospital, the motor bike disappeared from the scene.

By the time they reached the scene his father was al-

ready taken to the hospital.

When he got there, his father was motionless and bleeding through his ears.

“He nah breathe. He hand bruck, he ribs an he whole brain inside damage up. So, nobody nah see who

wrong and who right. The boy jaw bruck up an dem nah know where the motorbike gone. Somebody carry it away,” his son revealed.

Family members reported the incident to the Police.

Kumar said persons who may have witnessed the accident would be reluctant to come forward.

Meanwhile, as protesters blocked the road at Lesbeholden in protest action, an ambulance taking a portable ultrasound machine and technician were unable to pass the blockage.

The protesters had used a tractor and trailer to block the roadway.

After close to one hour, a doctor from the Mibicuri Hospital was able to convince the protesters that they needed to give access

to the ambulance. Shortly after, the ambulance taking both injured men to the New Amsterdam Hospital had to wait again for protesters the clear the roadway.

According to the now dead man’s daughter-inlaw, Sumintra Ramdatt, Kumar might have been able to live longer had he been able to get the medical attention he needed earlier.

Meanwhile, she said when her father-in-law was taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital, they were told that he would have to be further transferred to Georgetown Public Hospital and the family would have to provide $25,000 for additional tests.

“We tell them that we don’t have money right now with we. We didn’t

have enough money to pay for the scan test at the Georgetown Hospital so my husband had to come and bring some money.”

She said an ambulance was waiting for her husband to arrive with the money but after some time had elapsed the driver left for Georgetown.

When he arrived, they took a car and went to the Georgetown Hospital where they were told that no money was required. In fact, they were told that all the services at the Government hospital are free.

Meanwhile, the motorcyclist remains a patient at the Georgetown hospital.

No details on his condition were available.

Kumar had been staying with his son in the Black Push Polder. He leaves to mourn four children. (G4)

NEWS

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SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Ukraine say Russian forces killed seven civilians in evacuation convoy

A column of smoke rises from burning fuel tanks that locals said were hit by five rockets at the Vasylkiv Air Base, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, outside Kyiv, Ukraine, March 12, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

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kraine accused Russian forces on Saturday of killing seven civilians in an attack on women and children trying to flee fighting near Kyiv, and France said Russian President Vladimir Putin had shown he was not ready to make peace.

With Russia’s invasion in its third week, the Ukrainian intelligence service said the seven, including one child, were killed as they fled the village of Peremoha and that “the occupiers forced the remnants of the column to turn back.”

Ukrainian officials later said the convoy was not traveling along a “green corridor” agreed with Russia when it was struck on Friday, correcting their earlier assertion that it was on such a designated route.

Reuters was unable immediately to verify the report and Russia offered no immediate comment.

Moscow denies targeting civilians since invading Ukraine on Feb. 24. It blames Ukraine for failed attempts to evacuate civilians from encircled cities, an accusation Ukraine and its Western allies strongly reject. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Moscow was sending in new troops after Ukrainian forces put 31 of Russia’s battalion tactical groups out of action in what he called Russia’s largest army losses in decades. It was not possible to verify his statements.

“We still need to hold on. We still have to fight,” Zelenskiy said in a video address late on Saturday, his second of the day.

He said earlier that about 1,300 Ukrainian troops had been killed so far and urged the West to get more involved in peace negotiations. The president suggested Russian forces would face a fight to the death if they sought to enter the capital. “If they decide to carpet bomb (Kyiv), and simply erase the history of this region ... and destroy all of us, then they will enter Kyiv.

If that’s their goal, let them come in, but they will have to live on this land by themselves,” he said.

Zelenskiy discussed the war with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Emmanuel Macron, and the German and French leaders then spoke to Putin by phone and urged him to order an immediate ceasefire.

A Kremlin statement on the 75-minute call made no mention of a ceasefire and a French presidency official said: “We did not detect a willingness on Putin’s part to end the war”.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov accused the United States of escalating tensions and said the situation had been complicated by convoys of Western arms shipments to Ukraine that Russian forces considered “legitimate targets”.

In comments reported by the Tass news agency, Ryabkov made no specific threat, but any attack on such convoys before they reached Ukraine would risk widening the war.

Crisis talks between Moscow and Kyiv have been continuing via a video link, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying

by Russia’s RIA news agency. He gave no details but Ukrainian Zelenskiy later on Saturday said he had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett about the prospects for peace talks.

Bennett met with Putin and previously talked by phone to Zelenskiy, but the diplomatic efforts so far have appeared fruitless.

Humanitarian Corridors

Russian rocket attacks destroyed a Ukrainian airbase and hit an ammunition depot near the town of Vasylkiv in the Kyiv region, Interfax Ukraine quoted its mayor as saying.

The exhausted-looking governor of Chernihiv, around 150 km (100 miles) northeast of Kyiv, gave a video update in

front of the ruins of the city’s Ukraine Hotel.

“There is no such hotel any more,” Viacheslav Chaus said, wiping tears from his eyes. “But Ukraine itself still exists, and it will prevail.”

Britain’s defence ministry said fighting northwest of the capital continued, with the bulk of Russian ground forces 25 km (16 miles) from the centre of Kyiv, which it has said Russia could attack within days. Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol remained encircled under heavy Russian shelling, it said.

But the general staff of the Ukraine armed forces said later on Saturday that Russia had slowed its offensive and in many places its forces had been stopped. The

military’s Facebook post did not give details.

Russia’s invasion has been almost universally condemned around the world and Moscow has drawn tough Western sanctions.

Makeshift Burials

People were boiling ground water for drinking, using wood to cook food and burying their dead near where they lay, a staff member for Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) in Mariupol said.

At least 1,582 civilians in Mariupol have been killed as a result of Russian shelling and a 12-day blockade, the city council said on Friday. It was not possible to verify casualty figures.

Efforts to isolate Russia

economically have stepped up, with the United States imposing new sanctions on senior Kremlin officials and Russian oligarchs on Friday.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU on Saturday would suspend Moscow’s privileged trade and economic treatment, crack down on its use of crypto-assets, and ban the import of iron and steel goods from Russia, as well as the export of luxury goods in the other direction. (Excerpted from Reuters) Caption: A column of smoke rises from burning fuel tanks that locals said were hit by five rockets at the Vasylkiv Air Base, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, outside Kyiv.

40 NEWS Barbados-bound passenger busted with $7M worth of weed SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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anks of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) on Saturday intercepted an outgoing passenger at the Eugene F Correia International

Airport, Ogle, East Coast Demerara, with over $7 million in marijuana.

The suspect, 45-year-old Elvis Fitzgerald Theusday of Lot 86 Hunter Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, was an out-bound passenger travelling to Barbados.

CANU said its ranks at the Ogle Airport conducted a search on the passenger and his luggage, during which 23 parcels of suspected cannabis were discovered.

The man was arrested and escorted to CANU’s Headquarters with the suspected narcotic, which was later confirmed to be pop-

py weed carrying a total weight of 18.370 kg (40.498 pounds).

The narcotic amounted to a street value of over $7 million, CANU said.

Investigations are ongoing.

Only last month, CANU ranks busted another passenger who attempted to smuggle ganja out of the country, at the Eugene F Correia International Airport.

While on duty, the ranks conducted a search on a passenger and his luggage, which resulted in the discovery of 56.3 grams of cannabis concealed in two

Pringles tins.

They subsequently arrested the suspect, Jamal Millington, 24, of Amelia’s Ward, Linden, who was later charged with possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

During his arraignment at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Rochelle Liverpool, the accused drug trafficker was granted $300,000 bail and ordered to lodge his passport with the court pending the hearing and determination of his trial.

That case will continue on April 4.

NEWS

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SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Several arrested after Police find guns, ammo in Georgetown house …another wanted for escaping from custody, gun possession

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t least seven persons were arrested by Police ranks in Georgetown after firearms and matching ammunition were unearthed at a house in which five of them were gathered.

Reports are that acting on information received, the ranks went to a one-flat wooden house at Stevedore Dam, Georgetown, where the five men were found in the building.

According to the Police report, a search was conducted in the house and in the hall of the house, where the men were sitting, one 9mm pistol with a magazine containing two live 9mm ammunition and one .38 revolver with two live .38 ammunition were found on a chair.

The men were told of the offences committed, arrested and cautioned.

In addition, two Haojue motorcycles without registration numbers were also seen in the yard. The officers took possession of the bikes.

However, while in the process of doing so, two other men went to the house and attempted to prevent

Wanted: Anthony Simon

the ranks from leaving with the five suspects by breaking and pelting beer bottles at the Police.

As a result, the two of them were also arrested. All seven men were taken to the East La Penitence Police Station along with the motorcycles, firearms and ammunition.

They remain in custody as investigations continue.

Wanted

Meanwhile, the Police Force on Saturday issued a wanted bulletin for another male who escaped from custody at the Sparendaam Police Station.

Wanted is 20-year-old

Govt intervenes, millers agree...

FROM PAGE 3

When I met with the millers, I spent close to three hours, pushing for them to pay farmers the $70,000 because it is better for the Government if you, the farmers receive more,” “That’s why when we came back into office, we reduced D&I charges and land rental fees from $15,000 to $3500. We removed the VAT from agricultural machinery because we want the farmers to have more. Do you believe, as a Government, with the inputs and interventions made in the rice sector so far, we’d go and tell the millers to give you less? They are using the market rate and saying that there are a number of factors that are causing the reduction in prices but we’ve reduced scanning charges by $10,000 and the export commission that is paid to the Guyana Rice Development Board.

We are now working to develop a wharf because the millers said the wharfing facilities are limited. Next week we’ll be signing of an MoU with the millers so that the Demerara Sugar Terminal wharf can be developed. With the mechanism there the paddy can go directly to the ship,” Mustapha explained.

Farmers on Saturday told this publication that they were being offered $60,000 per paddy by one Corentyne miller.

One farmer told this publication that she has already sold all of her paddy and received $70,000 per tonne and was preparing the land to go into the

next crop.

Development

Mustapha also told the farmers that for 2022, farmers and residents can look forward to a number of interventions that will improve the region’s drainage and irrigation and input costs for the agriculture sector.

“When I came here last year while we were preparing our budget estimates, I said Black Bush will have two new pumping stations. We signed the contracts and work has started. We are also rehabilitating the seed facility at Lesbeholden. Those works are almost complete so you’ll get your seed paddy right here in Black Bush Polder. We are also negotiating with our bilateral partners and I’m very optimistic that we’ll have the fertiliser cheaper for you. We are trying our utmost to find markets for you, to open more lands.

Thousands of acres will come under cultivation,” he explained.

During the protest on Thursday last, a few persons were arrested by Police officers for disorderly behaviour but were released from custody shortly afterwards. The action by farmers to block the roadway on Thursday caused much inconvenience to persons in the area. Many were forced to park their vehicles and walk home.

On Friday Police increased their presence and only a few rice farmers had gathered at Number 43 Village. (G4)

The two firearms found during the Police operation at a house in Georgetown

Anthony Simon of Lot 617 East Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

Police say in addition to being wanted for escaping from lawful custody commit-

ted at Sparendaam Police Station on Friday, the young man is also being sought for being in possession of firearm and ammunition.

Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Simon is asked to contact the Police on telephone numbers 226-7065, 227-1270, 226-

7476, 226-7065, 227-9271, 227-1611, 227-1149, 2271270, 225-6940-9, 225-3650, 226-1928, 911 or the nearest Police station. (G8)

42 NEWS Guatemala receives 1st arrivals Dozens dead in DR Congo of Ukrainians fleeing conflict train accident: Rail company G A SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

train crash in the southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has killed at least 60 people, the state rail company and local sources said. “[Currently] the toll is 61 dead, men, women and children [and] 52 injured who have been evacuated,” Marc Manyonga Ndambo, director of infrastructure at the SNCC train operator, told the AFP news agency on Saturday.

Local media quoted the provincial governor, Fifi Masuka, as saying 60 people had been killed.

It was a freight train which was carrying “several hundred

stowaways”, said Manyonga.

“Some of the bodies were still trapped in the wagons that had fallen into the ravines,” he added.

Manyonga said the train was made up of 15 wagons, 12 of which were empty. It was coming from Luen in a neighbouring province destined for the mining town of Tenke, close to Kolwezi, the capital of Lualaba province in southern DRC. It derailed at 11:50pm (21:50 GMT) on Thursday near the village of Buyofwe, about 200km (125 miles) from Kolwezi, “at a place where there are ravines”, into which seven of the 15 wagons

fell, he said.

“My team is working hard to clear the track by Monday,” Manyonga added. He did not say how the crash had happened.

Another provincial official, Jean-Serge Lumu, told reporters “seven bodies were recovered by the families, 53 others are still at the accident scene”.

Train derailments are common in the DRC, as are shipwrecks of overloaded boats on the country’s lakes and rivers.

Due to the lack of passenger trains or passable roads, people use goods trains to travel long distances. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

uatemala on Friday received its first arrivals of Ukrainian families fleeing their homeland since Russia’s invasion of its neighbor last month, authorities said.

The eight Ukrainians were the first to arrive in the Central American country “for humanitarian reasons,” an immigration spokesperson told Reuters.

Another flight carrying more Ukrainians arrived several hours later, officials said. It is unclear how many may have arrived privately in Guatemala since the Russian attacks on Ukraine began.

“I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I hope the war ends soon,” said one of the arriv-

als in a video disseminated by Guatemalan authorities. “It’s hard to say how much my heart hurts for my mother and father in Ukraine, who can’t leave.”

Guatemala’s announcement was the first on Ukrainian arrivals from the Central American countries known as the Northern Triangle - also including Honduras and El Salvador - which have themselves seen much of their populations emigrate due to violence and poverty.

A rising number of Ukrainians and Russians have fled to Latin America in recent months, including those who turn up at the United States-Mexico border. (Excerpt from Reuters)

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SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

US Coast Guard repatriate 198 Haitian migrants T he United States Coast Guard said that the crew from its cutter Venturous has repatriated 198 Haitian migrants.

In a statement on Friday, the Coast Guard said “a good Samaritan” notified Coast Guard Sector Key West watch standers last Sunday, at about 1:00 pm, of a blue Haitian vessel grounded off Ocean Reef, Southern Florida.

It said it collaborated with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

agency and partner agencies in rescuing 356 Haitians from the vessel about 200 yards off Ocean Reef in Key Largo, Florida.

“The Coast Guard maintains a strong relationship with our partner agencies and Haitian authorities, allowing us to work together to protect lives at sea,” said Captain Adam Chamie, Commander of Sector Key West. “These grossly overloaded vessels operate without proper safety equipment and are not built for these hazardous voyages which

WHO says it advised Ukraine to destroy pathogens in health labs to prevent disease spread

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he World Health Organisation advised Ukraine to destroy high-threat pathogens housed in the country’s public health laboratories to prevent “any potential spills” that would spread disease among the population, the agency told Reuters.

Like many other countries, Ukraine has public health laboratories researching how to mitigate the threats of dangerous diseases affecting both animals and humans including, most recently, COVID-19. Its labs have received support from the United States, the European Union and the WHO. Biosecurity experts say Russia’s movement of troops into Ukraine and bombardment of its cities have raised the risk of an escape of disease-causing pathogens, should any of those facilities be damaged.

In response to questions from Reuters about its work with Ukraine ahead of and during Russia’s invasion, the WHO said in an email on Thursday that it has collaborated with Ukrainian public health labs for several years to promote security practices that help prevent “accidental or deliberate release of pathogens.”

“As part of this work, WHO has strongly recommended to the Ministry of Health in Ukraine and other responsible bodies to destroy high-threat pathogens to prevent any potential spills,” the WHO, a United Nations agency, said.

The WHO would not say when it had made the recommendation nor did it provide specifics about the kinds of pathogens or toxins housed in Ukraine’s laboratories. The agency also did not answer questions about whether its recommendations were followed.

Ukraine’s laboratory capabilities have been at the center of a growing information war since Russia began moving troops into Ukraine two weeks ago.

On Friday, Russia called a meeting of the 15-member UN Security Council to reassert, without providing evidence, a longstanding claim that Ukraine ran biological weapons laboratories with US Defense Department support.

The accusation has been repeatedly denied by Ukraine and the United States, where Government officials warn Russia may use it as a pretext to deploy its own chemical or biological weapons. (Excerpt from Reuters)

“Smugglers have no respect for the security and well-being of the migrants they transport,” said Augusto Reyes, Director of the Caribbean Air and Marine Branch

can lead to casualties.”

Since October 1, 2020, the US Coast Guard said its crews have interdicted 1152 Haitian migrants compared to 1527 in fiscal Year 2021; 418 in fiscal Year 2020; 932 in fiscal Year 2019; 609 in fiscal Year 2018; and 419 in fiscal Year 2017.

Meantime, CBP said its Air and Marine Operations (AMO) and Border Patrol agents teamed up Tuesday to rescue a group of 10 undocumented migrants from Haiti left stranded by smugglers in Desecheo island off Puerto Rico. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

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SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022

GRFU continues expanding rugby … Christ Church returns to play

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he Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) on Friday continued its recruitment drive as promised, this time at Christ Church Secondary.

The day’s activity was spearheaded by GRFU Senior Vice-President Joshua Griffith, who was accompanied by National Selector and Coach, Laurence Adonis.

Griffith and Adonis spoke with approximately 50 youths (male and female) who are eager to learn the sport.

Three rugby balls were donated to the school, and training is scheduled to commence next week.

The students were also told of national players who had attended Christ Church Secondary: Godfrey Edward Broomes, Lancelot Adonis, and the late Gordon ‘Bolo’ Andrews. National women’s player Nicole Nero is also a teacher at the school.

This recruitment drive will continue, as the GRFU

is keen on expanding the sport. Persons desirous of partaking in rugby, whether

as an individual, a community initiative or a school programme, can contact the

GRFU Public Relations Officer on telephone number 6105817.

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022

Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022…

45

West Indies collapse as India seal NRR-boosting win

Sneh Rana dismissed both the West Indies openers after a strong start

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ndia weathered a blistering opening stand between Deandra Dottin and Hayley Matthews to script a vital 155-run win over West Indies that propelled them to the top of the World Cup table.

In the early stages of India’s defence of 317, their highest World Cup total, the result seemed far from

SCOREBOARD

INDIA WOMEN INNINGS (50 OVERS MAXIMUM) Smriti Mandhana c Selman b Connell 123 Yastika Bhatia c & b Selman 31 Mithali Raj (c) c Connell b Matthews 5 Deepti Sharma c Matthews b Mohammed 15 Harmanpreet Kaur c †Campbelle b Alleyne 109 Richa Ghosh † run out (Matthews/†Campbelle) 5 Pooja Vastrakar c Matthews b Mohammed 10 Jhulan Goswami c Mohammed b Dottin 2 Sneh Rana not out 2 Meghna Singh not out 1 Extras (nb 4, w 10) 14 TOTAL (50 Ov, RR: 6.34) 317/8 Did not bat: Rajeshwari Gayakwad Fall of wickets: 1-49 (Yastika Bhatia, 6.3 ov), 2-58 (Mithali Raj, 9.3 ov), 3-78 (Deepti Sharma, 13.5 ov), 4-262 (Smriti Mandhana, 42.3 ov), 5-290 (Richa Ghosh, 46.2 ov), 6-311 (Pooja Vastrakar, 47.6 ov), 7-313 (Harmanpreet Kaur, 48.4 ov), 8-315 (Jhulan Goswami, 49.2 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Shamilia Connell 10-0-57-1 Chinelle Henry 2-0-19-0 Hayley Matthews 10-0-65-1 Shakera Selman 7-0-41-1 Anisa Mohammed 9-0-59-2 Deandra Dottin 5-0-32-1 Stafanie Taylor 3-0-18-0 Aaliyah Alleyne 4-0-26-1

WEST INDIES WOMEN INNINGS (TARGET: 318 RUNS FROM 50 OVERS) Deandra Dottin c Meghna Singh b Rana 62 Hayley Matthews c †Ghosh b Rana 43 Kycia Knight c Mandhana b Meghna Singh 5 Stafanie Taylor (c) c †Ghosh b Meghna Singh 1 Shemaine Campbelle † c Gayakwad b Vastrakar 11 Chedean Nation run out (Meghna Singh/Sharma) 19 Chinelle Henry lbw b Gayakwad 7 Aaliyah Alleyne run out (Gayakwad/Rana) 4 Anisa Mohammed c sub (T Bhatia) b Goswami 2 Shakera Selman not out 7 Shamilia Connell c & b Rana 0 Extras (lb 1) 1 TOTAL (40.3 Ov, RR: 4.00) 162 Fall of wickets: 1-100 (Deandra Dottin, 12.2 ov), 2-108 (Kycia Knight, 15.2 ov), 3-112 (Stafanie Taylor, 17.4 ov), 4-114 (Hayley Matthews, 18.2 ov), 5-127 (Shemaine Campbelle, 22.2 ov), 6-134 (Chinelle Henry, 23.2 ov), 7-145 (Aaliyah Alleyne, 26.5 ov), 8-155 (Anisa Mohammed, 35.5 ov), 9-157 (Chedean Nation, 36.3 ov), 10162 (Shamilia Connell, 40.3 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Jhulan Goswami 6-1-43-1 Meghna Singh 6-0-27-2 Deepti Sharma 7-2-24-0 Rajeshwari Gayakwad 10-3-24-1 Pooja Vastrakar 2-0-21-1 Sneh Rana 9.3-1-22-3

East Coast Cricket Board launch ECCB/Navin/Hanson 50-Over Tournament

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he East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB) has recently launched the Navin/Hanson 50-Over Tournament at the LBI Cricket Facility on the East Coast of Demerara.

This launch was attended by several clubs scheduled to participate in the tournament, which would commence shortly.

That highly anticipated tournament would feature 12 competitive teams with an attractive mix of competent players. Those players include Rajendra Chandrika, Zaheer Mohamed, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Chanderpaul Ramraj, Ramnarine Chature, Robin Williams Krishna Deosarran and Aaron Beharry, just to name a few.

ECCB Secretary Davteerth Anandjit has thanked Navin/ Hanson for their contribution to the development of East Coast Demerara cricket and Guyana cricket as a whole. He posited that the promotion of cricket needs corporate sponsors like Navin/ Hanson, so that cricket can be effectively administered for the identification and growth of players,

as well as for advancement of the game in a professional capacity.

Anandjit wished sponsors Navin/ Hanson continued and sustained productivity, indicating that the ECCB trust the success enjoyed by Navin/Hanson would inspire players and teams to consistently achieve set goals.

The preliminary rounds of the Navin/Hanson One Day 50-Over tournament would be played on a round-robin format, with the two top teams of each of the two zones qualifying for the semi-final knockout stage.

All matches are scheduled to start at 10:00 hrs. The participating teams are as follows: Zone A: Lusignan Sports Club, Enterprise Busta Sports Club, Fairfield Sports Club, Enmore Community Center Cricket Club, Strathavon Sports Club, and Industry Sports Club.

Zone B: Buxton Carl Hooper Cricket Club, LBI Community Center Cricket Club, Better Hope Sports Club, Golden Grove Sports Club, Ogle Sports Club, and Mahaica Sports Club.

-after Mandhana, Harmanpreet centuries

obvious, and the centuries from Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur seemed somewhat inadequate. Sneh Rana and Meghna Singh, however, decisively turned the tide India’s way at Seddon Park as Dottin’s wicket triggered West Indies’ slump from 100 for no loss to 162 all out.

West Indies gave themselves a good chance of extending their winning streak after galloping to 50 in five overs, 81 in the wicketless powerplay, and 100 in just 12. The dominant hand in their blazing start and West Indies’ maiden century stand was Dottin’s. Despite her back and legs requiring regular repair work during her 62-run knock, Dottin carted 11 boundaries in her breathtaking 46-ball innings.

India sought respite from the Dottin-Matthews onslaught, but received little despite using two quicks and spinners each in the powerplay. It was third-change Rana’s frugal, game-changing opening spell that led to West Indies’ collapse.

Dottin top-edged to Meghna an attempted sweep to Rana’s second ball at short fine-leg, and it was Meghna who then took over and dealt West Indies the second blow, Kycia Knight’s pull going to Mandhana at deep square-leg.

Meghna followed it up with Stafanie Taylor’s wicket, before Rana removed Matthews for 48. In both dismissals, wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh pouched the edges with ease.

Earlier, India’s batters, led by Mandhana and Harmanpreet, pulled no punches in a game they needed to win to stay safe in the race to the knockouts, following the loss to New Zealand at the same venue. They put on their highest total in ODI World Cups - and the overall highest in this edition - after choosing to bat first.

Mandhana hit 123 in 119, and Harmanpreet 109 in 107, and they put on 184 for the fourth wicket, India’s best in ODI World Cups, to lift them from 78 for 3.

On a used surface, India almost instantly shook off the hesitancy that stifled them in the powerplay against Pakistan and New Zealand, Yastika Bhatia’s fearless stroke play underpinning their approach early on.

Bhatia got off the mark with a four off a mistimed cut that flew over the slips; and, next over, she cracked three fours off pulls as Chinelle Henry gave away 15 runs to begin her day.

India’s rapid start led West Indies to introduce spin in the sixth over. But it was the change at the other end, in the form of medium-pacer Shakera Selman, that brought the breakthrough when, on 31, Bhatia lobbed a dolly back to Selman off a slower delivery.

Another soft dismissal followed, this time Mithali Raj, who became the captain with most appearances on the day, falling to Matthews.

Mandhana, meanwhile, steadied the ship at one end, though the two

early wickets made her cautious. India got to 62 for 2 in the powerplay, the best in that phase, before West Indies bettered it in the chase, and No. 4 Deepti Sharma’s back-to-back fours off Selman promised a lot.

That, however, was not to be.

Coming on in the 13th over, Anisa Mohammed drew an edge off Deepti’s slog-sweep, which Matthews intercepted with a stunning one-handed grab behind the keeper.

With India 100 for three 20 overs in, it was down to Mandhana and Harmanpreet to lift them to the 250-run mark, which they hadn’t reached in this World Cup before this game.

On 34 off 51 balls, Mandhana struck her first four - a languid flick through the midwicket area - and upped the tempo thereafter. She got to her second fifty in the tournament with another flick, on the 60th ball of her innings, and her next 50 runs came off just 43 balls.

With 200 up in the 36th over, Mandhana cracked a 78-metre six off Aaliyah Alleyne as fielding errors came thick and fast. After reaching the 90s with a four, Mandhana got a big slice of luck when, on 94, Alleyne dropped her at deep midwicket.

Shamilia Connell tested her with a short ball, and even pinged her pad, but Mandhana survived, and a four, courtesy of a short-arm pull off Matthews, took her to her second ODI World Cup century and second against West Indies. Three of her 13 fours on the day came off back-to-back deliveries, as Matthews found herself at the receiving end in the 42nd over.

India had crossed 250 by then, and as Harmanpreet looked to up the ante at her end, Mandhana pulled one straight to deep midwicket to be dismissed.

Harmanpreet, too, paced her innings well. A drop by Anisa at short third handed her a reprieve when on 20. She remained boundary-less in her first 20 balls, but struck two sixes off her next 87. It was her strike rotation, though, that accounted for the bulk - 57 - of her 109 runs.

Harmanpreet unsurprisingly relied heavily on the sweep, but it was a fullblooded lofted shot that brought up her second straight fifty.

She batted close to three hours, and faced issues with her wrist as she neared the three-digit milestone. But neither pain nor West Indies could keep her from bringing up her first century in the format since her epochal 171 not out in the semi-final of the 2017 World Cup. A single down the bowler’s right steered her to the mark, and a 15-run over from Anisa soon after lifted India past 300.

India’s 317 for 8 eventually proved too much for West Indies, as they were rolled over inside 41 overs. On a day of record-breaking feats, Jhulan Goswami added the finishing touch with the wicket of Anisa, and she rose to the top of the wicket-takers’ tally in women’s ODI World Cups. Fittingly, it was Rana who closed out the game, catching Connell off her own bowling. (ESPNcricinfo)

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GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022

LGC making progress in aim to make golf more inclusive

By Timothy Jaikarran

T

he Lusignan Golf Club is constantly working towards making the game of golf more inclusive of everyone.

Members are striving to break the bias that the game is just for those in the elite class, and have been working to include the youths of both today and tomorrow in LGC activities.

LGC Club Secretary Chet Bowling has noted that these goals are slowly becoming a reality with every passing day.

In an interview with this publication, he was asked his views on making these goals a reality, and Bowling replied: “Well, it’s slow progress, but it’s some progress. The committee finally decided, I think, to start during the Easter holidays to have some clinics for kids.

W e talked about having golf with more kids involved, so we’re thinking to use the Easter holidays to launch that.”

Bowling also noted that, in terms of making the sport more inclusive, the club would seek to target the children in the village of Lusignan, as this would be easier, due to location.

He relayed that the

LGC is optimistic of upgrading its grounds to a world class standard. “Upgrading the grounds, it’s a significant investment, with the committee actively deciding and discussing various options.

There is nothing concrete as yet, but we definitely recognise the need to do that driving range and improve the grounds.

“We are trying to figure out that investment and where we are going to get it from; so, that is going slow, but we think we are going to get it started this year.”

Bowling disclosed that the LGC is seeing an increase in its membership, as every day more players are coming out to participate in tournaments. He explained that a major plus is

LGC Club Secretary, Chet Bowling the fact t h a t m o re sponsors are coming on board, and more requests are being made to use the club house and grounds for various activities.

Bowling has related that the Lusignan Golf Club is also a place for family and entertainment, which is important for the club’s revenue stream.

He iterated that on the cards is the LGC’s hope to host a major event over the Easter weekend, and he said the fans should look out for it.

In his closing remarks, Bowling has said, “All in all, we are moving forward. It is slow, but we are still moving forward.”

Shameer Baksh Memorial Cycle Race and Cricket Match set for today

Ralph Saunders, President of the West Berbice-based cycling club Burning Flames

T

he inaugural Shameer Baksh Memorial Cycle Race and Cricket Match are set for staging today, Sunday March 13, at the Albion Community Centre ground on the Corentyne

Team Blairmont

Glasgow, Neil Persaud, Chris Harry, Nigel Deodat, Satyah France, Waqar Hassan, Farouk Suban, Suresh Dhani, Altav Balman, Razam Koobir and Arun Jaikaran. A fantastic game is anticipated.

ACCOMMODATIONS Additionally, today’s Shameer Baksh Memorial Aracari Hotel, West Bank Demerara (Versailles – between Harbor Bridge and Vreed-en-Hoop) – AirConditioned Comfort. Amenities include TV, Restaurant, Bar, Swimming Pool, Gym. Free Parking, Free WiFi. Spend 7 nights and get 1 Free. Rates from $45 US. Breakfast included.

Long term rates available. Phone: 264-2946-9. www.aracariresort. com

CLASSIFIED ADS

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

Team Albion

Coast in East Berbice.

The venue will come alive today with top teams Albion and Blairmont Blazers set to clash in the 50-over cricket match. The game, which bowls off at 9:30h, will feature several veritable cricketing wizards representing Albion, including Devendra Bishoo, Kevin Sinclair, Gudakesh Motie, Jonathan Foo, Anthony Bramble, Kandasammy Surujnarine, Sharaz Ramcharran, Adrian Sukhwa, Ramesh Kassinath, Kelvin Umroa, Gaurav Ramesh, Joshua Harrichan, Dimitri Cameron, Beshan Surujnarine, Jeetendra Autar and Devendra Latchman.

Blairmont Blazers would be represented by the following veritable cricketing hawks: Javed Karim, Kevon Jawahir, Kevin Sinclair, Seon

Cycle Race, which would be held in collaboration with Burning Flames Cycle Club, would be contested in the following categories: 50-years and over, 20-50 years, and Juveniles.

This race, a Region Five activity, would pedal off at 8am from Big Bs - Baksh Restaurant at Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice and finish at Big Bs Baksh Restaurant at D’Edward village, WCB. The aim of this event is to inspire youths to take up any kind of sports, and encourage individuals to keep their fitness levels intact.

The day’s activities are in memory of the father of Shabeer Baksh, proprietor of Big B’s - Baksh Restaurant.

Another branch of Big B's would soon be opening at Movie Towne at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.

Restaurant for Rent – West Bank Demerara (at Aracari Resort, Versailles – between Harbor Bridge and Vreed-en-Hoop). Turn Key Business. Covid-19 Reduced Capacity 60; furnished and equipped.

Phone 264-2946; 626-5290

CAYMAN ISLANDS EMPLOYMENT Upholsterers and Drapery Makers/ Seamstresses NEEDED! Applicants should possess 5 years' experience.

Statutory benefits Inquiries: trimworksttd@outlook.com 1-345-9294038

ENTERTAINMENT Swimming Pool Family Fun & Picnic – Crystal Clear Pool. Kids and Adult Sections. Very Safe. Aracari Resort : West Bank Demerara (Versailles, between Harbor Bridge and Vreed-enHoop)- Every Weekend. DJ Music.

Groups and Excursions welcome.

(Fee applies)- Phone: 264-2946-9.

VACANCY Vacancy for hauler truck driver.

Contact # 611-7088

WANTED Person to cook and manage restaurant in Charity, Essequibo.

Accommodation provided. Attractive Salary. 223-5273/223-5274

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022

CONCACAF Women’s Qualifiers…

47

Coach Joseph “pleased” with Lady Jags’ campaign thus far

G

Dr Ivan Joseph

uyana’s Senior Women’s Football team, the Lady Jags, are currently on a high, after two consecutive wins in the CONCACAF Women’s Qualifiers; but the work is not done yet, since the Guyanese ladies still have a higher mountain to climb before making it to the CONCACAF Women’s Championships.

Guyana was drawn in Group F, alongside longtime rivals Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, Dominica and Nicaragua. Of that Group, Guyana overcame

Dominica 4-0 at home on February 16 and later Turks and Caicos 7-0 on February 19.

Head Coach of the Lady Jags, Dr. Ivan Joseph, on Saturday shared his thoughts on the opening performances from the Guyanese ladies, noting that he and the team are ‘really pleased’, but not quite satisfied as yet.

“We’re not satisfied, but we’re pleased. And what I mean by that is, the main objective was to make sure that we came away in a position that we were still eligible and able to compete for first place in our pool; and from that perspective, mission accomplished,” Dr. Joseph said during a virtual engagement with Guyanese sports journalists on Saturday morning.

During those first two games, Guyana had the luxury of mixing and matching their team, with an artillery of capable players at their fingertips. Coach Joseph reflected on his decision to play two different starting XIs against Dominica and Turks and

Guyana’s Senior Women’s National Team, the Lady Jags, in action

Caicos, noting that it was relieving.

“It’s been a long time since we had a full team play, so we had a lot of players to evaluate and assess,” the Lady Jags Head Coach commented.

He went on to say about the group of 36 players that were available, “That’s telling you we haven’t seen enough of our players, we haven’t been able to assess our play-

ers with enough detail to really put them in a position where their strengths will shine.”

While it may appear as though Dr. Joseph is just merely pleased with the wins Guyana was able to pull off, he was more than fascinated with the local players on show. On this topic, he shared, “The domestic players that make up our national team, wow, did they come

to play? Annalisa Vincent amongst them. She was exceptional in her performance, her opening goal, she figured in that goal, the hustle that she created, lots of opportunities.”

Even more so, he found the mixture of experience and youth in Guyana’s lineup to be refreshing, especially with regard to the future of the Lady Jags team.

“To find that right mix of

veteran presence and youthful exuberance and fresh legs, those are key things,” Dr. Joseph commented.

Next month, Guyana will play their final two group games, against Nicaragua (April 8) at home, and against Trinidad and Tobago (April 12) in the twin-island Republic. Looking at the task ahead, the Head Coach is focused on the tactical aspects of team building in order for the Lady Jags to advance.

He has said, “We now need to figure out what tactical formation we need to play that allows us to put our best players on the field, and that’s not an easy task. We’re still not quite there yet, but we continue to make progress in that direction.”

For the CONCACAF Women’s Qualifiers, the top finisher in each group would move on to the Championships in July, where direct spots in the Paris 2024 Olympics and CONCACAF’s Gold Cup are up for grabs. (Jemima Holmes)

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

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2022

guyanatimesgy.com

WI vs England: Apex Test series, 1st Test…

Nkrumah Bonner, Jason Holder dig for draw -as Windies resist bold declaration

N

krumah Bonner and Jason Holder drew the sting of England's depleted attack in a tense final session of the first Test in Antigua, as their 80run partnership, spanning 34.4

However, in adding a further 132 runs in 25 overs of an extended morning session, the evidence from the day's outset was that England always intended to have a dart at West Indies' brittle batting

Ollie Pope and Ben Foakes successfully appealed for the wicket of Jermaine Blackwood

resolute overs, thwarted a welljudged declaration from Joe Root that briefly looked set to deliver an unlikely victory in a previously bat-dominated contest.

After Root himself had become England's third centurion of the match - a feat they last achieved on the tour of India in 2016-17 - West Indies were left needing a stiff but tantalising target of 286 in a minimum of 71 overs against an attack lacking the services of Mark Wood, the man who’s habitual 90mph pace might have been expected to unlock an unforgiving surface.

Instead, England's fight was carried by the disciplined probing spin of Jack Leach, who bowled with great accuracy and with five men camped around the bat for the majority of the final session, but with little luck, to finish with 3 for 57 in 30.1 overs.

Ben Stokes was England's other main threat, as he once again belied the pre-match caveats about his fitness to bang out 13 more overs for 24. But having prised out the key early wicket of Kraigg Brathwaite, he also was unable to get the better of a dogged fifth-wicket pair.

After 21 wickets had fallen on the first four days of the match, the likelihood of England forcing victory on an unforgiving surface at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium had always been slim. And slim seemed to have left town when it was confirmed that Wood - who had been withdrawn from the attack before lunch on day three - would play no further part in the match, after reporting "acute pain" in his injured right elbow during a nets’ session before the start of play.

With Wood's participation in the rest of the series now in serious doubt, it would have been understandable had England chosen to shut up shop from the outset, after resuming their second innings with a stalemate at their mercy on 217 for 1.

in the final two sessions.

By the time Bonner had batted for 493 balls across his two innings, and found typically indomitable support from Holder - a man who never needs to be asked twice to produce his best performances against England - West Indies had located a backbone to reinforce their remarkable home record in the Wisden-turned-RichardsBotham-Trophy.

Either side of the tea break, however, it had threatened to be a very different story. After a misleadingly calm start to their chase, in which Brathwaite and John Campbell had compiled their second fifty stand of the match, West Indies shipped four wickets for eight runs in 9.3 overs to reawaken the sort of jitters

that their opponents have known only too well in recent times.

Suddenly, from 59 for 0, with the vague prospect of hunting down a run-a-ball asking rate in an ODIstyle fight to the finish, West Indies were in the soup at 67 for 4, with their only remaining objective being survival - a state of affairs that

allowed

England to shelve any reticence in their field placings, and throw everything they had into the pursuit of those final six wickets.

The dismissal of Brathwaite was the trigger for West Indies' wobble, for he had been, by a distance, the more fluent of West Indies' two openers. Aside from one atrocious hack across the line at Leach, for which he had deserved to be bowled for 24, Brathwaite found a comfortable balance between stickability and intent to set West Indies' tempo with a solid knock of 33 from 82 balls.

Inevitably, however, it was Stokes who prised him from the crease. After his first-innings’ exertions, Stokes had been held back until the 24th over ostensibly waiting until the ball was ready to reverse-swing and with his seventh delivery, he skidded a full-length nipbacker into Brathwaite's shin, to send him on his way for 33 from 82 balls.

Suddenly, West Indies' serenity had been shaken, and Campbell never looked like filling the void. Leach, in particular, had him in his pocket - he should have been caught for 1 from 19 balls when he skied a leading edge to Crawley, running back from slip; and the solitary boundary of his innings, an attractive drive through the covers off Leach, came one ball after he had skimmed a less convincing hack over the head of Stokes at mid-off.

B u t on 22, Campbell's luck ran out.

Needing to up his own tempo now that the captain was gone, he gave Leach the charge, b u t scudded a flat drive towards Craig Overton at mid-off, and Overton swallowed the chance comfortably above his head, to leave West Indies in a bit of strife on 59 for 2.

With tea looming, Leach and Stokes turned the screw.

The new men, Shamarh Brooks and Bonner, were limited to two runs in the space of six overs before, in the Joe Root final over celebrating his prior to century on day 5 the break, B r o o k s swept Leach for a pressure-relieving four, then fenced at his very next ball, for Crawley to make amends with a sharp low take at slip.

At 65 for 3, that wicket was perfectly timed to scramble the mind of the incoming Jermaine

Jason Holder is watchful as he defends

Blackwood - a man who, moments earlier, might have been priming himself to be the hero, Ageas Bowl 2020-style, in an improbable runchase. Now his only real role was

feathered an inside-edge from Craig Overton into his pads.

The biggest what-if for England, however, came when Holder - on 13, and with a dicey 22

Zak Crawley was bowled by Jason Holder for a well-played 121

to loiter, and that notion seemed to fry his synapses in the interval.

Three balls after the resumption, he flung his bat through a revolting hack to nothing, and was pinned lbw for 2, to set the cat fully among the pigeons.

Holder and Bonner, however, could not be dislodged. The former used his extraordinarily long levers to stretch down the pitch at every opportunity, smothering Leach's threat with an ever-broadening bat; the latter hung back on the crease, playing off the pitch and trusting his eye to get out of habitual trouble.

Aside from Leach and Stokes, however, there wasn't enough threat from the rest of England's attack. Even with Ben Foakes standing up to the stumps, there was nothing about Chris Woakes's diligent methods that looked like forcing a wicket; and perhaps the best of the rest were the speculative offbreaks of the squirrel in a blender, Dan Lawrence, who came inches from cleaning up Bonner when he was on 9, with the biggest turner of the match.

England did eventually think they'd broken the stand…but only for a split-second, for Bonner, on 25 at the time, was already grinning as he signalled for a review, because he knew he'd

overs still in the bank - was pinned on the back leg, offering no stroke to a faster, flatter ball from Leach.

England, with one review up their sleeve, and perhaps mindful of what had happened at Headingley in 2019 when Australia got too eager to play their get-out-ofjail card, decided discretion

was the better part of valour.

Replays showed that the ball was smashing leg. Holder wouldn't offer a better opportunity for 59 balls.

Despite being thwarted at the death, there were plenty of positives for England to take away from the first five days of their so-called red-ball reset. With centuries already in the bag for Jonny Bairstow and Crawley, the captain Root made it three for the match in the morning session - his 24th in Test cricket and 13th as captain, overtaking Alastair Cook's previous record.

After a stellar year in 2021, it was Root's first of the new calendar year, and his first in his new berth at No 3 as well.

But, in strolling off the pitch with an indomitable stand to their names, and with West Indies' unbeaten run in Tests against England in Antigua extended into a 42nd year, Bonner and Holder did more than enough to remind their opponents that they are in a tussle once again in this series, with their next challenge looming large in Barbados next week.

(ESPNcricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

ENGLAND 2ND INNINGS Alex Lees lbw b Roach 6 Zak Crawley b Holder 121 Joe Root (c) b Joseph 109 Dan Lawrence c Permaul b Joseph 37 Ben Stokes c Brooks b Roach 13 Jonny Bairstow not out 15 Ben Foakes † b Joseph 1 Chris Woakes not out 18 Extras (b 15, lb 4, nb 8, w 2) 29 TOTAL (88.2 Ov, RR:3.95) 349/6d Did not bat: Craig Overton, Mark Wood, Jack Leach Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Alex Lees, 10.1 ov), 2-225 (Zak Crawley, 67.2 ov), 3-295 (Dan Lawrence, 78.3 ov), 4-310 (Joe Root, 80.4 ov), 5-312 (Ben Stokes, 81.3 ov), 6-314 (Ben Foakes, 82.1 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Kemar Roach 19-2-53-2 Jayden Seales 13-2-57-0 Jason Holder 16-2-56-1 Alzarri Joseph 23.2-3-78-3 Veerasammy Permaul 12-0-64-0 Kraigg Brathwaite 4-0-14-0 Nkrumah Bonner 1-0-8-0

WEST INDIES 2ND INNINGS (TARGET: 286 RUNS) Kraigg Brathwaite (c) lbw b Stokes 33 John Campbell c Overton b Leach 22 Shamarh Brooks c Crawley b Leach 5 Nkrumah Bonner not out 38 Jermaine Blackwood lbw b Leach 2 Jason Holder not out 37 Extras (b 4, lb 4, nb 2) 10 TOTAL (70.1 Ov, RR: 2.09) 147/4 Did not bat: Joshua Da Silva †, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Veerasammy Permaul, Jayden Seales Fall of wickets: 1-59 (Kraigg Brathwaite, 25.1 ov), 2-59 (John Campbell, 26.4 ov), 3-65 (Shamarh Brooks, 32.6 ov), 4-67 (Jermaine Blackwood, 34.3 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Chris Woakes 9-1-22-0 Jack Leach 30.1-14-57-3 Craig Overton 10-2-23-0 Joe Root 2-0-6-0 Ben Stokes 13-3-24-1 Dan Lawrence 6-3-7-0

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