Guyana Times - Tuesday, March 7, 2023

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Tuesday, Mar 7 – 05:00h – 06:30h and Wednesday, Mar 8 – 04:15h – 05:45h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Tuesday, Mar 7 – 16:25h

– 17:55h and Wednesday, Mar 8 – 05:15h – 06:45h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

There will be thundery showers and sunshine during the day. Expect partly cloudy skies at night. Temperatures should range between 23 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to North-Easterly between 2.68 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 16:57h reaching a maximum height of 2.66 metres.

Low Tide: 10:32h and 22:50h reaching minimum heights of 0.62 metre and 0.56 metre.

Urging Guyanese to put aside their differences and unify, President Dr Irfaan Ali used his Phagwah day message to remind everyone of his Government’s focus on utilising Guyana’s resources in a way that ensures no one is excluded from development.

Extending Phagwah day greetings on his behalf and that of his family, he noted that the occasion is one that facilitates unity. He noted that Guyanese from all walks of life come together to celebrate the occasion, even though Phagwah is a Hindu festival.

“Guyanese from all cultural backgrounds join their Hindu brothers and sisters in celebrating this blissful festival. Phagwah is observed in Guyana with an eruption of colours and with effusive cheerfulness and merriment.”

“The sprinkling, showering and smearing of coloured powder on [each] other’s faces and garments are symbolic of the inclusive character of this lively festival, one in which distinctions based on race, religion and class are blurred,” he said.

In this regard, President Ali noted that Phagwah reminds Guyanese that despite the differences, they are all part of a common human family inhabiting the

planet. He also reminded that even as Guyanese continue to promote unity, they can rest assured that no one will be left behind in the development.

“Nature has bestowed our country with an abundance of natural resources. Guyana is perhaps the most endowed country in the Caribbean. Your Government is developing these resources for the benefit of all. It is pursuing a path of development in which no one will be exclud-

ed or left behind.”

“Prudent policies are being promulgated to ensure the sustainable exploitation of our natural resources and to enhance our people’s knowledge and skills to allow them to better participate in our burgeoning economy,” the President said.

According to him, Guyana is a nation forged out of a history of struggle.

President emphasised the importance of hard work, diligence and sacrifice, as well as the right policies that will secure a future for current and future generations.

“As we move forward towards a more inclusive and equitable future in this glorious land of ours, let us not allow the impediments of division, mistrust, mischief and hatred to derail our country’s rapid development.”

“As we celebrate Phagwah with an outpouring of fervour and joy, love and with kindness in our hearts, may we commit to holding each other’s hands and moving forward together, united and free towards that rewarding future which lies ahead!” President Ali further said.

Multicultural society

As such, they are not daunted by challenges, but are imbued with a tenacious spirit in overcoming adversity. The

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Brigadier (Retired) Mark Phillips, noted that even with the joyful outpourings of Phagwah, the occasion also reminds everyone of the important lessons of the inevitable triumph of good over evil.

President Dr Irfaan Ali Prime Minister, Brigadier (Retired) Mark Phillips

PNCR Leader Aubrey Norton

Editor: Tusika Martin

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Holi: Festival transcending religious boundaries

Today, Hindus across the world will be celebrating the colourful and joyous festival of Holi or Phagwah as it is also known. From a Guyanese standpoint, this, like some other locally-observed festivals, has transcended religious boundaries to become a most-anticipated national one. Guyanese from all walks of life, more importantly religious and ethnic groupings, participate to share in the fun and frolic that are associated with the celebrations epitomised by vibrancy and the fusion of colours.

Celebratory activities have grown across the country allowing for more focused congregations for interactions. This augurs well for national unity as it serves in many ways to bring people together. Over the years, it was evident that the various levels of society are seemingly dismantled on that day as the diverse colours mask the lines of separation.

It is also demonstrative of the unison of our diversity and being true to the local and embedded customs of the various ethnic groups sharing and participating in each other’s cultural traditions and celebrations. This is not just confined to Phagwah, but is very evident at Easter and Christmas as Guyanese generally do not see the religious boundaries, at least in that context.

That offers a wish for the spontaneous and by and large genuine camaraderie to not be confined to those particular days. The desire of many, if not all, would be for these to be built upon. That aside, these national festivals do offer, through their significance, pertinent lessons for the advancement of humanity. If these are genuinely heeded, then the forging of national unity could become less challenging. For that to work, the messages must, therefore, not be lost in the celebrations.

One of the overarching themes of Phagwah is that good will always triumph over evil as captured in the story of Prahlad, who refused to submit himself to what his father, the King, dictated to his subjects. The young boy would not allow what he personally believed in to be expunged by the King’s whims and fancies. In simple terms, Prahlad stood up to his own father by refusing to allow a particular wish being imposed upon him.

His defiance was not without consequence as his own aunt, Holika, who was bestowed with the boom of being indestructible by fire, urged the King, to have herself and Prahlad be placed in a fire convinced that the boy would be destroyed leaving her untouched. The King agreed and the rest is history. She was destroyed and Prahlad was unharmed. This aspect of the story is captured through the symbolic burning of the Holika on the night before Phagwah.

In the struggle between good and evil, one cannot get away with the statement, “The Devil made me do it”. We are all responsible for our actions and as a corollary, if “bad” is being done in our family, village or society, then one has a duty to confront it. The festival of Holi, like all the Hindu festivals, is associated with several narratives that are supposed to bring home not only the message, but to exemplify how we should act in our individual capacity.

From the standpoint of bringing all the various peoples in our multicultural nation together, festivals like Holi do this. In the more than fifty years since it became a public holiday, Holi has been embraced by the widest possible cross-section of Guyanese. If life is all about happiness, then Holi is the festival that brings out this more than anything else in Guyana.

We agree with Prime Minister, Brigadier (Retired) Mark Phillips, who in his Phagwah 2023 message, reminded everyone to absorb the lesson of the occasion, and to embrace each other and practise the wholesome lessons of Phagwah throughout everyday life.

Prime Minister Phillips: “Holi allows us to relish in the symbolic lesson of oneness: in the same way that we can blend beneath a mix of colours, so too can we achieve "oneness" and unity in our minds through a collective commitment of tolerance, love, and brotherhood. I encourage all Guyanese to take the lessons of Holi with them beyond this occasion. May we all practise these wholesome lessons throughout our lives.

Happy Holi!

Let us be motivated by the significance of this colourful festival – PPP/C

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) takes this opportunity to extend Phagwah greetings to all Guyanese, especially the Hindu community.

Phagwah has become a national occasion that Guyanese from all spheres of society look forward to, not just for the excitement it

brings, but also for the opportunity it affords in coming together through interaction and sharing in the spirit of what it truly represents.

The diverse colours associated with this festival symbolise the commencement of the spring season and epitomise our nation’s rich diversity.

Our rich diversity demonstrates a vibrant fusion – GAWU

As we celebrate the joyous festival of Phagwah or Holi, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) takes this opportunity to extend greetings to all Guyanese, especially our brothers and sisters of the Hindu community.

Phagwah has become a truly national festival, which Guyanese from all spheres of society anticipate. The diverse colours that are associated with the festival symbolise the commencement of the spring season and epitomise our nation’s rich di -

versity in a demonstration of a vibrant fusion.

Like all of our national festivals, the significance of Phagwah, through its pertinent messages, speaks to, among others, the triumph of good over evil. This message is pertinent at this juncture given

the current challenges our country faces where evildoers continue to diminish attempts at furthering good and progress.

Let’s be emboldened with the hope that through resoluteness in the face of adversity and despondency, the messages of Phagwah translate to the inevitable prevailing of truth and fairness.

As Guyanese participate to mark the occasion, our Union once again extends best wishes and urges tolerance and respect in the celebrations. Shubh Holi to all!

Holi is a time of renewal, of new beginnings – AFC

The Alliance For Change (AFC) extends warm greetings to all Guyanese at home and abroad on the auspicious occasion of Holi.

Holi is a time of renewal, of new beginnings, and we take great pleasure in joining with our Guyanese brothers and sisters to celebrate this Festival of Colours.

Holi, or Phagwah, is a

story of true faith and devotion to the creator. It tells of an evil king who wanted to be worshiped as a God, but his very own son refused to worship him and as a result, escaped the fiery death his father had devised for him.

It is a story of man’s ego

and arrogance and the pitfalls that await those who would seek to elevate themselves to God-like status.

This year, as we observe Holi let us remind ourselves of the omnipotence of the creator. Happy Holi to all Guyanese.

Use Holi to inspire hope, promote peace, and spread love and joy – PNCR

As we celebrate the festival of Phagwah, we are reminded of the importance of unity, love, and respect for one another. This festival brings people of all backgrounds and beliefs together, to celebrate the triumph of good over evil, and the arrival of spring.

As a political party in opposition, we remain committed to fighting for the rights and interests of all Guyanese. We believe in a

Guyana that is free from discrimination, corruption, and oppression.

We believe in a Guyana where every citizen has

equal access to opportunities, and where the rule of law is upheld.

On this Phagwah, let us renew our commitment to unity, justice, and progress. Let us use this festival as a platform to inspire hope, promote peace, and spread love and joy.

Happy Phagwah to all Guyanese and may this festival bring us closer to our shared goal of a better Guyana.

As Guyanese celebrate the PPP urges that we be inspired by the significance of the occasion which speaks to, amongst others, the triumph of good over evil – a relevant reflection of how our country and people navigated and overcame various challenges.

Let us be motivated by what this colourful festival signifies and

be encouraged in the hope that, through resoluteness in the face of adversity and despondency, the messages of Phagwah speak to truth inevitably prevailing.

As Guyanese mark the occasion, our Party once again extends best wishes and urges caution, tolerance, and respect in the celebrations. Shubh Holi to all!

Phagwah exhibits a vibrant mix of Guyana’s rich diversity – ERC

sustained efforts to build upon our unified strengths and improve on weaknesses. Such national occasions allow for the improvement of our capacity to overcome inherent challenges to foster togetherness.

The Commission encaourages everyone to observe Phagwah while remembering the recurring theme of its messages.

The Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) wishes a Happy Holi to all Guyanese at home and in the Diaspora on this colourful national festival. The Commission is buoyed by the spirit of Phagwah, which is greeted with anticipation by Hindus as well as Guyanese from other ethnic groups.

The burst of colours is seen in the towns and villages as Guyanese participate in the frolic – throwing or spraying each other with coloured water or applying powder to the hair and faces of friends, family, and colleagues at work.

The ERC reminds that Phagwah exhibits the vibrant mix of our rich diversity which defines who we are as a people. It represents an achievement stemming from a combination of efforts as we endeavour together to be one people.

The fun and festivities associated with Phagwah, or Holi, is more than celebratory. It brings together Guyanese from all walks of life. The Commission urges all to celebrate and internalise the significance of Holi. Significant in its underlying message is the triumph of good over evil for the progress of humanity, as the story of young Prahlad illustrates in the Hindu scriptures.

Phagwah is one example of how the Guyanese nation embraces its cultural diversity. That, therefore, offers relevant lessons for us all and is an impetus for increased and

NGSA Math Questions

Man stabs common-law wife to death, attempts suicide

Afisherman on Monday hacked his common-law wife to death at their Hope Estate, East Coast Demerara (ECD) home after he accused her of infidelity.

Dead is 26-year-old Aneeza Ishmael.

The suspect, a fisherman, who congested a poisonous substance, has since confessed to the heinous crime and is under guard at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Police stated that Ishmael and the suspect,

who lived together, had an ongoing domestic dispute after he would oftentimes accuse her of being unfaithful.

Based on reports received, the woman left her home on Thursday last and went to a friend’s house at Better Hope, ECD, where she spent several days.

However, she returned home on Monday at about 10:00h in the company of her sister, Fazeela, with the intention of collecting her belongings, but she was confronted by the suspect, who asked her not to leave.

CJIA cocaine bust

US-based Guyanese jailed for 4 years for drugs in milk powder packets …local singer remanded

After pleading guilty to trafficking 6.070 kilograms of cocaine, USbased Guyanese Cranson Henry was jailed for four years and fined $30,000 by Senior Magistrate Sunil Scarce on Monday.

The man, 52, of Crane Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara (WCD), and of Rockaway Avenue 11212 Brooklyn, New York, USA, appeared at the Diamond/ Golden Grove Magistrates’ Courts.

seven Milex milk packets containing a whitish powdery substance was seen in his suitcase.

CANU, in a release on the bust, said Henry admitted to having a quantity of narcotics in his luggage, and as such he was arrested and escorted to CANU Headquarters.

The substance subsequently tested positive for cocaine, weighed approximately 13.4 lbs. (6.070 kilograms), and has a street value of $13.3 million, CANU said.

She reportedly informed the suspect that she had only gone to the house to collect her personal belongings and would not stay. This allegedly angered the suspect, who whipped out a knife from the waist of his pants, and attacked the now dead woman.

Upon seeing this, the victim’s sister pushed her away and instructed her to run. Upon doing so, the suspect gave chase and caught her in the yard. It was then, he stabbed her in the neck, the left side face, and both hands.

The suspect then turned his attention to the victim’s sister, but she put up a fight during which she received a wound to her left thumb. After committing the act, the suspect reportedly inflicted several wounds on his body and consumed a poisonous substance.

He too fell to the ground. By this time, neighbours had alerted the Police. Upon their arrival at the scene, Ishmael and the suspect were picked up and taken to the Nabaclis Hospital where they were both admitted.

Ishmael, nevertheless took her last breath at about 12:20h while receiving treatment. On the other hand, the suspect was escorted to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was admitted as a patient under guard.

Meanwhile, at the scene, a red and black-handled knife with bloodstains along

with an empty bottle suspected to have contained the poisonous substance that the suspect had consumed were found.

The victim’s body was taken to Memorial Gardens

Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem.

Just about two weeks ago, 47-year-old Edward Sukhu called “Paul” of Number 69 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, was charged with attempting to murder his wife, Zeena Haripal, by throwing a kerosene stove on her.

It was reported that on February 15, the couple was involved in an argument over a cell phone.

At the time, the accused was under the influence of alcohol and the woman was cooking on a one-burner ker-

osene stove in the kitchen. According to reports received, the argument got heated and the woman turned away to avoid any conflict but it was then, the suspect picked up the stove and threw it on her, causing the flammable liquid to spill onto her hair and clothing.

Within seconds, the woman was on fire. The husband attempted to escape but due to water on the floor at the front of the door, he slipped and fell face downwards, injuring himself. The couple was taken to the Skeldon Hospital where they were admitted.

Sukhu was later discharged and charged by the Police while the woman is being treated for burns about her body.

In the absence of the certificate of value, Henry was fined only $30,000 instead of three times the street value of the drug. The street value of the narcotic is $13.3 million.

His co-accused, 44-yearold Mark Ferdinand of Samaria Dam, Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara (WBD), denied the charge

and was remanded to prison until Monday, March 27.

He appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) reported that Henry, an outgoing passenger at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) destined for New York, was questioned after

According to CANU, further investigations led to the arrest of Mark Ferdinand, a singer, who had been arrested in 2015 in the United States of America for drug trafficking.

According to the law enforcement agency, Berkeley Ferdinand, the brother of Mark, had been charged by CANU in 2016 for trafficking in narcotics, and had been imprisoned for three years. (G1)

The suspect being taken away by Police

The injured victim lying on the ground as her sister attends to her wound

The milk powder packets containing cocaine that were discovered in Cranson Henry’s suitcase

Jailed: Cranson Henry

Remanded: Mark Ferdinand

With traffic deaths increasing “Lawlessness” on roadways will not be tolerated – Top Cop warns

Brutus and Deputy Commissioner ‘Operations’ Ravindradat Budhram summoned a meeting with all of the Police Force’s regional Traffic officers, including the Traffic Chief, to set the pace and iron out issues that are hampering the effectiveness of the Traffic Departments countrywide.

With errant drivers being blamed for fatal accidents, acting Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken has warned that the prevailing “traffic lawlessness” would not be allowed to continue.

He has also upbraided Traffic ranks for their lapses and underperformance in executing their duties, warning that “there will be consequences for those who are underperforming”.

Last Friday, the Top Cop along with Deputy Commissioner of Police ‘Administration’ Calvin

The meeting, which was held in the Top Cop’s Conference Room at Police Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, comes on the heels of the recent increase in fatal accidents, wherein as of the past two months, 15 road deaths have been recorded thus far for 2023.

There has been a slight increase in the number of deaths.

Moving forward, Hicken passed instructions to improve traffic management across the country. These include: Traffic ranks must be stretched along the road corridors in order to slow down vehicles as a preventative method to curb speeding; enforcement of traffic laws must be done by day and by night; stopping motorists and asking for documents must be ceased unless the

operation is being supervised by an officer or an inspector and Traffic Police ranks should not be seen talking on their mobile phones while directing traffic.

Along these lines, the acting Police Commissioner encouraged the Police officers to use the Force’s resourc-

Clash of...

…festival groundings

West Indians – and your Eyewitness includes Guyanese in that motley crew – do love their bacchanal!! And why not?? After the daily grind of slavery – which was maintained by whips, stocks and chains – who wouldn’t want to let off some steam?? It was either the “steam” during revolts – when the entire order could be overthrown – or the “steam” during carnival, when frustrations could be gyrated away!!

The Trinis pioneered Carnival because of the fortuitous circumstance of Toussaint and the slaves of Haiti letting off “steam” the revolutionary way and driving out some French planters to Trinidad. The French planters brought their Continental pre-Lent Carnival tradition to the stiff upper-lip, British-dominated Trinidadian society. And boy did they ever loosen those inhibitions!! The European carnival comes out of the hoary pre-Christian Greek-Roman era when spring was welcomed by a Dionysian and Bacchanalian revelry when everyone let their hair down to make even Donald Trump blush!

es (vehicles and bikes) when executing their duties. He urged them to “take the bull by its horn” to curb road fatalities and lawlessness on the roadways. Prior to concluding the meeting, the Top Cop initiated the rotation of several of the Traffic officers.

TURN TO PAGE 17

Dionysus and Bacchus was the same god – the god of wine – which gives us an idea of what went down in his worship!! Now, nothing wrong in having ritualised ways of breaking down social boundaries in any society. All for “social cohesion”, eh?? Trouble was, everything went back to the status quo ante the next day. As much for the Romans, Greeks and later other Europeans as for the slaves on the plantation and afterwards!!

Now, after our slavery was abolished and Indians were brought in to do the ‘slave work’, they brought in their own tradition of letting off steam. The Hindus had Holi or Phagwah in the spring and the Muslims had Muharram in Summer. These attracted not only the entire Indian community but also the freed ex-slaves and their descendants. The authorities frowned especially on Muharram which involved stick fighting, but had degenerated into rum drinking, and fist fighting. The Muslims also frowned on the rum drinking which was haram and violated the very principle of Mu-harram! The festival disappeared.

Phagwah/Holi, however, continued and grew with the passage of time. But while it might’ve started out as a joyous spring festival commemorating the end of winter and the rebirth of life, as is usual with Hindu festivals, it is associated with a larger moral lesson. In this case commemorating an exemplary instance of the need for people to stand up to tyranny and “do the right thing”.

Problem is, in Guyana – where the Caribbean bacchanalian ethos is so dominant, it now evidently represents who we are to be ‘authentic” – Holi is fast becoming a new Carnival!! We saw the same thing happening to the commemoration of our Republic Day, where none of the activities have ANYTHING to do with the lesson of achieving Republican status.

Just “wining” and backballing!!

…politicians

If your Eyewitness didn’t know better, he’d swear we’re in the homestretch of a general elections. Here with Phagwah in the offing, we have the PNC and WPA holding public. But hold it!! We know that Local Govt Elections were scheduled for later this month. But didn’t their Commissioners inform them they’ve been postponed to May or June because of getting the Voters List updated??

Jeez!! Your Eyewitness knows the brothers are busy meeting Caricom Chairs and stirring up various and sundry ants’ nests but they can’t be THAT outta touch of ground reality, can they?? But hold it!! A thought just struck your Eyewitness. Can the WPA and PNC – who mine the same constituency – be campaigning AGAINST each other?? But why?? Could it be the WPA has confirmed once again they can’t make sides against the PNC – and now decided to take over the PNC’s leadership??

This would explain their sniping against PNC leader Aubrey Norton for months!! Are they now moving in for the kill??

…traffickings

The Trinis are funny people. Not “ha” funny – but weird!! For years they’ve successfully prevented our honey from being trafficked through their supply chains. Yet they’re on Tier 2 ‘cause they aren’t taking steps against trafficking Venezuelan “honeys”!!

Acting Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken

A Monday morning accident between a passenger minibus and a truck at Greenwich Park, East Bank Essequibo resulted in the death of two persons

Businessman sentenced to 3 years for trafficking ganja

…club owner remanded on similar charge

Two businessmen appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Monday to face separate drug trafficking charges. In one of the cases, 46-yearold Troy Jacobs, a businessman of Penny Lane, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was found guilty of trafficking seven pounds of marijuana. He was jailed for three years and fined $2,367,000 by Magistrate Annette

Singh before whom he had been on trial. Jacobs, along with two other men, a 76-year-old of Region Seven (Potaro-Siparuni) and a 44-year-old barber of Newton Kitty, Georgetown, were jointly charged in February 2021. Days after they were charged, Michael Solomon of Agricola, East Bank Demerara (EBD), was also charged and he admitted to giving the 76-year-old visually-impaired man the

drug. He was subsequently sentenced to four years in jail and fined $2.3 million.

According to reports, on February 12, 2021, Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) ranks intercepted a car the trio was in along Homestretch and Mandela Avenues, Georgetown.

A search of the vehicle unearthed a parcel containing a quantity of Cannabis sativa.

At Jacobs’ initial court appearance, his lawyer Adrian Thompson had submitted that while his client was the owner of the vehicle, he was unaware of what was inside the bag. He had also told the court that two other occupants were in the vehicle when it was stopped, therefore, there was no evidence implicating Jacobs in the commissioning of the offence.

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Jailed: Troy Jacobs

Remanded: Royston Peniston

Guyana once again a front runner in climate change, environmental services – Ali

Guyana’s example

Guyana is enjoying a climate change renaissance, with President Dr Irfaan Ali revealing that countries from all over the world want to learn from the example set by Guyana’s environmental services – a stark contrast to the five years under the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government.

According to Ali, the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) that has been relaunched by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) after the preceding but ineffectual Green State Development Strategy (GSDS), has once again placed Guyana as a front runner on climate change.

“There is no Government in the world, not in this region, who has the environmental credentials as this Government. None. We left them with a Low Carbon Development Strategy. One of the most prolific strategies in the world on the forest,” Ali said on Friday, at the sod-turning for a new stadium in Palmyra, East Canje, Berbice.

“They kicked it out and

they took the money from the LCDS to develop the Green State Strategy. Imagine the LCDS financed the Green State Strategy. We came back into Government.

Immediately we launched the LCDS in an expanded form. And guess what?”

Ali noted that not only did they reintroduce and expand the LCDS, but when Guyana signed a historic, multi-year US$750 mil-

lion agreement with Hess Corporation for the purchase of 37.5 million carbon credits last year, they were able to earn legacy credits for the APNU/AFC years.

“We earned money for the period they were in Government. That is visionary. That is strategic. That is a show of policy that is global in nature. Today, everywhere I go, every single leader from the most devel-

oped to the least developed countries, they ask. How did we do it? How did we accomplish it? Tell us. Help us get where you are,” President Ali added.

Only recently, 240 indigenous community bodies received payments ranging from $10 million to $35 million, courtesy of the first set of payments from the sale of Guyana’s forest carbon to Hess Corporation.

A total of $4.7 billion (US$22 million), which is 15 per cent of US$150 million, is earmarked for distribution to these villages. In fact, this number may increase as other agreements for the sale of the remainder of Guyana’s credits are concluded.

Guyana has also received praise for being the first country to conclude the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) process of certifying its forest carbon. These serialised credits, listed on ART’s public registry, are available to buyers on the global carbon market, including for use by airlines for compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s global emission reduction programme, CORSIA, as well as for use toward voluntary corporate climate commitments.

Guyana’s completion of the ART process paved the way for other governments that are looking to receive carbon market finance for success in protecting and restoring forests. At the time Guyana was issued with the credits, 14 other countries and large sub-national jurisdictions are working to-

ward their own issuances of TREES credits.

ART, which is in charge of certifying forest carbon credits so that they can be sold on the international market, had announced its approval in January of Guyana’s registration for 2021 to 2025, as well as the monitoring report for Guyana’s forests.

In a statement, ART noted that it approved these two documents for Guyana and that they are now available for stakeholder comments which must be submitted within 30 days. The first document is a TREES (The REDD+ Environmental Excellence Standard) registration document for 2021 to 2025, while the second is a TREES monitoring report for 2021.

ART’s approval of Guyana’s 2021-2025 registration document and monitoring report are important follow ups on its approval last year of 33.47 million forest carbon credits for Guyana, dating from 2016-2020. These credits were verified by a third-party against ART’s robust environmental and social requirements. (G3)

…says countries now want to learn from

President Dr Irfaan Ali (centre) and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo while in Palmyra, East Canje, Berbice

ICT equipment donated to GPS to help reform prisoners, digitise data

The Attorney General’s Chambers has donated assorted electronic equipment to the Guyana Prison Service as part of its mandate to help promote information and communications technology (ICT) education in the penitentiaries.

Further, the gesture is to lend support to the plans of the prison service to improve the electronic gathering of criminal and other information to gradually move away from the manual inputting and retrieval of information related to the criminal justice system.

The items, which included 100 desktop computers, 10 laptop computers, four Wi-Fi routers, four laserjet printers, and five projectors with screens, were handed over on Monday.

In giving the gadgets, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, urged the prison to take good care of the devices to ensure longev-

ity and to use them for their intended purpose.

Nandlall explained that the criminal justice system has many important agencies under its umbrella, including the Judiciary, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the Guyana Police Force (GPF), and the Guyana Prison Service (GPS).

According to the Senior Counsel, the donation is part of the Support for the Criminal Justice System (SCJS) Programme which is funded by the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) and being executed by the Attorney General’s Chambers. He said that the core objective of the SCJS programme is to reduce the prison population. And this, he highlighted, includes the exploration of avenues other than custodial sentences as a sanction for the commission of crimes.

“Lawlessness” on...

This move by the Top Cop is to ensure that all traffic officers remain active and up-to-date with the Force’s Traffic Department operations. Hicken, in closing, emphasised that “we must get this fixed”, indicating that “no haphazard behaviour” would be tolerated.

Tougher penalties

Last year, amendments were passed to the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act to toughen up the penalties for those who cause the death of another person by driving under the influence, by introducing the offence of vehicular manslaughter. “Any person who causes the death of another person by the driving of a motor vehicle on the road or other public place while under the influence of drink or a drug to such an extent as to be incapable of having proper control of the vehicle shall be guilty of motor manslaughter and shall be liable on conviction on indictment to a term of imprisonment of not less than ten years,” reads Section 35A of the Act.

The amended Act also puts a three-year ban on persons convicted under it, from obtaining or holding a driver’s licence after their release from prison.

A second conviction of a similar offence, the Act states, will lead to the person being permanently disqualified. During the court process, the suspect will also be required to surrender their licence – failure of which will result in a fine of $100,000 or imprisonment for three months.

Moreover, pursuant to Section 39A of the statute – the penalty for driving over the alcohol limit has moved from a fine of $7500 to $200,000 and the sentence from 12 months to 24 months.

The penalty for driving under the influence and losing control of your vehicle has been increased from a fine of $30,000 to $60,000,

FROM PAGE 8

or imprisonment for 12 months, to $200,000 for firsttime offenders, and $300,000 for second-time offenders.

Section 39G also amends the Principal Act’s description of the prescribed alcohol limit. As a result of this amendment, the prescribed limit now means breath alcohol concentration of 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath or blood alcohol concentration means 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.

Amendments to the Intoxicating Liquor Licencing Act, have imposed heavy fines on liquor establishments for selling alcohol to persons who are already intoxicated and then going driving.

In addition, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, while addressing the National Assembly, had noted the causal relationship between drunk driving and the high number of road fatalities, dubbing the amendments as a timely law-making intervention to address a “chronic” problem.

Campaigns

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) is continuing its countrywide campaigns aimed at encouraging drivers to practice safe road use. At such campaigns, drivers are lectured on the road safety theme “Arrive Alive, Stop Speeding, Don’t Drink & Drive”; obeying traffic officers, signs and functions of the traffic light; adherence to the speed limits, and maintenance of motor vehicles.

They are advised against using handheld devices while driving and driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. Drivers are also advised to ensure that their driver’s licence and other documents are up to date before using a motor vehicle. Police statistics show that driving under the influence of alcohol and excessive speeding are the leading causes of accidents in Guyana.

“The project has a legislative component…out of that we have produced the Bail Act, the removal of custodial sentence on small quantities of marijuana and cocaine, the exploration of sentences alternative to custodial sentences, sentencing guidelines, the abolition of preliminary inquiries in criminal matters, amendments to the plea bargaining legislation, the overhaul of a set of archaic offences going

back to colonial times which have become completely redundant.”

While noting that the GPS is a central part of the criminal justice system, Nandlall pointed out that with the way things are evolving, there is a move away from punitive sanctions and a concentration on the rehabilitation of the offender and exploring restorative justice.

He added, “The Prison

Service requires the ability to rehabilitate, reorient the perpetrator or the convict and prepare that person for a new beginning when they are released from prison. That cannot be done if the prison is not equipped with the hardware and the facilities to allow that type of programmatic development to take place so that the inmates can benefit.”

Under the programme, the AG said that the men-

tal health of prisoners will also be examined. “We are working to improve mental health facilities in the prison because a large number of the prison population, they suffer from various illnesses which include mental health issues.”

Meanwhile, Director of Prisons Nicklon Elliot expressed that he was pleased to accept the donation and assured that the equipment would be used to make prisoners “marketable” when they are released from prison. This, he noted, is something the GPS would continue to strive for.

“Last year, we would have trained 1400 persons in different skill areas. And this year, we are seeking to ensure that all categories of prisoners are exposed to the various types of training programmes. Our general focus will be towards addressing holistically the rehabilitation efforts in the prison and externally to promote the reintegration aspect because we recognise that the stigma and discrimination are still there…”

Elliot noted that the GPS’s rehabilitation programmes have contributed to a drop in the recidivism rate which has decreased from 13 per cent in 2021 to 10 per cent in 2022. (G1)

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, presents one of the laptop computers to Director of Prisons Nicklon Elliot at the simple handing over ceremony. Also in photo are SCJS Project Manager Indira Anandjit and Officer in Charge Prisoners’ Welfare and Corrections, Marielle Bristol-Grant

Guyana, IDB ink over US$200M in loans for health, climate, small business projects

…financing hospitals, EBD highway rehabilitation on agenda

us to be compliant with international standards and to be certified as compliant,” the Finance Minister further explained.

IDB has funded several projects in Guyana over the years. Only last year, it was announced that the IDB would loan Guyana US$43 million to help build and upgrade over 15 schools. Another announcement last year was that Guyana had secured a US$97 million loan from IDB to strengthen its healthcare network.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has signed several loan agreements with Guyana amounting to over US$200 million, which will go towards financing upgrades in the local health sector, climate resilience and small to medium business enterprises.

It was explained at the signing, which took place during the XI Annual Consultation of Caribbean Governors at the Hyatt Regency in Trinidad and Tobago, that up to US$160 million will be made avail-

day, making critical investments in three areas that go to the core of Guyana’s development agenda. The first is transport infrastructure which is absolutely critical. In particular, this project will support rehabilitation of the East Bank of Demerara highway, which is a major artery in Guyana, given the growth taking place in Guyana,” Dr Singh said.

“The second investment is in the public healthcare system and in particular, the rehabilitation and/ or expansion of new hospitals in seven different ar-

Established in 1959, the IDB is a leading source of long-term financing for economic, social and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The IDB also conducts cutting-edge research and provides policy advice, technical assistance, and training to the public- and private-sector clients throughout the Region.

Access to proper healthcare has been high on the Health Ministry’s agenda, with an injection of a whopping $73 billion into the sector during the 2022 budget.

The 2023 budget allocated some $84.9 billion to the health sector, which will go towards financing the construction of various paedi-

able through a conditional Credit Line for Investment Projects (CCLIP) and US$97 million in an individual loan will go towards financing healthcare improvements.

The second loan agreement of up to US$100 million will be for financing climate resilient infrastructure such as roads. Meanwhile, the third loan agreement is to support competitiveness and quality standards among micro, small and medium business enterprises. Up to U$8 million will go towards this.

Welcoming the agreements, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh said that they signify IDB’s status as a long-term development partner of Guyana.

“The strength of this partnership is evidenced by the three agreements we’re going to be signing to-

eas, including in remote areas in Guyana and in employing Information and Communication Technology for telemedicine solutions. Which is an excellent innovation and will transform the quality of healthcare in remote areas.”

Dr Singh further noted that the funds from the third loan agreement will, among other things, go towards financing a new, state of the art laboratory for the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS).

“One of the major investments that will be made in this area is the establishment of a new, world-class, state-of-the-art laboratory… that laboratory will play an absolutely critical role in the standards and certification, which of course have taken on new and enhanced importance, given the changes taking place in Guyana’s economy. It’s important for

atric and maternal hospitals and six new regional hospitals.

Additionally, money will also go towards rehabilitating and expanding existing hospitals, while over $500 million has been allocated to train healthcare professionals. Government is presently building several stateof-the-art health facilities across Guyana. There has even been talk of a stem cell facility. In 2021, the sod was turned for a new $2 billion multi-specialty hospital, to be constructed in Suddie on the Essequibo Coast.

President Dr Irfaan Ali has publicly said that the Government is embarking on ensuring that the healthcare sector is modernised, including the introduction of telemedicine. According to President Ali, by 2030, Guyana will offer healthcare services that are internationally recognised. (G3)

The signing took place during the XI Annual Consultation of Caribbean Governors at the Hyatt Regency in Trinidad and Tobago

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh as he signed the agreement

die, several injured after truck crashes into minibus

Four persons died and several others are seriously injured following an accident at Greenwich Park, East Bank Essequibo, on Monday morning.

Dead are 72-yearold Margret Kennedy of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE); 57-yearold Olga Reddy of Parika, EBE; 50-year-old Vernon Prowell of Bent St, Wortmanville, Georgetown, and 40-year-old Elvis Charles of Ruby, EBE, who were all in a minibus at the time of the crash.

Those injured are 21-year-old Shemar Alleyne of Tuschen, EBE; 46-year-old Samuel Ramda of Tuschen, EBE; Selmont Brisport, 64, of Tuschen, EBE; Samuel Ramdas of Ruby Backdam, EBE; and Junior Jack, 25, of Tuschen, EBE, who were also passengers in the minibus at the time of the crash.

Reports are that motor lorry GZZ 2285, was proceeding east along the

northern side of Greenwich Park Public Road at a fast rate of speed, behind a motor car BWW 836, when the driver alleged that the driver of the motor car made a sudden stop to allow a pedestrian to cross the road.

The truck driver further alleged that when this sudden stop was made, he applied brakes and swerved right to avoid a collision with the car, but in the pro-

cess, he collided with a minibus that was proceeding from the opposite direction.

As a result of the collision, several passengers in the minibus were seriously injured. In addition to the four passengers who died, seven other passengers have been admitted patients and are suffering from life-threatening injuries.

The impact of the crash also caused a Guyana Power and Light pole to break and fall into a house in the area. However, no one was injured in the home.

Following the accident, the scene was visited by a party of policemen, who carried out an investigation.

According to Police, the scene was canvassed for

CCTV cameras. A breath analysis was carried out on the driver of the motor lorry and the reading showed .00%.

The bodies of the four deceased are presently at Ezekiel’s Funeral Parlour awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Investigations are ongoing. (G9)

Businessman sentenced to...

Prior to being convicted, Jacobs had been out on $500,000 bail on the condition that he lodged his passport and report to the Police periodically pending the determination of his trial.

Remanded

Meanwhile, Royston Peniston of Festival City, North Ruimveldt, Georgetown, the owner of the popular Blue Iguana Night Club in Alberttown, Georgetown, was on Monday

remanded on a similar charge. His court appearance comes three days after he was nabbed with a quantity of cocaine at his residence. The 44-year-old businessman called “Fat Joe” was arraigned before Principal Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

It is alleged that on February 3, he had 2.178 kilograms of cocaine in his possession for the purpose of trafficking. According to CANU, the drug has a street

value of $2.1 million.

FROM PAGE 15

Peniston was remanded to prison until April 3.

On the day in question, CANU ranks swooped down on the businessman’s property at Festival City where they intercepted him with two hardcover suitcases in his possession. A subsequent search of the suitcases in his presence revealed a quantity of whitish powdery substance suspected to be cocaine. As such, Peniston was arrested and escorted to CANU Headquarters.

PAC probes $99.6M in legal fees spent by APNU/AFC in 2019

Over $90 million was spent on legal fees by the Attorney General chambers for the cases that came after the NoConfidence Motion (NCM) in 2019, but according to Solicitor General (SG) Nigel Hawke, the practice of outsourcing legal cases by the AG chambers is a normal one. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday heard from officers of the Attorney General chambers as they examined the Attorney General’s report. Specifically, they were quizzed by PAC member and Public Works Minister Juan Edghill about the lawyers who were contracted by the chamber during 2019.

At the time, a number of high-profile lawyers both local and regional, were brought in as the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government fought their NCM loss in the courts. Hawke admitted that all of these lawyers were sole sourced. However, it was explained that permission

was given by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) to do so. He also noted that outsourcing is a normal practice and a necessary one, considering the workload, but one that must be addressed holistically.

“It’s a normal practice in Guyana, it’s a normal practice in first world countries, it’s a normal practice throughout the Caribbean and Commonwealth. A State, if it desires to retain the best counsel and fight its cases, it will do so as a matter of policy.”

“When the report is put in a way, notwithstanding having one Solicitor General, one deputy, one assistant, it gives the impression as though the Solicitor General and Deputy Solicitor General and other officers, does nothing,” Hawke said.

According to the Solicitor General, the chamber receives 10 cases per day on average, 50 cases per week and 240 cases per month. He further explained that these cases range from the least to the most technical.

“It is impossible to manage the chambers of the Attorney General with only six at a time. When you look at the level of litigation that the State faces now, it is unfair. What is not reflected there is the volume of work.”

PAC Chairman Jermaine Figueira also read out a breakdown of the legal fees paid to these lawyers, totalling up to $99.6 million.

Senior Counsels Rex McKay

and Neil Boston were jointly paid $25 million. The law firm of Fraser, Housty and Yearwood received $10.5 million.

Barbadian Queen’s Counsel Hal Gallop received $6.6 million, Maxwell Edwards received $4.8 million, Patrice Henry received $5.8 million, the Robertson law firm received $5.6 million, Queen’s Counsel Francis Alexis received $5.3

million and the law firm of Hughes, Fields and Stoby received $690,000.

Despite the battery of lawyers brought in by the former Attorney General chambers, which was run by then Attorney General Basil Williams, the courts ultimately upheld the NoConfidence Motion and the need for the then Government to call elections.

After the March 2020 General and Regional Elections, however, APNU/ AFC would embark on even more court cases before finally demitting office under the weight of international pressure and the threat of sanctions.

In August 2020, soon after the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) took office, Attorney General Anil Nandlall had said that the State even picked up the tab for plane tickets and accommodation. He had said that a special audit would be needed into the matter.

“You must appreciate that these things must be the subject of a special audit to determine whether these payments were properly made. This is a work in progress. I do not think that I have been given all the invoices that have been paid, but when the Auditor General is invited to conduct a forensic audit. This is just the tip of the iceberg in private retainer contracts. There are many more. A whole bundle that I will release soon,” Nandlall had said. (G3)

Solicitor General Nigel Hawke (left) during his appearance before the PAC

Dead: Olga Reddy

Dead: Margret Kennedy Dead: Elvis Charles

The truck and minibus that were involved in the accident

The impact of the crash caused a GPL pole to break and fall into a house

Dead: Vernon Prowell

Challenges facing local companies to access foreign exchange discussed with BoG

…as PSC engages Governor

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) in association with the Guyana Association of Bankers Incorporated on Monday met with and had discussions with Governor of the Bank of Guyana, Dr Gobind Ganga with regard to ongoing challenges faced by local companies in accessing foreign exchange.

Stakeholders, a PSC release stated, have agreed that despite there being a shortage of foreign exchange at some banks, there is no overall shortage of foreign exchange in Guyana given that the aggregate supply of foreign exchange is meeting the aggregate demand and therefore the market remains in equilibrium.

According to the PSC, the Governor of the bank confirmed that while there is an intra-bank market which enables banks to share, the Central Bank must rely on moral persuasion in an effort to achieve a more efficient distribution of foreign currency availability. He also emphasised the fact that it is the responsibility of the Central Bank to ensure that the Government meets its macro-economic objectives.

The PSC, the Bankers’

Association and the Bank of Guyana have all agreed to address the issues raised and promised to collaborate and work together for the benefit of all concerned, the release stated.

Disagreement

The local private sector and the Central Bank got into a public spat on Thursday last over the availability of foreign currency, US dollars in particular, in Guyana.

Over the past few weeks, there have been conflicting reports from both sides on this issue.

Several companies and businessmen have been complaining about a shortage of US dollars in Guyana.

Among those who have been vocal about the issue is President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Timothy Tucker.

On Thursday last, the GCCI expressed its dissatisfaction with the BoG’s “lack of action, vision and modern financial policies to improve access to financing for local businesses”.

It said that the Central Bank has failed to intervene in the ongoing foreign cur-

rency shortage issue, despite the private sector complaining of a lack of US dollars since 2019. The GCCI also called for an independent investigation into the root cause of the shortage, indicating its loss of confidence in the BoG.

However, in response to the Chamber, the Central Bank Governor on Thursday last reminded of its core mandate, noting that “The GCCI appears to be of the mistaken impression that the BoG exists to ensure that foreign currency is available to their membership at the times that they demand and at prices that they demand. This is simply not how an open market economy operates, and is simply not how foreign currency availability and pricing are determined

where floating currencies are concerned.”

The Central Bank is contending that there is no shortage and that there is enough currency at the various banking institutions –something which the Vice President reiterated. He noted that there needs be a system in place as well to promote the exchange of foreign currency among the commercial banks.

On Friday last, Tucker responded to the BoG, dismissing the Central Bank’s justification on the matter, arguing that “when the private sector businesses can’t pay or have to pay more for money to buy for imports, who will suffer??”

In a social media post, Tucker further posited that “the mere fact that agents for

shipping companies have to open USD accounts at local banks, force local businesses to pay their freight in USD in country, shows there’s a major problem, several things will happen… prices will go up, USD shortage will get worst, it will become more difficult to do business in Guyana.”

System to monitor

Weighing in on the issue, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on Friday said that Guyana Government is going to consider the implementation of a daily reporting system to monitor the flow of foreign currency.

“We’ve been exploring something. I was thinking about this and we have to discuss it with the Finance

Minister, that maybe we need a daily balance reported to the Central Bank of currencies purchased and sold, and the daily balance at all the institutions, and then the list of demands. And you will see in most cases, that they are clear [of any shortages], but it’s just that [the US dollars] exist in different institutions,” the Vice President explained during a press conference.

According to the Vice President, the foreign currency market in Guyana always has seasonal variations such as around the Christmas holidays when visitors come in and there is more foreign currency circulating. Likewise, he pointed out, there are low periods and it is during this time that more foreign currency will have to be supplied to the market.

Only recently, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, stated that companies or individuals cannot force anyone to pay for transactions done in Guyana in foreign currency unless special permission is granted by the Finance Ministry for them to trade using solely foreign currency.

Sod turned for multi-million Lakeside Hotel in Region 2 – to create over 40 jobs for residents

The sod was officially turned for the US$3.5 million Lakeside Hotel which will be erected at Anna Regina, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam). The hotel, upon completion, will have a capacity of 24 rooms.

At the sod-turning ceremony on Monday, one of the directors, of the hotel related that the facility will comprise five luxurious floors which will include a lobby area, an office, and a conference Hall.

The first floor, he added, will consist of the lobby/ waiting area while the second, third, and fourth floors will accommodate the 45 rooms. The fifth floor will accommodate the conference room and a hall to cater to private functions.

Additionally, the businessman told the gathering that there will be a restaurant and a bar that will offer entertainment and cuisine. Sawh further explained that the hotel will not only offer accommodation but also relaxation where the family can enjoy tranquillity in the poolside area.

“I want to offer many services to visitors which include swimming pools, restaurants, party venues, meetings venues, gyms, and salons amongst other amenities that are not prevalent in this region.”

Chief Executive Officer of GO-Invest, Dr Peter Ramsaroop during his ad-

dress stated that the Lakeside Hotel is aligned with the Government’s vision and represents yet another move by the private sector to directly play a part in the country’s development.

He related that this massive investment will open avenues for opportunities that would directly benefit the lives of Guyanese, especially on the Essequibo Coast.

The hotel will create a minimum of 25 indirect and 25 direct jobs for Essequibians.

“Guyana is moving at a rapid pace and President Ali’s vision for Guyana is the development and he is here to make sure that ev-

erything that was promised is achieved... His goal is also prosperity for all Guyanese and our aim in Government is to build a nation for everyone as one Guyana,” Dr Ramsaroop noted.

Dr Ramsaroop also congratulated the directors of the business for their brave and bold move in choosing Region Two to invest.

Additionally, Minister Within the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry, Anand Persaud boasted that the Essequibo Coast is home to pristine and stunning lakes, agri-tourism experiences, nature, and adventure tourism, culturally diverse and significant assets, among many other resources which make it an ideal

tourism destination.

“This Government has been working on developing new tours to cater to

all the main markets. In fact, several stakeholders are currently engaged through a product develop-

ment workshop championed by the Ministry of Tourism, Industry, and Commerce. It aims to create experiences with the Great Lakes of the Essequibo, tap in further to the agri tourism possibilities in the Pomeroon and beyond and so much more,” he said

Persaud affirmed that the Government is committed to seeing tourism development accelerated in the region and will be working with all stakeholders in realising this goal.

Also attending the event were Regional Chairperson Vilma De Silva, President of the Essequibo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ECCI) Susaan Sewnaryan and Regional Vice Chair Omesh Oodit. (Raywattie Deonarine)

A artist's impression of the Lakeside Hotel

Dr Dave Sawh speaking at the sod-turning ceremony on Monday

GO-Invest CEO, Dr Peter Ramsaroop (right); Lakeside Hotel owner, Dr Dave Sawh (middle); Minister within the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry Anand Persaud (end); Regional Chairperson Vilma De Silva and Essequibo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ECCI) President Susaan Sewnaryan

Representatives of the PSC, including its Chair, Paul Cheong, along with Bank of Guyana Governor, Dr Gobind Ganga and other officials from the bank following the meeting on Monday

DAILY HOROSCOPES

Slow down, figure out the best way to maintain what you have worked so hard to achieve and don't let anyone come between you and your goal. Focus and precision will be key.

(March 21-April 19)

2 children drown on Essequibo Coast

Two families are in mourning following the unexpected death of two children, 15-monthold Kenley Smith of Dredge Creek, Essequibo Coast, and 12-year-old of Masood Browne of Lot 91 Chiney Street, Anna Regina, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

dead on arrival and subsequently taken to the Suddie Mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Meanwhile, 15-monthold Smith lost his life at about 16:00h on Monday after he slipped into a canal at Dredge Creek.

Use your experience and know-how to bring about positive change. Call on people who have the skill and willingness to help you. You can have a big impact on the world if you work hard.

(April 20-May 20)

Distance yourself from anyone trying to talk you into something. Put your money, time and effort into personal gain and self-improvement. Keep your plans under wraps for now.

The body of Browne, the 12-year-old pupil of Al Madina Islamic Academy, was on Sunday morning pulled from a canal, near the Anna Regina Masjid.

The boy reportedly left home on Sunday at about 8:00h to check his fishing line but never returned home. A search was conducted by Browne’s parents, who discovered his body in the canal.

The body was fished out of the water and taken to

(May 21-June 20)

Rearrange your space to suit your needs. Having a designated area to explore possibilities will lead to new opportunities. A joint venture will be tempting, but make sure it's right for you.

(June 21-July 22) (July 23-Aug. 22)

Don't let what others do confuse you or make you feel that you must follow their lead. Romantic opportunities are apparent but may interfere with prior obligations. Be wary of taking a risk.

Get into the swing of things and look for opportunities to expand your circle of friends. Taking a day trip, visiting a friend or relative, or learning something new will bring you joy.

the

where he was pronounced

It was reported that at about 16:00 on Monday, the mother of the child, Kemeish Hendricks, had just breastfed the child on her step and left him naked with his three other siblings. The woman claimed that she went into her house to get clothing for the toddler, who was going to take a bath.

She told Police that shortly after, she was alerted by her older children that they were not seeing the child.

According to Police, the woman said that she then searched the yard but he was not found. Further checks were made in front of the canal in the vicinity of their landing and the lifeless body of the child was found in the water.

With the help of a taxi driver, the child was rushed to the Charity Cottage Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The body was examined and no marks of violence were seen. The body is presently at the said hospital mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination. Several persons were questioned, and statements were taken.

Investigations are ongoing. (G9)

4 persons kidnapped in northern Mexico

Authorities in the United States and Mexico have said they are working to secure the release of four US citizens who were fired upon and kidnapped in a northern Mexican border city.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said in a statement that the four Americans crossed the border into Matamoros in Mexico’s north-eastern state

of Tamaulipas on Friday in a white minivan with North Carolina licence plates.

“Shortly after crossing into Mexico, unidentified gunmen fired upon the passengers in the vehicle,” the statement said. “All four Americans were placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men.”

A Mexican official told the Reuters news agency that three men and one

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Refuse to let your emotions take over and ruin a good thing. Over-the-top behavior will cloud your vision and generate unnecessary mistakes. Surround yourself with people you trust.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

Put your best foot forward and show everyone what you have to offer. Don't give in to someone trying to monopolize your time or spend your money. Say no to bad behavior.

(Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Stick close to home and the people you love. Refuse to let an outsider influence your beliefs. Trust and invest in yourself, and be wary of someone trying to talk you out of your cash.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

Find an outlet for your energy, talent and skills, and you'll achieve happiness and bring in additional cash. A domestic change will lower your overhead, add to your comfort and ease stress.

woman were kidnapped.

“An innocent Mexican citizen was tragically killed” in the incident, US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said in a statement on Monday, adding that US law enforcement agencies were working with their Mexican counterparts “to secure the safe return of our compatriots”.

Mexican President

Andres Manuel Lopez

Obrador said that the victims were believed to have entered the country to buy medicines and got caught up in a confrontation between criminal groups. He did not offer additional details. Matamoros, a city across from Brownsville, Texas, has been beset by violence linked to drug trafficking and other organised crime.

(Al Jazeera)

Kyiv says forces fighting on in "utter hell" of Bakhmut battle

Ukraine said on Monday its troops were still fighting against the attempted encirclement of Bakhmut, while Washington said that even if the eastern city should fall to Russia's offensive, it would not necessarily give Moscow momentum in the war.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office said he discussed the Bakhmut operation with the chief of the general staff and commander of ground forces, who both spoke in favour of "further strengthening positions in Bakhmut" to continue the defensive operation.

Russia is trying to surround Bakhmut to secure what would be its first major gain in more than half a year, at the culmination of a winter offensive that has brought the bloodiest fighting of the war.

After Russian gains in recent weeks, Ukrainian troops have been reinforcing positions west of Bakhmut in apparent preparation for a possible retreat. However, the reports from commanders on Monday suggested they had not yet decided to pull out.

The intense battle has depleted both sides' artillery reserves, with thousands of shells fired daily along the eastern and southern fronts. Kyiv's European allies are working on a deal

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Adjust to your surroundings and prepare to make concessions that will help others feel at ease. Don't give up on love or friendship. Reconnect with someone you haven't seen in a while.

to procure more ammunition for the fight.

In the latest sign of a feud between Russia's military and the Wagner private army leading its Bakhmut assault, Wagner's boss demanded more ammunition and said his aide had been barred from the military's oper-

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

Nothing appears stable, but that can work in your favor if you sidestep controversy and work behind the scenes to get things done on time. Exuding confidence will result in support.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

ational headquarters.

Ukraine's ground forces commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, visited Bakhmut on Sunday, according to the military. He said that Wagner had thrown additional forces into the fight but that Ukraine's soldiers were fighting on. (Excerpt from Reuters)

“No one will be excluded from...

Extending Holi greetings, the Prime Minister encouraged Guyanese to absorb the lesson of the occasion, and to embrace each other and practice the wholesome lessons of Phagwah throughout everyday life. He too, emphasised that the Government will include everyone in Guyana’s development trajectory.

“Our Government is building a country where all Guyanese at all levels will be included in Guyana’s policies, decisions and ultimate direction. We value the opportunity to continue to align these sound morals and principles that encourage our people to lead good lives while practicing love, mutual respect and harmony,” Phillips said.

The Prime Minister also saluted the strength of Guyana’s multi-cultural heritage, encouraging all Guyanese to be thankful that they live in such a diverse society. According to him, such opportunities allow them to continue working towards the vision of “One Guyana”.

Opposition

The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) meanwhile sent out a statement in which they reminded of the importance of unity, love, and respect for one another. They also noted that this festival brings people of all backgrounds and beliefs together, to celebrate the triumph of good over evil. (G3)

Suddie Public Hospital

Dead: 12-year-old Masood Browne

Ukrainian servicemen fire a 2S5 Giatsint-S self-propelled howitzer towards Russian troops outside the frontline town of Bakhmut, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, March 5, 2023

Milo U18 tournament…

Chase, Ann’s Grove win big on Day 2

Seven unanswered goals from Chase’s Academy and five from Ann’s Grove Secondary highlighted the second day of play at the Milo Under-18 schools’ football tournament which commenced on Saturday.

There were four games on the cards on Sunday at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground, Carifesta Avenue.

In the first game of the day, Westminster Secondary walked away with a victory over Annandale Secondary.

Westminster’s Samuel McAllister opened the scoring in the 19th minute, while a Harod Haynes double in the 48th and 58th got the West Demerara outfit to three goals. Osafo Brown netted Annandale’s first reply soon after in the 61st minute, while Jayden Harris added another in the 86th. However, it was a little too late for Annandale as Westminster won 3-2.

Charlestown Secondary enjoyed a comfortable 3-1 win over Berbice Educational Institute in the following game.

The first goal of that encounter came in the 21st minute, off the boots of Charlestown’s Andrew Cato. Jermaine Taylor and Tyler Lyle followed up with goals in the 27th and 31st respectively, to bring their tally to three. Meanwhile, Berbice’s consolation goal was fashioned by

T’Jon Reid in the 35th.

After Justin Alcindor opened their account in the ninth minute, Wendell Pickett led the charge for Chase’s Academy with a brace (20th, 27th), to put their team in a comfortable position early on. However, the scoring was not quite done as the likes of Manasseh Anderson (58th), Kerstyn Gonzalves (63rd), Neeraz Baksh (65th) and Jude Daniels (69th) contributed one each, as Chase’s Academy cruised to a 7-0 victory over Dora Secondary.

Three early goals from Ann’s Grove Secondary destabilised Queen’s College in the final game of the day, as the East Coast outfit went on to claim a 5-2 victory.

Ann’s Grove’s Daniel Murphy struck in the second minute while Naron Jerick did the same in the fourth and seventh. Adding salt to the wound, Leroy France (58th) and Joshua Perreira (68th) also found the back of the net for Ann’s Grove.

Meanwhile, an own goal and one from Menelek Ferreira in the 50th minute accounted for QC’s two goals.

The Milo action will continue on Saturday and Sunday at the same venue, with four games to be played each day.

The Milo tournament is also supported by Guyana Industrial Minerals Inc (GINMIN), Genequip, the MoE, and MVP Sports.

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Shakem Welcome defends for Chase

A look at the action between Ann’s Grove and Queen’s College

Confident Jackman ready to take on World Championships

Youth boxing sensation

Alesha Jackman has waited quite a few months before she could get back in the ring to compete.

However, on the heels of a 53-second TKO at the recentlyhosted Patrick Forde Memorial tournament in February, Jackman has gained all the confidence she

needs to step onto the world stage.

The pugilist spoke with Guyana Times Sport about her recent conquest over Trinidad and Tobago’s Shawnelle Hamid.

Jackman shared, “It was a great feeling. I get emotional at the end of my bout, because since 2021, when I went to the

Junior Pan American games, I didn’t get the results that I was looking for. So, I had a rage in me to come out tonight and excel.”

With the International Boxing Association (IBA) Women’s World Championships in sight, Jackman is looking to utilise her tenacity in pursuit of gold.

“One hundred per cent

“Reds” Perreira returns to Guyana for night of honour at GCC on March 8

Veteran cricket commentator Joseph “Reds” Perreira has returned to Guyana for a night of recognition at the historic Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), Bourda. This special evening will be hosted on March 8 from 18:00h, and “Reds” will be accompanied by his wife, Zandra.

“I am looking forward to a big turnout at the GCC, and I am scheduled to meet the Minister of Tourism and the Minister of Sport. I am going to Timehri on an organised visit to talk to first offenders as a motivation towards a better life, giving them example of my own self, and telling them not to give up,” the veteran commentator said.

Guyana Captain Leon Johnson, among other cricketers, is expected to be present. Notable Journalists and broadcasters, including Sportsmax’s Lance Whitaker and Alex Jordan, have paid tribute to the legend of broadcasting.

“Reds”, who now hosts a radio show in St Lucia where he now lives, has commentated on 150 Tests and was the voice of cricket in the West Indies.

Tribute from Australian Journalist Ashley Gray

I first met “Reds” in 2018, but really, I had known him many years before. Alongside Tony Cozier, he was the sound of West Indies cricket in Australia throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

On ABC radio, he was the man who articulated the worldbeating feats of Lloyd, Richards, Roberts, Garner et al.

But his commentary was always measured and insightful. He didn’t resort to hyperbole or bluster, like a lot of today’s commentators. He brought integrity and restraint to the microphone. And he was never biased. He didn’t need to be! Even in Australia, we recognised the

greatness of those West Indies sides and their clear superiority in all facets of the game.

“Reds”’ love of the game was brought home to me when I was writing “The Unforgiven”, my award-winning book on the West Indies rebel tours of South Africa. I contacted him out of the blue and immediately he set about helping me with phone numbers and contacts, despite not knowing me from a bar of soap.

He could see that there was a gap in the history of West Indies cricket, and that this tragic story had to be told. I could sense he cared deeply about Caribbean cricket.

When I finally met him in Worthing, Barbados, we talked for hours and once again it was his integrity that shone through.

I remember asking him about the off-field antics of the great West Indies sides of the 1970s and 1980s he had toured with, expecting to be regaled with stories of wine, women, and song.

But “Reds” was not forthcoming. He explained that he had an unbreakable bond with the guys who played in those fantastic West Indies teams and nothing could persuade him to break it. It’s why he was and still is respected by players and fans alike. Congratulations on a fine career, “Reds”. It’s a pity you won’t be commentating in Australia again, but I look forward

to having a drink with you in St Lucia soon.

Sportsmax’s Lance Whitaker’s tribute

I join with the Georgetown Cricket Club, oldest in the West Indies, in honouring Joseph “Reds” Perreira. A genuine icon of sports broadcasting for our region and internationally, Perreira’s success spans over 50 years in the business and is the result of his immense knowledge, passion, skill and desire for what he does.

For me, growing up, you had to love cricket the way it was delivered by world-class “Reds” Pereira and Tony Cozier on radio and the inimitable “Reds” style was really engaging, especially in the way he would intermix updates on other major sporting events. Understand that I am referencing here pre-Internet days when information on current happenings was not at your “finger tips” as it is now.

So it meant the world to me listening when “Reds”, on cricket commentary, would typically say something like “England 60 for three, as Michael Holding from his long run prepares to bowl to Geoff Boycott … the Wimbledon tennis final now locked at one set-all as Bjorn Borg has just beaten Jimmy Connors 6-2 in the second set …. Holding in, Boycott edges, out caught behind by Murray, England in further trouble now at 60 for four !!” My career in broadcasting was unquestionably sparked by my exposure as a teenager to the brilliance of people like “Reds” Perreira on radio. It must be said too that Perreira’s competency in sports broadcasting stretches way beyond just cricket, this giant of a regional broadcaster.

confidence,” the pugilist said, in rating her confidence following the TKO victory.

Jackman went on to explain,

“Like I said, the same rage that I had in this fight, I will be heading to the World Championships with the same rage, because I’m

looking for great results. And I don’t only want to be winning in the Caribbean…”

Jackman, who is set to compete at the World Championships alongside her older sister, Abiola, also spoke about their preparation together and hopes to honour their mother.

“You guys know our mom passed away and we try to make her proud in every way we can. We try to motivate each other. It’s tough when we have to fight against each other. but it’s great [preparation],” the boxer told this publication.

The World Championships are scheduled for March 15 to March 31 in New Delhi, India.

The referee stops the contest between Alesha Jackman (blue headguard) and her opponent

Joseph “Reds” Perreira

Tagenarine Chanderpaul does not have the most conventional batting stance going around, except perhaps in his family.

The son of Shivnarine, who was coached by his grandfather Khemraj, is less square on than his dad, but there are still many similarities. His front foot starts off well outside leg stump, his heel points towards square leg and he shuffles across just in time to be in line to meet the ball. At that point, Tagenarine looks as regular as any other batter, which is sort of how he sees himself.

"My stance is pretty conventional," he tells ESPNcricinfo, almost chuckling. "But I guess when my trigger starts, I can get a bit square on. My dad, when he came back to Guyana, I was about 13 and we would practice together in the afternoon, so yeah, some of the stuff started to rub off."

Tagenarine was not born when Shivnarine made his Test debut, in 1994, and grew up mostly with his mother, Annalee, in Unity Village in Guyana. His first coach was his paternal grandfather, who taught him to play cricket on the same cement pitch that Shivnarine learnt on. "He was my first coach," Tagenarine says. "Where we lived, he would throw balls at me. We also have a cricket ground not too far from us – Unity Cricket Ground – so we would go there in the afternoon and hit balls. And then he took me to join a club in town. After school, we would go and practice there. It took off from there."

That is pretty much the same journey Shivnarine took, and his presence, albeit not always physical, was keenly felt by his son. "Growing up, if we go about somewhere people would know him

or speak about him or talk about a game from the previous day," Tagenarine says. "It was a proud feeling."

It was also a source of rising expectation. The talk around Tagenarine was that he would take the same path as his famous father, and when Shivnarine returned to Guyana in 2009, there was hope the pair would walk the road together. Four years later, Tagenarine made his First-Class debut, with limited success. He scored 105 runs in his first three matches. In his fourth, he played in an XI alongside his father, who scored a second-innings century, to his own 42 and 29.

"Unfortunately, we didn't bat together as much as we would have liked and it's because I got out quite a few times before he came in," Tagenarine says. "But when we were together, he gave me some advice and ways to score and what shots I can play, so it was good to have him around."

All told, the pair played 11 First-Class matches together over a span of five years and in the last of them, Tagenarine scored his first red-ball century. Later that year, Shivnarine played his final FirstClass match and the baton appeared to have been passed. But it would take almost five more years before Tagenarine earned his first Test cap, after a century against the Australia Prime Minister's XI in Canberra. And that's when Tagenarine had to remind himself that as much as there was a reputation to live up to, he is his own player.

"My dad is a totally different person from me, personality wise. He's achieved so many things. I can only do what I can do," he says. "I've got to try

and be myself and I can't be him. Every time I go out and bat, I just try to be me and get some runs."

Tagenarine scored 51 and 45 in this first Test and 47 and 17 in unfamiliar conditions and against a strong Australian attack, under the guidance of none other than Brian Lara. "He wasn't a team mentor then, but he was doing commentary and he would come to practice sessions and offer some advice," Tagenarine says.

Then, with Lara assigned to the team full time, his baptism of fire has continued with his season ending in South Africa. "Australia and South Africa have very good bowling attacks and the conditions are very different from back home. It was nice to get some runs in Australia on debut. Here, the South African attack is very good. They are very consistent and they don't give you many loose balls. You've got to try and concentrate for long periods."

He has already demonstrated he can do that because in between those two series, West Indies were in Zimbabwe, where Tagenarine scored his first Test century, and made it a double. He spent four minutes short of 10 hours at the crease crafting that innings. "It was a very special feeling – my first century," he says. "I didn't really celebrate too much. I'm not really too much of a party person."

Instead, he is committed to the growth of cricket in Guyana, where significant investments are being made to develop the game. "The Government is putting a lot of emphasis on sports right now. They're building a few stadiums and getting some more indoor facilities," he says.

In January, the Guyana Government announced

a budget of US$4.3 billion for the development of sports which includes the development of a cricket academy.

That, together with a renewed resolve from players like Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers –- both of whom left the SA20 to play the Tests in Zimbabwe – to the longest format, gives Tagenarine hope that West Indies can become more competitive in Tests. In particular, he singled out his Captain and opening partner, Kraigg Brathwaite as someone who has put a particular importance on the red-ball game.

"Kraigg has been a consistent performer over the years. He is pretty tough mentally and accustomed to pressure situations," Tagenarine says. "And we have players who are committed. Jason and Kyle left leagues to come back and play Test matches. Everyone gets along very well and the guys gel together. Guys are very easy to approach and welcoming. Hopefully all goes well for us."

As for Tagenarine himself, the T20 game has not yet lured him and he has yet to play a single one, although he'd like that to change. "It's something I could venture into. If given the opportunity, I'll try and get involved," he says. "I've got to work on a few more scoring shots and areas I can improve to try and be well equipped for that type of cricket."

And that you may say, is what underlines his case as the most conventional cricketer, even in his own family. (ESPNcricinfo)