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TUESDAY

Happy New Year

9th February, 2021

' No.106267

Friday is Budget Day –– Dr. Singh says “relief initiatives” to continue; medium, long-term plans to be announced

SEE STORY ON PAGE 03 A mechanic is getting this machine in order at the Blairmont Estate during a visit by GuySuCo’s senior management team on Monday. This year GuySuCo is aiming to produce some 97,420 metric tonnes of sugar (Adrian Narine photo)

T&T pays better price for Guyana’s sugar -- GuySuCo gets higher price for molasses from DDL PAGE

India donating 500,000 COVID-19 vaccines to Guyana, Caribbean 02 PAGE

US17.4M earmarked Mason stabs handyman to improve Internet in to death during 200 communities 16 ‘eviction’ 03 PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

India donating 500,000 COVID-19 vaccines to Guyana, Caribbean

Co-founder and Managing Director of Bharat Biotech, Suchitra Ella

By Vishani Ragobeer GUYANA and several other Caribbean countries will benefit from an initial donation of 500,000 Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccines by the Government of India, as the South-Asian country ‘ups the ante’ on its vaccine-diplomacy efforts. On Monday, during a virtual engagement with

Reena Jani, a health worker, receives the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine at Mathalput Community Health Centre in Koraput, India (Reuters photo)

members of the media, Indian High Commissioner to Guyana Dr K. J. Srinivasa noted that a quantity of these vaccines are already being transported to Barbados and Dominica. These countries, he explained, were among the first to engage India on securing vaccines. “I am working closely for the number of vaccines for Guyana, Antigua, St Kitts and many other coun-

tries in the Region,” Dr Srinivasa highlighted. Currently, the High Commission is working with the local health authorities to get approval for this Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine, which is called Covishield in India. And Dr Srinivasa also highlighted that information on the quota of vaccines Guyana will receive should be made known in a “couple of days.”

The Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine is reportedly 62 per cent effective. However, it is also reportedly 90 per cent effective with a lower dose than the required two doses. The High Commissioner, who is also India’s representative to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that India is trying to work out a common procedure whereby the Caribbean countries can work in tandem for this approval process. While the 500,000 vaccines being donated to the Caribbean is just an initial amount, Dr Srinivasa emphasised that India wants to provide some support to all of the “friendly countries” in the Region. This, he explained, is a core component

India’s High Commissioner to Guyana Dr K. J. Srinivasa

of India’s vaccine- diplomacy efforts. PHARMACY OF THE WORLD India is a renowned manufacturer of vaccines and has been dubbed the ‘pharmacy of the world.’ Beyond the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine, which is being manufactured by the Serum Institute in India and is already being distributed in that country, there are about five other vaccines being developed in India. The Covaxin vaccine, being manufactured by Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL), is one such vaccine. This vaccine has already been granted emergency-use authorisation in India and is

being distributed to health workers, though its clinical trials are not yet complete. Obtaining vaccines from this country is not limited to those doses being donated, however. There are also avenues for governments to purchase vaccines from India. “Our external supplies which are either gifts or commercial supplies are based on our domestic requirements, but we continue to work closely with our partner countries and we are preparing a schedule [whereby] in the coming weeks and months in a phased manner, these countries will get their vaccines,” Dr Srinivasa said. TURN TO PAGE

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Friday is Budget Day --Dr. Singh says ‘relief initiatives’ to continue; medium, long-term plans to be announced

By Navendra Seoraj PLANS to further stabilise the local economy, and drive growth and development through new and existing initiatives are expected to be outlined on Friday, when Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, tables Budget 2021 in the National Assembly. The 2020 budget, though more of an emergency intervention which was instituted amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and after a protracted electoral process, brought immediate relief to Guyanese through initiatives which are expected to continue, Dr. Singh said during a recent interview which was shared with the Guyana Chronicle. “We expect that the 2021 Budget will continue to deliver on the wide range of promises, commitments and undertakings included in our manifesto. We consider it [manifesto] to be our contract with the people, and it is on this basis we were elected… it is our intention to deliver. “The 2020 budget started to deliver on many promises [manifesto] and contained a number of emergency measures aimed at bringing immediate relief to the people,” Dr. Singh reasoned. Most of those initiatives will feature again in Budget 2021 and be supplemented

by other initiatives which are aimed at not only providing relief, but also at contributing, on a larger scale, to greater economic advancements. The budget, which will be presented on Friday, will be the new People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government’s first full budget, so it will outline, in broader terms, the party’s medium and long term plans for the country. President Ali has said already that Guyana is on course to prosperity, with a diverse economy which is yet to reach its peak. “Our economic prospects have never been brighter. Our collective feet are firmly placed on the first rungs of a ladder to prosperity that is clearly within our sight,” President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, said during his address to the nation on January 1, 2021. SPRINGBOARD The year 2021, according to the President, will be the springboard from which Guyana will leap into recovery, rebuilding the economy, enhancing the people’s health and lifting up the vulnerable groups in society. “We must not remain a rich country of poor people,” the President affirmed, noting that the bounty of Guyana must be shared across the population. This country having received payment of US$49.3

million for its fourth oil lift, has ended the year on a high

help than others to join our national advance,” President

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for finance, Dr. Ashni Singh

note with approximately US$200 million being generated so far from the country’s nascent oil and gas sector. Considering the country’s oil revenue and other lucrative sources of income, the President believes that the standard of living and the quality of life must be lifted for all. “Work will be rewarded; hard work will be rewarded even more,” he said. “Opportunities will be created to join in such work, and they will be made available to all. I recognise that there are communities within our society which, because of disadvantages of geographic location, will need more

Ali reasoned. The country will have to identify those communities, assess their needs, identify solutions, and implement plans to change their circumstances. This change will not occur overnight, it will take time. But every journey begins with a first step, the President said. Engagement with stakeholders was a critical aspect of the preparations for budget 2021, Dr. Singh said. WIDE CONSULTATION “There was a wide range of consultations, most recently with persons from labour and the private sector… con-

sultations are ongoing, but we received good suggestions from those gathered, many on issues which would impact the budget…,” the senior minister said. Prior to the Government’s engagement with those stakeholders, President Ali had convened a meeting with members of various political parties at State House. According to Dr. Singh, those persons present at that meeting provided ‘valuable’ suggestions which aided in the crafting of the budget. Although a lot of work has already gone into the preparation of this budget, Dr. Singh said the Government will, over the next few days, be proceeding in “intense fashion” to finalise it. The country, prior to the passage of the Emergency 2020 Budget, went more than eight months without a national budget because of a protracted electoral process, which ended on August 2, 2020. The prolonged process had restricted the country from having a budget and, by extension, a clear plan for 2020. This was something the government worked on rectifying in just about 21 days after being sworn in. Crafting a national budget usually takes 179 days; however, extraordinary circumstances forced the Government to condense the process and present one in 21 days.

A $329.5 billion Emergency Budget was cleared by the National Assembly on September 25, 2020. This budget includes a $25,000 cash transfer to every household; a $15,000 cash grant and a $4,000 uniform voucher for schoolchildren; $800 million for the Amerindian Development Fund; $5 billion for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo); a two-week, taxfree bonus for members of the Joint Services; and $150 million for frontline workers, among many other benefits. President Ali had also said that the Government, after re-prioritising and re-programming fiscal measures, has managed to add $20 billion in relief to the “pockets” of Guyanese at a time when the nation is faced with the effects of COVID-19, and the recently concluded protracted electoral process. The conduits of relief include revised tax measures and sweeping incentives. The broad objectives of those measures which feature in Government’s emergency budget are to stimulate economic activity; get persons back to work; increase Guyana’s productive capacity; reduce the cost of doing business; improve efficiency; and facilitate growth and development of businesses.

Mason stabs handyman to death during ‘eviction’ KEVIN Smith, 36, a handyman of ‘C’ Field Reserve Dam, Sophia, was stabbed to death on Monday evening while fleeing from a man who had gone to evict him from his home. Smith collapsed and died a few yards away from his home. He was found dead around 19:10hrs at ‘B’ Field Dam, Sophia. Residents in the area identified his attacker as a 22-year-old mason of Sophia. Reports indicate that Smith was living in a flat wooden cottage that was approximately three feet from the ground in an unfenced yard. Residents related that the perpetrator was allegedly paid by someone to evict Smith from his cottage. “Smith was home when he was confronted by the suspect who was armed with a knife and a scuffle ensued, during which the suspect dealt

the victim three stabs, one to his chest, one to his lower abdomen and above his left knee,” one resident explained. It was noted that when Smith was confronted he ran out of his cottage in a bid to escape his attacker, but the man pursued him and stabbed him repeatedly. He collapsed about 40 yards from his home, the resident said. Another resident said that the perpetrator threw away a white handle knife about 15 feet from Smith’s body before escaping on foot. Smith was found naked lying on his back with his pants beside him. The police visited the scene and recovered the knife; Smith was pronounced dead by a doctor who arrived with the emergency medical technician (EMT) at the scene. The body is currently at Lyken’s Funeral Home awaiting an autopsy as an investigation is in progress.

The body of Kevin Smith covered with a cloth after the EMT arrived on the scene in Sophia

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Trump lawyers deny he encouraged Capitol riots

Lawyers for Donald Trump have responded to his impeachment charges, saying supporters of the former US president stormed Congress in Washington DC on 6 January of their own accord. Trump's trial in the Senate is due to begin on Tuesday after he was impeached for the second time by the House of Representatives last month. He is charged with "inciting insurrection" in a speech to supporters ahead of the deadly riot. Trump says he will not testify. Five people, including a police officer, died when a mob of Trump supporters attacked the Capitol building, forcing politicians and staff to hide in offices. Trump is the only US president in history to have been impeached twice and one of only three to have been impeached at all. In a pre-trial brief released on Monday, the former president's lawyers said that FBI documents had shown

that the riot was planned days in advance, meaning that Trump cannot have encouraged the violence. They also insist the trial is unconstitutional because Trump has left office and is now a private citizen. They hit out at the nine "impeachment managers" Democrats from the House of Representatives who will lay out the case for prosecution - accusing them of "intellectual dishonesty and factual vacuity" in the way they portrayed Trump's address to his supporters. The lawyers described the trial as "political theatre" and a "brazen political act" by Democrats that was intended to "silence a political opponent and a minority party". "This impeachment proceeding was never about seeking justice," they wrote. "Instead, this was only ever a selfish attempt by Democratic leadership in the House to prey upon the feelings of horror and confusion that fell upon all Americans across the entire political spectrum upon seeing the

The storming of the US Capitol shocked the nation (BBC photo)

destruction at the Capitol on January 6 by a few hundred people." Democrats say Trump's

repeated refusal to concede last November's presidential election to Joe Biden - as well as the fiery rhetoric he used in

his address to supporters on 6 January - encouraged the riot. His lawyers argue that Trump was simply exercis-

ing his First Amendment rights to freedom of speech. (BBC)

India donating 500,000 COVID-19 vaccines ... The country has been donating several million vaccines to a number of countries as of this year. ‘BHARAT BIOTECH’ VACCINES During Monday’s engagement as well, Co-founder and Managing Director of

Tuesday January 9, 2021 –– 02:30HRS & 13:30HRS Wednesday January 10, 2021 –– 03:00 HRS Thursday January 11, 2021 –– 03:30 HRS

Bharat Biotech, Suchitra Ella indicated that Guyana can purchase vaccines from this company. “We at the High Commission have already sent the details of the Bharat Biotech vaccine to the Ministry of Health in Guyana… we also offered them any assistance

if required to put them in contact with Bharat Biotech,” Dr Srinivasa related. Importantly, both the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine and the Covaxin vaccine do not require cold or ultra-cold storage like the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. They can be stored in a normal refrigerator, between two to eight degrees, which make them easier to distribute and more suitable for global south countries such as Guyana. The storage of vaccines in higher temperatures, as opposed to the cold or ultra-cold storage, makes it easier to transport the vaccine doses to rural and hinterland regions. This would be particularly necessary in Guyana. Both of these vaccines are also two-dose vaccines, meaning that once an individual receives one dose of the vaccine, the individual will have to return sometime after to acquire the second

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dose. Altogether, thus far, Guyana has been able to secure 273,000 vaccine doses which could be used to immunise some 136,500 individuals, or approximately 18 per cent of the population. The government is in talks with India, Russia and China in addition to a number of multilateral agencies and manufacturers of the vaccines, to secure more for the population, since vaccines are the means of exiting the pandemic. The Health Minister has continuously emphasised that the vaccines will be used to immunise frontline workers, the elderly and persons with co-morbidities (other underlying medical conditions) first. There are about 22,000 healthcare workers who are all eligible to receive the vaccines, while the remainder will go to the other two groups.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

T&T pays better price for Guyana’s sugar –– GuySuCo gets higher price for molasses from DDL By Naomi Parris THE Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has secured an increase of US$30 per metric tonne for sugar from Trinidad and Tobago and has signed a one-year agreement with Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) which offers a much higher price for molasses. This was disclosed on Monday by GuySuCo’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sasenarine Singh, during a visit to the Blairmont Sugar Estate. Singh told members of the media that the corporation is also looking to expand its market in the Caribbean. "We are grateful for the partnership that DDL is bringing to GuySuCo to make sure that more value is being brought to our table; secondly, we were able to secure US$30 per metric tonne in our Trinidad market, our biggest market, "he said adding: "We have been able to expand our St. Vincent market; we have started negotiations with Grenada to restart reselling packaged sugar and bag sugar to the Grenada market." He explained that the agreements are all a part of GuySuCo’s strategic plan to produce approximately 97,420 metric tonnes of sugar by year-end and breathe new life into the country’s sugar industry. “Our mantra going forward as an industry is very simple; we want to produce what we can sell for the most possible cash; we are not excited about selling raw bulk sugar in the market, it’s an afterthought. If it happens, it happens because we have no other alternative. Our primary market going forward will remain packaged valued-added sugar, Demerara Gold and the Enmore Crystals,” he said. All consumers will receive quality products packaged under the highest international standard, the GuySuCo CEO assured. “Our mission is to sell for more cash, we are quadrupling our valued-added sugar, both locally and at the international market, but also we want to produce sugar more efficiently,” he said, adding: “One of the things that we would have greenlighted as a team is to expand the packaging plant at Blairmont and at Enmore.

GuySuCo’s CEO, Sasenarine Singh

GuySuCo will be spending about $600 million on these projects to ensure that we put more lines in.” He further stated that the corporation will be looking to build an inventory so that, “when somebody in Trinidad calls and says we need so much tonnes of Demerara Gold, it must be there”. “We must build it at that point in time; it must be there ready and available to sell,” he said STRATEGIC PLAN As a part of the company’s new marketing initiative and strategic plan, he stated that GuySuCo has also been inviting persons desirous of becoming distributors of Guyana’s sugar to come on board and help sell the packaged sugar, both locally and to international markets. The plan, he said will be based on three pillars to increase the stream of revenues and review the company's value chain to carry out its mandate.

He noted that GuySuCo will be focussing on the first crop of 2021, which is expected in February and will produce some 42,609 metric tonnes of sugar. “In our first crop which is starting around February 20, 2021 and will run until May 20, 2021, it will run for about 12 weeks. The first crop is expected to produce 42,609 metric tonnes, the second crop is expected to run until July and run through November,” he said. During this time, the company will be looking to up its production level from the ground work to produce the best quality of sugar for the country’s local and international markets. “We are going to improve our land preparation process, we are going to focus on ensuring the plant is fed at the right time; for years, GuySuCo has underfed our plants too late, that ends today…. our plants are going to get their fertilisers

at the right time so they are going to produce the right quality of sugar at the right time so that they can be taken to the factory at the right time and produce the right amount of sugar,” he explained. Additionally, Singh noted that GuySuCo will also be upping its game to provide greater efficiency in the transport of cane. “The weakest link in this business is bringing sugar from the field to the factory; that is where we lose most of our money. The model basically says within 48 hours your sugar should be in the factory,” the CEO said.

Girls’ orphanage badly in need of assistance

–– to help pick up the pieces after the fire earlier in the month A TOTAL of 28 girls are now in urgent need of clothing after a fire demolished an upstairs section of the Shaheed’s Girls Orphanage, located at Oleander Gardens, East Coast Demerara, earlier this month. According to Acting Fire Chief Kalamadeen Edoo, the fire was caused by a faulty electrical ceiling fan in the orphanage’s dressing room. Word is that one of the facility’s elderly caretakers was alerted about the fire by one of the young residents who noticed smoke coming from the small room. A closer look revealed that a fire was in progress, and the Fire Service was immediately summoned. The firemen reportedly arrived promptly and managed to contain the small blaze in record time. Thankfully, no injuries were reported, as the caretakers were successful in getting all of the orphanage’s young residents, aged three to 17, to safety. However, the dressing room, which housed all the girls’ clothing and toiletries, as well as the surrounding walls and a section of the roof did not fare so well. “We usually need public assistance, but of course, we didn’t anticipate this,” said the facility’s director, Raheema Rahaman, adding: “Now we have to get the roof

and the walls fixed. For the dressing room and that area to be fixed back, it’s going to be a lot of money. The girls need clothing as well.” Noting that as a result of the mishap, they’re now forced to seek public assistance for the girls, Company Secretary, Merissa Permaul said: “The only clothes they have left is the ones that are hung out on the line; and it’s only a few pieces.” Said Sharia Yasin-Bacchus, one of the board members who manage the orphanage, “Nobody’s injured; but they’re scared, I imagine. We had ‘Child Services’ over here to make sure they’re okay… so they should be back over here, in their home.” Unfortunately, this was not the first time such an incident has occurred at the orphanage, as back in October 2018, the orphanage had suffered a more severe loss when the building was gutted by a fire that started in the lower flat of the building. Since its reconstruction in 2019, the orphanage has not had any major fires. “It’s very unfortunate,” Rahaman lamented, in a brief interview with this publication. “I can only hope that we get the assistance we need,” she added.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Tajeram Mohabir

Full steam to the road of recovery ONCE the national budget for 2021 is presented in Parliament, Guyana would see a great surge forward as government's plans, programmes, projects and policies kick in with real teeth, as the big vision outlined in the elections manifesto of the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPPC) is rolled out. This is Guyana's first progressive, futuristic, long-term projection budget in six years, following the 2020 Emergency Budget last September after the elections fiasco was resolved, and after five years of harsh budgets from the previous coalition regime. This 2021 budget plans to pave the way for a multitude of new, innovative, ground-breaking developments, with tonnes of initiatives that align with the new trajectory of a fast-rising oil-and-gas nation on the world scene. One important programme that President Ali mentions a lot in his speeches and in talks with citizens around the country, is a robust engagement with the Guyanese diaspora around the world, both for generating new local investments, and for tapping into the resources and skills of overseas Guyanese; and, in a new initiative, to cause partnerships and business synergies between local enterprises and overseas-based Guyanese. This is a new way of looking at

the possibilities inherent within the far-flung global diaspora, not only as potential re-migrants, but also as fuel for a globally connected corridor that goes beyond remittances and family visits to the homeland. Scores of overseas-based Guyanese are optimistic about Guyana's new future, and many want to engage with their homeland, even though they may want to wait before uprooting their families and lives to fully return. Guyanese worldwide remain eagerly connected to their homeland, daily reading the news online, speaking with friends and family through social media and phone, and engaging with the politics with passion and intense motivation to see the nation be the best it could be. However, most overseas Guyanese express grave concern at the local petty crime situation, and reluctantly put off returning to visit more often because they fear walking the streets of Georgetown, New Amsterdam, and even places such as Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara. When Finance Minister Ashni Singh presents the budget, he would be outlining a solid security programme to ensure that law enforcement receives the resources necessary to ramp up their fight against street robberies, petty crimes, and to make Georgetown and the markets

safer for citizens. As the country's international profile rises after this budget is presented, with government's knack for balancing social and economic development well, one would expect a heavy increase in international visits to these lands, especially after the COVID pandemic is over. To prepare for increases in tourism, diaspora visits, business and investment activities in the city and towns, and even Lethem as trade increases with Brazil, one of the crucial results the nation must push for, with immediate goals, is for the streets to be safe, both day and night. Especially in Georgetown, international visitors should be able to enjoy this fine tropical land, its streets and parks and hangout spots like the seawall and shopping areas, with not only activities during the day, but with a hive of night life as well. One can reasonably expect international interest and global travel to Guyana to significantly increase, given the promises of progress and prosperity that are on the nation's doorstep, and which this national budget would open up. With the Cheddi Jagan International Airport now boasting upgraded facilities, the rest of the society would do well to prepare to welcome an influx of travellers to Guyana. International visitors should be able to walk through Stabroek

Market and Bourda and other places with no fear of pickpockets, robbers or petty criminals harassing them, day or night. This is a necessary structure to not only welcome and secure international visitors to these shores, but also to make the Guyana brand and the goodwill of the country a successful worldwide sell. People must feel safe on the streets of Guyana, and when they sleep in the houses of their families when overseas-based Guyanese visit. Street robbers and petty criminals are a small minority of society, pockets of inner city youth and mentally challenged drug addicts and career criminals, yet they incite fear and intimidation in Guyanese of all walks of life on the streets, and their reputations are spread far and wide, through the entire community of diaspora Guyanese. It is unfair to the rest of the country for these pockets of criminals to dictate how Guyanese and international visitors use the public space of this country. With the budget making way for resources to be channelled to the Guyana Police Force, one would expect that the law-enforcement authorities would make 2021 the year that they make real progress in curbing street crimes and petty robberies, and to drive the fear of the law into the hearts of criminals, rather than the other way around, of criminals driv-

ing fear into the hearts of Guyanese who want to use their public spaces with safety and lack of worry. One notes that street crimes and petty robberies started afflicting Georgetown and New Amsterdam and other places such as Grove and Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara, for example, during the economic collapse that happened under the People's National Congress (PNC) regime in the 1980s, with some former unemployed military-trained youth turning to crime. In some places, this became a generational criminal enterprise, and these inner-city pickpockets are well known across the country. On top of this, some leaders of these inner-city youth would spew rhetoric such as the poor having the right to take by whatever means, from the perceived rich, as a sort of warped justice. As Budget 2021 paves the way for Guyana to become a global hub, it would behoove the authorities to implement security intelligence and a comprehensive strategy and plan to completely eradicate street robberies and petty criminality, and to either find these career criminals and rehabilitate them, or prevent them from preying upon the society.

Jordan should not get excited to take credit for his counter-productive work Dear Editor, I REFER to a letter that appeared in the Stabroek News on February 8, 2021, in which the former Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, responded to Mike Persaud on the US$4 million bakery to be set up in Guyana by the Fernandes Group – a Surinamese-owned bakery. In his response, the former Finance Minister sought to take credit for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Invest arm that is now lending to the private sector. The minister stated that during his tenure as Finance Minister he

worked tirelessly to get the IDB Invest and the IDB Lab to invest in bankable projects within the private sector. The manner in which the former minister expressed himself in the letter gives one the impression that the IDB could not find any bankable projects to lend for during his five-year tenure and is only now finding bankable projects. Clearly, the former minister does not seem to understand the workings of the economy. It his contractionary fiscal agenda during the last five years, egregious economic policies which in turn stymied the private sector and

resulted in the underperformance of the productive sectors, coupled with the lack of any major development projects – that explains why the IDB Invest could not find any bankable projects. The simple answer is that there were none because of how the economy was managed under his tenure. This outturn also partly explains the high levels of non-performing loans in the banking sector of more than 11 per cent, which is higher than universally set benchmarks. Editor, please permit me to include the links of three articles I wrote responding to the former Finance Minister directly on sev-

eral issues on the economy – with the view to engage him in a public debate on these matters. See links below to articles inviting the former minister’s response: https://guyanatimesgy. com/former-finance-ministers-argument-on-the-increase-of-the-debt-ceiling-comical-and-disingenuous-part-1/ https://guyanatimesgy.com/ former-finance-ministers-argument-on-increase-of-debt-ceiling-comical-and-disingenuous-part-2/ https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2020/04/23/we-need-notget-excited-about-oil-and-gas-as-it-

is-merely-a-premium/ Editor, the former Minister of Finance should not take credit for counter-productive work. I eagerly await a response to the above articles written by the undersigned in direct response to former Finance Minister Winston Jordan on several occasions. Yours faithfully, J.C. Bhagwandin Chief Financial Adviser/Analyst JB Consultancy & Associates

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Berbice young men urged to pursue good daily habits

A participant engages in a one-on-one session with Jainarine Sookpaul, Manager of the GuySuCo Training Centre

NOTING that daily actions would have a permanent effect on their life, Chief Education Officer, Dr. Marcel Hutson, has urged dozens of young men in Berbice to work hard in every aspect of their daily life to ensure a successful future. Dr. Hutson made this plea to over 70 young men between the ages of 13 and 25, who participated in a ‘Boys to men’ empowerment seminar. “I want to challenge every young man today, to apply yourself. It does not matter where you were born, or who your parents are or were … You must apply yourself to work, to development, to be progressive,” Dr. Hutson said. The young men who were

drawn from New Amsterdam and surrounding communities, converged at the New Amsterdam Multilateral School for the first Leadership and Empowerment conference hosted by Grace Temple Assembly of God Church and the US Embassy Guyana. Three more are slated to be held. Addressing the attentive audience, all of whom were dressed in a specially designed black T-shirt, Reverend Dr. Hutson made biblical references while explaining that lengthy sleeping is associated with poverty. “Sleeping does not conjure to your eyes being shut, but it is that you are not engaging in activity that takes you to higher heights. What you do daily, will determine

Some of the participants being taught how to properly use the knife and the fork

Chief Education Officer Rev Dr Marcel Hutson

what you become permanently. So, if you spend most of your time engaging with non-productive activity, you may find yourself in a rocking chair without nothing. Rather than rejoicing, knowing that you have accomplished something, your lives will be filled with despair and frustration”, he said. Meanwhile, Violeta

Thalandis, the US Embassy’s Public Affairs Officer questioned the young men on their understanding of leadership and empowerment, and their reason for being there. “What is it you want for your life?” she questioned before adding that they have to make a choice. “I challenge you to come up with a goal. Write it down.

We will look to see who has the most creative, the most exciting goal for themselves and we will post that on our Facebook page”, Thalandis promised. Another speaker, Dr. Darren Shako, addressed the issue of managing personal hygiene. The areas touched ranged from taking a shower everyday to applying colognes and scented oils. Meanwhile, there was also one-on-one career guidance for participants from representatives of various learning institutions: Jainarine Sookpaul, Manager of the GuySuCo Training Centre; Stephen Alexander of the University of Guyana (UG); Devon Thomas of the New Amsterdam Technical Institute; Clarence Shako,

Board of Industrial Training and Vanessa Jacobs, Head Mistress of the New Amsterdam Multilateral School. In addition, the young men were exposed to table etiquette and other social graces. The session, which was one of a four-part series was developed in response to the observed challenges of young men, many of whom are willing, but lack the social and psychological tools to overcome the intrinsic challenges of adolescence and early adulthood. There was also an observed absence of strong positive male role-models inside and outside of the home to support young males.

Another charged with murder of Kitty contractor A SECOND suspect appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Monday charged with the December 7, 2020 murder of Peter Gonsalves and was remanded to prison by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

Daniel Paris, 25, of ‘D’ Field, Sophia, Turkeyen, was not required to plead to the indictable charge. It is alleged that while in the company of another, at Garnett Street, Kitty, Georgetown, he murdered Gonsalves in the course or furtherance of

a robbery. According to particulars of the charge, on the day in question around 21:00hrs, Gonsalves, along with his co-worker, was at a bar located at Garnett Street, Kitty, Georgetown, when Paris and his accomplice, who were

both armed, opened fire in their direction. After firing shots, the two assailants then escaped on Gonsalves’ XR motorcycle, CJ600. Gonsalves was hit several times and later succumbed to the gunshot injuries, while his

co-worker escaped unharmed. Police subsequently collected CCTV footage from the bar and Paris was recently arrested and charged for the offence. Kacey Heyliger was the first person to be charged. He made his first court appear-

ance on December 11, 2020. Heyliger, 28, of Shell Road, Kitty, had been released from prison one year earlier after being freed of another murder charge. Paris will make his second court appearance on March 1, 2021.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Impasse continues at PAC –– possibility exists for replacement of Patterson

By Rehana Ahmad ANOTHER sitting of the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was supposed to have been convened on Monday, but stalemate continues as the opposition remains determined not to replace David Patterson as chairman of the committee. Last week’s meeting ended in an uproar as the government’s side of the PAC attempted to pass a motion for Patterson’s removal as chairman of the constitutional body. As it is, a possible date for the PAC has not been announced, and both the sides of the committee are maintaining their stance. During a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs explained that a possible outcome could be the government moving to amend the Standing Order to allow for Patterson to be replaced, possibly by Lennox Shuman, head of the three-party minority opposition. According to Isaacs, the possibility exists for the government members of the PAC to return to the ‘full house’ National Assembly seeking to amend the Standing Order to increase the composition of the Committee, which currently stands at five government members and four opposition members. Efforts to contact Shuman to ascertain whether or not he would accept a potential nomination to head the PAC were all unsuccessful.

As per its usual schedule, the PAC was supposed to have convened on Monday

Opposition Member of Parliament, Ganesh Mahipaul in an invited comment could not confirm whether his party is considering replacing Patterson as a means of maintaining chairmanship of the PAC. He opined however, that if the government chooses to go ahead with replacing Patterson, it would be an “infringement on democracy.” “It is going to be an insult, because they can do it, but they would have to amend the Standing Order,” Mahipaul said. He believes

that should Shuman be appointed, it would be a major conflict of interest. “I don’t know if the government will go ahead with that move, but if they do, we will have to cross that bridge when we get to it. That is the official answer,” Mahipaul asserted. NO DEFINITIVE DECISION YET So far, the government side of the PAC has not made any definitive decision on the way forward. The majority of

members are hopeful that the APNU+AFC members would “come to their senses” and replace Patterson as their pick to chair the PAC. Last week, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, attempted to present the motion to replace Patterson in his capacity as the Chairperson of the PAC, and not as a member. “In this case, I brought a motion calling on, and I did preface what I said by saying that it would be wisest if Mr. Patterson

resigned as chair. Nothing I proposed asked that Mr. Patterson be removed as a member of the PAC,” Teixeira told reporters shortly after the adjournment of the PAC last Monday. Patterson, the former Minister of Public Infrastructure, is currently being investigated as part of the gift-giving scandal in which it is alleged that he received in excess of $2 million in gifts from agencies that were under his remit. He is also facing charges for allegedly

defrauding the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC). Teixeira, in presenting her motion, said that the government, acting on behalf of the people, do not have confidence in Patterson’s competence to scrutinise public spending, while being publicly involved in financial scandals relating to government monies. All the while, the opposition PAC members have insisted that none of them will take Patterson’s place, since he has earned the full confidence of his Coalition party which represents some 49 per cent of Guyanese. As the saga continues, both sides of the Committee are accusing the other of attempting to obstruct the work of the PAC; the government MPs believe that the stalling of the PAC’s work is an attempt to distract the committee from scrutinising the Auditor General’s 2017, 2018 and 2019 reports. Similarly, the opposition members of the PAC expressed suspicion that the motion was a tactic to prevent the PAC from moving on to examine government spending for the latter part of 2020 and going forward. Presently, the work of the PAC is far behind schedule, with the committee only now wrapping up examination of the country’s questionable 2016 spending.

Enfield Prince to face new trial for rape RAPE accused Enfield Prince will have to be retried after a 12-member jury failed to reach a verdict on Monday. Prince, an ex-police officer, is on trial before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Sexual Offences Court of the High Court in Georgetown, for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl on January 23, 2015 at Sophia. He had pleaded not guilty to the charge and was represented by Attorney-at-law Latchmie Raha-

mat. The state was represented by prosecutors Nafeeza Baig and Sarah Martin. The jury was unable to reach a verdict for the indictment which resulted in Prince having to be retried at the next practical sitting of the Demerara Assizes and will remain on bail. According to reports, on the day in question the victim and her friend were sent away from school and subsequently went to a restaurant

Enfield Prince

and bar at a Georgetown location.

It is alleged that the friend borrowed the victim’s cellphone and made a call to her boyfriend, who is a taxi driver. He came in his motorcar and they went to Sophia, where at the time the victim was of the impression that she was going to her friend’s residence. However, the driver of the car took the girls to Prince’s home in Sophia instead. It is alleged that Prince and the taxi-driver took the

victim into a bedroom and raped her. A few minutes later police ranks and welfare officers arrived at Prince’s residence and rescued the girl. It is alleged that Prince verbally abused the officials and left on his police motorcycle while the taxi-driver escaped. The girls were then taken to the Turkeyen Police Station. Prince was later arrested and charged.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Released fishermen test negative for COVID-19 –– express eagerness to return to sea

Captain of Lady Nayera Richard Ramnarine (right) and the owner of the vessel, Kumar Lallbacchan

By: Indrawattie Natram THE Guyanese fishermen who were recently detained in Venezuela have been given the green light to return to their respective homes after receiving negative COVID-19 results on Monday. The fishermen were swabbed on Saturday, shortly after arriving at Charity and were instructed to remain at Kumar Lallbacchan’s fishing wharf on their vessels until the results were obtained. Most of them were confident that they were not exposed to the virus, given that they were told to remain on their boats until told otherwise by the Venezuelan authorities. The fishermen were apprehended by Venezuela’s naval vessels on January, 21, 2021. After spending two weeks in detention and making a court appearance, they, along with their vessels were released. The fishermen on Monday continued to express gratitude to the Government of Guyana and the international community for the steps taken to secure their release. Captain of the Sea Wolf, Tony Garraway, said that he is happy to return to his Westbury home. Garraway said that while the journey was “bittersweet,” crew members are eager to return to sea. He said that his crew members are counting close to $2M in losses. “The Venezuelan authorities stole all the glue and the fishes. We were going to bring home a good catch this trip but all went brown,” Captain Garraway said.

Javin Boston reunited with his sister and cousin.

A Venezuelan Naval Vessel that escorted the fishermen out of Venezuelan waters

He told The Guyana Chronicle that crew members will return to their families, after which they will start packing to go back to the sea. “The bad experience will not hinder our progress. Fishing is our trade. This is what we doing for years, so as soon as we spend some time with we family is back to the sea we go,” Garraway said. He stated that he and his crew members were not doing anything illegal and they were fishing within Guyana’s borders. Additionally, 18-year- old Javin Boston said that since he

was a small boy he loved fishing and that is what helps him to support his family. Boston is also eager to return to sea. “You know when you accustom to something you can't stop. I accustom to go to sea come back with meh money and help my mom,” Boston said. Captain of Lady Nayera, Richard Ramnarine, said he will be returning to his East Coast Demerara home where his family is anxiously awaiting his arrival. He said he and his crew members are also preparing to head back to sea in a matter of weeks. He estimated

Another fisherman, Joel Joseph

Shirvin Oneil who is eager to go back to sea

their losses to be around $3 million in glue and fish. “That experience is just a learning process that will not stop meh. I am in this for years,” he said. Ramnarine also maintained that he was fishing within Guyana’s territory. Owner of Lady Nayera, Kumar Lallbacchan, also said that members will go back to sea. He praised his workers for the way they handled the entire ordeal. Region Two Chairperson, Vilma De Silva had said that in future, the coastguards will

be providing training for the fishermen. The training she said will outline Guyana’s boundaries. However, she said that Guyana remains watchful of its border. De Silva met with the fishermen on Saturday morning after their arrival. Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd and a delegation during a visit to Charity last Friday, distributed hampers to the men’s families. He informed the families that the men who were detained in Venezuela had been operating

within Guyana’s boundary and were not engaging in illegal fishing. Trevor Daniels, Toney Garraway, Errol Gardener, Orlando Roberts, Christopher Shaw, Shirvin Oneil, and Randy Henry were on board the Sea Wolf while Richard Ramnarine, Ramlakhan Kamal, Nick Ragubar, Javin Boston, Michael Domingo, and Joel Joseph were on the Lady Navera. The men said that they were not mistreated by the Venezuelan authorities.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Three regions record new COVID-19 cases

THE Ministry of Health has recorded 41 new

COVID-19 cases, in the past 24 hours, in three re-

gions. Region Three (Essequi-

bo Islands-West Demerara) recorded two new cases, Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) 14, while Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) had the highest number at 25. None was recorded in Regions One (Barima-Waini), Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), F ive (Mahaica-Berbice), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) or Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice). Currently, seven persons occupy the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), while

41 are in institutional isolation. There are altogether 817 persons in home isolation, and eight in institutional quarantine. To date, Guyana has recorded 180 COVID-19 fatalities. Thankfully, no new deaths have been recorded within the past 24 hours. All Guyanese are urged 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-foot physical distance from others, and the need for good hand-hygiene to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. If anyone you know is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or need any additional information, kindly contact the COVID-19 Hotline on: 231-1166, 2267480 or 624-6674 immediately, or visit the Ministry of Health at www.health. gov.gy.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

GTT makes ‘Pinktober 2020’ target, in spite of COVID-19 ––managed to raise $14M altogether for the year and organisations also went towards the cause, and we thank you.” GTT’s ‘Pinktober’ outreach consisted of a series

GTT ‘Pinktober’ campaign coordinator, Diana Gittens

THE Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) has managed to raise a whopping $10M in funds through its virtual Pinktober 2020 events; the monies will go towards cancer care and treatment. The company said in a release on Monday that the $10M is in addition to its earlier allocation of $4M towards the diagnostic testing and treatment of cancer patients here. Making the announcement two Thursdays ago on World Cancer Day, coordinator of GTT’s ‘Pinktober’ programme, Diana Gittens, noted how elated she was that the company was able to meet its target for 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to the unstinting support of the Guyanese public countrywide. On behalf of GTT, she further pledged to keep on fighting against cancer through fundraising, and by heightening cancer awareness across Guyana. “We knew it was impossible to host our regular

activities, especially with the necessary physical distancing policies in place,” Gittens said, adding: “However, we are eternally grateful to all who were able to purchase a ‘Pinktober’ bottle and sponsor our ‘Pinktober’ events, thereby joining us in a national effort to combat cancer, and ensure cancer-care provision. Your support will go towards strengthening our fight against cancer, and is a truly tangible reminder that we are in this together.” Among companies she singled out for special recognition were: Mobile Network Services, LLC; the Guyana Marketing Corporation; the Guyana Oil Company; General Data Tech; Huawei Marine Systems; Infinera; Unicomer (Courts-Guyana); the Supreme Court Registry; and ANSA McAl Trading Limited. “It is because of their corporate commitment,” she said, “that we were able to amass the amount of funds raised in 2020. However, each and every purchase from individuals, groups

Vive-la-Force man wanted for forgery STEPHEN PERSAUD, 41, is wanted by the police for questioning in relation to Forgery of Agreement of Lease on October 05, 2020. Persaud’s last known address is Lot 49 Vive-la Force, West Bank Demerara. Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Stephen Persaud is asked to contact the police on telephone numbers 268-2343, 267-2804, 267-2399, 225 81496, 601-4632, 226-9122, 227-1149, 911 or the nearest police station.

Wanted: Stephen Persaud

Police said all information will be treated with the strictest confidence.

of virtual and interactive activities, including ‘Fit and Pink Friday’; a newly-added TikTok challenge; ‘Pink Friday’; and a dedicated Mental

Health Day; in addition to the annual sale of ‘Pinktober’ branded items. The ‘Pinktober’ campaign is a fundraising and

awareness initiative, the proceeds of which will go towards the care and treatment of cancer patients across Guyana.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Accused in 2017 bar-b-que murder claims innocence

MURDER accused Rawle Bernard has claimed innocence in the fatal stabbing of Sylvan Lennox Stoll called “Bow foot” and “Gold Teeth” which occurred between August 13 and 14, 2017 at a barb-que held at the Seafield

Community Ground, West Coast Berbice. In his unsworn statement before Justice Simone Morris- Ramlall and a twelve member jury at the Berbice Assizes, Bernard said he was invited to the event by Daniel Pereira. Together, they were

standing by the door, when the now deceased passed and said, he has to walk home. “I cuffed him. He lashed me with a bottle. I went to the pavilion to cool off. On my return I noticed that no one was there. I started to walk. I saw the police. I

came into the station where I was handcuffed, left with my boxers only and placed in the lockups for four days. No one told me nothing…… I did not juck this man, I am innocent,” he said. Meanwhile, State Prosecutrix, Tuanna Hardy, has

closed the case for the prosecution. She had presented several witnesses during the trial, including Government Pathologist, Dr Vivekanand Bridgemohan, who gave the cause of death as shock and haemorrhage due to stab wound to the neck. The evidence presented thus far has revealed that Bernard and Stoll were among a group of persons who had travelled in a minibus to Berbice to attend a bar-b-que event.

An eyewitness claimed that the men were locked in a scuffle following which Stoll ran towards the bar. His white t-shirt was bloodied. The injured man was transported to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital where he succumbed. A report was made at Weldaad Police Station. Hardy and defence counsel Chandra Sohan will make final addresses to the court on Tuesday.

Judge to sum up evidence in Haslington murder trial

Les Charles Critchlow

DEAD Terrence Adams, called “Uncle Terry” or “Sleepy”.

COME Tuesday, Justice Navindra Singh is expected to sum up the evidence in the trial of 64-year-old Les Charles Critchlow, who, it is alleged, murdered his brother-in-law in 2016. Critchlow pleaded not guilty to murdering Terrence Adams, called “Uncle Terry” or “Sleepy” on May 12, 2016, at Haslington, East Coast Demerara. The trial is being conducted at the Demerara High Court. The accused is being represented by Attorney-at-law Racheal Bakker, while prosecutor Tiffani Lyken Baig entered an appearance on behalf of the State. According to reports Adams, 56, of North Haslington, was found around 20:15 hours on

the day in question on the roadway in the village with stab wounds about his body. Adams had been stabbed to the left and right side chest, and his neck was partially slashed. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) where he was pronounced dead on arrival. According to reports, Adams had made a derogatory remark to Critchlow, and a subsequent altercation turned deadly. Adams had reportedly said, “You don’t even wuk no more, and can’t maintain my sister.” Critchlow reportedly became outraged and stabbed him repeatedly.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Remedial works commence on ‘Parfaite Harmonie’ access road

After months of struggling to maneuver the deplorable Parfaite Harmonie access road, commuters can now breathe a sigh of relief

By Rehana Ahmad THE Ministry of Public Works has deployed a team to execute much-needed repairs on the La Parfaite Harmonie access road, West Bank Demerara. Junior subject Minister, Deodat Indar, has indicated that the remedial works were being done as part of the ministry’s maintenance efforts. The ever-expanding La Parfaite Harmonie Housing Scheme is home to thousands of Guyanese who rely heavily on the scheme’s access road

for their daily commute, especially in light of the usually heavy traffic that often plague the western side of the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB). Since its commissioning in 2014, the 3.0 kilometer thoroughfare has had to undergo a series of rehabilitative works, owing to the fast-developing potholes. The structure, in its current form, is perhaps the worse it has ever been, with scores of commuters calling for urgent repairs. During a recent visit to West Bank community, Minister Indar recognised the

need for repairs. He was also greeted by scores of disgruntled commuters pleading for a relief from the impassable $600M highway. To make woes worse, almost all the street lights that were erected along the road have been stolen. Over the last few months, the lack of lights, coupled with the potholes, have posed significant challenges to drivers; many have complained of the risks attached to traversing the Parfaite Harmonie access road during the nights. Minister Indar had previously said that the absence of lights on

the highway was also being addressed. In August 2019, a team of officials from the former A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) had journeyed to the community where it was announced that a $1.5B initiative would be rolled out to action a number of much-needed repairs in the community. The works were supposed to have begun in January 2020, however, residents are still complaining of deplorable roads, as

well as the absence of street lights in areas that are prone to criminal activity. Some sub-communities such as Lust-En-Rust have also been without electricity for years. Earlier in the month, Minister Indar visited the community, where he committed to ensuring that residents have access to electricity. Indar had said that the necessary infrastructure for the distribution of electricity had already been set up in the community, and that the power would soon be activated. Indar had indicated

that since assuming office in August 2020, he received numerous complaints from the residents. This, he said, prompted him to mobilise teams from the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) to address the situation. Minister Indar had emphasised that the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic made it especially important for persons to have access to electricity, since thousands of children are being schooled using online means.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Army Engineering Corps spearheading several community projects AS part of Commander-in-Chief President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s vision for more community-oriented military collaboration and projects, members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Engineering Corps have embarked on several infrastructure al projects in communities countrywide. The President is adamant in this vision as he seeks to sensitise communities to the role the army could play in national development. The GDF will play a critical role in the country’s infrastructural transformation, the President said. To date, the GDF noted that ranks have commenced the construction of bridges for lightweight vehicles at Catherine, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara and Lesbeholden, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne, Berbice. Similar bridges are slated for construction at Cove and John in Region Four and PremNagar in Region Three. Government Projects Engineer Brigadier Gary Beaton and a team from the force’s Engineering Corps recently visited some of the sites where ranks are actively working to ensure that the projects are completed within the required timelines. At Catherine, East Coast Demerara, ranks under the supervision of Lieutenant Shaquille Wilson, have completed preparatory work on a lightweight, two-span timber structure that connects Burma Dam to Catherine on the border with neighbouring Abary. “We in this community wanted a bridge very long because when it rains, the dam gets very muddy and so it

Works ongoing for a vehicular bridge at Catherine, Mahaicony

Soldiers formulating the construction of a vehicular bridge at Lesbeholden, Black Bush Polder (GDF photo)

Soldiers are also working along with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport to effect an upgrade to the restroom facilities of the Port Mourant Community Centre. (GDF photo)

becomes very difficult for us to move in and out of our community. My parents are also very elderly and so when we need to take them out it's very hard for us; but with the bridge being built, at least the car would be able to come closer to our home,” said Chandrawtie Sookram, a member of that community. At Lesbeholden, Black Bush Polder, construction has also begun on a 90-foot span lightweight vehicle bridge, under the supervision of Sergeant Quamina White. According to the GDF, the bridge will allow for vehicles to cross the trench separating North and South Lesbeholden. It will be the second vehicle bridge for the community and

will primarily benefit cash-crop farmers. “This will be good for us because we farm a lot over at the northern part and many of us were inconvenienced because even though we have the footbridge, we will be happy to have a bridge that at least some vehicles could pass over,” said Mokshattan Persaud, a resident of Lesbeholden. Meanwhile, ranks of the construction company of the Engineering Corps are also working along with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport to effect an upgrade to the restroom facilities of the Port Mourant Community Centre. The building once housed an Information Technology Centre but has been retrofitted

to accommodate male and female facilities for persons involved in sporting activities at the ground. Sergeant Kevin Adams is the site supervisor for this project. The teams working on the projects are exclusively members of the Guyana Defence Force and are skilled personnel who have completed several engineering projects, both within the force and in several parts of the country. The GDF Engineering Corps will be playing a heightened role in national development through the implementation of infrastructural projects within communities across the country.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Region 10 housing programme being streamlined

By Richard Bhainie ATTORNEY-GENERAL and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C., on Monday, met with several key officials to address issues and clear the way to ensure that there are no hurdles to the Region 10 housing programme. President, Dr. Irfaan Ali during a Cabinet Outreach to Linden, Region 10, on January 14, 2020, announced a plethora of plans and specifically committed to addressing several housing issues in the region, including the construction of 1,000 houses there. The meeting on Monday was in keeping with delivering on that promise. In doing so, the Attorney-General met with the Minister of Housing, Collin Croal and Minister within the Ministry of Housing, Susan Rodrigues. Also present at the meeting were Chief Executive Officer of the Central Hous-

ing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Sherwyn Greaves; Chairman of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), Paul Cheong; Chief Executive Officer of NICIL, Radha Krishna Sharma; Registrar of Lands, Rosalie Robertson; and Manager of Surveys, Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC), Rene Duesbury. â€œThe meeting served to address issues and provide clarity in the exercise of ensuring the identified lands are transferred from NICIL to the CH&PA to regularise and allot house lots and certificates of titles to residents of Region 10,â€? a press release from the Attorney-General Chambers noted. NICIL currently holds title for the lands in question and the Attorney-General is keen on ensuring any legal hurdle is cleared and the process is addressed in a timely manner.

Attorney-General, Anil Nandlall, S.C. meeting with the officials

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

US17.4M earmarked to improve Internet in 200 communities –– Prime Minister tells CANTO that administration committed to equitable development PRIME MINISTER, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, on Monday, told members of the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Organisations (CANTO) that Government would be investing US$17.4M to improve the ICT capabilities of more than 200 communities in Guyana. The Prime Minister, who delivered the feature address at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Mini Exhibition, underscored the importance of technology in overhauling the traditional ways in which the region has conducted business. “Prior to 2020, the possibilities of Information and Communication Technologies for transforming our economies were already evident. Now, with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a pressing imperative to ensure the widespread rollout and adoption of ICTs.

Undisputedly, such technologies are instrumental to our ability to respond to the pandemic,” he said. He emphasised that ICTs are enabling remote access to work and school for citizens and have also forced the country to break through barriers that have previously prevented the delivery of more Government services online. “Our Government has continuously given our commitment to ensuring equitable development for residents in hinterland communities and chief among those priorities include access to ICTs. US$17.4M has been earmarked for improving Internet connectivity to 200 communities throughout Guyana which will be rolled out this year. 35,000 households in those communities will also be presented with an upgrade in solar panels to power their homes,” the Prime Minister said.

markets in other Caribbean countries are relatively liberalised,” he added, while noting that CANTO can be a key partner to governments of the region.

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d), Mark Phillips

He noted that Guyana is not lost on the benefits of ICTs, and recognises their immense capabilities. As a result, the country welcomes the available opportunities as they relate to advancing telecommunications, especially in the business sector. It was along this thrust, he explained, that Guyana sought to deliver on the key promise of liberalisation of the telecommunications sector within a mere 64 days of assuming office. As a result, vast prospects for business investments within multiple industries have been created.

Liberalisation of the sector, Brigadier (ret’d) Phillips explained, brings the country’s telecommunications industry in line with regional and global standards. He stressed that the Government is willing to work with all stakeholders to ensure citizens have access to innovative and modern services. “It was an important step given that the Caribbean region holds massive potential for growth in the telecoms sector, providing a considerably high contribution to the region’s Gross Domestic Product considering the

CYBER SECURITY The Prime Minister also highlighted the importance of cyber security and informed those present that the Government remains mindful of the security implications of increased reliance on ICTs in many facets of life. These include the implication for confidentiality of personal communications, integrity in key systems such as banking as well as key infrastructure where the technology is enabled. “Here, too, we look to operators and ICT firms to make suitable investments in securing data in the interest of our citizens. Operators must also look to partner with Government and regulators to develop protocols on how to co-ordinate responses to cyber security incidents.” INNOVATIONS The PM said that his Government is also interested in mobile telephones based on satellite technology that can sustainably serve the hinterland and remote populations. He said that along with cyber security, focus is also on enhanced technology. “As I consider the primary focus of this conference, its emphasis on innovation in cyber security and how Caribbean operators are preparing for 5G and cloud services, I look at Guyana’s position and acknowledge that, while we are still to complete considerations relating to 5G assignments and rollouts, our country can still serve as a potential jurisdiction for the location of data centres. It is wellknown that to successfully execute the power of 5G, data will need to flow quickly from the end-user to the data centre (and vice versa). As such, more data centres will be needed to host and stream data at significantly higher speeds, volumes, and lower latencies.” The Prime Minister stressed that the potential of

5G and its benefits are fascinating and can take technology to “new heights” beyond just smartphones, and can be applied to multiple industries and high tech devices such as self-driving cars, improved drone technology, smart factories, and even in bringing new service paradigms to healthcare. As it relates to Guyana, the Prime Minister explained, the Government has delivered the business environment through liberalisation and now looks to the private sector of the region – that is the membership of CANTO – to deliver with investment, jobs and affordable, innovative services for consumers; as well as a price relief for consumers, particularly amid the pandemic. He said that, on the regional scene, Caribbean Heads of Governments have called for the elimination of roaming charges in the region in pursuit of realising a true single market, and as a result, is looking forward to a dialogue with operators on how this can be sustainably realised. He echoed the Secretary General’s previous sentiments that the region cannot progress without the collaboration of all stakeholders. “My friends, ICTs continue to have a growing impact on, and remain pertinent drivers of globalisation, serving as a major source of competitive advantage, wealth creation and improvement in the quality of life. It is opportunities like these that allow inclusion and convergence of key stakeholders in the telecoms sector which will ensure that our region truly benefits from the prospects that are upon us. And so, I congratulate CANTO on creating dialogue via these conferences, and wish you all the best throughout the course of this event as you move forward to derive transformative changes in the industry.” (DPI)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Citizens will be treated equitably –– Minister Todd tells Lindeners FOREIGN AFFAIRS and International Cooperation Minister, Hugh Todd, on Monday, distributed hampers to over 40 vulnerable families in Blueberry Hill and Block 52 village during an outreach in Linden, Region 10. At a simple presentation ceremony at the Christianburg Wismar Secondary school on Blueberry Hill, Minister Todd said the engagement was a follow up on the outreach led by President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali in the mining town last month. He reminded the residents of the PPP/C Administration’s mandate to provide goods and services, and to promote the wellbeing of all Guyanese as the country grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic. “We want to ensure that each and every citizen gets equitable treatment at the level of Central Government. This is not a situation we want to have you in the long term, this is a temporary relief … We have a mandate to take care of each and every Guyanese and we will fulfil that mandate,” Minister Todd said. He said the Government is embarking on national policies that will transform Guyana and take it to another level of productivity, meaning the country will have more earnings that will be distributed equitably to citizens. “It means, therefore, that there will be more opportunities for you, for those persons who are in very vulnerable positions and for those persons who have already retired, old age pension for example, we will have more social welfare to take care of you, so its all-encompassing,” Minister Todd said. The Minister also said residents have a critical role to play in ensuring their voic-

es are heard, and that they benefit from all of the services offered by the state. To this end, he called on them to hold their village leaders accountable. “You have access to the Government through your leadership and if you cannot get to us, it is because your leadership is failing you,” he said. Over in Block 52 village, Mackenzie, Minister Todd distributed the hampers house-to-house to single parents and pensioners, who praised the President Aliled Administration for the much-needed support they have been receiving. Ms. Sandra Singh said this is the first time in years, they were visited by a Government official. She noted that she is optimistic that this will be the first of many visits by the Administration. “We are very happy about the support thus far. This is the first time we are getting something of this nature to our home from the Government and we are thankful for it. Before that, we also had the COVID grant,” she said. Another resident, Ms. Pamela Maxi said it has been challenging for her to provide for her family since her business failed, due to the pandemic. The mother of five said she is thankful for the additional support which will go a far way in helping her family. The Minister’s engagement forms part of the Government’s national outreach programme where officials are fanning out into communities countrywide to address the concerns of residents. (DPI)

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd, handing over a hamper to a pensioner of Blueberry Hill (DPI photo)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Autopsy: Cush died from gunshot wounds AULDEN CUSH, 54, called “Alligator”, died as a result of gunshot injuries, an autopsy performed on his remains on Monday has confirmed. The incident occurred at Cooper Street, Albouystown, between James Street and Independence Boulevard, Georgetown. Reports indicated that Cush, of no fixed address, was, at the time, purchasing cigarettes at a shop located on the western side of Cooper

Street. During a heated argument, one of the men brandishing a firearm discharged a round that hit Cush in the right side of the face. The shooter then fled the scene on foot. Cush was pronounced dead at the scene by an emergency medical technician (EMT) crew. The body was subsequently picked up and taken to the Lyken Funeral Parlour. Police and residents of Albouystown surround the covered body of Cush after he was shot while purchasing cigarette (Delano Williams photo)

Autopsy: Belle West youth died from stab wound to the heart EMANUEL SOLOMAN, 20, of Lot 317 Belle West, Canal Number Two, West Bank Demerara, died as a result of a stab wound to the heart, an autopsy done on his remains on Monday confirmed. He was killed during a confrontation with three brothers last Friday. The three brothers are in police custody following the stabbing at Solomon’s home. Reports indicate that the mother of the three youths handed them over to police after cops enquired about their whereabouts, since they were identified as the perpetrators of the stabbing. Two of the brothers are being held at the La Grange Police Station. They have been identified as Kyale Roberts, 26, and Kurlsen Roberts, 23, both of Lot 463 Belle West, WBD. Reports indicate that Solomon and the suspects had a misunderstanding over a football game about eight months ago and, on Friday last, the 20-yearold was sitting in front of his residence when the suspects confronted him. According to his mother, the suspects approached her son and rushed towards him,

Dead: Emanuel Solomon

stabbing him about his body before he fell to the ground. The perpetrators then made good their escape on foot. Following the incident, the mother and public-spirited persons picked up Solomon and took him to the West Demerara Regional Hospital where he was seen and examined by a doctor on duty who pronounced him dead. The body was then escorted to the Ezekiel Funeral Parlour. The police subsequently arrested all three brothers. Under questioning, one of the brothers allegedly admitted to stabbing Solomon because of a previous confrontation in which he suffered injuries to the face and hand. The brothers are in police custody as investigation into the incident continues.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Toshaos decry high cost of travel to hinterland --Minister Edghill to look into the matter TOSHAOS are often the main link between hinterland villages and the decision-makers situated on the coastland; this means that their travels to and from Georgetown are necessary, and sometimes frequent. During a meeting with Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill, members of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) decried the hefty costs attached to their travels to and from their respective villages. The high costs, according to the toshaos, continue even though the Value Added Tax (VAT) was removed on travel to interior locations by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration. The toshaos from various regions complained that most carriers would bill a traveller based on their weight instead of using a standardised ticket system. On the other hand, some carriers have been demanding exorbitant prices for tickets, although the VAT on them has been removed. Minister Edghill said he believes that enforcement of the removal of VAT was meant to see a reduction in ticket prices, and this must be accomplished. As a consequence, letters will be sent to carriers which are yet to remove VAT on hinterland travels. Additionally, Minister Edghill said that he is fully

cognisant of the importance of hinterland airstrips, underscoring the government’s commitment to ensuring the maintenance of airstrips throughout the country. “We know that airstrips are a big issue, and we know of the difficulties,” Edghill posited. He drew reference to the government’s efforts at ensuring the completion of the Eteringbang Airstrip in Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni). On another note, Minister Edghill told the toshaos that the intent is for contracts to be issued for villagers to conduct maintenance works on the airstrips that serve their communities. He pointed to the importance of accountability at the village level, since more funds will be pumped into interior communities in the coming months. He urged the toshaos to “do everything possible to get the village economy booming”. Other issues raised during the meeting include the need for a permanent building to be constructed to house the National Toshao’s Council. The Amerindian leaders also lobbied for a possible ceiling increase for hinterland projects beyond the already prescribed $5M limit. Minister Edghill advised the Council to officially document their requests, so that they can be shared with the Ministry of Finance.

Collision with utility pole kills motorcyclist A 26-year-old motorcyclist met a tragic end, on Sunday, when he lost control of his bike, CK7533, and slammed into a utility pole along Arapaima Street, East La Penitence, Georgetown. Dead is Kemston Richards of Plum Park, Sophia, Greater Georgetown. Reports indicate that Richards was riding at a fast rate. After crashing into the pole, the motorcycle was flung in an easterly direction, injuring two pedestrians. The pedestrians were identified as 24-year-old Kevin Fletcher of East La Penitence, Georgetown and a 15-year-old. Reports are that around 15:30hrs on Sunday, Richards was pro-

ceeding North on Arapaima Street when he was involved in the accident, receiving several injuries about the body. Police said the injured motorcyclist was picked up in an unconscious state by public-spirited persons and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The body is currently at the hospital’s mortuary awaiting autopsy. The 15-year-old pedestrian was seen and examined by doctors on duty at the said hospital and later sent away as investigations into the accident continues.

Responding specifically to the need for an NTC building, Minister Edghill told the Council that progress is being made, and representation will be made to the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs to have funds directed to this project in Budget 2021. The NTC was represented by its Vice-Chairman, Paul Pierre; Executive Director Jude Da Silva; Programme Coordinator Nandanie Jerry; Assistant Secretary cum

Minister Edghill engaging members of the National Toshaos Council on Monday

Treasurer Loretta Fiedtkou; and executive members Carl Peneux, Ralph Hen-

drick, Colin Adrian, Beverly Clenkian, Mario Hasting, Howard Cornelius, and

NTC members Edward McGarrel and Sharmain Rambojie.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

2020 GCB/Hand-in-Hand Under-19 tournament…

Exciting Demerara, Essequibo clash set for first round THE originally planned 2020 Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Hand-inHand Under-19 tourney will now bowl off tomorrow, Wednesday February 10, at the LBI ground. The tournament will feature Under-19 players from across the three counties of Guyana who were unable to play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Round One of the tournament will see Demerara competing against the Cinderella County boys of

Essequibo on Wednesday. Round Two features Essequibo tackling the Ancient County team of Berbice on Friday 12 February, while on Sunday 14 February, Demerara and Berbice will battle in the final round of the round- robin tournament. The matches involving Essequibo are tentatively scheduled to commence at 8:45hrs to facilitate travel, while the Sunday match is scheduled to begin from 9:15hrs. The team with the most

points shall be deemed winner of the tournament. However, in the event of teams finishing on equal points, the highest placed team will be given to the team with the most wins, or when teams have both equal wins and equal points, the team which was the winner of the head-to-head clash shall be deemed the winner, or if still equal, the team with the highest net run rate wins. Demerara squad: Andre Samaroo (Capt.), Nicholas Rajpat, Chaitram

― Khan favourite for title ANTHONY Drayton can no longer defend his title in the National Closed Chess Championship after two surprising defeats in rounds Five and Six at the Guyana National Stadium in Providence on Sunday. The FIDE Master, who had lost to former champion Taffin Khan in Round Two, was beaten by Glenford Corlette and 2020 Rapid and Blitz champion Davion Mars respectively in their encounters. Corlette, who is the dark horse of the 2020 competition (postponed from last year), only has one defeat to his name (against Khan), but he is yet to play against one of the front runners of the competition in Wendell Meusa. According to information from Director of Tournaments Rashad Hussain, that

game, a First Round clash, will be played today. Corlette’s final game will be this Saturday against Loris Nathoo. If he manages to beat both of his final opponents (a tall feat) he will be just half a point behind Khan, who has to play Mars in his final clash. Khan has been a dominant force in the eight-player final so far. His unbeaten run has earned him five and a half points in six rounds and placed his as strong favourite for his fourth Senior National title. His drawn clash against fellow Candidate Master Meusa in Round Five and Drayton’s losses mean that the final is now is his hand—a win this Saturday hands his the title. A draw can also propel him to championship honours, barring an unlikely

dominant finish by Corlette. If Khan loses and Corlette manages to win both of his games, then he would be crowned champion. If Meusa wins both of his final games (against Corlette and Rai Sharma), a likely possibility, he would need for Khan to lose to force a playoff battle. In their clash on Sunday morning, Khan said that the game was pretty even. “The game with Wendell was a pretty safe game, it didn’t have anything much until the end. The endgame was a typical rook endgame, which is mostly draws.” The 29-year-old added that although he is confident against Mars, who has never beaten him, he has no intentions of celebrating early.

Balgobin, Michael Pooran, Mathew Nandu, Ushardeva Balgobin, Sachin Singh, Mavendra Dindyal, Andre Seepersaud, Dwain Dick, Shamar Yearwood, Ariel Tilku, Bryon Bowen, Alvin Mohabir and Zachory Johad. The standbys are: Rudranauth Kission, Marlon Boele, Jaden Campbell, Trevon Charles, Rashid Benjamin and Jeffery Blairs. Berbice squad: Isiah Thorne, Rampertab Ramnauth, Ricardo Ramde-

hol, Seon Glasgow (Vice Captain), Marvon Prashad, Shamar Angel, Jonathan Rampersaud, Tyrese Sealey, Chanderpaul Govindhan, Nigel Deodat, Gourav Ramesh, Doorsammy Mahadeo, Aaron Beharry, Gevon Shultz (Captain) and Leon Swammy. The Berbice standbys are: Collis Noble, Jeremy Sandia, Reyad Karim, Sarwan Chaitnarine, Zeynul Ramsammy, Tomani Caesar, and Abdul Ramsammy. The Berbice U-19 Manager is Neil Rudder and

the coach is Winston Smith. Essequibo squad: Lance Roberts, Ameer Singh (captain), Azim Mohammed, Bhadesh Parsotam, Nicko Vincent, Carl Gilgeous, Jarrad Allicock, Mahesh Ramnarine, Abdul Nadir, Sheldon Charles, Wazim Mohamed, Mark Mohabeer, Jason Holder, Orin Gibson and Aryan Persaud. The Essequibo manager is Nazeer Mohamed and the coach is Andy Ramnarine.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Guyana National Stadium upgrade in MCYS’s blueprints

THE Guyana National Stadium (GNS) was commissioned in 2006 after being built by the Government of Guyana with substantial assistance from the Government of India. Built specially for the 2007 Cricket World Cup, it was designed by R.K. & Associates (Ram Kishan and Associates - Architects, Engineers, Planners) and constructed by Shapoorji Pallonji Group and has the capacity to be a Multi Sport Facility. Since its commissioning, it has been used for a majority of events which range from sport to entertainment. What is most note worthy about the 15,000 capacity venue is that it’s among the fastest-drying grounds in the world. However, on the state-ofthe-art list, the GNS battles close to the cellar position with a lack of technology which has to be compensated by acquiring services for events. Over the years, the Stadium has been begging for some much- needed attention which it will apparently soon get, according to a source close to

the Minister of Sport. Chronicle Sport made several attempts to contact the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, to confirm

haul the Stadium located in Providence, along with several other venues across the nation. The GNS is currently the most recognized sporting

venue screams for some attention that includes a regular pressure washing to keep moss away from the concrete parts exposed to the weather

An electronic screen was temporarily installed for the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup at the Guyana National Stadium. Its forced location made it almost impossible for spectators in the Mound or Orange Stand to view (Getty Images)

this, but those calls went unanswered. However, the source stated that the Ministry already has plans to completely over-

venue in the country but it has been under the scope for several aspects that are evident. The almost 15-year-old

and the replacement of a few brittle seats. Added to that, there are two manually operated scoreboards for cricketing

purposes on the western and eastern sides of the venue which are fine for nostalgic purposes, but it shows how far behind the venue is, in today’s arena. The larger of the two one-dimensional scoreboard takes at least 12-16 persons to effectively operate while around 8-10 make up the man-power to keep the smaller board ticking. A technological upgrade in this aspect will allow the GNS to be more versatile with hosting of events Meanwhile, the stands opened to spectators were probably hastily named Red Stand, Green Stand, Orange Stand and the other seating section for spectators is the Grass Mound. For a venue specially constructed for the 2007 ICC World Cup in a country that boasts a legendary line of West Indian cricketers, one would hope for some reconsideration in this aspect of an upgrade. The Red Stand and Mound flank the Media Centre End while the Orange and Green stands are erected to the sides of the Pavilion End. Upon a visit to the Sta-

dium, all these aspects are quite evident and shows the venue has the potential to be great, but if they’re ignored, the opposite direction could mean travesty. There are still a few other features that need improving or need to be added to boost the venue’s advancement, but none are immediately threatening. THE PITCH Without a doubt, the pitch is the most important part of a cricketing venue. GNS’s pitch has seen several other International sports being hosted such as Rugby and Football where the pitch became a regular part of the playing area. But research shows that following these events the pitch has always managed to get a rating of good or higher by the International Cricket Council (ICC), prior to one of their sanctioned events. However, the pitch has favoured batters more than bowlers overtime but has room to become versatile if a well-calculated refurbishing attempt is made.

Andrew Arts, B & J Civil Works, Guyoil, Superbet on board RHTY&SC programme THE efforts of the ten cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) to have a positive influence in the lives of youths, on Friday last, received a mas-

sive boost when several companies came on board with financial donations. The companies making contributions were Andrews Arts of Ogle, East Coast Demerara;

Mishal Juman, of Andrew Arts, hands over donation to RHTY&SC Secretary/CEO, Hilbert Foster

Band J Civil Works, Guyana Oil Company, Superbet and a major security company that wishes to remain nameless. They donated a combined $400,000 worth of items and cash. Club Secretary/CEO, Hilbert Foster and the club’s vice president, Mark Papannah, received the donations during a visit to the city. Andrews Arts, Superbet ,Band J Civil Works and the security company donated a combined two hundred thousand and eighty thousand dollars worth of trophies, medals, certificate frames and special prizes to the programme, which targets over eighty thousand youths in the Ancient County. Guyoil handed over a cheque for one hundred thousand dollars to the club. The main objectives of the thirty years programme are to get youths to say ‘No’ to drugs, tobacco, pre-marital sex, crime, suicide, alcohol and ‘Yes’ to education, sports, reli-

gion, culture, and life. Foster stated that the programme is one of the most cherished in the RHTY&SC list of activities as the club strongly believes in assisting youths to fulfil their full potentials in the field of sport and in the classroom. The ten cricket clubs, over the years, have used a wide array of activities to promote the Say No/ Say Yes message and in 2021, would be organising several sporting tournaments and educational competitions including debates, essays, spelling bees, among others. Foster expressed gratitude to Mrs C .Juman of Andrew Arts, Mrs Beverly Tapps of B and J Civil Works, as well as to the management of Guyoil and Superbet for their cooperation. He assured that the club and cricket teams would work hard to make sure that the 2021 edition of the programme is successful

and achieves all of its objectives. The ten teams of the RHTY&SC are Poonai Pharmacy Under-12 and under-13. Farfan and Mendes under-15,

Bakewell Under-17 and Second Division, Pepsi Under-19 and Intermediate, Metro Females, Namilco Thunderbolt Flour under-21 and First Division.

Guyoil PRO hands over cheque to Hilbert Foster

West Indies tour of Bangladesh 2021… SEE PAGE

“Tired of one win and struggling for 3 or 4 games

―Coach Simmons Simmons

West Indies coach, Phil Simmons

New chess champion to be crowned after Drayton’s double defeat SEE PAGE

made life member of Everest CC SEE PAGE

Davion Mars would be an underdog in his final round battle against Taffin Khan

― Khan favourite for title

CG Insurance Super50 Cup…

Confident Guyana Jaguars off to winning start SEE PAGE

President of Guyana Dr Irfaan Ali (left) receives his life membership card from Everest Club manager Krista Norton

SEE PAGE

Romario Shepherd’s late cameo took the Jaguars to a respectable 232

Shimron Hetmyer top scored with 80

Double-centurion Mayers keen on churning out more runs as second Test nears

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| TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2021