Guyana Times - Thursday, October 28, 2021

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Issue No. 4814

THE BEACON OF TRUTH THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021

PRICE

Severed sugar workers' grant

“We have no apologies; wronged sugar workers must be compensated” – Nandlall to Opposition

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Widow recounts husband’s death in emotional P8 testimony to jury “…I was praying, then I hear lots of gunshots”

See story on page 3

…as Harmon campaigns to block cash grant GECOM vacancies

$80 VAT INCLUDED

Page 16

Texan, Jamaican, Kittitian among foreign applicants for Guyana’s Chief …17 locals, including former Elections Officer post CEO, DCEO also apply

$19M GPF meals fraud

Cops accused of deleting records walk free P12 P13 Reg 4 Chairman bars AFC’s NCM against APNU Vice Chair

Neglect, abuse, incest affecting migrant children – RCC

…as clerk reprimanded for allowing notice of motion

Major support for Harmon to lead PNC …as members overlook other candidates

Pedal cyclist killed in P10 Mahaica accident

See story on page 2

See story on page 7

P10 CANU unearths $2M in cocaine in Campbellville house

Diwali celebrations for 2021: Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha hosted Deep Jale at the Kitty Seawall Roundabout on Wednesday evening. In photo, dancers perform during the Diwali light-up (Abel Harris photo)

Guyana prepares to vaccinate children …COVID-19 death toll now 900 aged 5 to 11…1 new death, 82 infections recorded See stories on pages 9 & 15

Charlestown Post Office set ablaze P7 …arson suspected

2 NEWS Neglect, abuse, incest affecting migrant children – RCC THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…more effort needed to better integrate migrant children – Speaker

A

s Guyana continues to see an influx of migrants, including children, House Speaker Manzoor Nadir is calling for more national efforts to better integrate them into Guyanese society.

Nadir stated that the country must work towards protecting the rights of children regardless of where they come from.

He was at the time delivering remarks following the handing-over of annual reports from the Rights of the Child Commission (RCC).

These reports will be tabled

in the National Assembly.

“Guyana can’t turn away these kids. We have to do everything in our power to ensure we can afford them the opportunity that is enshrined in their rights, regardless if they are coming over the border legally or not,” he posited.

The House Speaker reminded that in the past, thousands of Guyanese would have sought refuge in other countries, and would have benefited significantly.

“In spite of the fact that we may be a little better off financially today, we now

can’t shut our doors. We now have to open our hearts bigger to every single one,” Nadir expressed.

“If there is something we can do today, is to appeal to every single one, register your child. If not, you’re creating more headaches for them later down. It’s schooling, it’s vaccination, it’s their future. So, let us start with registering our child, and if we can help those persons who are coming across the borders with their registration, then let us do it,” he added.

Meanwhile, RCC

Speaker Manzoor Nadir with RCC Chairperson Aleema Nazeer, Commissioner Rosemary Benjamin-Noble and other members of the RCC at the handing-over of the report on Wednesday

Commissioner Rosemary Benjamin-Noble noted that the Government had made a pledge in 2010 to have 100 per cent birth registration of migrants. This, she noted, is one of the recommendations the RCC has continued to emphasise.

“Our recommendations have, over the years, been standard in a sense that… it is important that birth registration be emphasised continually. Most of our recommendations will be rolling over through the years, because what we have found and we did in 2010 have a pledge made by the Government to have a 100 per cent registration, so that has been one of the recommendations that we keep rolling over,” the Commissioner highlighted.

Moreover, in regards to the findings outlined in the final report, RCC Chairperson Aleema Nazeer stated that, “while there are good things in our report, we are very (very) distressed at some of the findings that we have found in the regions especially. There is a lot of neglect and a lot of abuse, a lot of incest and, you know, these things have been bothering us. There’s

a lot of things that are happening to our children,” the RCC Chair expressed.

The Education Ministry has disclosed that some 740 Venezuelan children between the ages of 5 and 16 were enrolled in the public education system in April and May 2019.

Regions One, Two, and Three were the regions that recorded the largest numbers of school enrolment among the refugee children – 187, 138, and 196 respectively.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) statistics in December 2020, there are currently over 22,000 Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Guyana.

In April this year, Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud disclosed that Guyana, in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IMO), would be drafting a migration policy for those Guyanese who have returned to Guyana from Venezuela. According to Persaud, that migration policy would provide an environment in which the migrants can be reintegrated into society.

NEWS

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Thursday, October 28 – 10:30h-12:00h and Friday, October 29 – 11:30h-13:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Thursday, October 28 – 10:00h-11:30h and Friday, October 29 – 11:35h-13:05h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny conditions are expected during the day, with clear to partly cloudy skies at night.

Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Northerly to North-Westerly between 1.78 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 09:21h and 21:42h reaching maximum heights of 2.06 metres and 2.11 metres.

Low Tide: 15:10h reaching a minimum height of 1.22 metres.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021

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COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$84.58/barrel

-2.15

Rough Rice

$244.26 /ton

+0.05

London Sugar

$511.30/ton

+1.17

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1795.10

$1796.10

Low/High Change

$1783.40 -1.90

$1800.20 -0.11%

Severed sugar workers’ grant

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“We have no apologies; wronged sugar workers must be compensated”– Nandlall to Opposition …as Harmon campaigns to block cash grant

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ttorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, S.C., has unapologetically defended the People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s (PPP/C’s) announcement of a one-off payout of $250,000 to each sugar worker who was fired following the downsizing of the sugar industry, saying that his Government is trying to correct a wrong done to those workers and their families by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) regime.

This was in response to statements made by Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon recently. During his campaign launch as a candidate for the leadership of the

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC

these workers were not only arbitrarily dismissed, but were let go off without the payment of any severance. He reminded that court actions had to be filed in order for

receive these payments that they were entitled to.

“Seven thousand [sugar workers], and you had about 30,000 Guyanese put immediately on the breadline by an uncaring Government. Those people were basically living on charity. They were living on donations. They were living on handouts. They punished.

Some people were starving, children could not go to school, they were crying. Big men committed suicide because they could not have provided for their families. Men turned to alcoholism, some of them smoked drugs,” Nandlall outlined, pointing out that he witnessed these situations firsthand, having been on the ground during that time.

File photo: Some of the severed sugar workers during a meeting with Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on October 4, 2021 at Skeldon, Berbice

People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) party last week, Harmon accused the Government of spending billions of dollars to pamper sugar workers in order to secure their support, while discriminating against public servants. He promised to “put a stop” to such activities if he is elected leader of the PNCR, since he claimed to have what it takes to get the party back into power under the Coalition umbrella.

But during this week’s edition of his programme Issues In The News, Nandlall took the Opposition Leader to task over his comments.

The Attorney General contended that the $250,000 cash grant is nothing compared to the inhumane way the more than seven thousand sugar workers were treated when they were placed on the breadline by the APNU/AFC Coalition, which downsized the sugar industry by closing four estates – Wales, Skeldon, Rose Hall and Enmore.

“Any grouping of Guyanese treated this way (is) entitled to compensation, and we in this Government have no apologies; whether they are our supporters or not, it does not matter. They are Guyanese.

They suffered a wrong, [and if] their Government can correct that wrong and rectify it in some small way, their Government has a duty to do so, and we have executed and discharged that duty,” the Minister contended.

According to Nandlall,

those retrenched workers to

The Minister went on to remind that since 2017, imme-

Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon

diately following the estates’ closures, the PPP/C, while in Opposition, had promised to financially compensate those affected sugar workers if the party gets into office. In fact, he noted that this was a promise made on the 2020 campaign trail, and was included in the party’s Election Manifesto, which got it elected into office.

“We put that as a manifesto promise to the people of Guyana and they voted as an endorsement of that. We have a duty to deliver on that manifesto promise, and we have no apologies, none at all!” the AG stressed.

Nandlall further called out Harmon for his stance against sugar workers. The Minister outlined that the PPP/C Government has compensated frontline health workers, public servants, school children, pensioners, and even farmers; hence there should be no issues with the same benefits being extended to sugar workers.

TURN TO PAGE 17

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 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

Migrant children

T

he Rights of the Child Commission, in presenting its annual report to the National Assembly, said it’s “distressed” over some of its findings, which include neglect, abuse and incest among migrant children.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, globally, staggering numbers of migrant children are experiencing different types of abuse. Governments around the world have mobilised billions of dollars to save their economies, but, the UN agency responsible for the protection of children’s rights around the world- UNICEF - has warned that there is another impending and devastating loss if we do not act - a lost generation of children.

According to UNICEF, progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals is “slipping backwards”, and children continue to pay the steepest price. The agency warned that without coordinated, global action to prevent, mitigate and respond to the effects of the pandemic, “the consequences for children now, and for the future of our shared humanity, will be severe”.

On this basis, UNICEF has proposed a six-point plan which laid out in detail a set of practical and concrete actions to reunite the world around a common cause, in order to meet the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. The organization has urged decision makers to start by listening to children and young people, and including them in decision-making, since “it is they – especially girls, children facing poverty, exclusion, or violence, those with disabilities, children affected or displaced by humanitarian crisis, and children without parental care – who will live with the impact of this pandemic for decades to come”.

Among the measures in six-point plan is for Governments to take steps to ensure that all children learn, including by closing the digital divide. According to UNICEF, at their peak, nationwide school closures disrupted the learning of 91 per cent of students worldwide.

Some 463 million young people were not able to access remote learning during school shutdowns. As if that were not enough, the organization warned that previous shutdowns demonstrate that children who are out of school for extended periods, especially girls, are less likely to return.

Governments are called upon to prioritise the reopening of schools in a safe manner, increase education funding, and ensure equal access to quality, violence-free education, so every child learns.

Countries are also urged to guarantee access to health and nutrition services, and make vaccines affordable and available to every child.

Additionally, the UNICEF has called for countries to support and protect the mental health of children and young people, and bring an end to abuse, gender-based violence, and neglect in childhood.

According to UNICEF, the world is waking up to the extent – and lasting impacts – of child abuse and neglect. But the COVID-19 crisis has only exacerbated violence, exploitation and abuse, as children are cut off from key support services while simultaneously suffering the additional stress placed on families in turmoil.

Countries are also urged to increase access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene, and address environmental degradation and climate change. As correctly pointed out by UNICEF, unreliable access to safe water due to changes in climate limits people’s ability to practise life-saving hygiene measures like handwashing.

The necessary investments are needed in climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in homes, schools, hospitals and public spaces to make communities better prepared for future pandemics and other shocks.

Further, according to UNICEF, the economic crisis caused by COVID-19 threatens to hit children the hardest, with the number of children living below their national poverty lines expected to soar by 140 million by the end of the year. Economic crises are often followed by cuts to Government spending, including on programmes for children. According to UNICEF, if the world repeats this pattern in the wake of COVID-19, poverty and deprivation among children will continue to rise, even after the immediate crisis has waned.

An inclusive recovery plan is imperative to prevent countless more children from reaching levels of poverty unseen for many years.”

Countries are also being urged to redouble efforts to protect and support children and their families living through conflict, disaster and displacement. According to UNICEF, even before the pandemic, 2020 was set to see more people than ever in need of humanitarian assistance. COVID-19 has compounded the vulnerabilities of migrant, displaced, and refugee children, as well as those living in crisisaffected countries. And whether the result of active conflict or new pandemic restrictions, it is becoming harder to reach the most vulnerable children with essential and life-saving services.

The call is being made for Governments to increase and maintain funding for emergencies, to prevent multiple, catastrophic and protracted crises, and to save children’s lives, alleviate their suffering and preserve their dignity. It is worthwhile for countries, including Guyana, to seriously consider the six-point plan being proposed by UNICEF, in order to ensure the welfare of children are given priority.

As the Hindu community prepares to usher in Diwali celebrations for 2021, the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha hosted Deep Jale at the Kitty Seawall Roundabout on Wednesday evening, where it lit its electronic diya (Abel Harris photo)

Is the Guyana judiciary under trial?

Dear Editor, An article written in the local media titled: “UWI lecturer: Some appellate rulings questionable; Roxane George is an exemplar of integrity,” calls for deep reflection and analysis. The UWI Professors Cynthia BarrowGiles and Dr. Ronnie Yearwood just state what most Guyanese have known about the decisions handed down by the Guyana Court of Appeal (CoA) on elections 2020 related matters. But what Guyanese had needed to buttress their position was an intellectual underpinning, and this was provided by the Professors.

However, to obtain a deeper understanding and analytic clarity of the political and legal dynamics, it is necessary to examine a few foundational principles of democracy at work.

For conceptual clarity, how does the average person view democracy or the democratic process? Thinking hard about this issue and combining this with research suggest that the core elements are free and fair elections at regular intervals; having an opposition that functions as the alternate Government; sovereignty resides in the people; plus, an amalgam of rights (the right to vote, right to privacy, right to equal access to opportunity, right to practice one’s religion, etc.) and freedoms (the press, assembly, speech, etc). At a practical working level, the most significant element of democracy is the doctrine known as “Separation of Powers,” which in theory is fundamental to safeguarding citizens’ rights and freedoms.

When Alexis de

Tocqueville visited the United States in 1831 to study the prison system, two principles of governance captured his imagination; namely, equality and individualism. He believed then that these foundational principles are essential for the expression of freedoms and rights. It was, however, Baron De Montesquieu whose study of the British Constitution allowed him to articulate the critical role of the Separation of Powers (SP) in preserving democracy, including the related rights and freedoms. This SP was incorporated in the US Constitution in 1788.

The separation of the three branches of Government (legislative, executive, and judicial) is regarded as a bedrock of democracy. But each branch is not necessarily independent and/or separate.

While the 1980 Guyana Constitution, with amendments, replicated the British model of Separation of Powers, the reality is that the legislative and executive branches are not separate either in form or content. In the American model of Separation of Powers, where the three branches are separate and independent, the Cabinet (executive) members, consisting of Secretaries, are not legislators. In Guyana, the Cabinet (executive) comprising ministers also serve as legislators. This American model would have been more appropriate to Guyana. In Guyana, only one branch of Government, the Judiciary, is regarded as separate and independent.

Whether the Guyana Judiciary performs in accor-

dance with the noble principles of neutrality and independence has been subject to critical review, especially following the passage of the NCM (No Confidence Motion) in December 2018.

A substantial number of Guyanese were unhappy with the decision of the Guyana Court of Appeal (CoA) to uphold the unilateral appointment of Justice James Patterson as Chair of GECOM, in contravention of the existing constitution.

It was left to the apex court, Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), to set aside that decision. There followed a series of election cases and judicial action (including the astonishing CoA ruling that 34 is a majority of a 65-seat Parliament) that heightened Guyanese anxiety about the role and status of the CoA. A new concept has been used to describe this situation; it is called the ‘judicialisation of politics’ (JoP) where Judges were expected to make political decisions.

Observed a senior PPP executive, “Once again, we have seen irrefutable evidence of a particular trend in judicial decisions that are crucially political.” The 34 majority and other CoA decisions were set aside by the CCJ. The JoP is a matter of deep concern, since it implies that the Judiciary is infected with a political virus that affects its ability to achieve judicial independence.

It was not surprising, therefore, that UWI Professor Cynthia BarrowGiles, who led the Caricom Recount Team to Guyana in the 2020 elections, observed during a workshop on ‘The Judiciary and the 2020 Guyana elections’ that

“some of the judgments from the Appellate Court [Court of Appeal] raise questions as to whether the Courts are as independent as they ought to be.” Her colleague, Dr. Ronnie Yearwood, believes that concern is “proven in the many rulings from the Guyana Court of Appeal which overturned High Court rulings later being corrected by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).”

This situation prompted Dr Yearwood to comment further: “There might be a connection between the appointment process and some of the judgments, and we need to ensure the complete separation of powers.”

Apart from one blemish, when Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire ruled that David Granger had the authority to appoint the GECOM Chair James Patterson, an appointment deemed unconstitutional by the CCJ, the professor praised the judicial excellence of Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire, and endorsed a statement: “There was one silver lining behind the entire cloud of the Guyana 2020 election…

Roxane George as an exemplar of probity, integrity and independence…without her, I shudder to think where that saga would have ended.”

Some repair work must be done to improve the image of the Judiciary as well as its independence, to win the confidence of the Guyanese people. Once this is achieved, the Judiciary could still serve as a bastion of democracy.

Sincerely, Dr Tara Singh

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Homeownership enhances entire mental, physical well-being of people

Dear Editor, Minister Rodrigues hit the nail on the head when she commented on ‘land ownership’ becoming a reality for 37 low-income families in Balthyock Housing Scheme (Mahaica-Berbice Region Five). In her charge to the recipients, she noted that providing housing solutions for low-income and vulnerable groups is a major priority for the Government. She stated that “We know how much it means to the ordinary Guyanese to be able to own a plot of land and to own

a home.”

What the Minister said needs some elaboration, as too many are still taking for granted what is happening in Guyana as regards home ownership.

Dr Megan Sandel, an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine, stated a few years ago that “A safe, decent, affordable home is like a vaccine. It literally prevents disease. A safe home can prevent mental health and developmental problems; a decent

home may prevent asthma or lead poisoning; and an affordable home can prevent stunted growth and unnecessary hospitalisations.”

This is like, “Wow!” So, outside of the actual physical home, what is happening is that people’s overall well-being is given quite a shot in the arm.

We know that on retaking leadership of Guyana in August 2020, the Government did make a promise to deliver 50,000 house lots during its five-year tenure, and all seems more than okay in

terms of the fulfilling of this commitment. The latest word is that the Government is set to “not only deliver on its promise of 10,000 house lots by year end, but may exceed it.” This was the word of Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry, Susan Rodrigues, just recently.

When she said this, the figure stood at 8,000, and she noted that “We have at least 3,000 more to be allocated for 2021,” and so this Balthyoch event backs her drive in terms of surpassing the target.

Then for added impetus, the Minister announced the development of another area close by, which will yield another 300 house lots for residents. She detailed that “There are over 3,500 outstanding applications in our backlog, so we have to work assiduously to make house lots available for this region.”

Let me add that home ownership helps citizens build wealth. According to the Census Bureau, homeowners on average have a net worth that is 80 times

higher than that of renters.

Some of this is because people who are in a better financial position tend to be more likely to buy a home. The implication here is that earning ability is getting better for the average Guyanese, as they start to own their own homes.

So, there is far more than meets the eye as in getting a home; the entire mental and physical well-being of people are truly enhanced.

Yours truly, Alvin Hamilton

Proper audit, CoI needed at City Hall A better equation for appointment of GECOM Commissioners needed Dear Editor, I have noticed in the press recently that the Auditor General (ag) of Guyana has repeated a call for the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) to close their financial books and start afresh, which he believes would help enable the AG’s Office to properly audit the entity.

I do understand why he is making this call, bearing in mind the financial mess he has found there, and the complete noncompliance with the financial acts of Guyana.

But there are a few things the citizens of Georgetown need to know before moving forward. First, do the Georgetown Municipality wish to have a system that could be easily monitored and audited by the AG’s Office?

It is not that they never had proper financial and accounting systems in place before.

They had up to when Mr Cyril Ramalho was City Treasurer;

in fact, that entity was a model of best practices for municipal financial administration. And that was before they had a super-salaried Internal Auditor and bloated Internal Audit Department.

This financial mess that we see at the Georgetown Municipality did not happen by accident, nor overnight. It is a situation that was deliberately engineered over a long period, all the while overseen by a Finance Committee. How could the City Council have been allowed not to have their accounts audited and qualified since 2004; that is, 17 years ago?

Second, by closing the books and starting afresh, the question has to be asked: What happens to all the chicanery, skullduggery and scams that occurred over the decades at City Hall? Do all the persons who were/are responsible just receive a ‘Get out of jail free’ card?

The Council need a foren-

sic audit, not just a routine audit, to guide them on how to be in compliance with the requisite legislation. It is bad enough that the City Council fail to remit workers’ contributions for NIS, Credit Union and GRA, all statutory and legal requirements; and also fail to pay retirement benefits and gratuity to a number of their workers; but it is unacceptable that they get away with tenders and contracts that never came close to meeting the Guyana National Tender Board procedures; the illegal waiver of interest on property rates; the unlawful rental of wharf facilities, and the illegitimate granting of leases.

As we discuss these matters the Treasurer’s Department is currently rocked by the discovery of more irregularities, information that is being kept from the public.

The Georgetown Municipality have to be made to understand that the mon-

ey paid to them by ratepayers is not theirs to spend as they please, but rather for road building, day care services, weeding of parapets, cleaning of drains, city policing services, public health inspection of yards, maintenance of cemeteries, rodent and vector elimination in the municipal markets and elsewhere, refuse disposal services, building of bridges; none of which - I repeat: NONE of which they provide.

Maybe there is need for a Commission of Inquiry in addition to a forensic audit there.

The only light at the end of the tunnel there is that they have recently acquired a new and capable Town Clerk. Let us hope that she one day gets the genuine support of the Mayor and Councillors to clean the Augean Stables and turn around that entity.

Sincerely, Magagula Jackson

Moving future Guyana forward Dear Editor, I read with great concern a letter penned by one Miss Niamatali about children roaming the streets of New Amsterdam begging for food and money. This letter is of great concern to me, seeing Berbice is the county of my birth, and as such holds an important place in my heart.

Indeed, the writer is spot on with her comments, as I am too, because here we have young minds that are being wasted, which is not something to be taken lightly. In fact, some of them have been known to be engaged in petty crimes, which, if not curbed, would lead to greater and more dangerous breaches of the law.

I have noted these grave concerns myself while I was in Guyana recently, where children were found roaming all over - without face masks of course - doing all sorts of odd things, when they should have been otherwise engaged in meaningful learning. This is my main concern for our next generation; that is: What are we really doing for our youngsters? Are we looking out for them with the due care and concern that they deserve?

Are we taking care of future Guyana?

And the answer comes back again: We are not. And when I say “we”, I am talking about those of us who are genuinely concerned about the nation’s youth, not those who have a political axe to grind.

In that same group, you would get the crass, nonsensical argument: Then what is the Government doing to curb this situation? You mean the Government can’t see that the people suffering? These and other foolishness are being put forward as a solution; it is always the Government’s fault.

Well, the Government is playing its part in putting this situation right in the reopening of schools and a return to the classroom. There is also a vaccination programme to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, as well as a robust school feeding programme to take care of those vulnerable groups who can’t afford it.

So, what’s the problem of those naysayers, and here’s the point: The moment the Minister announced a reopening of schools and placing the children in a safe environment where learning can take place, those opposing this move suddenly sprang into action. They are now “overly concerned” for the children’s

safety and the risk of them becoming infected. Utter hogwash! Where were they when those very same children were roaming the streets? Weren’t they concerned then?

And here’s my point: These so-called concerned groups who claim that they care, when you really get to the bottom of it, you get the clear idea that they are not concerned at all; they are just in it for the political mileage they can make at the expense of our children’s future.

Then it behooves me to

conjure up the thought that they are not in the least interested in a progressive Guyana, their objective is that we bring up a generation of citizens who are illiterates and “hustlers”, all to their political benefit. But this is not going to happen, because the Government of the day needs to move ahead with its programme to educate future Guyana. I say let nothing or no one impede your progress.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

Dear Editor, As a nation, we hardly ever reach a consensus on any matter, with the exception that a majority of us agree that our elections are ethnically-driven. Given our overriding preoccupation with ethnicity, why not use it to our advantage and appointment our GECOM Commissioners on the basis of ethnicity?

Why not have five Commissioners representing each of our ethnic makeup, comprising of an African, Indian, Chinese, Indigenous and Portuguese Guyanese?

The appointment of these ethnic commissioners should be based on the following criteria: 1. Should have no known political affiliation or membership to a political party.

2. Should be of good character, with a stellar pub-

lic profile and be a respected member of their community.

3. Each appointed Commissioner must be approved by a two- thirds majority of Parliament.

4. A select committee comprising of one representative each of the political parties in Parliament to manage the application and selection process.

5. From among the five Commissioners, they will choose the Chairperson.

6. Their period of appointment should be for ten years, with the option of being selected for one more five-year term.

This methodology of equal ethnic representation might very well remove the stigma of biases in the running of our elections.

Yours sincerely, Reggie Bhagwandin

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Major support for Harmon to lead PNC …as members overlook other candidates

W

ith the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) biennial congress approaching, endorsements have steadily flowed in for Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon, who is vying to become leader of the party.

On the night Harmon launched his campaign last week, shadow Legal Affairs Minister Roysdale Forde was among those who endorsed him. Forde reeled off a list of criteria for would-be leaders of the party, criteria he said that Harmon satisfied.

“The previous leaders had certain characteristics.

First, they were always faithful to the party. Each one of them, in their own way, had a prior professional track record of excellence and a distinguished record of service in the party. And none of them ever abandoned the PNCR,” Forde said.

“And the most important one, because you’re going to be the leader of a party, you must have a track record of being respectful of authority. When we analyse these criteria, the only person declared to be a candidate at this stage satisfying these criteria is my friend Joseph Harmon.”

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP), Dr Karen Cummings was among those who were present at Harmon’s campaign launch. In an interview with <<<Guyana Times>>>, the shadow Health Minister detailed why she supported Harmon for the leadership of the party.

“He has recognised the important problems in the party, as well as some amount of distrust among

the ethnic groups. I see him as less confrontational and will be able to provide unity and stability to the party. And will provide reconciliation and inclusive leadership. He will be able to bring people from the non-traditional support base.

“Also, I think that being the General Secretary of the APNU, he has worked along with the former President. And I know he will continue some of his programmes and initiatives, like the five Bs,” DR Cummings posited.

She was also of the view that Harmon by virtue of his experience was more equipped to represent the country on the international stage when it comes to furthering Guyana’s bilateral relations.

APNU MP and trade unionist Coretta McDonald, who was at the launch as well, also endorsed Harmon in an interview with this publication. She also expressed the hope that when the dust has settled and the race over, that the party would remain unified and continue working together.

“I have decided to throw my support behind Harmon, because I believe in my heart Joseph Harmon is the person who would be able to bring the party back to its former glory. In addition to that, he has the kind of uniqueness that would be able to foster unity within the party at this time.

“In addition to that, he is widely read and experienced. Coupled with him being a team player and a grassroots person. So may the best candidate win.

Of course, I believe in my heart that my candidate is the best candidate, but

Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon

I wish the other two candidates the best of luck,” McDonald also said.

There has been mounting pressure for the party to host its biennial con-

Endorsed: APNU MP Roysdale Forde

Endorsed: APNU MP, Dr Karen Cummings

gress for new leadership to be elected. PNC’s last biennial congress was in 2018, when former President and incumbent leader David Granger was returned unopposed as Leader of the party.

The PNCR Central

Executive Committee had agreed earlier in the year that the party’s 22nd biennial congress should be held by the end of November 2021, but not later than December 13, 2021.

This publication subsequently reported that

Endorsed: APNU MP Coretta McDonald

December 11 has been set for the holding of the congress and November 11 for the nomination of the candidates. Besides Harmon, party executives Aubrey Norton and Richard Van West-Charles are in the race.

Charlestown Post Office set ablaze …arson suspected

Q

uick response by the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) on Tuesday evening saved the Charlestown Post Office from being completely destroyed.

The GFS on Wednesday evening said it received a call at around 21:08h on Tuesday, alerting it to the fire at the Post Office, located at High Street, Georgetown.

“Water tenders 76, 105 and 107 from the Central Fire Station and West Ruimveldt Fire Station immediately responded to the scene, and were able to contain the fire and save the two-storey wooden and concrete building”, the release read.

Two metres of the eastern wall on the ground floor and three metres of the eastern and southern walls on the top floor were damaged as a result of the fire. A guard hut was also completely destroyed as a result of the fire.

After its evaluation, the

GFS said it believes the fire was maliciously set by person(s) unknown.

The Fire Service is advising citizens that there are harsh penalties attached to arson attacks, and once caught, perpetrators will face the full brunt of the law.

Earlier this month, tragedy unfolded at the Brickdam Police Station when the entire station was burnt to the ground.

Reports are that smoke was seen emanating from the eastern end of the Brickdam Police Station, which houses the Region Four ‘A’ Division Headquarters, just before 11:00h on October 2; and, minutes later, the flames had already spiralled out of control.

One man has since confessed to setting the fire, and has been charged for arson.

Days later on October 4, two major catastrophes were averted after quick action from the GFS re-

The fire at the Charlestown Post Office

sulted in the prompt extinguishing of fires at the National Insurance Scheme’s Brickdam, Georgetown office and the Guyana Post Office Corporation’s (GPOC’s) Headquarters on Robb Street, Georgetown.

In September, 60 per cent of the North West Secondary School in Region One (Barima Waini) went up in flames, and the GFS has said it was deliberately set.

It was reported that on the day of the incident, a security guard attached to the school reported hearing at least

three explosions before seeing smoke and flames emanating from the direction of the Head Teacher’s Office.

Firefighters in the area and other officials, along with public-spirited persons, responded to the scene and managed to contain the blaze to one section of the school, thus preventing it from spreading to the dormitories, Information Technology Department, and contiguous buildings.

Despite their efforts, the wooden-and-concrete building was severely damaged by the fire. (G9)

8 NEWS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

IN THE COURTS Widow recounts husband’s death in emotional testimony to jury “…I was praying, then I hear lots of gunshots”

Dead: Fazal Shaheed

T

estifying at the trial of two men accused of killing her husband during a robbery in 2017, a widow has recounted seeing her spouse lying on a verandah in a pool of blood.

Rahima Shaheed was among the witnesses testifying on Wednesday when the trial of Stefon Howard and Shawn Dos Santos commenced before Justice JoAnn Barlow and a 12-member jury at the Demerara High Court.

Howard, 22, and Dos Santos, 23 - both of Freeman Street, East La Penitence, Georgetown – have been jointly indicted for the September 24, 2017 murder of 58-year-old Fazal Shaheed.

At around 00:45h on September 24, 2017, Fazal

and his two brothers Talim Shaheed of Canada and Shalim Shaheed of the United States, who were also shot during the robbery - were preparing for their father’s memorial service when two masked men reportedly invaded a property at Lot 194 Freeman Street, East La Penitence, Georgetown via a door that was unlocked, and attacked the three men, who were sitting in the living room. The armed men relieved their victims of the jewellery they were wearing, and fired several shots before escaping.

The injured men were all rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital for treatment, but Fazal Shaheed succumbed while undergoing surgery. The perpetrators were later picked up by the Police, and one of them reportedly confessed to the crime.

Rahima Shaheed recalled that she and her husband had left their Albion, Berbice home on September 23, 2017 to attend her fatherin-law’s one-year memorial service, which was being held at Lot 194 Freeman Street, East La Penitence.

The widow recounted that at about 00:40h on September 24, 2017, she was in the kitchen area of the home when someone, whom she

ss

Money in de land…

I Murder accused Stefon Howard

Murder accused Shawn Dos Santos

described as a “dark figure”, came up to her with a gun.

The woman explained that the man’s face was covered, and she could have seen only his eyes, but she added that he had a small body structure. “…and he tell me go down on the ground and don’t make no noise. So I looked down, I didn’t do anything. I was praying…then I hear lots of gunshots…like crackers. I heard like 10 or 11 gunshots. The gunshots were coming from the living room…”

After the gunshots rang out, Rahima Shaheed said, she heard Talim Shaheed groaning. “I get up and wash my hands, and when I go in the sitting room, I see Talim and Shalim with blood, and I tell them, ‘Guys, open your eyes.”

Wiping away tears, the woman added, “My husband, he was on the verandah, lie down with a set blood. I shake him and I started to scream…”

According to her, relatives called a car, “and we help fetch the boys [Fazal, Talim, and Shalim] them and put them in the car.

She related that the driver made a brief stop at the East La Penitence Police Station, where they reported the robbery and later left for the Georgetown Public Hospital. She said that she subsequently learned that her husband died, while Talim and Shalim were admitted as patients.

This trial continues this morning when the witness will be cross-examined by defence counsel. (G1)

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

…with the (Chinese) Yankee dollar bill f there’s one conundrum that has baffled your Eyewitness, it’s the US investment in China and imports of manufactured goods since the 1980s.

For goodness’ sake, the US knew that China was a communist country - but unlike Russia, which faltered - with a population heft that, if given the economic momentum, could sweep them out of the way. But as they say, money talks…and national interest walks when the business elite see themselves losing profits to competitors like Germany and Japan. So, they were able to convince (read contributing campaign funding!) the politicians to look the other way.

So, today we have China poised to overtake the US as the number one economy in the world – but, more critically, holding US$3.2 TRILLION DOLLARS in foreign reserves!! Now, just for the unwary, a trillion is 1000 billion. And in case you wondered, this is just about HALF of the world currencies, like German marks or Japanese yen, that China owns. Now, when you have that sort of money sitting in your vault, you’re like the elephant at a party - you can sit anywhere you damn well please, or dance with whichever girl who catches your eye!!

Right now, over one trillion US dollars that China has sloshing around in its (deep) pockets direct US debt - in the form of T-Bills. Do you realise how much influence this has for the stability of the dollar and US interest rates? So, this expansive introduction now brings us to the subject your Eyewitness wishes to comment on - the US$1.5 billion the Government is alleged to be negotiating to borrow from China to finance some of the mega infrastructure projects it had announced.

Like the Amalia Hydro Power Project, the new West Demerara highway from the new DHB to Parika, the continuation of the East Demerara Highway to Mahaica, and so on and so forth. Now, we always knew that these projects wouldn’t drop on us like manna from heaven! So where do we get the money? Most thought we’d be using the deluge of oil money that would be pouring out from under the Atlantic Ocean.

But by now we can see that stream of funds will take some time to build a gusher…all we have right now is US$400M. So, do we wait?

Nah…not when the Chinese are willing to lend from their stash!!

…but still no satisfaction When your Eyewitness thinks about the PNC’s five years at the wheel of our ship of state, he’s reminded of one of the biggest rock hits by the Stones, “I can’t get no…satisfaction”/Echoing the Guyanese people between 2015 and 2020, they crooned, “Cause I try, and I try, and I try, and I try/I can't get no, I can't get no/When I'm drivin' in my car, and the man comes on the radio/ He's tellin' me more and more about some useless information/Supposed to fire my imagination”.

That’s all the PNC did - provide “some useless information” on things like changing the constitution to make our country work - to fire our imagination - but instead just pilfered from the Consolidated Cookie Jar!!

And after trying to steal the elections from under our noses, are still refusing to accept that their supporters have moved on.

But they can still survive. If they don’t rig the election for their leader!!

…but claiming discrimination The PPP’s doing their darndest to help the neediest sections of the society - pensioners, flood victims, schoolchildren. But to listen to the professional mourners of the PNC, it’s all going to one section.

Some proof, please.

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

NEWS

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana’s COVID-19 death toll now at 900 …1 new death, 82 infections recorded

T

he COVID-19 death toll in Guyana now stands at 900, after one more person who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) died.

This latest fatality is a 64-year-old man from Region Four (DemeraraMahaica), who died on Wednesday. According to the Health Ministry, the man was unvaccinated.

Meanwhile, some 82 new COVID-19 cases have been detected within a 24hour period. This now takes the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 35,252, of which 16,665 are males and 18,587 are females. However, only 3,024 of these are currently active cases, including 25 patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the remaining 2,999 persons in isolation; that is, 73 in institutional isolation and the other 2,926 in home isolation. There are also five more persons in institutional quarantine.

To date, some 31,328 per-

sons have recovered from the life-threatening virus – 395 more recoveries than the figure previously reported.

Moreover, 349,802 persons have been tested for the novel coronavirus thus far since the outbreak of the deadly disease here.

Of the 82 new cases detected on Wednesday, five are from Region One (Barima-Waini), three are from Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), nine are from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), a whopping 34 are from Region 4 (Demerara-Mahaica), another three are from Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), 17 are from Region Six (East Berbice -Corentyne), there are two each from Regions Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo), while the remaining seven cases are from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice).

There has been no new case recorded from Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) on Wednesday.

The Guyana Government launched its COVID-19 vaccination exercise back in February, and continues to roll it out across the various regions in order to achieve herd immunity and reduce the number of COVID-19 infections.

So far, some 379,435 persons, or 74 per cent of the adult population, have received their first dose of the vaccine, and approximately 46.8 per cent, or 240,025 persons who are 18 years and older, are fully immunised.

As it relates to children, more than 27,055, or 37.1 per cent of the first dose of the vaccine, have been administered to the 12-to17-year age group. Of that amount, some 17,647, or 24.2 per cent of that age cohort, are fully vaccinated.

However, during his COVID-19 update on Wednesday, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony pointed out that the administration of second doses of the vaccines is lagging.

“Some people might be-

1 month jail for man who smashed neighbour’s window

A

fall-out between two men turned violent, and one of them smashed several windows of the other’s home, Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan heard on Wednesday.

Cleveland Allen, 40, who is unemployed and resides at Lamaha Park, Georgetown, was arraigned in the Chief Magistrate’s court on a charge of damage to property, wherein it is alleged that on October 22, at Lamaha Park, Georgetown, he damaged 14 sash windows which belong to Earl Price and are valued at $56,000.

“I admit that I broke the window,” the unrepresented

defendant said.

The court heard from the Police prosecutor that the two men are not on speaking terms, and on the day in question, Price left his home secured and went out.

However, at around 16:00h, he received a call from one of his neighbours, who informed him that Allen was breaking the windows to his home. As such, Price hurried home and reported the matter to the East La Penitence Police Station.

Asked by the Chief Magistrate if he would pay the virtual complainant for the windows, Allen replied, “Yes”, but went on to

tell her that he is currently unemployed. He, however, claimed that he does on-andoff masonry work.

Questioned why he had broken Price’s widows, Allen said, “a jumbie hold on on me.”

The Chief Magistrate reminded Allen that he works nowhere, and as such is not in a position to pay Price for the items. She therefore sentenced him to serve one month in prison. Price was not present at Wednesday’s court hearing.

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD OCTOBER 27, 2021 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

82

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

73

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

2926 25

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

5

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

18,587

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

16,665

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

35,252

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

31,328

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED

379,435

FULLY IMMUNISED

240,025

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

900

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

1602

REGION 2

1423

REGION 3

4790

REGION 4

16,789

REGION 5

1265

REGION 6

2572

REGION 7

1734

REGION 8

564

REGION 9

2443

REGION 10

2070

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. lieve that because we have a requirement that you get at least one dose of the vaccine and you are considered vaccinated [so they do not return for their second dose]. While that may be for administrative purposes, for the protection of your health, if you don’t get both doses, then you are not going to the get the full benefits of these vaccines,” Dr Anthony stated.

He explained that persons will “…not be able to effectively fight off the virus.

So, it is important that people get both doses.

To this end, the Health Minister is appealing with persons who have only received their first dose and are due for their second dose to get the jab.

Nevertheless, as more people continue to get vaccinated, authorities are urg-

ing the public to continue observing all COVID-19 preventative measures, particularly masking in public, social distancing, and frequent hand washing and sanitising.

The measures also include vaccination requirements to access any public building such as restaurants, places of worship, schools, as well as Government buildings. (G8)

10 NEWS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

CANU unearths $2M in cocaine in Campbellville house

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wo men have been arrested by the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) following a cocaine bust at Craig Street, Campbellville, Georgetown on Tuesday night.

During the operation, CANU seized two kilograms of cocaine with a street value of approximately $2 million.

In custody pending charges are 33-year-old Eon Joseph and 60-yearold Andre Gomes, called “Zipper”, who has allegedly been linked to drug trafficking in the past. The two men were arrested and escorted to CANU Headquarters, a release from the agency said.

Investigations are ongoing.

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

Based on previous reports, back 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.

Three years before that case, Gomes

Pedal cyclist killed in Mahaica accident

The drug that was found by CANU

The vehicle that was involved in the accident

F Arrested: Andre Gomes

Arrested: Eon Joseph

was arrested and charged for the shooting of a taxi driver outside Palm Court on Main Street, Georgetown. He was also freed of that charge because of insufficient evidence.

This bust came just days after CANU intercepted a motorcar in the vicinity of Rahaman’s Park, Houston,

East Bank Demerara (EBD) and found eight bulky parcels containing what is suspected to be cannabis.

The discovery of 15.566 kg of foreign and local cannabis valued at over $4.7 million resulted in the arrest of the driver of that vehicle, of Republic Park, EBD. (G9)

orty-seven-year-old Seebaran Dhankumar of Mahaica, East Coast Demerara has been killed in an accident that occurred at approximately 17:59h along the Strangroen Public Road at Mahaica, ECD on Tuesday.

The Police have said that at the time of the accident, Dhankumar had been riding a pedal cycle when he was struck down by a minibus that was proceeding east along the said road allegedly at a fast rate of speed.

According to the driver, he saw the pedal cyclist in front of him on the northern side of the road, but the cyclist suddenly changed direction and ended up in his path; and despite his applying brakes to avoid a collision, he collided with the pedal cyclist.

Dhankumar was taken to the Mahaicony Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The driver is in custody, assisting with the investigation. (G9)

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

12 NEWS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

$19M GPF meals fraud

Cops accused of deleting records walk free P

olice Corporal Jenneka Carmichael and Police Constable Tatayana Smith, who were charged back in April with deleting information related to a $19 million fraud from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) computer, were both freed of the charge on Wednesday after the prosecution failed to prove its case.

It was alleged that between January 28, 2021 and February 4, 2021, at the GPF Headquarters at Eve Leary, Georgetown, they intentionally, and without lawful excuse or justification, deleted electronic data from the GPF computer that was in the Administrative Office of the Felix Austin Police College Mess.

Twenty-six-yearold Carmicheal, of Onderneeming, West Coast Berbice and 21-yearold Smith, of Third Street Alberttown, Georgetown had both pleaded not guilty to the joint charge at their initial court appearance. They were each released on $150,000 bail pending the hearing and determination of their case. On Wednesday, City Magistrate Annette Singh upheld no-case submissions made by their lawyers, and dismissed the charge against them. Carmichael was represented by Attorney-at-law E. Stephen, while Attorneyat-law Bernard Da Silva appeared for Smith.

$19 million fraud

The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) had alleged that the duo deleted information linked to a probe into a $19 million fraud at the Police Force’s Finance Department. SOCU had disclosed that it received information that falsified “feeding accounts” were stored on the computer.

But before SOCU ranks could have accessed the computer, all files were deleted. SOCU had said that only Smith and Carmichael had access to the computer.

Meanwhile, Deputy Police Commander Superintendent Lorraine Saul, Superintendent Marcelene Washington, and Deputy Assistant Superintendent Frank Jackman-Wilburg are facing fraud-related charges concerning sums of money expended for supplying meals to ranks.

The first charge stated that the trio, between November 2, 2020 and December 3, 2020, at the GPF Headquarters at Eve Leary, Georgetown, with intent to defraud, conspired with each other and with other persons, while being officers employed by the GPF, to falsify a feeding account of $2,246,400 in relation to meals purportedly provided by the Felix Austin Police College Mess to ranks who performed fixed-point duties at Mounted Branch between October 16, 2020 and

Freed: Corporal Jenneka Carmichael and Constable Tatayana Smith

October 31, 2020.

It is further alleged that the trio, on November 2, 2020 and December 3, 2020, at the GPF Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, with intent to defraud, conspired with each other and other persons, while being officers employed by the GPF, to falsify a feeding account of $1,440,000 in relation to meals purportedly provided by the Felix Austin Police College Mess to ranks who performed fixed-point duty at Mounted Branch between October 16, 2020 and October 31, 2020.

Moreover, Saul and Assistant Superintendent Kurt Smith are charged with falsifying GPF payment accounts. The first charge stated that between December 18, 2020 and December 28, 2020, at Georgetown, they

conspired with each other and other persons, while being officers of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), to falsify a payment of $1,350,000 to show that meals were supplied to ranks of the Riot Unit training during December 1, 2020 and December 15, 2020.

The other charge alleged that between December 18, 2020 and December 28, 2020, at Georgetown, they conspired with each other and other persons, while being officers of the GPF, to falsify a payment account in the sum of $465,000 to show that meals were supplied to ranks of the Riot Unit training during December 1, 2020 and December 15, 2020.

Retired Assistant Commissioner Kevin Adonis and three junior Police ranks were slapped with a $19 million larceny charge. The oth-

ers charged are Sergeant Jermaine Fraser of 4116 Phase One, Westminster, West Bank Demerara (WBD); Sergeant Michael Corbin of First Avenue, La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara; and Corporal Rawl Haynes of Hydronie, East Bank Essequibo (EBE).

Particulars of the first charge stated that between March 26, 2019 and March 29, 2019, at Georgetown, Adonis, Fraser, Corbin, and Haynes conspired with each other and with persons unknown, while being employed

by GPF, to steal $19,030,767.

It is alleged that Corbin, on March 26, 2019, at the GPF Finance Office, input a payment voucher for $19,030,767, resulting in inauthentic data, with the intent that it be considered or acted upon by the Finance Ministry’s Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) staff as if it were authentic, regardless of whether or not the said data was directly readable or intelligible.

According to the final charge, Haynes, on March 29, 2019, at Georgetown, while being a public officer employed by the Guyana Police Force, stole 19,030,767.

Corbin and Fraser are presently interdicted from duty. They were stationed at the Votes Section of the Police Finance Office.

Haynes was stationed at the Tactical Service Unit, while

Adonis is a retired Assistant Commissioner and was the Commander for Regional Division Number Seven.

It was reported that in March 2019, while performing duties at the Votes Section of the Police Finance Office, Headquarters, Eve Leary, Corbin and Fraser were responsible for inputting approved information from payment vouchers in the IFMIS, which resulted in the Finance Ministry cutting cheques.

On March 26, 2019, Corbin reused a payment voucher with supporting documents for fuel purchased from GuyOil to input information in the IFMIS. Fraser then approved the said information, resulting in cheque # 07-220086 for $19,030,767 being made payable to the Officer in Charge of Police F Division.

The cheque was uplifted from the Finance Ministry and lodged at the Police Finance Office.

Adonis endorsed the said cheque, and Haynes, who was not authorised and was not the finance representative for Police F Division, encashed the cheque at the Bank of Guyana using Adonis’s national identification card.

No record was made of the cheque or to whom the money was disbursed at F Division.

An audit was conducted by the Auditor General, who recommended a Police probe.

(G1)

NEWS

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Reg 4 Chairman bars AFC’s NCM against APNU Vice Chair …as clerk reprimanded for allowing notice of motion

APNU Region 4 Chairman, Daniel Seeram

A

showdown is looming at the Region 4 Regional Democratic Council (RDC), where a motion of no confidence against Vice Chairman Samuel Sandy, who was chosen ahead of the Alliance For Change (AFC) candidate, has been vetoed by the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)-allied Chairman Daniel Seeram.

In fact, the Chairperson went even further. According to correspondence addressed to Clerk of Council Donald Gajraj and seen by this publication, Seeram reprimanded the clerk for sending the memo informing the council of the No Confidence Motion (NCM), which was supposed to be heard on Wednesday.

“The content of your memo has also come across as somewhat instructive and viewed as an attempt to commandeer the chairmanship at the upcoming RDC Statutory Meeting. Therefore, it is timely for me to remind you once again that you are a creature of the Council, a subordinate officer of the Council, and you execute the decisions and directives of the Council,” Seeram said in the letter of reprimand.

“You are hereby severely reprimanded for such a disrespectful act, and you are instructed as the Clerk of Council to desist from such reoccurrences going forward. Be reminded of your roles and responsibilities, and most of all, be professional” he also stated.

In Seeram’s correspondence dismissing the AFCsponsored motion, he has contended that he could not allow the motion because it was not catered for under the law. In fact, Seeram had harsh words for the motion, calling it a “waste of the council’s time.”

“I have since examined the motion and find it inadmissible. Such a motion is out of order, of no material effect, a mockery of the system, a waste of the council’s time, and specifically political,” Seeram has written.

“In my examination of this motion, it was found

APNU Region 4 Vice Chairman, Samuel Sandy

that such is not catered for in the laws that govern the Regional Democratic Council. I therefore draw your attention to Cap 28:09 Section 22 (1) in relation to matters contained in the motion submitted.”

The motion in question was moved by AFC member on the RDC Amarnauth Chinkan, and seconded

by Bryan Nobrega. It has declared that they have no confidence in the Vice Chairman, and has sought for the Vice Chairman to instantly step down from that position and for the clerk to make arrangements for a new Vice Chair to be elected.

The AFC has vented its disagreement over what it

says is APNU reneging on an agreement the two parties made for the AFC to get the Vice Chair positions in Regions Seven and Four following the General and Regional Elections.

True to that agreement, AFC had nominated its candidate Neilson McKenzie for the Region 4 Vice Chairman’s position. However, APNU nominated Samuel Sandy and the PPP nominated Desmond Morian.

Voting along party lines, APNU and PPP had cast their 14 votes each for their candidates, and the AFC, with its five votes, backed

Clerk of Council, Donald Gajraj

McKenzie. Seeram then used his deciding vote to elect Sandy, overriding the AFC’s nominee.

Since it came into office after joining forces with the APNU in 2015, the minority AFC has been criticized for the submissive role it has been playing to the abusive APNU. Decisions the former Government made, such as the closure of sugar estates, which put thousands of sugar workers out of jobs, were passed unchallenged, and even supported by the AFC. This is despite the AFC retaining the Agriculture Ministry. (G3)

14 NEWS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021|| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“The system is slow” – AG on granting of firearms …says crime situation a major concern for Govt

Attorney General Anil Nandlall

A

dmitting that the crime situation in the country is a cause for concern, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, on Tuesday argued that firearm licences should be granted more liberally.

“I believe that firearm licences should be granted more liberally in Guyana… because we have a lot of people who are qualified for firearm licences but are not [getting it]. For some reason, the system is slow,” Nandlall contended during his social media programme Issues in the News.

“I know there are a lot of applications pending, and one can’t rush the process,

because the granting of a firearm licence or its refusal is an important exercise, and it requires some degree of care and circumspection.

One can’t approach these processes rashly and carelessly; one ought to take due time and diligence in order to assess each application on its merits, and grant it if it is worthy of grant, and refuse it if it is not meritorious,” the Attorney General added.

According to reports, there is a three-stage process for firearms’ licensing.

It begins with an application letter being sent to the Divisional Commander, who assigns a rank to check on the applicant’s character in his or her community. The

application is then sent to the Commissioner’s Office to ensure that the applicant has no previous antecedents or convictions.

The application then goes to the Firearm Licensing Board. It is then decided at that stage whether the applicant is fit. If so, the application is sent to the Minister for the final stamp of approval.

Reports also indicate that there are more than 4,500 pistols, 3,000 shotguns, and 3,047 rifles registered by the Guyanese public.

Meanwhile, weighing in on the crime situation in the country, the Attorney General assured the public that Government is working behind the scenes every day to deal with these matters.

“The crime situation continues to be a major concern of our Government, and every single day, efforts are being expended in addressing the crime situation. Please don’t think for one moment that this Government is not attuned to the crime situation in Guyana,” he expressed.

“Every day we have discussions, and there are policies that are being implemented to address the crime situation. The Police Force, on a daily basis, is being equipped…under my Ministry, we are going to donate a set of computers

again to the Police Force.

We are trying to assist with the staffing of the Forensic Lab with the required personnel, so that we can get convictions and we can get

proper scientific investigations done,” Nandlall added.

“The Police Force is continuing a recruiting exercise. There are other strategies Ministry of Home

Affairs will speak about…

So don’t think for one moment…, crime is an issue that the Government regards with the greatest of priority,” he affirmed. (G8)

Primary schools’ NGSA statistics now public …parents can now review performance of all primary schools in Guyana

T

A screenshot of the webpage where persons can access the information

he Education Ministry on Wednesday published the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) results for the past four years.

This initiative was taken by the Ministry in an effort to create a transparent platform wherein parents, teachers and other major stakeholders are able to witness the plans for improved quality education and greater accountability.

The general public now has access to the performance of all primary schools in Guyana at the NGSA, through the Education Ministry’s website.

While the website currently has data for the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, statistics for the previous years are expected to be inputted in the coming years.

The information can be obtained by school (public, private), by region, by lo-

cale (coastal, hinterland, riverine) and by gender. This means that educators and researchers can now assess the performance of schools, and implement necessary steps to improve or maintain the quality of education in a particular school or region.

Additionally, parents can now review the performance of any primary school in Guyana, and be fully informed and engaged in their children’s educational pursuits.

The Ministry has said, “This open and transparent system will provide all stakeholders in the education sector with access to the examination’s statistics for each school. This bodes well for the sector’s development, because programmes can be designed and actions can be taken to build on what is already in place in terms of education delivery, thereby improving the sector’s over-

all performance.”

Moreover, the online reports show the percentage of students who achieved 50 per cent (30 marks) or higher in the subject areas of Mathematics, English, Social Studies and Science.

This information is graphically represented, so that all stakeholders can understand it. This move by the Education Ministry bodes well for accountability, since parents and other stakeholders would have access to such information on a public platform.

Additionally, it is expected that all Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) results will be added over the next few weeks.

The information can be accessed by visiting the Education Ministry’s website https://education.gov. gy, and following these three simple steps.

Argument ends in barber being stabbed …battling for life at WDRH

D

eokumar Lakhan, a 32-year-old barber, is now battling for his life after he was stabbed at his place of work at Belle West, West Bank Demerara by a 23-year-old male on Tuesday at around 21:00h.

Guyana Times understands that Lakhan was at his barber shop when the suspect, who was armed with a short object, ran

into the shop and an argument ensued between them.

Police said the suspect then approached the barber and dealt him several stabs about his body, as a result of which Lakhan fell to the ground in an unconscious state.

Picked up by public-spirited citizens, Lakhan was taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, where he was examined by a doc-

tor and later referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

His condition is regarded as serious.

Later contacted, told of the offence and cautioned in accordance with the Judge’s Rules, the suspect remained silent. He was arrested and taken to the Wales Police Station, where he has been placed in custody pending further investigations. (G9)

NEWS

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana preparing to vaccinate children aged 5 to 11 against COVID-19 …USAID funding to tackle vaccine hesitancy, misinformation

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony

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ith the aim of fully reopening schools across the country, the Guyana Government is preparing to roll out the COVID-19 vaccination campaign for children in the nursery and primary levels in the coming weeks.

This is after the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier this week granted emergency use authorisation for the Pfizer-BioNTech to be administered to children between the ages of five and 11.

It is now expected that similar approval will be given by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) soon.

Currently, Guyana is using the Pfizer jab to inoculate its adolescent population (12 to 17) along with pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.

Recent figures show that some 27,055 or 37.1 per cent of persons between the ages of 12 and 17 have received their first dose and approximately 17,647 or 24.2 per cent of them are fully immunised.

In anticipation of the approvals in the US, Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony on Wednesday announced the expansion in the percentage of Guyana’s population that would be eligible for vaccination against the deadly virus.

Dr Anthony said he was not worried about the response to the immunisation of this new age cohort since they would continue to use the Pfizer jab with which thousands of teenagers have been vaccinated. He added that there were lots of credible information out there for parents and guardians to access in order to make an informed decision.

“The track record, the safety of the vaccine is there so that people can analyse that safety data… It has gone through rigorous studies so we know that it’s a safe vaccine… The benefits of this vaccine far outweigh whatever risks there might be and that is why we are urging parents to encourage their children and adults to get vaccinated,” the Minister stressed during Wednesday’s COVID-19 update.

Reopening of schools

He went on to point out that Government wanted to fully reopen schools so that children could return to normal in-class learning.

dren safely in schools and one way of doing that is, really, for them to be vaccinated. So, with the impending approval of Pfizer for 11 to 5, potentially we have primary and nursery school kids getting vaccinated and can start to return to school,” Dr Anthony noted.

In preparation for this, the Health Minister pointed out that Government would have to sensitise and educate parents, guardians, teachers and the general public on the vaccination of children.

After the outbreak of COVID-19 here in March 2020, schools were closed with little to no engagements. However, when the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government took office in August last year, a series of virtual learning initiatives were implemented.

Then public schools across Guyana were partially reopened for face-to-face

To this end, Dr Anthony disclosed that Government would be directing its portion of a US$2.5 million donation from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to Caricom, to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and misinforma-

learning in September with individualised plans that see a limited number of children allowed to attend classes at a time. Additionally, school hours have been drastically reduced, in some cases, to two-to-three-hour sessions.

But according to the Health Minister, a loss of learning has been occurring over the past year.

“The curriculum has not been adequately covered.

The material that children ought to cover, they have not done. Many times, when they’re supposed to be online studying, because they are not supervised, they’re probably not able to study properly. So, these things have affected how children learn and definitely would create a learning loss, and we would see that showing up more when they are ready to write various exams.

“So, we have to get chil-

tion including among parents.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Guyana was among three Caribbean countries that would benefit from the US$2.5 million funding to fight COVID-19.

“We had discussions with USAID and among the things we had flagged with them is the whole notion of vaccine hesitancy because across the Region, a lot of people still harbour a lot of myths pertaining to vaccines and because of that, it has maybe deterred them from going to take the vaccine… In this pandemic, if you are not vaccinated, you have a higher risk of getting infected and hospitalised and even dying from COVID. Therefore, vaccination is very important.

“So, these funds would assist the countries in the Region to improve their

Tackling vaccine hesitancy

The Government wants to vaccinate nursery and primary children to fully reopen schools

communication with the general population and encouraging them to get vaccinated, and understanding the benefits of vaccination… and I’m sure that some of the countries would use the funding to educate parents, to educate teachers, and to educate the general public pertaining to vaccination amongst children,” the Health Minister stated.

According to Dr Anthony, they will have to conduct surveys to ascertain what

misinformation is being peddled about the vaccines or what concerns persons have in order to properly dispel them.

In fact, he noted that Government has already been using a programme from the Johns Hopkins University, that was being used for its malaria campaign, to respond to some of the myths being circulated about the COVID-19 jabs.

“That programme has been helpful in putting out

facts rather than the misinformation that has been circulating so. This programme has helped us to counter some of that misinformation.

So, the funding that we will receive from USAID would go into responding to some of these things, because on daily basis people are on social media and they tend to believe some of these things that are on social media…

So, we now have to come up with a programme to counter that,” he explained. (G8)

16 NEWS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GECOM vacancies

Texan, Jamaican, Kittitian among foreign applicants for Guyana’s Chief Elections Officer post …17 locals, including former CEO, DCEO, also apply

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he Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM’s) advertisement for the post of Chief Elections Officer (CEO) has generated significant interest, attracting local and international applications, some from as far as Texas, United States of America (USA).

According to a list seen by this publication, Dr Kurt Clarke from Texas, Leslie Oliver Harrow from Jamaica, and Eugene Godfrey Petty from St. Kitts are the foreign applicants. Of the three, this publication was able to ascertain from news reports in Jamaica that Harrow was up until May employed as head of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).

Meanwhile, the local applicants include Gocool Boodoo, who was previously employed as CEO for several years. Vishnu Persaud, the former Deputy CEO, whose non-appointment for the role in 2018 triggered controversy of its own, has also applied.

Another applicant for the post is Attorney-atLaw Saphier Hussain, who was the Presidential Candidate for his National Independent Party (NIP) in the May 2015 General and Regional Elections. Former Permanent Secretary at the Office of the President, Omar Shariff, is also among the applicants.

The other applicants, meanwhile, are Deodat Persaud, Christopher Chan, Dr. Stanley Paul, Dr. Hubert

Jamaican Leslie Harrow has also applied for the post

Former CEO Gocool Boodhoo has applied for the position

Vishnu Persaud applicant

is

another

Maloney, Colin Thompson, Abushameer Khan, Simone Beckles, former head of the Guyana Revenue Authority’s (GRA’s) Container Scanner Unit, Jainarine Singh; Ronald Singh, Aneal Azhar Giddings, Amar Panday, Dr. Breysha Saskia Solomon and Nyall Jodhan of The Citizenship Initiative (TCI).

The persons who are eventually hired will fill the vacancies caused by the removals of former Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield; his former deputy, Roxanne Myers; and former Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo.

After several delays and legal proceedings, Lowenfield, Myers, and Mingo were on August 12 dismissed from their respective posts at the GECOM following a vote by the seven-member Commission.

In a statement announcing the terminations, which she said came after weeks of deliberation on the motions, the GECOM Chair had indicated that the services of Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo would be terminated effective August 18, 2021,

and they would be compensated in accordance with pro-

visions in their contracts.

To this end, Justice

Singh disclosed that CEO Lowenfield was dismissed via Clause 9 of his contract, which stipulates that his services can be terminated by giving him three months’ notice, or payment in lieu thereof.

Regarding the DCEO and the RO, their contracts similarly state that the Commission may, at any time, terminate their employment by giving them three months’ notice or payment in lieu thereof.

Gunraj and his fellow

Government-nominated Commissioners, Bibi Shadick and Manoj Narayan, on June 1, 2021 had brought motions calling for the dismissal of Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo from GECOM. The trio are before the courts for a number of electoral charges for their alleged attempts to sway the results of the March 2020 General and Regional Elections in favour of the then ruling A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government.

Agro-processing business taking Caribbean by storm – Mustapha …as New GMC’s Guyana Shop celebrates 9 years

T

he New Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) on Wednesday celebrated the ninth year of the “100% local” Guyana Shop, which provides a space for agro-processors and other manufacturers to market and sell their products to persons looking to “buy local”.

Located at Robb and Alexander Streets, Bourda, Georgetown, the Guyana Shop carries products ranging from sauces, dried fruits, and seasonings to laundry detergents, and cosmetics just to name a few.

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, in his remarks at the simple celebratory event, stated that agro-processing has evolved into a business that is taking

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha examines one of the products available in the Guyana Shop. Also in photo are Agriculture Ministry Director General Madanlall Ramraj, New GMC General Manager Teshawna Lall and Guyana Shop Manager Kevin Macklingam

the Caribbean by storm.

“When we look at our agro-processors and our country’s agro-processing capabilities, over the years, it has evolved into a business that is taking the Caribbean by storm. Nine years ago, there were only a few persons involved in agro-processing,” the Minister noted.

“Today, there are a number of persons involved in agro-processing as is evident by the hundreds of nicely-packaged commodities available on the shelves. One of the objectives of our government is to ensure we develop this aspect of the agriculture sector,” he went on to say.

Meanwhile, it was revealed that as of this year, the New GMC is expected to build several new agro-processing facilities across the country.

“These facilities will be built in both urban and rural parts of the country like in the deep south of Region Nine, Black Bush Polder in Region Six, Region 10, and on the Essequibo Coast,” Minister Mustapha said.

He further revealed that as Chairman of the Ministerial Taskforce set up

by Caricom to address issues relating to agriculture among

Member States, he has been working to address the many barriers to trade that are affecting Guyanese agro-processors and producers.

“We are building these facilities because there are many persons who want to get involved in these types of activities. Earlier today, I had a discussion with a company that is interested in working with about 50 agro-processors to help them develop their business. So, you can see that this government is taking this aspect of agriculture very seriously,” the Minister informed.

“We have been moving rapidly to address this and very soon, you will see many of these items being exported to new markets in the Caribbean and other parts of the world,” he further stated.

Additionally, Minister Mustapha stated that the New GMC has been tasked with developing innovative ideas to have more Guyana Shop corners established across the country.

Meanwhile, New GMC General Manager Teshawna Lall stated that despite the ongoing pandemic, the Guyana Shop was able to expand on its line of products and establish additional facilities across the country.

“The mandate of the Guyana Shop is to house, promote and build awareness for the vastly growing array of locally-manufactured products.

The Guyana Shop has in excess of 600 different product lines and 120 agro-processers. Despite the pressures of COVID-19, we managed to add 39 products and 14 new agro-processors. We also saw the addition of 60 over-thecounter (OTC) products from Twins Manufacturing and the NEW GPC. To top off the ending of a great year, we were successful in establishing four new Guyana Shop Corners,” Lall related.

Moreover, Guyana Shop Manager Kevin Macklingam informed that since its establishment, the Guyana Shop was able to work with agro-processors to develop their packaging capabilities.

“Over the years, we’ve evolved from using recycled bottles and photocopied labels to international standards of new bottles and labels. At first, agro-processors were reluctant to the change, but with the encouragement of the New GMC, they’ve evolved. This is evident in the attractive display of the varying products being offered in the Guyana Shop today,” Macklingam revealed

NEWS

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“Preserving mangroves helps protect Guyana’s coastline” – US Ambassador U

nited States Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, has underscored the importance of preserving mangroves in order to protect the country’s coastline, which is under threat by rising sea levels caused by global warming.

Ambassador Lynch made this statement during a recent visit to the Guyana Mangrove Restoration Project – a programme under the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI). Her visit coincides with the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) that will be held next month in Glasgow, as well as with 2021 marking the start of the United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration.

The US envoy, with Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NAREI, Jagnarine Singh; Coordinator of the Mangrove Restoration Project, Kene Mosely; and Executive Director of Conservation International, Damien Fernandes, described the coastal adaptation strategies using mangroves in combination with infrastructure as a naturalbased climate mitigation strategy.

Ambassador Lynch praised the programme for raising awareness about the role that mangroves play in disaster management, carbon absorption, and protection of coast-

Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch at the Mangrove Restoration Project with officials from NAREI

lines.

“Climate change is already impacting the planet in unprecedented ways, causing weather and climate events to increase in severity and frequency. Guyana has seen devastating floods this year that have impacted livelihoods. Preserving mangroves helps protect Guyana’s coastline,” the US diplomat posited.

The Guyana Mangrove Restoration Project was launched by the PPP/C Government in 2010 with funding from the European Union (EU) to build up the country’s natural sea defences against the Atlantic Ocean.

It was only back in June

“We have no apologies; wronged...

FROM PAGE 3

“All Guyanese qualified, benefited from those grants.

What is so wrong with the sugar workers receiving assistance from this Government?

The truth be told, Harmon and PNC used [AFC’s Moses] Nagamootoo and [Leader Khemraj] Ramjattan to go into these communities and fool the sugar workers; told the sugar workers that they will get 20 and 25 per cent increase… [and told] the workers that they will not close the sugar factories, that there will not be a loss of jobs… then fooled the people,” the Minister posited.

Meanwhile, AG Nandlall also used the opportunity to respond to another Opposition Member who is also contending for the PNCR leadership, Aubrey Norton, who claims that the PPP/C Government is discriminating against communities perceived as Opposition strongholds during the distribution of these cash grants.

According to the Minister, political affiliation is not a consideration factor to determine the qualification for the various cash grant initiatives. He noted that persons from varying backgrounds have bene-

fited from these grants countrywide, and will continue to benefit in the future.

In the same breath, however, Nandlall explained that the Coalition will continue to use the political and race cards for selfish purposes.

“Apparently, only when Indo-Guyanese receive something then Harmon and Norton see that. And according to them, and based upon everything they are saying, apparently Indo-Guyanese ought not to benefit and should not benefit from anything…

But I’m saying all Guyanese should benefit. But they are saying once, Indo-Guyanese gets something, it’s a PPP supporter and is a PPP campaign, and is a PPP distribution of assistance to its constituency.

These people are sick…but we can’t bother with this kind of mentality,” Minister Nandlall posited.

The allocation earlier this month of the cash grants – pegged at $1.8 billon – was deemed a welcome initiative by the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), which says that such support is essential in correcting the indignation faced by sugar workers. (G8)

that the Government committed to continue the project to help reduce carbon

emissions in Guyana.

“We can put a mechanism in place where we can

have offsets elsewhere. And the mangrove project…is something that we will continue in the next couple of years,” Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat has stated.

Meanwhile, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had previously announced that the Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+) is supporting Guyana’s replanting of mangroves.

The EU-funded GCCA+ initiative was executed between 2010 and 2013, and made commendable achievements, including the monitoring and protection of 36.5 kilometres of mangroves by a mangrove ranger unit, the planting of 420,000 black mangrove seedlings with community involvement, and the restoration of 5 kilometres of mangroves along the

East Coast of Demerara, West Coast of Berbice, and Corentyne Coast.

In a missive from the US Embassy in Georgetown on Wednesday, it was noted that the United States would launch a range of new initiatives and partnerships with other countries and stakeholders at COP26, in order to mobilise concrete action in key areas related to both adaptation and mitigation, including methane, clean energy, forests, and industrial decarbonisation.

The United States has put forward a nationally- determined contribution (NDC) that aligns with keeping a 1.5-degree Celsius limit within reach, namely, to achieve an economy-wide target of reducing its emissions by 50 to 52 per cent below 2005 levels in 2030.

GPF to roll out marine unit

T

he Guyana Police Force (GPF) has announced its vision of the future which will boost development of the Force.

Among the new plans is a soon-to-be-established marine unit in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) to protect Guyana’s borders and deter piracy.

Head of GPF’s Strategic Planning Unit, Assistant Superintendent Nikola Kendall shared the details on Tuesday on the Force’s virtual programme “Police and You”.

According to the Assistant Superintendent, a new boathouse equipped with specialised facilities will be established in the region.

“As our new strategic plan rolls out, you will also

Assistant Superintendent Nikola Kendall

see implementation of marine units set up in other regional divisions, so that we can better patrol our waterways, so that we can monitor our borders because you always hear this talk about porous borders, unchecked borders, un-

monitored borders. So, the aim is to ensure that our borders are safe and secured,” she said.

It was also disclosed that plans are in the developmental stage and proposals have been submitted for the Force to have

its own aviation unit.

“The members of the public will see very soon that the Force will become modern, professional and accountable,” the Assistant Superintendent said.

Since the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration took office, it has invested heavily in strengthening the country’s security forces.

In September, President Dr Irfaan Ali handed over 50 vehicles to the GPF to boost its responsiveness.

The President also commissioned a Bell 412 EPI helicopter for the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), to enhance its current transport fleet and security capabilities. (G9)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021

Regional

Americas COVID cases are down, Bolsonaro asks Supreme vaccine inequity still a problem Court to intervene to avoid

N

ew coronavirus cases and deaths in the Americas have reached the lowest levels in more than a year, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) said, but access to COVID-19 vaccines remains a challenge.

PAHO Assistant Director Jarbas Barbosa on Wednesday said the Americas reported more than 800,000 new infections and 18,000 deaths during the past seven days – a drastic decrease from previous weeks.

“We have reason to be optimistic, but we must remain vigilant,” Barbosa said

during a regular virtual news briefing.

Many of the Caribbean islands are seeing decreases in new infections, Barbosa said, including Cuba, a nation that had for months been battling an intense outbreak of the disease.

The downward trend in COVID-19 infections comes amid advances in vaccination campaigns across the Region.

But, PAHO officials said, gaps remain and many countries especially, those with low vaccination rates, remain at risk of more outbreaks.

Smaller islands, such as St Kitts and Nevis, Barbados,

Anguilla and St Vincent and the Grenadines are reaching their first pandemic peaks and are reporting their highest numbers of new infections and deaths.

Vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccine movements, fuelled by misinformation, are also a persistent challenge in the region.

That is why, Barbosa warned, it remains critical that countries continue to implement public health measures, such as mask-wearing, social distancing, and limiting large gatherings.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

social media suspension

B

razil’s President Jair Bolsonaro asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to block a possible ruling suspending him from social media.

A Senate investigative committee on Tuesday called for Bolsonaro to be indicted for nine crimes related to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and asked that his social media accounts be suspended for spreading misinformation about COVID-19.

The committee has also requested access to his Internet activity since April 2020. The Government’s Solicitor General asked the top court to bar social media companies from providing that information.

The report approved by the Senate committee on Tuesday holds Bolsonaro responsible for errors committed in handling the pandemic, which has killed more than 600,000 Brazilians.

It was delivered on Wednesday to the country’s top Public Prosecutor, who was appointed by Bolsonaro and is not expected to indict the President.

Earlier this week, Facebook and YouTube removed from their platforms a video by Bolsonaro in which he made a false claim that COVID-19 vaccines were linked with developing AIDS. (Reuters)

Ecuador’s President calls for Persad-Bissessar: Delay in TTPS dialogue with Indigenous protesters promotions jeopardising stability I

W

ord that 2800 Police Officers are in limbo concerning their promotions and appointments is a “ticking time bomb” jeopardising the stability of the Police Service at a time when criminals terrorise citizens more brazenly daily, says Trinidad and Tobago’s Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

In a statement Tuesday, Persad-Bissessar added the situation was a disaster that concerned all citizens.

“This crisis was created by the scandalous collapse of the Police Service Commission, which is entirely the making of this Keith Rowley-led government. This collapse has prevented the appointment of a Police Commissioner for the first time in T&T’s history, leading to this administrative and security disaster,’’ she said.

She said it was Rowley

Opposition Leader Persad-Bissessar

Kamla

who “flippantly” declared that “Sergeants can continue Sergeanting” without a Police Commissioner.

“Perhaps Rowley wishes to explain to these 2800 Police Officers who exactly will now tend to their pending promotions and appointments?”

Persad-Bissessar added.

“Rowley’s negligent action towards the TTPS borders on criminal behaviour

and can only serve to further demoralise an already frustrated TTPS,” she also said.

Expressing concern at the firing of employees hired under former Police Commissioner Gary Griffith, she asked, “If there is no Police Commissioner, who is exactly now hiring and firing persons at the TTPS?” “The manner in which the Police Service Commission collapsed is already a scandal of the highest order, for which Rowley refuses to take responsibility. Now it appears Rowley is purposefully leading the entire T&T Police Service down the path to a similar collapse.

As long as this Rowleyled PNM [People’s National Movement] Government stays in office, the safety, security and stability of citizens remain under threat.”

(Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Caribbean Airlines to resume direct flights to Jamaica

T

he Trinidad-based Caribbean Airlines (CAL) Wednesday said it would resume direct flights to Jamaica following the lifting of the travel restrictions that had been imposed between the two countries as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

CAL said that the service would resume from December 1 and that the flights are timed to facilitate

same-day onward connections to Nassau, Bahamas and other destinations.

According to CAL, the flights BW414 will operate on Wednesday and Friday mornings, with BW415 taking place in the evening on a Wednesday. The airline said flight BW417 will leave Kingston for Port of Spain on a Friday evening.

The airline also announced that BW414 will depart from Kingston to

Nassau on a Wednesday, while the Nassau to Kingston flight, BW415 will take place on Wednesday afternoons.

CAL also announced that its services between Port of Spain and Jamaica to Sint Maarten would resume on December 11, 2021.

The airline urged passengers to use its website to verify entry requirements and other important travel information for any destination, as well as make appointments for COVID-19 tests.

“Customers are asked to kindly note that travel safety protocols are in place including the mandatory wearing of face masks during checkin, while boarding and for the duration of their flight,” CAL added.

(Excerpt from CMC)

ndigenous and rural Ecuadorans have blocked roads in several provinces on the second day of protests against rising fuel prices amid a state of emergency as the President called for dialogue.

Ecuador’s President, Guillermo Lasso, a conservative ex-banker who took office in May, on Wednesday said his Government would keep security forces on highways to maintain order.

Last Friday, Lasso announced a 12 per cent increase in fuel prices, which have nearly doubled since last year, bringing the price of diesel to US$1.90 a gallon (US$0.50 a litre) and US$2.55 a gallon (US$0.67 a litre) for petrol, setting off the largest protests since he took office.

“I call once more for dialogue, for consensus, for thinking of the good of the country and not of personal, party or union interests,” Lasso said on Wednesday during a military ceremony. “In these moments of economic recovery, it’s time

Protests against the economic policies of conservative Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso have entered their second day [Vicente Gaibor del Pino/Reuters]

to be united.”

Demonstrators argue the increased cost falls unfairly on regular citizens already struggling economically because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ecuador Confederation of Indigenous Nations (CONAIE), the group who called the protests, wants fuel prices capped at US$1.50 a gallon (US$0.39 a litre) for diesel and US$2 a gallon (US$0.53 litre) for

petrol.

“The Government has messed up, pushing fuel prices up all the time,” protester Dennis Viteri, a 28-year-old textile worker told AFP on Wednesday at a blockade northeast of the capital Quito.

Viteri and others used soil, tree trunks and burning tyres to block a portion of the Pan-American highway which connects Quito with Colombia. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Mighty river to muddy trickle: South America’s Parana rings climate alarm

G

ustavo Alcides Diaz, an Argentine fisherman and hunter from a river island community, is at home on the water. The Parana River once lapped the banks near his wooden stilt home that he could reach by boat. Fish gave him food and income. He purified river water to drink.

Now the 40-year-old looks out on a trickle of muddy water.

The Parana, South America’s second-largest river behind only the Amazon, has retreated this year to its lowest level since its record low in 1944, hit by cyclical droughts and dwindling rainfall upriver in Brazil. Climate change only worsens those trends.

The decline of the wa-

terway, which knits together a huge swathe of the continent, has hurt river communities like Diaz’s, snarled grains transport in Argentina and Paraguay and contributed to a rise in wildfires, damaging wetland ecosystems.

“This is historic. I’ve never seen it so low in my lifetime,” Diaz said at his home in Charigue, some 300 kilometres (186 miles) upriver from the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, lamenting the impact on fish stocks and fresh water. “When everything dries up, the water rots.”

The Parana’s crisis is among the multitude of woes arising worldwide associated with global climate change linked to the burn-

ing of fossil fuels and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions. World leaders are set to meet at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP26, starting on October31 in Glasgow, Scotland amid warnings from a UN panel about climate-related disruptions for decades, if not centuries, to come.

The river, born in southern Brazil, snakes about 4880 kilometres (3030 miles) through Paraguay and Argentina before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. It is a vital waterway for commercial shipping and fishing, provides drinking water to millions of people, powers hydroelectric plants and supports rich biodiversity.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Biden vows to stand with Asia on

freedom, hits at China on Taiwan

US demand for oil P surges, depleting tanks in Oklahoma

C

rude oil tanks at the Cushing, Oklahoma storage and delivery hub for US crude futures are more depleted than they have been in the last three years, and prices of further dated oil contracts suggest they will stay lower for months.

US demand for crude among refiners making gasoline and diesel has surged as the economy has recovered from the worst of the pandemic. Demand across the globe means other countries have looked to the United States for crude barrels, also boosting draws out of Cushing.

The oil hub is the largest, and was, for decades, the most significant storage facility for US barrels. That has changed in recent years, as activity has shifted to the US Gulf now that the United States exports roughly three million barrels of crude every day.

Analysts expect the draw on inventories to continue in the short-term, which could further boost US crude prices that have already climbed by about 25 per cent in the last two months. The discount on US crude futures to the international Brent benchmark should stay narrow.

"Storage at Cushing alone has the potential to really rally the market to the moon," said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

resident Joe Biden told Southeast Asian nations on Wednesday the United States would stand with them in defending freedom of the seas and democracy and called China's actions towards Taiwan "coercive" and a threat to peace and stability.

Speaking at a virtual East Asia Summit attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Biden said Washington would start talks with partners in the Indo-Pacific about developing a regional economic framework, something critics say his regional strategy has lacked.

Southeast Asia has become a strategic battleground be-

P

holding peace, stability, freedom of navigation, and overflight in the South China Sea was in everyone's interest.

"The South China Sea is our common home," he said.

Biden last week said the United States, which is obliged by a 1979 law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, would come to Taiwan's defence if it was attacked by China. Those comments caused a stir because they appeared to depart from a long-held US policy of "strategic ambiguity" as to how Washington would respond to such a scenario.

The White House said Biden was not signalling a change in US policy toward

Taiwan, and some analysts dismissed his comments as a gaffe.

Tensions between Taiwan and China have escalated in recent weeks as Beijing has staged repeated air missions over the Taiwan Strait, the waterway separating the island and the mainland.

Meanwhile, the top US military officer, General Mark Milley, has provided the first official US confirmation of a Chinese hypersonic weapons test that military experts say appears to show Beijing's pursuit of an Earthorbiting system designed to evade American missile defences.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Arctic ground “literally collapsing” amid abrupt thaw

S

cientists are increasingly warning that the melting Arctic could push the planet into a vicious cycle of uncontrolled heating as vast stores of carbon in thawing ground release powerful greenhouse gases.

Pope Francis to visit Canada for reconciliation

ope Francis has agreed to visit Canada to assist with ongoing reconciliation efforts with Indigenous groups, the Vatican said on Wednesday.

The trip follows disturbing revelations this spring about the Indigenous children who died while attending residential schools.

The Catholic Church was essential in the schools' founding and operation.

The date of the papal visit has not yet been announced.

The Pope has not issued a formal apology for the Church's role, despite re-

tween the United States and China, which controls most of the South China Sea, and Beijing has turned up military and political pressure on fiercely democratic Taiwan, a self-ruled island Beijing considers its own.

Biden reiterated that the United States had a "rock-solid" commitment to Taiwan.

"We are deeply concerned by China's coercive ... actions," Biden said, charging that they "threaten regional peace and stability".

Premier Li told the summit, which brought together leaders of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with regional partners, that up-

peated calls by Canadians.

In a short statement, the Vatican said that the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops had invited the Pope to make an apostolic trip to Canada "also in the context of the long-standing pastoral process of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples".

"His Holiness has indicated his willingness to visit the country on a date to be settled in due course," the statement said.

The pontiff had already invited an Indigenous delegation from Canada to the

Vatican. Three groups – First Nations, Metis and Inuit – will meet with him between December 17 and 20.

In a statement on Wednesday, Toronto Cardinal Thomas Collins said he hoped that meeting would allow the Pope to "hear directly from those who have suffered".

In Canada, support for reconciliation – repairing the relationship between Indigenous people, non-Indigenous people and the Government – is at a recent high.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Marise Payne said in a statement on Thursday.

The updated country-specific travel advice will also help Australians to access travel insurance more readily, Payne said.

As Australia begins to ease COVID-19 travel curbs, Victoria on Thursday recorded its deadliest day of the Delta outbreak with 25 deaths and 1923 cases, the biggest rise in infections in four days. Neighbouring New South Wales, home to Sydney, logged 293 new cases, down from 304 on Wednesday.

Despite the Delta wave, national coronavirus numbers are still relatively low by global standards, with about 166,000 cases and 1694 deaths.

Australia has been gradu-

ally easing tough restrictions in Sydney and Melbourne, helped by higher vaccination levels after a third wave of infections fuelled by the highly-infectious Delta variant spread rapidly across its southeast.

The relaxation in travel rules, however, is not uniform across Australia, as the country's states and territories have differing vaccination rates and health policies.

Under the updated travel advice framework, the “do not travel” advisory, put in place for all destinations in March 2020, has been removed. But no destination will be set lower than “level 2 – exercise a high degree of caution”. (Excerpt from Reuters)

For thousands of years, permafrost – ground that is frozen for two or more years in a row – has kept dead plant and animal matter locked in the deep-freeze beneath the tundra. These ancient remnants total up to an estimated 1600 billion tonnes of organic carbon, almost twice as much as currently found in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Covering a quarter of the Northern Hemisphere, this frozen vault is being thawed by rising temperatures, extensive wildfires and unprecedented heatwaves in Siberia and other far-northern regions. In turn, that is transforming the carbon sink of the Arctic into a source of greenhouse gases.

Among those gases is methane, a gas up to 34 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) at trap-

Climate scientists point to the Arctic as the place where climate change is most noticeable with dramatic sea ice loss, a melting Greenland ice sheet, receding glaciers, and thawing permafrost [File: David Goldman/AP Photo]

ping heat in Earth’s atmosphere during a 100-year period. Across 20 years, it can be 86 times more potent.

Then there’s nitrous oxide – its warming potential roughly 300 times more than CO2 across a 100-year timescale.

That is creating a dangerous feedback loop – one in which human activities such as burning fossil fuels and

farming livestock heat up the atmosphere, prompting permafrost to thaw and release additional greenhouse gases.

That causes further heating, further thawing and further emissions, threatening to bring about the worst impacts of climate changes far faster than expected.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

World Bank halts Sudan operations in blow to coup leaders, strike calls gain support

Australia eases COVID-19 travel T advisory ahead of border reopening

A

ustralia on Thursday eased its COVIDrelated travel advice for several countries, including the United States, Britain and Canada as it prepares to reopen its borders next week for the first time in over 18 months.

Australia will lift its outbound travel ban for fully-vaccinated residents from November 1 following a strong uptake of COVID-19 vaccines, as Sydney and Melbourne, its biggest cities, look to welcome overseas travellers without quarantine.

"The changes announced today are a vital next step in re-uniting Australian families and safely re-opening Australia to the world," Foreign Affairs Minister

he World Bank halted disbursements for operations in Sudan on Wednesday in response to the military's seizure of power from a transitional government, while State oil company workers, doctors, and pilots joined civilian groups opposing the takeover.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets since Monday's coup led by armed forces chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and several have been killed in clashes with security forces.

Burhan has dismissed the joint civilian-military council set up to steer the country to democratic elections following the overthrow of autocrat Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising in April 2019.

He said he acted to stop the country slipping into civil war, but the World Bank decision to pause payments and stop processing new operations is a setback to his plans for one of Africa's poorest countries.

After isolation from the in-

A protester waves a flag during what the Information Ministry calls a military coup in Khartoum, Sudan, October 25, 2021

ternational financing system across three decades of Bashir's rule, Sudan achieved full re-engagement with the bank in March and gained access to US$2 billion in financing.

"I am greatly concerned by recent events in Sudan, and I fear the dramatic impact this can have on the country’s social and economic recovery and development," World Bank President David Malpass said in a statement from Washington.

Abdalla Hamdok, Prime

Minister in the deposed transitional government, had touted World Bank re-engagement as a major accomplishment and was depending on the funding for several large development projects.

The Government had instituted harsh economic reforms that succeeded in achieving rapid arrears clearance and debt relief and renewed financing from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). (Excerpt from Reuters)

20

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021

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Rest, rejuvenate and start all over again. How you handle physically challenging events and activities will affect your emotional well-being. Do things to put your mind at ease.

Don't throw caution to the wind. Know what you are up against and do whatever it takes to stay on top of your game. Stability, consistency and sensible adjustments will pay off.

Leave nothing to chance or undone. Trust in yourself and the work that you do.

Your dedication and loyalty will help you advance. Do your own research and make sure you verify information.

It's up to you to get the ball rolling. Don't wait for someone to beat you at your own game. Take a lead position, follow through with your plans and pursue what makes you happy.

Keep the peace at home and when dealing with peers.

A change someone makes may not align with your plans, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't follow the path that suits you. Do your own thing.

Money matters will escalate if someone pressures you to donate to something that makes you feel uncomfortable.

Take the initiative and decline.

Put your money into something that will benefit you directly.

Be tactful when handling situations that deal with colleagues or someone who can put a dent in your reputation, status or position.

Offer a positive, upbeat attitude and generosity.

A debate will disrupt a friendship or cause a family feud. Think before you share your point of view. Be a good listener, and you'll be able to sidestep an unfavorable situation.

Tighten up your finances SAGITTARIUS to save for something unique.

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The request of an associate will not line up with your vision. Take the high road and find a way to incorporate the old with the new.

Your insight and adaptability will win favors.

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Keep your eye on the ball and be willing to accommodate someone you need in your corner. A change may not be welcome, but with a bit of finagling, you'll find a way to get what you want.

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Emotions will surface over shared expenses and responsibilities. Take care of your fair share, then move on to more enjoyable tasks.

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021

21

Hinterland-focused Guyana U17 female squad departs for CONCACAF Qualifiers

T

he Guyana U17 females open their account in the qualifiers for the 2022 Concacaf Women’s U17 Championships when their match kicks off against Anguilla in Florida today.

The 18-strong squad for the qualifying tournament includes 16 Guyana-based players from across the nation, comprising of five players from the Orealla community in Region 6; five from Georgetown, Region 4; four from the Cuyuni-Mazaruni community of Region 7; and two from the Region 1 commu-

nity of Barima-Waini, North West District. This squad thus boasts a significant proportion of talent from hinterland communities.

“It’s exciting for both coaches and players to be able to once again take the pitch to do what we love, after being faced with the pandemic; and it’s an honour to be a part of the progress being made in the women’s game,” Head Coach Akilah Castello has said.

“Preparations have been going well,” Castello added. “I can admit that it was a challenge putting together this

team to participate in this Concacaf U17 girls’ competition, but we are happy to be able to participate, and it’s always a pleasure to represent our country.”

The Concacaf qualifying tournament has been rescheduled and reconfigured on numerous occasions this year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving 10 teams to compete for four places in the final championship.

The selection possibilities available to the coaching staff in Guyana have been limited by injury or illness and a lack

of domestic competition over the past 18 months, due to the pandemic.

Apart from Anguilla, Guyana will face Honduras on October 30, and the Turks and Caicos Islands on November 1 in Group C of the qualification rounds. The winner of each of the three groups will progress to the finals, along with the best ranked second place finisher.

“We are very excited to be participating in the U17 Concacaf Championships,” said Paul Beresford, GFF Director of Women’s Programmes. “This shows the commitment the Federation, the GFF International Support Group, its partners and supporters have to all age groups in the Women’s National Team programme.

Putting together this team was extremely difficult, given the number of players who aged out of the team, the fact that most of our international players are in the midst of the school year, the specific age range imposed on teams by

The U17 girls’ squad

Concacaf, and missing a few critical players to injuries,” Beresford revealed.

“We look at all competitions as developmental opportunities, and we will treat this

one the same. Coach Akilah and her staff have been working tirelessly to prepare, and we are all proud to represent Guyana and the Lady Jaguars,” he said.

ICC T20 World Cup…

Namibia’s fairytale run continues with win over Scotland

N

amibia kicked off their Super 12 campaign in style with a four-wicket win over Scotland in the second match of the day at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Scotland fought back well after losing three wickets for two runs at the start of the

match, and took the game to the final over of Namibia's innings, but JJ Smit ensured that the Eagles got across the line with four wickets and five balls to spare.

Namibia approached their chase with caution, and apart from a mini-collapse in the middle over, were in control of

SCOREBOARD SCOTLAND INNINGS (20 OVERS MAXIMUM George Munsey b Trumpelmann 0 Matthew Cross † b Frylinck 19 Calum MacLeod c †Green b Trumpelmann 0 Richie Berrington (c) lbw b Trumpelmann 0 Craig Wallace lbw b Wiese 4 Michael Leask b Smit 44 Chris Greave run out (Wiese) 25 Mark Watt c Erasmus b Frylinck 3 Josh Davey not out 5 Extras (lb 5, w 4) 9 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 5.45) 109/8 Did not bat: Safyaan Sharif, Brad Wheal Fall of wickets: 1-0 (George Munsey, 0.1 ov), 2-2 (Calum MacLeod, 0.3 ov), 3-2 (Richie Berrington, 0.4 ov), 4-18 (Craig Wallace, 5.3 ov), 5-57 (Matthew Cross, 11.1 ov), 6-93 (Michael Leask, 16.2 ov), 7-99 (Mark Watt, 18.1 ov), 8-109 (Chris Greaves, 19.6 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Ruben Trumpelmann 4-0-17-3 Jan Frylinck 4-0-10-2 JJ Smit 4-0-20-1 David Wiese 4-0-22-1 Bernard Scholtz 2-0-16-0 Michael van Lingen 1-0-12-0 Pikky Ya France 1-0-7-0

NAMIBIA INNINGS (TARGET: 110 RUNS FROM 20 OVERS) Craig Williams st †Cross b Watt 23 Michael van Lingen c Berrington b Sharif 18 Zane Green†c Munsey b Greaves

9 Gerhard Erasmus (c) b Leask 4 David Wiese c Watt b Leask 16 JJ Smit not out 32 Jan Frylinck c MacLeod b Wheal 2 Pikky Ya France not out 0 Extras (lb 9, w 2) 11 TOTAL (19.1 Ov,RR:6.00) 115/6 Did not bat: Jan Nicol LoftieEaton, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz Fall of wickets: 1-28 (Michael van Lingen, 5.3 ov), 2-50 (Zane Green, 9.1 ov), 3-61 (Gerhard Erasmus, 11.2 ov), 4-67 (Craig Williams, 12.3 ov), 5-102 (David Wiese, 17.4 ov), 6-109 (Jan Frylinck, 18.4 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Brad Wheal 4-0-14-1 Josh Davey 2-0-15-0 Safyaan Sharif 3.1-0-21-1 Chris Greaves 4-0-22-1 Mark Watt 4-0-22-1 Michael Leask 2-0-12-2

the chase throughout.

Earlier, Namibia bowled splendidly at either end of the innings to restrict Scotland to a below-par total of 109/8.

Scotland suffered an early setback as Ruben Trumpelmann's triple-strike in the first over pegged them back.

Only Matthew Cross, Michael Leask and Chris Greaves reached double-digits for Scotland, with Leask leading the way in the middle-overs with a 27-ball 44.

Trumpelmann puts Namibia in command

Namibia skipper Gerhard Erasmus won the toss and opted to field first against Scotland in the Group 2 encounter of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021.

Scotland were without their regular captain Kyle Coetzer, who was out with a finger injury. Richie Berrington stood in Coetzer's absence, with Craig Wallace replacing him in the XI. Namibia, on the other hand, were unchanged from their history-making win over Ireland, which helped them qualify for the Super 12.

For the second game in a row, Scotland had a nightmarish start to their batting innings, losing three wickets in a single over.

It was Trumpelmann who caused the havoc this time around, scalping George Munsey, Calum MacLeod and Richie Berrington in the

first over of the innings, all for nought.

Munsey dragged the ball onto his stumps off the first ball of the innings, before Trumpelmann induced an edge off MacLeod's bat with a peach of an inswinger. He then trapped Berrington in front of the stumps with another great inswinger to reduce Scotland to 2/3.

Namibia continued to stifle Scotland with their leftarm pace, and it wasn't until the fourth over that Scotland scored their first boundary of the innings. However, they sunk further when Wiese snared the wicket of Craig Wallace as Scotland finished the Powerplay on 22/4.

Leask leads Scotland's revival

Michael Leask and Matthew Cross batted smartly to steady the ship, though boundaries were hard to come by, given their cautious approach. Leask scored two boundaries out of Scotland's three in the first 10 overs, taking on Wiese both times.

After the drinks break, Leask took the attack to Michael van Lingen, smashing him for a four and six. The 39run partnership finally came to an end when Frylinck cleaned up Cross with the slower ball.

Chris Graves joined Leask at the crease, and with Scotland going at just 5.1 runs per over, decided to accelerate the scoring. Leask smacked

JJ Smit over deep mid-wicket for six in the 13th over, and Scotland scored a boundary in each of the subsequent three overs to take the run-rate to close to a run-a-ball.

However, Namibia bowled brilliantly at the death, starting with JJ Smit rattling the stumps of the dangerous Leask for 44. Mark Watt's innings didn't last long, as he holed out to captain Erasmus at longon in the bid to up the scoring rate.

Namibia approach the chase with caution

Chasing 110, Namibia chose to go with caution over aggression, choosing to take the game deep with wickets in hand.

In fact, it wasn't until the fifth over of the innings that Namibia scored their first boundary off the bat, with Michael van Lingen breaking the shackles with two consecutive fours.

However, he fell in the next over trying to pull Safyaan Sharif over mid-wicket, only to find the leading edge to Berrington at cover.

Zane Green and Craig Williams tried to up the ante once the spinners were introduced after the Powerplay, but the former fell at the stroke of drinks, with Munsey taking a good tumbling catch at longoff.

At the halfway stage, Namibia needed 54 from the

remaining 10 overs.

Wiese, Smit get Namibia across the line after scare

Scotland managed to claw their way back into the game after the drinks break, taking two wickets in two overs.

Leask went through Erasmus's gate from around the wicket and hit timber, before Mark Watt dismissed the well-set Craig Williams, with wicketkeeper Cross affecting a smart stumping down the leg.

At 67/4, David Wiese and JJ Smit, both new to the crease, applied themselves and nudged singles and doubles to calm the Namibian dugout after the two quick wickets.

With the equation down to 35 off 36, Smit hit a four as soon as Safyaan Sharif was back into the attack. He then smacked Greaves for a six after the wrist-spinner erred in his length, serving a juicy full toss to Smit.

Wiese and Smith saw off Watt's over, but the former got greedy after smoking Leask for a six in the 18th over, and he went for another big hit, only to edge it to third.

With 7 needed off 12, Smit settled the nerves with a sweetly-timed drive through the covers for four, and eventually finished the game off with a six to secure their first-ever Super 12 win. (ICC Cricket)

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021

E

ngland continued their imposing start to the T20 World Cup with a second powerplay-inspired victory in the competition, as Bangladesh emulated West Indies in being overwhelmed in the opening exchanges of the contest before being dispatched in a low-key run-chase for an uncompetitive eight-wicket scoreline.

While Bangladesh's total of 124 for 9 was a significant stepup from West Indies' 55 all-out in Dubai on Friday, the seeds of their downfall were all too familiar.

Mahmudullah won the toss and batted first on what he described as a "belter", but his team then ran aground on the spin-and-seam combo of Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes, who bowled unchanged through the powerplay for a game-breaking combined analysis of 3 for 27.

Moeen continued a staggering start to his tournament. In a format where familiarity tends to breed contempt, he has now bowled all seven of his overs straight off the reel at the top of his two innings - four in a row against West Indies for 2 for 17, and a further three with 2 for 18 today.

Liton Das tried briefly to hit him off his length with consecutive fours down the ground, but he scuffed a third such blow to deep-midwicket to depart for 9 from 8 balls, before a rash swipe one ball later did for his fellow opener Mohammad

Moeen Ali removed Liton Das and Mohammad Naim

Naim too.

At the other end, Woakes thumped a two-paced deck with a typically proud seam and tight line, and when he extracted the priceless scalp of Shakib Al Hasan - via a top-edged pull and a superb leaping take from Adil Rashid - there was little that Bangladesh's other two senior statesmen, Mahmudullah himself and Mushfiqur Rahim, fellow veterans of every T20 World Cup since 2007, could do to change the narrative.

Livingstone, I presume Moeen's impact at the top of England's innings transformed the permutations for Morgan through the middle overs particularly once it became apparent that the extra pace of Chris Jordan and - at that stage of the innings - Tymal Mills was offering a hint of a route back into the contest for Bangladesh.

After conceding 12 and 11 runs respectively in their first forays, Morgan turned instead to the variations of Liam Livingstone, who skidded his third ball through Mushfiqur's attempted reverse-sweep and extracted a crucial breakthrough on review.

Afif Hossain followed in Livingstone's next over desperately run out as Mills at backward square fumbled a simple pick-up and coaxed the batters in an aborted attempt at a stolen second. And such was the panic that Livingstone was creating that Nurul Hasan all but ran himself out too from each of his first two balls.

And his work was duly completed when Mahmudullah - Bangladesh's last remaining hope - scuffed another ripping legbreak straight to point for 19 from 24.

Slowness does it for Mills at the death A minor dent to England's progress followed when Rashid, entrusted with one half of the death overs in a worthwhile experiment, was bludgeoned with some success by the left-hander Nasum Ahmed, who targeted the short leg-side boundary for the only two sixes of the innings.

But, at the other end, Tymal Mills unfurled his full repertoire to stunning effect for final figures of 3 for 27.

His impact was epitomised by the manner of his final two wickets - from consecutive balls right at the death of the innings. Mahedi Hasan was bounced out by a fierce short ball that brushed his glove and was given out on review; then, one ball later, Mustafizur Rahman was confounded by the slowest of slow inswinging yorkers to lose his leg stump for nought. The knowledge of Mills's physical threat, allied to the subtlety of his wealth of variations, makes for a very potent package.

Roy at the double England's only duff note against West Indies was the slight tangle they got in while trying to rush to their 56-run target. They made no such error this time around.

Jason Roy marked his 50th T20I cap with a rampant knock of 61 from 38 balls, his five fours and three sixes including

a massive straight strike off Nasum to bring up his halfcentury. In adding 39 for the first wicket in 28 balls of the powerplay, he and Jos Buttler ended any fears of a twist in the tale.

Dawid Malan had been overlooked in that West Indies romp, but his reappearance at No. 3 resulted in another

typically fuss-free knock of 28 not out from 25, as he ticked along at a tempo that met the match requirements - nothing more, nothing less. Jonny Bairstow sealed the deal with a pull for four through midwicket with 35 balls left unused.

The World No.1 T20I outfit are looking ominous in these early exchanges. (ESPNcricinfo)

SCOREBOARD BANGLADESH INNINGS (20 OVERS MAXIMUM) Liton Das c Livingstone b Ali 9 Mohammad Naim c Woakes b Ali 5 Shakib Al Hasan c Rashid b Woakes 4 Mushfiqur Rahim lbw b Livingstone 29 Mahmudullah (c) c Woakes b Livingstone 19 Afif Hossain run out (Mills/†Buttler) 5 Nurul Hasan † c †Buttler b Mills 16 Mahedi Hasan c Woakes b Mills 11 Nasum Ahmed not out 19 Mustafizur Rahman b Mills 0 Extras (b 1, lb 1, w 5) 7 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 6.20) 124/9 Did not bat: Shoriful Islam Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Liton Das, 2.2 ov), 2-14 (Mohammad Naim, 2.3 ov), 3-26 (Shakib Al Hasan, 5.2 ov), 4-63 (Mushfiqur Rahim, 10.4 ov), 5-73 (Afif Hossain, 12.4 ov), 6-83 (Mahmudullah, 14.5 ov), 7-98 (Mahedi Hasan, 17.1 ov), 8-124 (Nurul Hasan, 19.5 ov), 9-124 (Mustafizur Rahman, 19.6 ov)

BOWLING Moeen Ali Chris Woakes Adil Rashid Chris Jordan Tymal Mills Liam Livingstone

O-M-R-W 3-0-18-2 4-0-12-1 4-0-35-0 2-0-15-0 4-0-27-3 3-0-15-2

ENGLAND INNINGS (TARGET: 125 RUNS FROM 20 OVERS) Jason Roy c Nasum Ahmed b Shoriful Islam 61 Jos Buttler †c Mohammad Naim b Nasum Ahmed 18 Dawid Malan not out 28 Jonny Bairstow not out 8 Extra (lb 6, w 5) 11 TOTAL (14.1 Ov, RR: 8.89) 126/2 Did not bat: Eoin Morgan (c), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Tymal Mills Fall of wickets: 1-39 (Jos Buttler, 4.5 ov), 2-112 (Jason Roy, 12.5 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Shakib Al Hasan 3-0-24-0 Mustafizur Rahman 3-0-23-0 Shoriful Islam 3.1-0-26-1 Nasum Ahmed 3-0-26-1 Mahedi Hasan 2-0-21-0

New backboards boost basketball at Mackenzie Primary School

…sourced by Brusches Basketball Foundation

B

asketball may again soon become a focal point of sport at the Mackenzie Primary School, following a timely donation to the school on Tuesday.

A pair of basketball backboards, sponsored by Luckie Lawson, have been solicited by the United Statesbased Brusches Basketball Foundation.

Lawson is a past resident of the area where the school

the receiving end was Head Teacher Camille Cummings.

Before the presentation, James Brusche informed that, every other year, the Brusches Basketball Foundation conduct clinics for school children in Guyana. He also highlighted that his two brothers, Clifton and Michael (former national players), who also reside in the United States, created the basketball foundation,

Brusche, who in 1981 was among the first Guyanese to be selected on a Caricom All Star Team following an excellent showing at the Caribbean Basketball Championship which were held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, told the children at the clinic that the sport can become a major part of their future.

"We hope this will help you in the future, as basketball is life. People from all

Some of the students who will benefit from the Brusches’ donation, with James Brusche (right) and Camille Cummings (sitting at centre)

James Brusche carrying out a demonstration exercise

is located in Kara Kara, Linden.

Conducting the simple handing-over ceremony, which took place on a miniaturised concrete court in the compound of the Mackenzie Primary School on Tuesday, was US-based former national captain James Brusche. On

and are committed to improving the development of the game locally.

Just before conducting the basketball clinic, 25 boys and girls from the institution were presented with branded uniforms, compliments of the overseas-based basketball body.

walks of life have played it.

We hope these few exercises we are going to give you today will do you well, being away from your laptops and gadgets."

Also in attendance at the presentation was Region 10 Chairman (Upper Demerara/ Upper Berbice)

Deron Adams, who lauded the efforts of the Brusches Basketball Foundation and noted its significance from the point of view that persons in the diaspora were giving back.

“A child’s involvement in sport helps to improve many things: social interaction, confidence, and of course it improves his thinking; because, of course, you have to listen," Adams said.

He congratulated the Brusches Basketball Foundation for mirroring his vision to assist those children in various communities through training. Chairman Adams said he looked forward to Government implementing programmes with various coaches employed to impart their knowledge at

the nursery, primary and secondary schools, knowing that Linden and the region have been producing top class athletes over the years.

In accepting the two imported backboards, Camille Cummings, the Headteacher of Mackenzie Primary School, thanked the Brusches Basketball Foundation and donors on behalf her staff, parents and pupils.

Cummings, in her acceptance speech, assured James Brusche that the school would take good care of the equipment.

The basketball clinic allowed the kids to learn the basics in passing, dribbling and shooting the basketball, which was conducted by Brusche, who was assisted by Caeron Sealey.

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Campbelle's return a big boost for West Indies Women, says Lead Selector

By Brandon Corlette

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resh from a century in the practice match in Antigua, Guyana's Shemaine Campbelle is set for a grand return to the West Indies Women's team after recovering from a hand injury. Lead Selector Ann Browne-John has said Campbelle's return will strengthen the team.

"It is very, very important having Shemaine back, because not only her experienced batting but she is our first-string wicket-keeper. Although we had wicket-keepers while Shemaine has been away, Shemaine now also strengthens our batting and keeping department.

She played really good in the scenarios we had, and then she scored a century in the match, so we are quite confident that Shemaine's return would strengthen the team exceedingly," Brownde-John has said.

The 29-year-old Berbician Campbelle, who played her last match for West Indies in September 2020, has played a total of 83 Women's One Day Internationals and 107 Women's T20 Internationals. To date, Shemaine holds the record for the highest score by a batter at number seven in Women's ODI. Furthermore, the Lead Selector has expressed her satisfaction with the team that is currently encamp-

Hayley Matthews and Shemaine Campbelle slammed centuries in the preparation matches

ed in Antigua, with Campbelle and Hayley Matthews scoring half-centuries in the practice matches. She also noted that the team is in the right space heading into the upcoming fixtures, despite losing to South Africa in the ODI series, and levelling the T20 series.

"We are happy in terms of where the team is at this point in time. We have people back in the team, the skipper (Stafanie Taylor) which will strengthen the overall team, and we are going to a tournament in which we need to qualify. The team has had the best possible preparation,

CWI Lead Selector Ann Browne-John

and we hope we can qualify and go on the World Cup." In addition to Campbelle, the other Guyanese in the final squad is

Shemaine Campbelle

Berbician Sheneta Grimmond, while Shabika Gajnabi and Cherry-Ann Fraser are in the reserves. The other Guyanese, Mandy Mangru and Kaysia Schultz, did not make the cut, owing to the combination chosen by the selectors.

"Kaysia is presently in Antigua.

She was part of the 20 players who went to Antigua, but she did not make the final 18, and Mandy was not there, she did not make the South Africa series. So, remember when you have a series, there is only a certain number of persons who can be selected, and the selectors would

Bank of Baroda, Mantra among others to throw support behind GTT Guyana Open

Dimitri Gabriel, Managing Director of Inter Caribbean Maritime Transport Inc, handing over sponsorship cheque for the Guyana Open

M a n a g e r C h a n d a n Kumar.

The cheque from the Mantra Restaurant and Lounge was handed over to LGC Treasurer Maxim Mangra by its proprietor Kumar Sarran.

A short statement from the Lusignan Golf Club said, “The Club is very encouraged by the support, and we look forward to engaging with the sponsors at the cocktail party and over the weekend.”

This Guyana Open golf tournament would definitely be a competitive affair, as Julia Stephenson from Barbados, the tournament’s reigning female champion, will be back to defend her title against Guyana’s 9-time Open champion Christine Sukhram, two-time winner Joaan Deo, and the ever-competitive Shanella London.

Mantra proprietor Kumar Sarran handing over the sponsorship cheque to LGC Treasurer Maxim Mangra

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longside title sponsors of the Guyana Open, the GTT, the Bank of Baroda, Ansa McAL, Banks DIH, Inter Caribbean, and Mantra Restaurant and Lounge have now thrown their support behind the Lusignan Golf Club as that entity gears up to host the GTT Guyana Open on October 30-31, 2021. The action will commence at 6am daily.

The cheque from the Bank of Baroda was handed over to LGC Treasurer Maxim Mangra at the Bank of Baroda’s offices at 10 Avenue of the Republic and Regent Street, Georgetown in the presence of Bank of Baroda Chief Manager Jayadev Peruthanath and Senior

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For the men, Presentation of the Bank of Baroda 10-time champicheque to the Lusignan Golf Club on Avinash Persaud Treasurer Maxim Mangra will be looking to tournament cannot be comhold the fort and reclaim his title for the 11th pleted, the results will be determined via 18 holes. time.

Citizens from various The tournament will be played over 36 holes within countries have shown their a two-day period; each day, interest in participating in a total of 18 holes will be this lucrative tournament. played. This will determine Aside from Guyana, countries the best golfer who participat- such as Canada, USA and ed in the tournament, male Colombia are participating. and female (this will incorpo- The club has noted that in orrate the gross score). The per- der for everyone to be given a son with the lower handicap fair chance, the golfers will be has the advantage of winning placed in flights. Individuals with handicaps ranging from the tournament.

Some 65 players have reg- 0-36 will be given a level playistered for this tournament; ing field to participate and 25% of them will fall into win net prizes and gross prizthat category to determine es for both days. The flights the best male player. There in the men’s category are 0-9, are six female players, four 10-18 and 19-28 handicap, of whom would be contending while with the ladies, it will for that championship. In the range from 0-36 handicap beevent there is rain and the cause of the small field.

put together the best possible combination of players. Hence the people who are there is the best, the selectors think. Kaysia is there, but not in the final 18," Lead Selector Browne-John disclosed.

Full Squad: Stafanie Taylor (captain), Anisa Mohammed (vice-captain), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Qiana Joseph, Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Hayley Matthews, Chedean Nation, Shakera Selman and Rashada Williams.

Travelling Reserves: Cherry Ann Fraser, Shabika Gajnabi and Karishma Ramharack.

FULL MATCH SCHEDULE

1st ODI – November 8 at National Stadium, Karachi 2nd ODI – November 11 at National Stadium, Karachi 3rd ODI – November 14 at National Stadium, Karachi

ICC WOMEN’S CRICKET WORLD CUP QUALIFERS- ZIMBABWE November 21 to December 5

Bonner hits 90 on day one of Best v Best Three-Day

Nkrumah Bonner

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est batsman Nkrumah Bonner hit an unbeaten 90 on day one of the Best v Best three-day match in Antigua. Team Jermaine Blackwood, batting first at Coolidge Cricket Ground, scored 234-4 at stumps after 87 overs.

The right-handed Bonner's 90 came off 200 balls, and was decorated with seven fours and two sixes. Barbadian opener Sheyne Moseley scored 39 while Kieran Powell made 31; both lefthanders were dismissed

by Rahkeem Cornwall.

Captain Blackwood, who was trapped at the crease

by Preston McSween, made 27 while Kaveem Hodge looked promis-

ing for 39, but was dismissed by Guyanese Veerasammy Permaul.

Raymon Reifer is the other unbeaten batsman, on two with Bonner. Test spinner Cornwall ended with 2-52 in 16 overs, while McSween had 1-25 and Veerasammy Permaul had 1-52.

The players will use these matches as preparation ahead of West Indies’ forthcoming tour to Sri Lanka for two Test matches following the ICC T20 World Cup. The team will depart from Antigua on November 6, and the tour will run until December 4. The full tour squad and schedule will be announced at a later date.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021

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

Injured Obed McCoy to be replaced by Jason Holder

T

Obed McCoy

he Cricket West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel today announced that allrounder Jason Holder has been named as the replacement for left-arm fast bowler Obed McCoy in the 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. McCoy has been ruled out of the ICC tournament because of a right shin injury. He played the opening match against England last Saturday, but missed the second match against South Africa on Tuesday.

The change to the West Indies squad has been ap-

proved by the ICC tournament’s technical committee.

Holder is already i n the UAE as a travelling reserve, and is therefore quickly available for selection for the third Super 12 match against Bangladesh at the Sharjah Stadium on Friday.

Roger Harper, CWI’s Lead Men’s Selector, has said: “Jason Holder has been in the UAE for a while now, and will fit quite well into the team unit. He is an experienced and knowledgeable cricketer, who we know will be eager and excited to grab the opportunity.

“McCoy did really well in the T20Is earlier this year, and adapted well in the opening match against England.

He was a key member of the bowling unit, and it’s unfortunate he won’t be able to take any further part in the

tournament. We wish him a speedy recovery, and hope to see him back on the field, ready to go again in the near future.”

West Indies third match against Bangladesh starts at 6am Eastern Caribbean/5am Jamaica time, 2pm local UAE time, and will be shown live on ESPN Caribbean.

FULL SQUAD

Kieron Pollard (Captain) Nicholas Pooran (Vice Captain) Dwayne Bravo Roston Chase Andre Fletcher Chris Gayle Shimron Hetmyer Jason Holder Akeal Hosein Evin Lewis Ravi Rampaul Andre Russell Lendl Simmons Oshane Thomas Hayden Walsh Jr.

Traveling Reserves

Darren Bravo Sheldon Cottrell Gudakesh Motie

ICC T20 World Cup Schedule

The groupings -- Super 12s Group 1: England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh.

Group 2: India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Namibia, Scotland.

(Top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals)

West Indies Match Schedule

October 23: v England in Dubai – England won by 6 wickets October 26: v South Africa in Dubai – South Africa won by 8 wickets October 29: v Bangladesh in Sharjah (2pm UAE Time, 8am Eastern Caribbean/7am Jamaica)

November 4: v Sri Lanka, in Abu Dhabi (6pm UAE Time, 10am Eastern Caribbean/9am Jamaica) November 6: v Australia in Abu Dhabi (2pm UAE Time, 6am Eastern Caribbean/5am Jamaica)

SEMI-FINALS

November 10: Group 1 winner v Group 1 second in Abu Dhabi (6pm UAE Time, 10am Eastern Caribbean/9am Jamaica) November 11: Group B winner v Group A second in Dubai (6pm UAE Time, 10am Eastern Caribbean/9am Jamaica)

FINAL

November 14: Final in Dubai (6pm UAE Time, 10am Eastern Caribbean/9am Jamaica)

Jason Holder

Head Coach Dover names U20 men’s squad for CONCACAF qualifiers H ead Coach Wayne Dover has selected his final squad for the 2022 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship qualifying rounds in November, following an extensive talent identification process that ranged from the remote hinterland in Guyana to the North American diaspora.

Guyana has been drawn into Group D of the CONCACAF qualification process with matches against the Cayman Islands (November 6), US Virgin Islands (November 8), and Nicaragua (November 10) to be played in the Dominican Republic. The winner of each qualification group will progress to the Round of 16 finals tournament next year.

“With the national men’s U-20 team encamped, it gives us, as the coaching staff, the opportunity to work closely daily with the group with the aim of building a formidable squad to compete in this year’s CONCACAF Men’s U-20 Championship qualifiers in November,” said Coach Dover, whose coaching staff includes Golden Jaguars Assistant Coach Charles Pollard, former national player Anthony Benfield, and Guyana Football Federation

The U20 prospects in action

Goalkeeping Coach Eon DeVieira.

“The technical staff of the team are very optimistic about our chances of qualifying for the next round,” former Golden Jaguars Head Coach Dover said. “Of course, we’re cognisant of the fact that it will not be an easy group to negotiate our way out of, but we’ll give it our best shot.”

The diverse 20-man squad features four players from Santos FC, three from Georgetown FC, and three players from Fruta Conquerors, including star forward Omari Glasgow, who shone in his first appearances for the Guyana Senior Men’s National Team in FIFA World Cup qualifiers earlier this year.

Two upcoming stars from the Rupununi Football

Association clubs, one from Grove Hi Tech (East Bank Football Association), and seven based overseas in the United States and Canada football pyramid also made the cut.

The vast majority of the Guyana-based players has progressed through the GFF’s Academy Training Centre (ATC) programme, a first-ofits-kind football development initiative in the Caribbean region, which provides elite, structured and age-appropriate coaching for talented girls and boys across the GFF’s nine regional associations.

For example, Devon Padmore, Jerome Harrigan, Sealon Sue, Darron Niles, Kevin Mullin, Brandon Solomon and Solomon Austin have performed consistently well throughout the ATC

age groups, as well as standing out in GFF youth competitions, such as the U15 and U17 tournaments which have been made possible by financial support from the Pele Alumni and NAMILCO. Santos FC goalkeeper Ronaldo Blair has trained regularly with the Guyana senior men’s squad, while newcomer Yohance Douglas, an attacking midfielder from Marist College in New York state, caught the eye during diaspora trials and is currently plying his trade as a freshman at the highest level of college soccer (NCAA Division I) in the United States.

The Guyana-based contingent of the U20 preliminary squad has been engaged in intense, structured preparation for the qualifiers since September, most recently beating GFF Elite League teams Milerock FC and GDF in friendly matches, with a final warm-up game against a select national U23 men’s side on Thursday, October 28. The final squad departs Guyana for the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, November 3.

“The preparation has gone pretty well since the start,” Dover said. “In the early weeks, we focused on fitness, an area that a strong

emphasis is always needed to be placed on. In the following weeks, the focus shifted to technical passing drills and tactical organisation in defending. During the last two weeks, we dealt with general team organisation and patterns in attack.

“The players are starting to adapt well to the teachings, as was demonstrated in the two friendly games played on Sunday and Tuesday,” he added. “The technical staff’s focus for these two games was primarily on how the team play as a unit, rather than the final results. However, a win is a win in any part of the world, and we were hap-

py for the wins, because they will lend towards boosting morale.”

In its last game in Group D, the squad will be hoping to exact revenge on regional rivals Nicaragua, following a nail-biting 1-0 defeat to the Central American side in the last edition of qualifiers for the 2020 competition. That narrow loss cost Guyana a place in the final tournament, despite commanding victories against Montserrat, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and the US Virgin Islands.

The 2020 tournament was eventually cancelled due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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