TUESDAY 22nd September, 2020
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BOYS TOP NGSA No.106130
NGSA TOP 10 PERFORMERS 1. Samuel Barkoye
North G/Town Primary
Queen's College- 525
1. Rovin Lall
Stella Maris Primary
Queen's College- 525
3. Alexander Singh
Marian Academy
Queen's College- 524
4. Lianna Dharampaul
Mon Repos Primary
Queen's College- 523
4. Brandon Ramdin
Westfield Primary
Queen’s College- 523
6. Britney Peters
One Mile Primary
Queen's College- 521
6. Gabriel Felix
New Guyana School
Queen's College- 521
6. Dhanesh Tularam
Academy of Excellence
Queen's College- 521
9. Yuki Clarke
Academy of Excellence
Queen's College- 520
9. Charisma Etwaroo
Academy of Excellence
Queen's College- 520
9. Robert Forrester
Winfer Gardens Primary
Queen's College- 520
9. Salmah Bacchus
Academy of Excellence
Queen's College- 520
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COVID-19 reveals bottlenecks faced by developing countries
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Coalition paid Larry London $23M to print birth certificates
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Education Minister, Priya Manickchand (centre) with Samuel Barkoye (right in front row) and Rovin Lall (right of Barkoye) and the other top performers at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA)
Work done on CJIA unacceptable, says President Ali
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 22, 2020
‘Coalition’ gave Larry London $23M to print birth certificates
APNU+AFC Campaign Manager Larry London, who is also the director of a now inactive Florida-registered company, was paid over $23M by the previous administration to print birth certificates. The ‘Coalition’ had refused to demit office after losing the March 2020 Regional and General Elections, and only did so in the face of mounting international pressure. The name of the Florida profit corporation that London heads is Universal Procurement Services Inc. This was revealed by Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Gail Teixeira when the House resolved into Committee of Supply,
and was considering the estimates of expenditure for January 2020 to September 2020 under Citizenship and Immigration Services. The former government, instead of using local services to print thousands of Guyanese birth certificates, decided to outsource US$150,000 to the Florida-based company to print some 20,000 birth certificates between 2019 and 2020. Minister Teixeira said it is the first time she is hearing of such a transaction, since, as a former Home Affairs Minister, “I know birth certificates used to be published in Guyana with local printers with safety and security watermarks.” Teixeira, in confirming that the contract was signed by London, said she was unsure if the due diligence done before the company was hired. Meanwhile, London, a PNCR Executive, was also paid a huge salary and other benefits in the position of Di-
APNU+AFC Campaign Manager, and former Director of Parks, Larry London
rector of Public Parks under the Department of Environment when he hardly even lived in the country. Upon assuming office, the Irfaan Ali administration tasked a four-man committee to do an assessment of State agencies. Attorney-General Anil Nandlall bemoaned the perks granted to London in his ‘Parks’ contract. “You have some jobs I never heard about… You have a man getting $500,000-
take home, all light bills, phone bills paid, Internet bill paid, a guard and a driver, and car and duty-free concession in ‘A’ Grade, and he gets a 22.5 per cent gratuity every six months with a position as Director of Parks. What is that! What is that! And you have hundreds of those creations all over,” Nandlall charged. During the televised “Government in Focus” programme aired on the National Communications Network (NCN) and hosted by Leeron Brummell, the Attorney-General said he has never heard of such a position. London, whose contract expires on January 31, 2021, received a salary of $489,000 monthly, and 22.5 per cent of his six-month salary twice yearly. Approximate benefits and average spending per month includes, but were not limited to, allowances of $25,000 for entertainment, unlimited overseas and local calls, security services which can run to around
$150,000 per month, Internet at 15,000, duty-free concessions (Scale ‘A’) and a vacation allowance of $489,000. Maintaining his position would have cost taxpayers almost $2M per month. London, in 2016, was a part of the controversial construction of the “Green Zone Recreational Park”, now referred to as D’Urban Park. London’s company, Homestretch Development Inc. (HDI), was tasked with finishing the construction in time for Guyana’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2016. From all indications, HDI, through donations both from local persons and those in the diaspora, commenced work at the site in September 2015, about two months before government officially announced what was happening there. Over $1 billion had been spent on the project, a large parade ground with wooden stands, and despite this, the National Assembly had been asked to approve millions in
extra-budgetary spending to meet additional costs. The latest Auditor General report providing a summary of findings of the investigation had said that up to December 31, 2017, amounts totalling almost $1.150 billion were spent on the project. The report reiterated that payment vouchers to support expenditure totalling $107.119 million were not produced for audit examination, while there is no evidence of checks on works for which HDI was given half-a-billion dollars. In 2018, London was appointed as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). Since taking office, the PPP/C has bemoaned that political appointees are putting up a resistance to giving up their positions and the perks afforded them.
GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Boys rule the roost at NGSA this year!
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–– as have public schools, with North Georgetown, Stella Maris proving they’re the best of the lot
Samuel Barkoye (centre) who also topped this year’s NGSA and will be attending QC; with him are his mother Tamika, and dad, Samuel
By Tamica Garnett WITH the males putting up quite a fight this year, small wonder it is that Samuel Barkoye of North Georgetown Primary and Rovin Lall of Stella Maris Primary were among the top performers at the 2020 sitting of the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA). With each lad attaining 525 out of the maximum 528 marks possible at this year’s exam, their performances have been declared a tie, thus making it the second consecutive year that public schools have excelled at the assessment, which, for six years prior, was dominated by pupils from the private schools. Barkoye and Lall ruled the list of 14,032 pupils who sat the assessment, when it was held on July 1 & 2, and saw pupils being tested in Mathematics, English Language, Social Studies and Science. With 524 marks to his credit, this year’s third highest spot went to Marian Academy’s Alexander Singh, while with 523 marks apiece, Mon Repos Primary’s Lianna Dharampaul and Westfield Prep’s Brandon Ramdin shared fourth place. Three pupils shared the sixth position after attaining
521 marks each; they are Britney Peters of One Mile Primary in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice); Gabriel Felix of New Guyana School, and Dhanesh Tularam of Academy of Excellence in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara). Ninth position was shared by four candidates, namely Yuri Clarke, Charisma Etwaroo and Salmah Bacchus, all of Academy of Excellence; and Robert Forrester of Winfer Gardens Primary. The pupils all attained spots at the country’s top secondary school, Queen’s College. A total of 168 pupils account for the top one per cent performers at this year’s assessment, where public schools saw an increase in the rate of spots garnered in the grouping. While almost 30 per cent of the top one per cent were public school pupils last year, this year, public schools accounted for 44 per cent. Aside from North Georgetown, Stella Maris Public, One Mile, Mon Repos and Winfer Gardens, other public schools featuring pupils in the top one per cent include Leonora Primary in Region Three, Amelia’s Ward Primary in Region 10, and Annandale Primary in Region Four (Demerara-Ma-
haica). The NGSA results were officially announced by Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand at a press briefing held on Monday at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) in Kingston. ‘JUST A STEPPING STONE’ Prior to announcing the results, the Minister called on those pupils who wrote the exam this year to remember that regardless of what secondary school they are assigned, the NGSA results are just a stepping stone in their academic pursuits, and not the end of the road. “What we say here does not define who you are; you can do as well as the Queen’s College pupils,” Minister Manickchand said, the mother in her coming to the fore. “We just don’t have the space; it is simple as that,” she said, adding: “This is a placement exam, written not to say whether you are smart or not.” Held annually, the NGSA is used to determine the placement of pupils in a secondary school, based on scores attained. Pupils would often develop anxiety, in their bid to attain a spot at one of the country’s top secondary schools.
Rovin Lall (centre) of Stella Maris Primary was one of two students who topped this year’s NGSA, and will be attending QC. With Rovin are his mom and his father
This year, the cut-off scores for the top secondary schools are: Queen’s College, 512; Bishops’ High, 508; St. Stanislaus College, 505; St. Rose’s High, 502; St. Joseph High, 499; and President’s College, 490. As attention has increased on the effects that the pressure of the exam has had on pupils, over the past few years, stakeholders often call on pupils to remember that the scores and secondary school that they attain does not determine their future. “The harshness of children at 10 and 11 [years old] taking an examination, where they believe their entire life is dependent on it is not the most child-friendly thing we can do. We have 110 secondary schools across the country, we will demand that these schools can perform at a high standard. That will be the effort going forward in a very strategic aggressive way,” Minister Manickchand said as she commented on the situation on Monday. The Minister posited that greater equity of standards at secondary schools across the country will be one way of easing the pressure on pupils to attain marks for the top secondary schools, and that is a goal that the Ministry of Education is striving towards. “We promise that the
quality and standard at [secondary] schools across the country will improve,” she said. “We don’t have the kind of equality we need across secondary; but that will change. You will be placed at different schools, but you can do well wherever you go,” she charged. PERFORMANCE BY REGION Aside from Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), at least one pupil from each of the country’s education districts attained a spot at one of the top secondary schools. Both coming from schools in the city, Barkoye and Lall shared the spot as Best Performing Pupils in District 11. Peters was best performer in Region 10; Dharamlall was best performer in Region 4 (which covers schools on the East Bank and East Coast Demerara, but not Georgetown); while Tularam topped Region Three. Krizel Wells from Hosororo Primary, who attained 504 marks, was the best performing pupil in Region One (Barima-Waini); while Sotana Singh from CV Nunes Primary was the best pupil in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), having gained 514 marks. With 513 marks, Mariam Baksh was Best Pupil for
Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice); Renace Joseph, of Friends Primary earned 517 marks, and was the Best Pupil in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); Kyle Harper from St. John the Baptist Primary topped Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), with 502 marks; while Deliza Martin from Paramakatoi Primary, with 480 marks was adjudged Best Performer in Region Eight; and Tristan D’Aguiar from Arapaima Primary was the Best Performer for Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), with 509 marks. Minister Manickchand thanked the parents and teachers for the role they played in helping the pupils as they prepared for the exams this year, particularly given the harsh conditions brought on by the COVID-19 situation, which had effected the closure of schools since March. “I know how hard parenting is in this particular year; how much harder it was in this lockdown. To you and to the teachers who stepped up, we are deeply, deeply grateful,” the Minister expressed.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Aspiring doctor tops Region Six at NGSA By Nafeeza Yahya-Sakur RENACE JOSEPH, 12, a pupil of All Saints Primary School in the town of New Amsterdam is the top student for East Ber-
bice, Corentyne at the recently-concluded National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA). With 517 marks, Joseph copped a spot at the prestigious Queen’s College in
Renace Joseph
the capital City and among the top one per cent of candidates who sat the examinations. Elated by her outstanding performance, Joseph told the Guyana Chronicle
Abdur Ally that she loves medicine and was looking forward to pursuing a career in that field. Renita Fraser, 34, the proud mother of Joseph, said she could not contain her excitement when a teacher called and related that the good news was announced on television. “I paused for a bit and then was in the process of getting her candidate number when another teacher
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 09:00hrs
called... when I see it on the website I couldn’t help it. I started to jump up with excitement and running and squealing while my daughter was just calm. I am so overjoyed and proud
two spot for Region Six was Safiya Tribhowan of Tain Primary School, Corentyne, Berbice, who also gained a place at Queen’s College with 514 marks. Tribhowan had ‘set her
Kairon Roopnarine of her,” the young mother related. Fraser worked closely with her daughter, doing revision on Monday to Friday and leaving the weekend for Joseph to relax and play. This, she noted was very helpful as it provided a meaningful balance between work and play. Joseph credits her success to her parents and teachers. Coming in at the number
man and a customer service representative, wants to become an engineer. He believes hard work and dedication are important to achieve success. The other top performers
Safiya Tribhowan
sight’ on The Bishops’ High and studied late into the nights and early mornings to achieve her dream and could not have been be happier when she learnt that she obtained a place at Queen’s College. Tribhowan, a daughter of a University of Guyana Berbice Campus librarian and an E-networks Berbice branch technician also wants to become a doctor. Her message to her peers is work hard and the results would be rewarding. The young lady noted that while initially she was frustrated that the examinations were pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it allowed her more time to study and prepare for the examinations. She gave thanks to God, her teachers and parents for her success. Kairon Roopnarine of Cumberland Primary earned the number three spot in Region Six with 513 marks and will join Joseph and Tribhowan at Queen’s College. NERVE WRECKING The young man, who was aiming for a spot at St Rose’s High School, told the Guyana Chronicle that it was “nerve wrecking” waiting to hear the results for Region Six but when he heard his name called and he got a place at QC, the nervousness turned into excitement. Roopnarine, who is the son of an Albion Estate fore-
in the region who would be going to Queen’s College are Suhana Bacchus and Dillion Pawaroo of Corriverton Primary, who both scored 512. Usha Indarsingh of Gangaram Primary; Gabriella Sukhu of Corriverton Primary; and Varshanie Mulla of All Saints Primary, who all scored 511 marks at the NGSA, would be heading to The Bishops’ High. Abdur Ally of Berbice Islamic School and David Subnauth of New Market Primary, who each scored 509 marks were also awarded places at The Bishops’ High. Ally, a 10-year-old from Chesney wants to expand his family furniture business. The shy young man told this publication that he is intrigued by the way pieces of furniture come to life from one piece of board. He is interested in creating masterpieces of his own. He received a lot of support from his mother, who was a former teacher at the Islamic School in Georgetown before moving to Berbice several years ago. Following the advent of the pandemic, he was homeschooled. His proud mother said she was very excited and happy that he was allowed to sit the examinations at his age and gave praise to God, his teachers and the Berbice Islamic School for his success.
GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Jamaica: Seven More COVID Deaths, 230 New Cases
(JAMAICA GLEANER) Jamaica on Saturday recorded seven more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total to 67. The country also recorded 230 new infections with ages ranging from 1 day to 104 years, increasing the overall figure to 4,988 cases with 3,489 of them being active. This includes 29 moderately ill patients and eight critical. One hundred and fifteen of the new cases are men with the other 112 being females. The seven new COVID-19 deaths are: • A 56-year-old male of a St. Mary address. • A 69-year-old male of a Kingston & St. Andrew address. • A 37-year-old male of a St. James address. • An 82-year-old male of a St. James address. • A 69-year-old male of a Kingston & St. Andrew address. • A 73-year-old male of a St. Mary address. • An 80-year-old male of a Manchester address. The Ministry of Health said all the deceased had a pre-existing condition(s). Meanwhile, 23 more persons have recovered, increasing the tally to 1,350.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 22, 2020
The protective, empowering arms of Big Brother U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, speaking under State House’s Baridi Benab during his recent visit to Guyana, asserted that the U.S. wants to grow Guyana with Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) that is clean. He refuted the contentions of those expressing concern that U.S. investments are a threat to Guyana’s sovereignty and assured: “The United States’ model is to build on the best things of your country... We’ll show up, we’ll bring capital, we’ll bring resources, we’ll often bring technological capabilities that are much needed to develop resources, develop infrastructure for your country, but we don’t do so with political strings tied to them. We don’t operate the way other regimes do, who might show up with money and then demand political retribution, or worse yet, engage in activity that is corrupt.” In an interview with Leeron Brummell of the National Communications Network (NCN), Pompeo reiterated his assertions, stating that he talks to American private sector leaders all the time about how they can invest in overseas markets in a manner that is fair and
transparent, so they can in turn build their businesses in the United States and explained that he thinks countries understand that America seeks only a fair shot at the competition, the rule of law, enforceable contracts and a set of property rights. The Secretary of State affirmed that U.S. investors hire local skills and that American companies are great environmental stewards. During that visit the U.S. and Guyana signed bilateral agreements signalling significant U.S. investments into Guyana’s energy and other sectors. In turn, President Dr Irfaan Ali said that Guyana is looking forward to partner with the U.S. to strengthen border control, anti-terrorism, cyber security, technology transfer and anti-corruption measures. During a joint press conference last Friday morning at State House with the U.S. Secretary of State, the President said he also discussed with Secretary Pompeo, collaboration on combatting the COVID-19 pandemic and lifting the economy out of the economic downturn. Consequent upon prior discussions held with Secretary Pompeo, the Pres-
ident said: “I am grateful for the U.S. support to Guyana in helping us to fight the pandemic. I am confident that there will be more targeted assistance for our health sector, as well as support for our traditional, emerging, and extractive sectors.” President Ali posited that Secretary Mike Pompeo’s historic visit sends a powerful signal that Guyana is regarded as a responsible member of the hemispheric and international communities, as a sovereign nation firmly rooted in democratic principles, the rule of law, respect for human rights and the pursuit of sustainable and equitable development. He expressed his government’s gratitude to the U.S. Government, especially to Secretary Pompeo, for the U.S.’ unwavering support for democracy and constitutional order in Guyana during the recent political and electoral crises in the country and his conviction that Secretary Pompeo’s visit serves to remind Guyanese that the U.S. will continue to be a steadfast partner as stakeholders work to consolidate democracy, strengthen institutions and pursue a path of unprecedented economic growth and development. He asserted that Secretary Pompeo’s visit
concretises the bilateral relationship between Guyana and the U.S. and creates a foundation for expanding and deepening U.S. cooperation with Guyana, stating, inter alia: “… I am therefore pleased to announce the signing this morning of a framework agreement between the U.S. Government and the Government of Guyana, to strengthen energy and infrastructure finance and market-building cooperation, in the context of the Growth in the Americas Initiative.” He posited that the historic agreement will boost the business environment for U.S. private-sector investment in Guyana, particularly in the fields of energy, both non-renewables and renewables, along with infrastructure, as well as pave the way for the U.S. private sector to expand their investment portfolio and partner with Guyana’s private sector and that these partnerships will help to meet Guyana’s broader infrastructural and downstream development needs and, by extension, drive economic growth and development as well as job creation, while providing opportunities for firms to explore investment possibilities in the tourism and hos-
pitality sector, ICT and food production, among others. “I am also pleased to announce that Guyana and the U.S. will deepen cooperation in the area of security, with specific attention to maritime security and joint patrols, to interdict narcotics-trafficking. This will also allow us to improve our technical and human capabilities in monitoring Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone,” the President said, asserting that this will result in stronger collaboration and broader technical assistance to help combat both domestic and transnational organised criminal networks. Adverting to Guyanese residing in the U.S., President Ali affirmed government’s commitment to leveraging the skills and investment potential of the diaspora. Importantly, to the delight of Guyanese U.S. citizens and local fishermen, the President informed: “I raised with Secretary Pompeo the need to revisit the current export restriction placed on wildcaught catfish, a product which is in great demand in the Guyanese diaspora. This market is very important not only for our export earnings, but also for the sustenance of the livelihood of the fishing communities.”
The U.S. Secretary of State said that the U.S. and Guyana have been friends for over five decades, and posited, “Now is the time to move forward with even closer ties….We know the Guyanese people cherish democracy, they cherish freedom, they value free, fair, and transparent elections, just as Americans do... I was proud to publicly support the Guyanese people in their quest to have the results of the election respected.... It was worth fighting to honour the people’s sovereign decision” and promised the U.S.’ readiness to partner with Guyana, especially when big decisions are faced on moving forward in future prosperity. For the first time in Guyana’s history of struggle for freedom from tyranny of any kind, local investors and law-abiding citizens are assured that facilitating mechanisms for social development and economic growth would not be impeded by anti-democratic, destructive forces that periodically create mayhem and regressive environments that impede upward developmental trajectory because Big Brother is watching over Guyana.
If it weren’t for a lousy job done by Granger Dear editor, “DON’t be distracted by emotions like anger, envy and resentment. These just zap energy and waste time,” the words of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the first female Jewish member of the U.S. Supreme Court and the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court, a pioneering advocate for women’s rights, who in her ninth decade became a much younger generation’s unlikely cultural icon, died last Friday at her home in Washington, on one of the
holiest days in Judaism, as many of the country’s nearly six million Jews welcomed the new year 5781, based on the Hebrew calendar. She died from complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer at the age of 87 as a hero, an icon, a fighter for women and girls, a leader for humanity and a preceptor for all legal luminaries to follow. Ginsburg was raised in a secular household, but explained in 2018 that her religious background influenced her life’s work: “I am a judge, born, raised and proud of
being a Jew. The demand for justice, for peace and for enlightenment runs through the entirety of Jewish history and Jewish tradition. Judges do read the newspapers and are affected, not by the weather of the day, as distinguished constitutional law professor Paul Freund once said, but by the climate of the era. Then, too, we must try hard to understand that for righteous people, hate and prejudice are neither good occupations nor fit companions.” Former President Bill Clinton (who had
appointed her) said that it is “superficially hypocritical” for President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans to push to put a new justice on the Supreme Court before the November election. On a Saturday evening in February 2016, just hours after Justice Antonin Scalia died during a hunting trip, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican majority leader, interrupted a Caribbean vacation to draw a line in the sand. “The American people should have a voice in the selection of
their next Supreme Court justice,” he said. “Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president.” Trump has already indicated that he will replace Ginsburg with another woman. Ginsburg’s dying wish, dictated to her granddaughter Clara Spera, underscored the battle she knew was coming. “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” she had said. Meghan Markle paid a touching tribute in her honour, saying: “With an
incomparable and indelible legacy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg will forever be known as a woman of brilliance, a Justice of courage, and a human of deep conviction. She has been a true inspiration to me since I was a girl. Honour her, remember her, act for her.” Her life and work serve as a mentor for many around the world. Many of the women in Guyana, especially those occupying important positions, can follow her example and take a page from See page 7
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 22, 2020
APNU+AFC ‘right-sizing’ of the sugar industry was a vindictive act Dear editor, THE Agriculture Minister, the Honourable Zulfikar Mustapha’s words will reverberate in the minds of Guyanese for a long time to come when he profoundly declared to the Coalition in Parliament that sugar had ‘lost its taste’ under the APNU+AFC administration, but the ‘sweetness of sugar’ will return under the PPP/C Government. No doubt the Coalition did everything in its power to make sugar bitter and unpalatable as the minister reminded Khemraj Ramjattan of the ultimate insult he cast on the industry by scornfully referring to it as a ‘black hole’ which was robbing the other sectors of financial resources. He even blamed the sugar industry for the wages and salaries woes of the public servant. He unabashedly claimed that ‘cane sugar days are over and the right-sizing the Coalition did was very much in order,’ but this was the same man who during the 2015 elections campaign had promised the sugar workers 20% wage increases and ‘vowed ‘to make sugar profitable again. What Ramjattan should have accepted is the fact that even the ‘right- sizing’ was a miserable failure, since the APNU+AFC never
had the will to bring sugar back alive, they wanted it dead just to spite the sugar workers who are perceived as PPP/C supporters. It is also evidenced that in his induced amnesiac state that Ramjattan did not mention the findings of the multimillion dollar CoI which his government had carried out which recommended no closure of any estate, but a five- year plan to turn the industry around. When the Coalition spoke about ‘right- sizing,’ it was just a synonym for closure of the entire industry, so they began to create excuses for that. This vindictiveness is still evidenced when Ramjattan claimed during his debated speech that the PPP/C Government’s aim is to ‘reward’ its political base. This is a typical case of ‘mouth open, story jump out’! Imagine even after all the suffering his government cast upon the sugar workers, their families and the various communities, he is still bent on echoing the Congress Place narrative feigning absolute amnesia to even the rhetoric which Granger himself spun about Guyana being the ‘sugar bowl’ of the Caribbean. The ‘right-sizing’ had resulted in a rapid decline in the annual sugar production and the losses became bigger, even though meagre targets
were set. The industry produced the lowest amount in 2019 since 1923 and according to Minister Mustapha, 2020 will be far worse. It would seem that the Coalition has a penchant for breaking its own record when it comes to underachievement and incompetence. The minister also made a very profound statement when he said that GuySuCo is more than about the profitability of the estates; it must be considered ‘beyond the balance sheet’ and must be seen as a ‘socio-economic entity. He also provided vitally important reasons why any government should ensure that sugar is kept alive, quoting the example of the USA subsidising agriculture to the tune of billions, annually. He stressed that monies allocated to GuySuCo must not be seen as ‘bailouts,’ but rather as a government ‘taking care of the needs of the people.’ No truer statement has ever been made and the minister has made another indelible impression in the hearts of Guyanese. Let Ramjattan digest these factual statements: the $30 billion ‘largesse’ was meant to ensure that the “fat cats” are well-fed and the monies are squandered, filling the pockets of those in the SPU and by extension, some in the government. It
If it weren’t for a lousy ... From page 6 her book, especially those sitting in parliament, on the bench, brandishing placards, protesting, picketing, displaying public vulgarity and issuing statements. At the last Democratic Convention, former President Barack Obama delivered a stunning takedown of the man who followed him into the White House. Obama said that Trump simply does not take the job “seriously.” He said that Trump uses the government’s vast powers in a purely “transactional way.” And most powerfully, he said this: “Donald Trump hasn’t grown into the job because he
can’t, and the consequences of that failure are severe.” Consider what Obama is saying there: as someone who did the job for eight years, he not only believes that Trump cannot rise to the demands of the presidency, but also that there are very real effects of Trump’s deficiency. As a retort to an earlier address by Michelle Obama, Trump had said, “Somebody please explain to Michelle Obama that Donald J. Trump would not be here, in the beautiful White House, if it weren’t for the job done by your husband Barack Obama.” Indeed, President Dr. Irfaan Ali would not be in
the presidential house had it not been for Granger doing a lousy job with the gross mismanagement of the economy and country, his lies and deceit and all the skulduggery he and his party had incorporated, causing bankruptcy and the eventuality of election-rigging. Yet, it’s disturbing to reflect how easily Granger and Trotman were able to infiltrate the community of Afro Guyanese in Berbice with their incitement and violent insinuations, causing chaos and confusion that subsequentially produced so many disastrous consequences, including two deaths, per-
must be painfully recalled that even though GuySuCo was given an average annual subsidy of $5 billion, all the estates were operational; foreign exchange in excess of $100 million U.S. was garnered from exports; jobs were saved and workers were enjoying a reasonable standard of living; communities were thriving and the US dollar was stabilised. In addition, there was little flooding, residents were getting assistance from GuySuCo, but today the resource-starved entity could hardly help itself. The CoI saw these benefits to the economy and advised against any closure! But how can we expect a man like Ramjattan to have this vision? As with other ‘bloodsucking’ measures such as increased taxation and VAT which the Coalition had used to erode the standard of living of Guyanese, Minister Mustapha made it pellucid that these ‘unconscionable measures’ will be reversed not only by reopening three of the closed estates, but will create a Wales Development Authority to work with former workers to start up agriculture value chains which will utilise agro-produce from the outlying areas to process them into value- added products. This will employ at least 3,000 persons. This is
a visionary minister thinking outside of the box with workable plans. Already, the Rose Hall Estate has employed more than 400 dismissed sugar workers to resuscitate the estate and the same is being done at the other two estates. The PPP/C Government has allocated $5 billion for recapitalisation and operation of the estates. Imagine the financial strain and burden which the Coalition has placed on the government. It is ironical that the Coalition had spent billions to close the estates and plunged the entire socio-economic strata of the country into Ramjattan’s ‘dark hole’. The former finance minister had said that the closed estates will not be ‘mothballed’ but remain operational to attract ‘investors.’ Well, most definitely he did not use mothballs but used cannon balls, since the current state of the closed estates will bear testimony to this. The august minister outlined the plans for GuySuCo for the next five years which will see the implementation of measures to promote a diversified agriculture-based economy; create more jobs and increase the incomes of farmers. He emphasised that this will be done by modernising and upgrading infrastructure, strengthening support services, robust
marketing systems at local and international levels and increasing Guyana’s market share by tapping into the US5 billion food- import bill of the CARICOM Region. We have already seen that the relations between Guyana and the U.S. are being greatly enhanced by the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. It is an undeniable fact that the Coalition had woefully neglected the agriculture sector as is evidenced by the volumes of irrefutable data which Minister Zulfikar dashed into the face of the APNU+AFC. Oil will be the panacea for all our social and economic ills, the Coalition had reasoned, oblivious to the ‘oil curse’! The Coalition had been for their entire term in office piloting Guyana on the course of the oil curse, which would have resulted through their wilful neglect and incompetence. Thankfully, this agriculture budget crafted and presented by the minister will reverse this ‘oil curse’ route and bring back the sector to its former glory prior to the Coalition’s unleashing its ‘weapon of mass destruction’ on our beautiful country.
sonal and psychological injuries and millions of dollars in property damage and losses, all borne by Indo Guyanese. Why should Guyana allow such perpetrators who are society’s destabilisers to continue their destructive activities to flaunt all the rules and regulations and the keepers of law and order should remain silent? As Guyanese desperately try to settle into a groove that will dictate an acceptable norm, there is a subliminal thought that pervades the back of the mind which tries to anticipate what may be next on the danger menu and from what direction this element may be coming from. The lives of Guyanese are relatively not safe and secure
when taking into account the number of deaths, accidents, injuries and personal and property losses, occurring almost daily throughout the length and breadth of Guyana. Factored into this nightmare are the various sources for this fear: topping the list is the COVID-19 pandemic; the dangerous streets and roads; the haunting crime situation from choke and rob, burglary and stealing; domestic violence; murder due to drinking spree, quarrels and arguments and other criminal behaviour and activities; and now to crown this infamous impressive list, we now need to add the recent political upheavals subscribed by leading
opposing politicians who are on a warpath spreading rumours and lies with their deceitful insinuations, perpetrating racial incitements and scandalous remarks, all meant to ferment mischief and division in a fragile society. All Guyanese need to voice their concern and speak up about this sudden change that has grappled Guyana by its neck and driving the fear factor into the hearts of Guyanese since the new government has taken over. The crime situation is atrociously out of hand and the police need to put their feet down, urgently and immediately.
Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf
Respectfully, Jai Lall
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Damaged vehicles result in $95M purchase AFTER the discovery of severely damaged vehicles that were used by the APNU+AFC administration, government has set aside $95M in the 2020 budget for new vehicles which will serve the President, Prime Minister (PM), Vice-President (VP) and Cabinet members. This disclosure was made by Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira when the House met as the Committee of Supply and was considering the estimates of expenditure for January 2020 to September 2020.
Minister of Governance and Parliamentary Affairs, Gail Teixeira
“When former ministers submitted their vehicles, we were shocked to see a high percentage had cracked windscreens, scratches, bumps, and the seats were very confusing; they were damaged, stained and ripped up. We don’t know who did that and how that happened, and we also had vehicles that our ministers got into thinking the vehicle looked alright and discovered when they went down the road there was [SIC] two different sets of tyres on and radiators were damaged,” the governance
-- President, PM, VP, Cabinet members to benefit minister said. Currently, she said, government will have to fix some of the vehicles for a number of ministers whose vehicles are being recycled. Former Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson, who called on Minister Teixeira to provide more details, was told that no attention on such details relating to procurement was made, but assured the House that public tendering will be
done. “I’m not aware of the type or the cost. Because of the urgency to get the budget and get the money we had to rush and put in allocations because there was a problem and we had to attend to the safety and security of the President, Vice-President, and Prime Minister; so this allocation is here for that purpose because we had five weeks to bring the budget,” she added.
She promised the former minister that in the 2021 budget, all new purchases of vehicles and their details will be made available since there will be time to do so, but with the emergency budget that was not possible. She reiterated that the safety of the President, Vice-President and Prime Minister is also important, since their vehicles are also severely damaged.
NGSA top performers attribute success to discipline, hard work By Naomi Parris THIS year the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) was held under unusual circumstances, as pupils were forced to quickly adapt to online learning in the wake of Guyana’s first recorded novel coronavirus (COVID-19) case in March. Schools in Guyana were forced to close abruptly to
protect the children, teachers and other educators from contracting the virus and to limit its spread. This situation was particularly difficult for pupils who were preparing to sit the NGSA which was slated for April. Having to quickly adjust to the “new normal,” pupils became conversant with online classes and lessons to prepare themselves for the upcoming examination.
Learning in a safe environment was of paramount importance. Despite the challenges, this year’s top performers, 11-year-old Samuel Barkoye and 12-year-old Rovin Lall disclosed that they were unfazed by the COVID-19 epidemic and continued to focus on their studiess. The young men who both obtained 525 marks out of 528, spoke briefly
Call for articles for Journal on Indentureship Dear editor, THIS year marks the 100th anniversary of the end of indentureship. Being such a historic occasion, a journal is being launched focusing on articles pertaining to indentureship, indentured or girmitya labourers and their descendants, all people of Indian descent. The first issue of the journal is slated for December 2020. The name: International Journal of Studies of Indian Diaspora with a focus on the older Indian diaspora. To celebrate and/or recognise the presence, accomplishments, contributions and the challenges Indians face in the diaspora and to commemorate the centenary ending the practice of Indentureship/Girmitiya labour in 1920, following Abolition of the Indentured Labour Act 1917, this special issue on the Indian Diaspora (People of Indian origin) is going to be published in December 2020 under a reputable
publisher. People of Indian Origin (PIO) are found all over the world with many moving beyond their early destinations as ‘twice migrants’ or ‘double diaspora’ as is the case of Indo-Guyanese or Indo-Trinis or Indo-Surinamese or Indo-Jamaicans or Indo-St Lucians or Indo-Grenadians, etc. They also have extensive transnational networks with their former ‘homeland,’ ‘ancestral land’ and countries of their kith and kin and who are dispersed globally. This special issue of JOSID will cover all topics on historical and contemporary context of PIOs and the Indian diaspora in any part of the globe, in all disciplines including articles that are interdisciplinary in scope, including the natural sciences. Complete original papers with references may be submitted to the Editor in Chief Prof. Ghan Shyam, Banaras Hindu University (BHU) at: gshyam2005@ gmail.com. BHU is the equivalent of the Ivy League
universities of America, graduating some of India’s leading scholars, especially in the medical sciences. Several Guyanese and other Indo-Caribbeans studied at BHU going back to the mid-1900s. I met Guyanese and students from Trinidad, Mauritius, and Fiji on the campus during visits in 1985, 1990, 1995 and several trips thereafter as a guest lecturer. Swami Aksharnand studied at BHU. The papers for JOSID may be about 5000-6000 words and illustrations, figures, maps and graphs may be prepared in black and white that may be kept to the minimum. Papers received would be peer-reviewed for enhancing and maintaining quality of the publication. Authors may follow the same GUIDELINES as in standard social science journals with MLA format. The deadline for submission of papers is November 5. Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram
Rovin Lall with reporters on Monday at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), where Minister of Education Priya Manickchand announced the names of the top performers. Barkoye, who attended the North Georgetown Primary School, disclosed that it was his dream to attend Queen’s College. He will be following in the footsteps of his two sisters who began their QC journey in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Describing his achievement as a blessing, the young man noted that emerging as the country’s top performer at this year’s exam is a bonus. “I even got a bonus, which is getting first in the country,” he said. Additionally, he noted that the road to his success was no easy one. Barkoye told reporters that it took a lot of hard work and discipline since he followed a strict studying schedule to ensure that he achieved the goal he had set for himself.
Samuel Barkoye “I had to follow a schedule reading twice a day. Also, I had to make sure that I had [an] adequate amount of rest,” he said. The young man noted that while he did follow a strict schedule, he ensured that he took breaks and made time for resting, so that he would be fully reinvigorated and ready for the exam. Barkoye, who has a knack for technology, disclosed that he intends to follow in his father’s footsteps and become an electrical engineer. Meanwhile, Lall, who attended the Stella Maris Primary School, disclosed that he intends to become a doctor as he wants to help those who are ailing. Excited to begin his new journey, the young man said he was elated when his outstanding performance was announced. “It feels so good because I worked so hard,” he told reporters. The young man informed the Chronicle that he spent many of his nights revising
in preparation for the exam. Lall’s mother, who spoke briefly, noted that she was confident that her son would perform well as he worked and studied hard during the months and days leading up to the exam. “I am extremely excited. I wasn’t surprised. We had a really tight schedule. We worked nights. Sometimes he cried…We did all revisions, early mornings and late nights. He was confident that he could have done it,” she gushed. The other top 10 NGSA performers are Alexander Singh who secured 524 marks; Lianna Dharampaul and Brandon Ramdin who tied with 523 marks and Britney Peters, Gabriel Felix and Dhanesh Tularam who each obtained 521 marks. Meanwhile, Yuki Clarke, Charisma Etwaroo, Robert Forrester and Salmah Bacchus each obtained 520 marks. They will commence the new school term at Queen’s College.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 22, 2020
COVID-19 reveals bottlenecks faced by developing countries -- President Ali: G77 and China committed to coordinated, comprehensive multilateral response By Navendra Seoraj THE novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has undermined many of the development gains of past decades and has revealed the development bottlenecks faced by developing countries around the world, said President Dr Irfaan Ali. The President was delivering his inaugural address to the United Nations (UN) on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on Monday. Globally, more than 31 million persons have been infected and over 962,000 persons have lost their lives to the dreaded disease. But the health implications are only one aspect of the pandemic as there have been economic and social adversities caused by the necessary proliferation of measures to curb the spread of the disease. “This pandemic has brought to the forefront the development bottlenecks faced by developing countries ranging from insufficient financing; inadequate market access for goods and services; the expanding digital divide; restrictions in accessing needed pharmaceuticals and medical supplies and reductions in revenue from tourism and exports, among others,” said President Ali.
The President affirmed that the group values and welcomes the support provided by the United Nations’ system in response to the pandemic and in the efforts to pursue the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. “We must seek to strengthen solidarity to address the pandemic, commit to take forward the 2030 ‘Agenda’ and intensify our global partnerships. We also reaffirm that the imposition of unilateral coercive economic measures against developing countries is an impediment to economic and social development and to dialogue and understanding among countries. “We must do everything we can to fulfil our obligations to the peoples of this world in this Decade of Action and Delivery for Sustainable Development. All of our actions must, at all times, ensure democratic rule and adherence to the constitution and the rule of law,” saaid President Ali. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted five years ago and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a blueprint and compass to address these challenges. The 2030 ‘Agenda’ as outlined by President Ali, reflects the major poverty-environmental challenges
President Irfaan Ali facing the world’s population: depleted natural capital; climate vulnerability; gender inequality; rural-urban migration and growing resource demands – all of which disproportionately harm the livelihoods and well-being of the poor. He believes that these and other realities should motivate leaders to take greater action on behalf of all the peoples of this planet. The UN is a platform where every member state has an equal stake in the decision-making process influencing the direction that the organisation takes on a variety of issues. It is a platform where every member has a seat at the table and a voice in the search for solutions to the many problems, including those presented or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. MORE RESOURCES AND ACTION The Group of 77 and
China called for more resources and action to be mobilised in a timely manner to accelerate implementation of the 2030 ‘Agenda.’ “We are committed to taking the actions needed for coordinated and comprehensive multilateral response to the development challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including initiatives on Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and beyond, aimed at producing a menu of policy options necessary to resolve the crisis and to ensure resilience,” said President Ali. The President further said: “We must send a strong and positive signal to the peoples of the world of our commitment to multilateralism and our resolve to strive for peace, justice and development. Our fragile planet must be preserved for the benefit of present and future generations.” President Ali reminded world leaders that as they reflect on the state of the world, 75 years after the bold step to establish the United Nations, they must note that millions of the world’s people are still living in poverty. Eradicating this scourge remains the greatest global challenge and the first priority for the G77 and China. He reminded members
2020 a watershed year for NGSA By Tamica Garnett IMPROVED performances were recorded in English, Science and Social Studies, while a marginal decline was recorded in Mathematics, at the 2020 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), according to results released by the Ministry of Education (MoE) on Monday. In terms of English Language, Georgetown, Regions Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), and Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice), were noted for their significant increases, while in the area of Social Studies, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) saw a massive 15.5 per cent increase, and Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni) experienced a 9.8 per cent increase in passes. These statistics were revealed by Chief Education Officer, Dr. Marcel Hutson as he gave an analysis, by subject, of how pupils performed at this year’s
--given significant improvements in English, S cience and Social Studies NGSA during a MoE press conference, held at the National Centre for Education and Resource Development (NCERD) in Kingston on Monday. Testing students in the four subject areas of Mathematics, English, Social Studies and Science, the NGSA is a national examination administered to Grade Six pupils to determine their placement in a secondary school, based on scores earned. The maximum possible attainable score at this year’s NGSA is 528 marks, with the cut off scores for the top secondary schools being: Queen’s College, 512; Bishops’ High School, 508; St. Stanislaus College, 505; St. Rose’s High, 502; St. Joseph High, 499; and President’s College, 490. President’s College is
one of the ‘A’ Schools in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), where non-residential places are awarded to Region Four candidates who attained minimum score, and residential places are offered to candidates from Regions One (Barima-Waini); Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); Five; Six; Seven; Eight (Potaro-Siparuni); Nine Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo); and ten who attained the minimum scores. “A total of 217 candidates from schools in Regions One, Two, Five, Six, Seven, Nine and Ten are eligible for entry into the school,” Hutson related. PERFORMANCE BY SUBJECT According to the statistics, of the 14, 032 pupils
who sat the NGSA exams on July 1 & 2, 61.2 per cent secured 50 per cent and more in English, as against the 57.4 per cent who did in 2019; in Social Studies, 53 per cent of the candidates scored 50 per cent and more in 2020, as against the 39 per cent that attained the benchmark in 2019; while in Science, 44.1 per cent of the candidates gained 50 per cent and more in 2020, an increase from the 42.4 per cent in 2019. In Mathematics, however, the rate of students gaining 50 per cent and more in 2019 moved from 42 to 39.4 per cent in 2020. The Ministry did not provide a breakdown of passes per subject by Region, however, Dr. Hutson did single out a number of Regions that did well in particular subject areas, with all Regions expe-
that poverty entails more than a lack of income or productive resources for sustainable livelihoods. It affects many aspects of life and it impedes the achievement of many of the Sustainable Development Goals. “We are at an important juncture of our organisation’s existence and it is appropriate for us to reflect on the distance we have travelled and the common aspirations that keep us together. Moreover, it is imperative that we recommit to those ideals to ensure that the dignity and worth of every person is respected, and to foster the attainment of social progress and better standards of living for all,” said the President. In his national capacity, President Ali said the government and people of Guyana salute the UN on the observance of its 75th anniversary. Founded in the aftermath of two devastating world wars, the UN was dedicated to the simple but profound conception that by working in concert, the nations of the world can avoid the worst expressions of inhumanity and promote a progressively more peaceful, equal and prosperous world. “Today, Guyana is satisfied that the existence of the United Nations has been a distinctive and unri-
valled force for good in our world. Its peacekeepers have stood in harm’s way to shield the most vulnerable. “It has inspired agendas for development that have transformed the lives and livelihoods of countless people around the world. Its embrace of values and rights of every human being has conferred dignity on the distressed and downtrodden,” said President Ali. The UN’s promotion of respect for international law has been a compelling disincentive to unnecessary and unmitigated conflict that has nurtured the peaceful coexistence of states, including through respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states. To this end, President Ali commended the UN for the impact it has made over its 75 years of existence. “We look forward to the UN continuing to address the challenges and needs of our time in order to live up to its own lofty ideals and promise. Global challenges of our day such as climate change and the impacts of COVID-19 must be successfully countered,” he said. President Ali advised member states to take urgent action to equip the global body to implement its many decisions and resolutions.
riencing increases in passes in Social Studies. In English, Georgetown’s pass rate increased to 78.9 per cent from the 74.6 per cent that was recorded in 2019; Region Six increased to 57.5 per cent from 52.1 per cent in 2019; and Region 10 increased from 65.6 per cent in 2019 to 71.9 per cent in 2020. In Region Three, however, the pass rate declined from 65.7 per cent in 2019 to 63.4 per cent in 2020. This year, the MoE continued its collaboration with the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) to improve the quality of the national primary grade assessment. Teachers, subject specialists and test development officers developed the test items, with the technical guidance of the CXC addressing key areas such as item construction, weighting of items, sampling and other psychometric elements. The examination in each subject area consisted of two papers: Paper One, which consisted of forty multi-
ple-choice items; and Paper Two, which consisted of essay- type or open-ended items. This year, 168 students attaining between 525 to 511 marks, accounted for the top performing one per cent of pupils at the assessment. During his remarks, Hutson noted that the performances this year are testimony to the investments made by all stakeholders. “It is a testimony to the work our parents have been doing; the officers of the MoE, and the collaborative union we have formed over the years,” he declared, adding: “A number of things have been put in place, which had do with the monitors we hired and placed in the school system; a methodology replicated in the programme for CSEC. As we put our heads together, I think we can do extraordinary things; we are in a good place now, and as we move forward, what is important is the collaborative effort of every stakeholder.”
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 22, 2020
COVID-19 death toll climbs to 67
–– 133 new cases recorded in 24 hours GUYANA has lost two precious lives to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), taking the death toll to 67. The victims were identified as a 67-year-old man and a 57-year-old woman, both from Region One (Barima-Waini). Authorities said both persons were admitted
to a local health facility and were tested after showing signs of COVID-19. They regrettably succumbed while receiving treatment on Monday. The Ministry of Health expressed condolences to the families of the victims and pledged to make every effort
to provide all the necessary support, during this difficult time. Officials of the ministry have since contacted all relatives and persons, to facilitate contact tracing and rapid assistance to everyone who might have been exposed to the victims.
Health authorities have so far tested 12,394 persons, with 9,823 being negative, and 2,402 positive. Some 133 of those cases were recorded within the past 24 hours. Of the total positive cases, 1,359 persons have recovered, and 67 have lost their lives. The remaining cases include 102 persons in institutional isolation, 860 in home isolation, and 16 in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU). According to the World Health Organisation (WHO),
COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly-discovered coronavirus. Most people who fall sick with COVID-19 will experience mild to moderate symptoms, and recover without special treatment. The WHO had said that 81 per cent of the persons who contracted COVID-19 will have mild symptoms, while 14 per cent will have severe symptoms, and five per cent will need intensive care. But the COVID-19 disease has proven to be “a real killer,” especially in cases involving persons who have co-morbidities such as diabetes and hypertension among
other ailments. Persons were encouraged to take extra precautions because there is no approved cure or specific treatment for the disease. Guyanese were also reminded to observe the protocols established in the COVID-19 emergency measures. Anyone who displays any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or needs any additional information, can contact the COVID-19 Emergency numbers: 231 1166, 226 7480 or 624 6674 immediately, or visit the ministry’s website at www.health. gov.gy.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Aspiring dentist is top pupil of Region Two
Sotana Singh of CV Nunes Primary
Tasheanna Persaud of Taymouth Manor Primary, who, along with three others, secured the 3rd spot.
Nezam Singh of CV Nunes Primary
Ted Frazer of CV Nunes Primary
Parvendra Tirbini of CV Nunes Primary
Teiambe Moore of Hampton Court Primary
TWELVE-YEAR-OLD Sotana Singh of CV Nunes Primary School was named Region Two’s top performer at this year’s sitting of the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA). Singh gained 514 marks out of a possible 528 and has secured a place at Queen’s College. The results of the assessment which was written by just over 14,000 pupils from across Guyana, on July 1 and 2, were announced on Monday afternoon by Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand. During an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Singh,
formerly of Henrietta Village, Essequibo Coast, said she was overjoyed and excited, having learnt of her results. She attributed her success to late-night studies. The aspiring dentist used the opportunity to thank her parents for their valuable support and urged the next batch of NGSA pupils to stay focused and to put their studies first. Meanwhile, her parents Sookdeo and Tannecisa Singh said they were confident that she would have been successful as she was always a high achiever.
“We are extremely proud of our daughter. We knew she would do well and she would study late in the night with her young brother. We are so proud of her,” Mrs. Singh related. Chaveana Durga of Suddie Primary School, who took the second spot for the region with 513 marks will also be heading to Queen’s College. Four students took the third spot having secured 509 marks, which has gained them a place at The Bishops’ High School. They are Destiny Garraway of Hampton Court Primary, Shaunessy
Simon of Suddie Primary, Tesheanna Persaud of Taymouth Manor Primary, and Ted Fraser of CV Nunes Primary. Fraser told the Guyana Chronicle that he is an aspiring civil engineer. He also thanked his parents and teachers of the CV Nunes Primary for their support. Copping the 7th position with 508 marks and a place The Bishops’ High were Nezam Singh and Parvendra Tirbini of CV Nunes Primary. Lizzianna Singh of the 8th of May Primary secured the 9th spot with 507 marks
and she was awarded a place at St. Stanislaus College. Teiambe Moore of Hampton Court Primary who secured 506 marks was also awarded a place at St. Stanislaus College. Nezam Singh, Tribini, and Moore told this newspaper that they were very excited and were anxiously awaiting the results. The pupils said they are eagerly awaiting the re-opening of school. Regional Education Officer, Ms. Nichola Matthews, extended congratulations to all the pupils in
the region, and said that, despite the pandemic, they have made the Department of Education proud. Matthews said that although she is disappointed that schools that usually performed well did not make it in the top 10 for the country this year, she is pleased with the spread of the results. She, therefore, took the time to thank all the teachers and parents for their hard work with the pupils from March, when schools were abruptly closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 22, 2020
‘We must get what we bargained for’
–– President says Guyana will not accept work done on CJIA –– commits to taking ‘necessary’ actions By Navendra Seoraj GLARING inefficiencies and shortcomings in the US$150 million Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) expansion project have forced President Irfaan Ali to say that Guyana will only accept work as was outlined in the original contract and will not accept the unsatisfactory work done so far. Expansion of the airport has been ongoing for almost seven years, moving from one deadline to the next. But, from preliminary inspections and audits, it is evident that the country did not receive value for its money. In light of this, President Ali has hinted that an investi-
PPP/C, was signed as an agreed package, including design, building and handing over. But, over US$144 million has already been expended on the project, and the work is unsatisfactory. The initial project, before being reviewed by the past administration, included the extension of the runway from 7,500 to 10,800 feet, so as to accommodate the BOEING 747-400 aircraft. It also included eight passenger boarding bridges, among other things. Through the revised contract, only four air bridges were installed, because no new building was built for the apron. As part of the original contract, the CHEC was expected to tear down the ex-
President Irfaan Ali makes a point while engaging technical personnel attached to the CJIA expansion project
President Irfaan Ali and Ambassador of China to Guyana, Cui Jianchun inspecting the work done on the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (OP photo)
gation is likely to be launched into the entire airport expansion project. In 2011, the then People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) had inked a $31.2B (US$150M) contract for the CJIA expansion. This project was due for completion in December 2017, but the Scope of Work and deadline was reviewed by the former A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government, and a deadline of December 31, 2018 was set. The project, under the
isting terminal building, and construct a new one which could accommodate eight air bridges. But what the new contract actually did was facilitate the refurbishing of the terminal building, and installation of only four air bridges. There is also a myriad other issues plaguing the facility, including a malfunctioning sewerage system. President Ali visited the facility to have a first-hand look of the work, and enquire about the specificities of the project, but was met with insufficient answers and unsatisfactory work which he condemned.
NOT ACCEPTABLE “I am holding everyone responsible; the contractor, the consultant, the project management team... This is not acceptable for the Guyanese people. In this current position, it is very clear, from all that I have seen and heard, and from all the questions asked, it is very clear that something is horribly wrong. The right decision at this moment is that we cannot accept this, “President Ali said, following an update from the project manager of the CJIA Expansion Project, Carissa Gooding. The Head of State, who was joined by Ambassador
She, however, confirmed that certain aspects of the project were indeed omitted, and funds were diverted to other areas. In response, President Ali said it is evident that those adjustments were targeted for a ‘specific’ outcome. In one instance, the CHEC representative also informed the Head of State that after the contract was signed, there was other work which needed to be done following an assessment. President Ali, however, responded firmly by saying: “No-no! This is a fixed-price contract, and that is not how it works! A fixed-price contract means that you examine all the works which have to be done before you sign on
but it would not be feasible to redo the work. But, President Ali, who was evidently annoyed, said the contractor needs to correct his mistakes and stand the costs. Many of the responses from the technical personnel did not sit well with the President, and he even concluded that everything associated with the core function of the airport is ‘non-functional.’ He said: “This tells a damning story; there are more questions than answers from this presentation.” From what he observed and heard, the President maintained that this cannot be accepted by the people
President Ali engaging the team from CJIA (Adrian Narine photos)
of China to Guyana, Cui Jianchun, also met with representatives of CHEC and the project consultant on Monday. The President, in questioning the project consultant and manager, asked about key issues related to the original contract, and what was included in the revised Scope of Works. Specifically on this topic was the question of what grounds was the decision taken to omit aspects of the initial project, to which Gooding responded by saying that those decisions were taken by the past administration, and were managed by another project manager.
to the contract.” To his amazement, the President was also informed that the country paid US$6.7 million for ‘cost delays’ when the contractor has not paid a cent for their delays. “Who decided this? We are paying them for cost delays, but the contractor has not been asked to pay us for their delays!” said a visibly livid President Ali, as he continued to demand answers from the technical personnel attached to the project. MISTAKES In another case, it was said that the contractor had made a few mistakes,
of Guyana. “We can’t accept it, so it has to be fixed,” the President said, adding that the project has to be delivered in accordance with what is in the agreement. President Ali also said he is committed to taking whatever action necessary to ensure that Guyana gets value for its money. Even Ambassador Jianchun agreed that the provisions in the original contract have to be honoured. President Ali, in prior remarks, pointed to the importance of a joint approach to the realisation of the project.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 22, 2020
One Mile Primary pupil is top Region 10 performer, sixth in country
By Naomi Marshall
BRITNEY PETERS of One Mile Primary School has secured the top spot for Region 10 at this year’s sitting of the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), and is also in the sixth position on the national top-ten list. Peters secured 521 marks out of 528 and was awarded a place at Queen's College. The aspiring doctor related to Guyana Chronicle that, while she did not expect to be among Guyana’s top performers, she is extremely happy that her hard work and sacrifices paid off. Fourteen other pupils from the mining town of Linden have also made the country’s top one percent list. They are: Shanel Storm of Amelia's Ward Primary and Ariel Mohanlall of Royal Halls of Learning
with 519 marks; Kesyne Bagot of One Mile Primary with 517 marks; Jasmine Griffith of Watooka Day Primary with 516 marks; Yohance October of Regma Primary, along with Syesha Fraser and Kenroy Jameer of One Mile Primary with 515 marks; Rheann Retemyer of Watooka Day Primary and Shania Lawson of Regma Primary with 513; Dimetra Gordon of Wismar Hill Primary, Ashley Inniss of Amelia’s Ward Primary and Jenesia Rodney of Watooka Day Primary with 512 and Troquan Edwards and Breon Marks of Regma Primary with 511 marks. An elated Jasmine Griffith, who copped the fifth position in Region 10, noted that she did a great job studying and preparing for the NGSA, along with the help of her teachers and relatives and that resulted in
her success. The young scholar, who always dreamt of attending the prestigious Queen’s College, advised future NGSA pupils to study hard. Sharing her secret to success was twelve-year-old, Jenesia Rodney. Rodney, who secured the thirteenth spot for the Region noted that during quarantine, her teachers would have put measures in place to have online classes. She said she also did personal studying, which included reading books and watching YouTube videos to get a better understanding of topics. In an invited comment, Grade Six Teacher of the Watooka Day Primary, Diann Retemyer said she was confident that the pupils would have performed well. She is also the mother of Rheann Retemyer, who was one of the region’s top per-
Jasmine Griffith, grade six pupil of the Watooka Day Primary School
Jenacia Rodney, Pupil of the Watooka Day Primary School
formers. The teacher told this publication that after schools were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Grade Six teachers of the Watooka Day Primary
would have connected with the pupils via WhatsApp and Zoom. This, she added, kept pupils gainfully occupied during the period they were home. Retemyer noted that it
Pupil of One Mile Primary and Region Ten’s top NGSA performer, Britney Peters
was also a new experience for the teachers and, despite the challenges, they worked with the pupils to ensure that they were prepared for the assessment.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 22, 2020
AG asks court to dismiss Jones’ ‘frivolous’ lawsuit
FORMER Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, has filed legal proceedings in the High Court against the State for executing a ‘warrantless search’ on his home and seizing barber chairs, air-conditioning units, and other equipment. Jones, in his court documents which were filed on August 31, said the act was illegal and a violation of his constitutional rights. His attorneys, Nigel Hughes, Ronald Daniels and Kezia Williams named Acting Commissioner of Police Nigel Hoppie; Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum; Inspector Rodwell Sarrabo; Assistant Superintendent of Police, Chibanauth Singh; Corporal Singh and Attorney General Anil Nandlall as Respondents in the civil suit. Jones, who is the Opposition Chief Whip, is seeking damages in excess of $100,000 for the 18 barber chairs and two air conditioning units, together valued $4.8 million. He is also seeking in excess of $100,000 for trespassing at his Lot 609 Conciliation Drive, Tucville, Georgetown home. Additionally, he is seeking $100,000 for his
wrongful arrest on August 21, 2020. Jones in his Statement of Claim said that, on August 20, 2020, at or about 18:30hrs, during a power outage, the police, who were armed, cordoned off his premises and demanded entry, without informing him of any lawful reason for permitting them to do so and without a warrant. When he requested a production of a search warrant the police failed to provide same, which led him to deny them access to his home. Jones said that with the help of his attorneys, an application was made to the High Court, the Supreme Court of Judicature, for an interim Conservatory Order dated and entered on August 20, 2020 restraining the police entering and searching his premises. It was subsequently granted. Although the Order was in effect, on August 21 around 00:30hrs, Jones said that the police trespassed on his premises by jumping the fence and wrongfully seizing his barber chairs and air conditioning units. Jones is also claiming that the police wrongful-
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall
ly restrained, arrested and detained him. The police transported him to various police stations and, thereafter, wrongfully restrained and imprisoned him in a cell at the Diamond Police Station. Given the aforementioned, Jones is seeking an award for exemplary damages, since the execution of the search, entry and arrest were violent, aggressive, arbitrary, unconstitutional and devised to invoke, and did invoke fear into him and his family. He is also contending that the actions of the armed police ranks caused him humiliation, since he is also a public figure. The former Sport Director is also asking the court
Former Sports Director, Christopher Jones
to declare that his constitutional rights were breached, for interest on all damages awarded, costs, and any such further or other orders that the court sees fit in the circumstances. Meanwhile, the Attorney General (AG) in his defence filed by State Solicitor, Prithima Kissoon, is asking the court to dismiss the application. The AG contends that a police officer has the power to arrest, without warrant, anyone whom he suspects, with reasonable cause, is about to commit an offence or whom he suspects has already committed such an offence; moreover, the offence need not actually have been committed to legitimize
the arrest without warrant by a police officer. “The Claimant is not entitled to any damages at law or at all and the claim should be dismissed for being frivolous and vexatious,” Nandlall said. According to the AG, Hoppie and the Crime Chief are wrongly named as parties in the proceedings as they were nowhere close to, in proximity of, or at, the Jones’ premises, nor did they arrest or detain him as alleged. The AG further contends that, at first, Jones made no objection to the search being conducted by Inspector Rodwell Sarrabo, but requested time to consult with his attorney-at-law, Joseph Harmon. Subsequently, Jones informed the police officer that his attorney had advised him to request a warrant. According to Nandlall, upon this request, Inspector Sarrabo did not enter Jones’ premises but joined Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Singh and other police ranks, whom he briefed, and thereafter he left the premises. Nandlall said no court order was served on the defendants in accordance with the law on August 20, 2020, at the premises of Jones. Further, the AG contends that ASP Singh, along with other ranks, entered Jones’ yard by jumping a concrete fence. ASP Singh then proceeded to a western door at the bottom flat of the home, where he, along with other ranks, entered the premises through an unlock door and they met Jones and his wife inside. The couple after being informed of the reason for the officers being present, both began to verbally abuse the lawmen in a vulgar and obscene manner. The police warned the couple to desist but they continued. While the commotion was going on, ASP Singh observed a number of barber chairs and an air conditioner in boxes and as a result he requested Jones to provide any form of documentation or proof of ownership for the items. After Jones failed to present the relevant documents, ASP Singh instructed Corporal Singh to remove the said items. In the process of removing the items, it is alleged that Jones’ wife assaulted Corporal Singh by unlawful-
ly pushing him by his chest out of the bottom flat before closing the door with ASP Singh locked inside. It is further alleged that the woman proceeded to threaten to kill the senior officer. The officer was released from the room about 10 minutes later after pleading with the woman to open the door. Subsequently, attorney-at-law Darren Wade arrived at the premises and began to verbally abuse ASP Singh and levelled a claim that the People’s Progressive Party Government sent the police to Jones’ house. “Mr Darren Wade, thereafter, left the premises of the claimant (Jones) and returned shortly with unidentified papers in his hand which he waved around in the dark while continuously uttering that no one can enter the claimant's house” the AG said in his defence. Wade then threw the papers on the ground in front of ASP Singh. ASP Singh, along with other ranks that remained in the premises of Jones, were unlawfully prevented from re-entering the bottom flat of the house by Jones, his wife and the other females present. The Guyana Chronicle had reported that, on Friday, August 21, the police carried out a search on Jones’ Tucville home during a power outage. They initially had no warrant to carry out the search and seizure, but eventually got one, and pressed ahead with seizing a quantity of barbershop chairs and other items. The search was executed after an audit of the Ministry of Social Protection showed that it had approved the disbursement of $4.8M, through the Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) administration, for the procurement of equipment for a barbershop under the Sustainable Livelihood and Entrepreneurial Development (SLED) programme. The presentation of a financial return would reveal that the entire sum of money was spent by December 31, 2019, but almost $1M in items were not physically delivered but were instead stored at Jones’ home, and neither had the project been executed.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Landline service restored in Region Three Guyanese businesses and the recognition that together we rise,” Khan noted. The chamber lauded GTT for its proactive approach and expressed its willingness to partner for the benefits of all stakeholders.
GTT technicians are seen here splicing the cable after locating the damage
THE Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) restored landline services to customers in Region Three on Monday, completing underwater repairs ahead of schedule. On Sunday evening the company announced the full restoration of telecommunication services to the area, days earlier than anticipated. On September 8, 2020, suspected sabotage to a fibre-optic cable belonging to GTT impacted over 25,000 customers in West Demerara. Within 24 hours however, mobile and Internet services were restored, but the landline service remained impacted. “We have since been able to restore landline services to all communities and are thankful to our technicians for ensuring that this restoration was done ahead of schedule,” said GTT Public Relations Manager Jasmin Harris. Harris explained that to fully restore service to Region Three, approval from the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) was necessary and divers had to map the points of the damage to begin splicing and repairs. “GTT apologises to its customers for the major service disruption and calls on communities across Guyana to work together to prevent future acts of sabotage,” Harris stated. “We all have a responsibility to be vigilant, to pre-
vent service disruptions that negatively impact a range of customers -- including children reliant on telecommunications for their learning,” Harris stressed, adding: “It’s unfortunate the state in which we retrieved our cable – let’s avoid these unnecessary disruptions and bring the perpetrators to justice.” Meanwhile, the Region Three Chamber of Commerce and Industry (R3CCI) on Monday commended GTT for the restoration of the landline service to customers within the region after the suspected sabotage impacted over 25,000 customers in West Demerara. “Mindful of the importance of communication to business growth, connecting with customers and clients and reaching global audiences during the disruption, R3CCI approached GTT, which reached out to businesses to ensure business continuity,” R3CCI President Halim Khan said. In addition, Khan said GTT informed customers of disruptions in a timely manner and facilitated call-forwarding to mobile phones for its customers. “In some instances where businesses did not have mobile devices to access the call-forwarding feature, GTT provided handsets for businesses. R3CCI and its members commend GTT for responding in such a favourable manner which demonstrated its commitment to
GTT technicians and contractors prepare to raise the damaged submarine cable from the Demerara River
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday September 22 2020
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BCB donates cricket gear ahead of potential restart to action in Berbice THE Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) last Thursday handed over some cricket gear to 20 of the Ancient County’s upcoming talents, as they continue to place emphasis on its youth development programme. The youngsters who hail from across different demographics of the Ancient County like Albion, Port Mourant, RHTYSC and Rose Hall Canje to name a few, acquired pieces of gear which comprised batting gloves, batting pads, wicket-keeping pads, wicket-keeping gloves and helmets. Foster handed over the gear to three of the players at a simple presentation ceremony at the Area H Ground and stated that BCB would continue to invest in young
players as the board intends to make sure that the legacies of Rohan Kanhai and Basil Butcher live on. BCB president Hilbert Foster said the bestowment of the cricket gear was part of the ongoing effort to assist players to fulfil their talents in spite of their financial situation at home. Finance for the project was made possible from funds donated to the BCB early in 2020 by Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh and Dr Puran Singh, two overseas-based Guyanese. Dr Dyal had sponsored a comprehensive coaching programme for young players but the programme was placed on hold in the later part of March, while his brother Dr Singh had supported the annual National players’ stipend
GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday September 22 2020
Some of the young Berbice players who were beneficiaries of cricket gear from the BCB.
scheme. Under this scheme, every Berbice player who gained selection to the national team at the junior and female levels would receive $10 000. The Tulsi Dyal Singh Coaching Programme has been on hold for five months after a busy first three-month start to the year. The programme was responsible for the preparation of the Berbice Under-15, Under-17 and Female teams and also the hosting of several trial matches to select the best possible teams. Several coaching clinics were also organised while visits were made to over 20 clubs for coaching sessions with their members. He urged the players to
Davis’ buzzer Davis’ buzzer--beating 3-pointer lifts Lakers over Nuggets
ANTHONY Davis’ 3-pointer at the buzzer lifted Los Angeles Lakers to a 105-103 victory over Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals on Sunday near Orlando. “Special moment for a special player. Happy to be a part of it,” LeBron James said of Davis’ shot. Davis, who scored the last 10 Laker points, delivered 22 of his 31 points in the second half for Lakers, who hold a 2-0 series lead. Davis also finished with nine rebounds. “Special moment for me, special moment for the team, especially in a situation like that, trying to go up 2-0 against a special team who are great competitors and (fought) for the entire 48 minutes,” Davis said of Lakers, who played the game in their Kobe Bryant-designed ‘Black Mamba’ jerseys. “So, to do something like that in the jerseys we wore tonight makes it even more special.” James contributed 26 points 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who blew a 16-point third-quarter lead. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope chipped in with 11 points, as did Danny Green. Nikola Jokic had 30 points nine assists six rebounds four steals for Nuggets, while Jamal Murray added 25 points and Michael Porter Jr scored 15 off the bench. “We lost the game but I think we played well most of the game,” Jokic said. “We were down (and) we came back again, so we’re going to keep our heads up until the next one.” The first of Davis’ two 3-pointers came with 3:03 to play and gave Lakers a 100-92 lead. But Jokic scored the game’s next seven points, including a 3-pointer to slice the margin to 100-99 with 1:04 left.
The Los Angeles Lakers kneel during the national anthem before playing Denver Nuggets in game two of the Western Conference Finals of the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena. (Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports) After Caldwell-Pope misfired on a shot, Jokic got the rebound, helped push the ball down the floor then tipped a Murray miss for a 101-100 lead with 31.8 seconds left. Davis scored to give the lead back to Lakers with 26.7 seconds remaining. Jokic’s basket in the lane put Denver up 103-102 with 20.8 seconds left. Alex Caruso missed a 3-point shot with 6.9 seconds left, but Green got the rebound and took another shot. That one was blocked and the ball went out of bounds, setting Lakers up for Davis’ game winner. “It’s not about making the shot,” James said. “It’s about having the belief with just taking it for one and living with the result.” Denver coach Michael Malone tried to look at the positive side despite the crushing defeat. “We gave ourselves a chance tonight,” Malone said. “Unfortunately, Anthony Davis hit an incredible shot
to kind of take that win away from us. Defensive transition was tremendous. If we can continue that, we’ll continue to give ourselves a chance.” Game 3 is today In the third, Lakers went up 7054 after Green’s 3-pointer less than four minutes into the quarter, but Nuggets outscored Lakers 24-12 the rest of the quarter to pull within 8278 heading into the fourth quarter. A 10-2 run by Nuggets allowed them to cut Lakers’ lead to 35-33 after a Porter Jr tip-in with 8:42 left in the second quarter. But Lakers answered with a 20-7 surge after a 3-pointer by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope six minutes later for a 55-40 advantage. By the break, Lakers owned a 60-50 edge. James had 20 points in the first half to lead all scorers. Both teams were sloppy taking care of the ball. Lakers committed 23 turnovers to 19 for the Nuggets. (Field Level Media)
remain focussed and to continue training at home. He stated that once the pandemic was over, BCB would hit the ground running with numerous junior and female tournaments, while the coaching sessions would be expanded in 2021. Meanwhile, the 2020 Dyal Coaching Clinic is set to restart in October with strict guidelines due to the coronavirus crisis. BCB head coach Winston Smith would be visiting clubs to conduct sessions with groups of 10 players below the age of ten. Clubs to be visited include RHTYSC, Albion, Port Mourant, Rose Hall Canje, Blairmont, Achievers and Edinburg. Plans would be put
into place for the checking of players’ temperature, social distancing and washing of hands etc. The BCB also shared out 150 food hampers as part of the programme with each player receiving one, while several clubs also received several hampers, compliments of the Singh brothers, for distribution to their membership. The board in partnership with RHTYSC has shared out over 5 300 food hampers to less fortunate families across Berbice. Over 142 young cricketers have so far benefited from donations of cricket gear in 2020 with more to receive later.
Guyana among record number at C/bean coaches seminar GUYANA fielded ten officials among 178 boxing coaches who participated at a virtual seminar on Sunday. The seminar was held to update regional officials on rules and regulations that govern refereeing and judging. The event was organised by Americas Boxing Confederation vice-president and chairman of the Caribbean Steering Committee for Boxing, Steve Ninvalle, and was conducted by Ray Silvas, chairman of the AIBA Referee/Judges Commission. The American Silvas lectured on better understanding AIBA’s technical and competition rules and understanding the work of referees and judges among others. Ninvalle, in declaring the seminar open, congratulated the participants drawn from 17 countries for understanding the importance of taking part. He told the group of 176 that it was encouraging to see so many persons registered for the programme. “To have 176 persons
on this is a regional record. While I applaud this I ask that whatever we learn here is not kept to ourselves. We must share it with the boxers and all others in the boxing community,” Ninvalle, also the president of Guyana Boxing Association, stated. In his opening remarks Silvas confirmed that it was the largest number of participants he had lectured to at any one time. “This is larger than the 140 I did in China,” Silvas declared. The Caribbean region was represented by coaches from: Anguilla, Antigua, The Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and US Virgin Islands. Sunday’s virtual seminar was one of three in the last two months. Ninvalle later disclosed that local coaches will soon benefit for another seminar to be conducted by International Technical Officer Elton Chase.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday September 22, 2020
Langer mindful of ‘hub life’ as Australia prepare for summer
SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) - Australia cricket coach Justin Langer says one of the most difficult things his team will face during the home summer is spending time away from their families as they play their international schedule from within bio-secure bubbles. The majority of Langer’s side returned to Australia late last week from a limited-overs series in England, where the team spent the entire tour in bio-secure conditions. They are currently undergoing two weeks isolation in Adelaide. Many will also have to spend another two weeks in isolation when they return to their home states at the conclusion of their stay in Adelaide, he said. “When we sat down with all the players and showed them how the summer was going to look, certainly the blood drained from a lot of their faces,” Langer told reporters in a conference call yesterday. “It’s going to be a long time away from our families and from home. “We are very respectful of the current climate with guys being away from home and living this hub life. “If someone was to come up and
Justin Langer
say, ‘I need a break out’ they would have 100% support from the Australian cricket team.” Australia host India this summer but the fixtures have yet to be confirmed because of the uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic, while state governments also have different bio-security protocols. The uncertainty has created an issue between Cricket Australia and broadcasters, who are threatening to walk
away from their television agreement. While Langer thought the schedule was almost confirmed, dealing with multiple levels of government and other interested parties while bringing players in and out of the bubbles was taking time to finalise. “There are so many complexities and stakeholders,” he said. “We are really keen to get it locked in, I’m sure it will happen soon.”
Shut up! Dutch Prime Minister tells cheering soccer fans
AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands (Reuters) - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte yesterday hit out at fans who sing and cheer at soccer matches, saying they were frustrating the fight against the coronavirus amid a surge in infections. Limited crowds have been allowed back in Dutch stadiums since the start of the new season this month, but only if they adhere to social-distancing rules and refrain from singing and shouting. “Just shut up when you’re sitting there,” Rutte said when asked about fans’ behaviour in the stadiums. “Watch the game and don’t shout. It’s possible.” The fans have been far from quiet and many have left their designated seats during matches to stand and sing together. “It’s utterly stupid,” the Prime Minister said. “That way we won’t get the virus under control.” The daily tal- Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (AFP)
ly of new coronavirus infections in the Netherlands topped 2 000 for the first time yesterday, setting a record for the fifth time in a week. Rutte on Friday announced regional measures to limit the spread of the disease, forcing bars and restaurants to close early and limiting group sizes. He has repeatedly warned that soccer stadiums could be closed down again if fans cannot restrain themselves. The venues are operating at around a quarter of their capacity to make sure there is at least 1.5 metres (5 ft) distance between fans from different households. Fans can only enter and exit stadiums at certain times, meaning some have to arrive more than an hour early and others have to wait a long while before they can leave after the games.
Tokyo 2020 consulting firm paid around $$370 370 000 to Diack’’s son - report Diack
Papa Massata Diack, son of Lamine Diack the former president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)
(REUTERS) - A consulting firm for Tokyo’s Olympic bid committee paid around $370 000 to the son of Lamine Diack, once one of the world’s most powerful sports officials, around the time Japan was picked to host the 2020 Games, Kyodo News reported yesterday. The report comes amid French investigations into the former head of Tokyo’s bid committee, Tsunekazu Takeda, for approving around $2M in payments to Black Tidings, a now-defunct consulting firm in Singapore. The report said the findings, based on a review of financial documents as well as reporting by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and several media organisations including Kyodo, may shed light on what happened to the $2M. Black Tidings made multiple transfers to Diack’s son, Papa Massata Diack, including some paid into a personal account and others transferred to his company, the report said. The combined total was around $370 000, it said. Papa Massata Diack told Kyodo that the payments were not related to
the Tokyo Olympics. He declined further comment in an e-mail to Reuters. French prosecutors had been looking into whether Black Tidings paid the younger Diack to influence the father, who was a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and believed to control votes among African members. Takeda resigned last year due to the scandal, admitting to the payments while denying wrongdoing. The Kyodo report said he denied any knowledge of money transfers from Black Tidings. “At the time, I did not know anything that happened after (making the payment to the consulting firm),” he said. Reuters could not immediately contact Takeda for comment. The older Diack, former head of world athletics’ governing body, was convicted in France on Wednesday for corruption in relation to a Russian doping scandal. The Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the government planning to host the games next year instead.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday September 22 2020
Sancho: TTFA members do not support Wallace
Former T&T defender and Sports Minister Brent Sancho LOCAL football has been mismanaged for decades and the financial woes of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) did not start under the David John-Williams administration. The current association members also no longer support the United TTFA executive, led by William Wallace.
This was the view expressed by former national defender and Sports Minister Brent Sancho on Sunday. Speaking on CNC3’s The Morning Brew, Sancho said FIFA should have appointed a normalisation committee nearly three decades ago to stop the financial improprieties of the-then TTFA executive. “Every president that has come into power has fallen short when it comes to transparency and accountability, and hence the reason why the association is saddled with close to $100M in debt,” Sancho told host Natalee Legore. Sancho’s comment came even as FIFA was meeting at its 70th Congress.. Many were expecting TTFA to face sanction during the event due to the United TTFA’s court action against FIFA in the local court. However, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the matter was not on the agenda and it was not dealt with then. Hours after the congress, however, FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura sent a letter to FIFA Normalisation Committee chairman Robert Hadad advising that they were giving Wallace’s team a new deadline of September 23 to withdraw the legal action against FIFA. Barring this, Samoura said the relevant
FIFA bodies will meet to decide on the suspension of the TTFA. Sancho told Legore that the structures that should have been in place at the executive level of the association were not and over the years, successive presidents had been voted out of office because of it. He said despite their campaign promises ahead of last November’s AGM, even the recently-elected Wallace administration was no different. “We brought in the William Wallace administration to the floor because the membership felt that the platform that they placed, that they campaigned on, which was transparency, accountability, was the right one for us and of course we saw in the first four months of their operation where they would have run up a debt of approximately $15M, that they too were culpable in the culture that has destroyed football for so many years,” Sancho said. He said the Normalisation Committee, headed by Hadad, was put in place to ensure TTFA’s debts were paid and the decision by Wallace to challenge those appointments in the court does not reflect the views of the association’s membership. “From a membership’s point of view in the TTFA,
they feel as if we are being hijacked and kidnapped into this scenario - that the leadership of the TTFA has not shown the view of the membership. The mere fact is that four to five individuals are making decisions on behalf of not just the membership but T&T,” Sancho said. Sancho said it was also “absolutely ridiculous” that the association is in so much debt. “The membership has been let down so many times and it is startling to see that a lot of the administrators have been involved in the sport for 30-plus years,” he said. “This is not a new behaviour, this is learnt behaviour and a pattern which has taken place for so many years. So many of them who are currently here now were part of FIFA, were part of the TTFA for so many years and continue to exemplify that type of behaviour.” He said local football is in desperate need of change. Sancho said if FIFA decides to place any sanctions on T&T, the young generation of footballers will be the ones to suffer the consequences as a suspension can lead to T&T being kicked out of the World Cup cycle.
Narine, highest paid Windies player at IPL MYSTERY spinner Sunil Narine is the highest paid West Indies player at the 2020 Dream 11 Indian Premier League (IPL), collecting a whopping US$1.2M. This, according to sports website SPORTEKZ who gave an idea of the salaries of the players taking part at this year’s tournament which opened on Saturday in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Narine will line-up for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) yet again and will lead their bowling attack at this year’s tournament. The Arouca man just came off a successful run at the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) where he was on the winning
TKR roster. He grabbed just six wickets in the tournament as he missed a couple matches including the final against the St Lucia Zouks. The next in line as far as earning the big bucks in the IPL and hailing from this region is Narine’s fellow KKR player Andre Russell who will collect US$981 400. Russell, the Jamaican all-rounder did not have the best of season’s with the Jamaica Tallawahs at the CPL but will be looking to return to winning ways with his IPL franchise. The champion, Dwayne Bravo, comes in next as he is being paid a total of US$897 000 by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), last season’s runner-up.
CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Tuesday September 22, 2020)
COMPLIMENTS OF XTRA ENERGY DRINK – STABROEK BAZAAR (Tel: 683-9500) &CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz:
(1) (2)
Mumbai Indians Chennai Super Kings
Today’s Quiz:
(1) Who was voted Man of the Match in the IPL 2019 final? (2) Who was declared Man of the Tournament in IPL 2019?
Answers in tomorrow’s issue
Bravo recently became the first player to nab 500 wickets in T20 cricket and his team made a winning start to the tournament yesterday, defeating the Mumbai Indians, although he did not play due to injury. TKR winning captain Kieron Pollard will earn US$757 080 by playing for Mumbai Indians. Pollard, a favourite with the franchise, got 18 runs in their opening loss to CSK yesterday. The next West Indies in the pay list is young Nicholas Pooran who will pocket US$588 840
playing for the King’s XI Punjab. The left-hander, who scored a century in one of his knocks at the recent CPL, will be looking to repay his franchise owners with big runs for placing such faith in him. He will have with him at the King’s XI Punjab the ‘Universe Boss’ in Chris Gayle. The Jamaican who missed the CPL for personal reasons gets $280 400 from Punjab after he was not rehired by Royal Challengers Bangalore last season. His price could have a lot to do with his age as he is coming
towards the evening of his career. Guyanese Shurfane Rutherford surprisingly gets in at US$280 000 from Mumbai Indians. Rutherford will be hoping to have some significant performances as he had a horrid time at the CPL. Fellow Guyanese Keemo Paul gets US$70 000 from Delhi Capitals.The other West Indian in the IPL, Guyana’s Shimron Hetmyer was not quoted on the site, so his salary remains unknown. Overall India captain Virat
Kohli retained by the Royal Challengers is the highest paid cricketer in the IPL, netting US$2.5M. Kohli is currently the leading batsman in ODI and T20 in terms of most runs over the past year. MS Dhoni is just under Kohli as he is getting US$2.2M. Dhoni retired from Test cricket in 2014. Rohit Sharma, retained in the Draft picks by Mumbai Indians as captain of their team, is the third highest earner at US$2.1M. (Extracted from Trinidad Guardian)
SA waits on selection convener to make Test captain choice
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (Reuters) - South Africa (SA) is waiting for the appointment of a new convener of selectors before naming its Test captain but head coach Mark Boucher has confirmed it will not be limited-overs skipper Quinton de Kock. Boucher has revealed they will follow the model used by Australia and England, who have different captains for Test and limited-overs games, a change from when former skipper Faf du Plessis led South Africa in all three formats. “We’ve had a lot of conversations
and a lot of time to think about what we want to do,” Boucher said in a Cricket South Africa (CSA) statement yesterday. “We’ll look to select someone else for the Test role. One of the things that we’ve learned from England is a guy like Eoin Morgan comes in and he’s got a lot of time to plan because he’s not involved in the Test team. “So that’s the positive; you get a captain who can sit down and really plan what he wants and how to drive that vision to the players. It gives you some freshness when there’s a short turnaround between formats.”
Boucher revealed de Kock is not keen to lead the side in Tests. “The last conversation I had with Quinny around this topic was in India (in March) where he felt the workload was going to be a little high for him. “Whoever is the (Test) captain will probably use Quinny’s brain to good effect because as a keeper you see things from probably the best angle.” South Africa are unsure over their next fixtures, with exact dates for proposed Test series against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia between January and March next year yet to be revealed.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday September 22, 2020
Debutant Padikkal, Chahal get RCB off to a winning start
Yuzvendra Chahal ended the Jonny Bairstow-Manish Pandey stand (BCCI) DUBAI: Young opener Devdutt Padikkal starred on debut before Yuvzvendra Chahal produced a crafty spell to set up a 10-run win for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their opening IPL contest against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) yesterday. Padikkal (56 off 42, 8 fours) displayed his highly rated talent with a half-century before AB de Villiers (51 off 30) provided the much needed final flourish to take RCB to 163 for five after they were sent in to bat. Chasing 164 for a win, SRH were all out for 153 in 19.4 overs. The Sunrisers were on course for a comfortable chase with Jonny Bairstow (61 off 43) looking in ominous touch. Chahal (3-18) removed the Englishman and Vijay Shankar in successive balls in the 16th over to tilt the game decisively in his team’s favour. Bairstow perished in his attempt to hoick Chahal out of the park while Shankar had no clue about the perfectly placed googly.
That double blow led to a batting collapse, exposing Sunrisers’ inexperienced middle-order. Mitchell Marsh suffered an ankle injury while bowling meant he came at number 10 and could only last a ball. Pacer Navdeep Saini (2/25) and Shivam Dube (2-15) also returned tidy figures but Umesh Yadav was expensive for RCB yet again, leaking 48 runs in four overs. Earlier, the class and calmness Padikkal showed in his first high-profile game was remarkable, so much so that Australian limited overs captain Aaron Finch (29 off 27) was happy to play second fiddle at the other end. Sunrisers pulled things back in the middle overs following a 90-run opening stand between Padikkal and Finch. de Villiers came up with crucial boundary hits towards the end to take the team score past 160. The 20-year-old Padikkal, possessing a near perfect balance in the crease, played all around the
ground, playing the pull and aerial cover drive with equal confidence. Padikkal got going with three boundaries in an over off left-arm pacer T. Natarajan. The left-handed opener brought up his half-century with a slog sweep over the fielder at deep square leg. With the openers looking good, RCB cruised to 86 for no loss in 10 overs. However, both Padikkal and Finch fell off successive balls and that put the brakes on the scoring rate with RCB collecting only 30 runs from the next five overs. Skipper Virat Kohli departed after scoring 14 off 13, leaving de Villiers to provide the final flourish. The South African star delivered once again, smashing his 200th six for RCB in the process. There was also an injury scare for Australian all-rounder Marsh, who limped off the field with an ankle injury after bowling four balls in his debut game for the Sunrisers. (Times of India)
City off to winning start with victory at Wolves
WOLVERHAMPTON, England (Reuters) - Manchester City got their Premier League campaign off to a flying start with a 3-1 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday. Wolves beat City home and away last season but Pep Guardiola’s side were full value for their victory despite a strong response from the home side after they went 2-0 down. PFA Player of the Year, Kevin De Bruyne put City in front with a penalty in the 20th minute. The Belgian broke into the box and was brought down by Romain Saiss before getting up to convert the spotkick himself. City’s trademark passing game was at its very best for their second goal juwt past the half-hour, Phil Foden ending a fine move with a clinical finish from a low Raheem Sterling cross. Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio did
well to keep out a De Bruyne effort as City threatened to put the game beyond them before the break but it was a different story after the interval. Wolves’ Daniel Podence broke goalwards but his attempted chip went over the bar and Raul Jimenez was then picked out by a low cross from Adama Traore but the Mexican side-footed wide from inside the box. The home side finally gained some reward in the 78th minute when Jimenez headed home a Podence cross, but in stoppage time Gabriel Jesus made sure of the win for the visitors with a shot which deflected off Conor Coady. The result means there has not been a single drawn match in the opening two rounds of Premier League fixtures and the 44 goals over a single ‘game week’ is a record for the 20-team era.
Dottin fireworks unable to prevent Windies defeat
DERBY, England (CMC) – Deandra Dottin struck a highclass half-century and her first since her return from injury but West Indies Women lacked the firepower in a difficult run chase and went down by 47 runs to England Women here yesterday. In pursuit of 164 at the County Ground here in the opening Twenty20 International of the five-match series, West Indies were always behind the required run rate following a slow start, and declined to 116 for six off their 20 overs. 29-year-old Dottin stood out, however, the only batter to reach double figures with an attractive 69 off 59 deliveries, to post her 10th half-century in T20s and second against England.
wards. The hosts had earlier piled up 163 for eight after opting to bat first with Player-of-theMatch Tammy Beaumont lashing 62 from 49 balls at the top of the order and captain Heather Knight chipping in with 25 and Amy Jones, 24. England seemed on course for a massive score when they raced to 109 for two after 13 overs but West Indies bowlers were sharper at the back end and snatched five wickets for 31 runs inside the last five overs. Beaumont provided the early fireworks, pummelling nine fours and a six to inspire a 43-run opening stand with Danielle Wyatt (17) and a 52-run third-wicket partnership with Knight. Taylor claimed Wyatt and
hard to come by. In reply, West Indies started slowly but also lost Matthews when she chipped a simple catch to mid-on off Sciver in the third over with nine on the board. And the tourists suffered a huge blow in the seventh over when Taylor (8) played back to 21-year-old leg-spinner Sarah Glenn and had her leg stump pegged back at 28 for two. Dottin set about rescuing the innings, putting on 33 for the third wicket with Lee-Ann Kirby (7) and a further 36 for the fourth with Shemaine Campbelle (9). Both partnerships were slow, however, and by the time Kirby was run-out at the end of the 11th over in a farcical mixup with Dottin, the required run rate had risen to nearly 13
Deandra Dottin goes on the attack during her half-century yesterday. She emerged from a slow start to strike six fours and two sixes but lacked support as wickets tumbled around her, with seamer Natalie Sciver (216) and left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone (2-19) hurting the innings with two wickets apiece. “It was not one of the best (performances). We didn’t adapt well to the pitch,” captain Stafanie Taylor lamented after-
Sciver (7) with her off-spin before fast bowler Shakera Selman, the best bowler with three for 26, removed Knight to a catch at the wicket in the 14th over and Beaumont in the 16th, caught at short third man attempting a reverse sweep. Off-spinner Hayley Matthews (2-25) then snatched her two wickets at the death to ensure England found momentum
per over. On 38 from 35 balls at this stage, Dottin stepped up her scoring, smashing Glenn for an enormous six over mid-wicket in the 15th over en route to her half-century off 45 deliveries. With the game already lost, she was one of two wickets to perish in the penultimate over, bowled playing back to Ecclestone.
Two in custody in Tour de France doping probe - Marseille prosecutor PARIS (Reuters) - Two people were in custody on Monday after an investigation was opened into suspected doping by the Arkea-Samsic team at this year’s Tour de France, the Marseille prosecutor said on Monday. Dominique Laurens said in a statement that the probe was targeting a “small part of the team” and that those in custody were part of the “close entourage of the main rider”. The prosecutor did not name the main rider. The leader of the Arkea-Samsic team is Colombian Nairo Quintana. The probe targeted “the administration and prescription without medical justification of
a substance or a method prohibited during a sporting event, and helping and encouraging the use of that substance or method,” the statement added. Searches led to “the discovery of many health products, including drugs, in their personal belongings and above all a method that can be qualified as doping,” it said. Arkea-Samsic’s team manager, Emmanuel Hubert, confirmed the team’s hotel had been raided last week. He said the search targeted a “very limited” number of riders as well as their entourage, who he said were not employed by the team. Hubert said the investigation did “not target the team or its
staff directly. “We obviously support our riders, but if the investigation confirms the veracity of doping practices, the team would immediately dissociate itself from such acts,” Hubert added in his statement. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) told Reuters that it “welcomes and supports the action of all authorities involved in this operation.” The UCI said it will take “necessary measures once it has reviewed the elements obtained by the French judicial authorities. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Dexter Marques is hoping to get a re-match against Elton Dharry.
Elton Dharry believes he can beat fellow Guyanese Dexter Marques a second time.
Dharry says fight with Marques possible GUYANA’S current highest-ranked boxer Elton Dharry will match horns with fellow Guyanese Dexter Marques if that is the first option available. The US-based Guyanese, who defeated Marques at Cliff Anderson Sports Hall nine years ago, said that a re-match is an option for him moving forward. “I was supposed to fight in Panama, but I’m not sure if that will happen due to coronavirus restrictions. I have other goals, but if Dexter wants a rematch, we can do it. I’ll fight which ever fight comes first.” Although he has not stepped into the ring since January of 2018, Marques is confident that
Americas Boxing Confederation vice-president and chairman of the Caribbean Steering Committee for Boxing, Steve Ninvalle
within a few months he can be ring-ready to gain revenge on Dharry. He has since contacted promoter Sean Bristol of Bris-O Promotions to make the event a possibility. Marques had stated that two of his biggest blemishes on his record were the defeats of Leon ‘Hurry Up’ Moore in 2009 and Dharry in 2011. He was TKOed by Moore and was stopped in the seventh round by Dharry. To date his professional record stands at 19 bouts, with five knockouts and two defeats. Moore has since retired, so Marques’ focus is now solely on the Brooklyn-based Dharry. In a recent comment to Chronicle Sport, he said that he
has grown in terms of experience and would approach his bout differently with Dharry if given a chance. “Dharry is currently active and fair game. I did a lot of wrong things in our previous fight and I now better understand the way to take care of this youngster once he has the guts to get back into the ring,” Marques had stated. Dharry, who is just a few months younger than the 35-yearold Marques, is also confident if a bout materialises. “He’s a good boxer. It’s going to be competitive, but I believe I’ll beat him again.” The US-based Guyanese, who is currently ranked 10th in
the World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Flyweight division, turned down a fight with the-then number one contender in the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Bantamweight division Joshua Greer Jr, in June of this year due to a lack of training stemming from COVID-19 restrictions. He also lost a controversial clash against Australian Andrew Moloney in Melbourne last November in a battle for the interim WBA super flyweight title. In that bout, Dharry had landed a right upper cut than stunned the Australian boxer, which caused his right knee to hit the canvas, but the referee did not see it. The Leguan-born
PAGE 20 Ray Silvas, chairman of AIBA Referee/ Judges Commission
Guyana among record number at C/bean coaches seminar
had also burst the eardrum of his opponent. The fight, however, ended in the ninth round via a debatable stoppage by the referee.
Since 2014, Dharry has been in the top-15 globally. His highest world rank to date has been fifth.
FIFA lifts restrictions from JFF following successful review FIFA has lifted financial restrictions imposed on the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) last year. The decision by football’s world governing body, that takes immediate effect, came after what the JFF described as “thorough review of the financial management and governance of the Federation”. The review and recommendation procedure took place during several visits from FIFA lasting a period of over one year. JFF general secretary Dalton Wint explained that the FIFA review process uncovered several issues of concern. “FIFA had imposed some restrictions based on the fact that we were not doing some of the things that it would have loved to see us do,” he said. “For FIFA, cash payments should be at a minimum and based on how we used to operate, cash payments for players and things were at a premium and they wanted us to reduce that drastically and we have done so.” There were also other issues
that the JFF had to address, Wint said. “There is a situation in which funds from our FIFA account were being transferred to another account; that is something they don’t want happening, you should just spend directly from their account. And our accounting system needed upgrading and we did that,” he said. Now that those matters have been resolved, Wint says the JFF will now be able to receive their full tranches from FIFA in January and July instead of the incremental payments they were getting from FIFA during the period of the review. Meantime, the FIFA administration thanked the JFF for the steps taken thus far to address the risks identified as part of the central review process and encourages the prioritisation of this ongoing implementation. FIFA also pledged its support for Jamaica, placing its Finance Governance Team at the JFF’s disposal as it works to modernise its operations. (Sportsmax)
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