Guyana Times - Sunday March 27, 2022

Mother Wendel Roberts: Guyana’s 2nd female priest P13 Nationwide coverage coverage from from the the best best news news team team in in Guyana Guyana Nationwide Issue No. 4961 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON BEACON OF OF TRUTH TRUTH THE

SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2022

Liza Destiny, Unity FPSOs combined could lift over US$200M worth of crude in April – Min Bharrat

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Teen busted with 37lbs P24 ganja under bed

Page 3

7 bids received for construction of 11-storey Brickdam P27 Police Station Theoretical P28 driver’s exam to be done online

Parent Company Guarantee being negotiated with operators in Stabroek Block – VP Jagdeo Page 7

– says tough insurance provisions to be included in Yellowtail permit

Trial of wheat President production to Ali to start in April meet Berbice with 50 varieties – expansion of soya, corn production underway farmers today Page 24

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3 busted with $79M in ganja along Berbice River Page 28

Less than 300 P35 COVID-19 cases recorded for March Teen killed after being struck P31 down at Craig EBD Minibus Union P34 calls for stricter fines against drivers, conductors

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SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Sunday, Mar 27 – No closure and Monday, Mar 28 – 01:00h – 02:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, Mar 27 – 12:45h – 14:15h and Monday, Mar 28 – 13:50h – 15:20h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY There will be sunshine during the day. Expect clear skies at night. Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North-Easterly to North-Easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 12:55h reaching a maximum height of 2.19 metres.

Low Tide: 06:22h and 19:10h reaching minimum heights of 1.18 metre and 0.94 metre.

SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2022

LOTTERY NUMBERS M

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FREE TICKET

25 Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

02 08 12 19 26 LUCKY 3

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DRAW DE LINE

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PAY DAY

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DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$120.65/barrel

+1.34

Rough Rice

$291.92/ton

+1.30

London Sugar

$562.70/ton

-0.18

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1958.40

$1959.40

Low/High Change

$1942.90 0.00

$1963.80 0.00%

Liza Destiny, Unity FPSOs combined could lift over US$200M worth of crude in April – Min Bharrat

By Jarryl Bryan

F

or the first time in Guyana’s short oil production history, there could be as many as two oil lifts in one month, with lifts from the Liza Destiny and Liza Unity Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels potentially crossing paths next month.

This was revealed by Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat in an exclusive interview with Guyana Times. He explained that Liza Destiny is already scheduled to lift its 1 million barrels of oil in April - its second lift for the year.

“Destiny’s second oil lift for 2022 is due in April.

We have an existing contract with Aramco Trading.

That’s a 12-month contract.

So they’re still contracted with us to market the Liza Destiny crude,” Bharrat explained.

In addition, Liza Unity FPSO, which started producing oil in the Liza Phase 2 development in February of this year, could potentially mark its first oil lift next month. Bharrat said that this seems to be the case from all indications.

“Liza Unity, on start up, you will not be operating at full capacity. So, we’re hoping that the first lift from Unity will be sometime later in April, or early May. We’re hoping that we can get a lift. There are indications that there will be a lift in late April.”

“So that will be good news

for us. And of course, as the year goes on, there will be more frequent lifts, because the capacity of the Unity FPSO is 220,000 barrels per day. And we’re hoping that before the year is out, they can reach full capacity.”

According to Bharrat, they got approximately US$95 million for the last lift. And with Brent crude prices currently averaging US$120 per barrel, he noted that Guyana could expect to make over US$100 million for each lift, should both lifts from the Liza Destiny

in oil prices at the local pumps.

“If both lifts are made in April, we get over US$100 million for each lift. On the other end of that, it means that gas prices will still be high at the fuel pumps and fuel stations. So, it’s a kind of a bittersweet situation.”

“I would prefer a balance.

That we get a reasonable amount for our lifts and the prices at the pump to go down too, so that people don’t have to be faced with the high prices we’re currently faced with,” Bharrat said.

The Liza Unity FPSO could mark its first lift

and Unity be completed in April.

The historically high oil prices (oil prices have not exceeded US$100 on the global market since 2014), are part of the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It is, however, a double-edged sword where Guyana is concerned. That is because of the sharp rise

Last week, in a move aimed at combating increasing global prices for oil and the impact those increases have been having on the local economy, as well as rising cost of living, the Guyana Government announced the excise tax on fuel importation would be reduced to zero. In announcing the measure, hope had been ex-

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat

pressed that this benefit would be passed on to consumers as soon as possible.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government had previously reduced the excise tax on fuel three times within the past year, from 35 per cent to 10 per cent before completely removing it on Wednesday last.

The previous week, two other major Private Sector bodies – the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and the Private Sector Commission (PSC) – had called for the removal of the excise tax altogether as a means of helping the population navigate these challenging times.

In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, prices of a wide range of commodities have significantly increased. Flour has not been spared, with the National Milling Company of Guyana Inc (NAMILCO) previously announcing a hike of 15 per cent on the price of flour with immediate effect.

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SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 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

Trinidad waited for Godot

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n Beckett’s famous play, “Waiting for Godot”, the two protagonists wait beside a tree for a mysterious man, Godot. However, Godot constantly sends word that he will arrive “tomorrow”, but that never happens. Beckett illustrated the futility of those who rely on illusions in their lives. The Keith Rowley government of Trinidad has recently criticised VP Bharat Jagdeo for mentioning - in an informal context - that Trinidad was “falling apart” for not diversifying its oil-based economy during its entire independent years.

Jagdeo said Trinidad was suffering from “Dutch disease”, which should serve as a cautionary tale for Guyana not to repeat that mistake.

But was Jagdeo’s point a biased opinion meant to denigrate the Trinidad Government or its people? Absolutely not. After the present Trinidad administration first acceded to office, the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) issued a policy paper on Trinidad in 2016, “Diversification in Trinidad and Tobago: waiting for Godot?” This was a direct assessment of the PNM’s handling of its oil-based economy, and the paper’s title alone was much more devastatingly judgmental than anything VP Jagdeo has said. We quote extensively and directly from the paper as much to support the PPP Government’s decision to focus on diversifying our economy as to remind PM Rowley that it is “better late than never”.

“An incessant theme threading policy discussion in Trinidad and Tobago (TT), although with an ebb and flow over time, is the diversification of the economy away from oil and gas towards non-oil tradables. This topic is once again in the forefront of policy discussions following the recent oil price decline and subsequent to a new administration that took office in September 2015. Facing the new administration is the task of dealing with low oil prices in the context of high public expenditure and continued expectations of direct public provision of jobs and income transfers, either directly or through tax expenditures to consumers and businesses. Whether oil prices remain low or not in the near future, the task is not only macroeconomic stabilization– fiscal adjustment, but to boost economic growth, hence employment over the medium term. Diversification needs to play a critical role in that endeavour.”

While the paper focused on “the potential role that the exchange rate plays in diversification, fiscal adjustment and economic growth”, it took pains to cite advice given to Trinidad almost a decade before: “…we argue that the standard policy advice - implementing structural reforms, improving institutions and the business environment, creating infrastructure and reducing regulations – though necessary, will not be sufficient, because of fundamental market failure stemming from Dutch disease.”

The paper pointed out that the T&T Government had been informed that “Diversification has been a policy imperative going back to the country’s first Five Year Plan and in subsequent ones. From these, the following can be discerned: i) Oil & gas will run out. At current rates of resource extraction, it is estimated that by 2025-2030, Trinidad and Tobago’s gas and oil fields will be fully depleted. (ii) Generate more employment meanwhile. Energy accounts for 44 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) but it only employed 3.1 percent of the labour force over the last decade. (iii) Reduce vulnerability to the vagaries of international prices of oil and gas. (iv) To increase overall economic growth, as countries with a high percentage of natural resource exports grew systematically slower than do those with few resources.”

The authors concluded that a 1995 paper was “prescient”. “In the early phase of the oil boom, foreign earnings were hived off into 'Special Funds', reflecting a conscious decision to conserve this resource. Once oil prices began to fall, however, there was a reluctance to put the brake on spending, and these reserves were quickly used up. With the buffer gone, and with the major foreign exchange sector in difficulty, the need for quick and strong corrective action became inevitable.”

And they noted, “…perhaps Santayana’s caution that ‘those who cannot learn from the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them’ is also relevant today.”

Both in Trinidad and Guyana.

US Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch and Deputy Assistant Secretary Barbara Feinstein travelled to Regions 5 & 6, where they met with local fishermen and the Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce. In photo, they're having a discussion with some fishermen

Continuous registration is flowing smoothly - this will strengthen our necessary democratic re-building

Dear Editor, The feedback from scrutineers and other reliable sources, confirms that approximately fifteen thousand new voters have already taken the opportunity to get registered since the commencement of this current Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Continuous Registration Cycle. In addition, another five thousand persons already visited the GECOM Offices around the country and are benefiting from the many other related update transactions that are available to our citizens during this period.

It is indeed heartening to see that our young people fourteen years and over, are making genuine efforts to get registered. GECOM must also be complimented for their Public Relations efforts, which also targets the audience at the Grass-root and the school levels. Notably, GECOM’s mobile response during this Continuous Registration is strengthening the process. Our young persons between the ages of 14 and 17 years, will become first-time additions to the Register of Registrants.

Significantly, many other persons who submitted a request for the replacement of lost Identification (ID) Cards or to have other changes before the 2020 elections are now uplifting their ID cards.

This is given that GECOM did not complete the issuance in the expected period following the last continuous registration exercise before the March 2020 Elections. It is

also known that many young persons registered during the suspended House-to-House exercise, but some did not satisfy the age criterion for being on the 2020 Final Voters List were not updated. Hence, these youths have the opportunity to re-register and no doubt, are looking forward to having their ID Cards.

Against the highlighted positives and basis for the legitimate expectation of the use of the Continuous Registration as the legally endowed and precedent-setting approach, one must note the Opposition’s persistent and pretentious advocating for a new House-to-House in an attempt to disenfranchise thousands of Guyanese who for justified reasons may not be in Guyana at the time of such an exercise.

They do so knowing that the House-to-House method as an approach to updating the Register of Registrants, will take over three years and in so doing, is likely to suppress any elections scheduled to be held within the period.

Further, they are also aware that this method conflicts with the Court’s decision on the removal of registered persons from the List.

Notwithstanding, our Citizens are not falling for this ‘bobby trap’ and are responding positively in this continuous registration Cycle. This is particularly since they are aware of the necessity to visit the GECOM permanent offices and get all their necessary transactions done. GECOM staff overseeing the process so far has done remarkably well

and must be congratulated.

Albeit the PNCR’s hypocritical complaints, their representative Scrutineers are involved at all of the GECOM’s Continuous Registration Offices.

This position augers well for transparency and the process will enable GECOM to produce an updated List for the Claims and Objection process. As such, it must be supported as an inclusive approach that allows a verifiable purpose of queries, checks, and approvals. It is critical to note that after the Claims and Objections period, GECOM will embark on the necessary Cross Matching for the elimination of duplications and other anomalies, and then print the present List along with the newly Registered persons.

The Claims and Objection period will also enable our registered citizens, the opportunity to make sure that they check and verify that their names are on the List which GECOM will post up in the various Communities for public scrutiny. After cleansing of that List based on responses from the resulting public queries, GECOM will then move to produce the Official List of Voters for the Local Government Elections in this case.

All interested stakeholders should assist to bring awareness to our people and in motivating citizens to get Registered in their respective communities so that our people could enjoy easy access to the corresponding Polling booth on Election

Day. Further, getting citizens must note that when one is registered at the place where he or she resides, it will enable the empowerment of one to vote, support, and elect representatives of their own choice to function as community representatives councilors on the Neighborhood Democratic Council in which that Community fall. One cannot be a representative Councillor if he or she resides outside of the specific local authority area (LAA).

Consequently, the updating of the List is very critical and all stakeholders also must do their groundwork to get all our people on the corresponding List for that LAA. Local Government Elections are overdue and we need to hold LGEs so that the most suitable persons could be elected to give quality leadership at the local level.

All those who are calling for a better Voters List must use the opportunity to get our people to register and do what is necessary to get ‘dead’ persons off the List following the accepted procedures. We must note that names cannot be removed at the whims and fancy claims

by Jokers. Hence, this process is very important for our people to get their names on the list. GECOM must continue to ensure the smooth flow of its work in this regard as this will guarantee the strengthening of our necessary democratic re-building.

Sincerely, Neil Kumar

SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2022

guyanatimesgy.com

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News

President Ali to meet Berbice farmers today P

resident Dr Irfaan Ali is expected to meet with farmers of Bush Lot, Region Five (MahaicaBerbice) today.

This visit comes on the heels of concerns emanating from the agriculture industry, specifically the rice sector, amid the inflation of prices for supplies and fertilisers.

Millers also reduced the price paid per tonnage.

Earlier this month, scores of rice farmers from Black Bush Polder, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), took to the streets in protest over an apparent decision taken by millers to decrease the amount they pay per tonne of rice.

They had said that for the

President Dr Irfaan Ali

current crop, their expenses were much higher than previously, with the cost for manure, fertiliser, labour and land preparation all being increased. The price to rent

land has moved upwards also.

For 15 acres - which the farmers refer to as a plot of land rent moved from $300,000 to $500,000. At that time, they were calling on governmental intervention.

One day later, farmers on

the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), staged a picketing exercise at the Anna Regina High Bridge, calling for better prices for their paddy.

During the protest, Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall spoke with the rice farmers, assuring them that the Agriculture Minister would visit the region to address the concerns of the farmers.

He added that the Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Agriculture would do everything in its capacity to reduce the cost of production in the rice industry. Meanwhile, the farmers had told this publication that they would continue to protest until they receive a better price for a bag of pad-

dy.

Last November, President Ali met with rice millers from across the country to discuss financial challenges as well as other issues currently plaguing the industry. The meeting was held at State House and saw millers from Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and Region Five (MahaicaBerbice) being engaged by the Head of State.

President Ali has been promoting Guyana’s agricultural potential at the regional and global levels, and has even described food production and agriculture as the country’s sustainable future.

Prior to this, President Ali had revealed that at the international level, his Government did not intend to sit down and wait for the situation to correct itself.

Referencing the rising cost of fertilisers, the President said that for weeks, discussions were held with many bilateral partners to remedy this.

While pointing out that Government has no control over import prices, Minister Zulfikar Mustapha had said that last month, working together, Government and farmers can reduce the price consumers pay for locally grown food.

Mustapha had explained that two factors have resulted in rising food prices: global warming, and the COVID-19 pandemic. He had also said that the impact of global warming has seen increased rainfall, and in Guyana, there was a countrywide flood last year that severely crippled the agriculture sector.

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Past, Present, Future: Don’t get stuck in a single time dimension BY: M arc Wittmann, Ph D

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man is stuck in his memories. His wife left him ten years ago, yet he repeatedly ruminates on his loss.

A teenager does not want to study for the upcoming final exam. Instead, she hangs out with her friends or plays her favourite video game at home.

She is stuck in the present moment at the expense of the future. A competitive lawyer works day and night, even on weekends, as she prepares for her clients’ court proceedings.

She hardly ever relaxes or meets friends. She is stuck in a future of unending court cases. What these people have in common is that the focus of their lives is on a single time dimension, the past, present, or future.

They are stuck in one temporal orientation and lack the flexibility to change to another when it would be better. The man who was abandoned by his wife cannot savour the present and will, therefore, have difficulties finding a new companion and leading a happy life in the future. The teenager who overly enjoys present entertainment might fail her exam and not be able to get an interesting job in the future because she lacks the appropriate skills. The lawyer misses out on the enjoyable sides of everyday life, like relax-

ing with friends or just going for a walk in nature.

She might even soon suffer from burnout.

Although only the experienced present exists in any given moment, access to the past is made possible through memory, and one also has future expectations and plans. The capacity to mentally travel back and forth in time is an important human adaptation developed in the course of evolution (Suddendorf & Corballis, 2007). The switching among time dimensions is often automatic, but it is essential for individual adaptation to changing situational demands. Two ideas in time psychology have recently begun to describe this form of temporal flexibility. One is the balanced time perspective. This derives from Philip Zimbardo’s time perspective questionnaire, which assesses an individual’s ability to focus on different time orientations. A balanced time perspective is one where an individual has moderate-to-high

levels in the past-positive, present-hedonistic, and future dimensions (Zimbardo & Boyd, 2008).

Time balance means a person can think about the ‘good old times’ and then switch to leisurely activity and know when to work hard to ensure future success. Maciej Stolarski and Joanna Witowska from Warsaw University formulated the idea of temporal metacognition, which is defined as the ability to consciously self-regulate the focus on the past, present, or future (Stolarski & Witowska, 2017).

They identified three dimensions of temporal metacognition, namely: (1) the capacity to control a maladaptive time perspective in a given situation and to switch to another (what all three above-mentioned characters lack), (2) the ability to reinterpret past events using present experiences (what the man left by his wife could not do), and (3) the ability to connect the three time dimensions to make con-

scious, purposeful decisions.

We can intuitively feel that a balanced time perspective leads to numerous beneficial outcomes.

I have shown that people with a more balanced time perspective experience less time pressure and less boredom in daily life, two main negative experiences we commonly face in our modern societies (Wittmann et al, 2015). I presented the results from my waiting-room study in an earlier Psychology Today blog: Individuals who were impulsively stuck in the present moment (just like our teenager) felt worse while experiencing a 7.5-minute waiting period and overestimated its duration – a typical symptom of boredom.

People with higher temporal metacognitive capacities are more friendly, conscientious, less neurotic, and more open to new experiences (Stolarski et al 2018).

The empirical results relate to one’s ability to regulate emotions, which in turn leads to a happier life. People who can effectively switch among the three time dimensions are generally more satisfied in life. They do not depend so much on external stimulation and are better able to adapt to new situations.

They are temporally more flexible. (Excerpt from Psychologytoday.com)

Adhikaarinee Dr Vindhya Persaud intervenes in Phagwah controversy in Guyana, 2022

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uyana must thank Adhikaarinee Dr Vindhya Persaud for her timely intervention in this year's national phagwah celebrations. She sought to protect dharma and the reputation of her great country, Guyana. She noted that in a secular country, deep respect for each other's religious events should guide celebrations "in alignment with the significance and manner prescribed by the religious community." Her response came in the wake of alarming alcohol, dance and fete advertisements inviting public participation.

It is the LCD (lowest common denominator) way for culture promotion in the Caribbean and is not a “one fit all.”

The Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha's Holi Utsav 2022 is a model for Hindus to emulate. Alcohol and lewd dancing, for example, are not welcome in this sacred space.

Krishna and the Gopis in Ras Lila demonstrate how to mix the sacred with the worldly.

Adhikaara is a Sanskrit word, meaning the one who has the authority, ownership, right, experience, and competence to pronounce on an issue. Adhikaarinee refers to the female with these qualities.

In the context of dharma, adhikaara refers, for example, to the authority that parents have over children and that the scholar or pandit or other such leaders have over a samaj or society. This person must have the right knowledge, competence and responsibility to judge an issue. Persons can have "adhikaara" in different spheres of life but not just based on title; they must meet conditions of trust, knowledge, competence, ability to examine and make sober decisions, knowledgeable on the subject, have valid ownership, and so on.

In the context of Phagwah/Holi celebrations, adhikaara belongs to those persons who claim ownership of the tradition, are educated in the subject and have the required intellectual tools to examine the issue in different contexts. It is their tradition they have kept it alive, made the necessary changes over time, transmitted it, know the process, values, etc.

These specialists are called adhikaaree-s. They have the right to pronounce on matters related to their dharma traditions, and Phagwah/ Holi is a Hindu dharma tradition. Along with fellow dharma adherents, they are the keepers, protectors and transmitters of the traditions and values.

In Trinidad, Phagwah used to be celebrated mainly in villages where Indians were in large numbers and where mandirs were located.

Some men would drink in the village rum shop and join the celebrations later. I recall that this rum drinking was the main recreation of the sugarcane workers. Then, slowly, the phagwah celebrations became centralized in community spaces that attracted alcohol and immoral conduct.

Ravi-Ji of the Hindu Prachar Kendra was followed

by Mr Sat Maharaj of the Sanatana Dharma Maha Sabha in celebrating phagwah in mandir and Hindu school spaces. Much innovation went into these efforts that creatively provided for the celebratory spirits.

Sacred stories and dramatic presentations around Prahalad and community games of the ancestors, and so on came to be associated with the fun and frolic of Phagwah at the Hindu Prachar Kendra. The Kendra led in the creative adaptation of dharma to suit the times.

Now rum-drinking men would have to do that on the sly and not in the phagwah space.

This year, Guyana faced the very dilemma that Trinidad faced some years back in the celebration of Phagwah. The public holiday of Phagwah and Divali allowed for a more national celebration.

Sometimes, persons who are not knowledgeable about the nuances of the culture might be motivated to bring nonharmonious elements into the festivities. We understand that and only education and laws can assist in this regard.

Perhaps it is time to call for appropriate regulations in the law books.

I recall way back in the 1980s when a Trinidad political party group advertised a Divali Barbeque and quickly retracted it when I wrote about it in the press. Since then, there have been Divali curryques suggestive of a vegetarian approach. It shows how we can live in mutual respect and harmony. Once we understand the other, we can and should adapt.

The story in India shows a significant decline as bhang, Bollywood actors, and unconventional conduct take over some phagwah/holi celebrations. They, too, need their dharma adhikaari-s to intervene in the degradation of Hindu sacred events and spaces.

Hindu teachings prescribe four goals of life: dharma (righteous living), artha (legitimate pursuit of wealth), kama (legitimate pursuit of worldly pleasures like recreation, love, and sex), and moksha (transcendence of the material world for immortality).

Selling alcohol and indulging in illegitimate kinds of worldly pleasures cannot be expressions of the ethos of Hindu festivals and sacred events. They are not in harmony.

Societies get derailed when the Adhikaaree-s fail to step in and provide timely guidance.

Dr Vindhya Persaud, therefore, must be heralded as the Adhikaarinee who did that to protect dharma in Guyana.

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 27, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Parent Company Guarantee being negotiated with operators in Stabroek Block – VP Jagdeo – says tough insurance provisions to be included in Yellowtail permit

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he parent guarantee that the Guyana Government is currently negotiating with the co-venturers of the Stabroek Block is just one of the several changes the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration is pursuing to strengthen the regulation of oil exploration activities offshore.

A Parent company guarantee states that if the subsidiary company enters into a commercial contract with a third party, that third party may want to ensure the performance of the contract and may look to other companies within the same group to provide a financial or performance guarantee in respect of the subsidiary’s obligations.

In such circumstances, parent companies are often requested to provide security in the form of parent company guarantees (“PCG”), to bolster the financial credibility of their subsidiary companies.

Under a PCG arrangement, in the event that a subsidiary fails to perform its contractual obligations, its parent company will effectively step in to complete the work and/or cover all losses and expenses which the third party incurs, or will incur, as a result of the subsidiary’s breach.

However, in a recent

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

broadcast interview, Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo responded to concerns regarding insurance coverage in the Stabroek Block while pointing out the myriad of ways the Government has, in fact, ensured increased protection for Guyanese in the block.

He compared this with what was done under the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government. This includes parent guarantees, which he said are currently being negotiated with the oil companies.

“On the insurance side, let me assure [AFC General Secretary David] Patterson that the provision surrounding insurance, in the Yellowtail permit, will be stronger than any they have

issued,” Jagdeo said.

“Separately, separately, not part of the permitting process for Yellowtail, we’re working with the companies to secure a parent guarantee that will cover the entire Stabroek Block. Not Liza 1, Liza 2, Payara or Yellowtail, but the entire Stabroek Block.

But that is a separate issue.”

The Vice President also assured that strong insurance provisions would be included in the Yellowtail permit.

Jagdeo went on to list some improvements that were made to the permits for the Liza 1 and 2 developments.

“Some of the key elements we got Exxon to commit to, was a cradle to grave ownership and management of their waste, that was not in the two other permits. So, any waste generated by this company, they couldn’t give to their subcontractors and say, you deal with that. They have responsibility for that. That’s a massive change,” he said.

“We then dealt with treated water, how the water that Exxon used, that gets pumped up, the level of treatment it has to undergo before it is released, we enhanced that.

Thirdly, there was no tax for flaring. They (APNU/AFC) said no flaring, but Exxon was flaring. We put in place a tax that has two components.

He explained that the Government established a tax with a carbon component, one of the first in the world whereby an oil company is taxed for flaring, as well as a loss of use fine in the same permit. VP Jagdeo further pointed out that Exxon is already required to pay for every tonne of emission they put out through flaring.

The oil rich Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometres). Exxon, through subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), is the operator and holds 45 per cent interest in the block.

Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds 30 per cent interest, and

CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds the remaining 25 per cent interest.

Exxon has previously revealed that it is working with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its co-venturers to put in place a combined US$2 billion in affiliate company guarantees.

According to Exxon, this is a value that exceeds equivalent guarantees required by regulators in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.

The company has also pointed out previously that EEPGL, the operator of the Stabroek Block, was estab-

lished back in 1998, and had, as of year-end 2020, almost US$5 billion in assets. These assets are considered a primary form of financial assurance and are separate from the assets of the other Stabroek Block co-venturers. In fact, Exxon noted that these other co-venturers also have substantial assets and share any liability for response activities.

The Yellowtail development, which will be oil giant ExxonMobil’s fourth development in Guyana’s waters, will turn out to be the single largest development so far in terms of barrels per day (bpd) of oil, with a mammoth 250,000 bpd targeted.

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Backflipping…

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…on US “interference”?? fter the last elections - exactly two years ago the PNC and its myrmidons went to town on US Ambassador Sara-Ann Lynch’s reputation. She’d engineered “regime change” in Guyana, they squealed in mock indignation. Meaning that she’d interfered to throw out the PNC Coalition!! But the indignation was “mock”, because they knew full well that all the good woman did (proving her goodness!) was insist that our votes be tabulated according to the laws of Guyana!!

So, she should’ve gone along with the dirtysheet rigged PNC elections like in 1968, 1973, 1978 (referendum), 1980 and 1885?? Jeez!! Didn’t they realise that the Cold War’s over and the Americans didn’t have any ideological axes to grind against the PPP, no more??

What the PNC should’ve asked is: why would the US oust them after they’d expressed such dissatisfaction with the PPP’s feral blast? Wasn’t it the PNC who’d given Exxon the best contract since Rockefeller pumped Saudi oil for 2cents a barrel??!! Why would the Yanks want them out??

Point is - without trying to read minds - what we DO KNOW is the Americans didn’t encourage the formation of any “Red Caps” or “Pink Caps”, or even “Vote like a Boss” campaign!! But none of that stopped the PNC from hysterically demanding the removal of Lynch as Ambassador!! Anyhow, the fact that Mia Mottley - whom NO ONE can accuse of pandering to the Americans or the West! - played an even more critical role in securing the will of the Guyanese people demonstrates the absurdity of the PNC’s wild claim. But then again, Mia also became the object of the PNC’s stink and dutty cussing out!!

But the PNC’s hypocrisy was exposed - once again!!

- with the visit of Barbara Feinstein, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti. (Haiti isn’t part of the Caribbean?) When she paid a courtesy call to the new PNC/APNU Leader Aubrey Norton, the man unloaded all his complaints against the PPP like a kid tattling against a sibling to their mother!! No consultation, GECOM structure, voters list, civil society angst…etc. Why engage in all this kvetching, save to beg the US to “interfere”??!!

But it looks like the PNC (as usual) were too lazy to do their homework!!

Feinstein was most recently at USAID for this hemisphere, do you know who was her boss? Clearly, Norton didn’t know - Sara-Ann Lynch!! Surely Feinstein knows - from the horse’s mouth!! - that her ambassador wasn’t involved in no regime change!! And while foreign affairs aren’t run along with personal feelings - surely, they impact one’s receptivity to kvetching!! But the PPP - in the person of VP Jagdeo - got the last word and corrected the PNC’s slander against Lynch.

Poor PNC!! …in Ukraine As your Eyewitness has cautioned - knowing what’s really going on in Ukraine during the “fog of war” literally and figuratively! - we have to take the news with a handful of salt!! One of our handicaps in Guyana is we’re only getting our news from one side…the West, which just happens to be “our side”. But - as with everything else - while we may have our druthers, it’s always wise to know the facts before reaching conclusions.

The latest news we got is that the Ruskies are now saying that they’re just sorting out matters in the Donbas region that abuts their border - and is dominated by Russian-speaking and Russian-friendly folks. Ukraine’s President Zelensky claims that the Ruskies couldn’t capture the towns they’d besieged…but like your Eyewitness had said, that historically was never Russia’s strategy. They neutralise armies. And with Ukraine now saying they won’t apply to join NATO and with Russia’s western borders buffered, maybe this was Putin’s goal all along?

War is hell…like chess! …by Trinis The Trini businessmen who’re already entrenched in our O&G support system here are having fits over their PM Rowley’s tantrums over being upstaged by Guyana and Barbados!!

To show Guyana is being fair, they will now be outed!!

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

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Food and Drug Dept head reassigned

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Catalytic Government for growth

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inally, we have some independence to fund our development goals through our oil revenues. But will we rely only on ad hoc measures? Without shackling ourselves to some “ideology”, shouldn’t we pragmatically integrate our plans with the extant macroeconomic structures to deal with our challenges and opportunities?

Nowadays, the neoliberal paradigm informs us that all decisions – including moral ones - are to be made by “markets”. But since the 2008 crash, we discovered there are no pure “free markets” running Ravi Dev any economy. In every country, production and productivity are functions of a mix of three institutions – the market, the state, and the community. We have to discover ours.

Markets function through competition, using prices as the mechanism to coordinate our production and consumption. But based on self-interest, they can get out of control – like in 2008. It is very efficient mechanism from a production point of view – profits motivate. But are there enough persons (entrepreneurs) willing to take the risks etc to make that buck in Guyana? What do we do when there aren’t? Hold our breath?

The state also coordinates our activities – through command and coercion - putatively for the “common good”. It enacts laws and makes regulations that affect our economic (and other) activity: as with taxes it imposes on imports or our incomes. In the modern world, we can’t wish the Government away. Finally, our communities also structure our activities – through voluntary cooperation engendered by close personal ties and relationships.

They work through trust. Can we make co-operatives work, unlike the past under the PNC? The task of Governments is not to stand on dogmas, but to tailor the right mix of these three institutions to suit their concrete conditions. The Western countries developed through a high level of dependence on markets, but their Governments and communities played, and continue to play, critical roles. They took two hundred years to get where they are. Japan, on the other hand, because of its unique societal values, depended much more on the role of the community, and trust. This allowed their State to play a much greater role in guiding and fostering development through their state-supported corporations. They caught up with the West in one century. After WWII, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore took only half a century to catch up – but again, not relying totally on market mechanisms and determining their unique institutional mix of markets, state and community to coordinate their economic activities. China has done even better since 1978 with its combination of “free” markets and (authoritarian) governmental control of finance and some corporations.

Pragmatically, we must concede that the cause of our underdevelopment is to some extent strategic, rather than structural.

Korea and Singapore were right where we were, if not behind, sixty years ago, not only statistically, but structurally. Look where they are today. Their Governments, as catalysts, set strategic goals, and then did what was necessary for them to be achieved. Take, for instance, one reason why Burnham’s “import substitution strategy” model of development failed. They nationalised and protected domestic industries and financial institutions that became inefficient and non-innovative, since the market forces fostering competition were destroyed. We had companies with a small captive market that had no reason to improve. The consumer suffered, because they had to buy inferior products at inflated prices. The only persons who benefited were the Government bureaucrats who had to be bribed to keep the goods, credits and licences coming.

Korea and Singapore, however, followed the Japanese example, and explicitly tied governmental assistance to selected industries based on the private corporations’ commitment and ability to export.

This strategic decision had two significant and faithful results that differed from the “import substitution strategy”. Firstly, the assisted firms were subjected to the market discipline of the competition of international trade. This was the most intense competition, and ensured that efficiencies and productivities had to be raised to the highest levels. These firms not only couldn’t afford to be fat and lazy like the protected ones in Guyana: they had to become world class – and they’ve remained world class. The second benefit, of course, was that the exports brought in foreign exchange, and there was no need to ban anything to save foreign exchange.

Will our Government back some companies in strategically identified areas to catalyse our growth and development? The Wales Development Zone offers an opportunity, but critically, the companies must also be subject to the discipline of world markets.

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

irector of the G o v e r n m e n t Analyst Food and Drug Department (GAFDD) Dr Marlan Cole has been removed from that post and reassigned within the agency.

This removal, which is being seen largely as a demotion, took effect immediately.

It was indicated to Dr Cole in a letter, dated Friday, March 25, following a meeting with Permanent Secretary of the Health Ministry, Malcolm Watkins, that morning.

According to the correspondence, “I am writing to inform you that a policy decision has been taken by the Administration of this Ministry to re-assign you laterally within Programme 6 to lend technical support to the Director of Standards and Technical Services”.

“As was discussed, Administration requires you at this juncture to

Dr Marlan Cole

work closely with the Director to assist with the capacity building of the Department of Standards and Technical Services, with particular focus on quality control,” the letter detailed.

Dr Cole was also informed of some of the duties that he is expected to perform in light of his re-assignment and the general expectations of

the Administration. It was noted too that other related duties may be assigned to him as the need arises.

The former Food and Drug Director was instructed to meet with the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Narine Singh, and the Director of Standards and Technical Services to further discuss his scope of work, the specifics of his new role and the activities

to be undertaken in that regard.

Moreover, he was also ordered to ensure the smooth transitioning from his post at the helm of the Food and Drug Department.

“You are also directed to undertake a seamless and comprehensive handover of the operations of the Government Analyst-Food and Drug Department to Dr Narine Singh, Chief Medical Offcer (ag), which should include all work assignments and properties of the Government of Guyana/Government Analyst-Food and Drug Department. It is imperative to note that all terms and conditions of your service remain the same,” the correspondence from the PS stated.

Dr Cole has been employed at the Health Ministry for over 20 years.

He has been a fixed establishment employee since 2013.

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Govt finalising RoPA amendments to table in National Assembly – VP Jagdeo – says recommendations rec’d being considered in redrafting legislation

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ublic recommendations that were submitted on the proposed amendments to the Representation of People Act (RoPA) are being considered as the Government moves to finalise the draft legislation for tabling in the National Assembly.

This is according to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo during a press conference on Friday, where he updated reporters on his meeting with United States Deputy Assistant Secretary for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti, Barbara Feinstein, who was in Guyana on a three-day visit.

Among the issues raised during that engagement is electoral reforms and the Vice President reiterated Guyana’s commitment to working with stakeholders including all political parties to strengthen the laws surrounding the conduct of elections in order to remove discretion and the room for capricious behaviour by any elected official.

With the proposed recommendations to RoPA being out for public review some five months now, Jagdeo disclosed that several recommendations were received.

“We’re in the process of looking through those recommendations, redrafting the legislation to be tabled hopefully at the next sitting of the Parliament and that legislation will be debated there. That would help to determine, to a large extent, transparency around the conduct of the elections and tabulation of the results, and announcements of the results,” he posited.

VP Jagdeo further indicated to reporters that Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Gail Teixeira was tasked with filtering out these public recommendations clause by clause. They have now gone over to the Attorney General’s Chamber.

“We will have to have the policy discussions to see which of the amendments are useful, that would enhance transparency and accountability on the part of GECOM (Guyana Elections Commission). And trust me, if they will do that and they don’t confer an advantage to any political party, we’re open to inclusion on the final draft. So, we’re going through that process now,” the Vice President contended.

In an effort to prevent the recurrence of the historic March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections that resulted in a five-month political impasse caused by blatant rigging attempts, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government last November released a host of proposed changes to RoPA for public consultation before the document is finalised and taken to the National Assembly.

But Minister Teixeira, whose Ministry was leading the public review, had disclosed earlier this month that the responses were not as forthcoming as anticipated.

“We did draft amendments to the Representation of People’s Act and the regulations; they were posted up for public examination. Interestingly enough, there hasn’t been a lot of responses. No response from the APNU/ AFC. Maybe it’s understandable but I would still think they would respond,” the Governance Minister posited.

According to Teixeira, so far, submissions were made by one of the small political parties – A New and Unity Guyana (ANUG) – as well as a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and several overseas-based Guyanese individuals and bodies.

In addition, the Minister said that GECOM also made some recommendations of their own.

“GECOM put in their comments on the reforms and added additional reforms that they felt should be included,” Teixeira stated.

The Government had indicated that it wanted to have the widest possible engagement with stakeholders including the various political parties on the proposed amendments to RoPA. An overhaul of the country’s electoral laws can see the Chief Elections Officer (CEO) at the Election Commission facing as much as life imprisonment for committing fraud, while others can similarly face hefty fines and jail time for any related offence.

The draft updated electoral laws also outline a clear process for the request of a recount, including empowering the Chairman of GECOM to grant that request.

Under the proposed laws, the CEO must immediately post the District Tabulation Forms on the Commission’s website as soon as he receives them from the Returning Officers.

Other persons involved in the electoral process can face fines as high as $10 million, and can equally be jailed for life if they breach any provision as outlined in the proposed updated Act. The immediate former CEO of GECOM, Keith Lowenfield; his Deputy Roxanne Myers, and the Returning Officer for Region Four at last year’s polls, Clairmont Mingo, were terminated last August for their role in efforts to derail democracy at the 2020 elections. The trio is also currently before the court on a raft of electoral fraud-related charges.

While the firing of these three senior officials and a general overhaul at the Elections Secretariat were met with much satisfaction by stakeholders, it is widely agreed that much more

needs to be done to restore public confidence in GECOM, especially as it gears up to hold Local Government Elections (LGE) this year.

But even as the election body tries to regain public trust, concerns have been expressed about the deeply polarised atmosphere at GECOM, particularly at the level of the seven-member Commission.

Only over a week ago, the Commission headed by Retired Justice Claudette Singh met virtually with the A Partnership For National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Opposition during which the coalition representatives expressed concern about a lack of public confidence in the electoral body.

But Government-nominated Commissioner Sase Gunraj had pointed out that the coalition refused to talk about the 2020 election fiasco and how those five tumultuous months contributed to the current public perception of GECOM. “[They said] the public confidence in GECOM is low – something to that effect. So, our response is, ‘look, what caused this?’ GECOM didn’t wake up one morning and have its public confidence erode,” Gunraj told this newspaper.

He further contended, “All of the events which have led to the public confidence in GECOM being eroded must be laid at their feet…when a person from our side attempted to do so, they obviously objected to these facts being pointed out to them and they did, in fact, say, that’s not what they came there for”.

The attempts made to sway the results of the March 2, 2020 elections were in favour of the then APNU/AFC Government. As a consequence, several politicians and party activists – including former PNC Chair Volda Lawrence – are before the courts on related charges.

FEATURE

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Mother Wendel Roberts: Guyana’s 2nd female priest founding members of her church’s choir. This was so because only men and boys were allowed to sing in the Anglican Church choir.

“I was in the choir, founding member of the ladies’ choir because in those days it was only men and boys who sang in the Anglican church choirs, so I was a pioneer there again,” she gushed.

Roberts stayed in the church and took the next in joining the Model’s Union. She did this in 1984.

In the interview, Roberts said that she “remained in the church and my next step was in the model’s union. I joined the Model’s Union in 1984 at Christ Church. Model’s Union ministers to Christian family life. There was more spiritual growth, more opportunity for leadership”.

All this time, Roberts had never thought about becoming a priest in the Anglican Church. It wasn’t until 2016 when the Diocesan synod passed the legislation for the ordination of women that she entertained the thought.

“It was only in 2016 when the Diocesan synod passed the

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Mother Wendel Roberts

s the times evolve, women around the world continue to break barriers in all aspects of life that were once known to be male-dominated fields. One of these courageous women is Wendel Roberts, the female to be ordained as a priest in Guyana.

Gender roles continue to shift in a society that once thrived on male dominance – a clear sign that the world is taking major strides towards gender equality. Women continue to play a major role in societal discussions across the world, on world peace, legislation, and many more discussions that impact the livelihoods of people.

Women are not only making gracious progress at the political level but also at the religious level, which is a feat that took years. The male-dominated field is slowly incorporating women into the religious discussions at the church level. Wendel Roberts, who grew up in the church, has now become one of those women as she has been ordained as the second female priest in the Anglican Church in Guyana, a repeated milestone.

Guyana Times sat down with Roberts, who shared our profound excitement over the fact that she would be the second woman to be ordained as a priest in Guyana at the Anglican Church.

Growing up, Wendel had always been in the church setting. Her mother was a Christian who instilled in her and her sister at an early age the values of being involved in the Church. She said her mother was a leader in the church in her own right.

When she was just ten years old, her mother thought that it would be best to have Wendel and her sister confirmed. So they switched from the church that they were going to the Anglican Church. According to Roberts, her mother did this because her family had been going to the Anglican Church for years, it is there that they got baptised.

Roberts’s early Christian education began at the salvation army.

“I have grown up in the church. My early Christian education I would say started at the salvation army, but we were baptised Christians and Anglicans, and then when we [were], at about age ten, my sister was twelve, my mother thought it was time for us to be confirmed and so we moved on from Christ Church where we had been baptised,” Wendel said.

The young churchgoer took part in all the aspects of the church that she could. She was in Sunday school and the church’s congregation class before moving on to the choir.

“I was in the church, Sunday school, congregation class, and then by the time I was age fourteen I was in the choir.”

At just fourteen years old, Wendel became one of the

resolution for the ordination of women that I was able to think about it a little more seriously, but at that time, I was also a lay minister,” she explained.

In December of 2020, Roberts took an even closer step, being ordained as a Deacon in the Anglican Church. In addition, Roberts was also an educator for more than 37 years, teaching at Guyana’s top schools, like The Bishops’ High School and the prestigious Queen’s College.

Though the second woman to be ordained as a priest, Roberts explained that members of the church are yet come to terms with a woman being ordained as a priest.

“It’s been a journey for the church,” she said, “and there might be some people who might say, “I don’t want a woman to work alongside me” and that kind of thing. And there might be some congregations that might be feeling the same way, but I think that that is changing because what is there to prevent a woman from serving god in the highest capacity in his church?”

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FEATURE

Mother Wendel Roberts...

FROM PAGE 13

Wendel Roberts at ordination as a Deacon

She added, “It’s a whole adjustment period and there will be some people who will be against it, but after much sensitization in the Anglican church about the ordination of women, actually it’s about 28 years since the first women were ordained in the province of the West Indies.”

Wendel said that her duty is to serve God, something she has been doing for a very long time.

She said, encouragingly, that there isn’t a barrier that any woman cannot break and they should not be deterred from any challenges

in life.

“There is no barrier to a woman occupying any position, in church or in state. And so, let us just equip ourselves and where we feel there is a call to move into any area of life do not be deterred, and especially if you’re a believer trust God, and pray and let him feel convinced that this is where God wants you to go. And once you feel that in your spirit, there is nothing to stop you,” she said.

Wendel was ordained as a priest on Friday in her hometown at Christ Church, Waterloo Street.

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24 NEWS Trial of wheat production to start in April with 50 varieties SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

– expansion of soya, corn production underway

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on-traditional crops are being explored

by Guyana to reduce its food import bill, and the next venture to commence in Guyana is trials for wheat production.

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha indicated on Friday that some 50 varieties will be used in the trial phase. Chief Scientist, Dr Mahendra Persaud has directed that by the end of April, the trial should commence.

“We are looking now to start wheat production in Guyana. The [Burma] Rice Research Station is leading this process. They have already communicated with our partners overseas and very shortly, we will be having about 50 different varieties to start a trial in Guyana,” the Minister noted.

Mustapha said this move

comes as President Irfaan Ali had signalled the need to embark on the production of new crops. He detailed that the country is placing equal attention to sustain traditional crops while it focuses on new projects.

“Unlike before, where wheat only used to grow in temperate climate, there is wheat now that are growing in hot climates like ours.

We’re looking for that area to be successful…Although we’re consolidating on our traditional produce, cash crops… we’re now embarking on non-traditional crops that will enhance our country’s future.

People depend on these projects for their livelihood.”

Meanwhile, in the department of corn and soya production, the Agriculture Minister informed that a seed planter will be procured to upscale

acreage, while facilities will be built to store and dry the grains. The overall aim is to expand production to 25,000 acres.

“Last year, we would have cultivated 125 acres on a trial basis and it was very successful. This year, we hope to increase that by 3000 acres and eventually by 25,000 acres so there is a need for a seed planter, rather than doing it manually.”

He added, “We’re working closely with the consortium that we have formed and we’re working with them in a public-private partnership.

This year, we will be building the silos there so that they can have the facilities to dry the soya and corn when they’re reaped. Eventually, we will be self-sufficient in producing our own soya and corn protein for the livestock indus-

try. Right now, there are lots of competition for food production. The FAO warned that this year, we might fall short about 30 per cent in food production. We are very fortunate in Guyana that we have the ability to produce our own food”.

It was reported that the Ministry has made strides in completing its work programme last year, with a remarkable 94 per cent.

Mustapha reminded that his Ministry has a domino effect on the population, making the execution of its mandate critically important.

He underscored, “In terms of achieving our work programme, we were able to achieve 94 per cent. That showed the kind of way we have been pushing this work programme. In a way, the Ministry of Agriculture has

very critical programmes that people depend on. So, when our agency executes a programme, there are a number of persons that would benefit and depend on the programme for their livelihood.”

Guyana is embarking on wheat production at a time when global prices are soaring – due to the going UkraineRussia war. This has contributed to inflated prices for food items.

Reuters had reported that Russia's invasion in February has ‘severely hampered trade

from Black Sea ports, driving up global Chicago benchmark wheat prices by 40 per cent and further pushing global food inflation that was already the highest in a decade.

“Supply disruptions from Russia and Ukraine, which together account for 30 per cent of world wheat exports and 20 per cent of corn exports, will erode food security for millions of people, with the Middle East and North Africa especially vulnerable due to their reliance on imports,” reports added.

Teen busted with 37lbs ganja under bed

The parcels of cannabis found

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19-year-old female was taken into custody following the discovery of 17.1 kilograms of ganja under her bed in her Tucville, Georgetown home on Saturday.

Police stated that ranks attached to the Police Narcotics Branch went to the home of the suspect, who is a marketing clerk, and conducted a search on her premises. This was after Police received credible information.

However, during the search, detectives found

two brown boxes under her bed containing several rectangular brown duct taped parcels.

Upon examination, a quantity of Cannabis sativa was found in the parcels. She was told of the offence committed, arrested, and escorted to Narcotics Branch along with the ganja.

The narcotics was weighed in her presence and amounted to 37.70 pounds or 17.1 kilograms.

She remains in custody assisting with investigations.

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EARTH HOUR

esterday, lights were turned off for one hour in observance of Earth Hour – not to be confused with Earth Day. For one hour, supporters in over 190 countries and territories around the globe turn off their non-essential lights as a show of commitment to fighting climate change, and raising awareness of the issues facing our shared home.

But Earth Hour is more than just an hour for Earth it's a movement for our own futures, for the benefit of people and planet. And it's not only a symbol of solidarity - it's a catalyst for change, harnessing the power of the crowd.

In Guyana, Earth Hour 2022 turned our collective attention to single use plastics – one of the major environmental crises plaguing all corners of the globe. In a world of convenience, many persons use plastic straws, plastic cups, plastic spoons, forks, knives, plastic food containers, plastic bags or plastic bottles on a daily basis. More often than not, these items are disposed of, after just a few minutes of being in use. Have you ever thought about what happens after they are disposed of? Are you aware that the single-use plastics we discard doesn’t simply disappear when they are thrown out? Rather they persist in the environment for a very long time; in most cases hundreds of years.

These “single-use” plastic items account for more than 7000 tonnes of solid waste discarded annually at the Haggs Bosch Landfill according to the Georgetown Mayor and City Council 2016, statistical data. Each year about 8.8 million tons of the world’s discarded plastic flows into the ocean.

The issue of single use plastics, extend beyond their production and use – it extends to the indiscriminate way we dispose of these items and the fact that alternatives exist. The solutions to some of the single use plastic items can be derived from planning and making better choices when meal planning, shopping and carrying out simple daily tasks. Materials exist locally for the manufacture of numerous alternatives – reusable bags, straws, food utensils and containers.

If you missed the Earth Hour celebrations, there are other ways you can show your appreciation and solidarity: 1. Reconnect with nature – explore nearby parks and green spaces or go hiking; 2. Cook vegan meals for your family and friends and challenge yourself to cook a meal where nothing gets wasted or get creative with leftovers; 3. Up your knowledge – awareness is the first step to action.

You can start by watching nature documentaries such as the Our Planet series on YouTube or Netflix; or 4. Volunteer for the environment – whether you join a community group or participate in a one-time activity, lend your efforts to help improve the environment around you.

Dispose of your waste in the correct way and choose alternatives to single use plastics!

Reference h t t p s : / / w w w. e a r t h h o u r. o r g / t a ke - p a r t /s p e n d the-hour?hsCtaTracking=19ae5736-45b6-4b93-88cd88cc8ca1d699%7Cc980ae46-8b36-4ad4-8a22-8dbb5ca421d7 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

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Making a living: Joycelyn DaSilva gives a taste of Moruca’s barbeque

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n one’s first visit to Moruca, finding a meal to suit one’s taste may be a consideration, but for many, the food prepared by Joycelyn DaSilva provides a reassurance that

one can overcome the munchies.

DaSilva has been serving up her meals for almost three decades, having started in the 1990s at the waterfront at Kumaka in Santa Rosa,

Moruca. But it is her barbequed chicken which has been a mainstay on her menu. “I sometimes make a healthy profit when we have activities here in Moruca,” she said.

Known for her welcoming smile, she told Guyana Times recently that she cooks daily and according to her, the job requires immense self-discipline. “I have to be up by 5:30 in the mornings to prepare

Joycelyn DaSilva at her food stall at Santa Rosa, Moruca

my food…If I miss that time, I would have to make up after the lunch hour. I cook early so that I can catch the lunch hour,” she said, adding that her pots of food would finish before the end of the working day.

She said on the busier days such as Mondays, two pots of food would “sell out.”

DaSilva spoke of her barbequed chicken, and according to her, while she tried varying her menu in the past, she has stuck with the popular dish since it is always appealing to the public.

She said she started out selling snacks, and then she introduced roti and curry to her menu. She said she continued selling the snacks alongside the roti and curry and one day she decided to try the fried rice. “It started out selling fast,” she said.

She gave credit to a member of the Guyana Defence Force whom she noted taught her how to barebeque chicken.

“One day while buying food here, he said that I should try the barbeque chicken and then he explained and showed me how to smoke the chicken,” she said. Since then, she has been selling the

nationally revered barbequed with fried rice. She said her husband, Stravos Stanley, who is Santa Rosa’s current village Toshao, provides pivotal support to her food business. “Sometimes he would be up with me early I the morning as I prepare to cook and he even sells in front here although these days he has Village Council work to do,” she added.

DaSilva said she started out the business by renting the chicken pen which was operated by the Village Council at Santa Rosa. She said that the rent rose a bit too high so she decided to purchase chicken from Charity on the Essequibo Coast. She said as time meandered, she decided to support her own by purchasing chicken from farmers at Moruca. “Whenever people bring their chicken, I would buy it because I know how it benefits them,” she said.

While there are others selling tasty dishes at the waterfront area at Moruca, persons who visit the Region One village always speak highly of DaSilva’s barbeque.

“They always come back to get a taste of my barbeque,” she said with a smile.

NEWS

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7 bids received to construct Santa Rosa's $10M ground 11-storey Brickdam Police Station coffee project being revived

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even bids were received and opened for the contract to design and construct the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) conceptualised 11 storey Brickdam Police Station, which will replace the edifice that was razed by an inferno last year.

The bids were opened by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) last week.

Among the bidders are SRKN and Associates Limited. They are teaming up with The Mackay Practice, a Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) based Architectural firm and Tensen Hughes.

Also bidding are Innovative Engineering Consultancy Service, PME Consulting Engineers and Aleron and Stages Consultancy Engineering, WSP Caribbean Limited (another T&T company), KS&P Limited, AI AR and Beston Consulting Incorporated.

Back in February 2022, the Home Affairs Ministry had announced the tender for consultants to design a new, 11 storey Brickdam Police Station, with bidders being invited to submit their bids to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) by March 15.

According to a statement

from the Ministry, a consultant is being sought to undertake the design service for the construction of the Brickdam Police Station, which was gutted by a massive fire last year.

“Bidding will be conducted through the National Competitive Bidding (NCB) Procedures specified in the Procurement Act 2003, and is open to all bidders.

Bidders are required to submit technical and financial Proposals which must cover travelling expenses and reimbursements,” the statement had said.

In 2021, Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn had said that a modern Police station complex would be constructed at Brickdam.

In Budget 2022, an allocation of $405 million was set aside for a new Brickdam Police Station. It had been announced that the Home Affairs Ministry would be consulting to determine the structural make-up of the building.

“The Brickdam barracks are under rehabilitation forced on with the issues by the fire for $20 million…In respect to the new Brickdam Police Station, we have made three conceptual designs, (of) which we have adopted one. We intend to get, along with our engineering group, work with some consultants in respect

of the structural, foundation design and issues related to the reticulation of the building,” Minister Benn had informed the National Assembly.

On October 2, 2021, a fire flattened the wooden complex which used to be the Brickdam Police Station.

Chase Green, a man who was arrested for robbery under arms, has since been remanded to prison for setting fire to the Brickdam Police Station. The fire, which started in the second storey in the administrative building, had destroyed some 80 per cent of the Police station.

Police Headquarters had said that Green confessed to starting the fire. Green reportedly confessed that he took a piece of sponge and wrapped it on a piece of wire which he lit and pushed through a ventilation hole in the cell over to a part that had some documents.

It was from there that the fire started.

T

oshao of Santa Rosa, Stavros Stanley said the Council’s plans to resuscitate its ground coffee project in the Moruca, Sub-Region One, is well underway.

The Santa Rosa ground coffee project was reintroduced to the region in 2018.

This $10 million investment was aimed to not only boost the region’s economy but the country.

Fifteen farmers were identified to benefit from the project and each was allocated 800 Robusa coffee beans for cultivation.

It was also being supervised by Jamaican agricultural scientist, Dr Leroy Santiago.

Stanley told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that this decision was taken as he believes the country’s agriculture sector will become the backbone of its economy, hence more emphasis is being placed on the region’s

agricultural prospects.

“We have over 4000 coffee plants still living there and so I went out there about a week ago and I brought fertilisers, chemicals and so on so that we can supplement those plants and have them revive,” he said.

To complement this effort, the village has also begun a cash crop farm to ensure the farmers are financially sustained, while awaiting coffee production.

A portion of the monies earmarked for the coffee project was used, according to the Toshao.

He explained that the village, “cannot plant eschalots here and get it to the market before it spoils but we can do things that have a long shelf life like ginger, turmeric, red beans, peanuts and so on. That is why we are focusing on that because it is our hope that we would be able to have a food processing plant here

Santa Rosa Toshao Stavros Stanley

where we can process all or most of our products to bring value added to it.”

To ensure the success of this project, the farmers were equipped with technical knowledge on planting techniques and pest control methods to boost their yield.

28 NEWS

SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

3 busted with $79M in ganja in Berbice River

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hree men were arrested by agents of the Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) on Saturday following the discovery of 717 kilograms of cannabis at De Veldt along the Upper Berbice River.

Based on reports received, on the day in ques-

tion a special operations team attached to CANU along with officers from the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard conducted a joint operation at De Veldt along the Upper Berbice River.

During the operation, the officers searched a building that was occupied by several individuals including minors. During the search, several parcels of cannabis were found, which, when weighed, amounted to 717 kilograms or 1580lbs.

As such, Massiah

Durant, 52; Shawn Lindie Snr, 44; and Shawn Lindie Jnr, 29, were arrested and escorted to CANU Headquarters where they are being interrogated.

The $79 million worth of ganja, from all indica-

tions, was being packaged for transhipment to another territory.

CANU thanked the Joint Services for its continued support, especially when it comes to maritime operations.

Theoretical driver’s exam to be done online

Chief Traffic Officer, Senior Superintendent Ramesh Ashram

T

he Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Friday announced that it will be moving away from physical examinations and will be bringing its theoretical examinations to attain a driver’s licence online.

This was announced

by Chief Traffic Officer, Senior Superintendent Ramesh Ashram as he delivered remarks at the National Road Safety Stakeholders’ Forum.

According to Ashram, the digitisation will commence at the beginning of April, and the trainee drivers will be able to receive their results immediately after.

He also announced that the new system will only be available to candidates who purchase their packages from Traffic Headquarters.

“The electronic examination as it relates to the theoretical part of the driving test will be conducted at the Felix Austin Police College but that is for candidates who purchase their learner driver package in 4A Brickdam and Traffic Headquarters,” he said.

He said this type of examination will erase any

doubt of corruption while at the same time improving the transparency of the examination.

Before writing the examination, persons will need to present their identification cards, and will not be permitted to have in their possession any paper, pens, or electronic devices.

Anyone found in possession of these items will be disqualified immediately.

If persons should fail the exam, a payment of $1000 is required to rewrite the exam one month after the date of failure. The schedule for online exams will be published shortly.

Over the years there have been several allegations of persons purchasing their Letter of Competence from Police ranks, as opposed to buying their package and going through the right process.

A Letter of Competence is issued by the Police when a person successfully completes the practical part of the driver’s examination.

Once issued, the letter is taken to the Guyana Revenue Authority where the person pays a fee and gets a driver’s licence.

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Teen killed after being struck down at Craig, EBD

A

teenager was on Saturday evening killed after he was reportedly struck by one car and run over by another at Craig Village, East Bank Demerara (EBD). The identity of the dead teen was not immediately available.

The car that reportedly struck the teen is a black Fielder Wagon bearing registration number PXX 2746, while PXX 8548 ran him over.

Based on reports received, the teenager was seen leaving a nearby shop with a bottle of water, and was attempting to cross the

road when he was struck.

He was in the company of another person, who managed to run to safety.

The now dead teenager was reportedly dragged a short distance before the car came to a halt. He was

pulled from under the car in a conscious state, but reportedly succumbed shortly after. Up to press time, the Police Communications Unit had not released any information on the accident.

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SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Minibus Union calls for stricter fines against drivers, conductors

A

s the Guyana Police Force continues to battle with the reckless behaviour of minibus drivers and conductors on the roadways, the United Minibus Union is advocating for stricter penalties for those operators who break the laws.

The President of the Minibus Union, Eon Andrews on Friday reiterated the Union’s condemnation of the reckless behaviour by drivers and conductors, noting that there must be stricter penalties to curb this.

According to Andrews,

only recently the Union was involved in a training exercise for drivers on how to operate when delivering a service to the public. But despite this, he said they are still faced with widespread misconduct.

“Even though some per-

Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn

Minibus Union President Eon Andrews

sons have been trained, they violate and they hope they are not caught and we have said to the Police if you see our persons are violating, lock them up. I have no option about that. Lock up these people. The penalties should be more severe.”

“It should be more severe because they are going to pay a fine and they come back a couple of minutes smiling in the park. It must be more punitive,” he said.

Andrews further called on the Home Affairs Minister to work towards achieving such a mandate.

Andrews said even though the Union can educate their drivers, the Police Force has the power to enforce the rules.

“We can advise, we can do certain things… I’ve said it before where you have some

young policemen who see people breaking the law and they turn their faces. They may go into the park and lock up somebody who is in the line, and you got a hot plater out there, and when certain buses come in, they disappear until they pass.”

“Some people even get locked up, and within a couple of minutes, they come back. Something is definitely wrong,” he explained.

The Union’s President said in these cases commuters are afraid to report such incidents, knowing the relationships the Police have with some civilians.

“There are people who are afraid to go and talk because they could be identified as snitches and I’ve known many times where persons would go and report some-

thing to the Police, and a couple of minutes after a man would come and say that me people tell me it’s you,” Andrews stated.

Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn, who was present at the event, said he is in full support of the increase in fines and will be working with the Police on such issues.

“That’s a discussion at the policy level that they would have to engage in and to arrive at a position, but personally I am supportive of an increase in fine”, the Minister said.

Two months ago, the Traffic Department of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) announced its intention to conduct countrywide exercises aimed at clamping down on untidy minibus drivers and conductors.

According to Divisional Traffic Officer of Division 4A – (Georgetown), Deputy Superintendent Timothy Williams, the minibus culture in Guyana poses many challenges for the Police Force, and it is time that this matter is dealt with aggressively.

He further noted that once minibus drivers and conductors are caught in untidy attire, or behaving recklessly, they can be charged.

guyanatimesgy.com

SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2022

35

News

Less than 300 COVID-19 cases recorded for March

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he COVID situation in Guyana has taken a break from January’s spike, where less than 300 cases have been reported for the month of March.

Statistics showed that on March 1, the country’s positives were at 62,946.

On Saturday, updated statistics showed cases moving up to 63,232. This accounts for 286 cases for the month thus far.

Meanwhile, deaths have remained at 1226. For March, this translates to six reported deaths. There were nine new infections for Saturday. In Guyana, 29,111 males and 34,121 females have contracted the virus.

There are two persons in the Intensive Care Unit, seven in institutional isolation, 76 in home isolation and 13 in institutional quarantine. Total recoveries stand at 61,921 while 564,105 tests have been processed to date.

With the World Health Organisation (WHO) re-

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD MARCH 26, 2022 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

9

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

7

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION

76

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

2

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

13

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

34,121

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

29,111

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

63,232

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

61,921

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED FULLY IMMUNISED TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

2518

REGION 2

2491

REGION 3

8045

REGION 4

31,259

REGION 5

2379

REGION 6

5749

REGION 7

2422

REGION 8

887

REGION 9

4015

REGION 10

3467

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN BE SAFE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC Wear a face mask.

437,757 335,935 1226

Keep a physical distance of at least 6 feet.

Wash your hands or use handsanitizer If you have any symptoms, call the COVID-19 Hotline.

GET MEDICAL ADVICE ON COVID-19 FROM MOH 24/7 HOTLINE NUMBERS: 2311166; 226 7480; 624 6674; 624 2819; 624 3067 OR 180/181.

porting a 9 per cent increase in COVID-19 cases globally within the past two weeks, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said this week that local authorities are on the lookout for a possible spike here. The spike in COVID cases globally is being attributed to the BA.2 variant – a sub lineage of the Omicron variant.

“Right now, we’re seeing a surge in cases in a number of countries. Over the last two weeks, the WHO has recorded a 9 per cent increase in cases globally and when you actually disaggregate the numbers, most of those cases are actually coming from the Western Pacific. But these cases do not represent the true number because a number of countries have also not been doing widescale testing so there might be some amount of underreporting and with the use of home kits, it is very difficult to capture the information from home kits… when people do the test at

home, very often they do not report it,” Dr Anthony explained during Friday’s update on the novel coronavirus situation.

In Guyana, a total of 437,757 persons or 85.3 per cent of the adult population have received a first dose of a vaccine while 335,935 persons or 65.5 per cent are inoculated with two doses.

For the 12 to 17 age group, 34,246 or 47 per cent have received a first dose while 24,917 or 34.2 per cent received two jabs. In terms of booster doses, 56,348 shots have been administered.

If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19 or needs any additional information, they are asked to contact the COVID-19 Hotline 231-1166, 226-7480 or 624-6674 immediately or visit www.health.gov.gy.

In the Americas, there have been 150 million cases with 2.69 million deaths.

On the global scale, countries have reported 476.3 million cases and 6.1 million deaths.

36 Dhoni’s 50 in vain, as KKR kickstart IPL 2022 with easy win SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2022

K

olkata Knight Riders kickstarted IPL 2022 on the right note, picking up a comfortable win. CSK managed 131, headlined by a smart 50 from former skipper MS Dhoni, but it proved to be not enough on the opening day at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Who led the chase for KKR? For a large part, it was their new recruit and opener, Ajinkya

Rahane. Starting with some crisp drives and a stunning pulled six off Adam Milne, Rahane got off the blocks rather swiftly.

He continued in a similar vein, but CSK hit back at the other end through Dwayne Bravo, who got both

Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana out in succession.

Rahane’s 44 set the tone in the small chase, despite minor hiccups.

What hiccups?

The departure of Iyer and Rana was soon followed by that of a wellset Rahane, when he turned Santner straight to midwicket. CSK managed to string together a few tight overs during this period, even getting the equation to around a run-a-ball. It allowed CSK to get a foot in the door.

How’d they get shut down?

Sam Billings played an enterprising hand, remaining busy in a 22-ball 25. And while he became Bravo’s third victim of the match, he had done enough, along with skipper Shreyas Iyer, who remained unbeaten on 20, to make sure that CSK weren’t allowed a comeback.

What went wrong for CSK? A lot, successively. Ruturaj Gaikwad was hurried initially by a bustling Umesh Yadav, and caught at slip in just the first over for a duck. Yadav made it even better in his next over, getting the other opener, Devon Conway, caught too.

With the track initially offering some

Ajinkya Rahane top scored for KKR with 44

assistance for the seamers, CSK had been forced onto the backfoot. That was accentuated by a tight spell from the spinners - Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine - soon after.

A quick stumping by Sheldon Jackson as Robin Uthappa overbalanced gave way to further collapse. Ambati Rayudu was run out on 15 after a mix-up with skipper Ravindra Jadeja, while Shivam Dube’s stay ended with a tame pull.

At 61/5 after the halfway point, CSK had little going their way.

How’d they turn it around?

By some percentage cricket, and turning back the clock by a few years. Both current skipper and former skipper MS Dhoni focused on just stemming the rot for the next six overs. Only 20 runs came, but no wicket fell in this period, with spin still proving to be an effective restricting option.

Varun and Narine gave away only 38 in their eight overs combined, keeping a lid on things until the turnaround.

What happened after?

As pace returned in the death overs, Dhoni unfurled some of his best shots in recent times, pulling and whipping with great timing and precision. He went through a period of hitting that moved him up to a well-deserved fifty, in which he got his last 35 off just 13 balls.

Jadeja was largely kept off strike in the end overs, but he, too, managed to create a mark, hitting the final ball of the innings for a six over cover in taking CSK to 131.

CSK had managed 47 in the last three overs, with the partnership worth 70 off 56 balls.

As it turned out, all it did was delay the inevitable. (Cricbuzz)

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MS Dhoni got to fifty off 38 balls

SCOREBOARD CHENNAI SUPER KINGS INNINGS (20 OVERS MAXIMUM) Ruturaj Gaikwad c Rana b Yadav 0 Devon Conway c SS Iyer b Yadav 3 Robin Uthappa st †Jackson b Varun 28 Ambati Rayudu run out (SS Iyer/ Narine) 15 Ravindra Jadeja (c) not out 26 Shivam Dube c Narine b Russell 3 MS Dhoni † not out 50 Extras (nb 2, w 4) 6 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 6.55) 131/5 Did not bat: Dwayne Bravo, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tushar Deshpande Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Ruturaj Gaikwad, 0.3 ov), 2-28 (Devon Conway, 4.1 ov), 3-49 (Robin Uthappa, 7.5 ov), 4-52 (Ambati Rayudu, 8.4 ov), 5-61 (Shivam Dube, 10.5 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Umesh Yadav 4-0-20-2 Shivam Mavi 4-0-35-0 Varun Chakravarthy 4-0-23-1 Sunil Narine 4-0-15-0 Andre Russell 4-0-38-1

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS INNINGS (TARGET: 132 RUNS FROM 20 OVERS) Ajinkya Rahane c Jadeja b Santner 44 Venkatesh Iyer c †Dhoni b Bravo 16 Nitish Rana c Rayudu b Bravo 21 Shreyas Iyer (c) not out 20 Sam Billings c Deshpande b Bravo 25 Sheldon Jackson † not out 3 Extras (b 4) 4 TOTAL (18.3 Ov, RR: 7.18) 133/4 Did not bat: Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy Fall of wickets: 1-43 (Venkatesh Iyer, 6.2 ov), 2-76 (Nitish Rana, 9.6 ov), 3-87 (Ajinkya Rahane, 11.4 ov), 4-123 (Sam Billings, 17.3 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Tushar Deshpande 3-0-23-0 Adam Milne 2.3-0-19-0 Mitchell Santner 4-0-31-1 Dwayne Bravo 4-0-20-3 Shivam Dube 1-0-11-0 Ravindra Jadeja 4-0-25-0

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SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2022

WI vs England: Apex Test series, Final Test…

ENGLAND FACING HUMILIATION – Mayers’s five-for caps Da Silva’s maiden hundred W est Indies are closing in on a stunning victory in the third Test in Grenada, after Kyle Mayers’s blink-of-an-eye five-wicket haul seized on the dogged, emotional efforts of Joshua Da Silva’s maiden Test century to leave England braced for the ignominy of a fifth consecutive series loss*; a low that - excluding one-off Tests - they have never before encountered in their Test history.

A day that had dawned with the contest seemingly in the balance was ripped emphatically in West Indies’ favour in an extraordinary morning session, as Da Silva and his #11 sidekick Jayden Seales continued the remarkable trend of tail-end runs with a tenth-wicket stand of 52.

By the time they were parted on the stroke of lunch, a slender lead of 28 had swelled to 93; and, given that England had shipped eight wickets in reaching that mark in the first innings, it was clear that the afternoon was sure to be fraught with drama.

Even allowing for England’s current bottom-feeding standards, few could have imagined the stunning ineptitude of what would follow. By the close, Jack Leach was once again at the helm, gritting his teeth for his favourite score of 1 not out, and England’s first-innings top-scorer Saqib Mahmood was still in the hutch.

After a two-tiered meltdown in the day’s final two sessions, England had left their lowerorder a resuscitation job the

likes of which have scarcely been achieved since Headingley 1981.

Mayers, West Indies’ unassuming medium-pacer, was in the thick of the action in both phases. As if his first-day intervention of 5-5-0-2 had not been enough of a bonus from a man nominally recalled to reinforce the batting, he capped his comeback performance with the bafflingly brilliant figures of 5 for 9 in 13 overs, as England thumbed through their portfolio of clichéd collapses to serve up quite possibly their worst batting display of an already epoch-ally awful winter.

Who gets the accolade?

Crawley, for setting the rot in motion by edging yet another drive for yet another singlefigure score? Joe Root, for fencing outside his eyeline yet again, in the manner with which Australia had suckered him time and again in the Ashes? Dan Lawrence, for a gullible leave-alone? Jonny Bairstow for giving away a wellset recovery via one of the most transparent sledges ever picked up by the stump-mic? Or Ben Foakes, for a headless-chicken run-out that reaffirmed the direction in which England’s fortunes were heading?

Frankly, the accolade belongs to an amalgam of the entire team; for the bowlers, who have been left to scrape together a nominal target for West Indies, were every bit as culpable in the events of a dark day for English cricket.

From the outset of the third

day - with West Indies precariously placed on 232 for 8, and with the challenge of batting last on an upand-down deck - it was clear that England had learned nothing from either their success in the middle of West Indies’ collapse to 128 for 7 on the second afternoon, or from their subsequent failure to dock the tail before nightfall.

Though Saqib Mahmood made the day’s first breakthrough after 20 minutes, when he dragged his length back to have Kemar Roach caught down the leg side without adding to his overnight 25, England would not part the final pair for a full two hours of an extended session.

With a wearying lack of gamesmarts, the seamers continued to target a wide channel outside off, inviting a loss of patience that Da Silva in particular was not about to grant them, as the lead grew slowly but inexorably all morning long.

Da Silva did have some early moments of discomfort though.

On 65, he was given out lbw as Chris Woakes briefly hit a fuller, straighter length, but the decision was over-ruled due to an insideedge; and Da Silva hadn’t added to his total when, one over later, Woakes pinned him on the bottom hand with a lifter, a blow that necessitated a couple of visits from the physio, and later caused him to pass over the wicketkeeping duties to Shamarh Brooks.

England’s frustrations were soon off the scale, seeing as they should have removed Seales only

moments after he had come to the crease. He hadn’t yet got off the mark when Mahmood pinned him in front of off stump, but England had burned all their lifelines in their second-evening desperation.

Sure enough, replays showed that the decision would have been overturned, and to make matters worse, the ball deflected past the diving Ben Foakes for four legbyes.

But much as had been the case with England’s own tenthwicket stand on the first day, the unfussy endurance merely exacerbated the frustrations of the bowling team. With drinks approaching, England were forced to turn once more to the toiling Stokes, his knees creaking after his unexpectedly full-on workload in this series, but even his best efforts couldn’t go to hand, as Seales jabbed a lifter from round the wicket through a gap in the cordon and away for four.

England’s stint in the field had stretched past 100 overs when Da Silva decided it was time to take on the spin of Jack Leach, with an ambitious slap back over the bowler’s head for a onebounce four just inside the rope.

For the most part, however, he was content to bide his time and marshal the strike, reasonably safe in the knowledge that only an error in judgement was likely to dislodge either man against a notably uninspired attack.

As the session extended, West Indies began to trust themselves

to pick up the tempo a n d stretch their lead - notably when Seales shelved his previous reticence to club the first six of his career off Leach and over long-on. And with lunch already delayed by the endurance of their partnership, Da Silva finally brought up his landmark moment in thrilling style with backto-back boundaries off Craig

Kyle Mayers claimed a maiden five-wicket haul

Overton - the latter a fierce slap off the back foot through longon, as he gave himself room to leg, and immediately roared in triumph as he raised both fists to the heavens.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 39

SCOREBOARD WI 1ST INNINGS Kraigg Brathwaite (c) lbw b Stokes 17 John Campbell c †Foakes b Overton 35 Shamarh Brooks lbw b Mahmood 13 Nkrumah Bonner c †Foakes b Woakes 4 Jermaine Blackwood lbw b Woakes 18 Jason Holder c Bairstow b Woakes 0 Kyle Mayers c Mahmood b Stokes 28 Joshua Da Silva †not out 100 Alzarri Joseph c †Foakes b Overton 28 Kemar Roach c †Foakes b Mahmood 25 Jayden Seales c & b Root 13 Extras (b 1, lb 13, w 2) 16 TOTAL (116.3 Ov, RR: 2.54) 297 Fall of wickets: 1-50 (Kraigg Brathwaite, 16.6 ov), 2-68 (Shamarh Brooks, 22.2 ov), 3-69 (John Campbell, 23.1 ov), 4-82 (Nkrumah Bonner, 31.3 ov), 5-82 (Jason Holder, 31.6 ov), 6-95 (Jermaine Blackwood, 35.4 ov), 7-128 (Kyle Mayers, 47.2 ov), 8-177 (Alzarri Joseph, 68.5 ov), 9-245 (Kemar Roach, 90.6 ov), 10297 (Jayden Seales, 116.3 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Chris Woakes 25-7-59-3 Craig Overton 23-3-81-2 Saqib Mahmood 24-9-45-2 Ben Stokes 22-4-48-2 Jack Leach 21-6-49-0

Joe Root 1.3-0-1-1 ENGLAND 2ND INNINGS Alex Lees b Mayers 31 Zak Crawley c Holder b Seales 8 Joe Root (c) c Campbell b Mayers 5 Dan Lawrence b Mayers 0 Ben Stokes c Brooks b Mayers 4 Jonny Bairstow c †Da Silva b Joseph 22 Ben Foakes † run out (Mayers/ †Da Silva) 2 Chris Woakes not out 9 Craig Overton c Holder b Mayers 1 Jack Leach not out 1 Extras (b 13, lb 7) 20 TOTAL (53 Ov, RR: 1.94) 103/8 Yet to bat: Saqib Mahmood Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Zak Crawley, 3.5 ov), 2-27 (Joe Root, 8.3 ov), 3-27 (Dan Lawrence, 10.3 ov), 4-39 (Ben Stokes, 16.3 ov), 5-80 (Jonny Bairstow, 41.1 ov), 6-83 (Ben Foakes, 41.6 ov), 7-97 (Alex Lees, 46.2 ov), 8-101 (Craig Overton, 48.2 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Kemar Roach 8-4-8-0 Jayden Seales 10-2-24-1 Kyle Mayers 13-7-9-5 Jason Holder 8-5-6-0 Alzarri Joseph 12-1-34-1

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2022

Last Man Standing Barbados Open 2022…

YANKEE ROYALS LIFT TITLE – Forrester, Nannan play key roles

Winston Forrester and Raj Nannan posing with the championship trophy

Scintillating cricket action in the Last Man Standing (LMS) Barbados Open 2022 tournament continued on Friday night with the Yankee Royals defeating Westfield & the Columbian Moose in a thrilling T20 affair at the Kensington Oval.

Participating in the action on behalf of the Yankee Royals were the Guyanese duo of Winston Forrester and Raj Nannan.

Batting first, Westfield & the Columbian Moose posted 119-4 in their allotment of 20 overs. This was largely due to the excellent bowling performance of the Yankees.

Forrester bagged 1-21 from his four overs, while Nannan bowled an economical spell that conceded just

16 runs from his four overs.

Top scoring for Westfield were Sharmin Kharbari with 44 and Tennyson Roach with 39.

In the Yankees’ chase of a meagre 120 for victory, Westfield ensured they made their opponents work hard for every run scored.

Forrester, who “got things going”, was dismissed for 19, but Bilal Quershi kept things ticking with a 15-ball 30, although wickets kept tumbling.

Achieving 120 seemed a tough task, but when Nannan came to the crease, he struck 33 off 22 deliveries, inclusive of two boundaries and two maximums, causing his side to inch closer to victory. And after Nannan had fallen, Burhan Saeed took things home for the Yankees with a run-aball 22. Thus the Yankee Royals were able to end their innings on 123-7 in 19.3 overs.

Zeeshan Motara and Siddharth Divenni each bagged two wickets in a losing cause.

The Yankee Royals are now fivetime champions of this Last Man Standing tournament, which has been played in countries such as the USA, Spain and South Africa. The next edition of the tournament will be held in December 2022 in South Africa.

ENGLAND FACING HUMILIATION...

One ball later, Da Silva’s innings seemed to have been ended by a fine riposte from Overton, as the ball leapt off the deck and through to the keeper via an apparent inside-edge.

But in farcical scenes that rather summed up England’s morning, Da Silva was already leaving the field to handshakes, only to be called back on after his speculative use of the review showed that he hadn’t touched the ball, and the only deflection had come off his thigh.

Root’s offspin ended the agony moments later, as Seales popped up a return catch to end their innings on 297, but the die was already cast for England’s ignominious day.

Sure e n o u g h , t h e collapse, when it came, was farcically f a m i l i a r.

Crawley, who is increasingly worthy of the old Shane Warne jibe about playing t h e same innings 36 times, duly threw his hands into the corridor of uncertainty to end his 37th via a fat deflection to Jason Holder at slip. And England were 14 for 1, and the rot was setting in.

Into the attack with almost presumptuous haste came Mayers for only the ninth over of the innings.

And lo and behold, within three balls, he’d landed his big fish for the second time in the match - and to a

flaw that, in its own way, is every bit as debilitating as Crawley’s.

During the Ashes, Root’s urge to open the face and pick off runs through third man had frequently been his undoing, and so it proved again, as Mayers’s lack of pace turned a fence outside the eyeline into a wobbly slash to John Campbell at slip.

And one over later, Mayers struck with his third ball once more, as Lawrence - willing himself to play himself in and ride out the new-ball threat - shouldered arms fatefully as the ball tailed back in to crash into off stump, and send him on his way for the fifth duck of his career, and the 11th of England’s calendar year.

At 27 for 3, it seemed ghoulish to suggest that England’s day could get any worse, but sure enough they obliged. In making 31 out of England’s first-day 67 for 7, Alex Lees had been the relative mainstay during their firstinnings catastrophe. But on 9, he too couldn’t resist having a dart

turned on his heel, pounded that back-of-a-length once more, and Stokes, back in his sights after a jogged single, couldn’t decide whether to play or leave.

Brooks, who had taken over the keeping duties at the start of that same over, swallowed the deflection for his first feel of ball in glove, and at 39 for 4, England were in a tailspin.

For a fleeting passage of play in the mid-afternoon, England appeared to have got the measure of the match requirements. Lees knuckled down with his singular lack of flamboyance, while Bairstow bristled with that plausibly classy demeanour that he tends to bring to the toughest of match situations.

Given everything the teams had already learnt about the lifespan of the Duke’s ball on this peculiar surface, there was reason to believe that their fifth-wicket stand of 41 could be the sign of a corner turned.

But then, after lining up

outside h i s eyeline, as Mayers served Bairstow with a length up some width, but Bonner line of attack from at third slip could only get over the wicket, Alzarri his wrist on a low Joseph switched edge to his left. to round the Joshua Da Silva scored No matter, wicket, just as his maiden century Mayers simply Da Silva was

39 FROM PAGE 38

heard chirping over the stump-mic: “You’re batting slow now, Jonny, like me!” Bairstow’s response was a dismal thrash across the new line as Joseph banged it in short, and the gleeful Da Silva whooped with delight for the second time in the day as England’s most dangerous remaining batter was prised out.

After that, the panic within England’s ranks was palpable. Before the over was done, Foakes took on Mayers’s bullet arm at backward square with a stuttering second run, and was short by a yard as Da Silva whipped off the bails.

And five overs later, Lees - on 31, just as in the first innings - toppled off his insubstantial plinth as Mayers hit a good length from round the wicket and found a hint of uneven bounce to splatter his off and middle stumps.

At 97 for 7, England did at least have a lead by that stage, but Mayers was in no mood to let them off the leash.

Six more balls were all he needed to seal his maiden Test five-for, as Overton fenced incompetently in the channel outside off, and Holder’s juggling catch sent West Indies’ joy into overdrive.

This game, this series, is already toast. And England are about to lose their tenth series in the Caribbean out of 11 since 1968. (ESPNcricinfo)

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

SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2022

guyanatimesgy.com

Commonwealth Games 2022…

Queen’s Baton received amidst praise for athletes from PM …Guyana leg of relay underway

The Queen’s Baton

2020 Olympians Chelsea Edghill, Keevin Allicock and Aleka Persaud pose with the Queen’s Baton Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips displaying the Queen’s Baton

By Jemima Holmes

I

n anticipation of the staging of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the Queen’s Baton will be carried by athletes to Linden, Iwokrama, Riverview and Annai as the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) opts for a more scenic marathon this year.

This and more were revealed on Friday evening when Guyana officially received the Queen’s Baton for commencement of the Guyana leg of the relay.

The Queen’s Baton was first handed over to Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, who is performing the duties of President, and the Prime Minister used the opportunity to speak highly of

Guyana’s athletes and the continued efforts to raise the bar of sport locally.

Guyana is number 46 of the 72 countries and territories to which the Queen’s Baton would travel before arriving in Birmingham, United Kingdom, for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Bearing a secret message that would be opened and read by the Queen at the July 28th beginning of the Games, the Baton was previously in Belize, and will travel to Grenada after Guyana’s relay.

President of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA), K.A Juman-Yassin, has disclosed the route for this year’s relay, and the reason why such a route was

WI vs England: Apex Test series, Final Test…

decided upon.

“The route in Guyana, normally, we have the first day in Georgetown, but because of the COVID pandemic, we decided not to do it in Georgetown. In Georgetown, most of you have seen it before, there’s a lot of crowds,” Yassin revealed.

He added, “So, because of the COVID, we decided we would start it at Linden, and from Linden we would go to Iwokrama, then to Fairview, the Canopy Walkway, then to Annai and back.”

British High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller, at whose residence the reception was hosted, supported the GOA’s decision, especially in the interest of climate change.

Miller related, “I’m delighted

British High Commissioner Jane Miller, PM Mark Phillips and GOA President KA Juman-Yassin pose with the Baton Guyana’s only Olympic medalist, Mike Parris, taking a photo opportunity with the Baton

that we’re going to be going to Linden, and in particular into the rainforest. Many of you will know that we had the big Climate Conference in the UK at the end of last year, COP- 26, and the UK is now President of COP-26; so, climate change and climate issues are very important to us.

“And Guyana, with its incredibly beautiful and very important rainforest, seems a more appropriate place to be taking the baton,” she said.

Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips has applauded Guyanese athletes as he expressed his Government’s commitment to the development of sport.

“As we consider the symbolism of this occasion, we

must also acknowledge the hard work and training that has been invested by our athletes who will be competing in the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“Guyana has proudly participated in these games for 19 years. We’re honoured to have been represented by scores of athletes, who have made us proud with their performances,” Phillips shared.

“Our Government believes in the importance of sports to the all-round development of our people. We understand that, in addition to having a growing economy, there must be robust support in the development of sports.

“Founded on this belief, the

Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport now has its largest budget in our country’s history.”

The Guyanese Prime Minister, performing duties of the President, further stated, “As the baton makes its rounds through our country, touching the mining town of Linden and landmark locations such as Iwokrama, Fairview and Annai, this will be an opportunity for us to celebrate the achievements of our people in sport.”

The Queen’s Baton Relay commenced on Saturday morning in Linden, where athletes took turns in carrying the baton by walking, running and riding. The Commonwealth Games are scheduled to be held from July 28th to August 8th, 2022.

Page 38

ENGLAND FACING HUMILIATION – Mayers’s five-for caps Da Silva’s maiden hundred

Kyle Mayers produced a remarkable five-wicket haul. (Getty Image)

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