Guyana Times - Wednesday November 17, 2021

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Kwakwani Utilities Inc honours top 10 NGSA, CSEC performers Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4834

THE BEACON OF TRUTH WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021

Govt Commissioners shortlist 6 for position of GECOM CEO, Opposition names 3

See story — to work together on final list; on page 3 Commissioner optimistic of timely completion

Shortlisted firms for Corentyne Bridge construction conduct site visit — companies to submit proposals for bridge by Dec 21

Page 7 A team of Government and consultancy firms' representatives at the Guyana-Suriname Ferry Service Terminal in Moleson Creek on Monday during a visit to the proposed site for the Corentyne River Bridge

Oil and gas, other collaborations discussed with Surinamese investment team Page 9

Pfizer vaccine to be rolled out for children aged 5-11 on Friday Page13

Canadian High Commission unveils Indigenous mural — Guyana, Canada share connection based on heritage, respect and appreciation of culture

Page 12

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Police destroy $115M worth of ganja at P2 Fort Nassau

2 more women succumb to COVID, 44 new infections recorded P11 — death toll now 961

20-year-old remanded P8 to prison for armed robbery

Region 2 rice farmers protest high price for fertiliser P14

52.7% of serious crimes for 2021 committed in P10 Reg 4 P2 Firearm, ganja found during Police operations in Linden, Lethem

2 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Police destroy $115M worth of ganja at Fort Nassau

The ganja plants that were discovered by Police

P

olice on Monday unearthed some 450lbs of dried ganja and 120,000 cannabis plants, valued at $115 million, at Fort Nassau on the west bank of the Berbice River approximately 88 kilome-

tres upstream from New Amsterdam.

According to information received, ranks attached to the Regional Division Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) conducted an exercise at Fort Nassau, during which a

total of four farms were discovered with approximately 120,000 marijuana plants ranging in height from one foot to six feet. A drying area and a camp were also discovered.

In the drying area, the cops uncovered 450lbs of dried cannabis with a street value of $115 million. The camp, dried ganja, and the marijuana plants were destroyed by fire.

Just a few months ago, Police discovered a marijuana field at Cow Savannah, Canje River, Region Six. A party of policemen who conducted that eradication exercise at Cow Savannah, on their arrival at the location, observed two armed men fleeing the scene.

The Police gave chase, but the two men discharged several rounds at the officers, who returned fire.

The plants being destroyed by Police

The men eventually made good their escape.

However, the Police ranks returned to the field, measuring about three and a half acres and containing approximately 20,000 marijuana plants ranging from four to eight inch-

es in height. In addition, two camps were located, and during a search, two live rounds of 12-gauge cartridges, one Stihl chainsaw, one Stihl weeding machine, one Evinrude outboard engine, one water pump, and a quantity of dried cannabis

and seeds were found.

The camps and the marijuana plants, along with the dried cannabis and seeds, were all destroyed. The other items were taken to Central Police Station, New Amsterdam, where they were lodged.

Firearm, ganja found during Police operations in Linden, Lethem

A

firearm and a quantity of narcotics were discovered by Police on Friday at Linden, Region Ten (Upper DemeraraBerbice) and at Tabatinga Village, Lethem, Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo).

The first discovery was made at about 12:15h on Friday in the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) compound in Linden.

It was reported that a Policewoman and her child

The firearm that was found in the Linden NIS compound

were exiting the NIS compound when the child stumbled on the firearm, which was partially stuck in the earth. The woman raised an

alarm, and the weapon was retrieved and handed over to the Police.

Meanwhile, at around 16:15h on the same day, at

Tabatinga Village, Lethem, Rupununi, four males, aged 37, 19, 19, and 16, were arrested after a quantity of marijuana was found in their possession.

It was reported that while on mobile patrol in Tabatinga, a party of Policemen observed the four suspects standing in a yard acting in a suspicious manner.

The ranks conducted a search on the suspects’ persons, but nothing illegal was found.

A further search was conducted around the area, and a green plastic bag was unearthed among some hollow blocks. The bag was opened

The ganja that was found at Region Nine

in the suspects’ presence, and it was found to contain ganja.

The suspects were told of the offence, cautioned, arrested, and escorted to the Lethem Police Station,

where the narcotic was weighed in their presence and amounted to 110 grams.

The suspects were placed in custody as investigations into the discovery continues.

NEWS

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Wednesday, Nov 17 – 13:30h – 15:00h and Thursday, Nov 18 – 03:30h – 05:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Wednesday, Nov 17 – 15:05h – 16:35h and Thursday, Nov 18 – 15:30h – 17:00h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY There will be light cloud during the day. Expect partly cloudy skies at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: West South-Westerly to South-Westerly between 1.34 metres and 3.12 metres.

High Tide: 15:18h reaching a maximum height of 2.6 metres.

Low Tide: 08:55h and 21:18h reaching minimum heights of 0.71 metre and 0.59 metre.

Govt Commissioners shortlist 6 for position of GECOM CEO, Opposition names 3

– to work together on final list; Commissioner optimistic of timely completion

B

oth the Government and Opposition nominated sides of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) have settled on a shortlist of their favourite candidates for the positions of Chief Elections Officer and Deputy Chief Elections Officer, with the Government side settling on six names and the Opposition three.

In an interview with this publication, GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj explained that the Commission has come up with two shortlists of candidates for the two positions. He noted that one list comes from the three Commissioners on the

“There has been shortlisting by both sides. Bibi Shadick selected the shortlist and the other three bring out their shortlist. And we’ll now have to determine how we marry those two shortlists.

And the method of conducting the interviews for the (positions),” Gunraj explained.

GECOM has been without a CEO and DCEO since August of this year. Additionally, Local Government Elections (LGE) was previously expected to be held this year.

Asked when this process is likely to wrap up, Gunraj expressed hope that it would conclude soon.

“I would hope soon, but I have little faith of it mov-

The Guyana Elections Commission

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COMMODITIES Indicators

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People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government side himself, Bibi Shadick and Manoj Narayan.

On the other hand, the second list comes from A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Opposition Commissioners Vincent Alexander, Charles Corbin, and Desmond Trotman.

According to a source, the Government side has settled on six names and the Opposition side, three.

ing as quickly as I want it to move. The process seems to be moving a little slower than it should. But I’m hoping that we’ll gather some pace soon,” he said.

When GECOM had put out the advertisements, over a dozen persons - both locally and overseas - had applied for the post of CEO. So far former CEO Gocool Boodoo, who was one of the more prominent names to apply, has withdrawn his application.

GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj

According to a list seen by this publication, Dr Kurt Clarke from Texas, Leslie Oliver Harrow from Jamaica, and Eugene Godfrey Petty from St Kitts were the foreign applicants. Of the three, this

Former CEO Gocool Boodoo has since withdrawn his application

publication was able to ascertain from news reports in Jamaica that Harrow was up until May employed as head of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM). TURN TO PAGE 10

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guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 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

Victims of domestic violence

D

omestic violence has been described as “…behaviour which causes one partner in a relationship to be afraid of the other.

Domestic violence can take the form of physical or sexual abuse, and forced social isolation away from friends and family members.”

However, domestic violence has many victims besides spousal partners.

The laws of Guyana prescribe one’s rights regarding this issue, which are laid out in the Domestic Violence Act (1996) as “recognised under the law and law enforcement agencies, such as the courts,” and stipulates that the Guyana Police Force must help to enforce the rights of, and offer protection to, any man, woman, or child who may be experiencing domestic violence.

Some signs of domestic violence are described as persistent verbal abuse such as quarelling and cursing (one can add to that derogating one’s character and making unjustifiable insulting remarks about one’s self and one’s loved ones); threatening the person with physical violence (threatening to hit the person with hands or objects), as well as actually hitting the person; damaging the property of a person (such as breaking a person’s cellphone, tearing or burning a person’s clothing, among other things); following a person from place to place, even though that person does not want to be followed; hiding clothing or property used by the person (for example, hiding a person’s cellphone, their clothing, their identification card, their passport, and even their money); making persistent and/or unwelcome contact with the person (such as calling the person on their cellphone or home phone many times per day, watching the person’s house, waiting for the person to leave work or place of study, following the person from home or work, even though that person does not want to be followed or watched); and using abusive language to a person, or behaving towards a person in such a way that could result in that person being ill-treated. For example, cursing and quarrelling with a person in front of others, and then encouraging others to do the same.

An initiative by the former Administration to deal with the scourge of domestic violence suggested actions one should take to protect oneself (and possibly others) from domestic violence, and to provide a descriptive analysis of a Protection Order. One of the suggestions made is to make a report to the nearest Police station, and therein lies a conundrum.

Those who are supposed “To Serve and Protect” most often have provided the catalyst for a tragedy to occur by their attitude, attention – or lack thereof, and plain don’t-give-a-damn behaviour when a complainant drums up the requisite courage (most often with great difficulty) and lodges a complaint.

Many victims of continuous abuse are killed because of the complacency of a few members of the Police Force, who refuse to investigate complaints and lay charges, or take the actions necessary to protect the victim from further abuse.

Guyanese have stopped being our brothers’ (and sisters’) keepers because, in many communities, neighbours witnessing a continuum of, and escalating instances of, abuse refuse to become involved. They prefer to enjoy the enfolding tragedy, even adding to it with malicious rumour-mongering and strife-making, because the titillation of feuds and wars within families finds a corresponding resonance in the dark nuances resident in every soul, and the average person refuses to rise above their more decadent equivalencies to achieve a higher plane of thoughts and actions, enough to maybe intercede and probably save a family from ultimate destruction. And one wonders what part the church bodies and religious leaders play in melding communities into units cohesive enough to fashion strategies for interventions within families and the general society in efforts to divert energies into more productive and peaceful approaches to conflict resolution – even to the point of empowerment.

The acceleration in violence-prone conflicts within families and societies is spiralling out of control, to the extent where many lives have been lost, with many more dislocated, and there seems to be no end in sight.

Unless there is a holistic, proactive approach where all stakeholders in the nation are made aware that this cause and this fight is a national one, every effort made – valiant and committed as they may be - will prove woefully inadequate, because domestic violence is a national tradition entrenched in the Guyanese psyche.

Persons within communities most often do not think it is their business to report instances of abuse, and many women and children have suffered violations and even been murdered when a timely intervention could have saved someone’s life.

Evil can only perpetuate if good people think it is not their business to confront it, so unless we return to the era when each of us was our sisters’ or brothers’ keepers, there will be many more victims who would suffer even more tragic outcomes to their lives

United Nations UN Resident Coordinator to Guyana, Yesim Oruc on Tuesday paid a courtesy call on Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal. During the engagement, Minister Croal took the time to brief Oruc on the Ministry’s housing programme, which is aimed at providing housing and serviced lots to 50,000 Guyanese over the next four years

Someone with Winston Jordan’s record of failure should never be in charge in this country again

Dear Editor, I sometimes look at this programme ‘Plain Talk’, a programme that is at times very insightful as it discusses political and topical issues.

It is hosted by Christopher Ram. I have noticed that, recently, the host has been speaking to a number of members of the past Government (APNU/AFC), and what is quite amusing is that some of those who are speaking now have been failures at their jobs, yet think that we, the members of the public, have somehow forgotten, and therefore would listen to their supposed ‘advice’ now.

Anyhow, I watched some of the episodes as they provoked much laughter and irony. I decided to watch as Youtube led me to an older episode of August 16, after watching recent ones, and I couldn’t help but roll up with laughter. Appearing as a guest was former Finance Minister Winston Jordan. At first the conversation was quite interesting, as the former Minister explained how he was an ‘independent’ person in Government, and was never even a member of the People’s National Congress (PNC) nor held a party card, but became the Finance Minister nevertheless.

Listening to this, I felt a sense of hope for us young people, as I had no idea before that Mr. Jordan was just a regular professional who became a Minister. He went on to relate how democracy should be, and how the two main parties have long had a history of the head being in full control and Cabinet members or committee members usually having to go by

all the ideas of the leader, and even sometimes not say anything.

He sounded like a person who despised such a style, as he even noted how the style of democracy is only shown close to election time, and that he enjoyed his independent status in the party, being able to express himself to former President Granger (not labelled as AFC nor APNU) and share ideas and advice.

All was going well to a regular young listener like me in the year 2021, until the host asked Mr. Jordan about his thoughts on the NoConfidence Motion and the 2020 elections. Shockingly, and in stark contrast to what he had said earlier, Mr. Jordan then switched gears to describe how Charandass Persaud’s No Confidence Vote damaged race relations, as he said and I quote, “After the No Confidence Motion, you lost that innocence, so to speak, you know; and if I were an East Indian in the party, I would have felt bad because, seeing that it is an East Indian who did it, I would assume that everybody would be looking to every one of them, you know, and I would begin to question my role there.”

I could not believe my ears, as no mention was made of the downward spiralling of race relations since his Government took office.

He seemed to have linked this all to the time of the No Confidence Motion. I started to wonder what in the world I was listening to in a land of six people and in the year 2021.

I suggest to Mr. Jordan that he seriously relisten

to what he said on that programme and realise how racist it sounded. A man who had only earlier gleefully described how he exercised his democratic right (democratic principles and being able to speak out as the ‘Jordanite’ the former President called him, which he said he enjoyed, and what the country should really move toward practising -- more independence) was soon afterwards describing another Guyanese who exercised the same right simply by his race.

Mr. Jordan, if he is reading this letter, surely knows very well how obnoxious and racist such a statement was. The No-Confidence Motion was simply a matter of a man exercising his democratic right the same way he enjoyed his to say whatever he felt like as Minister if he is even being truthful.

He (Charandass) could have been of any race, and no, no right-thinking Guyanese would have felt bad (I dare say except a racist person not thinking about the well-being of his/her country) but felt good that someone was brave and independent enough to do what he did, and who represented a constituent and decided to represent it with all of his heart, because at the end of the day, just like Jordan now enjoys time at home speaking to his neighbours on the ground and being ordinary, the other man had an ordinary life and people to answer to as well.

What Jordan said therefore was shameless. If he or his party did not understand, or even saw the No Confidence Motion coming, then it highlights how much they didn’t care and were in

their own haughty and dictatorship world. They failed to see the suffering of the people on the ground, the suffering of the thousands of sugar workers his Government dismissed, the cases of suicide, the joblessness and helplessness and the anguish Charandass felt having to sit there knowing that people were suffering as Jordan sat and even helped to craft and implement more tax increases on the public as Finance Minister.

And that is another thing. Jordan said in his interview that he wished the Constitution was scrapped, as it made no sense and gives much immunity to a President, with a President having to pay no taxes for the rest of his life and the young people paying taxes once they earn $65,000 or more, describing how ridiculous it is and how we are a poor country and can’t afford it nor afford to treat Presidents in that manner.

Yet it was Jordan and his Government who increased the tax burden on all citizens by adding more taxes as well as helping to largely and proudly increase his own colleagues’ salaries without a care in the world for Guyana being a poor country and its citizens not being able to afford it.

The interview was laughable and full of contradictions. Where was this independent voice you had in the former Government, Mr. Jordan? How come you did not suggest that the ‘poor’ citizens should not be burdened further? Oh wait! Is it because you do not really admire democracy?

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 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

Let us preserve heritage church at Christianburg

Dear Editor, Preserving churches that are already old brings interest to the people who even aren’t part of the religion.

One such old church is the St Matthew’s Church at Christianburg, Linden, Region 10. It was constructed by the Presbyterians, and was officially opened on November 25, 1898. It was intended to serve the religious needs of the ever-growing population in the then little town known as Christianburg.

This magnificent structure still stands today, after 123 years of servicing the community of Christianburg, and it once presented a staggered programme of heritage,

arts and cultural events throughout the years, with regular community events representing the rich history on which St Matthew’s was built.

St Matthew’s church has played a very important role in the cultural and social development of the Christianburg community and Wismar in general.

This single-storey, low-suspended colonial building that faces the Demerara River requires our attention to preserve some of its rich architectural features, like its high-pitched roofs, bell tower, pointed arched windows with tracery, and rose window.

I recently visited the church to attend my aunt’s funeral, and was disap-

pointed at the condition the church was left in by the construction firm contracted to build the new primary school in the churchyard. Several sections of the church that were demolished to accommodate the newly-built Christianburg Primary remained in the same demolished condition despite the completion of the school.

One would not believe this is the same church referred to as a Linden heritage and monumental landmark that is showcased to visitors in the National Trust of Guyana’s brochure.

It is clear that the firm that constructed the new school building in the church yard disgraced the engineering fraterni-

ty when it left the building and churchyard in such a dilapidated state of disrepair and ruin as a result of neglect.

Can one imagine this church is left without a septic tank, with only a 55-gallon plastic drum attached to the toilet as the waste disposal unit (septic tank)?

All the potable water lines were disconnected from the church building, leaving the structure without any access to potable water during a time when hand washing is essential to combat the COVID-19 virus.

One has to use a bucket of water when one is required to flush the toilet; this is a sad event in this

Someone with Errant engineer should be disciplined Winston Jordan’s...

FROM PAGE 4

Dear Editor, No doubt, it was happening all the time: the engineer who admitted to falsely certifying works in 2016 (GT Nov 16).

The reasons proffered seem to be twofold: a perceived threat to job security, and having no opportunity to travel. So, it seems these circumstances overtook reason of right and wrong.

These reasons are flimsy and of no consequence, and are unable to justify the engineer’s failure to act honourably.

I am sure there was recourse for help, if he felt threatened. His actions are tantamount to aiding and abetting a criminal act.

The regional authorities, it

seems, were also complicit in the fraudulent act.

The PAC should recommend that some form of disciplinary measure be taken against the errant engineer, to send a strong message to others.

In the same article, it is alleged that the acting chairman threatened to mute the mic of comments he found unfavourable. This I found to be stretching one’s authority.

Comments made respectfully and in context should be allowed without raising the ire of someone who feels he can shut up legitimate comments and questions.

Dear Editor, I endorse the views of Leon Suseran regarding Pandit Deodat Persaud as GECOM Chief Elections Officer. I have known Panditji for more than a decade, and his frankness and honesty stand out as lodestars. Indeed, he possesses all the qualities to be the best CEO GECOM ever had.

He is a truthful person, and one who has the courage of his convictions. He has the capacity to elicit trust and confidence because of his unblemished personality. He has a penchant for making his word his bond. He has a dedication and commitment to the task at hand, and all of the aforesaid is reinforced by his experience as a commissioner of the ERC and an employee of GECOM. Panditji belongs to that small group of Guyanese who lead by example, are unafraid to stand up for what is

right; demonstrate unwavering commitment to the upkeep of the law; are patriotic to a fault; and he is a man at whom no one can point a finger, and whose worldview eschews bias, injustice, illegality, kowtowing to fear, standing up for principles, and embracing the Guyanese culture rather than partiality with respect to any of the divides, especially ethno-politics.

He will not be swayed from conducting himself as absolutely befits the position, to always ensure fairness, accuracy and total adherence to the constitution with respect to elections and its concomitants.

Pandit Deodat is qualified, experienced, and able; and can restore dignity, respect and operational competence to GECOM.

Sincerely, Shamshun Mohamed

GECOM’s CEO

Regards, Annan Boodram

Is it because you only want it for yourself, but not for others? The impression given when one listens to that entire interview was that your real admiration is for dictatorship, especially with the description of how a No Confidence Motion would have never happened under someone like Burnham. Yes, the same Mr. Jordan then said that the No Confidence Motion would never have occurred, 65 members would not have even been in the Parliament that day, and that the Speaker could never have passed such a Motion.

What would have happened to them, Mr. Jordan?

Would they have been annihilated? Disappeared? Carbombed like what occurred with Walter Rodney? What would have happened to the Speaker?

But young intelligent Guyanese can actually explain to Jordan what happened the day of the NCM, and why he never imagined a No Confidence Motion being successful, even after his own party Coalition had called for the same in 2014. He was living in his ‘Burnham’ dream of dictatorship, forgot that the country was never going back to that period, that they only had a slim majority of one seat, and so never imag-

ined that others were living in a democracy, so he would have never seen nor imagined what was coming, nor was he listening to the cries of the people suffering.

Jordan did not care then.

The same 33 being the majority of 65 that he felt was not the right figure as stated in the interview, was what was used all along as his Government passed Bills in the National Assembly, so it worked quite fine then.

And as to the last part of Jordan’s ramblings -his huge lie that he thought the Exxon Bonus was a gift while trying to hide it from the public while in Government, and now switching gears that he ‘did not get a signing bonus’ and that it was the Exxon Negotiator who misled…this is all documented in history for all to see how quickly he contradicts himself and his lies. Mr. Jordan is as dishonest a politician as they come.

Hopefully he continues to enjoy his freedom and independence as an ordinary citizen, because someone with his failed record and thought-capacity should never be in charge in this country again.

He is spineless and shameless.

Yours truly, Alvin Hamilton

modern time of technology.

The fencing still remains torn down in areas that were used by the contractor’s logistical transportation team during the project.

One is left to question the integrity and quality of work being done by some contractors on projects, and the inspection methods and processes being followed to verify the completion of a project.

What is so blatant is that there’s no right-away access to the burial ground other that through the school’s play pen, which is frustrating for church members.

According to the church elders, these issues were brought to the attention of the contractor, who has not responded to their calls.

I am requesting the National Trust of Guyana to urgently review the present condition of this historic landmark at Christianburg.

Society seemingly has this belief that only a personal or national tragedy can cause a major shift in people’s regard of churches. At

that time, people flock to churches in droves. There is something about churches that society finds comforting in times of tragedy and hardship. This always fascinates me, because the media and general public embrace church or (the idea of church) during a time of crisis; but in times of peace and prosperity, the church seems to become irrelevant. Regardless of this doublestandard, the church keeps people grounded, flushing out the burden of life by providing a bedrock of faith and answers to humanity’s deepest needs.

After 123 years of servicing the Christianburg community in Region 10, I believe that church’s contribution to the community in so many ways justifies greater Government intervention and funding in this time of need, and the matter should be addressed between the church leaders, the regional community leaders, and the community in general.

Sincerely, David Adams

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021

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Foundation ◄

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Dividing Whole Numbers

hen you divide, you have to know which number is the dividend and which number is the divisor. The dividend is the number to be divided. The divisor is the number that goes into the dividend. The answer, called the quotient, is the number of times the divisor can go into the dividend. If there is something left over when you are finished, you call that the remainder.

Begin by looking at the highest place value in the dividend, the digit on the left side. Can that number be divided by the divisor? In this case, the answer is yes, 3 ÷ 3 = 1. Put the 1 above the line as the beginning of the quotient. Since 1 x 3 = 3, place this 3 under the 3 in the dividend.

Next, subtract 3 – 3 = 0. Now carry down from the dividend the digit in the next place value, 4. Can 4 be evenly divided by 3. This time the answer is no, but there is one 3 in 4. So write 1 in the quotient, and subtract again. Keep repeating these steps until you get to the last digit in the dividend. How many times can 17 be divided by 3? 17 ÷ 3 = 5, with 2 left over. The 2 is the remainder.

Remember: When dividing, always begin on the left side of the dividend.

Exercises 1) 5√90 2) 12√48 3) 6√60 4) 50 √900 5) 10√80

6) 6√36

S

ome objects float on top of the ocean, and other objects sink to the bottom. Why? Try this eggsperiment to find out!

Did you know that if you put an egg in a cup of tap water, it will sink to the bottom? But, if you add enough salt, the egg will float back up to the surface!

Why? Because the density of the egg is higher than the density of tap water, so it sinks. Density is the mass (m) of a material per unit volume (v). For example, the density of freshwater under standard conditions is approximately 1 gram (g) per cubic centimeter (cm3).

In other words, if you filled a 1-cm x 1-cm x 1-cm box with freshwater, the water inside the box would have a mass of 1 g. Adding salt to the water increases the density of the water, because the salt increases the mass without changing the volume very much. With enough added salt, the saltwater solution density is higher than the egg’s, and the egg will then float. The ability of something, like the egg, to float in water or some other liquid is known as buoyancy.

Materials and equipment Eggs (5) Permanent marker Table salt (1 cup) Water Measuring cup, liquid Large container, such as a large bowl or cooking pot.

Must be able to hold at least five cups.

Spoon for stirring

Bag of clear 16-oz plastic cups Soup spoon for egg transfer Lab notebook Procedure Note: For convenience of doing this science project using household measuring tools, volumes are given in terms of measuring spoons and cups. However, science is done in metric units and students may need to convert when writing up their procedure.

Take five eggs out of the refrigerator, use a permanent marker to label them 1-5, and allow them to warm to room temperature.

Make a stock solution of 1 cup of salt dissolved in 5 cups of water, as follows: Pour 3 cups of water into your large container.

Add 1 cup of salt.

Stir to dissolve some of the salt. It will not all dissolve yet.

Add 2 more cups of water.

Stir to dissolve the rest of the salt. The salt should be completely dissolved before you go on to the next step.

This may take several (5 to 10) minutes of stirring, so you may need to be patient.

Make a two-fold serial dilution of the stock solution, as follows: Label five of the plastic cups 1-5. Cup 1 will be for the stock solution, cups 2-4 will be for the dilutions, and cup 5 will be plain tap water.

Add 3/4 cup of your stock salt solution to cup 1.

Add 3/4 cup plain tap

water to cups 2-5.

Measure out 3/4 cup stock solution, and add it to cup 2. Mix. Measure out 3/4 cup of the solution from cup 2 and add it to cup 3. Mix. Measure out 3/4 cup of the solution from cup 3 and add it to cup 4. Mix. Now, starting with cup 5 and working your way up, test an egg in each solution to see if it will float. Use a soup spoon to lift the egg in and out of the cups.

In which cup did the egg first float? (Save this solution for step 7.) If the egg floated in more than one cup, did you notice any difference in how it floated?

Be sure to record your results and observations in your lab notebook, including the egg’s number.

Repeat steps 5-6 with four other eggs.

Now you know, within a factor of 2, how much salt it takes to float an egg. How can you narrow down the range further to get a more precise estimate? By doing another serial dilution, of course.

This time you will start your dilution with the salt concentration in which the egg first floated, the one you selected in step 6.

Figure out a new serial dilution with smaller steps.

For example, you could try

diluting the solution by 25 per cent with each step. That means with each step, the new concentration should be 75 per cent of the original concentration.

As before, test an egg in each cup, starting with the lowest salt concentration. In which cup did the egg float first?

Be sure to record your results and observations in your lab notebook, including the egg’s number.

Repeat this step with the four other eggs.

If you want, make another dilution series, with even smaller steps, to improve the precision of your estimate.

Be sure to record your results and observations in your lab notebook, including the egg’s number.

Repeat this step with the four other eggs.

When you are done handling the eggs, wash your hands with soap and warm water. It is important to wash your hands after handling uncooked eggs because they may carry Salmonella.

Determine the densities for all five eggs and record this in your lab notebook.

Plot the densities for all five eggs on a chart, putting the egg’s number on the x-axis and its density on the y-axis. What is the density of the eggs? How much variation in density is there from egg to egg?

(Sciencebuddies.org)

WORD SEARCH

7 Shortlisted firms for Corentyne bridge construction conduct site visit NEWS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

– companies to submit proposals for bridge by Dec 21

Some of the representatives of the Governments and consultancy firms on the east bank of the Corentyne River in South Drain, Suriname

Proposed alignment of Corentyne River bridge and approach roads

T

he shortlisted firms who are vying for the chance to construct the Corentyne River bridge were on Monday given a chance to examine the site and provided with a tour to better acquaint them with the transformational undertaking they will be embarking on.

There are a total of eight shortlisted consultancy firms, including three joint ventures. These firms are WSP Caribbean Limited; EXP Services Inc in association with Pedelta, Arcadia, CEMCO; TYPSA, Leonhardt, Andrä und Partner GmbH and Firm Engineering NV; and Politecnica and Rina JV and sub-consultants ILACO and SRKN’gineering &

Associates.

After meeting in the boardroom of the GuyanaSuriname Ferry Service Terminal in Moleson Creek, East Berbice-Corentyne, they were given a tour of the proposed bridge landing sites in Moleson Creek, Guyana and South Drain, Suriname as well as a river tour around Lange Island to which the proposed bridge will be connected. They were also given the chance to ask questions as needed.

The Ministry of Public Works was represented by its Permanent Secretary - Vladim Persaud, Chief Transport Planning Officer - Patrick Thompson and three other members of staff from the Central Transport Planning Unit.

Suriname was represented

by Kees Boender – Technical Assistant for Capital Infrastructure Projects and his colleague, Firazia Ataoellah.

The construction of a bridge linking Guyana and Suriname is a priority project for the governments of both countries as has been reiterated on several occasions by their Excellencies, President Irfaan Ali and President Chan Santokhi.

The Governments of Guyana and Suriname have jointly agreed to realise the construction the Corentyne River bridge using the Public Private Partnership method of procurement with a DBFOM (Design – Build – Finance – Operate – Maintain) model contract.

The deadline for submission of proposals by the shortlisted consultancy firms has been set to December 21, 2021.

In October 2020, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill and his Surinamese counterpart, Dr Riad Nurmohamed had visited the site of the proposed Guyana-Suriname river bridge across the Corentyne River.

There were three points of demarcation identified – Moleson Creek, Long Island in the Corentyne River and South Drain in Suriname.

Both Ministers planted flags on the Guyana side of the river and then the Suriname side of the river – where the bridge is to be constructed.

After planting national flags of the two countries, Nurmohamed, Edghill and the team of engineers and technical personnel stopped at Long Island in the Corentyne River and also planted flags of the two countries there.

Then in November 2020,

Guyana and Suriname signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of the bridge. The MoU was signed

by Guyana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Hugh Todd, and his Surinamese counterpart, Albert Ramdin, at the Presidential Palace in Paramaribo.

In February 2021, the Governments of Guyana and Suriname had invited companies to submit Expressions of Interest (EoIs) to provide consultancy services for the conduct of a feasibility study and the preparation of detailed designs for the construction of the bridge.

The Corentyne River bridge will not only link the two neighbouring countries, but also open up access to greater economic opportunities beyond them into French Guiana, and through the road network being developed into Brazil, and eventually further into South America.

Reports indicate that the Corentyne River bridge is expected to be a flat bridge from Guyana to Lange Island in the Corentyne River and then a high-span bridge from there to the Surinamese mainland to allow for heavy marine traffic.

This bridge is expected to promote the safe movement of people and products.

Moreover, it is anticipated that Lange Island will become an economic hub and free zone that will also see major infrastructural development such as hotels, recreational parks, entertainment spots, tourist attractions, malls, and farmers’ markets.

With the commitment to bridge Guyana and Suriname over the Corentyne River within five years, this project is expected to open up the pathway for other major developmental projects including the much-anticipated deep-water harbour project in Guyana.

8 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

2022 Budget preparations underway – as NR Minister, staff hold planning session with Finance Ministry

W

ith the end of the year steadily approaching, preparations for Budget 2022 are moving full steam ahead.

The Finance Ministry on Tuesday engaged with officials from the Natural Resources Ministry on plans for the 2022 Budget.

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat engaged in a virtual budget planning meeting with the Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh and senior technical officers of the Finance Ministry, for the financial year 2022 for the natural resources sector.

During the meeting, Minister Bharrat was accompanied by the management team from the Natural Resources Ministry, including heads of agencies like the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Guyana Gold Board, Guyana Forestry Commission and the Petroleum Management Unit.

With Guyana’s oil production expected to increase with the addition of the Liza Phase 2 development to complement production in Phase One, it is expected that the Ministry will have its hands full with overseeing the sector next year.

ExxonMobil, who has said it anticipated at least six projects offshore Guyana would be online by 2027, has already started developmental drilling on the Liza Phase 2 project. Back in May 2019, the company

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat surrounded by his staff during the budget meeting

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 would 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 Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel. For the Phase 2 Development, six drill centres were planned, along with approximately 30 wells – 15 production, nine water injection and six gas injection wells.

As part of preparations for the 2022 Budget, proposals have been coming in from various Regional Administrations. Back in September, Region Five

(Mahaica-Berbice) had proposed to spend $6 billion in 2022 to improve the lives of citizens in the region.

Last year, the Region had made a similar proposal for projects to be executed this year, and was granted just under $4 billion from the National Budget for its capital works programme.

Region Five Regional Executive Officer (REO) Genevieve Blackman has said she was hoping the entire sum would be approved

and given to the region come 2022.

“We want development, but there are nine other regions also competing for projects,” the REO had explained as she detailed the proposed work programme during a press conference at the time.

According to her, the regional administration also believes the extra two billion would be wisely spent, as some 75 per cent of the work programme for this year has already been completed.

Things were not, however, so smooth in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), where the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) has claimed it was not given enough time by the REO to prepare submissions for their proposed 2022 budget.

However, REO Donald Gajraj has claimed in sections of the media that the Regional Chairman, A Partnership for National Unity’s Daniel Seeram was given a heads-up on the need to submit proposals since July.

20-year-old remanded to prison for armed robbery

D

aniel Mc Arthur, 20, a security officer of South Vryheids Lust, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was remanded to prison on Monday on an armed robbery charge, two counts of unlawful posses-

Remanded: Daniel Mc Arthur

sion of a firearm, and two counts of unlawful possession of ammunition.

Mc Arthur appeared before Magistrate Bess at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court where he pleaded guilty to the armed robbery charge and was sentenced to two years, six months’ imprisonment.

In addition, he pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.

Further, he pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of ammunition and was sentenced to a year of imprisonment.

According to Police, the sentences are to run concurrently. However, he pleaded not guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and one count of possession of ammunition.

He will return to court on December 5, 2021, for the continuation of those matters.

Safe to come out…

I

…from COVID-19? t’s very hard to find good news nowadays in the papers.

Domestic violence, murders, robberies, rapes, fires, trash-talking politicians lusting for leadership etc… dominate the front pages. So, your Eyewitness was quite chuffed recently to observe both the number of COVID infections and deaths coming down in our dear old mudland. We’re certainly gonna be inundated after the world sat on its hands at COP26, but hey!!!…there’s gonna be more of us to rush to higher ground!! The cup half-full and all that!!

So, what does this mean for us? Should we invite our neighbours over for that Thanksgiving BBQ in our backyards, and chug down some cold ones while being bombarded by some misogynistic dancehall lyrics? Maskless, of course?

Well, not quite yet. This COVID-19 is quite sneaky - and just when you think you’ve got it covered - BAM!! It hits you right in the national solar plexus!

Just look over in our good neighbour Trinidad. Just the other day, Rowley was sneering at us for accepting COVID vaccines from every Tom, Dick and Modi out there.

TRINIDAD was only gonna use the BEST!! WHO-approved, thank you!! Well, look at his numbers - infections and deaths going off the charts recently! And while one may say that Trinidad still had to wait around for vaccines - the UN COVAX facility to deliver to help poor countries was blanked by the rich countries - Europe don’t have that excuse.

Yet they’ve become the COVID epicenter of the world right now! TWO MILLION CASES and almost 27 thousand deaths reported in the continent last week! This was more than half of all COVID-19 deaths globally!! And for sure, most of those countries have vaccinated way more than half of their adult populations. Britain, for instance, weigh in at 90%, and had several lulls in their infections and deaths before!! And that’s why WE can’t get complacent with our “more than half of our adult population vaccinated”!

There are just too many variables with this virus for us to take our countermeasures for granted. We’ve all heard about the variants - starting with “alpha” from Wuhan through beta, gamma, delta and now “mu” from Peru.

The delta strain’s been the deadliest of them all - based on its transmissibility factor and extreme symptoms. So, yes Boyo…absolutely NO THANKSGIVING BBQs, even though you wanna be hip to segue from Halloween to Thanksgiving, to follow the American way!!

Instead, you should keep that black cake primed with daily libations of white rum, so that, on Christmas Day, you can virtuously say, “No, thank you,” to offerings of liquor while you wolf down slices of your “spiced” cake to live another day!! …on under-invoicing?

One of the most common dodges by local businessmen is to declare their goods being imported at a much lower price than they paid for it, so that their duties are lowered.

Your Eyewitness saw one local fuel importer winning a libel case against a local newspaper for claiming he engaged in the act. How dare it be suggested that this happens!!

The problem, according to the Judge, was the newspaper didn’t provide “proof” of their allegations.

So how is this proof secured when everyone in the supply chain is in on the scam?? Well, there are groups that track these things - whether under- or over-invoicing.

For instance, Global Financial Integrity (GFI) is one such company, and their research shows that, between 20082017, there were US$8.7 TRILLION in discrepancies!!

They provide a service for Customs to check what was the average price of a commodity shipped from a port for the last 12 months.

Did our customs provide this baseline price? …with diabetes How the world has changed. Back in 1921, when Canadian Fredrick Banting discovered insulin and its effect on diabetes, he sold the patent for $1!! Because he saw the need to help mankind.

Dare we ask this of Big Pharma?

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

NEWS

9

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Oil and gas, other collaborations discussed with Surinamese investment team

Members of the Surinamese delegation

A

Private Sector team from Suriname – representing small and medium-sized enterprises – is currently in Guyana to scope out investment opportunities here.

The delegation comprises 17 persons who operate in sectors such as retail, real estate, landscaping, waste

Suriname with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, noting that the teams discussed how they can get those visitors to come to Guyana.

Minister Walrond also explained that the Guyanese side underscored the importance of the Surinamese investment team partnering with local companies in the

ic community during which business and commerce opportunities, among other mutual areas of benefit, were discussed.

As newcomers in the oil and gas sector, the two countries are looking to tap into each other’s private sectors to peddle sustainable development and further

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat; Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond and Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar during the meeting

management, and tourism.

On Tuesday, the Surinamese group met with Guyana’s Tourism Minister, Oneidge Walrond; Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat and Minister within the Public Works Ministry Deodat Indar.

In an invited comment, Minister Walrond explained that the meeting further cements the collaboration between Guyana and Suriname, not just at a governmental level, but through the Private Sector.

During the meeting, the two sides broadly discussed the opportunities available in the country across all sectors including oil and gas and tourism.

On the topic of tourism, Minister Walrond explained that the two sides discussed how they can further collaborate to “twin” both countries’ tourism products. She made reference to the large influx of Europeans travelling to

pursuit of their business ventures here.

Formal diplomatic relations between Guyana and Suriname were established on November 25, 1975.

While the two countries have always enjoyed good relations, these ties intensified in 2020 following the assumption of Dr Irfaan Ali as President of Guyana.

Suriname’s President Chan Santokhi had visited the country for the Guyanese Head of State’s inauguration in August 2020.

President Santokhi returned to Guyana in August 2021 for a four-day State visit where the two sides further discussed ways in which the countries can collaborate.

The Guyanese President had also visited Suriname in November 2020.

During each of the visits, the Guyanese and Surinamese Presidents had met with members of the Private Sector and diplomat-

strengthening bilateral ties.

President Ali had noted that Guyana and Suriname must not compete but complement each other as they embark on this new development trajectory.

Moreover, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the two countries to facilitate the joint bridging of the Corentyne River – a process which is in the making.

Since the engagements, a Suriname’s Optiek Ninon in August 2021 opened its first branch in Guyana.

During the opening ceremony, Guyana’s Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh had explained that the geographical positioning of Suriname and Guyana has a plethora of possibilities for the expansion of markets and trade across borders, and he urged stakeholders from both countries to capitalise on these untapped opportunities.

10 NEWS 52.7% of serious crimes for Rape accused slapped with 2021 committed in Reg 4 attempted murder charge T A WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

closer analysis of A Division’s crime situation has shown that a whopping 52.7 per cent of serious crimes for 2021 was committed within Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica).

On Monday, the Guyana Police Force’s data showed that 28 per cent of these offenses were committed within Region 4A, 12.5 in Region 4B, and 12.2 per cent in Region 4C. For murders, Region Four accounted for 38 per cent committed within 2021.

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum addressed this alarming trend as he posited, “We are very cognisant of this and many of our resources are continually deployed to these divisional regions”.

Region 4A, which constitutes Georgetown, recorded 34 murders for the year when compared to 2020 – an increase of 25 per cent.

Robbery dropped from 18 to 11 per cent within one year, representing a 38 per cent decline. In addition, there were 152 armed robberies when compared to last year’s 274 - indicating a 44.9 per cent decrease.

Twenty-seven robberies with violence were committed, 16 robberies with aggravation, 34 larcenies from the person, three rapes, 11 burglaries, 117 break and enter with larceny, and zero kidnappings.

Overall, Georgetown saw a 43.8 per cent decline in serious crimes for the year, as figures would have moved

hirty-four-year-old Melroy Barry of Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was remanded to prison for the alleged attempted murder committed on a female hairdresser which occurred back in June of this year.

Barry appeared at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Azore on Monday where the charge was read to him. He was not required to plead to the indictment.

The case was postponed to January 11, 2022, for statements.

Govt Commissioners shortlist...

FROM PAGE 3

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum

from 850 down to 478. A total of 179 cases were made and there is a clear-up rate of 37.4 per cent. As it relates to street crime, there were 310 cases when compared to 570 in 2020. This is an 83.8 per cent decline.

In terms of accidents, 23 fatal accidents were reported – an eight per cent decrease from the previous year. There were 76 serious accidents, 209 minor matters, and 854 cases where damages occurred. Overall analysis showed accidents increasing by 32.9 per cent, with the jump from 874 to 1162 this year.

Divisional Commander for Region 4A, Simon McBean said the congestion in Georgetown is an important factor in these road incidents.

Meanwhile, Region

Accused: Melroy Barry

In December 2010, Barry attempted to take his own life after he was slapped with a rape charge.

It was reported that the man had reported to the Cove and John Police Station that he had drunk a poisonous substance. A vial was found in his possession and he was subsequently admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

At the time of the incident, he was on bail after he was charged for rape which was under Police investigation.

Nine saw zero murders being committed for the year thus far. Four per cent were committed in Regions Two, Four, and Eight; seven per cent in Regions One and 10; eight per cent in Region Seven; and 12 per cent in Region Three.

It was reported that when compared to 2020, there was a 19.4 per cent decrease in serious crimes this year, moving from 2109 to 1700. A breakdown showed murders decreasing by 10.5 per cent, from 133 to 119.

Armed robbery also decreased by 29.8 per cent; larceny from the person by 56.6 per cent; burglary by 36.4 per cent; break and enter and larceny by 17.2 per cent; and robbery with other instruments used by 56.6 per cent.

Besides Boodoo, the local applicants had included Vishnu Persaud, the former Deputy CEO whose non-appointment for the role in 2018 triggered controversy of its own. Another applicant for the post was Attorneyat-Law Saphier Hussain, who was the Presidential Candidate for his National Independent Party (NIP) in the May 2015 General and Regional Elections. Former Permanent Secretary at the Office of the President, Omar Shariff was also among the applicants.

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

Clairmont Mingo.

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

In a statement announcing the terminations, which she said came after weeks of deliberation on the motions, the GECOM Chair had indicated that the services of Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo would be terminated effective August 18, 2021, and they would be compensated in accordance with provisions in their contracts.

To this end, Justice Singh disclosed that CEO Lowenfield was dismissed via Clause 9 of his contract, which stipulates that his ser-

vices can be terminated by giving him three months’ notice, or payment in lieu thereof.

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

The Governmentnominated Commissioners of GECOM had, on June 1, 2021, brought motions calling for the dismissal of Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo from GECOM. The trio is before the courts for a number of electoral charges for their alleged attempts to sway the results of the March 2020 General and Regional Elections in favour of the then APNU/AFC Government.

11 2 more women succumb to COVID, 44 new infections recorded NEWS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

– death toll now 961

A

s of Tuesday, Guyana’s coronavirus death toll moved to 961 with two more women dying from the disease.

The latest fatalities are a 93-year-old who was unvaccinated and a 78-yearold whose vaccination status is unknown. Both women are from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and they both died on November 15.

However, new statistics proved that 44 new infections were detected within the course of one day, thus taking the total confirmed positives to 36,916.

In addition, the Health Ministry reported that 17 patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 51 in institutional isolation, 2018 in home isolation and seven in institutional quarantine.

Throughout the pandemic, 373,796 individuals were tested – of which 17,404 males and 19,512 females were positive.

A regional breakdown of the new cases showed that one person tested positive in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam); eight in Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara); 23 in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica); two in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice); seven in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne); two in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni); one in Region Nine (Upper

Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and one in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

Region One (BarimaWaini) and Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) had no new cases. Meanwhile, first dose uptake for persons 60 years and above is now at 79 per cent; 76.7 per cent for persons 40 to 50 years; and 72.5 per cent for those 18 to 39 years of age. Meanwhile for children, first dose coverage is at 39 per cent.

Second doses by age category shows 66.2 per cent for 60 years and above; 56.9 per cent for persons 40 to 50 years; and 43.7 per cent for those 18 to 39. There is a 26.9 per cent uptake for children ages 12 to 17.

“Based on this age stratification, we want those numbers that are in the 70s for the first dose to get those up to about 80-85 per cent. We still have a lot of work to do to move it up. Then for the age category 12 to 17, first dose is relatively low. It’s just 39 per cent so we have to address this and get these numbers up just like the other age groups,” Dr Frank Anthony stated on Tuesday.

Dr Anthony stated that persons are still not returning for their second doses, despite some 100 fixed sites across the country.

“We have had some unfortunate experiences when we go to particular communities, that the communi-

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD NOVEMBER 16, 2021 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

44

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

51

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

2018 17

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

7

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

19,512

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

17,404

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

36,916

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

33,869

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED

392,512

FULLY IMMUNISED

263,455

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

961

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

1646

REGION 2

1508

REGION 3

4991

REGION 4

17,418

REGION 5

1359

REGION 6

2967

REGION 7

1772

REGION 8

613

REGION 9

2460

REGION 10

2182

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.

ties believe that they don’t need to take the vaccine and they have rejected the vaccination team. They don’t want them to go into these

communities and because of that, relatively large amounts of people in some communities have not received their vaccines,” he ex-

formation, 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.

pressed.

If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19 or needs any additional in-

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

12 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Canadian High Commission unveils Indigenous mural — Guyana, Canada share connection based on heritage, respect and appreciation of culture

Canadian High Commissioner, His Excellency Mark Berman along with Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai and Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond and other officials at the unveiling on Tuesday

T

he High Commission of Canada on Tuesday hosted an unveiling ceremony for the Indigenous Mural “We, the First Peoples”.

This mural is a merger of two important subjects for Guyana and Canada which are Indigenous peoples and tourism.

The mural was done in the Akawaio language – which is spoken mainly in northern Guyana, and also in northern Brazil and eastern Venezuela, by about 6380 people.

Canadian High Commissioner, His Excellency Mark Berman while making note of the similarities between the Indigenous peoples of the two countries, explained that the significance of the Akawaio language being in-

scribed onto the mural is in efforts to preserve the Indigenous language.

“The design is an abstract piece depicting patterns and designs from the first nations of Canada and Indigenous people of Guyana…the significance in this is rooted in global efforts to preserve Indigenous languages. Since many of them are endangered, often not taught in schools, or spoken publicly, current data indicated that at least 40 per cent of the 7000 languages used worldwide are at some level of endangerment. Ahead of the decade of Indigenous languages 20222032, let’s make a concerted effort to support these preservation efforts,” the High Commissioner stated.

Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai while delivering remarks

explained that the two countries’ connection is not just beyond borders and seas, but rather, are connected through their rich culture, identity, and ways of life.

“Guyana and Canada have continued to share strong bilateral relations that are a decade old. These relations are built on a foundation of shared principles, policies, and trade. Even deeper than these,” the Minister expressed.

While noting that internationally, the first people have made a lasting mark on the world, the Minister also highlighted the continuous efforts that are being made in advocating the rights of Indigenous people and making sure that they are recognised.

“In Guyana, we’re continuously advocating for the

The mural that was unveiled

promotion, protection, and promulgation of the way of life, culture, and heritage of the Amerindian people. This is our constitutional right. A right that is in our supreme law in Guyana,” she further emphasised.

Meanwhile, Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond lauded the High Commission’s decision in highlighting the Indigenous contributions to Guyanese culture in support of Tourism Awareness Month.

“It builds on the many similarities of our countries, with their significant Indigenous population and aligns completely with the central place that we see in Guyana for our Indigenous peoples and communities in our tourism development strategy,” Minister Walrond posited.

“Indeed, it was to demon-

strate our commitment to affording such a central place to our Indigenous nations in our tourism industry that we launch tourism awareness month in the Indigenous community of St Cuthbert’s Mission.

The Minister also pointed out that the majority of the Ministry’s eco-tour-

ism initiatives are being forged in partnership with Indigenous communities.

“Eco-tourism is a principal component of our tourism strategy and many of our eco-tourism initiatives are being forged in partnership with our Indigenous communities,” the Minister highlighted.

news@guyanatimesgy.com

NEWS

13

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Pfizer vaccine to be rolled out Govt to address garbage for children aged 5-11 on Friday issue at Kara Kara Blue Lake

T

he Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Education Ministry, will commence COVID-19 vaccination for children within the age cohort of five to 11 as of Friday.

A memorandum seen by this publication on Tuesday announced this move, which will see the administration of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to this subset of children.

“A schedule will be published and circulated that will indicate which schools will be used as vaccination sites and on what dates children can go to be vaccinated. This process will be done using a cluster approach whereby students of specific schools will be required to visit a nearby school to receive their vaccines,” the Education Ministry shared.

Meanwhile, students entering Grade Seven can return to their respective primary schools to receive their vaccine, once that school is a vaccination site; or they can visit the school which will be the site for primary school children.

The Education Ministry has said, “The return to schools for face-to-face teaching and learning is

highly dependent on the rollout of this vaccination programme. Efforts must be made by the school, PTA, school boards, old students’ association, Departments of Education, and the community to educate parents on the importance of having their children vaccinated, and to ensure a smooth flow of this process.”

This decision comes after the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month granted emergency use authorisation for the Pfizer-BioNTech to be administered to children between the ages of five and 11. When the campaign started in Guyana, only children above the age of 12 were eligible for the vaccine.

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

Recent figures show that some 28,433 persons, or 39 per cent of those between the ages of 12 and 17, have received their first dose; and approximately 19,624 persons, or 26.9 per cent of this age cohort, are fully immunised.

A few weeks ago, Health

Minister Dr Frank Anthony had indicated that he was not worried about the response to the immunisation of the new age cohort, since the Ministry would continue to use the Pfizer jab with which thousands of teenagers have been vaccinated.

He added that there are lots of credible information out there for parents and guardians to access in order to make an informed decision.

The double-dose vaccine has an efficacy of about 95 per cent, and is one of two vaccines approved for children by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

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

Then public schools across Guyana were partially reopened for face-toface learning in September, with individualised plans that see a limited number of children allowed to attend classes at a time.

Additionally, school hours have been drastically reduced, in some cases, to two-to-three-hour sessions.

Officials have, however, continued to mull the reopening of schools for complete classroom activity as the only way to curb the continued learning loss which the country is experiencing. The only safe way to reopen schools is through vaccination of both teachers and students. The latest figures have shown that over 60 per cent of teachers are vaccinated.

Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall

Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond

oration among state agencies.

“Minister Dharamlall was more than happy to intervene and get this issue rectified, because all Ministers share a collective vision of Guyana’s transformational development.

It does not matter which area, region, or how people voted, we are about the development of Guyana,” she stressed.

Tests done locally and internationally have verified that the water at the Kara Kara Blue Lake is safe for swimming, and the Minister pointed to the potential of the lake as a feature around

he Local Government and Regional Development Ministry will soon begin work on clearing the garbage from the entrance of the Kara Blue Lake in Linden. This decision was taken after the intervention of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond, following her visit to the lake on Sunday.

The lake was officially launched as a tourism destination after successful meetings with the Ministry, the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), the Region 10 Tourism Committee, and the Blue Lake Committee.

During her visit to the lake, Minister Walrond expressed concern about the indiscriminate dumping of garbage at the entrance of one of the country’s pristine tourism sites. Regional officials also signalled their unease about the issue, and indicated that they were exploring options for relocating the dumpsite.

However, after meeting with Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall

on Monday, Minister Walrond announced that work will begin almost immediately to remove the garbage from the site.

“The garbage is an impediment to the attractiveness of this tourism destination, and we could not allow this situation to persist,” the Minister noted.

She added that one of the highlights of the PPP/C Administration is the collab-

which a major regional tourist attraction could be built.

She reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to the development of the tourism sector in all regions of the country, and reiterated Government’s desire to see Guyanese businesses benefiting from true partnerships in the large projects, and investments that are coming in the sector.

T

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Minister Todd hosts National Advisory Committee on External Negotiations

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oreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd in his capacity as Chair of the National Advisory Committee on External Negotiations (NACEN) on Monday hosted a virtual meeting of the committee to discuss several trade-related matters.

In his remarks to NACEN, the Minister referred to the efficacy of trade with Guyana’s Caribbean neighbours and recalled Guyana’s role as a founding member of the Caribbean Community.

In this regard, he further noted the role that Guyana has assumed in

Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd meeting with the committee on Monday

leading the agricultural agenda at the level of Caricom and outlined President Ali’s vision to revitalise agriculture in the Caribbean.

Todd also underscored the Ministry’s readiness to support the Private Sector in becoming familiar with trade agreements that Guyana has signed on to and urged members to continue to engage the Ministry for clarity and assistance, as necessary.

Guyana’s Ambassador to Caricom Ambassador George Talbot and Director (ag) of the Department of Trade, Bevon McDonald, provided updates on

trade-related issues such as the Caricom Common External Tariff (CET), CARIFORUM-EU EPA, ongoing preparations for the 12th Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12) and preparations for the 9th Summit of the Americas.

The NACEN is a platform for engagement between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and representatives of the Private Sector, civil society, and academia on matters relating to the crafting, development, and execution of the country’s national trade policies.

Region 2 rice farmers protest high price for fertiliser

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cores of rice farmers on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) staged another picketing exercise at the Anna Regina Old Market on Friday last, once again calling for the Agriculture Ministry to intervene with the aim of lowering the price of fertiliser.

The farmers called on Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha to find solutions since they are being severely affected.

One solution the farmers highlighted was for the Government to transport fertilisers to the region or sell them to the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) so that farmers can get them at a cheaper rate.

“The situation concerning high prices where we are paying $9500 for a bag of fertilisers is a very serious; one because our livelihood will at stake when we do not receive a satisfying amount of money for a bag of paddy,” one farmer told Guyana Times.

Farmers protesting the high price for fertiliser

Meanwhile, during a recent statutory meeting held at the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) boardroom two Wednesdays ago, Regional Vice Chairman Humace Oodit noted that scores of rice farmers staged their first protest over the increased prices for fertiliser.

He added that they complained several times to him about the issue and as such, he raised their concerns with the subject Minister.

“When contact was made to Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, he immediately decided that the retail price for TSP fertiliser will be reduced from $9500 to $8200 per bag,” Oodit explained.

The VC added that he is aware that the present stock in the market is old, and as such a negotiable process is currently ongoing with the Ministry and private millers.

However, the Minister was slated to visit the region on Tuesday to meet with rice farmers.

NEWS

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

PM discusses Govt's inclusive approach to development with US’s Bar Association

Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret'd) Mark Phillips and the US National Bar Association members in discussion

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rime Minister, Brigadier (Ret'd) Mark Phillips on Tuesday received a courtesy visit from President of the National Bar Association of the United States of America, Carlos Moore Esq and a delegation.

The Prime Minister, who was accompanied by the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, informed the delegation of the Government's inclusive ap-

proach to development and commitment to the rule of law, including strengthening the country's democratic systems.

"Since we took office, we have been implementing our manifesto in an inclusive manner."

The senior Government official said that his Administration's focus is also on strengthening the judicial systems and a range of socio-economic initiatives, including a robust housing

programme, job creation, and infrastructural development, which will ultimately lead to a better quality of life for all Guyanese.

On the other hand, Minister Teixeira added that the country has made several progressive strides with regard to laws relating to sections of the society, such as women, children, and the LGBTQ community.

She pointed out specifically that in August, laws against cross-dressing were re-

Prime Minister Mark Phillips and Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister Gail Teixeira with members of the US National Bar Association

moved as an offense against the State.

Judge Moore, who was named the first African American Municipal Judge Pro Tem for the City of Grenada, Mississippi, last year, said that his organisation was impressed by the meeting and looks forward to future collaborations with the Government of Guyana.

"I'm excited to take back to my members the things that are going on here in Guyana… the areas of housing, energy, the infrastruc-

ture we would like to invest in that… but I'm also excited about working with the Guyanese Bar Association and the Judiciary to strengthen the rule of law and the demonstration of justice."

Moore was joined by Chief Foreign Policy Advisor Johanna Leblanc JD, LLM; Executive Director Maurice Foster Esq, and member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, Rosalyn Henderson-Myers, for the meeting.

The visiting officials are also scheduled to meet with several other members of the Government, members of the Judiciary, and the Guyana Bar Association this week.

The National Bar Association is the US’s oldest and largest national network of African American attorneys and Judges. It was founded in 1925 and represents the interests of approximately 65,000 lawyers, Judges, law professors, and law students.

16 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Kwakwani Utilities Inc honours top 10 NGSA, CSEC performers

Ramsammy’s Ruminations

Stakeholders have obligation to recommend amendments for electoral law

T NGSA top student Delica Patoir

CSEC top student Sheshounna Munroe

UI would like to honour you because you were outstanding at your academics for the last five years. We have to honour these kids because of their hard work; dedication towards education and to be able to achieve what they would have achieved during a pandemic and for these children to be this successful despite limited access to the internet, we should all feel proud of them.”

These were the sentiments of General Manager of Kwakwani Utilities Inc, David Adams during an award ceremony on Monday to honour the top 10 pupils at the recently concluded National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams.

Adams during his presen-

In the utility company’s efforts to acknowledge the students’ outstanding academic achievements, each pupil was gifted an electronic tablet during the company’s inaugural award ceremony which was held at the Kwakwani Management Centre.

Chief Accountant Officer of the Hinterland Electrification Company Inc (HECI), Annie Ramnarine urged the students to take charge of their adulthood and brace themselves for a life of many obstacles.

“I won’t lie to you, it’s not going to be an easy road, your parents can tell you that.

Don’t ever give up on achieving your goal in life; don’t ever give up your dreams for nothing; just embrace it, it’s part of growing up, it doesn’t matter how difficult it might seem to be, that is what

“K

KUI General Manager David Adams

tation related that it is imperative that the company recognise the hard work and dedication of the top pupils of Kwakwani despite a series of unprecedented hardships, making it somewhat challenging for many students to perform at their best.

HECI Chief Accountant Annie Ramnarine

moulds you to be a strong person in life,” she encouraged.

The NGSA top performers were encouraged to continue striving for excellence as they move to a new learning environment and more so, were charged to do their best. Ramnarine also implored parents to encourage their children to keep on thriving in their academic pursuits.

“I want all of you to pursue your dreams and your goals and to make Kwakwani proud,” she urged.

Adams, in his charge to the CSEC top performers, related that their secondary education has been completed and they can either advance their education or enter the world of work, hence, he noted that whichever path they decide to take, discipline is required.

With the limited availability of jobs to match one’s academic achievements in the Upper Berbice district, the General Manager vowed to create employment for the young scholars who wish to enter the world of work, while also signalling the company’s intent to pledge its support to pupils who desire to enter a university and training programme offered through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT).

The top 10 performers at the NGSA examinations are Delica Patoir, Raphella Rambarran, David Ketwaroo, Leniera Sampson, Tyreek Sampson, Jemimah Marcus, Tehier Conway, Shavis Smith, Roshad Callendar, and Shaunte Hyderkhan.

Meanwhile, Kwakwani’s CSEC top performers are: Sheshouna Munroe, Keron Smith, Jalen Jones, Demarcus Adams, Raulston Downer, Kwame Primo, Kimberly Busgith, Nejalyn Patterson, Lynton Osborne, and Herly Hercules.

he laws relating to the functioning of GECOM must be amended to avoid a repeat of the 2020 rigging fiasco. Proposed changes have been put forward by the Government for wide consultation. We must hope that every interested stakeholder, including individuals, would avail themselves of this opportunity; it is our obligation.

The brazen attempt to rig the results of the 2020 general and regional elections threatened Guyana’s democracy, and were it not for the vigilance of the PPP, other civic groups and individual Guyanese, with the indispensable support of our friends from Caricom and the ABCE Diplomatic Corps, the GECOM rigging machinery would have succeeded in abrogating the will of the Guyanese people. Whereas Burnham’s PNC was voted for by dead people and phantoms, and also packed ballot boxes with fake ballots, the rigging machinery for the 2020 elections attempted to change the numbers recorded on the Dr Leslie Ramsammy Statements of Poll. Whereas Burnham’s PNC did the stuffing of ballot boxes and counting of fake votes in the secured environment of the military headquarters: away from inquiring eyes; away from public streaming for the whole world to see; away from observers; the motley rigging crew at GECOM in 2020 attempted the clumsy tampering of SoP numbers in full view of the public.

The elections laws must be amended in such a way as to ensure that GECOM’s staff cannot easily mess with the conduct of elections, including all processes leading up to elections, Election Day activities, the counting and declaration of votes post-voting, etc. The fact is that the Chief Elections Officer, his deputy and other senior staff members are now facing serious electoral fraud charges before the judiciary.

Guyana entered the Guinness Book of World Record as the country that took the longest time, not to count the vote, but to declare the results. The fact is that there had to be a recount, and then, even after the recount, the Chief Elections Officer tried to discount the recount.

Changes must be made to the laws relating to the functioning of GECOM, so that these brazen attempts to change results and other brazen attempts to mess with electoral processes become near impossible, and should persons be so stupid as to try to mess with elections, they must face dire consequences, like life-imprisonment.

The Government has proposed amendments in the electoral laws pertaining to GECOM. Both the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and the Attorney General have stated that the proposed changes in the Representation of the People’s Act (ROPA) are now available for the widest possible input by Guyanese citizens, political parties, civic organisations and international stakeholders.

Ralph Ramkarran expressed concerns that the proposed amendments have not gone far enough. But Mr. Ramkarran is addressing the need for further electoral changes in terms of seats and specific constituency representation. That is not the purpose of the amendments the Government is seeking to make at this time. Electoral changes to designate specific constituency boundaries will not happen soon enough for the 2025 elections. The lengthy time it would take for agreeing to boundary lines for constituencies is a long-term project. It cannot be linked to the GECOM changes that are necessary right now.

Changes in how GECOM functions must be the priority.

A handful of Opposition officials are alleging that some of the proposed amendments seek to change seats. There is nothing in the proposed amendments that remotely discusses the total number of seats in Parliament, or the distribution of the 65 seats among national or geographical seats. There will still be 65 seats, still 40 national and 25 geographic seats, with Region 4 still assigned 7 geographic seats.

The amendments proposed simply include how Region 4 voting is conducted, and how Region 4 votes are reported. Instead of one returning officer, the proposals recommend four returning officers responsible for the smooth conduct of elections, and for declaring the results. In the end, the four sub-districts will still need to be added up to have a Region 4 vote. Seats will be Region 4 seats, not specifically designated for East Coast Demerara, East Bank Demerara, South Georgetown, and North Georgetown.

In terms of wide consultation, that is the purpose for publicly publishing the proposed amendments, for inviting different groups and individuals to study the amendments and make recommendations for changes. When Khemraj Ramjattan rants about lack of consultation while at the same time rejects an invitation to consult on the changes, he is being dishonest. When Joe Harmon insists that they will do their consultation internally, it is his right, but the Guyanese people still need to know what changes they want, which changes they will support. ANUG’s Timothy Jonas is correct that consultation must start somewhere. The Government has put forward a set of amendments it sees fit. It is now for other stakeholders to recommend changes to these proposals, including addition.

Whatever happens, the amendments must be made rapidly.

Guyana cannot afford to have a rigging machinery enshrined in GECOM. The present ROPA was exploited by a group of persons for the purpose of rigging Guyana’s elections. They came within a whisper of succeeding. The amendments are an imperative to ensure that the 2020 nightmare does not repeat itself in 2025 or any time ever.

NEWS

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

MoE aims for 100% enrolment at nursery level – Minister Manickchand

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ursery Education in Guyana celebrated 45 years on Tuesday since its existence in a formal setting. To observe this day, the Education Ministry hosted a National Symposium on Play-Based Pedagogy under the theme “Revisiting Play in the Nursery School System in Guyana: Opportunities for Inclusion and Responsive Programming.”

Speaking at the event hosted at the Pegasus Hotel, Education Minister Priya Manickchand noted that nursery education is the most important stage of a child’s development. She disclosed that

Education Minister Priya Manickchand delivering remarks at Tuesday’s event

“We’re at a good place where we can see how we can use the experiences over the last 45 years to make sure we get it right.

We know that access re-

Some of the exhibits that were on display at the symposium

Guyana has the highest level of enrolment in the Commonwealth at 85 per cent and is continuously pushing to have 100 per cent access to such facilities.

mains a problem especially in far-flung hinterland communities and although attendance at nursery school is not compulsory like primary and secondary, we want to get to a

place where we can make it compulsory and have the facilities that will allow us to do that so in the Ministry, our eyes are set on 100 per cent accessibility to nursery schools,” Manickchand said.

The Minister noted that this is also the most important period for the teaching profession since there is a need to respond to students in different settings. “If our teachers aren’t where they want to be, with training and improvement, and have no desire to get there, then we’re destroying every single child that comes out of your class and not just up to your year-end but all through their lives.”

Also addressing the event was the Assistant Chief Education Officer (Literacy), Samantha Williams who noted that every child must develop

Participants at the symposium

the readiness skills and attitude for lifelong learning at the nursery level.

The event was a collaboration between the National Centre of Educational Resources Development (NCERD), UNICEF-Guyana, University of Guyana, Syracuse University, USA; Pennsylvania State University, USA; and Bloomsburg University, USA. Nicolas Pron of UNICEF pointed out that play is an important pillar of the learning process as he congratulated the Ministry on its achievements over the past 45 years.

Similar sentiments were expressed by Professor Jaipaul Roopnarine of Syracuse University, USA, who not-

Region 6 preparing for upcoming rainy season

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egion Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) is currently preparing for the upcoming rainy season, according to Regional Chairman, David Armogan.

With predictions of an early start to the rainy season, the regional administration is trying to get its drainage system in order to avoid any large-scale flooding.

Armogan noted that if it rains for two or three days, then it will be difficult to drain off the water from the land in a timely manner.

Addressing the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), the Chairman stated that the administration is trying to ensure that all the drainage systems are cleared and clean.

On this note, he appealed to all residents of the Region not to dispose of garbage in the drainage system.

"Because you block it and then we have floods.

The thing that we are doing is ensuring that all of our kokers are functional and our sluices are functional. We have some work to do with siltation which would have occurred over the last few weeks," Armogan said.

He explained that when the weather is dry siltation takes place. Hence, there is now a need to do some cleaning some of the canals with

kokers and the sluices.

Farmers in the Black Bush Polder depend mainly on the Joppa, Eversham, and Adventure canals for drainage. The Regional Chairman explained that they will have to be clean in the shortest possible time.

"The pumps are in order, and we are doing some repairs to the pump at Adventure so that when the tide is high, we can still get water out by using the pump," Armogan added.

Meanwhile, rice farmers in the Black Bush Polder are slightly ahead of others in the Region with many of them starting the spring rice crop.

About 5 per cent of the cultivation area in the Black Bush Polder has al-

ready been cultivated. Three pumps are currently engaged in pumping water so that rice farmers can cultivate the land and according to Armogan, three more pumps are expected from the Agriculture Ministry to be deployed in the Black Bush Polder.

“We have some mobile pumps so that in the event of flooding as we did on the last occasion, we can take the irrigation pumps that are mobile and use them for drainage purposes. So, these pumps will have a double purpose."

In recent years rice farmers in the front lands have been complaining of limited access to irrigation water.

The water comes from the Canje River through

Black Bush Polder. As such, those farmers in the Polders have access to it and many times farmers who occupy the front lands will only start getting access to irrigation water after the Black Bush farmers need no more water.

Meanwhile, persons who are desirous of getting into the shrimp industry have benefited from an initiative being rolled out by the Agriculture Ministry in Region Six. The initiative will also benefit those interested in getting involved in Inland fishing Armogan pointed out that there will be an increase in shrimp production and when the infrastructure is completed inland fish production mainly tilapia will also increase.

"We are trying to assist people as much as possible because to hire machines and get into this business is very costly. The government is trying to provide as much as possible assistance to the farmers," Armogan told the RDC. Since the people's Progressive Party government took office in August last year the Agriculture Ministry has been working on an agenda to double agricultural production within the shortest possible time.

ed that “play and playfulness can help us be resilient and bounce back when negative events occur, sometimes even bouncing forward.”

Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Dr Paloma Mohamed-Martin further pointed out that the nursery level with the incorporation of play into learning helps children to develop behaviour, personality, individualism, and shows respect for a child’s culture.

In September 1976, when the Government of Guyana took responsibility for providing care and educational support for young children (nursery school programming for the three years nine months to 5 years nine months), playbased, child-centred, exploration and stimulation activities were promoted to foster good mental health and general developmental domains. This approach became a well-established curriculum component in early childhood education, as captured in the Guyana Nursery

Education Programme.

Even though the need for play-based learning at the early childhood stage was well integrated into the nursery education programme in Guyana, iterations in curriculum reform over the past decade witnessed a shift in the delivery and allotted time of play-based interventions.

However, the growing challenges resulting from the migrant crisis in Guyana, the devastating consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, and increased frequency and intensity in climate change, gender-based violence and other issues have led to the revisiting of play-based learning to help children build resilience as enabling coping approaches.

The Symposium on Play Pedagogy was a one-day event that will bring together a wide cross-section of education stakeholders to address the prevailing issue of maximising the developmental possibilities of children's play encounters.

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021

Regional

Nicaragua denounces OAS as President Chile’s Pinera safe after Senate votes down impeachment bid Ortega, wife banned from US

U

S President Joe Biden on Tuesday banned members of the Nicaraguan Government from entering the United States as he issued a broad proclamation in response to an election that Washington has denounced as rigged in favour of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.

Before the November 7 vote, Nicaraguan authorities detained nearly 40 Opposition figures, including seven wouldbe presidential challengers, assuring victory for long-time ruler Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo.

“The repressive and abusive acts of the Ortega Government and those who support it compel the United States to act,” Biden said in a proclamation.

“The Ortega Government’s undemocratic, authoritarian actions have crippled the electoral process and stripped away the right of Nicaraguan citizens to choose their leaders in free and fair elections.”

On Monday, the US announced separate financial sanctions against Nicaraguan officials, describing the recent election as a “sham”.

The United Kingdom and Canada also announced new sanctions against prominent Nicaraguans.

“The physical and psychological abuse of political prisoners at the hands of Police and

C

A banner depicting Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo

prison authorities is intolerable and cannot stand,” Biden said, accusing Ortega of overseeing corrupt courts, police and security services.

A firebrand Marxist in his youth, Ortega ruled Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, after leading a rebel army that removed US-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza.

Ortega has derided his US critics as “Yankee imperialists” and accused them of trying to undermine Nicaragua’s electoral process. Cuba, Venezuela and Russia have offered Ortega their backing.

The Organisation of

American States (OAS) adopted a resolution on Friday saying Nicaragua’s election lacked “democratic legitimacy”. Twenty-five nations voted in favour and seven abstained, including Mexico, Honduras and Bolivia.

Nicaragua’s Congressional Speaker Gustavo Porras said Tuesday the legislature was asking Ortega to reject the OAS charter, which begins the formal process for leaving the group.

During that legislative session, 83 of 87 legislators approved the motion.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

CHTA predicts strong winter rebound for Caribbean

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aribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) President Nicola Madden-Greig is predicting a strong winter rebound for regional tourism based on strong health protocols in place and the increase in air service to several destinations across the Region.

“The worst of it has been contained,” said MaddenGreig, basing her optimism on containing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to sound health safety protocols under the guidance of local Ministries and Departments of

Health, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and other regional and international organisations.

Her optimism is backed by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), which recently reported that the Caribbean was recovering faster than any other region in the world with tourism’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expected to rise more than 47 per cent this year.

In contrast, the global economy is set to receive a 30.7 per cent year-on-year in-

crease from travel and tourism in 2021, representing US$1.4 trillion and mainly driven by domestic spending. The Caribbean region’s forecast increase represents an increase of nearly US$12 billion, driven by both international and domestic travel spend.

Among the Region’s protocols have been requirements for visitors to pre-screen and produce a negative test before boarding Caribbean flights, as well as the increased vaccination rates for tourism professionals. (Excerpt from CMC)

Mexico’s most wanted: Wife of cartel boss “El Mencho” held

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exican security forces have arrested the wife of “El Mencho”, Mexico’s most wanted man and the leader of the feared Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

Rosalinda González is suspected of running the CJNG’s finances.

Mexico’s Defence Ministry said she was arrested in Zapopán, the same city where she was detained in 2018.

She had been released on bail while awaiting trial on money laundering charges after paying 1.5 million pe-

sos (US$78,000).

Her husband, whose real name is Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, has been on the run for years.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration is offering a US$10 million reward for information leading to his capture.

The CJNG is one of the most powerful drug cartels in Mexico and has been behind some of the deadliest attacks on Mexican security forces, such as a 2015 ambush in Jalisco which left 15 officers dead.

It has spread from its

original power base in the state of Jalisco to have an almost nationwide presence.

Security officials say the group was also behind the brazen assassination attempt on Mexico City’s Police Chief, Omar García Harfuch, last year.

In a separate development on Tuesday, two Mexican Marines were abducted in Zapopán and the Government was concerned this was linked to the arrest of González, a Mexican official was quoted as saying by Reuters. (Excerpt from BBC News)

hile’s Senate voted against removing President Sebastian Pinera from office on Tuesday, ending an impeachment process that had successfully passed a Lower House vote last week over alleged irregularities in the sale of a mining company.

The Senate vote fell short of a two-thirds majority, or 29 votes, needed in order to oust Pinera, who is set to leave office in March next year. Chileans will vote in presidential elections on Sunday, in which Pinera is not a candidate.

After fierce debate and speeches defending and at-

tacking the centre-right President, Pinera’s allies reached the threshold needed to block the Opposition from getting the necessary number of votes, a higher bar than the simple majority in the Lower House.

The vote saves Pinera – a billionaire businessman – from being removed from office and being disqualified for five years from holding public office.

The impeachment proceedings spring from the socalled Pandora Papers leak, a cache of documents that revealed offshore transactions involving global political and business figures.

Among them were documents that appear to outline a deal involving the 2010 sale of the Dominga copper and iron mine. At the time, Pinera was in his first year of his first term in office.

The papers suggested that the deal, involving a firm linked to Pinera’s family, was contingent on favourable regulations. The sale was examined and dismissed by courts in 2017.

Centre-right Pinera rejects the accusations, saying the details of the contract were in a file previously reviewed with no irregularities found. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Suspect arrested in Istanbul over Haitian President’s killing

A

man said to be of “great interest” in the investigation into the murder of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse has been arrested in Turkey.

The businessman, Samir Handal, was detained at Istanbul Airport, while he was in transit from the US to Jordan.

He is alleged to have links to Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a Haitian doctor who was arrested in July in connection with Moïse’s murder.

In total, more than 40 suspects have been detained.

Haiti’s Foreign Minister, Claude Joseph, thanked his Turkish counterpart on Twitter for the arrest of Handal.

Joseph did not give any details of the allegations against Handal, but Turkish authorities said they had

Samir Handal was arrested at Istanbul Airport

acted because Interpol had issued an international arrest warrant for the businessman.

Handal had reportedly been living in Miami in the US prior to his arrest. It is not known why he was flying to Jordan.

Even though dozens of people have been arrested

in connection with Moïse’s killing, very little is known about the motive behind it.

The President was shot dead on July 7 by gunmen who stormed his residence in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.

Many of those in detention are former members of the Colombian military, many of whom say they were hired to provide “security services” in Haiti and were not told about a plan to kill the President.

The Haitian doctor Handal is alleged to have links to was arrested shortly after President Moïse’s murder.

The then-Police Chief Leon Charles described Sanon as someone “who had political objectives”, and accused him of recruiting the Colombian mercenaries. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Barbados Government investing millions in renewable energy projects

T

he Barbados Government has spent approximately Bds$60 million in the installation of four megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic panels on the roofs of various Government buildings and other energy conservation projects.

Energy, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Minister Kerrie Symmonds made the disclosure during his message for Energy Month, celebrated under the theme “Ascension to Independence through Sustainable Energy”.

Looking towards the future, the Minister hinted that over the next six years, Government would be investing Bds$90 million, which would result in over 40MW of renewable energy on additional Government buildings.

Energy, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Minister Kerrie Symmonds

Of this figure, Bds$40 million will be invested in energy conservation.

“This deliberate action is intended to reduce Barbados’ carbon footprint with a view to reaching our target of being 100 per cent carbon neu-

tral by 2030. Our evolving destiny must also include levels of enfranchisement for Barbadian citizens.

“The Barbados Government, through a Cabinet decision, has determined that at least 30 per cent of the emerging renewable energy sector must be held and controlled by Barbados,” Symmonds underlined.

The Energy Minister also highlighted a number of achievements under his Ministry and shared that it had systematically developed a policy to facilitate energy independence that enabled Barbadians to generate wind and solar energy for purchase by the Barbados Light and Power Company Limited.

(Excerpt from Nation News)

guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021

OILNEWS OIL NEWS OPEC chief urges output caution as signs of oil surplus grow

O

PEC is seeing signs of an oil supply surplus building from next month so its members and allies will have to be "very, very cautious" when they review output policy at regular monthly meetings, the group's Secretary General said on Tuesday.

The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, known as OPEC+, is gradually unwinding record production cuts made in 2020 by raising output 400,000 barrels per day per month. OPEC+ holds its next policy meeting on Dec 2.

"The surplus is already beginning in December," OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo said on the sidelines of an energy conference, when asked if he was sure there would be an excess in oil supply next year.

"These are signals that we have to be very, very careful," he told reporters.

Barkindo declined to say if he thought OPEC+ would stick to existing policy when it meets on Dec 2.

Brent crude was 52 cents, or 0.6 per cent, higher at USUS$82.57 a barrel, by 1135 GMT, and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude climbed 40 cents, or 0.5 per cent, to US$81.28.

On Monday, the Energy Minister for OPEC's United Arab Emirates indicated that OPEC+ would probably stay the course, despite an expected first-quarter surplus.

While world oil demand is recovering from the pandemicinduced collapse in 2020, OPEC forecasts that demand growth next year is expected to slow and supply from rival producers such as US shale companies is expected to rise.

OPEC follows the level of oil inventories in members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) closely as an indicator of oil market health and is wary of any renewed build up that might depress prices.

As of September, oil stocks in OECD member states stood at 2.8 billion barrels, 374 million barrels lower than the same time a year ago, according to OPEC data, reflecting the impact of the OPEC+ supply cuts.

"The projections, not only from OPEC but from the IEA (International Energy Agency) and other sources, show that throughout the quarters of next year there will be oversupply in the market using the metric of the OECD stocks," Barkindo said.

"This is also further evidence why we should be very cautious and measured in the decisions we take every month."

OPEC has a vested interest in ensuring the global economic recovery continues, Barkindo said.

"We think we are on a trajectory of recovery, and for us in OPEC we will continue to do whatever is necessary that this recovery is not faltered." (Excerpt from Reuters)

Around the World

3 suicide bombers kill 3, wound dozens in Ugandan capital

I

slamic State claimed an attack in the heart of Uganda's capital on Tuesday after three suicide bombers killed three people and sent Members of Parliament running for cover, in the latest in a wave of bombings.

The blasts in Kampala, which forced the evacuation of Parliament, shocked a nation known as a bulwark against violent Islamist militants in East Africa, and whose leader has spent years cultivating Western security support.

Islamic State claimed responsibility via the group's Amaq News Agency on an affiliated Telegram account.

The nicknames of the three attackers indicated all were Ugandan.

T

the plan on Monday evening in Brussels and continued on Tuesday, aiming to settle on a final document by March next year.

Italy and France, two of the EU's military powers, welcomed the draft. The view of Germany's incoming federal coalition government, expected soon, will prove critical.

"The document combines a high level of ambition but also makes concrete and operational proposals. It's a good balance," French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly told reporters. Her Italian counterpart, Lorenzo Guerini,

Ugandan, Police and explosion experts secure the scene of a blast in Kampala, Uganda November 16, 2021

The death toll including the three bombers was six, Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said, including Police officers.

A diplomat told Reuters two Police officers were killed.

Enanga said 33 people were being treated in hospital, including five in critical condition.

Police said intelligence indicated the Islamic Statealigned Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) were responsible.

The explosions three minutes apart - the first near the Central Police Station and two very close to Parliament - sent MPs and office workers

rushing for cover over shards of broken glass as a plume of white smoke rose above downtown.

A suicide bomber wearing a backpack detonated near the checkpoint at the Police station, killing two, Enanga said.

The second attack, involving two suicide bombers on motorbikes, killed one person.

Anti-terrorism police caught another potential suicide bomber and found a device at his home, Enanga said.

The ADF was founded

by Ugandan Muslims but is now based in the forested mountains of the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, where it has been blamed for thousands of civilian deaths. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Xi, Biden wrap up virtual meeting amid rising tension

U

S President Joe Biden called for better and more “honest” communication between China and the US during a virtual call with Chinese President Xi Jinping where both leaders played up their close relationship.

The two leaders were holding discussions over video conference at a time when the two countries’ relationship is deteriorating over issues including Taiwan, Hong Kong and Beijing’s treatment of the predominantly Muslim Uighurs in its far western region of Xinjiang.

In his opening remarks ahead of the call on Monday night in the US, Biden acknowledged that competition between the US and China was expected but said it was his and Xi’s personal responsibility as leaders to ensure that rivalry did not veer into conflict, according to a White House transcript.

Biden’s comments contrast with the early days of

EU to aim for rapid deployment force without US help by 2025, document says he European Union is considering a joint military force of up to 5000 troops by 2025 to intervene in a range of crises and without relying on the United States, according to a draft plan.

The "EU Rapid Deployment Capacity" should be made up of land, sea and air components that could be swapped in and out of any standing force, depending on the crisis, according to the confidential 28-page document dated Nov 9 and seen by Reuters.

EU Foreign and Defence Ministers began debating

19

said it would also be complementary to NATO and strengthen transatlantic ties.

Two decades after EU leaders first agreed to set up a 50,000-60,000-strong force but failed to make it operational, the draft strategy by the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is the most concrete effort to create a standalone military force that does not rely on US assets.

Not all 27 EU states would need to take part, although approval of any deployment would require consensus. (Excerpt from Reuters)

his Administration when a meeting in March between top US and Chinese officials turned into an acrimonious confrontation as Yang Jiechi, China’s top diplomat and a member of the Politburo, told Secretary of State Antony Blinken not to meddle in China’s internal affairs.

During the vcall with Xi, Biden said the US opposes “unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” according to a White House statement.

The US maintains a policy of “strategic ambiguity” towards Taiwan, whose formal name is the Republic of China, but since the Trump Administration, US officials are increas-

US President Joe Biden speaks virtually with Chinese leader Xi Jinping from the White House in Washington, DC [Jonathan Ernst/ Reuters]

ingly outspoken offering assistance to the democracy in an event of an attack.

Speaking from Beijing, Xi said the two countries faced multiple challenges.

He referred to Biden as

“my old friend,” and said the rivals must work more closely together. “China and the United States need to increase communication and cooperation,” he said.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Poland border crisis: Migrants teargassed trying to cross from Belarus

P

olish forces have used tear gas and water cannon against migrants trying to cross into the country from Belarus.

Videos showed migrants throwing stones and other objects at the Polish forces guarding a fortified border crossing.

For weeks, thousands of migrants, mostly from the Middle East, have been gathering at the Belarus border in an attempt to reach the European Union.

Belarus has been accused of pushing migrants to the border to try to destabilise the EU, a charge it denies.

EU-Belarus relations have been severely strained since longterm leader Alexander Lukashenko declared victory in a discredited presidential election last year and tried to silence dissent by cracking down on mass

Tension at the Kuznica crossing has been growing in recent days

protests and arresting political opponents.

There have been more than 5000 attempts by migrants to cross the border into Poland from Belarus so far this month, compared to just 88 in the whole of last year, the Polish border agency said.

The migrants, including children, have been living in makeshift camps in freezing conditions just inside Belarus. In recent days, thousands have converged on a crossing at

Kuznica, south of Grodno in north-west Belarus.

On Monday, many of those migrants burst through a fence and gathered at a crossing on the Belarusian side of the border. They were blocked by Polish troops and a tense stand-off ensued.

By Tuesday morning, Poland's Defence Ministry said its forces had responded to migrants attacking a border fence at Kuznica.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

20

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS

DILBERT

(April 20May 20)

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

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)

Take good care of your health. Pay attention to detail and how you present yourself at work or when dealing with anyone in a position of power. Your conduct will be what counts.

Emotions will be difficult to control. Don't get bent out of shape because of what others do or say. Keep a positive attitude, and you'll find it easier to convince others to see things your way.

Go above and beyond the call of duty; your peers will look up to you. Learn from observation and experience.

Invest more time and effort in updating your image and keeping current with trends.

Keep your documents in a safe place, and don't make promises you cannot keep.

Concentrate on making positive changes that will benefit people in your community, workplace or family.

Say little and do a lot.

If you fall short in your responsibilities, someone will use it against you, and your reputation will be at risk. Do your best, and you'll have no regrets.

Chat with someone you enjoy being around. Make plans that will give you a chance to show off or do something nice for a loved one.

Home improvements will add to your comfort. Romance is featured.

Follow through and complete your to-do list before you move on to more enjoyable pastimes. If you neglect to do your fair share, you will face repercussions.

Leave nothing to chance.

Size up situations and make your mark. Look at the big picture, but limit expenses. Go the extra mile and find the shortest and most cost-efficient way to get what you want.

Adapt to the changes goSAGITTARIUS ing on around you, and you'll (Nov. 23find a way to take advantage Dec. 21) of unfolding trends. Curb your emotional reaction to avoid sending the wrong message.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

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

Alter the way you do things, and it will give you a new lease on life. A physical show of affection will encourage friends and family to be receptive to the decisions you make.

Balance, equality and fairness will be needed if you want to gain the support you're looking for. When in doubt, listen to reason, and you'll find the best way to move forward.

Dream on and let your imagination take the reins.

(Feb. 20Explore possibilities, but don't March 20) go into debt. Before you invest time and money in something, go over every detail. Call in an expert if needed.

PISCES

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021

21

NBA roundup…

DeMar DeRozan remains hot, sparks Bulls' win D

eMar DeRozan scored a season-best 38 points on 15-of-23 shooting, and Lonzo Ball established a season-high 27 points as the visiting Chicago Bulls halted an eight-game losing streak against the Los Angeles Lakers with an easy 121-103 triumph on Monday night.

It was the second huge outing in two nights for DeRozan, who had poured in 35 points on 12-of-16 shooting in Sunday's 100-90 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Ball matched his season-high of seven 3-pointers, and was 10-of-13 from the field, while also contributing eight assists and seven rebounds for the Bulls.

Zach LaVine knocked down six 3-pointers while scoring 26 points, and Derrick Jones Jr. scored 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting for Chicago, which beat the Lakers for the first time since registering a 118-110 road win on Nov. 20, 2016.

Talen Horton-Tucker scored a career-high 28 points, and Russell Westbrook recorded 25 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Lakers, who are just 8-7, despite opening the season with 12 of 15 at home. LeBron James (abdominal strain) sat out for the sev-

host New York, who struggled again in the third quarter before overcoming a 12-point deficit to beat Indiana.

Julius Randle (11 points, 11 rebounds) had a double-double for the Knicks, while Kemba Walker had 16 points. Derrick Rose scored 14 points and RJ Barrett added 12 points.

Malcolm Brogdon scored 22 points and Domantas Sabonis had 21 points for the Pacers, who went ice cold in the fourth quarter as their two-game winning streak was snapped.

enth consecutive game.

Celtics 98, Cavaliers 92 Jayson Tatum scored 23 points to fuel the visiting Boston to a victory over Cleveland.

Al Horford collected 17 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics, who bounced back after squandering a 19-point lead in a 9189 setback to Cleveland on Saturday. Marcus Smart and Dennis Schroder each scored 14 points, and Grant Williams added 11 off the bench to send Boston to its fifth win in seven outings.

Ricky Rubio scored 26 of his 28 points in the second half for the Cavaliers. Rubio was inserted into the starting lineup, and rookie Evan Mobley shifted to center in place of Jarrett Allen, who sat out due to a non-COVID illness.

Kings 129, Pistons 107 Buddy Hield had 22 points off the bench, and Sacramento snapped a four-game losing streak with an emphatic win over Detroit.

De'Aaron Fox contributed 19 points, nine assists, six rebounds and three steals for the Kings, while Richaun Holmes also scored 19 points while grabbing nine rebounds.

Tyrese Haliburton supplied a double-double with 17 points and 10 assists, as did Chimezie Metu with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Saddiq Bey's 28 points led Detroit in the opener of a five-game homestand. Cade Cunningham, the top pick in the draft, had a career-high 25 points along with eight rebounds and eight assists.

Grizzlies 136, Rockets 102 Ja Morant scored 22 points while Jaren Jackson Jr. and Dillon Brooks combined for 34 as Memphis snapped a threegame skid while handing visiting Houston its 12th consecutive defeat.

West Indies, USA to host 2024 T20 World Cup

I

n June 2024, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will go somewhere it has never been before, with USA hosting the event alongside the West Indies, which staged the tournament in 2010.

Lanka.

In 2026, India and Sri Lanka will host the Men’s T20 World Cup, before three nations, for the first time, host another major event in 2027.

Australia and New Zealand, and 12 months later, India will host the Champions Trophy.

In 2030, England will share T20 World Cup hosting duties with Ireland and

Morant added six rebounds and six assists to his ledger while making 4 of 6 threepoint attempts to pace an unselfish offensive attack.

Six Grizzlies scored in double figures.

Jalen Green led the Rockets with 15 points, while Jae'Sean Tate added 14 points and nine boards.

Wizards 105, Pelicans 100 Spencer Dinwiddie scored 27 points and host Washington won its fifth game in a row by dominating the fourth quarter against New Orleans.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 18 points, Montrezl Harrell scored 15, Aaron Holiday had 12, and Deni Avdija added 11 points and 10 rebounds as the Wizards overcame the absence of Bradley Beal (personal reasons) by outscoring New Orleans 32-20 in the fourth quarter.

Brandon Ingram scored 31, Jonas Valanciunas added 16, Devonte' Graham had 14, and Josh Hart had 13 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Pelicans, who lost for the 10th time in their last 11 games.

Knicks 92, Pacers 84 Immanuel Quickley scored 16 points off the bench and hit all four of his 3-point attempts -- including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 5:03 left -- for

Trail Blazers 118, Raptors 113 CJ McCollum scored 10 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, and Portland held on to defeat visiting Toronto.

Damian Lillard added 24 points -- 16 in the first half -- for the Trail Blazers, who have won four straight over the Raptors dating to January 2020. Larry Nance Jr. added 15 points for Portland, Norman Powell had 12 points, Robert Covington had 11, and Jusuf Nurkic contributed five points and 14 rebounds.

OG Anunoby had 23 of his 29 points in the first half for the Raptors. He made six 3-pointers to match his career best. Pascal Siakam added 20 points, Gary Trent Jr. and Scottie Barnes had 18 apiece, and Fred VanVleet registered 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter.

Heat 103, Thunder 90 Tyler Herro scored 26 points to lead Miami to a win at Oklahoma City.

Herro and Duncan Robinson, who scored 21, each hit five 3-pointers as the Heat won for the second consecutive game to salvage a 2-3 road trip.

Kyle Lowry added 11 points and 11 assists for Miami.

The Thunder, who got 20 points from Luguentz Dort, lost for the second consecutive night after winning four in a row.

Suns 99, Timberwolves 96 Devin Booker scored 29 points, Deandre Ayton tallied 22 points and 12 rebounds, and visiting Phoenix rallied past Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Chris Paul added 21 points and eight assists for Phoenix, which won its ninth game in a row. The Suns earned their second victory in as many nights.

Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns led all players with 35 points and 13 rebounds.

D'Angelo Russell had 22 points, but missed a 3-point attempt off the back rim that would have given the Timberwolves a lead in the final seconds.

Hawks 129, Magic 111 Trae Young and John Collins both scored 23 points to lead a quartet of Atlanta players with 20-plus points and help the Hawks beat visiting Orlando.

Bogdan Bogdanovic had 20 points, sinking four 3-pointers for Atlanta. Clint Capela added 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting and added a game-high 16 rebounds.

Cole Anthony led the Magic with 29 points, hitting four 3-pointers, and had 11 assists.

Franz Wagner and Terrence Ross scored 19 apiece.

Mavericks 111, Nuggets 101 Kristaps Porzingis had 29 points and 11 rebounds as Dallas beat visiting Denver, snapping the Nuggets' fivegame winning streak. The Mavericks won for the fifth time in six games.

Porzingis made five 3-pointers and Luka Doncic added 23 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists before heading to the locker room in the final minute with a left ankle injury.

Nikola Jokic had 35 points, 16 rebounds and six assists for Denver. Monte Morris had 17 points, and Aaron Gordon recorded 14 points and seven rebounds. (Reuters)

Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy charged with two further counts of rape

M

Eight months later, in February 2025, Pakistan will host the Men’s Champions Trophy. It will be the first major global cricket tournament played in Pakistan since 1996, when it hosted the Men’s Cricket World Cup alongside India and Sri

In October/November 2027, Namibia will host the Men’s Cricket World Cup for the first time, alongside Zimbabwe and South Africa.

South Africa and Zimbabwe last staged the event in 2003.

In October 2028 the T20 World Cup will be played in

Scotland. It will be the first time since 1999 that Ireland and Scotland have hosted a major global cricket event.

The final scheduled event, in October/November 2031, will be the Men’s Cricket World Cup, played in India and Bangladesh. (ICC Cricket)

anchester City defender Benjamin Mendy, of Prestbury, has been charged with two further counts of rape, and has been summonsed to appear at Stockport Magistrates’ Court today (on Wednesday).

The 27-year-old footballer, who remains in custody, is now facing six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. The charges relate to four complainants over the age of 16, and are alleged to have taken place between October 2020 and August 2021.

The France internation-

al has played for last season’s Premier League champions Manchester City since 2017,

when he joined from Monaco for a reported £52m. After being charged by Police, he was suspended by the club pending an investigation.

Louis Saha Matturie was also previously charged with four counts of rape in relation to the alleged attacks between March and August 2021.

The 40-year-old from Eccles has also been charged with two additional counts of rape and one of sexual assault, and has been summonsed to appear at the court.

Both men are due to go on trial on 24 January 2022.

(BBC.COM)

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021

After World Cup debacle, Hetmyer should be West Indies white-ball captain – Dave Cameron

C

ricket West Indies (CWI) should appoint Guyanese batsman Shimron Hetmyer as the new white-ball captain after the disappointing run of Kieron Pollard at the ICC T20 World Cup, and generally, for the men in Maroon.

This assertion has come from former CWI President Dave Cameron, who believes the current CWI leadership is not looking at the precedent of players’ leadership records when selecting captains.

“We felt, as an organization, that Hetmyer would be a future leader for West Indies. The way he conducted himself when we won the 2016 Under-19 World Cup, and coming through the ranks,” Cameron said while speaking as a guest on Line & Length on SPORTSMAX. “Hetmyer is a very confident young man, very aggressive and talented. We felt he could be someone who could lead us and be a future captain of the West Indies.”

Cameron said.

He spoke as part of a review of the leadership roles in the team and CWI managerial structure after the

Dave Cameron

side won one in five matches and finished near the bottom of the table, with captain Pollard once again contributing very little with the bat.

After 23 matches in four T20 World Cups, Pollard has scored 254 runs at a poor average of 14.11.

Since he was appointed West Indies T20I captain in September 2019, Pollard has played 31 matches, winning 10, losing 16, and

GCB set to resume play with National COVID-19 Task Force approval

T

he National COVID-19 Task Force recently gave written approval to the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) to resume cricket activities in Guyana, after having instructed the GCB in September 2021 to suspend activities.

With this approval, the GCB is now set to roll out its list of regular competitions at all levels, including inter-county and women’s cricket, and wishes to inform all county boards, associations and clubs to begin their preparation for

cricket.

It is important to note that although permission has been granted by the National COVID-19 Task Force, the GCB and its affiliated boards, associations and all clubs are expected to follow the official guidelines of the COVID-19 Task Force; to wit that players, coaches, officials and spectators must be fully vaccinated, venues must not exceed forty percent capacity, and spectators must practise social distancing at all times.

Also, the GCB is expect-

ed to commence training for the Guyana Senior Team in preparation for the Cricket West Indies’ Regional Four Day Tournament, which is scheduled to start in January 2022.

having five no-results.

During the T20 World Cup, Hetmyer topped the batting with 127 runs, averaging 31.75. Only two others managed over 100 runs – Evin Lewis (105, avg 21.00) and vice-captain Nicholas Pooran (103, avg: 20.60) - as the defending champions bowed out.

“I am disappointed, but not surprised. We tried a different method a few years ago, and we started to have results. This administration has decided that they wanted to go back to what has been tried and failed…so the results were al-

ways there,” Cameron said.

“We won two games at the 2019 World Cup, and now we won one at this event. Everybody has a different strategy and different leadership style. You require different types of leadership and management depending on where you are in your cycle. In 2013, when we took over, West Indies Cricket was at a serious crossroad with our players and finances, and we had to make some different decisions then.

“In my mind, Cricket West Indies needs professional leadership. It’s not just West Indies cricket, I think cricket as a game is not growing as it should, because we focus on the game itself rather than opportunities within the sport to expand it so that so many more people can participate. That is where I was, and I think this is where we need to be heading.

“So, in my mind, however you want to structure CWI, you need to take it out of this parochial structure and give it the opportunity to really perform as a company,” Cameron said. (Sportsmax)

GFF pays tribute to former U17 Captain Dian Mandokin

T

he Guyana Football Federation (GFF) on Monday expressed its sadness at the loss of former Lady Jags U17 Captain Dian Mandokin, who passed away on November 13 at age 25.

Mandokin played for the Guyana U17 Women’s National Team in 2011 and 2012, including doing a stint as captain during Concacaf Championship qualifying.

A keen and talented sportswoman, she competed at national level for Region 9 in athletics, specialising in the 100m and 200m sprints.

Born in Moco Moco in the Rupununi in January 1996, Mandokin also represented Snatchers and Guyana Rush

Dian Mandokin

Saints football clubs during her playing career.

“We are all deeply saddened by the tragic passing of this gifted national foot-

baller and much-loved young woman,” said GFF President Wayne Forde. “On behalf of the entire football community, we offer our sincere and heartfelt condolences to Dian’s loved ones at this extremely painful time.

“We would also like to pay tribute to Dian and her inspiring contribution to football as a female player from a hinterland community. She was a talented, trailblazing leader on the pitch, who represented Guyana at youth level with great pride and honour,” Forde said.

Huburn Evans contributes to project “Cricket Gear CLASSIFIED ADS For Young And Promising Cricketers In Guyana”

H

uburn Evans, formerly of No 2 Village, East Canje, Berbice and now resident in the USA, has donated two cricket bats towards the “Cricket Gear For Young And Promising Cricketers In Guyana” project.

Evans represented Guyana at the senior level as a cricketer and coach, and was also one of the most successful under-19 cricket coaches in Guyana. He played first-division cricket for several clubs during his career, which spanned more than four decades.

In the latter half of his career, he was coach of the Young Warriors cricket club, and played a major role in the development of several top cricketers who went on to represent Guyana and West Indies at all levels.

Notably, he played a major role in the growth and development of current West Indies star player Shimron Hetmyer.

Evans also served in sev-

At left is Ariel Tilku, at centre is Huburn Evans, and at right is Aaron Beharry

eral positions as an executive of the Berbice and Guyana Cricket Boards, including being a selector.

Evans has only recently coached the East Zone USA Under-19 Team and New England Eagles of Massachusetts in the USA Minor League tournament in his adopted country.

This cricket gear initiative is a joint effort by Kishan Das

of the USA and Anil Beharry of Guyana. At a small but significant presentation, Evans said he is delighted to give back to the game he loves so much, a game that has fashioned his entire life. He added that more help will be made available.

Recipients Ariel Tilku and Aaron Beharry thanked Evans for this fine gesture, and promised that it would

surely help develop Guyana’s young players.

Their aim is to provide cricket gear free of cost to young and talented cricketers in Guyana. The project is seeking new and used cricket gear which would be distributed across the length and breadth of Guyana.

Total cricket-related items collected so far are: $40,000 cash, two cricket boots, twelve pairs of batting pads, fourteen bats, nine pairs of batting gloves, and four cricket bags.

Sixteen young players from Essequibo Coast, Pomeroon and the East Canje area have already benefited from a junior gear bag, five bats, six pairs of batting pads, and four pairs of batting gloves. Two clubs in Pomeroon will also benefit from two used bats. The Rose Hall Canje Community Centre Club (RHCCCC) has also benefited.

Talent spotting is being done across Guyana, along with guidance from club lead-

ers to identify the players.

Players must be in school and be disciplined, but players above school age would also be considered.

Das and Beharry would like to thank Imran and Javed Khan of West Indian Sports Complex; Option Group; Bish Panday of P and P Insurance Brokers; Sean Devers; Travis Simon; Hilbert Foster of RHTY≻ Ariel Tilku; Aaron Beharry; Devon Ramnauth; Sherman Austin; Teddy Singh; Leana Bachan and Imran Saccoor; Romash Munna; Ravi Etwaroo; Ravin Harkishun; Surendra Harkishun; Allan Mangru; Vishal Mahabir and Huburn Evans. More distribution will be done as soon as gear arrives from the USA and the COVID-19 pandemic is under control.

Anyone interested in contributing can contact Anil Beharry on 623-6875 or Kishan Das on 1-718-6640896.

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23

Alphonso ready to put training to the test at Junior Pan Am M ichael Alphonso is one of three G u y a n e s e squash players who would be representing the country in a boys’ team at the upcoming Junior Pan American Games.

The Guyana Squash Association (GSA), having hosted a playoff to select the team for the Junior Games, has facilitated rigorous training for the group; training has been ongoing for a few months.

Touching on the playoff experience, Alphonso shared that he needs to work hard to prove his worth on the team.

The 15-year-old shared, “It was really tough, cause Nicholas Michael Alphonso was always my compe-

tition for like 2 years now. We’ve been going at it for a long time, and it was really close, it went to 5 games. It was really tough to work hard to win.

“It shows that I really improved in the small time period that I had, and I worked really hard for what I got,” he later added.

On their training, Alphonso revealed that he has had to adjust to his body since returning to the court. However, in his opinion, training has been going well.

“When I started back, I was a lot more grown from last, about a year ago, because of COVID, and I’ve adapted to that.

BCB Tenelec Under-15 tournament bowls off on Friday at venues across the county

T

he Guyana Cricket Board is expected to bowl off its inter-county tournaments in late January with the hosting of the under-15 tournament. The Berbice Cricket Board is therefore pushing ahead with its preparation for the tournament.

The BCB launched its preparation earlier in November with the hosting of a series of social skills seminars and min cricket academies across the county. The preparation would now intensify with the hosting of the BCB/Tenelec Inc Under-15 tournaments involving approximately 16 teams.

The teams in the tournament, which would be played 50 overs per side, are Paradise, Achievers, Cotton Tree, Bath, Bush Lot United, Edinburgh, Guymine, Tucber Park, Kendall’s Union, Mt Sinai, Rose Hall Canje, East Bank Blazers, Albion, RHT Farfan and Mendes Ltd, Port Mourant and Upper Corentyne. The teams have been divided into four zones, and two teams from every zone would advance to the quarter finals.

The BCB has made it quite clear that players above the age of 12 years shall be vaccinated, and the tournament would be played under very strict COVID-19 guidelines.

The tournament is being sponsored by overseas-based Guyanese Bobby Deonarine and his company Tenelec. The BCB would use the tournament to select a training

squad of 30 youths for trials later in the year.

Matches in the first round are: ZONE A Round one- Friday 19th November 1.Achievers vs Bath @ Bath 2.Cotton Tree vs Bush Lot United @ Cotton Tree 3.Paradise draws a bye ZONE B Kendall, Mt. Sinai, Guymine, Tucber Park.

Friday 19th November Round One 1. Kendall’s Union vs Mt. Sinai @ Kendall’s Union 2.Guymine vs Tucber Park @ Guymine ZONE C Edinburgh, RH Canje, East Bank Blazers Friday 19th November Round one 1.RH Canje vs Edinburgh @ Canje 2.East Bank Blazers draw a bye.

ZONE D Albion, PMCC, Upper Corentyne, RHT Farfan and Mendes Friday 19th Round One 1.PMCC vs RHTFM @ Port Mourant 2.Albion vs Upper Corentyne @ Albion

You know, I’m a lot more powerful on the court, I’m a lot faster, so my game has gone up a lot because of my physical growth.”

He continued, “When I just started, I had to get used to my height, because I’m a lot heavier now, so it’s a lot harder to move around the court. I just had to get used to that, and it helped me a lot. I’m moving a lot faster now, and I’m getting a lot better.”

Alphonso further stated, “We’ve been practising a lot for the past 6-7 months, and we’re putting in efficient training to prepare for the Pan Am Games.”

The 15-year-old squash

player expects a good tournament with challenging competition. This is especially since the Guyanese teenagers will be contesting against much older under-23 players in the multi-sport event.

“We’re going to a new area of squash. We never really went to international competition, so it’ll be tough. We’re under-23 and we’re like very young compared to the other people.

It’ll be very hard, but we’ll do our best to get experience from our time there,” Alphonso commented.

He went on to state on the age concerns, “We’ll basically get a feel of it from people over here,

but obviously people from Colombia and so will be training to go professional.

So, it’ll be a much tougher situation in Colombia than over here. Over here it’s just local players playing for fun, but there it will be real players.”

Guyana’s squash team comprises Alphonso, Shomari Wiltshire and Samuel Ince- Carvalhal.

Other Guyanese Junior players will feature in the multi-sport event in disciplines like boxing, swimming, badminton and table tennis. The games are scheduled to begin on Thursday November 25 and run until December 5 in Cali, Colombia.

Bartica, ECD forge ahead in GFF Boys’ U13 Challenge Trophy

A

2-0 victory over West Demerara Football Association ensured Bartica held on to the lead in Group A of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Boys’ U13 Challenge Trophy after week four, while a goalless draw away to Berbice proved enough for East Coast Demerara (ECD) to outdo rivals Georgetown to top Group B. A first-half effort from Bartica’s Michael Joseph and an own goal from West Demerara’s Jason Adams gave the Region 7 side a comfortable win over West Demerara at the Bartica Community Ground on Saturday, November 13.

East Bank Demerara beat Essequibo/Pomeroon 3-0 at the Anna Regina Ground on the same day, with two first-half goals coming from Mickel Morris and a third from Jaden Tasher. That result leaves East Bank in second place on seven points in Group A, with a game in hand over first placed Bartica, who have nine points.

In Group B, with Georgetown not in action, there was an opportunity for East Coast Demerara to go to the top of the ta-

ble. In the end, a nilnil draw against Berbice at All Saints Ground on November 14 was enough to see the East Coast side pull one point clear of Georgetown, who have played one less game than their coastal rivals.

Group B’s other match, played out on November 13, saw Upper Demerara overcome the domestic-based Guyana National U17 Women’s Team – competing as a guest side in the competition – at the GFF National Training Centre.

Goals from Keishon Leacock and Zimri Rose within the first 12 minutes proved the difference in a 2-0 win for the Region 10 team.

The U13 boys’ tournament is part of the GFF’s ground-breaking Academy Training Centre (ATC) programme, launched in 2017, and is the first of its kind in the Caribbean region.

The ATC is a selective national youth development programme that gives girls and boys aged between 6 and 19 years a weekly, structured training curriculum anchored in the GFF’s football philosophy and delivered consistently throughout its nine region-

al associations.

The competition involves representative teams from U13 ATC groups in all nine regional associations, as well as the National U17 Women’s Team. A primary purpose of the tournament is to identify potential talent for the Caribbean Football Union Boys’ U14 Challenge Series in 2022.

On November 20, East Bank will take on West Demerara at the GFF National Training Centre, while Essequibo/ Pomeroon will host the Rupununi.

On November 21, East Coast play Georgetown at Melanie Ground and the National U17 Women’s Team will compete against Berbice at the National Training Centre.

As well as offering talent identification opportunities for the upcoming CFU tournament, the U13 tournament enables the GFF Technical Department to assess progress being made by the ATCs in all nine associations, and to test logistics for future inter-academy and intra-association tournaments, which will be a key feature of the 2022 national football season.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021

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

Bartica, ECD forge ahead in GFF Boys’ U13 Challenge Trophy

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Alphonso ready to put training to the test at Junior Pan Am Pg 22

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