Guyana Times - Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Guyana receives another 42, 120 doses of Pfizer

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Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4855

THE BEACON OF TRUTH WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021

Guyana’s oil & gas exploration has 80% success rate –...assures President Ali int’l community of anti-corruption measures

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

PM raps Shuman on claims about Amerindian P19 development

– maintains Govt has held consultations, been inclusive

Page 3

PNC Congress leadership elections

Harmon, Norton campaign despite possibility of postponement Agreements signed to boost cooperation, investments between Guyana & Ghana Page 15

Page 19

Judge refuses Basil Williams’s application P8 to recuse self from libel suit Guyana well on its way to being regional hub for air travel – Min Edghill P20 ...says aim is to move from 75% to over 90% in int’l aviation standards

Govt commits to holding LGE at earliest possible time – Minister Dharamlall P8 Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd and his counterpart after the signing of the agreements on Tuesday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC). Also in photo are Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and Ghanaian Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia

New GECOM CEO

Commissioner optimistic discussions can conclude by weekend Page 7

Stats of abuse against men growing – Human Services Minister Page 2

…reports should be made without stigma, ridicule

Unvaccinated P woman dies 18 from COVID, 44 new positives …hospitalised maternity cases reduced to zero

3 MoH staff charged for forging COVID-19 vaccination P15 booklets

2 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Stats of abuse against men growing – Human Services Minister …reports should be made without stigma, ridicule

I

n what was described as a pandemic due to its prevalence in society, Human Services Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud has stressed that the root causes of domestic violence must be eliminated.

The Human Services Ministry has organised various events in keeping with the 16 Days of Activism Against Domestic Violence. At a recent Domestic Violence Outreach, it was pointed out that statis-

tics of abuse against men has been growing.

“If we look at the persons who are most likely to be abused, women. However, we see the number of men being abused growing. And they’re

a very important part of the issue that we’re dealing with.

Why? Men feel very threatened when they have to go and report to the Police station to say that ‘I am being abused’,” Dr Persaud acknowledged.

According to her, men are sceptical to make reports because it is seen as an attack on their masculinity. Moreover, they face ridicule for highlighting such matters to law enforcement.

“Sometimes, when they go in to make these reports, they are ridiculed and we need to change that culture. Whether man or woman, that person should be able to make a report without judgement or stigma. When a report is made, then that case needs to be followed to conclusion and maybe, the conclusion could be prosecution.”

On the other hand, she said women are subjected to unrealistic expectations and are often stigmatised for the abuse they’ve dealt with.

The Human Services Minister asserted, “When so-

ciety becomes judgemental and a woman is blamed for the failure of her marriage and for the failure of the beatings that she is getting maybe at the hands of her partner, then society has failed her. We continue to stigmatise women like that. We continue to put pressure and expectations on those women that are unrealistic.

She said efforts must be made to examine domestic violence in different angles and how it manifests across communities. This is in keeping with holding abusers accountable for their actions.

“This is not new in our country and some people consider it a pandemic of sorts because it’s so pervasive. While we grapple with COVID, this one sunk its roots deeper and deeper and we have to make to every effort to extricate the effect and impact from the root.

We have to recognise the root causes and to look at it from many different angles so that we can attack the various dimensions and the impact that

is has, whether you look at the individual, the family, the community and at large, the country,” Minister Persaud told stakeholders.

The Minister contended that gender-based violence continues to claim lives in the country. In order to garner collaboration from citizens, the Ministry will be launching the Community Advocates Network.

“Because there are so many lives from so many parts of this country, it simply means everyone needs to be involved at every level…What I want to make sure happens through this Network is that perpetrators of abuse and violence should know that everybody is looking at them.

They’re under scrutiny. When people know that all eyes are turned on them and that there is no way out, something will have to give.”

Along with the attention, she insisted that there must be tangible intervention and moreover, prevention. (G12)

3 Guyana’s oil & gas exploration has 80% success rate – President Ali NEWS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Wednesday, Dec 8 – 04:00h – 05:30h and Thursday, Dec 9 – 09:00h – 10:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Wednesday, Dec 8 – 06:30h – 08:00h and Thursday, Dec 9 – 08:10h – 09:40h.

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 during the day.

Expect thundery showers and light rain showers at night. Temperatures should range between 23 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Northerly to West North-Westerly between 1.78 metres and 3.57 metres.

High Tide: 07:21h and 19:35h reaching maximum heights of 2.42 metres and 2.5 metres.

Low Tide: 13:06h reaching a minimum height of 0.85 metre.

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COMMODITIES Indicators

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$1789.40 +0.07%

...assures int’l community of anti-corruption measures

O

il and gas exploration activities offshore Guyana have an 80 per cent success rate and according to President Dr Irfaan Ali, all signs point to the tripling of oil production by next year, thus signalling continued growth in the sector.

On Monday, President Ali used the occasion of his address to the Harvard Business School to market opportunities in Guyana.

When it comes to the oil and gas sector, the President explained that Guyana has had an 80 per cent success rate when exploring for oil.

“The petroleum sector.

To date, the rate of success is roughly 80 per cent, with 26 commercial discoveries.

By 2025, the operating cash flow of total investments is expected to reach $3.5 billion. These discoveries are highly resilient.”

“Approximately 10 per cent return at US$35 per barrel. The first well, Liza 1, has achieved nameplate capacity. Liza phase 2 is on schedule for a startup in 2022. The second FPSO (Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessel) has already arrived.

Overall, six drill ships are operating offshore Guyana,” President Ali said.

According to Ali, oil production is being measured at approximately 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) currently. But by the second half of 2022, production levels are expected to increase to 320,000 barrels.

“We anticipate by the end

President Dr Irfaan Ali

of 2024, when Payara comes on stream, production will reach 550,000 barrels per day. And in 2026, surpass the one million barrels per day following the development of Yellowtail. In the Canje and Kaieteur Blocks, quality reservoirs have been identified.

Liza phase 1, 2, and Payara development break-evens are at US$35 and US$25 per barrel,” the President said.

Meanwhile, during the question-and-answer phase, President Ali was asked by the academic audience about the measures that will be in place to prevent corruption. In response, Ali pointed to the Natural Resource Fund and the Petroleum Commission, all initiatives that will be implemented to insulate oil funds and critical decisions on the oil sector, from the politicians.

It has been estimated

that Guyana, which is already considered one of the world’s hottest new oil hotspots, could well be sitting on 20 billion barrels of oil equivalent in just the Stabroek oil block. At least, this is according to projections from analyst Americas Market Intelligence (AMI).

International giant ExxonMobil has 25 oil discoveries as the operator in the Stabroek Block. In all, six ExxonMobil-operated Guyana producing projects are predicted by 2027, with plans for an eventual 10 in total.

Besides the Liza 1 field, Exxon already has approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for two other projects; the Liza 2 and Payara developments.

Yellowtail, their fourth project, has an anticipated start date of late 2025 pending

governmental approvals and project sanctioning.

Developmental drilling has already started on the Liza Phase 2 project. Back in May 2019, Exxon subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) was granted approval by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to go ahead with its Liza Phase 2 Development offshore Guyana.

The oil company had said that the project will have the capacity to produce 220,000 barrels of oil per day. Exxon had also revealed that the Liza Phase 2 development was funded at the cost of some US$6 billion, including a lease capitalisation cost of approximately $1.6 billion, for the Liza Unity FPSO vessel. For the Phase 2 Development, six drill centres were planned, along with approximately 30 wells – 15 productions, nine water injection and six gas injection wells.

The US$9 billion Payara development, the third development, will meanwhile target an estimated resource base of about 600 million oil-equivalent barrels and was at one point considered to be the largest single planned investment in the history of Guyana.

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

4

guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 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

Passion, commitment, and everyone E

ver since 1981, women activists have earmarked November 25 as the day to fight violence against women. This day had subsequently been designated the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women by the United Nations in the year 1991, thus paving the way for 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

The United Nations has called on all Governments, international organisations and NGOs to organise activities designed to raise public awareness of GBV as an international observance. Women around the world have been subjected to rape, violence, and sexual and emotional abuse; and although these incidents have been numerous, many of them have been, and continue to be, largely hidden.

Guyana has been struggling with the problem of domestic violence for years. In the early decades, the problem had been ignored because it had been considered acceptable for a man to physically abuse a woman. Rape, however, had been treated as a felony. As the decades came and went, women activists decided that violence has to stop, and so came a new battle that centred on an awareness that domestic violence, and all forms of violence, is criminal and unacceptable; and, moreover, the problem must be eliminated from society.

The latter has been easier said than done, as the problem in Guyana is deeper than imagined. Violence has been ingrained in the male psyche, and is culturally deep.

More efforts at raising awareness and stopping the violence have been made over many years. Such efforts had been buttressed by tougher laws. Yet, still, the violence continued, and in some instances death followed. Already for this year, despite the laws and the awareness campaigns, some 7 lives have been lost, with 43 children being made motherless, and many other women continue to be physically, sexually and emotionally abused. And many of these cases still remain hidden, and go unreported.

Social groups, men’s groups and media advertisements have been used in hope that they would bring an end to violence against women; but all have failed to make a significant difference in our society, as is evident by the number of women who continue to die, and who are abused one way or the other each year. If laws, interest groups, and public awareness programmes have not been able to eliminate violence against women, then what would?

While the aforementioned measures would help the situation, there are three things that would help to eliminate violence against women from our society: passion, commitment, and everyone. The way in which we approach these problems makes a difference in whether the problem remains or is eliminated. Not everyone holds the same view on domestic violence. Some are against it, and some think that it is okay.

On the national front, we hear “stop the physical abuse”, but in the workplaces, in homes, in associations, in clubs, and on the streets, we see women being insulted and ridiculed.

Where emotional or psychological abuse is accepted and not addressed, physical abuse would obviously exist. What this means is that some parts of the problem are addressed, while other parts are ignored; and many do not understand that all contribute to the bigger problem.

Our society does not share the same view on violence, which explains the different reactions to it, and why the problem continues to exist.

The Human Services Ministry and welfare groups cannot hold one view while some Police rank, in many instances despite numerous training sessions on domestic violence, has another view and the community has another view, which explains why they would see a man beat his wife and ignore it because they see the man’s action as normal. To put it in an analogy, when the horses pulling the chariot are running in different directions, the chariot would never reach the finish line. Only when everyone in society holds the same view on domestic violence, and are willing to take the same actions to stop it, would violence against women be eliminated from our society.

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Tuesday accepted the Letters of Credence from Non-Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Guyana, Henk Ary Christian van der Zwan. The ceremony took place at the Office of the President on Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown (Office of the President photo)

Issues-based political support and voting are on the ascendency!

Dear Editor, When politically-aligned groups utilise incendiary rhetoric and make subliminal and even open calls for violence and revolution, such moves reflect desperation over their inability to secure state power through the ballot box. It also reveals a lack of vision, as well as their contempt for the democratic tradition of free and fair elections.

Every democratic society has become a marketplace of free ideas. Freedom of speech, buttressed by ready access to social media, has expanded the Guyanese people’s appetite for politics and world affairs. There are signs that Guyanese are moving, though not rapidly, towards an issues-oriented approach to politics, and are gradually discarding an emotion-driven-based political system.

The Amerindians had heavily supported the United Force, but have now moved progressively towards the PPP/C, and to a lesser extent the PNCR. The Amerindianbased GAP (Guyana Amerindian Party) and the LJP (Liberty and Justice Party) have not been able to secure a Parliamentary seat by themselves. The Amerindians voted on issues, rather than on race preference. To understand the significance of this situation, the Amerindians could theoretically secure six (6) Parliamentary seats if they vote according to race preference. Instead, they have been motivated by issues and promises.

The Amerindians have increasingly embraced the PPP/C because that party has been responding to their needs and fulfilling most of their promises, such as grant-

ing land titles, improving education and skills-set, modernising healthcare services, constructing core homes under IDB-funded SHHP, and job creation. The Mixed population, Chinese, Portuguese, and Whites are the independent voters who vote on issues. Combined with the Amerindians, these groups account for 30.9% of the population, and have the potential to elect 19 Members of Parliament. Thus, if any political party wants to secure state power, that party must embrace issues as central to their campaign, and rely less on race-based voting. Recent history also offers a guide.

At the 2011 regional and general elections, a substantial number of traditional PPP/C supporters (mostly Indo-Guyanese) voted across party lines for the APNU and AFC parties, based on issues and promises, and not on race preference. This resulted in the PPP/C losing its Parliamentary majority to the APNU+AFC parties.

This trend of voting by a segment of traditional PPP/C voters continued on to 2015, when an estimated 11% of Indo-Guyanese cast their votes for the APNU+AFC coalition, which won state power. However, at the 2020 polls, most of those voters returned to the PPP/C because the coalition did not carry out its promises (closed the sugar estates, laid off 7,000 workers, failed to offer $9,000 per bag of paddy, etc.). Contrary to belief held by some political pundits, this example shows that PPP/C supporters understand the force of issues around which they could be mobilised. PNCR and other political leaders as well as their

supporters could not afford to ignore this development, but to study it carefully in plotting their future political viability.

With no race group in the majority, securing state power has become extremely competitive, a process accentuated by the increasing emphasis on issues and the whittling away of race preference.

But there are Opposition elements that do not seem to understand the nature of political evolution of Guyana, and still adhere to vile ideas of violence and revolution to secure state power. In addition, some political Opposition operatives cannot come to grips with their party’s loss of the 2020 regional and national elections, and continue their rumination. Beyond these, there have been repeated allegations of race discrimination and state murders perpetrated under the PPPP/C Government during the socalled “troubled period.”

These allegations have been rejected by the PPP/C. With respect to job discrimination, the reality is that 70% of Public Service workers are Afro-Guyanese, 90% of the army personnel are Afro-Guyanese, 75% of the Police Force are AfroGuyanese, 70% of nurses are Afro-Guyanese, 65% of teachers are Afro-Guyanese, and 80% of the academic staff at the University of Guyana are Afro-Guyanese. The proportion of the Afro-Guyanese in the general population is 29%.

How could anyone make out a compelling case for race discrimination, particularly institutional racism?

As to the killings, those were murders committed during the PPP/C’s governance in the early 2000s. The

Stabroek News did an analysis of the murders and published the results for public consumption. First, not all the listed 420 persons killed were Black men; 119 were IndoGuyanese. Second, many of those murders took place because of confrontation between the Police and criminal gangs; others were killed by gang members in gang warfare; many were killed during family/domestic problems; while a few were killed when they tried to topple the PPP/C Government. During the APNU+AFC regime (20152020), many more murders were recorded than during the troubled period. The PPP/C did not kill anyone. It is just like blaming the US President and the Democratic Party for all those murders committed in the inner cities.

Exploiting misleading, distorted and deceptive information to fuel violence and incendiary rhetoric has no place in civil society, and must be rejected by all peace-loving people. In a democratic system, there are socially acceptable ways to channel grievances.

Under the “One Guyana” initiative, Guyanese must collectively continue to build upon its success, and should not allow any one person or group to derail the path to a good life for all, irrespective of race, religion, gender of disability.

The ascendancy of issues in the political arena, and the corresponding relegation of race-based politics, should allow for the creation of a new culture of inclusivity and accountability. Guyana needs builders and not destroyers or detractors.

Sincerely, Dr Tara Singh

guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021

5

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

Govt has put right measures in place Dear Editor, The increase in prices for commodities and services is a global phenomenon, and is not peculiar to Guyana.

Worldwide, the demand for goods and services has increased, but supply has contracted. What is rarely understood by all is the fact that world production of commodities is very much integrated, making the world more vulnerable to supply chain disruptions.

Therefore, this means that parts may be produced in different countries, but the assembly of the final product may be done in an entirely different country. The pandemic has created issues at nearly every aspect of the supply chain: a lack of materials, ingredients, equipment, speedy trucking and shipping. There is an acute labour shortage of truckers and longshoremen to offload ships, thus creating a build-

up, and there are shipping delays that have never been witnessed before. This effect of the disruptions of the supply chain has not only pushed costs up, but has created a decrease in supply, which again resulted in the prices of commodities spiralling.

Another factor is higher oil prices. This situation is beyond the control of any Government, but measures can be put in place to alleviate the climbing cost of living. This is exactly what the PPP/C Government has been doing for more than 16 months now.

Some progressive measures which have been put in place are outlined as follows: There was a drastic reduction in the excise tax on fuel, which is in keeping with President Irfaan Ali’s commitment to “ensuring that Guyanese consum-

ers continue to be protected from escalation in fuel prices on the world market as far as possible.” This reduction happened in February and October this year. This would have resulted in reduced transportation and production costs.

In its very first Budget, this Government did not give itself a salary increase, but gave immediate relief to the citizens. It reversed the punitive tax measures implemented by the APNU/ AFC, and drastically cut licence fees. VAT was removed from many essential items, such as water, electricity, medical supplies and medicines, private education, cellphone data, farming machinery and equipment, etc. This is a Government which saw the collapse of the entire socio-economic fabric of this nation, and immediately began the Herculean task of

reviving the economy. The Coalition had bankrupted the country in less than 5 years, and it became imperative that the rebuilding process begin immediately.

This brought immediate relief, and ensured that more disposal income became available.

Next, the Government ensured that the disposal income was given a boost by direct cash injection, since the COVID-19 and the flood began wreaking havoc on the economy.

It gave COVID-19 cash reliefs to every household.

According to a study conducted by the World Bank, titled ‘An Uneven Recovery: Taking The Pulse Of Latin America And The Caribbean Following The Pandemic’, Guyana is one of the leading countries in the Caribbean and Latin America that have been assisting their people through the hard-

ships associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, the Government has disbursed to every Guyanese, including the vulnerable groups, cash reliefs amounted to nearly $10 billion. The World Bank noted that this assistance was pertinent, since many households suffer from food insecurity.

In addition, our students were given $3.6 billion to help them get back to school, and our farmers were given flood reliefs which amounted to $7.8 billion. Moreover, the year-end bonus given, the 2 weeks’ bonus to the disciplinary service, the $400 million to frontline workers, the 7% across-the-board increase to Public Servants, and I am sure that more cash relief is in the making.

We must not lose sight of the Government’s sacrifice to save the lives of Guyanese from the virus,

and of the huge cost it bore to ensure not only that the Infectious Diseases Hospital is brought into operation, but the acquisition of vaccines and making them available to all in a timely and efficient manner.

As we take notice of the many investments which are taking place, and as we await these to bear dividends, we must applaud the Government, which has ensured that the multiplier effect from the many cash injections, which increased the disposable incomes of every Guyanese, has kept the economy buoyant and progressive. In these times of hardships across the world, this Government has done wonders for its people, and we must show our appreciation in a tangible manner.

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

Region 9 PM Representative responds to mining in Marudi Mountains Dear Editor, With reference to an article published on November 30th 2021 under the caption “Marudi residents’ protest…Rescind mining agreement and apologise to Indigenous People – Caribbean Human Rights lawyer”, please permit me some space in these pages to clear the air on this issue and to shed some light in dark places, so that the blind can see and seek guidance in the future.

Foremost, I welcome the lawyer’s concerns and points raised in her interview with this publication, but I must also say that she was ill-informed and badly misguided, and it is also quite obvious that she didn’t do any research on this issue. In fact, the Ministry of Natural Resources has made it clear that it has taken note of the concerns raised by some stakeholders relative to mining activities in Marudi, Region Nine, and wishes to clarify the misinformation being peddled by a particular small group of persons.

Mr Editor, this small group certainly has an agenda, and I also can’t wait to make it quite clear that the Rupununi people voted solidly for the PPP/C in the 2020 Regional and General Elections, and they can’t wait to exit this economic drought that was brought upon them by the APNU/ AFC regime. The fact of the matter is that this small group of persons is upset and paranoid because the APNU/AFC soup train was crashed and badly damaged in the 2020 polls, and they are hell bent on playing politics with the people’s lives.

The Rupununi people voted for President Ali after

he committed to reopening Marudi Mountains, since all mining was stopped by the then APNU/AFC Government, and all he is doing is simply fulfilling one of his commitments made during his campaign meetings leading up to the 2020 General Elections.

The human rights lawyer pointed out that another requirement is that these consultations must be in good faith, with the objective of reaching an agreement, which must be in accordance with the Wapishana people’s own traditions. Fair enough, and I agree with her; but, again, I must say that this mining area provides employment for an abundance of Guyanese, and not just the Wapichan people. Most farmers would see their farm as an opportunity to create and grow a profitable business by selling their produce through a variety of different methods.

Mining has been ongoing in Marudi Mountains for decades, and continues to date. After one of the Minister of Natural Resources’ consultations in Aishalton, the team was told that there was no mining ongoing in Marudi, after questioning. Later in the evening, the GGMC Chairman and officers, along with myself and team, visited the Marudi Mountain and found a very huge excavation, and persons mining within.

Furthermore, I, along with the Minister of Natural Resources and his team, made several visits to this location and the village of Aishalton in particular, where several consultations were done in good faith, thus receiving the blessings

of the people in the process.

A particular question I would like to ask on this issue is: where exactly were the voices of this small group and this ‘Human Rights Lawyer’ when the Granger cabal was hell bent on attempting to rig the 2020 elections? Where exactly were they?

On Saturday last, a few members of Cabinet paid a visit to Aishalton again.

The visiting delegation included Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat; Minister of Home

Affairs, Robeson Benn; and Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai.

Officials from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) were also present as this meeting, and no one objected or opposed those consultations, including the regular suspects.

During those consultations, we made it abundantly clear that all guidelines set out by the Code of Practice (COP) of the Geology & Mines Commission (GGMC) would

be adhered to. For example, the team was strongly against the use of mercury, because of the hazards it poses for both the environment and the health of persons exposed to it.

Mr Editor, a recommendation was made at one of the consultations that villages/villagers can launch their own operations in the Marudi Mountains, where their very own people can be employed, and already five villages in the South Rupununi have shown interest.

Finally, this small group, however, need to get up from their slumber and support the commencement of mining, so that a sense of relief can be brought back to the miners in this tough COVID-19 pandemic.

I would urge the people of the Rupununi not to take this small group of persons serious, because they are thirsty for power and thirsty for glory.

Let progress continue.

Yours faithfully, Claire Singh

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021

Page

Foundation ◄

Proportions and cross-multiplying

A

proportion is a problem that contains two ratios that are equal. In a proportion problem, one of the numerators or one of the denominators is not known. The met6hod for finding the missing numerator or denominator is called cross-multiplying.

Example A recipe calls for 5 tablespoons of nuts in order to make nutty pancakes for 10 people. How many tablespoons of nuts do you need to make nutty pancakes for 18 people?

Step 1: Express a proportion problem that uses two ratios: 5 nuts = (how many tablespoons?)

10 persons 18 persons

5 ?

Step 2: Remove the words: 10 = 18 Let’s use t (for tablespoons) for the number we do not know: 5 = t 10 18

Step 3: To cross-multiply, you must set up an equation. An equation is a mathematical statement that two things are equal.

Step 4: On one side of the equal sign, write the first numerator x the second denominator: 5 x 18 =

Step 5: On the other side of the equal sign, write the multiplication of the first denominator x the second numerator: 5 x 18 = 10 x t

Step 6: Multiply the side that does not have the unknown number: 90 = 10 x t

Step 7: Look at the side that has both a known number and the unknown quantity. Divide both sides of the equation by the known number. (In this equation, that number is 10). You need 9 tablespoons of nuts to make nutty pancakes for 20 people.

Remember When you divide both sides of an equation by the same number, the expressions on both sides remain equal.

Exercises: Solve for x 4 x 1) 8 = 8

x 12 4) 100 = 40

3 12 2) 6 = x

5)

5 8

6)

3 = 10

3) 15 = x 30 18

U

= x

40 1 x

se your five senses. What did you smell, taste, feel, hear, see? Describe the sensations.

H

Introduction

ow do scientists and engineers control robots that drive around other planets millions of miles away? It's nowhere near as easy as driving a toy remote-control car here on Earth. In this activity you will experience some of the challenges you face when driving a "robot" that you can't see!

You’ll need

Two volunteers Two adjacent rooms Large objects to serve as obstacles, such as furniture or boxes Paper and pencil Two smartphones or tablets with video chat capabilities (optional) What to do

Prep work

One of your volunteers will be walking around with their eyes closed in this activity.

Remove any potentially hazardous obstacles from one of the rooms, such as sharp objects or electrical cords they could trip over.

Plan a path through this room yourself, from a start location to a finish location. For example, if the room has two doors and a table in the middle, plan how to walk from one door, around the table, and to the other door. Write down exact instructions for following this path.

Give each command a number. For example, "1) Take one step forward. 2) Turn right. 3) Take two steps forward. 4) Turn left …."

You will be the rover "operator." Assign roles to your two volunteers. One of them will be the "rover," and one will be the "messenger."

Procedure

Place the "rover" at the start location in the first room. This person now has to close their eyes and keep them closed. No peeking!

Go into the other room with the messenger. Make sure you can't see the rover.

Whisper your first command to the messenger. Make sure you are quiet enough that the rover can't hear you.

The messenger should now walk (not run) to the other room and tell the command to the rover. The rover should follow the

command exactly, but have them be careful to walk very slowly (to avoid any stubbed toes or bumped shins). The messenger should stay in the room with the rover while the rover is moving.

The messenger should then return to you to get the next command and repeat the process.

You aren't allowed to change the commands – stick to what you wrote down!

Keep sending commands, one at a time, until the rover reaches the finish location or until it "crashes" (for example, by bumping into a piece of furniture or a wall).

If your rover made it to the finish, congratulations! Now you can switch roles or try adding more obstacles to make the path longer or more complicated. How complicated can you make the path before your rover crashes?

If your rover crashed, don't worry! Talk to your volunteers to try and figure out what went wrong. For example, maybe your steps aren't the same size. In that case you might need to modify your directions to say, "take big steps" or "take small steps," then try again. How many tries does it take to get your rover from start to finish without crashing?

What happened?

You might find this activity surprisingly difficult at first! It might be tempting to cheat and modify your commands halfway through, or the rover might want to open their eyes. You might run into problems, such as the rover's steps being bigger or smaller than yours, or the rover not making exactly 90-degree turns. It's important to "calibrate" the rover's motions so you get the results you expect when you issue commands. The same concept applies to the real Mars rovers: to carefully plan a path, scientists need to know exactly how far they will move or turn when they issue a command.

(Ben Finio, PhD, Science Buddies)

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

New GECOM CEO

Commissioner optimistic discussions can conclude by weekend

Former GECOM Deputy CEO Vishnu Persaud

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iscussions on the appointment of a Chief Elections Officer (CEO) for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will continue on Friday and according to one Commissioner, he is optimistic that they can conclude at that point in time.

Former GECOM Deputy CEO Vishnu Persaud and former Jamaican electoral official Leslie Harrow were interviewed by the seven-member Commission for the position of GECOM CEO on Monday, during which the candidates were asked questions about their academic qualifications and experience and tested on their electoral knowledge.

When GECOM met on Tuesday to discuss their thoughts on the performance of the candidates during the interviews, a decision was made to continue those talks on Friday. This is according to Commissioner Sase Gunraj.

This will in turn put GECOM one step closer

to appointing a new CEO. Additionally, Gunraj explained that the submission of scores and the appointment of a Deputy CEO will be discussed on Friday.

“All of that (submission of scores by Commissioners) will be deliberated on by Friday. I am hoping that we could complete these deliberations by Friday. I don’t know if we can have a decision, but I’m hoping we can have a conclusion of the discussions,” Gunraj said.

While GECOM has received the outstanding academic certificates of Persaud, Gunraj said that Harrow’s certificates are still outstanding. According to Gunraj, the Jamaican has a deadline of today to submit those.

“We received the certificates of Persaud. We’re awaiting those of Mr Harrow.

He has a deadline of tomorrow (today) and we’re meeting on Friday. We did not discuss in any material detail the matter today (of appointing the CEO),” the Attorneyat-law explained.

The seven-member Commission is composed of Sase Gunraj, Bibi Shadick and Manoj Narayan on the Government side and Vincent Alexander, Charles Corbin and Desmond Trotman on the Opposition side and Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, who can act as the tie breaker during a vote if necessary.

Based on their responses during Monday’s interview, the candidates were scored by each Commissioner.

These score sheets will now have to be submitted by

GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj

each commissioner to the GECOM Chair. A source had previously informed this publication that the decision on the next CEO could very well come down to a vote.

Reports are that in the past, appointees to the CEO or DCEO post were hired based on an interview with the Commission, during which they would be evaluated and ranked based on a score sheet. The candidate with the highest score would be appointed.

Persaud, who was employed as GECOM’s DCEO from 2014 to 2017, was overlooked for appointment when he sought to return to the position in 2018.

In fact, his non-appointment sparked controversy and even an investigation by the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), which had concluded six months after that he was overlooked and was more qualified than the person who was chosen over him for the position, Roxanne Myers.

On the other hand,

news reports in Jamaica revealed that Leslie Harrow was up until May employed as Head of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in Jamaica. He previously served in several junior and senior positions at the Electoral Commission of Jamaica over his 18-year tenure there.

When GECOM had put out the advertisements to fill these positions in October, over a dozen persons – both local and foreign – had applied for the post of CEO. With the shortlisting of Persaud and Harrow, GECOM Information Technology Manager Aneal Giddings; GECOM Assistant Registration Officer and former ERC Commissioner Deodat Persaud, Dr Kurt Clarke

Former Jamaican electoral official Leslie Harrow

from Texas, and Eugene Godfrey Petty from St Kitts were removed from the race for the new GECOM CEO. Meanwhile, the electoral body is also looking to fill several other key senior positions within the Elections

Secretariat including Assistant Chief Elections Officer, Chief Accountant, Legal Officer, Logistics Officer, and Civic and Voter Education Manager.

These posts are being filled following the removal of CEO Keith Lowenfield; his Deputy, Roxanne Myers, and Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo. They were on August 12 dismissed from their respective posts at the Elections Commission.

The embattled trio is currently before the courts facing a number of electoral fraud 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. (G3)

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Judge refuses Basil Williams’s application to recuse self from libel suit ee.

Former Attorney General Basil Williams, SC

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inding no likelihood of bias in her presiding over a libel suit filed against former Attorney General Basil Williams, SC, by his successor Anil Nandlall, SC, Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry has denied an application by the former for her to recuse herself from hearing the matter.

Williams’s application has its origin in a libel suit filed against him on April 4, 2017 by Nandlall, who sought damages for slanderous statements he alleged Williams made about him at a press conference. Nandlall, in a Statement of Claim, complained that Williams said he would be charged criminally for missing law books unaccounted for during his previous tenure as Attorney General between 2011 and 2015. Nandlall was subsequently charged in 2017 with the offence of larceny by bail-

The charge, which was withdrawn by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in October 2020, had alleged that between May 18 and May 29, 2015, while being a bailee in his capacity as Attorney General, Nandlall fraudulently converted 14 Commonwealth Law Reports valued at $2.3M, property of the Ministry of Legal Affairs, to his own use and benefit. Nandlall had always denied the allegation, stating that the charge was politically motivated and as a result of him constantly criticising Williams’s performance as Attorney General.

Williams, on the other hand, had always denied the libel action, and in his defence, contended that at the time of the making of the statements, he was speaking in his capacity as Attorney General, the custodian of State assets, and had a duty to give transparent answers.

He said that the filing of the charge against Nandlall establishes his defence of truth and fair comment on a matter of public interest.

He had complained of Justice Sewnarine-Beharry granting several adjournments when the libel suit came up for hearing, and that she halted the case on December 5, 2019, pending the determination of the criminal charge against Nandlall. Williams argued that the decision taken by the Judge to stay the hearing of the claim until the criminal

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC

charge against Nandlall concluded raises the likelihood of bias on the part of the Judge.

He also argued that it predetermines issues raised by him as the court attached greater importance to the outcome of the charge rather than the charge itself. He also contended that there is a great disparity in the award of costs by Justice SewnarineBeharry against him compared with awards against Nandlall, which raises the appearance of bias.

However, Justice Sewnarine-Beharry held that her decision to stay the proceedings was in furtherance of the overriding objective of the court to do justice to the parties. She said it was also in keeping with the court’s responsibility to actively manage cases in accordance with the Civil Procedure Rules of 2016.

“In this regard, Rule

25.02(1)(c)(iv) empowers the court in actively managing cases to stay the whole or part of any proceedings generally, or until a specified date or event. It is of particular importance that this decision of 5 December 2019 was not appealed,” the Judge noted in a ruling delivered on Monday.

Addressing the issue of disparity in the award of costs, Justice Sewnarine-Beharry found that Williams’s contention was unmeritorious, while noting that she had awarded more costs to him and not Nandlall. In concluding, the Judge said that an informed, fair-minded and reasonable observer would not, in all of the circumstances of this particular case, have formed an objective opinion that there was a real likelihood that she might not bring an impartial and unprejudiced mind to the resolution of the suit.

The Judge said that Williams’s “doubts and fears are not objectively justified to the requisite standard”.

As such, she dismissed his application seeking her recusal from hearing the case.

Williams was ordered to pay $150,000 in costs to the Attorney General on or before January 14, 2022.

According to the Judge, in determining the quantum of costs to be awarded, she considered that the applications filed by Williams appear to be attempts to stall and/or delay the hearing of the substantive claim, which is ripe for hearing, and ought not to be encouraged.

Govt commits to holding LGE at earliest possible time – Minister Dharamlall

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ocal Government and Regional Development Minister, Nigel Dharamlall said the Government remains committed to holding Local Government Elections (LGE) at the soonest possible time.

In an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Tuesday, the Minister added that while the Government had hoped to hold the elections this year, it has recognised that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) does not have the mechanisms in place to proceed with elections at this time.

“GECOM conducts the elections, but they are not

in a position to conduct any election until such time that they have a functioning Secretariat. They also have quite a number of things to do as part of the election process, which includes voter education, training of polling staff and even getting the list in order and the printing of ballots. So, none of those things happened at GECOM in the last 12 months,” he explained.

He stressed that despite these minor setbacks, the Government will continue to provide the necessary support needed to allow the Administration to fulfil its commitment to democracy.

“The possibility for Local Government Elections (LGE)

will have to be determined based on how GECOM prepares itself. So, as soon as they are in a state of readiness, we’d be happy to nominate a date, but we would like the elections to be held as soon as it is practical… And so, we had budgeted for the hosting of the elections and we will continue to budget for it next year as well.”

In August last year, the Guyana Police Force launched an investigation into the roles of Deputy Chief Elections Officer of GECOM, Roxanne Myers; Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, and Returning Officer of Region Four, Clairmont Mingo, during the protract-

ed period following the March 2, General and Regional Elections.

Those individuals have since been removed from the elections body and the Commission is currently securing new officers to fill the posts.

The Local Government Ministry was allocated $1.1 billion in the 2021 national budget to facilitate the election. From this amount, $237.7 million was slated to offset the costs of printing 500,000 ballots, among other materials. Some $285.7 million was budgeted for voter education, and $135.7 million, for the training of elections staff.

To choose or not to choose…

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…PNC’s Leader our Eyewitness doesn’t know how much of this tension he can take. Will the PNC be choosing its leader this Saturday, or not?! It’s less than three weeks to Christmas, for Chrissake! Don’t these people know that we Guyanese have our eyes firmly stuck on the upcoming festivities?? There’s that regular “seasoning” of the black cake that must be attended to. The setting of the ginger beer…the garlic pork…stringing of the fairy lights… and not to mention worrying where the money gonna come from to pay for all the aforementioned necessities of (Christmas) life!!

Your Eyewitness and the rest of Guyana were PROMISED that the Congress would be over with by this weekend SPECIFICALLY because of the concerns expressed above.

So, it’s not like the PNC brass didn’t know the dilemma they’d be creating if, by today, they don’t announce that there would be no change to the schedule!! But the moment they picked the CHIEF ELECTION OFFICER in the personage of Vincent Alexander to DECIDE as to whether the “logistics” can be in place, he knew that “things na regulah”!! You don’t bring in a big gun (a cannon?) like Vincent unless something big’s going down!!

The first signal that the vaunted “PNC Democracy” implied by electing, not “selecting”, their leaders - might have some kinks was the (forced) resignation of three members of the Accreditation Committee because they had skin in the game. Distrust had crept into the PNC Garden of Eden!! Now we’re hearing those arrangements to facilitate the virtual voting from all the ten regions because of the COVID RESTRICTIONS mightn’t be in place.

But this doesn’t make sense, does it? This is supposed to be a party-in-the-wings to run a country with the oil play of the millennium, and they can’t arrange a virtual event involving a few thousand persons?? No wonder they couldn’t lobby Congress to approve their elections’ rigging!!

No, it can’t be that!! Vincent isn’t needed to clean up an internet communication challenge. More likely than not, the front runners fear that a fix for one or the other of them is in the works, and they need someone of Vincent’s stature to legitimise whatever decision is made going forward. As, for instance, we’ll know by this afternoon whether or not the Congress would be “postponed until the 1st quarter of 2022”.

Your Eyewitness hopes there’s no postponement, and the PNC gets a new Leader this Saturday. Power abhors a vacuum even more than Mother Nature, and it would be a disaster for Guyana if these Facebook warriors have to lead the PNC constituency for three more months!!

These poor souls deserve better!! …to celebrate Christmas Now, if there’s one festival that has transcended its moorings, it has to be Christmas. No…your Eyewitness isn’t talking about what goes on in Guyana, where nonChristians will have more “fairy lights” in their yards and trees than the true believers twice-born!! He wants to remind one and all how this Christian celebration all came about. The first clue you have is that fir trees, snow and “ice apples” weren’t around in Bethlehem where Jesus was said to’ve been born!!

The festival was inspired by traditions from the Romans, Celtics, Norse, Druids, and more (all pagan). At the time, all of these different groups shared one big celebration that just happened to fall around Christmas time – the winter solstice. Around 336 CE, the Roman Emperor Constantine had converted to Christianity and incorporated the Pagan celebrations as part of Christian observances.

After they conquered the rest of Europe, the custom followed. So, will we see Cumfa and Divali as “Christian Festivals” in the next century? …to remember Pearl Harbour Your Eyewitness quotes FDR: “YESTERDAY, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the USA was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”

Is the “infamy” still alive?

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

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T

ime is running out to finish your holiday shopping.

Here’s a list of great Christmas gift ideas to help you out.

BrüMate Hopsulator Slim

No one likes a warm beer or seltzer, right?

BrüMate has a whole line of insulated coozies that are designed to keep your favourite beverages colder longer, so you don’t need to rush through drinking them or risk them getting warm. You can find ones that work for slim cans (like White Claw and Bud Light), bottles, mixed drinks, pint cans and more.

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FROM PAGE 9

Royal Craft Wood bamboo cheese board

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hristmas celebrations include spending time with the family, decorating the entire house, inside and out and shopping, for friends and relatives. Spending Christmas with the family is very important. On this day, all family members spend time in baking cookies, making fudge and preparing a big Christmas dinner, with all the trimmings. The children love to see each other and spend the day playing games and sharing their new gifts and toys that Santa Claus brought for each of them.

Everyone feels fortunate to have their family at Christmas time.

The year’s most celebrated holiday on December 25th is important both for homes and churches worldwide. The meaning for Christmas is to recognise Christ’s birth, of which the exact date is not known.

Whether you know someone who just moved into a new home or have some new friends who are always hosting parties, a charcuterie platter is a great gift. This

one has slots for crackers and nuts, and an area for the fruit and cheese. It comes with four stainless steel knives that hide away when they aren’t in use.

Instant Vortex 5.7-quart air fryer

Casetify cases

Casetify offers a wide variety of cases for iPhones, Android phones, MacBooks, headphones and more. You can pick from one of many

designs the company offers or you can opt to customise a case of your own with a name, initials, favourite colours and so on.

Grid Studio framed electronics

The celebration of Christmas incorporates: Holiday greenery Evergreens, the symbol of eternal life, have long been used for Christmas time decorations. The Christmas wreath represents everlasting life and God’s endless love for us. Holly is the most known Christmas greenery, and there are several legends about it, one is that Jesus’ crown was made of holly, and the holly berries represented his blood. the Christmas tree The Christmas tree is an evergreen trimmed with lights, decorations, and tinsel, is derived from a “paradise tree”, or the tree in the Garden of Eden. The use of the Christmas tree began early in the 17th century, in Strasbourg, France, spreading from there through Germany and then into northern Europe.

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Air fryers are extremely popular this year and there are a ton of choices out there. Instant (the company that makes the Instant Pot) has a 5.7-quart air

fryer that has a non-stick basket and a digital touchscreen. That’s a large enough capacity to cook fries, chicken, veggies and much more with ease.

While it may not be a traditional “electronics” gift, any tech enthusiast should love to have one of these framed gadgets on their wall.

Grid Studios takes apart old devices and frames them

with their insides laid out for everyone to see. There are previous-gen iPhone models, Android phones and even some retro handheld gaming consoles. Grab one now, before it’s too late.

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Caribbean Christmas

FROM PAGE 10

well as the present form of Christmas. Christmas poems impart a deep religious feeling and give a persistent invitation to open our minds and hearts to the mystery of God incarnate.

– Unique traditions from across the region

Christmas gifts

The exchange of Christmas gifts is a cause for much wild excitement and celebration. Thus, gift giving and merriment fills the holiday season of Christmas.

Christmas costumes

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Santa Claus

Christmas in St Lucia t Lucians celebrate the holiday season with a burst. Many young boys fashion bamboo stalks into homemade cannons using kerosene, sticks, and a bottle lamp, and compete with one another to get the loudest explosions. There is also the Festival of Lights and Renewal, which begins December 13, and features a lantern-making competition and the decoration of towns and villages with lights. The celebration honours the patron saint of light, St Lucy, with a switching on of the Christmas lights and a lantern-making competition.

The beginning of gift giving during Christmas started from the three wise men, with their three gifts for the Christ child. Since then, people have made up different things to tell their children where their Christmas presents came from.

The historical Saint Nicholas was known in early Christian legends for saving storm-tossed sailors, standing up for children, and giving gifts to the poor.

Christmas in St Vincent & the Grenadines Nationals of Vincent & the Grenadines celebrate the annual Nine Mornings Festival each Christmas. Every morning starting nine days before Christmas, locals wake up before dawn and fill the streets to participate in a range of celebratory activities, from sea baths to costumed dances to bicycle rides.

On Christmas day, the year’s greatest feast is served. The feast is started off with drinks and music, followed by a procession of the food. Once everyone is seated, the food is served and eaten, after dessert, people drink and dance. Some of the food that are generally served include: beef, meat pies, roasted duck, geese, pigs, plumb porridge, fancy cakes, bowls of wassail, and toast.

Christmas in the Bahamas The Bahamas’ most treasured and well-known tradition is Junkanoo on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, where masked revelers sing, dance, and drum their way through town streets in an exuberant parade.

Christmas in Grenada Every year, the Carriacouan Parang Festival is held the weekend before Christmas. Free open-air concerts feature parang bands (calypso-like music using drums, maracas, mandolins, guitars, tambourines and more) from throughout Grenada. After the daytime celebrations, the parang bands go house-to-house playing carols and entertaining neighbors well into the night.

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The Christmas feast

Christmas decorations

Centuries ago, Romans decorated their homes, public buildings, and temples on festive occasions, and we have followed this ancient custom. During Christmas time, store windows, malls, streetlights, and parking lot poles are decorated to celebrate this joyous time filled with shopping, gift giving, and happiness.

Christmas Eve celebration

The day before Christmas, Christmas Eve celebration begins on the evening of December 24. On this day, the Christmas tree is manifested

in its glory; and the Midnight masses is originally celebrated by the Pope towards midnight.

Xmas Day

Christmas day is a holiday shared and celebrated by one and all.

It is a day that has an effect on the entire world, causing people to decorate their homes and churches, cut down trees and bring them into their homes, decking them with silver and gold.

The tradition of gifting

The tradition of gifting is the most important custom attached to Christmas. To many people, it is a favourite time of the year involving gift giving, parties and feasting.

Christmas songs

Christmas songs stand as one of the most important pillars of holiday music. The vast collection of Christmas songs prompts a lot of lovers of Christmas music to fall in love with it.

Christmas carols

A great way for getting into the Christmas spirit, Christmas carols are one of the greatest charms of this season and exudes a warmth, generosity and good will that is always welcome everywhere.

Christmas poems

Christmas poems celebrate the traditional as

As Christmas is the season of attending parties that have unique and distinct themes, Christmas costumes play a very important role during the celebration of Xmas.

Christmas bells

The Christmas bells form an integral part of the festival. In the Catholic and the Anglican churches, the service begins at sunset and any service delivered after sunset is regarded as first service and is indicated by the ringing of bells.

Christmas hymns

Christmas hymn or carol is a song based on the Christmas theme. The lyrics of a Christmas carol, hymn or noel are very meaningful and based on the Christmas festival and sung during the festive season.

Christmas parade

Santa Claus parade takes place in many countries to commemorate the beginning of the Christmas season and it marks the advent of Santa Claus, who also participates in the parade.

Christmas wedding

Having a wedding during Christmas is a very romantic idea and with thoughtful planning a couple can save a lot on decorations

Christmas angels

The Christmas angels form an integral part of celebrations and there are many stories that revolve around them.

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Caribbean Christmas...

Christmas in Jamaica Jamaicans celebrate by going to church, exchanging gifts with their families, and gathering for a large meal. Dinner on Christmas Day, the biggest feast for Jamaicans, includes chicken, oxtail, curry goat, roast ham, and rice and gungo peas. (Gungo peas, a Christmas specialty for Jamaica, usually ripen in December.

Throughout the rest of the year cooks use red peas with the rice.) Jamaicans also prepare roast beef and/or pork as well. Another holiday specialty is Jamaican-style Christmas cake made of fruit soaked in rum. The drink of choice for Jamaicans during the Christmas season is sorrel. Made from dried sorrel (a meadow plant), cinnamon, cloves, ginger, sugar, orange

peel, and rum, the beverage is usually served over ice. The music of the season reflects local culture, so it’s not surprising that reggae Christmas carols add a Jamaican twist to old favorites.

Christmas in the Dominican Republic For those living outside the cities in the Dominican Republic, groups of singers stroll through the neighborhood singing traditional Dominican folk songs about Christmas.

Christmas in Puerto Rico In Puerto Rico, you’ll hear American carols, “Feliz Navidad” by Jose Feliciano and the traditional posada song early in the month. In homes, kitchen tables are cleared and women gather to form the assembly lines that will

prepare dozens of pasteles. The men must make the local lechonera, or the traditional suckling pigs are slow-roasted over hardwood fires. Blood-sausage morcilla is also prepared from the pig’s innards, and arroz con gandules — rice and pigeon peas, fragrant with annatto and seasoned with cooking ham is served at Christmas. The meal is finished off with small glasses of coquito, the Puerto Rican eggnog that comes in seemingly endless variants.

Christmas in Barbados After unwrapping gifts and demolishing the Christmas meal, Barbadians might retire to the Queen’s Park for the annual Police Band concert.

Christmas in the French Caribbean The Christmas season lasts longest for the French islands, which continue to celebrate until Three Kings’ Day on January 6, commemorating “les Rios” or the coming of the Three Wise Men. This is the day when people everywhere take down their Christmas trees, even in islands where the date is not significant.

Christmas in Belize Belizeans are entertained by John Canoe bands with their costumed drummers, chanters and dancers at Christmas and their Christmas trees decorations come mainly from the Mountain Pine Ridge in Belize. A holiday favorite in Belize is a rum-and-eggnog concoction called “Rum Popo.”

Christmas in Trinidad and Tobago Parang is also a festival held at Christmas time in Trinidad. The instruments used by parang bands include the bass drum, iron, guitar, quarto, violin, maracas (shack-shack), mandolin, saxophone, tambourine. Songs use calypso-like themes. Christmas music now also includes Parang Soca (introduced around 1978), a blend of soca music and parang; Trinidad’s Christmas cuisine include the usual Caribbean favorites, but also pastelles (cornmeal pasties filled with meat, olives, capers and raisins, steamed in banana leaves) and stewed pigeon peas. Ponche de crema (a kind of eggnog with added rum) is also very popular.

Christmas in Guyana Christmas in Guyana used to feature masqueraders going door to door wearing ghost-like costumes and dancing for money.

Costumes included Long-lady – nicknamed Boom Sally or Mother Sally – a figure in a flowing skirt on tall stilts and with the face of a woman and the Cow, a wood-and-fabric structure in the shape of a cow that had an opening for a man to place it around him. One of their popular chants was: “Christmas come but once a year. And every man must have his share but the poor man in the jail. Drinking sour ginger beer.”

The food preparation in Guyana starts way before the day for black cake, ginger beer and garlic pork. Other special items include pepper pot, which is a must on Christmas morning.

Christmas in Haiti Traditionally, a few days before Christmas, Haitians would cut pine branches to serve as Christmas trees or they would go to the market and get freshly cut trees brought from the mountains. At the base of the Christmas tree, they would add a fairly large nativity scene which could occupy a large part of the living room. They depicted a cave manger, with Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the wise men, and sculptured stable animals complete with hay.

On Christmas Eve, the children would place their shoes, nicely cleaned up and filled with straw, on the porch or under the Christmas tree for Papa Noel (Santa Claus) to remove the straw and put his presents in and around the shoes.

Many Haitians drink anisette on Christmas Eve which is a mild alcoholic beverage prepared by soaking “anise” leaves in rum and sweetening

FROM PAGE 12

it with sugar.

Christmas in Montserrat A number of celebrations converge around Christmas time in Montserrat including the house-to-house caroling, masquerade competitions (including Moko Jumbie, “bull man” etc.) and a Miss Montserrat show. The traditional fare at Christmastime is roast pig, goat water (stewed goat meat), goat meat cooked on a wood fire, potato pudding and dooknah.

Christmas in St Kitts and Nevis St Kitts has a carnival over the Christmas holidays – one huge party with music and dancing in the streets. It features calypso, steel bands, the big drum and fife corps, masquerade and children’s dancing troupes, the Bull, Mocko Jumbies, clowns and string bands. Festive foods include black pudding, goat water, conchs, Johnny cakes, and roti.

There are also competitions such as the Queen Show, the Calypso Monarch Competition and the Caribbean Talented Teen Competition.

Christmas in Suriname In Suriname, Christmas begins early.

Children put out cookies and milk for Goedoe Pa (or Dearest Daddy) and his servants who would be busy delivering gifts throughout the country. Goedoe Pa is a black man and his servants are also black. He and his servants leave the children’s presents next to their shoes on the morning of December 6th, with poems attached to the gifts. Surinamese celebrate Christmas Day and the following day, December 26th, called Tweede Kerstdag.

Christmas in Guadeloupe Midnight Mass is obligatory for the religious, and the French tradition of a réveillon, or a late-night meal, is the norm for many in this Caribbean-French département.

Pig is the centerpiece of the Christmas meal in Guadeloupe as well. Ham often has the place of pride at the table, but often it is a fresh ham that is closer to roast pork. Riz aux pois Congo, or rice with Congo peas, is another standby, but at times that is replaced with riz aux yeux noire — black-eyed peas and rice. There is also the shrubb beverage here, prepared from local rum infused with sweet spices like cinnamon and clove and further perfumed with macerated clementine peels.

NEWS

PNC Congress leadership elections

Harmon, Norton campaign despite possibility of postponement

Joseph Harmon

Aubrey Norton

Vincent Alexander

t least two candidates vying for the leadership of the People’s National Congress-Reform (PNCR) are preparing for the holding of the party’s Congress this Saturday, despite the possibility of that long-awaited event being postponed.

Vincent Alexander has been appointed Chief Elections Officer for that party’s Biennial Congress, which was set for December 11. The PNC’s Congress was last held in 2018, when current Leader David Granger was returned unopposed as party Leader.

This time around, Granger is out of the race, amid much internal pressure from within the party for him to step down after the PNCled APNU+AFC coalition was booted out of executive office after one term – which was also dramatically cut short when one of its own members

supported a no-confidence motion brought by the then PPP/C Opposition.

Vying for leadership now are Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon and other party executives Aubrey Norton, Dr Richard Van West-Charles, and Basil Williams.

Contacted for a comment on reports about the possibility of Congress being postponed, Harmon explained that such a determination is “premature”. He explained that “the Central Executive Committee (CEC) appointed Mr Vincent Alexander to be the chief elections officer for these elections, and that the CEC asked, by way of a motion, that Mr Alexander assess the readiness and preparedness of the party in all of the regions to be able to successfully hold these elections on December 11.”

Against this backdrop, the Opposition Leader rea-

soned, Alexander has until Thursday to present his findings, and he said PNC officials must await that report.

“We have to await Mr Alexander’s report. So, any talks about postponement at this time is a little premature,” Harmon explained.

Nevertheless, Harmon noted that, as a candidate in these elections, he is still preparing for Congress on December 11. He noted, too, that he is confident Alexander would make the right call on the hosting of the PNC Congress.

“Mr Alexander is a very experienced person where these matters are concerned, and when his name came up as the person who was recommended, I fully supported that recommendation, and I would basically rely on his determination as to whether or not we should go ahead on the 11th or not,” Harmon said.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Meanwhile, Norton, when contacted by this media entity, contended, “I know nothing about a postponement”.

According to Norton, as far as he is aware, the PNC Congress is on for December 11, and he and his team are preparing for such.

In the first stage of the congress, elections will be held for the Leader, Chairman, Vice Chairpersons and Treasurer.

In the second stage, there will be an election for the members of the Central Executive Committee.

Harmon’s candidacy is supported by several Members of Parliament and party members who attended his campaign launch that was streamed live on the PNCR Facebook page. These include Coretta McDonald, Roysdale Forde, Ganesh Mahipaul and Annette Ferguson.

Meanwhile, Dr Van WestCharles’s candidacy has been endorsed by several PNCR members, including prominent leaders in Linden, among whom are Sharma Solomon and former PNC Parliamentarian Vanessa Kissoon.

Reports also indicate that Norton has the backing of current PNC Chair Volda Lawrence, who is said to have turned down her nomination for the post of Leader.

3 MoH staff charged for forging COVID-19 vaccination booklets

Andel Valentine

T

Teneka Pollard

hree staff from the Ministry of Health were charged on Tuesday for forging COVID-19 vaccination booklets.

Andel Valentine, 32, a Ministry of Health (MoH) screening personnel of La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD); Teneka Pollard, 29, a nurse of Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD), and Olivia Bonus, 21, a nurse, were charged with forgery of a document with the intent to defraud the public.

This is in violation of Section 278 of the Criminal Law Offences Act Chapter 8:01.

The trio appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman

Olivia Bonus

at the Diamond Magistrates’ Court, where they were not required to plead and were placed on $150,000 bail each.

Valentine and Pollard were arrested on Friday last, by a party of Police and charged with the offence of forgery of documents with the intent to defraud the public, committed by the Public Justice, which occurred between Monday, March 1, 2021, and Friday, December 3, 2021, at various vaccination centres on the EBD. Bonus was also arrested on Friday and charged on Tuesday with the offence.

The matter was adjourned until January 20, 2022.

16 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Eve Leary fire

Construction works ongoing at DPP’s Office

Construction works are ongoing at the DPP’s Office

S

everal offices within the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) are currently under reconstruction following the November 20 fire which completely destroyed the Police Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).

That building also housed the Police Headquarters Barracks, the DPP’s Office, and the Construction Section of the Police Force. However, the DPP’s Office was saved from the blaze, but a few offices were destroyed.

As the fire ripped through the OPR’s office, several files

from the DPP’s Office were taken to safety. At one point, staffers were seen throwing scores of files from the upper flat of the building outside.

Filing cabinets were loaded onto Police vehicles and taken to safety. The DPP’s Office, however, received minor structural damage.

Shortly after the blaze, Public Relations Officer at the DPP’s Office, Liz Rahaman, told this publication that the office would remain closed indefinitely, “until we can sort ourselves out”.

She was at the time referring to the thousands of case files and criminal records that were in disarray as a result of efforts to save them. Fortunately, the office was able to save all its files, which are mostly paper-based.

Contacted on Tuesday for an update on the situation, Rahaman related that while the hardest task of sorting out the files is over, the office still has a long way to go in becoming fully functional. “…we still have a very, very long way to go to get back fully functional. Every day we come in, there is a task at hand to be complet-

The state of an office inside the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions

ed. Every day we tackle the task, and every day we are getting through a little by little.”

Questioned whether the office would be back up and running within a few weeks, Rahaman said, “I’m not going to put a timeline to it.”

She had earlier told this publication that the disorganised files would not affect the cases pending before the Criminal Assizes of

Thousands of files have been reorganised and packed into filing cabinets

the Supreme Court, as the respective State Counsel would appear in court as per normal.

The records kept at the office included those for matters for the Criminal Assizes in the counties of Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo; cases being prosecuted by Police prosecutors before the Magistrates’ Courts, and records for cases that have been completed.

The fire has greatly affected the day-to-day functioning of the DPP’s Office, as many cases before the courts had to be rescheduled. This newspaper was informed of a few instances in which Police prosecutors attached to the DPP’s Chambers requested adjournments until in the new year for cases they were handling before the Magistrates’ Courts.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana receives another 42, 120 doses of Pfizer G

uyana has received its third batch of Pfizer vaccines from the COVAX facility – a shipment that amounted to 42,120 doses.

The COVID vaccines arrived at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport on Monday evening in the presence of Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony and stakeholders including United States Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch; British High Commissioner Jane Miller; Canadian High Commissioner, Mark Berman; and Officer in Charge of PAHO/World Health Organisation, Daniel Albert.

“COVAX, as a mechanism, has really worked for developing countries, so not only we have benefitted but many countries across the world would have benefitted from these donations,” Dr Anthony stated.

The Pfizer vaccines are currently being used to vaccinate children between the ages of 12 and 17; and pregnant women. With the continuous increase in infections among pregnant women, the Health Minister called on this subset to take the vaccines. In the meantime, the Health Ministry is

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony and members of the diplomatic corps receiving the vaccines

seeking to disaggregate the population to detect existing challenges, while working to dispel myths surrounding COVID vaccines.

“The 12 to 17 remains a challenge for us and we’re working to make sure that the out-of-school youths have access and they understand the importance of getting vaccinated. We have a strategy in trying to get that done. We still see a lot of pregnant women who

are hesitant to be vaccinated. They have concerns that perhaps if they get the vaccination during pregnancy that somehow it may affect their child. We have been working with the obstetricians to try and dispel those myths,” Dr Anthony said in his brief.

He also highlighted the emergence of the new Omicron variant as a variable that should amplify reasons for vaccination.

“This virus is constantly mutating because it’s

how viruses behave and we now have a variant to contend with, that’s Omicron…

We are still trying to figure out how that is going to behave but certainly, we have to still take the precautions and those precautions include getting vaccinated.”

The US Ambassador noted that the COVAX mechanism and her Government by extension have donated a significant percentage of vaccines to Guyana’s immunisation campaign.

“This brings the total up now to more than 308,000 vaccines donated through the COVAX mechanism to Guyana and in addition, there have been another 143,000 Pfizer vaccines donated by the United States to Guyana. That donation really helped get the children back in school so we’re proud of that,” the diplomat

articulated.

Even with adequate vaccines, Lynch expressed that the onus is upon citizens to save lives by getting vaccinated.

“As we all know, it’s not over. The pandemic continues. The fight’s not over and we need to continue to work very hard to get this across the finish line. We need to now make sure that vaccines turn into vaccination.

It is very important that people get vaccinated.”

COVAX is a partnership between the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI); Gavi – the Vaccine Alliance; the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

TURN TO PAGE 18

18 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Ramsammy’s Ruminations Unvaccinated woman dies Guyana’s LCDS is a global from COVID, 44 new positives best practice – now Harvard

…hospitalised maternity cases reduced to zero

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD DECEMBER 7, 2021 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

44

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

50

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

867 16

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

4

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

20,228

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

18,033

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

38,261

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

36,319

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED FULLY IMMUNISED

404,122 283,505

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

1009

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

1681

REGION 2

1567

REGION 3

5139

REGION 4

17,901

REGION 5

1433

REGION 6

3425

REGION 7

1783

REGION 8

621

REGION 9

2475

REGION 10

2236

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.

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69-year-old woman is the latest person to succumb to the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19), moving the country’s total death toll to 1009.

The Health Ministry informed on Tuesday that the person, who hailed from Region 10, died on November 28. She was unvaccinated and died while seeking medical attention at one of the designated facilities.

Nevertheless, there was an increase of 44 more cases detected within the course of one day – raising the total confirmed positives to 38,261.

New statistics provided by the Ministry showed

that 16 patients remain in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 50 in institutional isolation, 867 in home isolation and four in institutional quarantine. Throughout the pandemic, 399,460 COVID tests have been conducted in which 18,033 males and 20,228 females were positive. There have been 36,319 recoveries.

The regional breakdown of new cases showed two persons testing positive in Region One (BarimaWaini); two in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); five in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); five in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica); one

in Region Five (MahaicaBerbice); four in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); one in Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni); and two in Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice).

No new cases were reported in Regions Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

There are 53 patients in hospitals across the country – of which 42 are at the Infectious Diseases Hospital. Maternal cases in hospitals have been reduced to zero.

The specialised theatre for pregnant women at the facility has since been op-

Guyana receives another...

FROM PAGE 17

The Pfizer jabs arrive in Guyana

The mechanism aims to secure 1.3 billion doses for 92 low- and middle-income countries by the end of the year. Guyana has been included among 10 countries in Latin America and

the Caribbean that are receiving vaccines at no cost through the Advance Market Commitment (AMC). Thus far, 120,000 AstraZeneca vaccines have been sent to immunise Guyanese.

erationalised while those treated at public hospitals are tested for COVID. Meanwhile, vaccination numbers show that 404,122 persons or 78.8 per cent of the adult population took a first dose while 283,505 or 55.3 per cent have taken the second doses. However, for the children category, the numbers are low.

This has resulted in Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony appealing to parents and other stakeholders to ensure that children are vaccinated against the novel virus.

“The first dose is still lagging behind at 40.5 per cent and second dose is at 28.4 per cent. We really need to do a lot of work here.

Parents, teachers, other influential people in the community need to help us to talk to young people in these communities to make sure that they get vaccinated and so that we can protect persons within this age group,” he relayed.

Statistics show that Region 10 still has the lowest vaccine uptake. Second dose coverage is 45.7 per cent in Region One, 44.1 per cent in Region Two, 53.4 per cent in Region Three, 63.2 per cent in Region Four, 56 per cent in Region Five, 53.4 per cent in Region Six, 54.5 per cent in Region Seven, 38.3 per cent in Region Eight, 55.7 per cent in Region Nine and 27 per cent in Region 10.

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

All Guyanese are reminded to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 emergency measures which emphasise the need for correct and consistent use of a face mask when leaving your home; the importance of maintaining the six feet physical distance from others; and the need for good hand hygiene.

There were donations of 3000 doses of the AstraZeneca shot from Barbados, 20,000 Sinopharm doses from China, 84,000 AstraZeneca doses from the United Kingdom and an-

other 80,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from India. The country also utilised some 146,250 PfizerBioNTech jabs to immunise the adolescent population and pregnant women, after a donation was sent from the United States Government.

Government had procured 400,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccines from Dubai and another 100,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from China.

Back in May, Guyana also made a down-payment of approximately US$7.5 million to the African Union for 150,000 doses of the Johnson and Johnson jab.

T

wants to be a partner

his week, we are reminded that Bharrat Jagdeo was designated by the UN as a Champion of the Earth. It is not something we should, or ought to, forget, because it is not just a personal accolade; it is something Guyana was, and must continue to be, proud of. But, like everything else, we got used to knowing we have an officially designated Champion of the Earth among us. Today, we are reminded that, almost 15 years ago, the UN honoured Bharrat Jagdeo, our then President, and Guyana with the title Champion of the Earth. President Bharrat Jagdeo brought honour and glory to our country.

We are reminded today of this high honour because the UN has this year chosen to honour Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Barbados with that same honour. We congratulate Prime Minister Mottley and Barbados. She has championed democracy, and has spoken out strongly Dr Leslie Ramsammy against global inequity.

Caricom must be proud of the Barbadian PM, and we must be proud that, as a Region, we have produced now two Champions of the Earth.

Bharrat Jagdeo was truly the mover and shaker of one of the world’s earliest low carbon development strategies in the early years of his presidency of Guyana. It became a model for other countries to emulate, and a strategy that the UN embraced as one of the ways to tackle global warming and climate change. In fact, Norway was convinced that the low carbon development strategy was worthy of support, and signed an agreement with Guyana to pay for carbon credit.

A new pillar for economic development was born. Today, Guyana is again taking the lead in pushing a low carbon development strategy. It is not a fly-by-night strategy; it is one that has gained international accolades. Under President Irfaan Ali, a new LCDS has been launched. Mark my word, Guyana and Caricom will produce a third Champion of the Earth soon.

Guyana had abandoned the LCDS in 2015. Guyana replaced the LCDS with a new strategy called the Green State Development Strategy. It turned out that it made us more of a laughing stock in the world. The most visible sign that there was a new “Green State” economy was that everything began to be painted green, all Government workers had to begin wearing green.

Even the State House was repainted green. Government Ministers started to wear only green shirts or green dresses. As part of the new “Green State” development strategy in 2015, Guyana abandoned the Amaila Falls Hydroelectricity Project. We also abandoned the distribution of solar panels to households in unserved electricity areas of Guyana.

At the same time, Guyana made a promise at the Paris Agreement that, by 2025, we would attain zero transmission by moving to 100% fossil-fuel-free electricity system. The truth is that we added to the fossil fuel need for Guyana’s electricity. It was a promise the whole world laughed at; it was a promise that the whole world knew we could not in any way reach, even if we were serious. Most significant is that the whole world knew we were just talking, we were not serious, and we think we could hoodwink them.

The new LCDS has resuscitated the Amaila project. Not only has the new LCDS brought back to life the Amaila Hydroelectricity Project, but we have added a number of smaller hydroelectric plants for hinterland regions, such as Moco-Moco in Region 9.

We have resuscitated the solar distribution panel programmes, and we will build several solar farm projects around larger communities to support economic projects. Guyana has now admitted that we cannot significantly reduce fossil fuel use by 2020, but our goal is now to reduce fossil fuel use by 50% by 2025, and by 70% by 2030. These are doable goals. But the new LCDS does not only have a clear goal and navigation pathway for reducing the use of fossil fuels through development of hydroand solar power, there is the plan to add wind power. In addition, Guyana expects to have a new gas-to-shore capacity built by 2025, and this will facilitate a significant reduction in Guyana’s dependency on fossil fuels.

The new LCDS has embarked on an acceleration of the Amerindian Land Titling exercise that was so dramatically abandoned by the previous Government in 2016. The Amerindian Land Titling Project was a significant outcome of the LCDS. But the LCDS funds were earmarked for this project not only because it brings the Amerindian people into Guyana’s low carbon development plan, but because it also was a condition for Guyana’s independence in 1966. However, granting titles to their land is not the only way to help our Amerindian sisters and brothers, we must create economic opportunities.

The original Amerindian Development Fund, which was essentially abandoned in 2015, has returned into the LCDS in a bigger way. The new LCDS, while seeking to maintain the pristine lives of Amerindians, also seeks to bring them into mainstream economic opportunities; promoting enterprise, entrepreneurship and business for the Amerindian people.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Agreements signed to boost cooperation, investments between Guyana & Ghana

VP Bharrat Jagdeo and Ghanaian Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia share a light moment at the signing ceremony

G

uyana’s Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, on Tuesday participated in the signing of several agreements intended to further cement relations with Ghana.

The three agreements signed include a Framework Agreement on Cooperation between the Government of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and Government of the Republic of Ghana; a Memorandum of Understanding between

the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Petroleum Commission, Ghana, on Cooperation in the Petroleum Sector of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana; and a Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Cooperation In Investment Promotion Between Guyana Office For Investment and Ghana Investment Promotion Centre.

This activity culminated a four-day visit by the

Ghanaian Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and his delegation.

On Monday, President Ali and members of his Cabinet met with the Ghanian delegation during which he stated the importance of moving beyond just growing individual businesses in either country, to the point where the private sectors of both countries can come together and pursue opportunities on the global market.

He noted that the private

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat and his counterpart signing the various agreements

sector in any country is the engine of growth, adding that red tape and bureaucracy will be removed from the process of reaching business opportunities between the two countries.

“There is no need for interlocutors. This is your opportunity in the two private sectors to have direct, meaningful engagement and advancement of the opportunities you seek to pursue. And it is our intention, that you would understand how im-

portant this is. And that you would make good use of this opportunity that exists on both sides.”

“It is not only about the opportunity that exists in Guyana. Or the opportunities in Ghana. It is how do we combine the twin power of the opportunities to become a dynamic and major player. And this is the level of engagement and thinking we want at the private sector.”

Some examples Ali cit-

ed were mining, agriculture and food security and transportation. Meanwhile, Dr Bawumia endorsed the President’s sentiments when he went to the podium and further said that the enabling environment in both countries now exists for such increased ties.

The two countries officially established diplomatic relations on May 14, 1979.

Ghana has already offered to provide support to Guyana in the area of oil and gas.

PM raps Shuman on claims about Amerindian development – maintains Govt has held consultations, been inclusive

D

eputy Speaker and leader of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), Lennox Shuman has come in for sharp criticism over his claims in a letter that the Government has not been open to dialogue on developmental issues affecting Indigenous people.

Leading the way was Prime Minister, Brigadier (retired) Mark Phillips, who issued a statement in which he recalled recent meetings he had with Shuman, where Indigenous issues were discussed.

According to Phillips, it is disappointing to see unfair claims being made against the Government.

“In this letter, Mr Shuman departs from facts to unfairly and erroneously suggest that the PPP/C Government is not open to dialogue with regard to the development of the Indigenous peoples of Guyana. Not only is this position inconsistent with the well-established track record of the PPP/C when it comes to Amerindian development throughout its tenure in office, but it runs counter to the goodwill and good faith he and I shared in our most recent engagement.”

“On October 25, 2021, at my office, Mr Shuman and I cordially discussed several matters related to Indigenous peoples’ development and the Government’s approach to bridging the digital divide and eliminating the dis-

Happier times: Prime Minister, Retired Brigadier Mark Phillips is pictured with Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Lenox Shuman on October 25, 2021

parity in quality of life between our hinterland and coastland,” Phillips said.

According to Phillips, Shuman publicly declared on social media following the meeting that “The Prime Minister iterated his Government’s commitment to taking steps to ensure Indigenous peoples are part of the develop-

ment of Guyana under the One Guyana framework and that the infrastructural needs are critical to such future plans along with ICT access among others. He was also very receptive to ideas put forth on advancing initiatives that will enhance IP’s [Indigenous peoples] presence and participation in Guyana.”

The Prime Minister also pointed out that Shuman himself admitted in his letter that he has consulted with the Government on numerous occasions. According to the Prime Minister, it is important that Shuman continues to use the correct channels whenever concerns have to be addressed, as has been done in the past.

“Our Indigenous brothers and sisters form a significant part of our country’s history and will most certainly be a part of its future and development through a considerate and consultative mechanism, as has been consistently demonstrated by successive PPP/C Governments,” Phillips said.

“The PPP/C Government will always respect the views of our Indigenous peoples. I also take this opportunity to reaffirm our Government’s commitment to the equitable development of Guyana and the improvement of the livelihoods of all Guyanese,” he added.

It was only in February during his contributions to the Budget 2021 Debates that Shuman had said that even though the proposed 2021 National Budget was not perfect, it contained far more benefits for Indigenous people than they got during the five years under the PNC-led coalition Administration.

Shuman had declared that he would not be defending the

People’s Progressive Party (PPP/ C’s) Government second budget since the budget – titled A Path to Recovery, Economic Dynamism and Resilience – defends itself.

“I do not need to defend the budget, the budget defends itself…

Considering where we are at this juncture in the country’s history and considering where we were in the last five years, the budget is not perfect. But it is to repair the damage, to stabilise the financial ground and to fortify for a better and more progressive Guyana…,” Shuman had stated.

The former Toshao had even gone on to highlight some of the budgeted projects that will benefit Indigenous communities, such as the Government’s Land Titling agenda. He had pointed to the $630 million for the revival of the Amerindian Land Titling programme and the $1.6 billion earmarked for upgrading hinterland roads There is also the PPP/C’s updated Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030, which talks of targeted support for Amerindian and other communities who depend on industries such as logging and who would likely be affected by restrictions on logging activities. According to the LCDS, 15 per cent of revenues from these forest climate services will go to Amerindian communities.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana looks forward to multi-sectoral collaboration with Spain – President Ali – as Non-Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary accredited

G

uyana is looking to collaborate with Spain in the areas of climate change, agriculture, technology, tourism, and investment, according to President Irfaan Ali. He made this announcement on Tuesday at the Office of the President where he accepted the Letters of Credence from Non-Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Spain to Guyana, Fernando Nogales Alvarez.

In accepting Ambassador Alvarez’s Letter of Credence, President Ali asked him to convey to Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, his gratitude and well wishes for continued well-being. He noted that Guyana and Spain share relations that build on mutual values and principles that shaped the nations into “who we are today”.

“It is these values that will continue to be an impetus to promote greater cooperation and interaction between our countries,” said the President.

According to President Ali, Spain has contributed to the developmental agenda of Guyana, especially through the hinterland rice and bean project. This cooperation, the Head of State added, has allowed Guyana to advance its policy agenda in the hinterland region.

Emphasising that Spain prides itself on the principles of equality and inclusiveness, the President

President Dr Irfaan Ali (third from left), Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd (second from left); the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Elisabeth Harper (extreme right); and Ambassador Fernando Nogales Alvarez (third from right)

highlighted that this has been increasingly shown through the European country’s response to challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has had on vulnerable countries.

He added that Spain’s contribution of vaccines to these nations including Guyana promotes the PPP Government’s views on vaccine diplomacy and the belief that all nations whether developed or developing must be able to access vaccines.

“Guyana thanks your Government for its kind contribution to assist in the fight against COVID-19. The pandemic has shown that we live in an interconnected world where all nations depend on each other,” President Ali told Ambassador Alvarez.

In addition, the President said that Guyana looks forward to collaborating with Spain on agriculture, climate change, technology, tourism, and investment. He said, “The strengthening of the friend-

ship between the two countries will produce fruitful dialogues and collaborations that will be beneficial to the two countries.”

Moreover, the Guyanese Head of State added that his Government recognises Spain’s interest in the Caribbean region through the Spain-Caricom cooperation mechanism. To this end, he said that Guyana will continue to advocate for closer collaboration with Spain and Caricom to forge a strong connection in the region

which will further bridge the two countries.

He said that Guyana commits to revitalising relations with Spain and that the accreditation of Ambassador Alvarez will do just that. President Ali assured Ambassador Alvarez that the PPP Government will fully support him in the discharge of his duties.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Alvarez said that Spain intends to be a bridge for dialogue and understanding between the Caribbean region, Latin America, and the European Union.

He said that his country is ready to target those sectors that promote equality, in particular to the most vulnerable countries.

According to him, while Spain experienced difficulties during the first phase of the pandemic, it ensured that it provided vaccines to those countries in need.

Ambassador Alvarez said that Spain is committed to shaping the future of Guyana, while noting that in the Spanish society, there is a very tangible interest in getting to know the Caribbean cultures.

“Your Excellency, it has been with great interest and expectation that Spain has been forwarding for a number of years, economic and very extraordinary political development in Guyana and also the role as a very active member of Caricom,” the Spanish Ambassador told President Ali.

Guyana well on its way to being regional hub for air travel – Min Edghill ...says aim is to move from 75% to over 90% in int’l aviation standards

O

n the occasion of International Civil Aviation Day, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill used the occasion to declare the progress Guyana has been making towards becoming a hub for regional air travel.

International Civil Aviation Day is being celebrated on December 7 under the theme “Advancing Innovation for Global Aviation Development”.

According to Edghill, who is the subject Minister for the aviation sector, Guyana has made significant progress towards its goal of attracting and having the capacity for increased regional air traffic.

Investments in this regard have included establishing a State Safety Programme/Safety Management System (SSP/ SMS), as well as upgrading the Communications Navigations Surveillance/ Air Traffic Management System to improve the performance of the Air Navigation System.

Efforts have also been made to enhance Air Traffic Control monitoring capabilities using the Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-8) technology at strategic locations throughout the country.

“Over the years, Government has invested

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill

significantly in modernising the air transport system. Various efforts have been Implemented by the Government through the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to ensure the highest safety and security levels of aviation,” Edghill said.

“The impact of COVID-19 not only significantly affected domestic and international passenger traffic and air freight, but also the socio-economic activities that are generated from these events. Among the sectors that directly experience this effect is the tourism and hospitality sectors, as well as other related industries,” the Minister added.

Those efforts, according to Edghill, have been paying off since Guyana’s aviation sector continues to attract investors. According to him, the expectation is that modem facilities and services would be available to match this growth in aviation traffic, particularly at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

“Hence, to make these facilities available, Government has continued its developmental agenda by expanding and modernising aviation infrastructure such as the CJIA terminal buildings, its runway and the newly commissioned Instrument Landing System (ILS) to cater for increased flights, larger aircraft, improved safety for departures, and landings.”

“These initiatives are opening opportunities for Guyana to become a regional hub for air transport. We are pleased that the Eugene F Correia International Airport is one of the busiest aerodromes within the Caribbean and South American Region with more than 130 daily departures and landings,” Edghill said in his statement.

The Minister also referenced the fact that Guyana’s implementation of the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Standards and

According to Edghill, Guyana is well on its way to being a regional hub for air transport

Recommended Practices (SARPS) has put it at a 75 per cent. According to Edghill, the goal is to reach 90 per cent implementation and above, in light of the seriousness of safety in the industry.

“Guyana was also recently recognised by the ICAO for having the highest index for Safety Oversight Capabilities among thirty-five (35) States in the South America, North America, Latin America and the Caribbean Regions, and the second highest index in the South American Region for its Air Navigation Services Safety Oversight Capabilities,” Edghill noted.

“Efforts to foster progress in aviation are also

demonstrated through our endorsement of several bilateral and multilateral air services agreements with countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa which will serve as the platform for expansion of international travel fostering tourism expansion, creation of new routes and destinations, and partnership and cooperation with other Governments and stakeholders,” he added.

International Civil Aviation Day marks the signing of the Convention on International Civil Aviation on December 7, 1944, in Chicago. Additionally, the ICAO celebrates its 77th anniversary on this date.

It was only a few days

ago that Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Lieutenant Colonel Egbert Field, had revealed that six new airlines are showing interest in starting operations in this country.

Earlier this year, reports had indicated that providers such as FlyAllWays, InterCaribbean Airways, One Caribbean Limited, JetAir Caribbean, Skybus Airlines, Sky High Aviation Services and Guyana Rotorcraft Services Inc had expressed interest in operating in Guyana.

So far, Skybus Airlines, InterCaribbean Airways and FlyAllWays have obtained approval to begin operating.

guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021

21

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS

DILBERT

(April 20May 20)

Call on friends and allies, and you'll get the backup you need to get things done on time. Use your intelligence, knowledge and experience to outmaneuver any rival.

Stay on course, regardless of what others do or say. Avoid outlandish ideas and wasteful expenditures. Pick your battles wisely and put your efforts where they will help you get ahead.

Live and learn. Use your GEMINI experience and knowledge to (May 21- work toward your dreams, June 20) hopes and wishes, and you will be satisfied with what you accomplish. Don't expect everyone to be happy for you.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Pay attention to what everyone is doing, and you'll pick up ideas that will help you get things done on time.

A change someone makes will help you and may spark a partnership.

Sit tight and take a logical approach to change. Don't try to fix what's working. Give yourself time to think and plan. Being patient and finding new ways to use what you already have will pay off.

Say only what's necessary and truthful. Don't engage in gossip or criticism. A positive attitude and suggestions will help you stir up enthusiasm and encourage others to pitch in.

Take pride in what you do to help others. Keep an open mind and offer innovative solutions to others.

Build strong alliances, and you will find the road to success. Concentrate on equality, balance and integrity.

Evaluate your lot in life and consider feasible adjustments that will get you closer to your dreams. Everything comes at a price, and putting in the effort will be necessary if you want to succeed.

SAGITTARIUS Go directly to the source, speak up and don't let anyone (Nov. 23mess with you. Situations Dec. 21) that involve controlling individuals will reveal your strengths and weaknesses.

Don't give in or give up.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Keep emotional matters to yourself, and it will be easier to go about your business without interference.

Sort out your thoughts and figure out what you will do next.

Surround yourself with people who have something to contribute. Walk away from situations that are volatile or might make you look bad. An argument will put you in a vulnerable position.

Sharing too much information will give someone (Feb. 20the edge in a competitive March 20) situation. Don't present or promote what you plan to do until you have everything in place.

PISCES

22 RHTY&SC cricket teams and friends hand over $3.7M new home to Sonaroo family WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…Florida Guyana Hope, Regal, KSM Investment, Navin Construction and Crab Wood Relief hailed for support

RHTY&SC Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster and the sponsors handing over keys to the home to Chunilall Sonaroo

RHTY&SC officials posing with representatives of the sponsors and the Sonaroo family after the presentation

he twelve cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) last Sunday joined with several donors to officially hand over a $3.7M home to Mr Chunilall Sonaroo and his family.

In attendance at the presentation, held under the chairmanship of Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster, were representatives of several donors besides Region Six Chairman David

from severe diabetes.

Several donors responded to a public plea for assistance from Foster, and construction of the new home started in less than one week after Chunilall Sonaroo had sought the RHTY&SC assistance.

The Florida Guyana Hope donated over two million dollars, while Mahadeo Panchu of KSM Investment donated 1500 of that company’s finest concrete blocks. Navin

T

Armogan.

In providing a background to the project, Foster said that in late August, he committed the cricket teams of the RHTY&SC to assisting the Sonaroo family with a home, despite the club never having been involved in such a project. This was after Chunilall Sonaroo had visited his office to plead for assistance, as the Sonaroo old home was falling apart and because his wife and only child were suffering

and Sons Construction donated free labour and the foundation, while Anil Hardyal of Regal Stationery contributed two beds, a fridge, gas cooker, three-piece chair set, kitchen table and chairs, along with an electric fan. The Crab Wood Creek Relief Committee was also involved in the project, and would shortly be donating a computer for Sonaroo’s 14-year-old daughter.

President of Florida

Guyana Hope, Mohammed Jamal Yasin, has said that his overseas-based organisation is delighted to be part of the project, which is one of several it was supporting in Guyana.

He hailed the contribution of Foster, who highlighted the plight of the family and, as such, it caught his attention.

The total cost of constructing the home and furnishing it, he disclosed, is $3.7M and he hailed the entity Navin and

Sons for their support.

Region Six Chairman David Armogan spoke on the importance of making a positive difference in the lives of the less fortunate, and hailed the work of the club and the sponsors. He committed himself to making sure that water and electricity are added to the home in the shortest possible time.

An emotional Sonaroo disclosed that he prayed a lot before visiting the office of the club, and he said that Foster was his last hope after being disappointed on numerous occasions. He stated that Foster listened to his pleas and readily agreed to assist, and that he would be forever grateful to the club and the several donors. Barely holding back tears, the 63-year-old Sonaroo pledge to take proper care of his prized new home.

The cricket teams responsible for the development of the projects were Rose Hall Town Namilco Thunderbolt Flour Under-21 and first division, along with Vitality Under-23.

EBDCA 40-Over Knockout tourney…

Balgobin’s century hands Meadow Bank comprehensive victory over Peter’s Hall

T

Stephon Wilson bagged 2-16

he action over the weekend in the East Bank Demerara Cricket Association’s 40-Over knockout competition has seen Meadow Bank Cricket Club gaining a seven-wicket win over their Peter’s Hall coun-

terparts in a one-sided affair, thanks to the scintillating batting of Ushardeva Balgobin.

Having won the toss and electing to bat first, Peter’s Hall SC posted 144/10 in 26.3 overs, inclusive of 51 extras.

Their top-scorer was Chabiraj Ramcharran, who scored 23 runs from 29 balls (2x4, 1x6).

Asif Ishak contributed 18 runs from 29 balls (1x4, 1x6) and Deonarine Dindial produced 16 runs from 15 balls (3x4).

Meadow Bank’s top bowler was Rivaldo Phillips, who took 2 wickets for 9 runs. Stephon Wilson took 2-16, and Bryion Bowen took 2-20. At the top of the order, Bowen steamed in and removed the opening batters to have the Peter’s Hall team reeling at 45-2. From there Peter’s Hall never regained their footing, as they

In reply, Meadow Bank CC raced to 146/3 in 16.1 overs, inclusive of 23 extras. Ushardeva Balgobin top scored with 102* off 58 deliveries (6x4, 9x6), while Brandon Jaikarran and Rivaldo Phillips chipped in with 13 and 12 runs respectively.

Bryion Bowen bagged two wickets at the top of the order

struggled to make runs.

Phillips and Wilson then joined forces to further dent their opponents’ hopes of making a competitive total.

T

Sherrod Ross receiving the first prize trophy on behalf of PMTC

having defeated their Rollers counterparts 28-26, 25-18, 25-22 in a best-of-five encounter at the newly refurbished Blairmont hard court.

At the end of the tournament, recipients of trophies were: * First place - PMTC

him. He demolished the total while confusing his opponents as they struggled to find their momentum. He sent every bowler to all parts of the field without regard to their bowling status, and in the end was the man to take his team over the line with ease.

200 children to benefit from GCF’s Introduction to Chess programme

PMTC wins Berbice League of Trophy Stall-sponsored volleyball tourney

he Port Mourant Training Centre (PMTC) Volleyball Team have emerged champions of the Berbice League of the Trophy Stall-sponsored volleyball tournament that was played under floodlights on Sunday December 5, 2021,

Bowling for Peter’s Hall, Deonarine Dindial took 2-28 and Gopinauth Prashad took 1-60.

SHOW-STOPPER Ushardeva Balgobin stole the show as he took control of the game, and did not allow a small total to daunt

* Second place- Rollers * MVP - Steffon Norah of PMTC * Best setter - Errol Fingall of Rollers. * Best Attacker- Ronaldo Bobb of PMTC. The Vikings team placed third in the tournament.

T

he Chess in Schools programme, an initiative launched by the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF), commenced its planned training schedule to introduce chess to 200 children at two secondary schools in Georgetown on Monday December 6th.

This initial phase of the programme seeks to introduce chess to children who have had no prior exposure to the game.

Queen’s College and St. Stanislaus College would benefit from the Chess in Schools programme, which would see students and teachers of grades 8 and 9 (forms 2 and 3) benefiting from 10 hours of training over four days, Monday to Thursday.

This introductory course was established by the

GCF in close collaboration with Queen’s College Chess Coordinator Dianne Henry and St. Stanislaus College Games Master Robert Fernandes, as well as the respective school administrations. The programme would be supervised and conducted by the Guyana Chess Federation’s Chess in Schools team.

So far, the Federation has been successful with its Introduction to Chess programme at School of the Nations, where over 150 children were introduced to the game. There are also chess classes on Sundays for children, wherein the GCF has successfully guided over 100 children past the beginner level and to more advanced classes and instruction.

The Federation is now accepting enrollment for the January and February classes, which would span 6 weeks.

This would also be for the beginner level. Despite the pandemic, the growth of chess in the 7-to-12 age group has been significant, and the Guyana Chess Federation remains committed to investing in the development of youths in the sport. The Guyana Chess Federation can be followed on Facebook and on its webpage www.guyanachess.org.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021

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23

Mohamed’s Enterprise boost GFFK&S Super-16, Futsal tournaments

GFF’s Wayne Forde presenting a signed ball to Businessman Nazar Mohamed

A

vid football supporters Mohamed’s Enterprises on Wednesday solidified their support of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF)- Kashif and Shanghai (K&S) Super-16 and Futsal tournaments which are slated

to commence within the next week.

While it was announced last Saturday that Mohamed’s Enterprises had come on board as a sponsor, the worth of that sponsorship was revealed on Tuesday during a mid-morn-

ing presentation at the company’s Lombard Street, Georgetown office. Renowned for their contribution to sport, the entity on Tuesday handed over a number of trophies as well as monetary support to representatives of the GFF

and K&S. According to owner of the enterprises, Nazar Mohamed, the company is proud to be a supporter of the tournaments, since the tournaments give youths the opportunity to express themselves meaningfully.

“It’s really an honour for us to support the Kashif and Shanghai tournament and football and sports generally in the country. We have been a very ardent supporter of sports in Guyana. We have been there for over 30 years with this particular group, and it’s really something that we are very proud of,” the businessman shared.

He added, “We know that we are operating in a COVID environment, and certainly the young people need this break, so that they can express

themselves in a more jubilant way,” In receiving the donations, GFF President Wayne Forde highlighted the Mohammed family’s commitment to sport in general, in extending his gratitude.

“I think today’s simple handing-over ceremony does not reflect the generosity of the Mohamed family towards sport and football in particular,” Forde said. “This is quite possibly the third or fourth time I’ve been here receiving their contribution to football, and I want to seize the opportunity to say from the bottom of my heart, on behalf of the young boys and girls that will be participating in this year’s football activities, ‘Thank you for your longstanding support for the game of football’.

“We certainly appreciate

what you have been doing, and we hope that your example will encourage other major players within our corporate community to come on board, and support not just football, but all disciplines that are trying to grow.”

Aside from receiving the donation, Forde revealed that all measures are in place for the grand opening of the tournament on Sunday.

“The arrangements are coming together fairly well.

All of the clubs, I believe, have submitted their registration, so we’re set to go on the 10th of December, with the official opening on the 12th,” Forde disclosed.

The Super-16 tournament will run from December 12 to January 1st, and the Futsal tournament from December 14 to January 8th.

GBBFF seeking in-person audience for Panthers win first local Rugby Seniors Bodybuilding Championships

tourney since pandemic

Rondel MacArthur making a charge during last Saturday’s final (Jemima Holmes photo) Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, posing with the winners of the Resilience Bodybuilding Competition: Julio Sinclair, Rosanna Fung, Darious Ramsammy and Ronaldo Caldeira

T

L

Godfrey Broomes (c) is almost out of the woods in pursuit of a try (Jemima Holmes photo)

ocal ruggers got a taste of competition last Saturday, when the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) hosted a oneday tournament.

It was a day filled with Rugby action, climaxing with an enthralling final between the Panthers Rugby Football Club and the Police Falcons Rugby Football Club. The end result was that the Panthers walked away with all the spoils after a 14-7 encounter.

After Osei McKenzie got the first points on the board for the Panthers, and Godfrey Broomes had two conversions and a try to extend the Pathers’ lead, Shawn David replied for the Falcons, but his collaboration with Odida Douglas wasn’t enough for a

win.

Doing an assessment of Saturday’s events, Panthers’ Rondel MacArthur said he was quite impressed with the progress the local players have been able to make, especially in anticipation of international competition returning in early 2022.

“It was a really good game today. I think the guys them actually bounce back after the two weeks where(in) we had some hiccups and we lost, but going forward, we have some other international tournaments coming up in February, so I think the more rugby that all of us play, is a good achievement or accomplishment for all of us to progress,” MacArthur shared following the final.

“Given that a lot of per-

sons out there didn’t play for two years, they’re now getting their bodies back accustomed to the knocks, getting up their fitness and stuff. So, I guess with more games, they’ll improve,” he continued.

From a club perspective, MacArthur noted that the Panthers have been looking into the possibility of scouting young talent in order to fill an existing gap.

“Actually…we’re looking to bring in a lot of youths. A lot of the elderly guys have now passed that stage. It’s a building phase, but with more games, we’ll get there.

We have some guys that have migrated, but we’re trying to work around it, given that the weather holds up,” the MacArthur has said.

he Guyana Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (GBBFF) has collaborated with its partners to bring to the hardworking athletes, the bodybuilding and fitness fraternity, and the entire Guyana its first Seniors Bodybuilding Championships for 2021 - set for December 19, 2021.

The GBBFF has written to the COVID-19 Task Force for permission to have an in-person audience for the competition, and it has been suggested that the GBBFF should implement the same guidelines and protocols that were used for the hosting of the Sports Conference, along with making it compulsory that, upon entry, attendees present their vaccination cards to substantiate that they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Permission has already been granted for use of the National Cultural Centre for the competition being spoken about, and on competition day, all athletes, backstage personnel, and executives of the GBBFF are expected to abide by all COVID-19 protocols as gazetted by the Ministry of Health. On-stage athletes would be required to stand 6 feet apart from each other, while backstage ath-

Darious Ramsammy

Julio Sinclair

letes would be required to wear their masks and maintain the mandatory physical distancing. Judges would be seated 6 feet from each other, and would be required to wear their masks.

On the night of the competition, there would be about 30 athletes competing in the 3 different segments of competition. These are: 1. Bodybuilding; 2. Bikini; and 3. Men’s Physique An official list of athletes would be presented on 16th December, 2021. A preliminary list of those athletes reads as follows: Darious

Ramsammy, Christina Ramsammy, Rosanna Fung, Nicolas Albert, Emmerson Campbell, Yannick Grimes, Colin Chesney, Marlon Bennet, Lyndon Kennedy, Brian Singh, Odel CrumEwing, Ashanti Conway, Gale Karim, Jonathan Jeffery, Julio Sinclair, Ronaldo Caldera and Joel Caldera.

This competition, the first Seniors Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships to be held since 2019, has so far attracted financial support of the National Sports Commission, Fitness Express, and several other business entities and individuals.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021

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

Page 23

Azrrudin Mohamed presenting the sponsorship cheque to GFF’s Wayne Forde in the presence of Businessman Nazar Mohamed and Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major

Mohamed’s Enterprise boost GFFK&S Super-16, Futsal tournaments

GBBFF seeking in-person audience for Seniors Bodybuilding Championships

Page 23

EBDCA 40-Over Knockout tourney…

Balgobin’s century hands Meadow Bank comprehensive victory over Peter’s Hall Pg 22

Rosanna Fung

Ushardeva Balgobin top scored with 102

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