Guyana Times - Sunday October 31, 2021

Mastering the art P of diya making 13

Nationwide coverage coverage from from the the best best news news team team in in Guyana Guyana Nationwide Issue No. 4817 guyanatimesgy.com

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THE BEACON BEACON OF OF TRUTH TRUTH THE

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021

Police must end "coverup culture" – acting President

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Woman caught sneaking ganja into Lusignan P8 Prison

Govt engaging more airlines to enhance trade

…calls for rooting out of rogue cops

Abu Dhabi Ports optimistic about investing in deepwater harbour in Guyana Page 7

...technical team already visited Guyana

Omai moves to new gold exploration mine in Region 7

3 years later

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Family still waiting for justice for mother of 2 killed at home 3 more die, 104 new COVID-19 …only fully-vaccinated persons can cases recorded enter Guyana, public buildings Page 10

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Motorcyclist, driver, passengers injured in Georgetown P32 accidents

3 nabbed with ganja in separate CANU operations P32

Police Force to raise entry standards for new recruits

…recruits with only P31 primary education to be a “thing of the past”

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

3 Police must end "cover-up culture" – acting President NEWS

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Sunday, Oct 24 – 04:00h – 05:30h and Monday, Oct 25 – 04:00h – 05:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, Oct 24 – 06:15h – 07:45h and Monday, Oct 25 – 06:45h – 08:15h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny intervals are expected during the day. Expect partly cloudy skies at night. Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 13:15h reaching a maximum height of 2.29 metres.

Low Tide: 06:40h and 19:10h reaching a minimum height of 0.92 metre respectively.

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…calls for rooting out of rogue cops

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cting President, Retired Brigadier Mark Phillips had a stern message for the top brass of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Saturday when he attended the inaugural Integrity in Policing Symposium: Root out the rogue cops dragging down the Force’s image.

Phillips, who was representing President Dr Irfaan Ali following his departure for the COP26 Summit in Scotland, gave the feature address during the opening ceremony of the symposium at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).

The Prime Minister spoke of the importance of the GPF creating a culture of integrity, noting that the Police cannot fulfil their mandate if they do not have the trust and confidence of the wider Guyanese society. This means an end to the “cover -up” culture.

“When you see something wrong, you have to report it; you have to investigate it, not cover up…you cannot have a command culture or climate where people are waiting their turn to get into a position to commit abuses and misappropriations; that will not help the Force…if you do not have integrity, your organisation will suffer,” Phillips said.

Additionally, Phillips urged the leadership of the GPF to manage the organisation in a consistent and transparent manner while upholding the tenets of good policing, since one bad apple could tarnish the image of the entire Force.

“If we have an officer who sets the bar and is leading and has the right command climate – no-nonsense, not accept-

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Prime Minister, Retired Brigadier Mark Phillips

ing or covering up matters that impinge on the integrity of his subordinates, and then we have another commander who is doing something different, it wouldn’t be long before you see the difference,” he said.

One recommendation the Prime Minister made to acting Police Commissioner Nigel Hoppie was that every member of the Force should have, at all times, a booklet listing the values and standards of the GPF as a reminder.

For his part, the acting Commissioner admitted that some of the ranks did

not demonstrate characteristics that are in keeping with the core values of the Force when interfacing with members of the public. This results in some ranks being discourteous and unprofessional, using abusive language and excessive force. The vices even extend to some ranks using public office for private gain by collecting bribes.

“Some frontline ranks engage members of the public in an impolite, unethical and disrespectful manner, which results in dissatisfaction with Police services… public trust and

confidence are most likely to be engendered through the action of Police ranks with interfacing with members of the public where ranks must demonstrate core values that are inherent to good Police ranks,” Hoppie said.

Among the items on the agenda for today's symposium was a discussion on approaches to improve integrity by British consultant Michelle King. Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn; National Security Advisor, Captain Gerry Gouveia and members of the Joint Services were also at the event. (G3)

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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

For Stakeholder Capitalism

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e repeat this editorial from exactly one year ago because it is even more apropos to our situation. With our economy poised for takeoff our policy makers must focus on some guiding principles for our economy. After the disastrous flirtation by the PNC with “co-operative socialism” in the 1970’s, we should appreciate that we have to create wealth through free enterprise before we can distribute it. But this does not mean that we should not be wary of the dangers of unbridled capitalism.

Fortunately, there are models out there for us to choose from.

As the founder of the “World Economic Forum”, Klaus Schwab said earlier last year: “ Generally speaking, we have three models to choose from. The first is “shareholder capitalism,” embraced by most Western corporations, which holds that a corporation’s primary goal should be to maximize its profits. The second model is “state capitalism,” which entrusts the government with setting the direction of the economy and has risen to prominence in many emerging markets, not least China. But, compared to these two options, the third has the most to recommend it. “Stakeholder capitalism,” (which) positions private corporations as trustees of society, and is clearly the best response to today’s social and environmental challenges.

Shareholder capitalism, while very successful, had neglected the fact that a publicly listed corporation is not just a profit-seeking entity but also a social organism. Together with financial-industry pressures to boos short term results, the single-minded focus on profits caused shareholder capitalism to become increasingly disconnected from the real economy. Stakeholder capitalism is quickly gaining ground. To that end, the World Economic Forum released a new “Davos Manifesto”: • The purpose of a company is to engage all its stakeholders in shared and sustained value creation. In creating such value, a company serves not only its shareholders, but all its stakeholders – employees, customers, suppliers, local communities and society at large. The best way to understand and harmonize the divergent interests of all stakeholders is through a shared commitment to policies and decisions that strengthen the long-term prosperity of a company. i. A company serves its customers by providing a value proposition that best meets their needs. It accepts and supports fair competition and a level playing field. It has zero tolerance for corruption. It keeps the digital ecosystem in which it operates reliable and trustworthy. It makes customers fully aware of the functionality of its products and services, including adverse implications or negative externalities. ii. A company treats its people with dignity and respect. It honours diversity and strives for continuous improvements in working conditions and employee well-being. In a world of rapid change, a company fosters continued employability through ongoing upskilling and reskilling. iii. A company considers its suppliers as true partners in value creation. It provides a fair chance to new market entrants. It integrates respect for human rights into the entire supply chain. iv. A company serves society at large through its activities, supports the communities in which it works, and pays its fair share of taxes. It ensures the safe, ethical and efficient use of data.

It acts as a steward of the environmental and material universe for future generations. It consciously protects our biosphere and champions a circular, shared and regenerative economy. It continuously expands the frontiers of knowledge, innovation and technology to improve people’s well-being. v. A company provides its shareholders with a return on investment that takes into account the incurred entrepreneurial risks and the need for continuous innovation and sustained investments. It responsibly manages near-term, medium-term and long-term value creation in pursuit of sustainable shareholder returns that do not sacrifice the future for the present.

B. A company is more than an economic unit generating wealth. It fulfils human and societal aspirations as part of the broader social system. Performance must be measured not only on the return to shareholders, but also on how it achieves its environmental, social and good governance objectives. Executive remuneration should reflect stakeholder responsibility.

C. A company that has a multinational scope of activities not only serves all those stakeholders who are directly engaged, but acts itself as a stakeholder – together with governments and civil society – of our global future. Corporate global citizenship requires a company to harness its core competencies, its entrepreneurship, skills and relevant resources in collaborative efforts with other companies and stakeholders to improve the state of the world.

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2021 concludes, staff of the Supreme Court of Judicature Guyana on Friday expressed the message of “Have Faith, be strong, keep hope alive! We are all in this together! Early detection offers the best chance of survival #teamsupreme2021” (Supreme Court of Judicature photo)

Need to change the international economic order to save our planet

Dear Editor, Beginning from October 29, world leaders will assemble in Scotland to discuss one of the most important global problems that face every person: the question of Climate Change. This issue is so important that it can spell the end of life as we know it on earth, and therefore demands more than talk, but immediate action.

This is a real tragedy.

I say this because we have been warned about this situation for decades. Since the late 1960s and early 1970s, scientists have been warning us about the terrible dangers that can befall us if we do not change our relations with nature.

The world leaders have met on many occasions.

Since 1995, the UN has convened 25 such conferences, this is the 26th. At all of these conferences, commitments were made but not kept, or only partially kept. Despite the many convincing speeches that were made in the past, despite a full understanding of the cause and cure of the problem, the situation is getting worse.

This is manifested in the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters. It breaks the heart to see how much suffering is caused by these phenomena. The cause is fundamentally due to human economic activities - a drive

for wealth that has become unsustainable. This has resulted in serious damage to the world ecology. Carbon stored in forests, the oceans and in the earth is being released as we overexploit the resources of the world.

Added to this is the industrialisation that has pumped millions of tons of toxic gases into the environment of our planet.

The cure is also clear.

We have to preserve and protect nature, so that the earth can sustain our activities. We must live more harmoniously with nature.

We cannot behave as conquering heroes over nature.

We have to understand nature’s laws, and co-exist with them.

We may well ask why has mankind failed to arrest the situation, seeing that we know the causes and the cure.

In my view, we have been putting forward only technical solutions so far to deal with the problem.

We have heard talk and we have seen the implementation of new technologies; solar power; wind power; thermal power; nuclear power, and much more to generate energy. That is indispensable to our existence, for we do need clean, non-polluting energy generation.

Scientists have also built cars and other motor vehicles that are not polluting the atmosphere.

These are all very positive steps, and scientists should be complimented for their achievements and their continuing efforts.

Despite all of these marvellous technological advances, the situation is deteriorating at a rapid pace.

Indeed, this conference that would be held in Scotland would call for bringing forward the time frame for countries to arrive at zero pollution emission.

What is abundantly clear is that the technical approach, important as it is, is not the solution.

Never before in our history have we had so much fantastic technology at our disposal; yet, our world is in a worse condition environmentally than it has ever been.

That is not to downplay the importance of technical solutions. They are vital, but are not the solution to the main problem.

The main issue is the socio-economic relations that dominate our world. It is fundamentally a system controlled by very powerful corporations, whose main objective is the maximisation of profits. They would always pay lip service to environmental issues, but as soon as they think that it would affect their bottom-line, environmental issues are promptly ignored.

This is the nature of the system that dominates and controls the world.

More than one hundred years ago, J.P Dunning wrote the following “…

Capital is said to fly turbulence and strife and to be timid, which is very true; but this is very incompletely stating the question.

Capital eschews no profit, or very small profit, just as nature was formerly said to abhor a vacuum. With adequate profit, capital is very bold. A certain 10 per cent will ensure its employment anywhere; 20 percent certain will produce eagerness; 50 per cent, positive audacity; 100 per cent will make it ready to trample on all human laws; 300 per cent, and there is not a crime at which it will scruple, nor a risk it will not run, even to the chance of its owner being hanged. If turbulence and strife will bring a profit, it will freely encourage both.”

We also know from our own experience that this is true. For instance, we can recall the case of the US vs Reynolds Tobacco, Lorillard and Philip Morris. The tobacco companies knew that cigarettes were the main cause of some types of cancers, lung and stomach, yet they lied about it, and aggressively marketed it, including to children. The profit they were making was so huge that they hired the best lawyers to be their lobbyists. No lives mattered to them.

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

Shutting down Guyana’s oil industry should never be an option Dear Editor, It was with disbelief that I read in the news that “Environmental and human rights activist Guyanese Janet Bulkan on Tuesday asked the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to order the halt of oil and gas exploration because fossil fuels were damaging the environment and causing a loss of livelihoods.

This comes shortly after “International Lawyer Melinda Janki called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to shut operations at Exxon’s Liza Destiny oil vessel, and make them pay

for the damage to the health and wellbeing of Guyanese as well as the environment”.

Here I am, thinking that every Guyanese would want to have the best for Guyana and for our Government to utilise the money made from the oil industry to develop the country. Unfortunately, it appears that these two intelligent women want to shut down the fledgling oil industry in Guyana, and I cannot understand why.

What is their motive for trying to keep Guyana under-developed while they live in developed countries, travel with the best airlines, and stay at the best hotels? Why

Need to change the...

FROM PAGE 4

We also know that the oil companies were aware of the danger to the earth that their extracting oil was creating. It is among the main reasons for climate change. They knew this more than forty years ago. Instead of trying to correct it and to look for solutions, they spent billions to discredit the findings of the scientists who have first raised the alarm. They spend billions more on lobbyists, and have invested heavily in political parties by financing elections campaigns. Even now, they are investing heavily in more extensive exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbon resources. This means that they have no intention to observe any restraint.

Clearly, therefore, for these huge profit-making organisations, nothing is more important than making plenty money.

Human lives mean nothing to them. The Mighty Sparrow’s 1970s Calypso “Capitalism Gone Mad” is playing out before our very

eyes.

Therefore, we have a fundamental contradiction. The drive for profits is pushing the corporations to disregard the environment; to overexploit the world’s resources. On the other hand, to slow down and reverse climate change, we have to think and act more on conserving, preserving, and enlarging nature. This environmental crisis is telling us that the international economic system that we have being operating under has outlived its usefulness, and, for the sake of life on earth, must be changed.

Without doubt, the conference in Scotland will be useful, but it would not bring the solution. This calls for mass action and a demand to change the international economic order. We need, as Cheddi Jagan said, a New Global Human Order.

Sincerely, Donald Ramotar Former President

haven’t they called on the oil industries of the developed countries to shut down, the same way they are calling on Guyana’s to be shut? Why haven’t they been calling for Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico, Canada or the USA to stop producing oil or exploring for more oil?

Is there a hidden agenda?

Are there wealthy, powerful

people who prefer to remain hidden while Janet Bulkan and Melinda Jankie do their dirty work for them? Are there persons who are paying them and their expenses as they travel to and from Guyana frequently, while they try to shut down the oil exploration and production?

To the ordinary Guyanese, it appears that these women

would like to have Guyana return to the dark ages of no development. What they don’t tell people is how many things used daily by ordinary people are made from fossil fuels.

Shutting down Guyana’s oil industry should never be an option. However, the industry needs to function under strict environmental

guidelines for exploration and production. This is where our Government and the Environmental Protection Agency need to become more active, so the oil can be explored and extracted using environmentally friendly methods.

Respectfully, Jonathan Yearwood

Why did AFC take all this time to identify is obvious failed leadership?

Dear Editor, The recent document titled “Review of the AFC and the way Forward” renders that party unfit for any credible role or contribution in Guyana’s political establishment. My question is: When did the AFC players discover the points listed in that party document? It surely could not have been when they were in opposition. Why did it take them all this time to identify, study, and articulate their obvious failed leadership in the five years during the coalition Government? The answer is simple: they were so enamored with the trappings and perks of office that, with selfish arrogance, they failed to live up to their mandate of being an ingredient of balance and credibility in Guyana’s politics.

I am convinced that this recent ‘confession of the soul’ by the AFC’s leadership is simply an opportunity to get the embrace of the population to regain some element of state power. All and sundry know that a political party has the best opportunity to build its organisational

strength and capacity when in Government. Now, the AFC was in Government for five years, and now when it is in Opposition, it sees the need to strengthen itself.

The document says, “One of the immediate strategies must be holding a series of political seminars in all regions on the policies, programmes and positions of the party, for its members who do not necessarily know what ‘politics’ entails.”

Why did the party not do this level of introspection during its time in Government? It is clear that they only need supporters when they are in Opposition.

To quote further, the document says, “AFC members must deal with political issues, and eschew the petty personality differences which always lead to division, the decline in membership and activities, reputational damage, and impair the chances of political success.” Again, when did the leadership realise that their nasty personal ambitions were hurting the image of the party?

The most laughable part

of the document is where the party recognises that it needs to train youths in writing business proposals, and teaching them to access small grants for business and professional enterprises. It is for this statement alone that the Guyanese people should confine the AFC to the ash heap of history. This party controlled the Ministry of BUSINESS for five years in the coalition Government.

Why did they not think of this level of support for the young people at that time? To recognise the need to support young people in business only when you are struggling for political survival and relevance is pathetic.

The AFC needs to point to its behaviour in Government, and how well it represented its constituents. The consequences of these actions and inactions of that party have banished it to the political wilderness.

Sadly for the party, the ‘Charandass issue’ will never be put to rest, but will haunt the party for years to come. Charandass was sim-

ply the representative voice of the people on the sugar belt who supported the AFC, then felt the sting of their subsequent deception. Let the party leaders begin by asking Charandass to tell them why he voted to bring down the coalition Government. They wouldn’t, because they know the reasons all too well, and they know it is true. It was as a result of this that, in the Local Government election, the AFC was whipped even in the home village of Prime Minister Nagamootoo. What introspection and honest reflection did the party do after this clear message from the people who supported them in 2011 and 2015?

The issue is not a ‘Charandass issue’, it is the nature of the party and its behaviour in the coalition Government that caused Charandass to act on his conscience. Will the AFC leaders do the same?

Yours truly, Jerrick Rutherford

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Feature

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e have reached the stage where the pups/kittens have been born, and we must now especially look out for them during this harrowing period of their first few weeks of life.

I had mentioned in one of the earlier articles that the mother dog (especially the first-time mom) sometimes is totally confused by this occurrence of childbirth and nursing of several squirming babies; yet, the care of the newborn pups is absolutely necessary - for one thing, it is important that a bond be established immediately between the mother dog and her litter.

She must not be allowed to squeeze them to death, and even eat them.

Of course, if her milk is not flowing, she will be even more disturbed by the hungry, crying brood.

If that is the case, then your veterinarian must be consulted at once. He/she will administer a drug that

will ensure the release of milk; this is, if the problem is hormonal and not a physical blockage to the milk flow, or some other de-

Post-Natal Care

terring obstacle.

I should mention, in passing, that a weak pup may be rejected, especially if its body temperature is lower than normal. Nature has a way of getting rid of the weak. With the resources available to us, we can intervene and counter nature by removing and hand-rearing that puppy.

What else can we do?

Well, as a rule, we should observe first-time mothers a bit more carefully. If we find that a first-time mother is mixing up the after-birth

(placenta) with the puppy, and therefore chewing at the latter, then we should remove the puppies/kittens. In fact, any scrutiny

that reveals the dam is refusing to accept the pups/ kittens must result in the initial (and possibly perpetual) disassociation of mother from offspring.

Another observation might reveal that she is picking up her newborn pups/kittens in her mouth and removing them to a new location. This is a dan-

gerous exercise, because she might clamp her jaws too tightly, especially if she feels threatened. This translocation of puppies/ kittens seems to occur more often when the mother was not afforded a "nest" (of old cloth, newspapers, etc.) prior to parturition. Recall that in a recent “Pet Care”

article, we discussed what was needed in preparation for parturition (birthing).

For this reason, therefore, you must provide her with the nesting materials, and (even better) introduce her to the maternity site about a week before the actual birthing date.

Since a lot of the maternal confusion relative to the care of the newborn puppies/kittens is due to anxiousness, nervousness, and inflated possessiveness, we (your veterinarian) could administer a sedative to the mother. For me, this is a last resort, especially since the sedative will find itself into the milk and into the newborn puppies/kittens.

The prime consideration within the context of post-natal care must al-

ways be to ensure that the puppies receive, within the first few hours after birth, the colostrum (the first milk post-partum). This may even entail the actual milking of the mother dog and feeding the young ones with a nipple (nursing bottle) or a syringe or an eye dropper.

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World Cities Day

ello readers! In today’s article, we will be telling you about World Cities Day - an annual United Nations observance held on October 31. The global observance, first held in 2014, is organised by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), in coordination with each year's selected host city.

Each year, one unifying theme is chosen. The general theme of World Cities Day is “Better City, Better life”; this year’s subtheme is “Adapting Cities for Climate Resilience”. Cities worldwide are increasingly suffering the effects of climate-related disasters, such as floods, droughts, sea level rise, heat waves, landslides and storms. At least 130 port cities with over one million inhabitants are expected to be affected by coastal flooding, and those one billion people who live in urban informal settlements are particularly at risk.

World Cities Day aims to promote the international community’s interest in global sustainable urbanisation; push forward cooperation among countries and cities in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanisation, and contributing to sustainable urban development around the world.

The main goals of World Cities Day 2021 are to: * Increase awareness on climate change adaptation and urban resilience. * Inspire effective climate action at the local level by sharing knowledge on effective urban systems’ resilience solutions. And * Contribute to the implementation of the New Urban Agenda, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Paris Agreement for Climate Change to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Guyana, like many other countries, is vulnerable to climate change, and already experiences severe floods and droughts.

From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale. Without drastic action today, adapting to these impacts in the future would be more difficult and costly.

It is clear that, to fight climate change, all must be united in their efforts, locally and globally. To better understand why we should join the fight, consider these sobering facts: * Global temperature has risen by 1.40F since 1880. * By 2025, rising temperatures would result in the amount of water available per person decreasing by 30%-70% in some areas, including the Caribbean region. * Carbon dioxide levels in the air are at their highest in 650,000 years. * Global average sea level has risen by more than 7 inches over the past 100 years, more than double the amount of the last century. and * In South and Central America, more than 600 extreme weather events have occurred between 2000-2013, affecting 52.6 million people, resulting in 13,500 deaths, and economic losses of US$45.3 billion.

These facts provide solid evidence that climate change is real, and if we fail to adjust our actions, then our Earth’s climate will become dangerous for people.

Therefore, climate change is an issue of urgency and hope.

Every individual must take action, and use their power to fight climate change. Simple actions can be taken to aid in addressing this issue. These include: * Mending and reusing clothes and other products to save money and reduce waste going to the landfill. * Replacing old appliances with energy-efficient models and light bulbs. * Saving electricity by plugging appliances into a power strip, and turning them off completely when not in use. * Eating less meat, poultry, and fish, and composting kitchen waste. * Planting trees. * Buying minimally-packaged goods. * Decreasing your personal carbon footprint by walking, cycling, and using public transportation whenever possible.

Consider carpooling with friends, neighbours, and co-workers. * Taking the stairs instead of using the elevator. In addition to saving energy, taking the stairs gives you a mild workout, which would help to keep you healthy. And * Adapt energy efficient technologies for your factories and industries.

You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O ECEA Programme, 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.

NEWS

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Abu Dhabi Ports optimistic about investing in deepwater harbour in Guyana

Khalifa Port designed and owned by Abu Dhabi Ports President Dr Irfaan Ali with Abu Dhabi Ports CEO Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi early this month in Abu Dhabi

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bu Dhabi Ports, a United Arab Emirates-based company that deals in industrial zones and logistics, has shown keen interest in the establishment of a world-class deep-water harbour facility in Guyana.

This was revealed by President Dr Irfaan Ali during a press conference on Friday. The company has already sent technical teams in Guyana to work on and look at the possibility of developing a deep-water harbour link to Brazil. This was done in mid-September, and the team had engaged a high-level Government delegation led by President Ali while it was here.

According to the Head of State, during his recent visit to Dubai earlier this month, he had met with officials from Abu Dhabi

Ports, which own Khalifa Port, during which they had extensive and in-depth discussions on the possibility of erecting this facility.

“The interest is great in this project, and in two to three weeks, they will have a second team coming with a follow-up on the evaluation. And they are looking at a modern, state-of-theart port facility operated with cutting-edge technology, focusing on efficiency, safety and security,” the President noted.

He further told reporters that the UAE-based company has already commenced studies to come up with a technical evaluation as well as a financial evaluation for the project.

“Their initial assessment is one of great optimism. That’s how they described it. They believe that

this is a project that can happen; that is a project that is viable. They are now working on the nitty-gritty, the finer details in terms of this project,” the Head of State indicated.

President Ali further explained that while this will be a Private Sector investment, it will see the involvement of Guyana’s immediate neighbours Brazil and Suriname, and even French Guiana, since the project would be across borders.

“We have started discussions with Brazil and Suriname. All three countries are strongly committed to this project. Brazil has already reinforced their commitment because, as you know, the deep-water harbour is important in terms of their own efficiency, capability. It affects

their costs of doing business for them very positively.”

He added, “To further discuss the regional integration across borders, we’re already scheduled to have a strategic meeting between Guyana, Brazil, Suriname and French Guiana early in the new year. But this will be primarily Private Sectordriven.”

Meanwhile, during President Ali’s meeting in Dubai with officials from Abu Dhabi Ports, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, who is also the owner, operator, developer and regulator of Abu Dhabi’s maritime infrastructure and Khalifa Industrial Zone (KIZAD), had said they are very serious about investing in Guyana.

“We are serious about Guyana, and I promise you we passed the time of think-

ing, now we are in the implementation stage. So what you will see today is the capability of Abu Dhabi Ports,” Al Shamisi said to the Guyanese Leader following a tour of Abu Dhabi Ports’ ultra-modern temperature-controlled vaccine storage warehouse facility.

President Ali had emphasised to the group that his Government is willing to facilitate the project by creating incentives and by ensuring that investments made are feasible for all parties involved.

“We are ready to work with you on having that deep-water port ready for not only Guyana, but for the region. And for the most important strategic positioning for the UAE in South America, the Caribbean, in Latin America. I think we could just think about it as an upscaled Panama [Canal] development,” the

Head of State told the officials.

Moreover, the President had indicated at the time that Guyana wants to build a strong partnership with Abu Dhabi Ports to create a new logistics hub for the United Arab Emirates that will connect business opportunities in South America, Central America, the Caribbean, North America and West Africa.

“We want to be in strong partnerships with Abu Dhabi Ports, seriously connected to opportunities in Brazil in the oil and gas sector, and creating a new logistics hub for the UAE in Guyana.”

Guyana’s contingent to Dubai had featured a large delegation from the local Private Sector with “a very serious mission” in the UAE to drive meaningful discussions and to make impactful decisions. (G8)

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Woman caught sneaking ganja into Lusignan Prison

Balking at talking…

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A

woman has been arrested after she tried to sneak a quantity of ganja into the Lusignan Prison, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Reports are that the incident occurred at about 12:30h on Thursday, when a rank of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) was on duty at the self-support reception desk at the prison.

The 25-year-old woman, of Archer Street, Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo, had gone to the prison to drop off

The narcotic that was found in the deodorant

some items. Guyana Times understands that the woman presented a black plastic bag to the Police rank, and a search conducted on the said bag found three deodorants.

Upon further checking, a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be cannabis were found hidden at the bottom of the deodorant bottles.

The woman was told of the offence, cautioned, arrested and then taken to the Vigilance Police Station, where the narcotics, when

weighed, amounted to 25 grams.

She remains in custody, pending charges.

Over the years, several persons have smuggled, and continue to smuggle, narcotics into local prisons.

Recently, a 23-year-old woman was arrested after she attempted to smuggle a quantity of ganja into the New Amsterdam Prison in two papayas.

It was reported that that suspect had visited the facility to take food for an inmate.

A search had to be conducted on the food brought, and the ganja, concealed in five parcels wrapped in transparent plastic, was found hidden in two papayas.

The suspect was told of the offence committed, cautioned and arrested, and the matter was reported to the Police at Central Police Station, where the suspected narcotic was handed over.

The cannabis, when weighed in the presence of the suspect, amounted to 192 grams. (G9)

…in the PNC ld line American comedienne Joan Rivers had a famous catchphrase, “Can we talk?”. She explained it originated spontaneously from her desire to connect frankly with her audiences without any barriers. Meaning: “Can we REALLY talk…like from the heart?” Now, we know that this will never work in the world of politics!! In this arena - and it IS an arena!

- it’s all about misdirection and subterfuge to advance one’s agenda!!

And in Guyana, the two tendencies of communication were exemplified like no other than with Jagan and Burnham. Jagan wore his (leftist) heart on his sleeve to such an extent that even though he knew that he was on trial in the US about his ideology, he couldn’t help but clumsily equivocate in an interview when grilled about it. JFK was listening, and decided there and then to remove him from office. It wasn’t that Jagan didn’t know from where the (American) breeze was blowing - far from it! But he really believed that folks he was talking to needed to understand the epiphany he’d experienced about Marxism - so they, too, could “see the light”!

Burnham - the student of Machiavelli - on the other hand, played his cards close to his chest, and told his audiences whatever he thought they wanted to hear!! In the early PPP, when he’d just returned from London, he spoke more “leftist” than even Jagan. But that was just because he wanted to outflank Jagan on the ideological front!! So, as soon as he got his feet wet and the PPP was ousted from office, he became a “moderate” who’d now be more palatable to the powers-that-be!! And even though the latter knew he’d “tack and turn” with every opportunity - they decided to work with him because they could “deal” (literally!) with this kind of politician!

And so it was that these leaders set the template on communication for their parties and leaders ever since.

So now that we have the leadership race heating up in the PNC, can we expect some “heart to heart” talks from the three horses in the paddock? Not likely!! It’s not the Burnham way!! Well, at least not in public!! We’ll be hearing all the niceties that make for “poli-speech” in Guyana, designed to draw in the widest number of supporters to their banner! But the real spiel will only come “under the bottom-houses” or their modern equivalent - the “chat rooms”.

The PNC constituency has already made up its mind about which of the three - Joseph Harmon, Aubrey Norton or Van West-Charles - is the best “PNC leader”.

And that’s important - not the best leader for the country.

Just the best leader for the PNC!! Reputation counts!!

…not the President!

Finally, Guyanese journalists have finally listened to what President Ali has been saying about whether or not he’s willing to “talk” with Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon. They were just hearing what they wanted to hear - which is that it’s the PPP that’s always “unreasonable”! Well Ali finally spelled his position out, but you bet it’ll be twisted to suit already set agendas!

Said the President about meeting Harmon: “I am fully committed to abiding by every aspect of the Constitution. There is no precondition to fulfilling my mandate in accordance with the Constitution.” Clearly, what he’s saying is that on those matters where he as President has to meet with the Opposition Leader as per the Constitution - such as for appointing the Chancellor or Chief Justice - he’s willing to talk to Harmon.

The onus is now on Harmon, the President continued, to deal with his “moral problem” occasioned by his insistence that the latter is “illegal”!!

President Ali can’t be illegal and legal simultaneously, can he? …about Prison Security Your Eyewitness wants to know how come the most high-profile prisoner in the land – Kapildeo, who killed the youth Chris Persaud - was able to “jump two fences” and escape from Lusignan Prison!

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

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Omai moves to new gold exploration mine in Region 7 …to commence drilling at Fennell in 2022

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aving concluded its drilling programme under the old Wenot mine, Canadian company Omai Gold Mines Limited (OGML) has moved on to another section of the mine, which had previously not seen any commercial mining.

According to a statement sent out by the company, the drill programme saw 16 holes totalling 9,367 metres being drilled. Final assay results are pending, but in the meantime, Omai has commenced gold exploration on the East Wenot Extension and on the Broccoli Hill (BH)

Omai CEO Elaine Ellingham

target.

“This area has seen no commercial mining; howev-

er, abundant pitting in the surficial alluvial material attests to gold that has attracted small scale miners.

Significant gold mineralisation has been identified in this area by several shallow holes drilled along this trend from 1993-95 but testing to depths of only 50 to 75 metres into fresh rock,” Omai said in its statement.

According to the gold company, drilling will start in the middle of November, and the eastern extension of the Wenot project will be explored. Meanwhile, Broccoli Hill sits less than 300 metres east of the Fennell pit The Wenot pit

and 300 metres north of the Wenot pit.

“Combined, these two pits produced over 3.7 million ounces of gold. BH has been an attraction for artisanal miners for over 100 years, and has seen minor surficial exploration for several decades. Previous auger and soil surveys have identified numerous gold anomalies on BH, including one auger hole that sampled 12.4 g/t Au from a 4 to 6 meters depth in saprolite adjacent to a large area of pork-knocker (artisanal miner) activity”, the company has said.

“The abundance of past placer gold workings in the lowlands flanking the hill, together with the numerous scattered artisanal workings on the hill itself, suggests a gold source somewhere on BH. It is a very compelling target, interestingly, with little to no drilling,” the company also said.

Meanwhile, Omai’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elaine Ellingham was quoted as expressing excitement over the company’s plans.

She noted that Omai’s drilling plans will test the extent of its holdings and its economic potential.

“Areas such as Broccoli Hill and East Wenot have excellent potential for both significant new discoveries and for expanding known zones of mineralisation.

Wenot East is one of those areas where limited historic drilling identified very interesting gold mineralisation, but was not pursued,” Ellingham said.

“These offer great opportunities for us to test the extent of these zones and assess their economic potential. We expect to be-

gin drilling the East Wenot Extension and to complete a couple of initial holes at Broccoli Hill before the holiday break in December.”

Fennell

When it comes to the Fennell pit, the company also announced plans to start its drill programme there in the second quarter of 2022. It was explained that previous explorations by gold company Iamgold at the pit in 2007 established Fennell as a primary target on Omai.

“This drilling identified a significant gold deposit beneath the past producing pit.

The Fennell pit produced 2.4 million ounces between 1993 and 2004. It was mined to a depth of 250m, where it bottomed at a barren diabase sill. After production ceased, Iamgold completed the exploration beneath the sill and completed a resource report.

“This drilling reached a maximum depth of about 960 metres, with the deepest holes ending in mineralisation, suggesting even further depth potential. Omai has started modelling this historic data, and plans to initiate a drill programme on the Fennell target in Q2 of next year. This work will require deeper holes to verify the historic resource and to explore the depth extent of this mineralisation,” Omai explained.

Omai Gold Mines, which returned to the Wenot and Fennell pits at the Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) site in 2020 after leaving Guyana in 2015, had announced in December 2020 that it would be pressing forward with the 5000-metre drilling programme. (G3)

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Power, Personality and PNC leaders

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he present PNC leadership race is more about the party having to redefine itself in circumstances different from those in which Forbes Burnham launched it in 1957; Desmond Hoyte inherited it in 1985, or Robert Corbin after 2002. As Marx noted, “Men make their own history, but not in circumstances of their making.” But contra Marx, the Ravi Dev personality of the leader and his orientation to power are also crucial variables in the determination of the precise role the party will play.

Burnham’s overriding characteristics were his ambition and his intellect. These qualities, along with his oratorical virtuosity and tactical skills, earned him the label “charismatic”.

Installed into power in 1964 due to US Cold War imperatives, Burnham concluded he could not maintain the absolute control over the polity he felt was necessary to “mould” it to his vision under a democratic system. He recalled this at the 3rd Biennial Congress in Dec 1979, (where he had asked Rodney to make his will): “The trouble with us, comrades, is that we don’t know to read between the lines; we are always reading on top of the lines; we are more democratic than the people who teach us democracy.” Burnham addressed the question of power by simultaneously publicly building his instruments of rule - the party, the army, the bureaucracy, etc., while privately manipulating them to ensure their dependence and loyalty.

With the end of the Cold War, Burnham’s successor, Desmond Hoyte, first ruthlessly consolidated his hold over the party, and then pragmatically attempted to reverse Burnham’s totalitarian institutions and practices. He tried opening up the political economy by imitating Mikhail Gorbachev’s “glasnost and perestroika”. Unlike the latter, however, he did not have the luxury of fissioning Guyana to address the ethnic divisions in the society. He was removed from office in 1992 through free and fair elections, even though he attempted to woo the majority Indian Guyanese from outside the PNC’s traditional African Guyanese base. The residue of 28 years of Burnhamite policies that adversely impacted Indian Guyanese was too much for him to overcome. Ethnic politics had remained entrenched.

His leadership style after 1992 was to aggressively confront the PPP in a scorched earth, “mo fyaah; slow fyaah” strategy to remove them from power with street power in Georgetown. He exploited the mayhem to extract extensive concessions from the PPP – but which simply encouraged the radicals to demand a total abdication of power through direct attacks on the state and Indian Guyanese.

Before he passed away in 2002, however, after a strong campaign from within the PNC by some “young lions” (including Aubrey Norton) Hoyte conceded that “power-sharing” might possibly be another mechanism for dealing with the African Guyanese Ethnic Security Dilemma.

He was succeeded by Robert Corbin, who had earned a formidable “street power” reputation in the tradition of the 1960s strongman Hamilton Green. As was explained to me by one cardcarrying member of the African middle-class, “he was put there to manners the PPP”. But after all the “storm and fury” of direct attacks on the state by “Freedom Fighters”, this was crushed following the entry of a wild card – the Phantom Forces, such as that led by Roger Khan. Corbin then took another tack: to extend moderating the image of the PNC started by Hoyte, by masking it under a coalition as “APNU”.

For what it is worth, this was a strategy I felt was very sound for two reasons: demographic changes were inexorably whittling away the Indian Guyanese majority, and incumbency was beginning to dull the PPP’s shine to its base. From 2009 onwards, I argued against a confrontational, street protest approach against several activists, such as Lincoln Lewis, Eric Phillips and Freddie Kissoon, who had defined the PPP as an “elected dictatorship”. I posited that, in free and fair elections, the PPP was vulnerable, and I was proven right in 2011 and 2015.

And this brings us to the present PNC leadership race. Personality wise, Aubrey Norton is a PNC party product. While lacking Burnham’s charisma and eloquence, he makes up for it in grassroots credibility.

Coming out of the army rather than the PNC, Joseph Harmon may yet have greater control of the party’s apparatus, but his legitimacy from the base may be problematic. In terms of power, both should understand the external environment enough to appreciate the futility of direct attacks on the state, which some are again promoting.

Rationally, Guyana’s demographics dictate democratic politics by both the PPP and PNC.

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FEATURE

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in the Essequibo River.

Parishram said it took some time to master the entire process, and carried this talent to his new home in Tuschen.

At his residence, there are many tools and contraptions which are needed to bring his work to life.

However, the process is also a complex one.

Parishram first begins with sourcing clay. He

The kiln is ignited to bake the clay lamps

he lighting of diyas is a centuries-old tradition that is synonymous with the celebration of Diwali – a popular Hindu festival.

Regarded as the Festival of Light or Deepavali, earthen lamps or ‘diyas’ are filled with oil, and lit using a cot-

there are tales of persons in the community making their own. Even today, some persons still uphold that tradition. However, many persons have adapted the new tradition of purchasing their little earthen lanterns.

Here in Guyana, handmade diyas are produced by skilled potters, individual-

ton wick – creating a spectacle for both the young and old. It symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.

On the night of Deepavali, the corners of houses are adorned with these lamps – as the celebrations reaches its pinnacle. Back in the olden days,

ly crafting them as per the necessary dimensions and other requirements. The Guyana Times ventured out to Tuschen on the West Coast of Demerara, to capture the work of 62-year-old Parishram – who has been in the trade for over two decades.

He recalled learning the art whilst living on the quiet island of Wakenaam

By Rupa Seenaraine

T

takes a boat and travels to Hogg Island where the material is easily accessible. Men would assist him to gather some 200 bags of the clay and it is transported to Parika. It is stored at his house until ready to use, whether to make diyas or other articles.

For three months in the year, there is a rush to make diyas for the impending Diwali season. To start,

the clay is kneaded. He weighs and parcels them.

It is placed on a special pottery wheel and the diyas can be shaped.

He makes the standard diyas and larger. There is also those with four corners and another that comprises hold two individual wicks.

They are put to dry in the sun for a few days.

The potter explained that in unfortunate weath-

er conditions, it takes longer to dry the clay lamps.

“Just for about three months, it does be really busy making diyas.

Sometimes for the whole day, even in the night when I get a big order. The work depends on the sun. If we don’t get sun to dry it, we got to wait. It does take like two days to dry,” he explained.

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– triumph of light over darkness

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estivals contribute to the cultural tapestry of all countries. Each festival brings with it a unique blend of customs and traditions and acts as a harbinger of good-will, peace and fraternity.

Centuries ago, Diwali was celebrated in the confines of the logies (primitive homes) in villages. Our forebears, the indentured immigrants strove to maintain their culture and religion with whatever limited facilities were available in those times. Diyas were lovingly crafted out of mud and the radiance given off from these little lights served as a beacon of hope to them as they toiled under the most horrendous conditions.

Diwali, which literally means a row of lights, is celebrated on the 15th day of the

Hindu month of Kartik. It is the darkest night of that month and is conducive to the twinkling lights that illuminate every nook and cranny. Worship of the goddess Maha Lakshmi is the main focus of Diwali. The aspirant performs Lakshmi puja and seeks

her blessing for material and spiritual fulfilment.

The festival encourages the participation of the entire family and it has long been the custom in Guyana for everyone in the home to gather in front of their Lakshmi murti at dusk chanting prayers and mantras before

emerging to light their first diya. Prior to the day itself the home and mandirs would be thoroughly cleaned and decorated in preparation for the Goddess of light, Maha Lakshmi.

The ladies of the home would in recent times design elaborate rangolis ( coloured tracings on the floor) and be absorbed in making sweet delicacies for family and friends. At this time, the household would be sanctified as vegetarian fasts are the norm. Hindus would also abstain from alcohol. Over the last three decades the festival has gained prominence, and features on Guyana’s list of national holidays.

Diwali has emerged from homes and mandirs and presently many commercial entities and public building are decorated with lights to welcome the goddess Maha Lakshmi. The trend of using electric lights has increased and more persons are supplementing their diyas with these creating an aesthetically appealing look that has pass-

ersby gasping in awe.

Diyas are hardly made by individual householders, but those professionally made from clay can be purchased from stores and vendors. Novel innovations to the once simple mud diya filled with ghee and lit with a cotton wick include wax filled diyas and electrical diyas. The humble diya has certainly withstood generations and in spite of all the new- fangled techniques it still reminds the Hindu to rekindle that inner light within and to extend to all those he or she comes in contact with The Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha’s countrywide motorcades have become synonymous with the celebration of Diwali in Guyana. Thousands of Guyanese of every stratum of society and cultural belief throng the roads to witness the processions of beautifully decorated and illuminated vehicles depicting the theme of Diwali. In the olden days it wasn’t unusual to see horse-drawn carts gaily bedecked for the motorcade. With the advent of advanced technology, vehicles ranging from low-bed trucks to sleek cars are carefully designed with sophisticated lights and mobile parts. The Dharmic Sabha’s motorcades are major tourist attractions.

Diwali in its many dimensions addresses questions which are not only philosophical, but also economic and social in orientation.

Diwali threatens darkness in all its dimensions and influences the emergence of an illuminated society in which there exists understanding, tolerance, love and cordiality.

Societies are built and sustained on foundations such as these. Festivals like Deepavali serve to rekindle hopes and expectation, and influence society in a positive direction. Diwali renews the spirit of optimism from which a new beginning can be constructed, based on equity and noble intentions. (By Dr Vindhya V Persaud, Explore Guyana)

FEATURE

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D

iwali is celebrated throughout the world to ward off the darkness and welcome the light into our lives.

Celebrating the triumph of good over evil and spanning five days each autumn, Diwali is considered by some to be the start of the New Year. In 2017, Diwali will be celebrated on October 27.

In Guyana, this “festival of lights” is believed to have been brought to Guyana in the 1800s by the first indentured people from India. The celebrations hold special significance: wearing new clothes

is a symbol of healthy souls in healthy bodies; the distribution of sweets signifies the importance of serving and sharing, and exchanging greeting cards denotes the goodwill of each other.

Keeping homes illuminated inside and out is a practice meant to illuminate the

path for Goddess Lakshmi when she visits.

Suriname, like its neighbour Guyana, celebrates Diwali with much gaiety and in a similar way of lighting diyas (lamps) and sharing sweets.

Celebrated under the name Lam Kriyongh during

the months of October-November, Diwali in Thailand is celebrated by lighting diyas made of banana leaves in which candles are placed, along with a coin and incense.

These are then set afloat on a river.

Diwali celebrations in Thailand are not extravagant: people simply greet each other and wish them happy returns of the day. Similar to Guyana and Suriname, distribution of sweets is a common practice on this day in Thailand.

Also known as Deepavali, a Sanskrit word generally translated as "necklace of lights", Diwali

is celebrated in Malaysia by people of all races, not just the Hindus living there.

Though it may not be celebrated on a grand scale, Diwali in Malaysia is a time to invite people over to indulge in all the delicious sweets prepared. It is also a holiday in Malaysia and a time to visit and pay homage to the elders. Crackers are banned in Malaysia, so Diwali celebration is enjoyed quietly.

Indians form just about one 1 per cent of the total population in Kenya and Tanzania. However, the influences of this tiny number have considerable economic influence, and they are a well-respected minority. They also celebrate the major Indian or Hindu

festivals of the Hindu solar calendar. As they have restricted interaction with the locals and do not seek converts, they usually celebrate their festivals the same way India does. The significance, customs and belief related to the festival of light, therefore is almost same like that of India. Illumination, worshipping of god and goddess of wealth and prosperity are some of the common practice. Diwali is declared as a national holiday in Kenya only.

Just as in India, people of Fiji, a country in the South Pacific, celebrate Diwali with elaborate lighting and candle decorations. Taking advantage of the beautiful festival, people reaffirm the bonds of love shared with loved ones by exchanging greetings, sweets and gifts of love. Diwali also affords the opportunity for people of different faith and communities to come together and live in a spirit of communal harmony.

But Diwali is not just a Hindu festival. It also holds special significance in other religions such as Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism.

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FROM PAGE 13

He packs the diyas in a box when it is complete-

clients are satisfied. While some diyas are sold as it

ly dry until there is a large amount. Then, it is baked in a kiln, which can hold approximately 3500 diyas, for about six hours. It remains in the kiln for about three days before they’re finally removed.

Parishram supplies wholesale outlets and other stakeholders with his products. He works with strict orders to ensure that

is, he has also explored the concept of decorating his products with paint and glitters – which is also in demand. This came with the pressure of constant reinvention to remain relevant and stay above competitors.

Speaking about the demands for diyas now, he says it has dwindled somewhat due to the prolifer-

ation of artificial lights, which are manufactured to replicate the original.

People tend to gravitate towards these new inventions, since it can be light with just a switch and can withstand heavy winds.

Moreover, a lot of people are getting involved in pottery.

“There is no big demand now as it was before.

People bringing in things that you can light with current or batteries and people mostly going with that.

But people still have function and they have to buy in small quantity. Diya not selling like before and then also, plenty people making them now. It slow up a bit now,” he explained.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also dampened the trade, since many persons are restricted from organizing functions with large masses. This has caused a reduction in sales, when compared to last year.

Nevertheless, the elderly man continues the trade and makes a variety of other items such as vases and religious items.

FEATURE

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For Buddhists, the spiritual insight of Diwali is the triumph of good over evil as their Emperor Ashoka gave up his violent ways and chose the path of peace and non violence on this day only.

Nepal’s Newar Buddhists celebrate Diwali as the returning of light and balance to the world.

For the Sikhs, this is the day when their religious leader Guru Hargobind Ji was able to free himself and other Hindu kings and gurus from the prison of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. After coming out from the Gwalior Fort, the guru and others went to the Golden Temple of Amritsar. So this day is celebrated to commemorate his homecoming.

Even today, the Golden Temple is decorated in the grandest manner possible on the day of Diwali along with performance of breathtaking fireworks that has made

Amritsar one of the top Diwali vacation destinations in India.

Just like the Hindus, Buddhists and the Sikhs, Diwali is a special day in the Jain calendar as well. This is the day when Lord Mahavira attained Moksh, Nirvana, or eternal bliss. Mahavira’s attainment of nirvana is seen as a passage from darkness to illumination or the attainment of the ultimate knowledge.

To the Jains, the light of Diwali has another special significance. It signifies the light leaving his body and traveling to heaven, having succeeded in escaping from the trap of rebirth. They will thus illuminate lights to mark this passage, and also to keep the light of his knowledge burning.

Though there may be variations in the celebration of Diwali around the world, one thing remains constant – the coming together to illuminate homes and lives.

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R

angoli is an art form, originating in the Indian subcontinent, in which patterns are created on the floor or the ground using materials such as colored rice, dry flour, colored sand or flower petals. It is usually made during Diwali or Tihar, Onam, Pongal and other Hindu festivals in the India. Designs are passed from one generation to the next, keeping both the art form and the tradition alive.

Rangoli is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘rangavalli’ which means colour. The purpose of rangoli is decoration, and it is thought to bring good luck. Design depictions may also vary as they reflect traditions, folklore, and practices that are unique to each area. It is traditionally done by girls or women.

Rangoli designs can be simple geometric shapes, deity impressions, or flower and petal shapes (appropriate for the given celebrations), but they can also be very elaborate designs crafted by numerous people. The base material is usually dry or wet powdered rice or dry flour, to which sindoor (vermilion), haldi (turmeric) and other natural colours can be added. Chemical colors are a modern variation. Other materials include colored sand, red brick powder and even flowers and petals, as in the case of flower rangolis.

(Some photos from Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha)

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I

t is a tradition to wear new clothes on Diwali, as Diwali according to Indian calendar indicates beginning of New Year and burying of all the old painful memories of bygone years and wearing new clothes is just a symbolical gesture to commemorate that.

Here are some looks you can rock this Diwali:

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FEATURE

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HEALTH TIPS

BREAST CANCERS - Myths vs Facts - Part 4

Dr Tariq Jagnarine Family Medicine, Endocrinology/Diabetes

B

reast cancer is the most common type of cancer in Guyana. Most women diagnosed with breast cancer are over the age of 50, but younger women can also get breast cancer.

About 1 in 8 women is diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime.

There's a good chance of recovery if it's detected at an early stage. For this reason, it's vital that women check their breasts regularly for any changes, and always have any changes examined by a health-care worker. In rare cases, men can also be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Common Misconceptions: 1. Having an abortion increases the risk of breast cancer

Breast cancer risk is di-

rectly related to estrogen exposure, and abortion interrupts the normal hormonal cycle of pregnancy.

While performing a randomised, controlled trial to address this question is impossible, a very large observational study done in Denmark, in which 1.5 million women were involved, found no link between abortion and breast cancer. Aside from that analysis, there have been several other large-scale studies that came to the same conclusion.

5. Men do not get breast cancer

2. Carrying a phone in your bra can cause cancer.

There is no evidence to support the claim that cell phones cause cancer.

However, no long-term studies have been done, although such a study may be possible in the future.

For now, let’s just put our phones in our pockets or bags.

C. For these reasons, it is recommended that nipples not be pierced. If the deed is done, the recommendation is to remove it.

3. Nipple piercings increase the risk of breast cancer

4. Sugar causes breast cancer

This is a myth; nipple piercings do not increase breast cancer risk.

However, they can lead to complications such as infection, abscess, difficulty breastfeeding due to blocked ducts from scar tissue, nerve damage, keloids, cysts, and more rare but serious illness from HIV and Hepatitis B and

Sugar should be avoided in general. It is addictive, can cause mood swings, and leads to spikes in insulin, which puts the body in a pro-inflammatory state. This, in turn, can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic inflammatory diseases.

Too much sugar can result in obesity, which is a risk

factor for breast cancer.

However, studies investigating links between sugar and breast cancer have been mixed and inconsistent.

While discussing sugar, it is worth busting a related myth: that sugar helps tumours grow. This myth arose because cancer cells divide rapidly, and therefore need a lot of energy. While there is no concrete evidence to support this claim, abstaining from added sugar as much as possible for overall well-being is paramount.

Men have breasts; so, yes, they, too, get breast cancer. In fact, 1% of all breast cancer diagnosed are in men. While breast cancer is more common in women than in men, there are still men who get breast cancer. It’s important for men also to be aware of any changes in their breasts since there are no recommended screening guidelines for men. Any lump, pain, or changes should be brought to a doctor’s attention, even if they don’t have a strong family history of cancer.

Men are rarely diagnosed with breast cancer.

The most common risk factor is a family history of breast cancer. The BRCA2 genetic mutation markedly increases the risk of breast cancer in males who carry this gene.

6. Mammograms cause breast cancer to spread

This is a common misconception. The thinking is that squeezing the cancer with compression during mammography, or performing a needle biopsy on the cancer, will cause the cancer to seed other parts of the breast. There is absolutely no evidence that mammograms cause breast cancer. The performance of a mammogram

uses a very low dose of radiation and compression, and has no documented or theoretical relationship to causing breast cancer.

7. If there is no lump, there is no cancer

If that were true, then we would not need mammograms. Mammograms have been proven to save lives because they allow us to catch the cancer before it becomes palpable.

In this context, “palpable” means that a person can feel the lump with their fingers.

If we diagnose and treat breast cancer while it is at stage 1, survival approaches 100%. Survival drops as the stage advances. In fact, the cancer may never be palpable and still spread to other parts of the body.

Many breast cancers are found on screening mammograms, and may not be felt. This is especially true for noninvasive breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ, which may show up only as calcifications on a screening mammogram.

Breast cancer is common, and while a healthy lifestyle might reduce the risk to a certain extent, vigilance is key. The earlier a doctor catches breast cancer, the higher the chances of surviving it.

26

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 4, 2018

Sunday Times Magazine 9 FEATURE 27

Home & Cooking

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

• • • • • • • • •

Ingredients:

• 1½ liters Milk (full fat) • 2½ tablespoons Sugar • 1/2 teaspoon Green Cardamom Powder • 10 Almonds sliced • 5-7 strands Saffron • 10 Pistachio, sliced

• • • • • • •

Ingredients: 1 cup Sugar 3 Green Cardamom pods 1 1/2 cups Water 2 cups Milk Powder 1/2 cup all purpose flour One pinch baking poweder 4 tablespoons Ghee 1/4 cup Milk Oil or Ghee, for deep frying

Ingredients

2 Cup Besan (Chickpea Flour) 1/2 Cup Fine Sugar 8 Tbsp Ghee (Clarified Butter) 4 Tbsp Milk 1/2 Tsp Cardamom Powder 6 Almonds - made into flour 1 Tbsp Oil – To be used on hands

Directions 1. In a pot add water, sugar, cardamom pods and bring to a boil until 1/2 string consistency. (About 8-10 minutes on high heat). Let cool.

2. In a bowl mix milk powder, flour, baking powder and ghee. Use fingers to evenly distribute ghee while gradually adding liquid milk. Mixture should be soft and sticky. Do not over mix or knead mixture.

3. Grease palms with oil/ghee and roll into smooth balls. There should be no cracks.

4. Heat oil/gee and on low heat fry jamun until dark brown. Drain oil/ ghee and soak in cooled sugar syrup, preferably overnight. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

• 1 12oz tin evaporated milk Ingredients Vegetable or canola oil for frying *For the Dough • 4 cups flour *For the sugar syrup: • 1 tsp white sugar • 1 cup white granulated • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder • 1 cup freshly grated sugar • 3/4 cup water coconut • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract • 1 1/2 sticks butter, chopped (optional) • 3 tsp anise seed

Directions

Directions

1. Boil milk in a broad, heavy based, pan or broad non-stick pan over medium flame.

2. When milk starts to boil, reduce flame to low. Stir at regular intervals of 3-4 minutes but not continuously. When layer of a cream appears on the surface, shift it towards the side of a pan. Do the same process for next cream layers. Cook until milk is reduced to 1/3 of original quantity.

3. Add sugar and stir to dissolve it. Add cardamom powder, sliced almonds, saffron strands and sliced pistachio; mix well.

4. Scrape small cream chunks collected on the side of pan into milk (this will make delicious small cream chunks in rabdi).

Cook for 2 minutes and turn off flame. Let it return to room temperature naturally.

Refrigerate it for at least 2 hours before serving.

5. Transfer prepared sweet kesar rabri in serving bowl and garnish with sliced almonds. Serve chilled.

1. In a microwavable bowl, add besan along with 3 tbsp of ghee, mix evenly and microwave on high for 2 minutes.

2. Stir the besan mixture using a spatula and microwave on high for 2 minutes.

3. By now, the mixture would have turned slightly brown or deeper in color and a rich aroma of ghee 4. would be coming out of it.

5. Add 2 tbsp of ghee to this mixture and mix it with hand (it would feel course in texture).

6. Now microwave for 2 more minutes.

7. Add the remaining ghee, cardamom powder, almond flour and mix evenly.

8. Microwave for 1 minute.

9. Now the besan mixture will look deeper in color and courser in texture.

10. Cool this mixture till it’s not very hot to touch.

11. Add sugar, milk and mix evenly.

12. Now while the mixture is still warm, put oil in your hand and form small round balls / ladoo. (This needs to be made when the mixture is warm or else the ladoo's will not form).

Instructions

Mix the flour, baking powder, anise seed, and chopped butter together. Keep mixing by hand until the dough is crumbly or you can put everything into a food processor. Add coconut to the dough and mix well.

Pour entire can of evaporated milk into the mixture and knead to form a dough ball. Add flour/ water if needed, to bring everything together. Cover with a damp paper towel and set aside and let it sit for about 30-40 minutes. (the damp napkin keeps the dough from forming a crust) Roll out dough and cut into desired size. Heat oil and fry until golden brown.

Combine sugar, water, and vanilla, if using. Boil on low for about 35 minutes, or longer depending on your stove. When sugar is ready, pour over mithai and toss until sugar is no longer clear and has become white.

28 NEWS

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

3 more die, 104 new COVID-19 cases recorded …hesitancy still affecting vaccine uptake – Health Minister

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD OCTOBER 30, 2021 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

A

nother three more persons have lost their lives to COVID-19, moving the country’s death toll to 913.

With this being the last day of the month, 114 fatalities have thus far been recorded in October. Those who succumbed included one unvaccinated person, while the vaccination status of the other two were unknown. A 58-year-old female from Region Six died on October 27, then an 86-year-old male from Region Four succumbed on October 29; and that fatality was followed by the demise of a 75-year-old female from Region Four on October 30.

The patients were admitted with COVID-19-like symptoms, and died while receiving care. Samples taken at the time of their admission subsequently returned positive results.

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

In one day, an additional 104 persons have tested positive, leading confirmed cases to 35,548. There are 17 patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 65 in institutional isolation, 2758 in home isolation, and eight in institutional quarantine.

Since onset of the pandemic in March 2020, a total of 354,230 individuals have been tested, of which 16,805 males and 18,743 females were found to have contracted the virus.

Meanwhile, a regional breakdown of new cases shows 10 in Region One (Barima-Waini), 12 in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), 42 in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), seven in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), 23 in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), two in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), five in Region Eight

(Potaro-Siparuni) and three in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice). There was no increase in either Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) or Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

Vaccine hesitancy

Despite continuous sensitisation by the Health Ministry, there is still low turnout at some immunisation sites, contributing to paltry vaccine statistics for some regions.

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony informed during the latest COVID-19 update that Regions Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) have continuously recorded low rates of vaccine uptake. On some days, no one is showing up at some vaccination centres.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

104 65

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION

2758

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

17

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

8

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

18,743

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

16,805

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

35,548

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

31,795

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED

380,257

FULLY IMMUNISED

241,211

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

913

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

1616

REGION 2

1430

REGION 3

4822

REGION 4

16,911

REGION 5

1282

REGION 6

2626

REGION 7

1738

REGION 8

586

REGION 9

2445

REGION 10

2082

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

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.

NEWS

29

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Persons must be fully vaccinated to enter Guyana, public buildings …curfew hours now midnight to 04:00h

B

y virtue of an updated gazette document, the definition of a vaccinated person is now regarded as having obtained both doses of the respective COVID-19 vaccine.

The Emergency measures (No.24) state that a person is only considered to be ‘fully vaccinated’ two weeks after receiving an approved

single-dose vaccine; the second dose of an approved twodose vaccine; or any mixand-match combination of approved vaccines administered at least 17 days apart.

Any person who wishes to enter a public building is required to be fully vaccinated. If not, they can do so by appointment and must present a negative molecular bi-

ological PCR test result taken within seven days of the appointment. The testing requirement also applies to unvaccinated employees of these agencies. In Guyana, only the Johnson and Johnson jabs follow a single-dose regimen.

The measures will take effect from November 1, 2021 and will end on November 30, 2021 – unless earlier termi-

3 more die, 104 new COVID-19...

“We have seen low rates in Region 10 and Region Eight. I guess the reasons for this low coverage is because of perceptions, hesitancy, and I think that is what is driving the low coverage. We have on the ground in Region 10 between 15 and 20 sites that are operating every day to do vaccination. Unfortunately, at these sites, you probably get two or three persons coming in any given day. In some cases, no person would show up at some of the sites,” the Minister shared.

Dr Anthony pointed out that significant resources have been expended to offer the vaccines and sensitize the public. Sites will be continuously opened, and other efforts would be made to increase the rate of uptake.

“We’re expending a lot of resources, but if people don’t come, we’re not getting the kinds of returns that we expect. Nevertheless, we have

kept these sites open. We have continued our education programme. In some cases, we have gone house-tohouse to talk to people; and unfortunately, there is still a lot of hesitancy,” Dr Anthony lamented.

It has been highlighted that, over in Region Eight, religious beliefs are playing a part in the hesitancy, and religious leaders have been engaged on the importance of protection through vaccination.

Dr Anthony shared, “In Region Eight, we have done similar things; and another factor that is in play there in some communities is religious factor. We have been able to get some religious leaders to go into those communities to have discussions with the local religious leaders, to talk to them about the importance of getting vaccinated. But despite these efforts, we have only seen a modest uptake of

FROM PAGE 28

the vaccine.”

The Minister was keen to note that if communities lag behind in uptake of the vaccine, pockets of high-risk areas would be formed, through which the virus can be contracted easily.

He cautioned, “We have to continue working, because if we don’t, many other areas in Guyana would get closer to herd immunity, and within our country, we will have areas that will be endemic for COVID. Those areas, because it would be high-risk for travel, you can get COVID.” Recent vaccination numbers show first dose uptake at 381,013 persons, or 74.3 per cent of the adult population.

However, second dose uptake stands at 242,327 persons, or 47.2 per cent of the adult population. Some 27,276 children have been administered first doses, and 18,058 children have been administered second doses. (G12)

nated, extended, or amended by notice of the Health Minister after an assessment of the prevailing public health conditions.

Curfew hours

Meanwhile, the curfew hours have now been changed, now becoming effective from 00:00h to 04:00h.

From 04:00h to 23:00h, stakeholders will still be able to access services at banks, markets, supermarkets, grocery shops, gas stations, postal or shipping services, beauty salons, barbershops, hardware stores, clothing or other stores, or other maintenance services.

Other services, including food services, restaurants, bars (including those at hotels) delivery, drive-thru, curbside pickup and take away services can be accessed during this time. Selfservice buffet dining is still prohibited. Gambling, pool and snooker games are not allowed at bars.

Indoor and outdoor dining is also permitted within the same hours at 60 per cent capacity, tables spaced six feet apart, and patrons must be above the age of 12, and must be in possession of their vaccination cards with accom-

panying identification documents.

There are still restrictions on social activities, where no one shall host or attend a private party, banquet, ball, reception, hotel swimming pool or waterpark, wake, vigil, club, discotheque, social club, civil organisation or association, fraternal society, or any other social activity. Sporting events require approval from the Ministry of Health.

Casinos, betting shops or cinemas can still operate, but only at forty percent capacity of the building or seating area. Patrons will only be allowed entry upon possession of a vaccination card to show their immunisation status.

The measures have remained unchanged for essential services to operate 24 hours a day, and these include: hospitals, pharmacies, the Judiciary, Parliament, diplomatic corps, Disciplined Services, solid waste management, airports, hotels or other accommodations; energy services, mining operations, security services, telecommunication providers, fisherfolks, limited port operations, construction, post service and freight, funeral homes, among others.

The Lethem Crossing remains open for crossing of es-

sential goods on Thursdays and travel on Fridays. At the Moleson Creek Crossing, the Public Works Ministry will determine the days and times when it will be opened.

Flights to and from Brazil are still prohibited.

“Before any person is allowed to enter Guyana, whether by land or sea, that person shall present to the relevant authorities a negative molecular biological PCR test or an approved antigen test taken within 72 hours of the date of their arrival in Guyana, and proof of vaccination,” the document indicated.

Any person who fails to comply with these measures commits an offence under section 152 of the Public Health Ordinance, and is liable, on summary conviction, to the penalty provided under that section.

Noncompliant businesses will be issued a written warning to the operator, indicating that if the operator does not comply with these measures, the business of that operator may be suspended; or where after being warned, the operator remains uncompliant, their business will be suspended for a period not exceeding 30 days. (G12)

30 NEWS

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt engaging more airlines to enhance trade T

he introduction of more airlines is expected to unfold for the Guyanese market, offering direct flights to regional destinations and other parts of the world.

Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar, indicated during a recent event that Government is working to bring several carriers here, offering direct routes. This, he underlined, would complement expanded trade between other counterparts.

“We’re working with some airlines to deal with some direct routes to Guyana. We have a number of them that we’re working with. Over the next month, you’ll see some of them being in full play.

Some might take a little longer, but we’re working with the airlines to help us move

in the Caribbean and North America, so that you’ll have some direct routes. It will help us with travel and help us with trade too,” said the Minister.

At the beginning of October, President Dr Irfaan Ali held bilateral discussions with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley on several areas of collaboration.

A few days ago, a high-level delegation from Barbados was in Guyana to explore investment opportunities and agreements to purchase local materials.

Minister Indar has said that as such partnerships materialise, it will be essential to have adequate travel connections between the two countries and others.

He noted, “In the Caribbean especially, we have to make sure that we

have direct flights, because following the State Visit by His Excellency, the arrangement between Barbados and Guyana will be a very fruitful one, so we have to make sure that they have airline operations to complement that process.

“We’re working on those, and you’ll see some announcement coming in the next week or so about some airline that will start the routes.”

In July, Director General (ag) of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Chaitrani Heeralall, had said that seven airlines have signalled their interest in operating here. Those air service providers are FlyAllWays, InterCaribbean Airways, One Caribbean Limited, Jetair Caribbean, Skybus Airlines, Sky High Aviation Services and Guyana Rotorcraft

Services Inc. A number of commercial carriers have already reintroduced flights to and from Guyana since the Government moved to reopen the ports. One such airline is American Airlines, which restarted operations late last year. COPA Airlines started three flights weekly from Panama, and Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL) also started flying between CJIA and the Lester B Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Canada.

JetBlue also launched its commercial flight between New York and Guyana in December of 2020.

In May, InterCaribbean Airways Limited, based in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and FlyAllways received Cabinet approval to operate locally. FlyAllways, which is

Suriname owned, was also granted approval to operate in Guyana.

The Cheddi Jagan International Airport is currently under expansion and modernisation works carried out by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), whom Government recently declined an additional extension to get the airport completely ready.

When the Government entered office, there was a list of 71 critical works and a master list of 1500 works that were incomplete. Back in December, the Public Works Ministry had entered into an agreement with CHEC for the contractor to undertake some US$9 million in additional works to further extend the airport at no cost to the State.

The new works involve

an extension of the airport’s boarding corridor in order to accommodate two more passenger boarding bridges, providing the airport with a total of six boarding bridges capable of servicing aircraft such as the Boeing 777, Dreamliner, the AirBus and similar trans-Atlantic aircraft.

It would also see the terminal building being extended to provide additional commercial space to accommodate food courts and duty-free shops. The extended building would feature a modern airport façade covering the full length of the departure terminal.

These additional features are expected to prove convenient with the influx of carriers coming into the Guyana market to ply respective routes.

31 Police Force to raise entry standards for new recruits NEWS

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…recruits with only primary education to be a “thing of the past”

A

s the Guyana Police Force (GPF) continues its efforts to lift its standards of policing, Acting Commissioner of Police, Nigel Hoppie, and Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn are unified on the importance of raising the entry requirements for Police recruits.

On Saturday, the Guyana Police Force held its inaugural Integrity in Policing symposium at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, and Hoppie used that opportunity to link the entry requirements of the Force with the quality of Police recruits.

Additionally, Hoppie spoke of the impact COVID has had on training within the Force.

“The present entry requirement is a sound primary education. This should be reviewed to a higher level… (the) COVID-19 pandemic has led to the curtailing or restricting of available training, which has affected skill and competency development. It has also affected the recruitment drive,” Hoppie disclosed.

Minister Benn also spoke of raising the entry requirements, agreeing with Hoppie when it was his turn to address the officers. He noted that the requirement of a “sound primary education” was on its own not good enough.

“As the Commissioner of Police would have just mentioned, a sound primary education itself is not necessarily the best measure for joining the Police Force, but it might be more a question of a sound secondary education,” he offered.

“And I’m aware that some people are even coming with degrees to join the Police Force, but I’m aware there are some barriers that we have to look at in relation to bringing in new people,” the Minister also said.

When this publication asked the Minister when

Police top brass following the conclusion of the opening ceremony of the Integrity in Police Symposium. In the front row are Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn (third from left) and acting Police Commissioner Nigel Hoppie (seventh from left)

this would become a reality, Minister Benn promised that this would be done “soon.” He was also of the view that increasing the requirements would not impact the number of recruits the Force gets.

“I don’t think it will impact the question of how many new recruits we will get. There are thousands of people who apply, both to come in the Police, Fire and Prison service. The question relates to one, I think we’ll move to a sound secondary education, or passing particular tests, performance test or written tests, to get into the Force soon… There’s a COVID environment and so on. The discussion is underway to put it into schedules, but it will happen soon,” Benn said.

There are over 3000 ranks in the Guyana Police Force, with an average of 3000 applicants per year.

At present, the Force has a backlog of applications exacerbated by the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the need for additional Police ranks in particular areas throughout the length and breadth of Guyana to help fight crime, the Guyana Police Force

has revealed that only a total of 270 applications can be accepted within a six-

month period.

This was by the GPF’s

disclosed Training

Officer, Superintendent Shivpersaud Bacchus, during the Force’s week-

ly radio programme “Police & You”. Owing to this, the Superintendent noted that persons who had applied in the past two years would subsequently be on said waiting list, since applications from as far back as 2015 would gain first preference, given the time lapse.

However, when asked about the resumption of physical training, he stated that the Force was eagerly awaiting the go-ahead to proceed, and when that is given, information in regard to such would be advertised to the general public.

Concerning a question posed by a caller as to why the Force had a large number of applications, the Superintendent noted that job security was the main reason for this. (G3)

32 NEWS

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Motorcyclist, driver, passengers injured in Georgetown accidents front of minibus BSS 8899, which at the time was proceeding north along the western drive lane of High Street. As a result, the front of the bus collided with the right-side centre portion of the said motorcar.

Due to the collision, the driver of motorcar PLL 4477 lost control of his vehi-

The accidents that occurred at Mandela Avenue and High and Barrack Streets Kingston

A

motorcyclist of Ogle Road, East Coast Demerara (ECD), a driver of Coralita Avenue, Bel Air Park Georgetown, and several passengers are currently injured following separate accidents that occurred over the weekend.

The first accident occurred at around 19:35h on Friday at Mandela Avenue and Hadfield Street, Georgetown.

Police have said the accident involved motorcycle CJ 3109, driven by Manasseh Singamsetty, 22, of Ogle ECD, and motorcar PVV 1276, owned and driven by Ceon Barton, 24, of Block L Republic Gardens, Peters Hall EBD. Based on reports received, motorcar PVV 1276 was proceeding east on the northern side of Hadfield Street while motorcycle CJ 3109 was proceeding south on the eastern drive lane of the eastern carriageway of Mandela Avenue. As the driver of the motorcar approached the intersection of Hadfield Street, he failed to stop and proceeded to cross the intersection going from the western carriageway to the eastern carriageway. In the process of doing so, he

ended up in the path of the motorcycle, the front centre of which came into contact with the left side front of his motorcar.

As a result of the collision, the motorcyclist fell on the road surface and received injuries about her body.

She was picked up in a conscious state by the driver and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where she was seen and examined by a doctor on duty, and treated for abrasions about the body.

She later took self-discharge and went to the Balwant Singh Hospital, where she was also seen and examined by a doctor on duty and treated for a fractured right arm and a fractured right leg. She was later admitted a patient in the said institution.

Meanwhile, a notice of intended prosecution has been prepared and served on the driver of motorcar PVV 1267. A breathalyzer test was also completed on him, the results of which revealed that he had .019% BAC in his breath.

He is currently in custody assisting with the investigation.

The second accident occurred at High and Barrack Streets Kingston, Georgetown on Saturday at around 12:00h.

That accident involved motorcar PLL 4477 driven by Mohan Chan-ASue,82, of Coralita Avenue, Bel Air Park Georgetown, motorcar PWW 5212 owned and parked by Wayne Ramcharran, 65, of Westminster, West Bank Demerara, and minibus BSS 8899 owned and driven by Raymond Douglas, 28, of New Settlers Street, Mocha Village, East Bank Demerara.

Passengers Deon Thomas, 32, of Haslington ECD and Shellon Marks, 26, of Melanie Damishana ECD, who were in minibus BSS 8899 at the time, were injured, the Police have said.

According to reports, motorcar PLL 4477 was proceeding east along the northern drive lane of Barrack Street, and as it approached the intersection of High and Barrack Streets, the driver failed to stop, and continued further east across the said intersection.

His vehicle ended up in

cle and collided with motorcar PWW 5212, which was parked on the eastern side parapet of High Street facing north.

The driver of motorcar PLL 4477 and the passengers of the minibus received injuries, and were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where

they were seen and examined by doctors on duty.

However, the driver and occupant of motorcar #PLL 4477 were admitted as patients at the hospital, while the two minibus passengers were treated and sent away.

Further investigations are continuing. (G9)

3 nabbed with ganja in separate CANU operations

T

hree men have been arrested by the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) during separate narcotics operations.

Two men were arrested after CANU officers conducted an operation at Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD) on Friday and intercepted them with a quantity of small Ziploc bags containing cannabis.

A 29-year-old welder fabricator of Diamond Housing scheme and a 35-yearold vendor of 8th Street, Diamond, EBD were discovered with a total of 47.9 grams of cannabis in their possession.

They were arrested and escorted to CANU Headquarters, and an investigation has been launched.

Also, on Friday, CANU officers conducted an operation in Campbell Avenue, Campbellville, Georgetown, where they observed a male acting suspiciously in a yard.

A search conducted on the individual led to the discovery of a quantity of Ziploc bags containing cannabis amounting to 46.3 grams.

The ganja that was found by CANU

A 35-year-old labourer of Duncan Street, Newtown, Kitty was arrested and escorted to CANU headquarters. An investigation has been launched into that discovery as well.

These busts come on the heels of a $2M cocaine bust in a Campbellville, Georgetown house on Thursday last.

Two men, 33-year-old Eon Joseph and 60-yearold Andre Gomes, called “Zipper,” were arrested by CANU. During the operation, CANU seized two kilograms of cocaine with a

street value of approximately $2 million.

Three years ago, Gomes was freed of a cocaine trafficking charge after it was found that insufficient evidence surrounded the case.

In 2018, Gomes was arrested in the same Campbellville area after CANU ranks had found just over two pounds of cocaine at a house. He was arrested after a wanted bulletin was issued for him.

Gomes and Joseph were arrested and subsequently charged. (G9)

NEWS

33

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

3 years later…

Family still waiting for justice for mother of 2 killed at home

Waiting for justice: Raynard Thom

By Solomon Mc Garrell

I

t has been three excruciating years since the life of nurse/midwife Paulette Thom-Wade was snuffed out on the night of October 25, 2018 at her home in Kwakwani Park, Upper Berbice River; and family members and two young children left behind ae still awaiting justice.

Wade, who was an employed at the Kwakwani Hospital Complex, was killed while her six-year-old daughter and her younger son were in the house. The

children awoke to an unusually dark home on the night of October 25, 2018 and to the sounds of their mom being involved in what seemed to be a scuffle in their room.

The six-year-old child managed to observe a male, reportedly dark in complexion, attacking her mother, but the fearful six-yearold remained tucked in the bed until the next morning, when she saw her mother lying motionless on the floor.

Traumatised by the sight of her dead mother, the brave six-year-old rushed out of the home and went to the next-door neighbour and related what had occurred.

Neighbours and colleagues at the Kwakwani Hospital Complex rushed to the scene, but Wade was already dead.

Speaking with Guyana Times, Wade’s youngest sibling, Raynard Thom, said the family believe the Guyana Police Force has met a dead end in the investigations and would give the family a ‘royal run around’ whenever they contact the local authorities.

“Over two years now the Police have not made contact with the family; nothing of the sort. Due to the elections and so, they say they are very busy, so they

Dead: Paulette Thom-Wade

just left the case like that,” the despondent Thom said.

Several persons have been arrested in connection with the murder, but they were subsequently released as the case remains unsolved.

Wade was described by her family and the entire community of Kwakwani as a beautiful, peaceful person who always had a pleasant personality, and a friendly woman who was well respected in the community.

Wade was also an ardent Adventist churchgoer who was embedded in the faith as a small girl growing up

The house in which the mother of two was killed

in Kimbia, a small village in the Upper Berbice River.

The grieving brother said his sister’s death is a great loss for the community, and family members are always heartbroken every October as they remember her, knowing that her killer is still roaming free.

“Over the past few years, every time October comes around is a very sad month for the Thom family, as well as the community at large, because losing a loved one like that was very bad for the family. She was so kind and genuine to everyone.

Everyone is very hurt be-

cause of what transpired,” the disheartened brother related.Being a woman of that stature, it was shocking and most hurtful to her parents to wrap their minds around the way the life of their daughter had been snuffed out by a heartless individual who remains scot free.

Left to mourn are Wade’s husband, nine-year-old daughter and six-year-old son. Wade’s brother has said it’s hard for his niece and nephew, because it’s like they are now without both parents, since their father is in the interior most times working to provide for

them.

“Well, it is very stressful for them, because they are living without a mother right now, and almost without a father, because the father mostly be at work doing his thing trying to provide for them. So is almost like they are living without parents,” Raynard said.

Family members of Paulette Wade are calling on the Guyana Police Force to investigate the matter “more seriously”, and the family’s heart will be at ease when the perpetrator/s of her murder is/are brought to justice.

34

guyanatimesgy.com

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021

Regional

19 killed as boat sinks off MP wants more relief for Jamaicans impacted by COVID pandemic southern coast of Haiti

M

N

ineteen Haitians died when a boat transporting them between the southern coastal settlements of Anse-a-Pitre and Marigot sank in the early hours of Saturday morning, Prime Minister Ariel Henry said on Twitter.

Local media quoted a survivor identified as Marie Lucienne Pola as saying the boat, which was used for transporting gas, cement, food and passengers, was overloaded.

The boat, which media named as Eklezyas, sank opposite the town of BelleAnse. Civil protection authorities in Marigot said 11

Nineteen people have been killed after a boat sunk of southern coast of Haiti (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

bodies had been recovered

by Saturday morning.

Local fishing and transport vessels helped rescue

survivors from the boat.

Such vessels typically carry hundreds of people.

(Reuters)

ember of Parliament (MP) for East Kingston and Port Royal, Phillip Paulwell, is urging the Government to do more to provide relief to vulnerable Jamaicans who have been negatively impacted by the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“Many small business operators have witnessed the destruction of their livelihoods, unemployment has increased, our students have had their education severely and negatively affected and curtailed, and our elderly citizens have had to endure loneliness and hunger during the period of lockdown,” Paulwell said.

He was making his con-

tribution to the State of the Constituency Debate in the House of Representatives recently.

Paulwell noted that the Government has provided some relief for those most impacted by the pandemic, but said “despite our efforts, people continue to suffer”. He said it was time to get more food into the hands of the people as the distribution of care packages has been infrequent and insufficient. He said that as the Christmas period approached, more resources should be provided, in particular to the elderly and shut-ins.

Paulwell also said the distribution of tablets to students must be accelerated in order

for them to continue their education online. He lamented that the 100 tablets that were promised to each MP for delivery to needy constituents are yet to be provided.

He warned that “time is of the essence on this urgent and critical matter. It is important that those tablets be delivered now”.

Meanwhile, Paulwell also called for a “comprehensive revamping” of the nearly 20-year-old Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education [PATH], with particular focus on the criteria used to register persons as PATH beneficiaries. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Alexis is new Caricom Mexico receives 6 million Deputy Secretary General COVID-19 vaccines as

pressure grows to up jabs T

M

exico’s Health Ministry said it had on Saturday received nearly six million AstraZeneca vaccine doses against COVID-19 as pressure grows on the Government to widen its vaccination roll-out to include children.

The shipment of 5,993,700 doses followed the arrival of almost 6.5 million Sputnik V vaccine doses on Tuesday, easily the two biggest vaccine consignments Mexico has received, according to data on the Ministry’s website.

Mexico has fully vaccinated against COVID-19 around 56 million people, or over 43 per cent of the population, according to Our World in Data, a research group at Oxford University.

The Government has yet to undertake a broad inoculation programme for children, saying only that it would vaccinate up to a million aged between 12 and 17 deemed to be at high risk.

However, media reported this week that a court had ordered health

authorities to give more vaccinations to children aged 12-17 just as other countries do so.

Separately, the Health Ministry reported 3478 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 325 more fatalities, bringing Mexico’s overall death toll from the pandemic to 288,276 and the total number of cases to 3,805,765.

Officials have said the Ministry’s figures likely represent a significant undercount of both COVID-19 cases and deaths. (Reuters)

he Caribbean C o m m u n i t y (Caricom), will have a new Deputy Secretary General as of Monday, November 1.

He is Dr Armstrong Alexis of St Lucia.

Alexis was previously at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), where he has had a distinguished career in the Caribbean, the Pacific and Africa rising to the level of Deputy Resident Representative in Namibia.

The new Deputy Secretary General brings a wealth of experience to the post, having served as well with the Commonwealth Secretariat and at a high level in the public service of his native St Lucia.

Caricom Secretary General, Dr Carla Barnett, in welcoming Alexis said: “He is an experienced international public servant who brings a solid record of performance at a high lev-

el. The Community and the Secretariat will undoubtedly benefit from his skills and vast experience. I am looking forward to him joining the

team at the Secretariat as we continue to strive to provide effective and efficient service to the Community”.

(CMC)

T&T: Rising cases of mental illness in teens, children as young as age 7

P

sychologists are reporting a worrying increase in the number of children exhibiting mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guardian Media was informed by mental health professionals that children as young as seven years old are going to therapy or counselling to help them cope.

According to one psychologist, who spoke off the record, they are currently seeing as many as 100 clients under the age of 18 years old.

Clinical psychologist Dr Peter Weller described the issue as a worsening one.

“There’s a great deal of uncertainty about what the future holds and that is made worse in the pandemic for young people, because their systems and structures have just been disrupted,” Dr Weller said.

“The pandemic causes its own set of stress, but it builds on stressors that pre-existed. The young people already had issues with their parents or self-esteem issues or social anxiety issues or academic performance issues, then the pandemic has exacerbated those.”

According to the educator, it also has to be considered that the brains of young people are still developing, meaning that their sense of higher reasoning, thinking and self-control is not fully formed.

However, Dr Weller wished to make it clear that not all signs of withdrawal by children are signs of mental illnesses.

He urged parents to get to know their children, as best as possible, so they can come to understand the differences between normal development and more serious issues.

“It really depends on the child, their personality and their developmental stage, and the relationship the parent has with the child...I would recommend to parents that they speak to the professionals first and explain what they are seeing,” Dr Weller said.

(Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

guyanatimesgy.com

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021

35

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS As oil races toward US$100, India, US and Japan tell OPEC+ enough is enough

F

or the past year, oil-consuming countries have become increasingly anxious at crude’s resurgence: first to US$50 a barrel, then US$75 and now to more than US$85. And when Russian President Vladimir Putin, one of the leaders of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) cartel, warned that US$100 a barrel was a distinct possibility, the alarm bells really started ringing.

Now, as quickening inflation pushes some central banks toward earlier-than-expected interest rate hikes, the US, India, Japan and other consuming countries are putting the strongest diplomatic pressure on the cartel in years.

Behind closed doors, an intense campaign is being waged to persuade OPEC+ to speed up its output increases, according to multiple diplomats and industry insiders involved in the contacts. The cartel, which meets virtually on November 4 to review policy, is currently boosting output at a rate of 400,000 barrels a day each month.

The private efforts come on top of recent public appeals.

The Biden Administration is increasingly alarmed by rising gasoline prices that have reached a seven-year high, and has been calling on OPEC+ for weeks to pump more oil. Japan, the world’s fourth-largest oil consumer, took the rare step of adding its voice to those calls in late October -- a first for Tokyo since 2008. India, the third-largest consumer, has also asked for more crude. China has been silent in public, but is equally vocal in private, diplomats said.

“We found ourselves in an energy crisis,” Amos Hochstein, the top US energy diplomat, said this week, reflecting a view broadly held view by big oil consuming nations. “Producers should ensure that oil markets and gas markets are balanced.”

(Excerpt from Business Standard)

Indian PM Narendra Modi invites Pope for visit

Prime Minister Modi and Pope Francis met for the first time on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome

I

ndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Pope Francis to visit his country – a significant turnaround after negotiations for a papal visit to India collapsed in 2017.

The invitation came after Modi shared images of his first private meeting with the Pope at the Vatican.

The Indian Prime Minister is attending the G20 summit of major world economies being held in Rome.

The last Pope to visit India was John Paul II in 1999.

In a tweet announcing the invitation, the Prime Minister said he had "a very warm meeting" with Pope Francis, and "had the opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues with him".

An unnamed source told

The Hindu newspaper that the pair discussed ways to tackle poverty and climate change, among other topics.

But there is no indication religious freedom was addressed at the meeting.

The majority of India's population are Hindu. But there are around 24 million Christians in the country – around two per cent of the population.

Pope Francis has frequently signalled his desire to visit India.

In 2016, he said he was "almost sure" that a trip would be arranged for the following year. But despite his visit to neighbouring Bangladesh and Myanmar, Indian Catholic leaders failed to convince Modi to extend an invitation to the pontiff.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

G20 leaders face tough climate talks on 2nd day of summit L eaders of the Group of 20 major economies sit down for a second day of talks today faced with the difficult task of bridging their differences on how to combat global warming ahead of a crucial United Nations summit on climate change.

The first day of the Rome summit – the leaders' first face-to-face gathering since the start of the COVID pandemic – focused mainly on health and the economy, while climate and the environment is front and centre of today's agenda.

Climate scientists and activists are likely to be disappointed unless late breakthroughs are made, with drafts of the G20's final communiqué showing little prog-

US President Joe Biden talks with people in the crowd after a family photo session during the G20 summit at the La Nuvola in Rome, Italy, October 30, 2021

ress in terms of new commitments to curb pollution.

The G20 bloc, which includes Brazil, China, India, Germany and the United States, accounts for an estimated 80 per cent of the glob-

al greenhouse gas emissions, which scientists say must be steeply reduced to avoid climate catastrophe.

For that reason, this weekend's gathering is seen as an important stepping stone to

the UN's "COP26" climate summit attended by almost 200 countries, in Glasgow, Scotland, where most of the G20 leaders will fly directly from Rome.

"The latest reports are disappointing, with little sense of urgency in the face of an existential emergency," said Oscar Soria of the activist network Avaaz. "There is no more time for vague wish-lists, we need concrete commitments and action."

A fifth draft of the G20's final statement seen by Reuters on Saturday did not toughen the language on climate action compared with previous versions, and in some key areas, such as the need to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, it softened it. (Excerpt from Reuters)

3 people shot dead during huge protests against Sudan coup, doctors say

S

ecurity forces shot dead three people during nationwide protests in Sudan on Saturday, a doctors committee said, as hundreds of thousands of people demanded the restoration of a civilian-led Government after a military coup.

In Khartoum, security forces used tear gas and gunfire to try to disperse a huge crowd after protesters had been setting up a stage and discussing the possibility of a sit-in, said a Reuters witness.

The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said three protesters were shot dead by security forces in the capital Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman. It said

38 people were injured, including some by gunfire.

An eyewitness in Omdurman said they heard gunshots and saw people being carried away bleeding from the direction of the Parliament building.

Sudanese Police denied shooting protesters during the demonstrations, saying on State TV that one Policeman sustained gunshot wounds. A representative of the military was not immediately available to comment.

The demonstrations marked the biggest challenge to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan since he ousted Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's Cabinet on Monday.

Japan votes in test for new PM Kishida, political stability

J

apanese voters decide today whether to endorse the conservative Government or to weaken Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and possibly return the world's third-largest economy to a period of political uncertainty.

The vote is a test for Kishida, who called the election soon after taking the top post this month, and for his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has been battered by its perceived mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Already, the new premier has struggled to advance policies to help poorer people, while securing a big boost in military spending and taking a harder line on China.

The LDP is on the brink of losing its sole majority in the Lower House of Parliament for the first time since 2009, opinion polls show, although its coalition with junior part-

ner Komeito is forecast to remain in control.

"Revolving-door Prime Ministers is a weakness that many outside of Japan fear," Sheila A Smith, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in a blog post. "Prime Minister Kishida will need a unified party and a strong electoral showing on October 31 if he is to successfully tackle Japan’s difficult national agenda."

The biggest Opposition group, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, is expected to gain seats, but not come near to toppling Kishida's coalition.

Still, a big loss of LDP seats could lead to party infighting, returning Japan to an era of short-lived administrations that diminished its global stature, until Shinzo Abe helmed the country for a record eight years to September 2020. (Excerpt from Reuters)

"This has been a miscalculation from the start and misunderstanding of the level of commitment, bravery, and concern the street has about the future of Sudan," said Jonas Horner of the International Crisis Group.

Protesters carried Sudanese flags and chanted "Military rule can't be praised" and "This country is ours, and our government is civilian" as they marched in neighbourhoods across Khartoum.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

World leaders agree to historic corporate tax deal

Rome's G20 summit will set the tone for the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, held immediately after

L

eaders of the world's 20 major economies have approved a global agreement that will see the profits of large businesses taxed at least 15 per cent.

It follows concern that multinational companies are re-routing their profits through low-tax jurisdictions.

The pact was agreed by all the leaders attending the G20 summit in Rome.

Climate change and COVID are also on the agenda of the summit, which is the leaders' first in-person gathering since the start of the pandemic.

The G20 group – made up of 19 countries and the European Union – is short by two, however, with China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin choosing to appear via video link.

The tax deal, which was

proposed by the US, is expected to be officially adopted today, according to Reuters news agency, and will be enforced by 2023.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the historic agreement was a "critical moment" for the global economy and will "end the damaging race to the bottom on corporate taxation".

She wrote on Twitter that US businesses and workers would benefit from the deal even though many US-based mega-companies would have to pay more tax.

Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi opened the two-day G20 summit with a message of unification, telling world leaders that "going it alone is simply not an option. We must do all we can to overcome our differences". (Excerpt from BBC News)

36

guyanatimesgy.com

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021

ARIES (March 21April 19)

Personal growth will lead to a positive change of attitude. Spend time with a loved one, and you’ll gain perspective regarding your relationship and where it’s heading.

Discuss your plans.

Take part in something TAURUS that excites you. An adven(April 20ture, challenge or unique exMay 20) perience will give you the boost you need and encourage you to push harder to achieve something big.

Use discretion when dealGEMINI (MAY 28- ing with personal relationships.

Someone will use persuasive tacJune 20)

tics that put you in a compromising position. Do your homework; get the lowdown on any newcomer who grabs your attention.

Reach out to someone you CANCER don’t get to spend enough time (June 21with. Exciting, evolving inforJuly 22)

mation will help you make a personal decision. Limit social activities that can affect your financial situation.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO

(Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Dilbert LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Peanuts

Handle your money wisely. Spending lavishly on something you don’t need will put you in a tight spot. Set a budget and stick to your plan. A problem with an older relative will cause difficulties.

Share your thoughts and feelings, and you’ll find out where you stand. It’s important to know what’s possible before you start making changes that will affect your life.

Invest in your security. Put your money in a safe place, and it will ease stress and give you a chance to rethink how to best move forward. A stable home environment will boost your spirits.

Investigate what’s available to you. Ask questions and push for answers. Be secretive regarding your intentions until you have all the information you require to put your plan in motion.

Draw on the experience you SAGITTARIUS have gained over the years, not (Nov. 23on secondhand information Dec. 21) from an unknown source. Pay attention to detail and trust the facts.

CAPRICORN Improvements geared toward comfort and convenience (Dec. 22will encourage you to spend Jan. 19) more time at home. A sufficient workspace will enable you to develop an idea and turn it into an opportunity.

Calvin and Hobbes

Slow

down

and

make

AQUARIUS sure you have enough re(Jan. 20sources available to finish Feb. 19) what you start. It’s essential

to have a well-thought-out plan in place if you want to avoid an expensive mistake.

PISCES (Feb. 20Mar. 20)

Sharing too much information too soon will put you in a vulnerable position. Take care of every detail and protect your plans from anyone who could try to stand in your way.

37

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021

RHTY&SC cricket teams donate to Port Mourant Public Hospital

T

he 12 cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) last Thursday presented necessities to the Port Mourant Public Hospital.

This presentation marks the launching of the massive 2021 Christmas programme.

On an annual basis, these teams: Poonai Pharmacy under-12 and -13, Farfan and Mendes under-15, Bakewell under-17 and Second Division, Pepsi under-19 and Intermediate, Vitality INC under-23, Metro Female, Namilco Thunderbolt under-21 and First Division, host a multi-million-dollar charity programme which includes donations to several institutions.

RHTY&SC Secretary/CEO

Region Six Vice Chairman Zamal Hussain handing over donation of items to the Administrator of the hospital, Shaneeza Nabi, on behalf of the cricket teams

Hilbert Foster, along with his deputy Simon Naidu, would spearhead the programme, which would include the distribution of 1000 food hampers, 7000 toys, 1000 special Christmas packages, 500 Christmas breakfast, and cycles and school bags for less fortunate families.

The teams would also make donations to fellow cricket clubs, senior citizens’ homes, and orphanages.

These teams are also hoping to host the seventh edition of the very popular Rose Hall Town Christmas Village in the compound of the Rose Hall Town Primary School. Hosting of the Village, if approved by

Six-happy Miller and Rabada finish the job after Shamsi’s game-changing three-for

S

outh Africa’s chase veered, almost stalled, and threatened to careen off a cliff - particularly when Wanindu Hasaranga claimed a T20I hattrick to go with the ODI one he took on debut.

But, in the end, taking the game deep, trusting their finisher and hoping Sri Lanka’s inexperience would show, ended up working for them.

With 14 required off the last five balls, Lahiru Kumara missed his length twice, put two balls in David Miller’s arc, and the batter cleared his front leg, brought that big back lift down, and smoked Kumara waaay over deep midwicket, for two sixes that very nearly cleared the stands. He got a single off the next ball, meaning South Africa were tied, with two balls remaining.

Kagiso Rabada, who had fielded brilliantly, then edged the next ball for four, and South Africa were home with a ball to spare.

The victory means South Africa stay in the running for a semi-final spot, while Sri Lanka find themselves needing several other results to go their way if they are to be in contention.

Earlier, Sri Lanka had stumbled through the middle overs - not for the first time against spin. Tabraiz Shamsi took 3 for 17, as Sri Lanka slumped from 61 for 1 to 110 for 6, the run rate slowing substantially as those wickets fell. They ended with a total of 142, the last wicket falling off the last delivery.

It never really seemed enough, even if their bowlers did well to make it seem a good total.

Nissanka shows his T20 smarts It wasn’t necessarily an exemplary T20 knock, but, for this very flawed Sri Lanka side, it was good enough. Pathum Nissanka made only 18 from his first 20 deliveries in the powerplay. But he stuck around, surviving a close lbw chance off Keshav Maharaj through the middle overs, to accelerate later in the innings, hitting three fours and a six off the last nine deliveries he raced, to finish with 72 off 58.

Shamsi bosses it yet again The world’s top-ranked T20I bowler showed why he is so highly rated. He gave away only a

Africa in touch.

Rabada had the s t r i ke a t

David Miller and Kagiso Rabada pulled out the big hits in the last two overs

single run in his first over, which suggested Sri Lanka were looking just to play him out safely. But then he got wickets in each of his remaining three overs, even when batters weren’t trying to be especially aggressive against him.

He got two caught-and-bowleds - Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Avishka Fernando coming down the track looking for singles, but failing to get to the pitch, and spooning catches right back at Shamsi.

For his third scalp, Shamsi got Hasaranga to hole out to long-on.

He finished with the game’s best figures of 3 for 17.

Hasaranga hat-tricks Sri Lanka back into the game As if totally unwilling to be done by Shamsi - the only bowler above him on the T20I rankings - Hasaranga got three wickets of his own, all in a row. The first of these was probably the most important wicket. It wasn’t Hasaranga’s best googly, but he deceived the in-form Aiden Markram nonetheless, and knocked back his off-stump.

That wicket had come off the last ball of the 15th over, and then when he next came back to the bowling crease, in the 18th, Hasaranga got two wickets first up. He had Bavuma caught at deep midwicket off a genuine half-tracker - Bavuma not managing to clear the fielder, or miss him. Next ball, Dwaine Pretorius holed out to longon, and South Africa seemed in serious trouble, with six wickets down and 31 still needed from 16 balls.

The big finish

Miller just bided his time, and waited for Sri Lanka’s weakest death bowler. Rabada had thankfully struck a six off Dushmantha Chameera in the penultimate over, to keep South

the start of t h e last over too, but he got a single first ball, and when Miller got to the crease, he was just intent on hitting a n d bowled t w o t o

Tabraiz Shamsi bagged 3 wickets

the COVID-19 Task Force, would be held from December 2224, during which the entire compound of the school would be transformed into a dreamland for kids.

The donation to the Port Mourant Public Hospital consisted of two tables, two office chairs and two blood pressure testing machines. Foster, who has a close working relationship with the management of the hospital, had visited he institution to find out its immediate needs.

Foster has said the Port Mourant Hospital has a special place in his heart, and as long as he is the Secretary/ CEO of the RHTY&SC, support would continue for this public institution.

He has hailed the professional attitude of the staff, and has had special words of praise for head of the institution, Dr G Sukhdeo. Regional Vice Chairman Zamal Hussain handed over the donation to the Hospital Administrator Shaneeza Nabi.

Ministers of Housing Collin Croal and Susan Rodrigues were both present at the ceremony, and congratulated the club for making a positive difference in the community.

The RHTY&SC has, over the last two years, made several significant contributions and sponsored three awards ceremonies for the hospital’s staff, including doctors, nurses, management staff and porters.

Guyanese Dillon Heyliger in Canada team for T20 World Cup Qualifers

F

ormer Guyana youth player Dillon Heyliger has been included in Canada’s team for the upcoming International Cricket Council 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup Americas

sixes, Kumara him the perfect balls smash. Miller finished with 23 not out off 13. (ESPNcricinfo)

will progress into the two eightteam global qualifiers for the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, to be played in Australia next November.

The 14-member Canadian squad, along with its six accompanying officials, will depart for Antigua today, Sunday October 3 1 , 2021.

SCOREBOARD SRI LANKA INNINGS (20 OVERS MAXIMUM) Pathum Nissanka c Nortje b Pretorius 72 Kusal Perera † b Nortje 7 Charith Asalanka run out (Rabada/†de Kock) 21 Bhanuka Rajapaksa c & b Shamsi 0 Avishka Fernando c & b Shamsi 3 Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva c Markram b Shamsi 4 Dasun Shanaka (c) c Rabada b Pretorius 11 Chamika Karunaratne c van der Dussen b Pretorius 5 Dushmantha Chameera b Nortje 3 Maheesh Theekshana not out 7 Lahiru Kumara run out (†de Kock/Nortje) 0 Extras (lb 7, w 2) 9 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 7.10) 142 Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Kusal Perera, 3.5 ov), 2-61 (Charith Asalanka, 8.5 ov), 3-62 (Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 9.3 ov), 4-77 (Avishka Fernando, 11.4 ov), 5-91 (Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva, 13.4 ov), 6-110 (Dasun Shanaka, 16.4 ov), 7-131 (Chamika Karunaratne, 18.2 ov), 8-131 (Pathum Nissanka, 18.4 ov), 9-142 (Dushmantha Chameera, 19.5 ov), 10-142 (Lahiru Kumara, 19.6 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Aiden Markram 2-0-8-0 Kagiso Rabada 3-0-32-0

Anrich Nortje Keshav Maharaj Tabraiz Shamsi Dwaine Pretorius

4-0-27-2 4-0-34-0 4-0-17-3 3-0-17-3

SOUTH AFRICA INNINGS (TARGET: 143 RUNS FROM 20 OVERS) Quinton de Kock † c & b Chameera 12 Reeza Hendricks lbw b Chameera 11 Rassie van der Dussen run out (Shanaka) 16 Temba Bavuma (c) c Nissanka b de Silva 46 Aiden Markram b de Silva 19 David Miller not out 23 Dwaine Pretorius c Rajapaksa b de Silva 0 Kagiso Rabada not out 13 Extras (lb 3, nb 1, w 2) 6 TOTAL (19.5 Ov, RR: 7.36) 146/6 Did not bat: Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi Fall of wickets: 1-25 (Reeza Hendricks, 3.2 ov), 2-26 (Quinton de Kock, 3.4 ov), 3-49 (Rassie van der Dussen, 7.6 ov), 4-96 (Aiden Markram, 14.6 ov), 5-112 (Temba Bavuma, 17.1 ov), 6-112 (Dwaine Pretorius, 17.2 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Dushmantha Chameera 4-0-27-2 Maheesh Theekshana 4-0-31-0 Lahiru Kumara 3.5-0-35-0 Chamika Karunaratne 3-0-23-0 W Hasaranga de Silva 4-0-20-3 Dasun Shanaka 1-0-7-0

Dillon Heyliger

Qualifiers, to be held in Antigua and Barbuda from November 7–15.

The 14-member squad is as follows: Navneet Dhaliwal (Captain), Dilon Heyliger, Jatinderpal Matharu, Shreyas Movva, Salman Nazar, Rayyankhan Pathan, Cecil Pervez, Sana-Ur-Rehman, Junaid Siddiqui, Kaleem Ravinderpal Singh, Hamza Tariq, Harsh Thaker, Saad Zafar and Aaditya Varadharajan.

The squad will be accompanied by six officials: Carlos Ragoonath – Manager, Amarinder Bhinder – Coach, Khuram Chohan and Daulat Khan - Assistant Coaches, Ankur Sahrama – Physio and Dinesh Mahabir – Analyst.

Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Panama and the USA are the other seven teams participating in the Antiguahosted seven-day tournament, which will be played in a round-robin format. The tournament’s top two teams

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39

Woakes, Jordan and Buttler dismantle Australia to top group

N

ever mind the Ashes, Australia’s T20I team was reduced to rubble in Dubai, as England maintained their hot streak in the T20 World Cup Super 12s.

Chris Woakes produced another incisive display of fast bowling in the powerplay, before Jos Buttler did pretty much as he pleased during an innings of 71 from 32 balls.

The chase of 125 was a formality, achieved with more than eight overs to spare.

If the game wasn’t decided by the toss - teams batting second have now won 12 out of 14 Super 12 encounters at this World Cup - it effectively was by new-ball spells from Woakes, who finished with 2 for 23, and Chris Jordan, who finished with 3 for 17.

Australia limped to 21 for 3 at the end of the powerplay, and although they managed something of a recovery from

Chris Woakes sent back David Warner

at the top of Group 1 and to the brink of a semi-final spot.

Woakes bosses the powerplay again In 2020, England’s attack had a powerplay problem, managing 10 wickets in 11 innings at an average of 60.00.

Jos Buttler produced a scintillating display of power-hitting

41 for 4 at halfway, their total looked severely under par.

Australia’s lower order had in fact managed to plunder 50 from the last four overs of their innings, and the ball continued to fly to all parts of the ground as Buttler and Jason Roy got the England reply going.

They raced to 66 without loss from the first six overs - the highest powerplay score of the tournament so far - before Buttler and Jonny Bairstow finished the contest in a blaze of sixes, sending England clear

In this tournament, they have picked up 10 from three at an average of 7.90, to go with an economy of 4.38. Their opponents’ scores after six overs have read: 31 for 4; 27 for 3, and now 21 for 3.

The return of Woakes, who did not play a T20I for almost six years between 2015 and June this year, has been a big factor in their increased potency. He struck with his second ball in this match, a sharp lifter that found David Warner’s outside edge - a

SCOREBOARD AUSTRALIA INNINGS (20 OVERS MAXIMUM) David Warner c †Buttler b Woakes 1 Aaron Finch (c) c Bairstow b Jordan 44 Steven Smith c Woakes b Jordan 1 Glenn Maxwell lbw b Woakes 6 Marcus Stoinis lbw b Rashid 0 Matthew Wade † c Roy b Livingstone 18 Ashton Agar c Livingstone b Mills 20 Pat Cummins b Jordan 12 Mitchell Starc c †Buttler b Mills 13 Adam Zampa run out (†Buttler/Mills) 1 Josh Hazlewood not out 0 Extras (lb 6, w 3) 9 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 6.25) 125 Fall of wickets: 1-7 (David Warner, 1.2 ov), 2-8 (Steven Smith, 2.1 ov), 3-15 (Glenn Maxwell, 3.5 ov), 4-21 (Marcus Stoinis, 6.1 ov), 5-51 (Matthew Wade, 11.4 ov), 6-98 (Ashton Agar, 17.4 ov), 7-110 (Aaron Finch, 18.1 ov), 8-110 (Pat Cummins, 18.2 ov),

proceedings. Roy charged Josh Hazlewood’s first ball, swatting four through mid-on, and then creamed Pat Cummins into the stands in the third over Australia had taken until the 17th before they managed to clear the ropes.

Buttler did the same to Ashton Agar, brought in for this game as a specialist bowling option, but soon on a hiding to nothing.

Roy fell to Adam Zampa’s second ball after the powerplay, trapped lbw on review (one of the few things

9-119 (Adam Zampa, 19.4 ov), 10-125 (Mitchell Starc, 19.6 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Adil Rashid 4-0-19-1 Chris Woakes 4-0-23-2 Chris Jordan 4-0-17-3 Liam Livingstone 4-0-15-1 Tymal Mills 4-0-45-2 ENGLAND INNINGS (TARGET: 126 RUNS FROM 20 OVERS) Jason Roy lbw b Zampa 22 Jos Buttler † not out 71 Dawid Malan c †Wade b Agar 8 Jonny Bairstow not out 16 Extras (b 5, nb 1, w 3) 9 TOTAL (11.4 Ov, RR: 10.80) 126/2 Did not bat: Eoin Morgan (c), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Tymal Mills Fall of wickets: 1-66 (Jason Roy, 6.2 ov), 2-97 (Dawid Malan, 9.1 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Mitchell Starc 3-0-37-0 Josh Hazlewood 2-0-18-0 Pat Cummins 1-0-14-0 Ashton Agar 2.4-0-15-1 Adam Zampa 3-0-37-1

dismissal reminiscent of the opener’s early exit during the 2019 World Cup semifinal - and then pinned Glenn Maxwell dead in front during his second over. In between, he claimed an acrobatic overhead catch to help remove Steven Smith.

An opening spell of 3-0-7-2 took Woakes’s returns during the powerplay in the UAE to 4 for 29 from eight overs. With Jordan, bowling with the new ball for the first time at the tournament and picking up 1 for 6 from his two, England fully capitalised on bowling first on a slightly grassy surface, and were able to dictate the pace of game from there on.

Shuffling the deck England played an unchanged team for the third match running, but there was an immediate switch of approach with the ball, as Adil Rashid was preferred to Moeen Ali as the spinner to open the bowling.

Although Warner took first strike, the match-up England were looking for was Rashid It was a fierce battle betwee n Honduras an d Guyana against Finch - the Australia captain came into this game he Junior Lady Jags team completed having been dismissed seven took on their Honduran her hattrick in the 48th, giving times by legspin this year. counterparts in the CONCACAF Honduras the perfect opening to In the event, Rashid’s Under-17 Qualifiers on Saturday the second half. exploratory over gave way morning, and suffered a 6-0 loss After the break, Guyana’s to a diet of seam bowling, as the tournament continued management opted to have but he returned to dismiss at the IMG Academy in Florida, their goalie switched out with Marcus Stoinis with the first USA. the introduction of Anostasha ball of the seventh over. With Following a narrow victory Coppin, but the result was the Finch, who has a domineering over Anguilla on Thursday, same. Coppin, in attempting to record against offspin, batting the Junior Lady Jags came in save another shot at the box, through to the 18th over, for some heavy blows from effected an own goal, adding a Moeen wasn’t used at all - Honduras, who were coming off fifth goal to the Honduras but Liam Livingstone stepped another large-margin win against score. in to deliver a full four-over the Turks and Caicos Girls on A foul allocation for the first time in Thursday. in the box T20Is. This time around, Captain d u r i n g With Livingstone able Akeelah Vancooten, Sidney added to switch between leg- and Facey, Ciara Sarius, Alyssa Blake, time offspin, he kept a lid on Nakasi St Jules, Sara Matthies, Australia during the middle Anaya Willabus, Sue Edwards, overs, finishing as England’s Karan Jupiter, Sandra Johnson most economical bowler while and Jalade Trim got the nod deceiving Matthew Wade as the starting XI. with a flighted delivery that Honduras took a tempted a mishit to long-on. while to find their Early success meant Eoin groove against the Morgan could save Tymal Junior Lady Jags.

Mills for the second half of However, with the innings - and although he the first goal was expensive, finishing with finding the back 2 for 45 from his four overs, of the net in the 28th Australia had sustained too minute, the flow s o o n much damage to be able to became too much for the local mount an effective recovery as ladies to handle. conditions for batting eased.

Taking a chance on a Finch battled through before long shot, Anyeli Rodriguez finally falling to an excellent sunk the first goal, and that Bairstow catch in the 19th was followed by a goal from over, 44 off 49, his slowest T20I Karla Calix in the 29th, after innings of more than 14 balls. challenging Guyana’s goalie, Sidney Facey.

Buoyant Buttler In another one-on-one England’s chase was more challenge with the goal’s of a saunter. Needing barely custodian, Calix made it a 3-0 a run a ball, the openers affair in the 45th, and then quickly stamped their mark on

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that went Finch’s way). But Buttler responded by smashing 4-4-6-1-2-4 off Mitchell Starc and Zampa, bringing up a 25ball half-century in the ninth over. Soon it became a rangehitting exercise, with one of Buttler’s blows measuring 105 metres.

England needed 29 from 66 when Agar had Dawid Malan caught behind for 8, and the end came swiftly after a third thumping win in a row for Morgan’s side.

Never mind the Ashes, England have the T20 World Cup firmly in their sights.

(ESPNcricinfo)

saw Rodriguez sink another goal into the Guyana net for the sixth, as the encounter ended 6-0.

Guyana will play their final group game on Monday, November 1, against Turks and Caicos at the same venue. Also in Group C, Honduras will take on Anguilla. The Under-17 Girls are playing for a chance to book a spot in the CONCACAF 2022 Under-17 Championships.

As the qualification process goes, the top finisher in each group will advance, as would the best second place finisher.

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

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

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he Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) recently hosted a presentation ceremony in which grants were presented to 10 youth cricketers at the St Francis Center in Rose Hall Town under the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/Dave West Indian Imports Educational Trust Fund.

"Since 2018, the BCB has placed special emphasis on the importance of education, as we are fully aware that it is the key to success. We are therefore delighted that our parent body, the GCB, has joined hands with us in the quest to get youths to understand the importance of an educational background," BCB President Hilbert Foster has said.

The 10 cricketers who received the grants worth twenty thousand dollars each were drawn from across the county, and were selected by the management of the

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he excitement in the air was most electrifying on Day 1 as many of Guyana's top golfers and foreigners from around the world competed to see who would be leading the charts heading into Day 2 in the GTT Guyana Open at Lusignan Golf Club (LGC).

The action unfolded at 06:20h, and the weather while gloomy, showed some favour to the golfers as many hoped that mother nature would hold her hand and allow a smooth day of golf.

The results for the day are as follow: * Ladies’ Best Gross: Christine Sukhram – 79 * Ladies’ Best Net: Christine Sukhram – 69 * Ladies’ Nearest to the Flag: Julia Stephenson * Ladies’ Longest Drive: Shenella London * Men’s Nearest to the Flag:

Minister Susan Rodrigues posing with the awardees after the presentation

different teams. The players who benefited were Navin Boodwah, Vivik Singh, Ramzan Koobeer, Devindra Samaroo, Dhanesh Prabudial, Adrian Hetmyer, Michael Cort, Geovanni Amsterdam, Joel Lall and Isaih Seeouni.

The players were from

member clubs of the BCB Ebinburgh, Blairmont, Achievers, Albion, Mt Sinai, Rose Hall Canje, Kildonan, Port Mourant, Upper Corentyne and Whim. Foster, who is also Vice President of the GCB, disclosed that 10 cricketers would benefit in Essequibo

Feroze Barkat * Men’s Longest Drive: Avinash Persaud * Men’s 0-9 Best Gross: Aavinda Kishore – 68 * Men’s Best Net: Aavinda Kishore – 65 * Men’s 10-18 Best Gross: Rabindranauth Persaud – 79 * Men’s Best Net: Rabindranauth Persaud – 69 * Men’s 19-28 Best Gross: Rohan Albert – 84 * Men’s Best Net: Rohan Albert – 57 Sharing his thoughts at the end of Day 1 was LGC Vice President Paton George who said, “The condition led to good scoring; as a result, we saw a record-breaking net score of 57. All in all, it was a great day of golf; the course is in excellent condition as the vibes were all positive. We had a total of 73 players and a good afternoon and an excellent experience

as we had a great diversity of players, such as those from Gambia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya just to name a few. Day 2 is building to be very exciting and unpredictable as 10-time champion Avinash Persaud is trailing and Aavinda Kishore is in the lead, so it’s going to be a very interesting day.”

The golfers were eager for some action, as at one point the May-June rains had flooded the course, not to mention the ongoing pandemic. Nevertheless, the LGC committee pressed on, and as promised Guyana's premier golf tournament has completed its first day The Day 2 action will commence at 06:00h today as many will fight to either maintain their lead or surpass the leader in their bid to be crowned the champion of the GTT Guyana Open 2021.

and Demerara each under the trust fund, which is being sponsored by New York-based businessman Dave Narine.

In the presence of Government Ministers Collin Croal and Susan Rodrigues, Foster reminded the attentive youths of the importance

of staying in school and completing their educational careers. He stated that, in his mind, education is more important that sports, as less than one percent of the current youth players would go on to become professional cricketers. What you learn in school, he stated, can never be taken from you, and would shape the course of your life in the future.

Foster, who has led a massive pro-education campaign in Region Six, disclosed that hundreds of youths have received educational grants from the BCB as part of a comprehensive developmental plan. Another twenty would get twenty thousand dollars next month under the BCB Patron Fund.

The BCB President expressed thanks to the GCB and Dave Narine for the investment. Narine, he noted,

is a true friend of Berbice and Guyana cricket, and Foster has wished him the best in the future.

Minister Rodrigues, who handed over the grants to the cricketers, congratulated both cricket boards for investing in the education of players.

She said that with education, impossible dreams can become reality. She urged the cricketers to always strive for excellence, and to become the best of the best.

Minister Croal joined his colleague in congratulating the GCB and BCB for their wisdom in investing in the educational sector. Each of the awardees received a twenty-thousanddollar gift voucher, which would be submitted to the New Amsterdam branch of Metro Stationery and Computers Store for educational materials they would need to enable them to attend classes.

facility will be the first of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean.

The idea, Ninvalle reasoned, is to make Guyana the 'hub' for boxing in the Caribbean, where countries will come to prepare and train for major tournaments.

He added that, already, boxers in the Region are using the Land of Many Waters as a base for their camp, pointing to the three boxers currently in Guyana from Trinidad, getting ready for the Junior Pan Am Games in Cali, Colombia.

Earlier this year, Trinidad and Tobago's Aaron Prince also used Guyana as his

location to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics.

"So this will be more than just a home for Guyana. You can look at it as a home for the Caribbean. We have some of the best boxers in the English-speaking Caribbean, so right now we're seeing boxers already coming here," Ninvalle said.

Ninvalle, who also serves as Vice President of the American Boxing Confederation (AMBC), has thanked Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, and the Government of Guyana for their continued support of amateur boxing.

An artist's impression of the proposed GBA Home of Boxing

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he Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) will soon have a place to call their own, according to GBA President, Steve Ninvalle.

Ninvalle has reported that the GBA is in the process of securing a plot of land from the Government of Guyana to establish what will be their home for amateur boxing.

When completed, the approximately $50M facility will have a 20-room dormitory, kitchen area, and a state-of-the-art gym.

With an artist’s impression and 'plan' already in place, Ninvalle revealed that upon completion, the

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