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Today is Budget Day

WEDNESDAY 9th September, 2020

’ No. 106117

West Berbice protest …

Criminal elements unleash terror –– innocent robbed, chopped, beaten with hammer, stripped naked and almost set ablaze PAGE

Asraf Deodat was beaten and chopped at Recess, Mahaicony A bus that belongs to Extra Easy Supermarket set alight

The police clearing a road on Tuesday

Prime Minister, Home Affairs Minister meet with protesters, stranded residents

In photo at left: Prime Minister, Brigadier Mark Phillips; Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn and Human Service and Social Security Minister, Vindya Persaud, interact with residents of East Berbice-Corentyne who were stranded in the community of Bush Lot, West Coast, Berbice. Photo at right, PM engaging protesters, urging restoration of calm

Highlights

See stories on pages 7,8,9,13,14,&16 * Seven persons arrested for death of teens * Police looking for another three persons * Crime chief says killing of boys not politically motivated * Several fires extinguished in New Amsterdam

* Acting top cop warns against breaking the law * Joint Services deployed to scenes of protest * Chief-of-Staff says law and order paramount * President says seeking justice for slain boys cannot be associated with criminality * Prime Minister, Home Affairs Minister appeal for calm * Police promise thorough investigation

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Oil funds will not be tapped for emergency budget –– President and vice-president say more transparency needed before funds are accessed By Navendra Seoraj GOVERNMENT plans to roll out a $330 billion emergency budget today, but Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo said Guyana’s Natural Resource Fund (NRF) would not be used to finance any project within the budget. The country has already received US$140 million from the sale of crude, which is being produced by ExxonMobil’s Liza phase 1 development. This money is being kept under the NRF account, in a US Federal Reserve Bank. “None (money) will be used for the emergency budget,” said Vice-President Jagdeo during a press briefing on Monday.

The government had committed to addressing important issues of transparency and ensuring systems and institutions are in place before those funds are utilised. This promise was reiterated by both President Irfaan Ali and Vice-President Jagdeo. “We need to repeal or amend it (NRF Act) to make changes and along with that, we will strengthen the transparency provisions,” said the vice-president. When asked how Guyana will finance the budget, Jagdeo said government will have to continue borrowing, given the revenue shortfall. Central Government’s revenue has been reduced by $14 billion or 5.9 per cent since 2019. “Apart from foreign fi-

nancing, we have to continue accessing domestic markets for financing of the budget. “We will continue borrowing from the domestic market, but we will be doing so carefully, so that it does not crowd out the private sector,” said Vice-President, Jagdeo. He said government, however, hopes to “retire” all domestic debt that the former APNU+AFC administration took to finance previous budgets. The new PPP/C government will be looking to initiate the rejuvenation of the economy through its $330 billion budget, which represents an increase of about $28 billion or 9.6 per cent compared to the 2019 budget presented by the former ad-

ministration. For capital expenditure, local expenditure totals $49 billion, but $27 billion has already been spent by the past administration. “… $27B has already been spent based on roll over from 2019 when APNU+AFC went on a spending spree with money it did not have, when it gave out large contracts in 2019… that roll over plus releases of money on the capital side was illegal since there was no budget,” said Jagdeo, adding that the new government only had room in its budget to programme $22 billion for initiatives. A similar picture is painted on the recurrent side of the budget, with a lot of money going to goods and services,

among other things. The spending by the previous administration stymied some potential initiatives, but Vice-President Jagdeo believes that the measures will do a lot for the economy. It was reported that, after re-prioritising and re-programming fiscal measures, the new government has managed to add $20 billion in relief to the “pockets” of Guyanese, at a time when the nation is faced with the effects of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the recently-concluded protracted electoral process. The conduits of relief include revised tax measures and sweeping incentives, which were announced by President Ali, on Monday. The broad objectives of

Vice-President, Bharrat Jagdeo those measures, which will feature in government’s emergency budget, are to stimulate economic activity; get persons back to work; increase Guyana’s productive capacity; reduce the cost of doing business; improve efficiency; and facilitate growth and development of businesses. “These measures will have an immense impact on people’s welfare and well-being… as these measures would also address, directly, issues of cost of living and living standards,” said President Ali. Guyanese, between now and December 31, 2020, stand to benefit from over $20 billion in relief through direct transfers and reduction in taxes.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Exxon makes 18th oil discovery

NATURAL Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat, on Tuesday, announced ExxonMobil’s 18th offshore oil discovery at the Redtail-1 exploration well, noting that the continued success experienced in the sector will support the long-term growth plans of the government. Redtail-1 encountered approximately 232 feet of high-quality oil-bearing sandstone and was drilled in 6,164 feet of water. The well is located approximately 1.5 miles northwest of the Yellowtail discovery. It will add to the previously announced estimated recoverable resource of more than 8 billion oil-equivalent barrels on the Stabroek Block. “The Government of Guyana welcomes the Redtail discovery and remains committed to the development of Guyana’s oil and gas resources. This discovery comes in wake of our county’s budget for the year 2020 and complements the number of progressive measures announced by His Excellency Dr. Irfaan Ali… and Honourable Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo,” Minister Bharrat stated. Already, he highlighted that the Liza 1 well has yielded almost US$150 million from the three completed lifts with the fourth such schedule for later this year. Soon the Liza 2 well will commence production in early 2022 and the Liza Unity Floating Production and Offloading Vessel (FPSO) will be able to produce up to 220,000 barrels of oil per day. Optimistically, Minister Bharrat said: “The ExxonMobil exploration programme continues to identify high-quality reservoirs in close proximity

The Liza Destiny FPSO to previous discoveries. This will play an integral part in our long-term growth plans which will bring significant value to Guyana’s development... these significant discoveries in the new and emerging oil and gas sector will provide the impetus to the government’s effort to re-vitalise and re-capitalise the traditional productive sectors so that Guyanese can enjoy progress and contribute to wealth

generation under the People’s Progressive Party administration.” To ensure transparency in the sector and guaranteed benefit to Guyanese, the natural resources minister said that the Local Content Panel appointed by President Ali has commenced work, with consultations and workshops soon to be held with the relevant stakeholders. It is intended that this will result in a draft a pol-

icy document and, eventually, a Local Content Legislative Framework. Local content, in the context of Guyana’s industry, is the sum of input of local goods and services including employment across the oil and gas value chain. It is intended to ensure the education, inclusion and advancement of as many persons as

possible in the value chain of the oil and gas industry. Approximately 80 Guyanese employees, contractors and subcontractors took part in Redtail activities offshore, and more than 2,000 Guyanese and 600 local suppliers are supporting ExxonMobil’s activities in country. Guyanese staff have completed more than 350,000 hours

Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat of training in Guyana, Brazil, Canada, Singapore and the United States. Reacting to the oil find, Mike Cousins, Senior Vice President of Exploration and New Ventures at ExxonMobil said: “Our Stabroek Block exploration program continues to identify high-quality reservoirs in close proximity to previous discoveries, establishing efficient opportunities for new projects in Guyana. Developing these projects remains an integral part of ExxonMobil and our co-venturers’ long-term growth plans and a source of significant value for Guyana.” Minister Bharrat noted that, additionally, upon successful conclusion of the negotiations and approval of the Payara Development project, a third FPSO, the Prosperity, will be producing 220,000 barrels of oil per day. ExxonMobil made the first commercial discovery in Guyana in 2015 and started production in December 2019.

West Berbice protest…

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Criminal elements unleash terror -- innocent robbed, chopped, beaten with hammer, stripped naked and almost set ablaze

A SIMPLE protest that started on Sunday night by villagers, calling for justice for the Henry cousins in Number 5 village, West Coast Berbice (WCB) has quickly spread to several other communities and has escalated into violence and looting. Up to press time, there have been confirmed reports of citizens being robbed, beaten, their vehicles vandalised and, in one incident, stolen, all by protesters calling for Justice for the Henry boys. Zakir Sheriff, a businessman and rice farmer from Number Four Village, WCB had two of his trucks set ablaze by protesters at Hopetown Village, WCB on Tuesday but

not before the drivers were forced to dump the paddy that were harvested earlier onto the roadways. The driver of one of the trucks is a relative of one of the deceased boys. The incident has left the businessman suffering some $15M in losses. His wife, Bebi Sharief, told Guyana Chronicle they had three trucks laden with paddy that were destined for the Hack Rice Mill in Golden Grove and they were given the green light by the Joint Services ranks to proceed. However, after the first truck passed the blocked road, the protesters pounced on the two others, harassing the drivers and demanding they empty the paddy on the roadways.

Voxy was attacked and beaten by the protesters.

A car vandalised by protesters

The emotional businesswoman said that, despite being forced to comply with the demands of the angry mob, the drivers were forcefully taken from the driver’s seat by the protesters as they set the two trucks on fire. “This is not fair. We work very hard and it is very hurtful. My husband is in the backdam every day and you look for-

ward to when you harvest to reap the benefits but instead we are now in more losses. The trucks alone are over $12M and the paddy another $3M. We are innocent citizens that condemn the actions of those that killed the two boys but the innocent should not pay for actions of those monsters. We had nothing to do with that,” Bebi said.

SET ALIGHT Meanwhile, a minibus belonging to the Extra Easy Supermarket was burnt on Monday night and on Tuesday afternoon another minibus owned by a resident of Bush Lot, WCB was also set alight. A minibus driver and passengers from #51 Village, Corentyne, were also relieved of cash and jewellery at Belladrum village. The driver of the Number 63 minibus said he had over $173,000 in cash on him that he had to return to customers he usually transact business with in the capital city. He is still traumatised by the situation but is thankful for life and that his vehicle which he uses for his livelihood was not damaged. A 30-year-old resident of Bush Lot, WCB was not as fortunate since his motor car, a Toyota Voxy bearing registration number PTT 7335 was stolen on Tuesday morning in the vicinity of Number 28 Village, WCB when he tried to manoeuvre a blocked road by protesters, despite being escorted by the Joint Services ranks. Bishraj Sukrah was returning from the East Coast to his home in Bush Lot when, in the vicinity of Number 28, his uncle who was driving his

CAR STOLEN “I was in front in another car and he was driving my car when we reach 28, I pass and them protesters surround the car he did driving so I slowed down and I see them pull he out from the car and start to beat he. I did going to turn back but them start to head in me direction but I see one a dem jump in the car and drive off with it while me uncle run away,” Sukrah related. Another resident of Access Mahaicony, Shyam Khandai, who had left to go to his sister’s shop on the roadway was pulled from the driver’s seat and struck to the head with a hammer and hit about the body with electrical wires from a group of protesters on bicycles. He was eventually saved by a resident of the area who backed off the protesters, thereby saving his life. Meanwhile, Afraz Deodat, a resident of Number 71 Village, Corentyne was also attacked in the community of Recess, Mahaicony by the angry mob. The man was stripped of his clothing, robbed of everything, including his cellphone and cash, beaten and was about to be set afire by the protesters when he too was rescued by residents in the area. He remains stranded in the community and is staying by good Samaritans who have pledged to keep him safe. As the protest actions continue, several other communities started putting fires on the roadways and more innocent citizens continue to be traumatised and robbed and beaten by late Tuesday night. The protests have since shifted from peaceful to lawless. Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn, while briefly engaging protesters at Belladrum on Tuesday stated that, “We cannot pile crime on crime”. He also appealed for them to restore peace in their communities.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Portugal desires to strengthen relations with Guyana PRESIDENT, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, has received a congratulatory letter from Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of the Portuguese Republic, who expressed confidence that bilateral relations will be further strengthened over the next five years. In his letter, the Portu-

President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali

Portugal President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa guese President said, “I am confident that during Your Excellency’s term of office,

we will continue to strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation that unite Guyana and Portugal, especially at a bilateral level.” He conveyed warm congratulations to the Guyanese Head of State on behalf of himself and the Portuguese people and said he is “looking forward to an upcoming meeting.” (DPI)

84-year-old man dies of COVID-19 By Navendra Seoraj

GUYANA has lost yet another person to the dreaded novel coronavirus (COVID-19), taking the death toll to 48. The latest victim was said to be an 84-year-old man from Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), who died, on Sunday, while receiving care at a local health facility. Authorities said the test sample was collected from the patient at the time of his admission, and later tested positive for COVID-19. The Ministry of Health expressed condolences to the family of the deceased and promised to make every effort to provide all the necessary support, during this difficult time. Officials of the ministry have already contacted all relatives and persons to facilitate contact tracing and rapid assistance to everyone who might have been exposed to the victim. The ministry appealed to the public to respect the confidentiality of the deceased and his family and to allow them to mourn their tragic loss in peace. Guyana has so far recorded 1,613 cases of COVID-19 with 53 of those cases being recorded in the past 24 hours. But 1,030 of those persons have since recovered while 48 persons

– 53 new cases recorded

have lost their lives. Of the remaining cases, 42 persons are in institutional isolation and 477 are in home isolation while 16 persons are being treated 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 persons, who contract COVID-19, will have mild symptoms while 14 per cent will have severe symptoms and five per cent will need intensive care. The emergence of asymptomatic cases had prompted authorities to distribute more sample kits across the country, especially to regions

where the infection rate is high. Most of the cases have so far been recorded in Regions One (Barima-Waini), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo). “We are sending out more kits, so there will be an increase in sample col-

lection… the testing itself has components… one is sample collection and then there is the processing of samples,” Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony said. To this end, sample-taking sites have been established across the country, especially in ‘hotspot’ areas.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

GuySuCo requires prudent leadership

SUGAR remains a vital contributor to rural Guyana where over 230,000 of our people live in Berbice and Demerara. So while sugar is on its knees today, it cannot get any worse. The workers union (GAWU) predicted that GuySuCo is heading to its worst production in the history of the industry in 2020 with an annual production of 77,878 tonnes. But there is hope. His Excellency, Dr. Irfaan Ali, in his 2020 Budget message, issued by way of a press conference on September 7, 2020, stated that his government has set aside some G$5 billion to help with the commencement of a process to re-capitalise the industry; both the fields and factories. To this end the Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, has announced plans to re-open three estates, namely Rose Hall, Enmore, and Skeldon, in a phased manner. From the preliminary finding, the state of the land and the machinery at these three locations are a national tragedy. But the message from the President remains undaunted and in this spirit of true grit, we all must put our shoulders to the wheel and make sugar better again. It is in this regard that this entire nation looks forward to new and energetic leadership in the sugar belt. More of the same people just would not cut it this time around; this industry was messed up enough by those who have had their hands on the industry for the last five years. The time is now for the sugar industry to be run like a business, with a strategic plan that is pragmatic, implementable, and measurable deliverables.

Take for example the state of the land. In GuySuCo, they are tilling tired land and replanting it without any rest. It was reported that GuySuCo has not done basic husbandry practices like flood fallowing for 20 years. Flood fallowing is a unique feature of soil management in Guyanese cane agriculture in which fields are flooded with fresh water after they have been cropped for two successive plant and ratoon cycles (usually after 10 -12 years). Fields with responsive soils are submerged, usually after tillage, for six to 12 months. On removal of the water, the physical properties of responsive soils improve with aggregates stabilied by oxidised iron while nitrogen availability to the plant crop is enhanced. Flood fallowing also destroys weed seed reserves and kills all life stages of soil-living pests. Responsive soils are all within the marine clay group as the presence of swelling clays and iron oxide minerals are necessary for effective flood fallow. It was Anthony Vieira, who, in 2013, advised GuySuCo to urgently engage in a programme of flood fallowing. But no one listened to him and the price was dire for this country. The evidence is from productivity today is at an all-time low. It was Vieira who cautioned Guyana by advising that “flooding the identified fields for six months is the most economical period since there is a 25 per cent improvement in the performance of the crop over four years based on the latest studies.”

GuySuCo must get back to basics to enhance its yield and “flood fallowing” in one of the many techniques to help the industry. This year 2020 has been a very difficult year for GuySuCo, but workers strike was not a cause of its difficulty. Rather, the workers have been very co-operative with GuySuCo in 2020. What GuySuCo lacked in 2020 was adequate functional equipment, the availability of fertilisers, and other critical inputs on time and lack of basic husbandry practices. But none of this matters if we have absenteeism leadership. One very senior GuySuCo official was overseas since March 2020 and even with the return of two flights per week, he never saw it fit to return to his desk. How is it possible to run one of the largest companies in Guyana from a cell phone and Zoom? Everyday key decisions needed to be made and how are you monitoring and evaluating the operations from abroad? Now that His Excellency, the President, has committed G$5 billion to GuySuCo to fund the reopening of three sugar estates, how is the CEO supervising this system from out of Guyana? These things require action, action plans, and decisions and even if you are the best manager in the world, you cannot do it from 3,000 miles away for almost six months. The absurdity of this situation speaks for itself – GuySuCo is going to produce its worse sugar output in its entire history in 2020.

Crimes given a political twist and flavour Dear Editor, IN April 2019, the former Minister of Public Security met with residents and was adamant that the high rate of murders is a result of the ‘interpersonal rate of violence, alcohol abuse, dysfunctional families and to reduce or eradicate this we must read ‘the classics, the Quran, the Bible and the Mahabharrat.’ I agreed with him to some extent then since it is impossible for the police to anticipate and prevent murders and interpersonal violence which can be a spur-of- the-moment act, sometimes induced by drugs and alcohol. However, he failed to mention that by providing employment and adequate wages and salaries, many of our social ills can be reduced. For instance, stealing and domestic violence due to lack of financial resources. It must be recalled that when the coalition were in the opposi-

tion, they blamed the then PPP/C government for every social ill under the sun. Ramjattan’s statement at a meeting on the Upper Corentyne highlighted the two-faced nature of the coalition. When the coalition was in government, crimes were not given a political twist and flavor, but now they are. Today, the APNU+AFC is once again in the opposition and the statement by Granger and Harmon under the pretext of mourning the brutal murders of Isaiah and Joel Henry must be condemned. This barbaric and senseless act must be condemned by all, but it is a gross disappointment to listen to the barefaced politicking by these two PNC leaders. On one hand, Granger promoted ‘vigilante’ styled justice which he called the creation of a ‘self-defence society.’ He made it plain that if residents do not protect themselves, then no one will protect them. Has the coalition failed the security

during its just- concluded fiveyear term? He added that the violent protest is the correct response to such crimes. Was it the correct response when his coalition was in government? He then went on a full-blown political speech of the current government’s ability to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and to continue to ‘pressure the government.’ He inadvertently admitted that the aim of such protest is to ‘pressure the Government.’ On the other hand, Harmon clearly tried to link the murders to the government, calling for a ‘forensic’ investigation by an independent body, since the investigative arm of the police has been ‘infiltrated,’ but yet called on the police to ‘do their work.’ In other words, Harmon is implying that the murders have a political link. This is such a barefaced attempt at distortion aimed at poisoning the minds of the PNC supporters. This kind of speech must be condemned. He

also lauded the violent protests as ‘the correct response.’ He also echoed Granger’s statement calling for the community to be ‘vigilant’ to keep it safe. Harmon seemed to forget the PNC-backed ‘freedom fighters’ who wreaked havoc on this nation. Does he want another such gang? Harmon then said that he will ‘take this opportunity to take care of the burial expenses,’ whilst exhorting the residents not to accept any assistance from anyone else, implying the government. Imagine the PNC saw the murders as an ‘opportunity’; there is no doubt that the deaths now present an ‘opportunity’ to push its political agenda to destabilise the duly elected government. Harmon has exposed the true agenda of the PNC. Granger and Harmon’s statements have escalated the level and spread of violent protests in other areas as well, which resulted in robberies, threats to life and property and extortion of

monies. Temporary ‘toll gates’ as were installed a few days ago at Belladrum forcefully extracted monies from vehicle owners to pass and now that has spread to the other villages. Sometimes an area with three blockades have three such ‘toll gates’ with vehicle owners paying from $1,000 to $2,000 per blockade. Instead of condemning such violent protests, these two failed riggers of the 2020 elections have deemed these to be the ‘correct response.’ What a shame! Are we to believe that these people would want to be the next government? However, the pronouncements of this duo should not surprise us a bit, if we just recall what transpired since March 2nd and the five months which followed. Violent protests like these must be condemned and it is totally abhorrent for political leaders to fan the flames of racial violence just for political mileage. In conclusion, this is not

the first time that murder of persons of one race or another has occurred, but it is sad that just after several devious attempts to rig the elections, the coalition has once again embarked on a racially divisive tactic to cause this nation to bleed once again. What would have been the response of the coalition to these cruel murders if they were still in government? Would they have encouraged such protests? Would they have blamed themselves? Would they have taken responsibility? The GPF must be allowed to do its work to bring the perpetrators to justice and our legal institutions must be allowed to function. There will be no victor in this type of racist politics being practised by the coalition; the collateral damage will be too costly. Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Scenes from the West Berbice protests

Prime Minister, Mark Phillips, engaging persons stranded due to blocked roadway

A truck that was set ablaze by protesters

Law enforcement officers patrol the streets of New Amsterdam

Prime Minister, Mark Phillips and Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn, on Tuesday, met family members of the slain boys

Prime Minister, Mark Phillips, urging protesters to help restore calm in their communities

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Home-ownership just got ‘real’ for some

–– with news of removal of VAT on building material, the possibilities are endless, businessmen say By Tamica Garnett HOME ownership will now be placed that much closer in the reach of many who have been dreaming of it but weren’t quite sure they could afford it, following President Irfaan Ali’s announcement on Monday that effective January 1, 2021, Value Added Tax (VAT) will be removed from construction materials. For some, it is not just about what the reduced price will mean for prospective builders, in terms of making construction more affordable, but for what it will mean for the wider economy going forward, when a domino effect takes over. “The impact will be immediate, and will have a ripple effect for individuals, because it means more disposable income for those constructing,” noted Minister of Housing and Water, Mr. Colin Croal. “That sector drives the economy, and if you have the removal of VAT on construction material, there will be advantages for the entire construction industry, because it would encourage persons with more disposable income to do more construction,” he added. Tasked with finding affordable housing solutions for the over 62,000 housing applications in the system at the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), this move will make it that much easier for the Ministry to give house-lots to persons applying for one to build their own home.

Minister of Housing and Water, Colin Croal However, Minister Croal says it’s not just about making work at the Ministry easier, but the focus is what this move means for citizens, and making life that much easier for them. “It’s not really more about making my job easier; it’s more about bringing relief to the people,” he said, adding: “If we want to encourage construction; if we want to encourage persons to build, it’s a big move to remove the VAT on construction materials. It brings more savings to persons, and brings more disposable income for persons to build with.” MULTIPLIER EFFECT Sharing the same sentiments as he was Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Mr. Nicholas Boyer who says that such a move will be a positive economic multiplier that will reverberate across other industries. “Let’s say a person kicks off a construction project:

They pay me; I pay my carpenters. And then my carpenters go on to buy things they couldn’t afford before; and then those companies receive money and spend it back into the economy,” reasoned Boyer, who is also President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI). He’s also a Director at National Hardware Limited, which is among the country’s biggest hardware and building material stores. With home ownership costs down, Boyer posits that this will now open more possibilities for construction work, thereby expanding the construction industry and increasing the effect it will have on the economy. “This has brought down the cost of home ownership by 14 per cent,” the city businessman said, adding: “It’s more money in the pockets of the people who are building the homes. More consumers are now going to find construction more affordable, so if they were less inclined before to repaint, or add a new bathroom, with this, some amount of people went from not being able to afford it, to now being able to afford it. And that will create the ripple effects with the jobs, and the ripple effect for the economy.” Also in the interest of home owners and prospective home owners, the President also announced an increase in the ceiling for which tax-deductible Mortgage Interest Relief (MIR) will be offered. While MIR previously offered refunds on interest paid on mortgages of up to $15M,

A homeowner’s dream come true President Ali declared that it to those in the higher-in- sure is applied, and instead will now be offered on mort- come bracket, it is the re- pay just $860,000. moval of VAT on construcgages of up to $30M. “It’s an absolutely brilWhat this means for the tion material that many liant idea! It means more ordinary man is that they are zeroing in on, and are monies to spend on the buildwill get back a portion of the appreciating, because it ing,” said Neville Butts, money paid on their monthly will mean across-the-board who first started building his mortgage that went to the benefits for anyone looking home some six years ago at interest. Introduced in 2013 to shop up on building ma- Herstelling, on the East Bank under the Guyana Revenue terials, regardless of their Demerara. Authority (GRA), the Relief income. Since he is still working takes the form of tax refund on his home, Butts is looking ‘AN EXCELLENT that the GRA credits to the forward to cashing in on the MOVE’ beneficiary, after they would savings when the time comes. “It’s an excellent move, have filed their annual inAlso building on the because a lot of young per- East Bank Demerara is Dolcome tax. “We have decided, in sons are struggling to build lette Goring, who knows terms of mortgage interest their homes, and they are all too well what this VAT relief, to increase the sum to now able to do so at a re- removal will mean for the $30 million,” President Ali duced price. So, kudos to average homeowner, as she declared. “Interest incurred the president for doing it,” has been working on the on housing loans of up to said Lisa Agard, a home- construction of her home $30 million will now be de- owner herself, who built for the past two years, and ductible from our income her home a few years ago. is some 85 per cent away “The opportunity is now from finally getting the job tax. This will help new home owners, help young people,” presented for persons to take done. For her, building her the president said during that step in acquiring their own home has not been an his address to the nation on own home; that’s a dream easy journey. Monday from the Arthur for the average Guyanese,” “It’s challenging; very Chung Convention Centre she added. challenging,” Ms. Goring As things stand currently, said, adding: (ACCC), the temporary home of the National Assembly, building material attract a 14 “For a lot of us, we in light of the advantages it per cent VAT, the removal would be able to save a lot has to offer in keeping with of which will now mean that in terms of the cost of matefor every $1M a buyer spends rials. It would be a plus for COVID-19 restrictions. However, while the MIR on that commodity, they will many people; it did come at increase will mean benefits save $140,000 when the mea- an opportune time.”

Murder of Henry boys not politically motivated – says crime chief, confirms armed bandits infiltrate protest

CRIME Chief, Senior Superintendent, Wendell Blanhum, said there was no evidence to suggest that the murder of teen cousins, Joel and Isaiah Henry, was politically motivated. During a virtual joint services press briefing on Tuesday, Blanhum said “at this point and time we will not be disclosing what was the motive. We have a very tense situation and I would

like the members of the public to allow the investigators to conduct a thorough and comprehensive investigation.” Noting that members of the media will be informed as the investigations progress, the crime chief said evidence was retrieved from the crime scene and it was being packaged for submission to the forensic lab. However, the crime

chief noted that, at the current stage of the investigation, a murder weapon was not recovered. A total of seven persons, he said have been arrested and are being questioned by detectives in relation to the murders, while investigators are pursuing three other individuals, but the situation on the ground is making it difficult to do so. “I want to take this op-

portunity to ask persons not to obstruct the investigators. We had some difficulties from the initial investigation and we were making attempts to visit the crime scene and major crimes investigators were obstructed from going to the area. The other crime scene ranks, on their way back to Georgetown, were stuck in Berbice overnight and these are some of the difficulties

that we are confronted with in terms of conducting our investigation in an expeditious manner,” the crime chief said. At the scenes of the protest, he confirmed that one of the robberies that occurred was done by armed bandits. The senior superintendent said that the police have received information of vehicles being attacked,

Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum along with other illegalities, but persons have not formally made those reports to the police as yet.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Joint Services deployed to scene of protest –– in light of damage to property, attacks and robberies on motorists, commuters

SEEKING justice for Isaiah and Joel cannot be associated with criminality, destruction of property and robbery committed on innocent Guyanese, President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, on Tuesday, affirmed. The commander-in-chief, in a statement to the press,

ies and brutality associated with a number of the protest actions in Region Five. “These individuals who continue to cause public harm and mischief cannot pretend to be doing so in the name of justice for Isaiah and Joel. The police have also updated me on the progress of their

Further, he said it was a time for Guyanese to reflect as a nation and to redouble efforts towards strengthening relations. “I therefore urge all Guyanese to act responsibly, especially those in Region Five, and in keeping with the laws of our country.”

“These individuals who continue to cause public harm and mischief cannot pretend to be doing so in the name of justice for Isaiah and Joel. The police have also updated me on the progress of their investigation and they have assured that they will leave no stone unturned in ensuring justice for Joel and Isaiah is achieved, professionally,” President Ali said.

said such behaviour was an injustice to the case of the two victims. On Tuesday, police dealt with reports of attacks on motorists and commuters, the burning and damaging of personal property and robbery of innocent passers-by in Regions Six and Five. Seven persons have been arrested and are being questioned in relation to the gruesome murder of the two teenagers at Cotton Tree, Backdam, West Coast Berbice. They went missing last Saturday and were discovered dead the following day. President Ali said he was briefed by the Police Force on the severity of attacks, damage to property, robber-

investigation and they have assured that they will leave no stone unturned in ensuring justice for Joel and Isaiah is achieved, professionally,” President Ali said. The head of state said the police have also assured him that the individuals who have caused harm to members of the public and private property will be identified and processed in accordance with the laws. “I call once again on all Guyanese to condemn the brutal murder of Joel and Isaiah and to also condemn the brutality and unlawful behaviour of those who have inflicted injury, and robbed and damaged property of innocent Guyanese,” the President added.

The Joint Services have been dispatched to the affected areas to restore normalcy. The Joint Services include members of the Guyana Defence Force, the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Fire Service. On Monday, former President David Granger and Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon told the protesting residents that their actions were a “correct response” to what has happened to the two boys. Granger in his address called on residents to form a “self-defence society” to fight injustice. Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn, said he found it unsettling and unfortunate that such statements could

High Commissioner of India, Dr. K. J. Srinivasa, on Tuesday, paid a courtesy call on Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister, Hugh Todd, and discussed matters of bilateral and multilateral significance. They exchanged views on further strengthening the partnership between India and Guyana for scaling new heights in the relations.

be made by leaders in the country. Benn also appealed for calm and urged residents not to allow the protests to descend into lawlessness.

Commander-in-Chief, Dr. Irfaan Ali

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Fostering traditional practices for a safe environment

IT is Indigenous Heritage Month and the Protected Areas Commission has joined all of Guyana in celebrating under the theme “Fostering traditional practices for a safe environment”. The goal of creating protected areas is to ensure unique and representative landscapes are protected and create sanctuaries for species that may be threatened or endangered. The protection of these landscapes also ensure that biological processes remain intact and continue to provide essential services needed for human survival, particularly those who live in and around these landscapes. However, historically the relationship between Indigenous peoples and protected areas was combative. The policy of creating protected areas was hinged on the removal of any inhabitants that dwelled within the space being targeted for protection, and then preventing those displaced from utilising resources and land within the protected space. Consequently, protected areas in Guy-

ana were initially introduced in the absence of a formal management system. The first protected area established in Guyana was the Kaieteur National Park (KNP), declared in 1929, without a management plan in place and with little to no consultation with indigenous communities. Later, global assessments found that, by preventing interactions of the people and the protected landscape, the ecological integrity of the protected space declined. Agenda 21, (an action plan arising out of the landmark United Nations Rio Earth Summit of 1992) then provided an opportunity for Governments to change this policy of removal and disconnect between Indigenous peoples and protected spaces. The first example of this policy being put into action in Guyana was the creation of the Iwokrama Forest. Iwokrama prioritised community involvement and integrated traditional way of life into its management. Elders, parents and youth were included in management activities through wildlife clubs and the

Makushi Research Unit, which allowed for the transmission and preservation of traditional way of life, arts and language. The North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB) was created, allowing representatives from indigenous villages in and around Iwokrama to play an active role in the decision-making process. Learning from the successes of Iwokrama, communities were then actively engaged and consulted during the establishment of the Kanuku Mountains and Shell Beach Protected Areas during 2005 to 2011. The involvement of Indigenous peoples in the creation and management of protected areas is linked to two things 1. The fact that they have lived within those landscapes for generations and 2.

They have accumulated knowledge of the landscapes and their biological processes that can be important for management. The protection and conservation of natural heritage and public participation are key provisions within Guyana’s Protected Areas Act, which facilitates the inclusion of local communities. The Act also allows for titled indigenous lands to become protected areas, and, more importantly, it protects the right of indigenous peoples to continue the use of resources within the protected areas to practise their traditional way of life. Over the years the Commission has placed emphasis on employing community members to become Rangers and Officers, since their own knowledge and connection to the area bring much value to management. Mapping of traditional resource use, ensuring that consultations and educational materials are provided in indigenous languages, and supporting traditional livelihoods through the creation of markets for craft are just a few ways in which the Commission has been fulfilling this mandate. On a much broader scale, the PAC is currently involved in two projects: The Darwin Initiative- Integrating Traditional Knowledge into national policy & practice The objectives of the project are to: * evaluate the opportunities and barriers to traditional knowledge integration with a focus on protected areas; * create an evidence-based approach for traditional knowledge integration; * develop a national action plan The first part of the project involved consultations with communities to iden-

tify issues and challenges they face in transmitting traditional knowledge within protected areas and identify possible solutions. Workshops were held and short videos were made which were then shown to policy makers. A policy review was then conducted to identify the level of integration of traditional knowledge in current national policies. The preliminary results of the policy review show that there is a good level of integration within policies related to the sectors of conservation (protected area and biodiversity), culture and human rights. However, there is no recognition of traditional knowledge in policies relating to agriculture, extractive industries (mining and petroleum) and land rights. The national action plan is currently being developed for Guyana. RENFORSAP – Strengthening the network of protected areas in the Guiana Shield In partnership with colleagues from French Guiana and Suriname, the PAC is implementing a 3-year regional project that is providing opportunities for protected area managers of the Guianas to learn from each other and share experiences in the areas of illegal gold mining, tourism, participatory science and living cultural heritage. A workshop on living cultural heritage which brought together over fifty representatives and managers of protected areas from Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana was held in Lethem,

Region 9 in May 2019. Key discussions were held on the integration of traditional knowledge into policy, practice and decision-making; community involvement; access and benefit sharing; information gathering and safeguarding living cultural heritage; and the preservation and promotion of language. Participants stressed the importance of the need for legislation, having communities at the centre of all actions and decision-making processes. Through a series of presentations, panel discussions and working sessions, the participants identified opportunities for cooperation among the three countries and provided short - and long-term recommendations towards the development of an action plan for the transmission and use of living cultural heritage in the management of protected areas across the Guianas. The three-day workshop culminated with a field trip to Nappi Village and Manari Ranch and an evening of inter-cultural exchanges among the participants. The PAC will continue to promote and safeguard traditional knowledge and practices by ensuring these activities can continue in protected areas. The Commission will continue to provide assistance and support to indigenous communities as they explore solutions in strengthening the transmission of knowledge to better manage and maintain a safe environment. This article was prepared by the Protected Areas Commission in collaboration with Dr. Deirdre Jafferally, In-Country Coordinator, Darwin Initiative Traditional Knowledge Project.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Dr. Mahadeo to chair GNNL board

MEDIA personality and former head of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company, Dr. Yog Mahadeo, has been appointed chairman of the board of directors of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL). According to the official gazette of September 4, 2020, the Prime Minister, Brigadier (retired) Mark Phillips, also approved Harry Gill, Jason Abdulla, Raul Aaron, Indira Badal, Nicole Williams and Vanessa Narine as board members. The board will also have a staff representative and will have the General Manager (ag) Moshamie Ramotar as an ex-officio member. The board will serve for a period of one year with effect from September 3, 2020 to September 2, 2021. Dr. Mahadeo in a Facebook post stated: “I have been asked to serve in this capacity. While my personal views on the role of State media have been ventilated and are well known, I will give my best without fear or favour, as the Almighty wills it, so shall it

be.” Dr Mahadeo completed his Doctorate Degree in finance from the Swiss Management Centre University, Vienna, Austria. He was known to have called for liberalisation of telecommunications even when he was the CEO of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company, which currently has the monopoly on landline and international calls. Meanwhile, adviser to the Minister of Home Affairs on the Security Sector, Harry Gill, when contacted, said he was no stranger to media houses and their operations and production. He explained that an important element in a media environment is the degree of professionalism and experience of journalists and media practitioners in executing their duties. The former parliamentarian said he will be advocating for training for State media employees. Gill said he expects journalists to be fair, accurate, truthful and objective in their work.

Trickster robs businessman $300,000 A Meten-Meer-Zorg businessman and his wife were, on Tuesday, robbed by a con artist in front of John Fernandes Wharf. According to Satnarine Deonarine, he went on the What’s For Sales Guyana Facebook page where he saw a post on a Bluebird car. The businessman said he contacted the individual who made the post and the person told him that he was selling the car for $800,000. When the businessman asked why he was selling the vehicle so cheap, the individual in question told him that a woman brought in the car but died, and, as such, he was trying to clear the vehicle at the wharf. An arrangement was made between the two to meet in front the John Fernandes Wharf on Tuesday morning. There, the businessman gave the ‘con man’ $300,000 as advance payment for the vehicle. The ‘seller’ collected the money and said he was going to do some more paper work, but disappeared from the wharf. A woman was reportedly conned $500,000 by the said person. Several calls to the phone of the dodgy individual proved futile. The businessman has since made a report to the Brickdam Police Station and is now willing to give anyone a $100,000 as a reward for locating the trickster.

New GNNL Chair, Dr. Yog Mahadeo

Former Parliamentarian, Harry Gill

Vanessa Narine

Jason Abdulla

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Payara not the ‘make-or-break’

–– industry must benefit investors but significantly benefit Guyanese, says VP Jagdeo By Navendra Seoraj ONGOING negotiations between the government and oil giants, ExxonMobil, on the company’s Field De-

velopment Plan (FDP) for the Payara project, while important to the country’s development as an oil nation, does not determine the government’s position or

opportunities in the oil and gas sector, said Vice-President, Bharrat Jagdeo. The Payara project, located in the eastern half of the Stabroek Block, is expected

to see the drilling of up to 45 development wells which could take up to five years, with drilling initially pegged to begin in 2020 and initial production by early 2023. The project marks EEPGL’s third field development in the Stabroek block and targets 180,000 to 220,000 barrels of oil per day, with anticipation to produce approximately 5,700,000 to 6,600,000 barrels of crude oil per month. “Government does not see Payara as a make-orbreak,” said Vice-President Jagdeo during a press briefing on Monday. A review of the Payara Development Project was previously conducted by the Bayphase Oil and Gas Consultants contracted by the Department of Energy (DoE) under the previous administration. The new People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) administration, however, decided to review the work already undertaken by the DoE to ensure that the interests of all Guyanese are protected and are in keeping with international transparency and accountability standards. The current review is being done by a team of international experts, headed by Canadian Queen’s Counsel, Alison Redford. Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, had told this publication that a team of legal and technical experts from the DoE and a team from ExxonMobil are discussing the draft licence for the Payara project. As it is now, there are issues related to the Payara project that the government and ExxonMobil do not see eye-to-eye on, but Jagdeo said active negotiations are still ongoing . “We see this as a continuum… Exxon (Mobil) will not disappear tomorrow, and the Payara licence is not the only opportunity to get what the President (Dr. Irfaan Ali) said and what the PPP/C campaigned on, and that is, an industry that benefits the investor, but significantly benefits the people of Guyana, through jobs, business opportunities and so on,” said the vice-president. President Ali had said government wants to strike

a balance by ensuring the country gets more for local content, brings natural gas to shore and ensure the lives of all Guyanese are improved significantly. Government’s ability to address those areas of concern is not limited to the Payara negotiations, as there will be further opportunities to talk about local content and local content legislation and also discuss the development of gas fields and the prices for gas, among other things, said Vice-President Jagdeo. HAS TO DO MORE Training opportunities for locals will also be on cards, as the vice-president believes that ExxonMobil has to do more for training of Guyanese. Although there is no local content legislation, ExxonMobil was reported to have spent over G$14 billion in the first half of 2020, and has utilised more than 600 Guyanese suppliers for services ranging from foodstuff to engineering. Guyana Chronicle reported that ExxonMobil trained more than 50 Guyanese in countries such as Brazil, Canada, Singapore, Trinidad, United Arab Emirates and the United States, to gain hands-on oil and gas experience to leverage in Guyana. According to ExxonMobil’s Public and Government Affairs Adviser, Janelle Persaud, more than 2,000 Guyanese are supporting ExxonMobil Guyana’s operations, representing 55 per cent of the total workforce. ExxonMobil Guyana’s direct workforce now stands at 155, more than 50 per cent of which are Guyanese. She noted that capacity building is an ongoing process for ExxonMobil Guyana and its direct contractors, with more than 100,000 hours of training provided to Guyanese staff as of the first half of 2020. The company’s expenditures and operations are, however, still to be fully audited, as Vice-President Jagdeo said government will aggressively pursue costs incurred by the company. “Exploration cost up to 2017 are now being audited, so there are large

opportunities to agree or disagree with cost…we see areas where we do not believe that expenditure made now or before are part of cost oil and should be there,” he said. REMAIN AGGRESSIVE Jagdeo promised that government will remain aggressive in its negotiations with any company, especially ExxonMobil. The vice-president referred to reports that the oil company’s global position has dimished, so investment dollars are scarce. He, however, said government is not threatened by that. Bloomberg had reported that ExxonMobil, Pfizer and Raytheon Technologies were kicked out of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, as part of the stock benchmark’s biggest reshuffling in seven years. According to the report, while any change to the Dow is notable, the ejection of ExxonMobil -- the world’s biggest company as recently as 2011 -- marks a particularly stunning fall from grace, reflecting the decline of commodity companies in the American economy. Worth $525 billion in 2007 and more than $450 billion as recently 2014, the stock had fallen in four of six years before 2020 and is down another 40 per cent since January. Despite those constraints, Guyana has already received US$140 million from the sale of crude, which is being produced by ExxonMobil’s Liza phase one development. ExxonMobil is now firmly established in Guyana, operating an office in Georgetown with numerous ongoing exploration and development operations offshore. ExxonMobil Guyana has made 18 discoveries since May 2015 and began production in December 2019 from the Liza Phase one development project. The company is the operator of the Stabroek, Canje and Kaieteur Blocks offshore Guyana. Since 2015, ExxonMobil has increased its estimated recoverable resource base in Guyana to more than eight billion oil-equivalent barrels.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Law and order paramount – chief-of-staff tells protesters

ALL legal actions necessary will be taken to ensure law and order is maintained, as the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and Guyana Fire Service (GFS) were deployed, Tuesday, to support the police as protest actions grew over the murder of teen cousins, Joel and Isaiah Henry. This is according to Chief-of-Staff of the GDF, Brigadier Godfrey Bess, during a virtual joint press conference, hosted on Tuesday by Commissioner of Police (ag) Nigel Hoppie and Crime Chief, Senior Superintendent, Wendell Blanhum. With the continuous blockage of the public roads in Region Five, Brigadier Bess said rubber bullets and tear gas were dispatched at protesters Monday night, as demonstrators sought to continuously block the roadways. “Our ranks have been working hard to have the roadway cleared, but are exercising extreme restraint in consideration of the cir-

He explained that infringing on the rights of other citizens and placing lives and property at risk is breaking the law, and all Guyanese should exercise calm as the investigation must be completed and the perpetrators brought to justice. Commissioner of Police (ag) Nigel Hoppie urges citizens to be patient as a professional investigation is being conducted. “We need to be permitted to engage the crime scene which is critical in the investigations,” the top cop said, noting that the blockage of GDF Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier, Godfrey Bess the roadways is also preventing the police from visiting cumstances surrounding the crime scene. the death of Joel and IsaCrime Chief, Senior Suiah Henry. Notwithstanding perintendent Wendell Blanthe circumstances, the Joint hum, also noted that the Service takes, seriously, all police are searching for two acts against public order, masked men who robbed one and, while acknowledging of three persons at gunpoint, the rights of individuals to during the protest. peaceful protest, it can no “That matter we are longer exercise tolerance treating with priority and when protest action degener- we will make sure we make ates into unlawful acts,” the earnest efforts to arrest chief-of-staff said. those individuals,” he said.

Another court day, more charges in ‘Ponzi’ saga –– taking tally to 66 to date

ACCELERATED Capital Firm Inc (ACFI)’s Yuri Garcia Dominguez and Ateeka Ishmael are expected to appear before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court today, to answer to more Ponzi-related charges. Over the last few weeks, the couple has made a total of seven court appearances to answer to 66 charges to date at the Georgetown, Sparendaam and Vigilance Magistrates’ Courts. Each time, they were remanded and asked to post bail, which to date stands at a whopping 25.2M. When the pair appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court on Monday, September 7, 2020, they were charged jointly but not required to plead to allegations that between May and July, 2020, with intent to commit a felony, they conspired, with persons known and unknown, to obtain a total of over $9M from 14 victims of their alleged ‘scam’ under false pretence. The Cuban national and his Guyanese wife, who are represented by Attorneys-at-Law Glen Hanoman and Dexter Todd, were released on $800,000 bail each that day, and have had the case adjourned until November 7, 2020. On September 2, the pair had appeared before City Magistrate Dylon Bess, where they were charged jointly but not required to plead to allegations that

between May and July 2020, with intent to commit a felony, they conspired with persons known and unknown to obtain a total of over $75M from 11 victims of their alleged ‘scam’ under false pretence. On that occasion, they were released on $3.3M bail each. Just the day before, Tuesday, September 1, 2020, the couple had appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court, where they were charged jointly, but not required to plead, to the allegation that between May and July, 2020, with intent to commit a felony, they conspired with persons known and unknown to obtain a total of over $30M from 12 persons, again under false pretence. They were released on $3.6M bail each, and that particular matter has been adjourned until September 21. When they were arraigned before Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Monday, August 31, 2020, it was to answer to 10 charges, the particulars of which state that between the months of May and July 2020, they, with intent to commit a felony, conspired with persons known and unknown to obtain a total sum of over $60M from 10 victims under false pretence. They were released on $1M bail each, and the case was adjourned until October 5, 2020.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Seven in custody for death of teens –– three more are being sought as police intensify investigations into killing

POLICE have detained seven persons as they continue their investigations into the murder of the Henry cousins while, up to press time, three more persons are being sought, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum reported at a virtual press briefing on Tuesday afternoon. The crime chief noted

that, based on information received, police are actively trying to locate the three additional individuals, but due to the prevailing circumstances with the protests, their efforts are being stymied. He is calling on residents not to interfere with the investigation since it would only serve to delay the work of the police. The

crime chief also promised a thorough investigation into the killings. The Guyana Defence Force and Guyana Fire Service have been assisting the Guyana Police Force, on the ground, to clear the debris and other obstacles that residents used to block the roadways. Acting Police Commissioner, Nigel Hoppie, said

the roads were cleared by the ranks overnight and during the day but were re-blocked by the residents. As a consequence of these unlawful acts, the top cop stated that the Force will have no choice but to take the necessary actions in response. “The GPF takes this opportunity to warn resident to desist from blocking the

road because it is illegal and will stymie the efforts of the police. We urge that you work with us as we try to continue to strengthen our relationship in the community,” the commissioner appealed to West Coast of Berbice (WCB) residents. Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn, said ranks of the Joint Services have been deployed to restore calm

Acting Police Commissioner, Nigel Hoppie and order to the West Coast of Berbice, after the protesters started to rob innocent citizens. “The Joint Service ranks are there to restore calm and order and to open the WCB road in its entirety, and, unfortunately, there have been repeated incidents where motorists were attacked and robbed and their vehicles damaged; and other unlawful and unruly incidents which, on occurring, do not bring any calm to the situation and run the risk of bringing a general descent to lawlessness in the area,” he said. He called on all law-abiding citizens to work with the police so that calm can be restored to the area while calling

Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn out those who are inciting the residents to become violent. “I noted, with some regret, the statements from some leading political persons and some agitators who are characterising the incident of the deaths, without any evidence, as racially-motivated, and, even worse, that certain villages have to take steps to protect themselves in a vigilante mode. I find this very unsettling and unfortunate that these statements have been made. I want to call on those persons to lend their efforts to have those communities and persons over whom they have influence, to desist from unlawful practices related to these events,” Benn said. The Guyana Chronicle understands that, of the seven persons in custody, one is the owner of the land where the bodies of Isaiah and Joel Henry were found; his son, four of his employees and two coconut vendors from the area. A post mortem on the two teens, ages 16 and 19, from Number Three village, WCB, is expected to be performed today.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Guyana won’t miss a beat when pandemic is over –– industry players commend special incentives for new hotels By Lisa Hamilton

GUYANA’s continuous success in the oil and gas sector has cemented the fact that its economy will experience a big economic ‘boom’ and not even a global health crisis can stop this. Envisioning that more economic activities will mean more visitors and investors coming to the country, President Dr. Irfaan Ali announced, on Monday, that new hotels will receive special incentives, a move which will likely attract even more investors. In an invited comment on the announcement, Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Nicholas Boyer, said that the plan is “genius” as, though the pandemic may appear to be a barrier, now is the opportune time to invest in new hotels as, in just about two years, with a vaccine, the coronavirus will be a thing of the past. He averages that it takes an international-standard hotel just about two and a half years to be constructed so, when the pandemic is safely over and the economic boom begins, Guyana will not miss a beat. “I’ve seen a lot of visitors who are interested in investing in Guyana as well as in the diaspora who are interested in re-investing into Guyana. So, it is understood that, despite the pandemic, business tourism will grow, not this year, definitely not this year and probably not the first half of next year but… when you put in the incentives you give the investors a kick start to their projects,” he mapped out. Also sought out for his thoughts was former PSC

Former PSC Chairman, Gerry Gouveia chairman and owner of the Duke Lodge, Gerry Gouveia. He agreed that there was a need for incentives in the hotel industry and, by planning ahead for the economic boom, the country stands to benefit all-round. “With the oil and gas sector we have to plant more hotels, more international brand name hotels. To do that, we also have to create the incentives for them so I totally agree that all incentives that can be given to help the development of new hotels, to build the hotel stock, should be a welcomed thing in Guyana,” he said. Gouveia also sees the manufacturing sector being significantly boosted by the planned gas-to-shore operations of the government which will increase power capacity and bring lower gas prices to Guyanese. Asked whether, through his past management of the PSC, he has seen an interest in the setting up of new hotels in Guyana, he said: “Absolutely. Everybody is seeing the writing on the wall where

PSC Chairman, Nicholas Boyer Guyana’s economy is concerned and we haven’t even tapped the natural gas coming off the oil rigs as yet… Guyana is really destined for big, big things and new hotels, big hotels, international brands are going to become very, very important for us.” JOBS AND CAPACITY Meanwhile, doing some of his own calculations, Boyer averages that there were about 200 construction workers at the Marriott Hotel project which lasted for two years. This means that four such additional hotels would bring 800 jobs to Guyana. When the projects are turned over from construction to operation, he highlighted that jobs would now be available for service providers. He advised: “Now is the time to get these projects kicked off so that you have the capacity when you need it.” Working to ensure that Guyana has that capacity is the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) working towards the

THAG President, Mitra Ramkumar construction of Guyana’s first state-of-the-art Hospitality Institute. Already, a US$250,000 contract has been awarded for the building’s design. A plot of land had been identified and THAG is in last-stage discussions with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) which will be funding the construction. “The Tourism and Hospitality industry will really cater for the vulnerable in our society. We’re talking about women, single mothers, youths, high school dropouts, these persons who really need help,” President of THAG, Mitra Ramkumar, explained, adding: “This is where the Hospitality Institute will come in now where persons will be able to go to this Institute and come out with various skill levels, which ever one that they find attractive.” Some of the available career paths he listed were chefs, kitchen assistants, bar tenders, front desk workers, housekeepers and more, all the way up to a General Manager.

Head of GO-Invest, Owen Verway The institute is expected to be located in Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD) at the back of the Massy Supermarket. POOL OF SKILLED WORKERS Boyer agrees that Guyana needs to develop a pool of skilled workers to meet the needs of the many hotels which will soon spring up. He pointed out that, currently, Guyana only has a limited number of hotels that meet the standard of international investors who come to the country during large trade shows and business events. In the past, he noted that hotels with the monopoly have hiked their prices when a large number of visitors come and there are not enough rooms. “It was clear, that pre-pandemic Guyana did not have enough hotel rooms because a single event like GIPEX would knock out all the hotel rooms across the city. We can’t hold a large event like that because it is a painful thing to hold when

foreign persons come in to invest in the country and they really have a hard time finding accommodation,” he said. Looking forward to hearing more in the budget presentation of what sort of incentives will come to new hotels is Head of the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) Owen Verwey. He told the newspaper that several incentives for hotels already existed. They included the waiver of duties and taxes on items imported such as construction materials and hotel furnishing. With over 150 rooms, hotels can tap into even bigger incentives. “I don’t have all the details of what is in the offering and tomorrow [today] we may hear more and get more details on that,” he said. Like those aforementioned, he said that interest in Guyana remains high despite the pandemic and Guyana will, without a doubt, benefit from high investor interest due to its successful oil and gas sector. He said: “There are probably about five to six hotels that are in the making. Some of them were awaiting the political situation, some of them it was because of COVID, some of them were looking for the right location but there are quite a few in the making…I don’t think you’ll see anyone turning away their interest in Guyana any time soon.” Guyana’s 2020 Budget, delayed as a result of the March 2 Elections, will be presented today at the second sitting of the 12th Parliament by the Minister with responsibility for Finance.

Motorcyclist dies in accident SEON Bacchus, 22, of Levi Dam, Plantation Mount Sinai, New Amsterdam, succumbed to head injuries after he lost control of the motorcycle he was riding along the Stanleytown Public road, in New Amsterdam, at around 01:10hrs on Tuesday.

Officer-in-Charge of Regional Traffic, Deputy Superintendent, Timothy Williams, confirmed Bacchus’ death. He was riding motorcycle CK 1142 at a fast rate of speed when he met his demise. Prior to the incident, Bacchus was hanging out with friends, when he left to take

“a spin”. Moments after take off, he lost control of the bike as he was negotiating a right turn in the vicinity of Lot 58 Stanleytown. As a result, the bike was flung on to the eastern grass parapet while Bacchus landed on the asphalt road surface

before catapulting on a bridge where he received injuries mainly to the head. The unresponsive youth was picked up by the police and taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital where his death was confirmed. Williams told the Guyana Chronicle that Bacchus’ helmet was not

strapped at the time of the accident; however, the bike which is owned by Dorwin Yannik is lodged at Central Police Station. The body is currently at the Arokium Funeral Home awaiting a post mortem. Police are investigating the incident.

Dead: Seon Bacchus

Several fires extinguished in New Amsterdam

QUICK response by members of the Guyana Police Force and Guyana Fire Service resulted in the quelling of fires deliberately set along the two main

thoroughfares of New Amsterdam. Around 19:00hrs, unknown persons started a fire at Main and Shoe Lane, an act which seems to copycat

similar scenes occurring across other locations in the Berbice region. Following reports of a fire at Main and Shoe Lane, firefighters were mobilised

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

One of several fires that were set but quickly extinguished by firefighters and they quickly extinguished the flames which damaged the road surface. While they were doing so, a report of a fire at Republic Road in the vicinity of National Insurance scheme surfaced. As a result, the ranks of the Guyana Police Force joined and efforts were made to apprehend the perpetrators. However, the unknown group moved to Main and Charles Place, in the vicinity of the area which once ‘accommodated’ the old New Amsterdam Hospital and another fire was set. It was during this period warning shots were fired and youths, including females were seen scampering through the cross streets. They were pursued

by ranks on foot but none was apprehended. However, an unconfirmed report stated that someone was shot and was taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital. Shortly after 20:00hrs, members of the Guyana Defence Force joined the police to maintain law and order. Meanwhile, onlookers, particularly the middle-aged and the elderly were overheard condemning the destructive actions, which can have a negative effect on all citizens. “When they damage the road, who will have to live with it....This town is a peaceful place and such acts must not be tolerated,” said Mayor Winifred Heywood in an invited comment.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

CONCACAF... CONTINUED FROM BACKPAGE

and Tobago on October 8, where they will kick-off their campaign against the Soca Warriors. Following their game in the Twin Island Republic Guyana will return home to play the Bahamas on Tuesday, October 13. On November 13, Guyana will travel to St Kitts and Nevis for their third game and then host Puerto Rico on November 17. Only recently, in a Chronicle Sport article, president of the Guyana Football Federation, Wayne Forde, said was worried that the current guidelines set by the country’s National COVID-19 Task Force, would’ve been a bugbear for the country’s preparation plans. GFF president had reasoned that while football in some parts of the world has returned under strict protocols by FIFA and the respective health officials, locally, it’s a contrasting story. However, while most of the Jaguars’ overseas-based players have returned to action in their respective leagues, locally, football has been at a stand-still since the pandemic in March, or, as the case of the GFF Elite League, since March of 2019. Forde noted that both the game’s global body, FIFA and the confederation of CONCACAF, are closely monitoring the situation for the participating countries, while revealing the GFF has been providing “constant update to them, so I’m sure in a matter of days we’ll be formally notified by the decisions of FIFA and CONCACAF that will help to mitigate what we anticipate a real problem, if we’re unable to prepare properly.” Guyana’s best performance at a FIFA World Cup qualifier tournament came in the run-up to the 2014 edition, where the Golden Jaguars had reached the penultimate round of the CONCACAF Zone.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

George, Clippers retake series edge over Nuggets

PAUL George scored 32 points and Kawhi Leonard added 23 as Los Angeles Clippers outlasted Denver Nuggets 113-107 on Monday to grab a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series near Orlando.

The Clippers trailed by as many as 12 in the first half but were able to move two victories away from a berth in the Western Conference finals. Leonard grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds and added a team-best

six assists. Nikola Jokic had 32 points 12 rebounds eight assists while Michael Porter Jr. added 18 points 10 rebounds off the bench for Nuggets. Jokic became the first player in Nuggets

history with 14 career playoff games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, who scored 50 points twice in the first round against Jazz, was held to 14 points on 5-of-17

Paul George scored 32 points for Los Angeles Clippers. shooting. However, he logged a game-high nine assists. The Clippers trailed 97-90 before going on an 8-0 run over a 1:28 stretch midway the final quarter to grab a 98-97 advantage. Los Angeles extended the run to 14-4, taking a 104-101 lead with 4:27 remaining on a step-back jumper by Leonard. When Lou Williams made a driving layup with 2:04 remaining, Clippers held a 109-103 advantage - their largest of the game to that point. George, whose shooting troubles in the playoffs have been well noted, went 12 of 18 from the field - including 5 of 7 from 3-point range. It was his second-highest scoring game of the playoffs after a 35-point outing in a Game 5 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the first round.

Marcus Morris Sr scored 12 points, Montrezl Harrell had 11 and Williams added 10 for the Clippers. Paul Millsap and Jerami Grant each had 11 points for Nuggets while Gary Harris had 10. Clippers got off to a better start in Game 3, taking a 3332 lead after one quarter after falling behind 44-25 after the first quarter of Game 2. George scored 10 points in the opening quarter Monday on 4-of-7 shooting. Nuggets went on a 19-7 run to take a 55-43 lead in the second quarter, but Clippers went into halftime on a 12-2 run to trail 59-57 at the break. George led all scorers at halftime with 17 points with Leonard contributing 14. Jokic also had 14 at the break for Denver. (Field Level Media)

Ramesh Sunich pays tribute to the late Bilal Haslim

THE sudden demise of prominent softball player Khalid ‘Bilal’ Haslim has sent shockwaves among fans both in Guyana and North America. Popular softball player and ardent supporter/ sponsor Ramesh Sunich, proprietor of Trophy Stall, said he’s devastated with the news that his long-standing friend Bilal had passed away, positing that “he had gone too soon”. Sunich told Chronicle Sport that he’s shocked and saddened to learn of the sudden death of the versatile softball cricketer. Sunich recalled meeting Haslim in 1994 when he was an Under-16 player. “At the time, I had formed a softball cricket team called Park Rangers who practised daily in the National Park. During the same period, Sunich explained he went to the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) in an effort to recruit some players. Former Guyana Under-19 cricketer and another popular softball player, Peter Persaud introduced him to Haslim and the two formed a bond that still existed until his passing last Friday. “I was impressed with him and under my wings, introduced him to softball cricket. I would even assist with paying the transportation costs for Haslim to attend practice.”

Khalid Bilal Haslim in happier times Among the other known players in Park Rangers during that period were former national players Paul Persaud, Neil McGarrell and Lennox Cush while former Guyana Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) Organising Secretary Royston Ramsarran was also an integral part of the team. Haslim became a key figure in Park Rangers lineup who won three Minor League competitions. “He was a fine player and loved the sport. During practice matches, Haslim would always open the bowling, and was also a good batsman. May he Rest in Peace!” The 41-year-old Haslim, who hails from Industry, East Coast Demerara, reportedly died from a heart attack last Friday morning, sending shockwaves among softball officials and players alike. The funeral for Haslim will take place tomorrow. Viewing will be held at the Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO) on Woolford Avenue from 12:00hrs to 13:00hrs. His remains will then be taken to Ogle Masjid for further viewing. Burial takes place at Ogle burial ground. (Frederick Halley)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Zouks crush the Warriors Bennett gets first Tour de France to reach first CPL final stage win, Roglic retains overall lead

THE Cinderella Kids of this year’s Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) produced a major upset last night when they defeated last year’s finalist the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the second semi-finals match of the tournament at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, San Fernando on Tuesday night. SCORES: Guyana Amazon Warriors 55 all out (13.4) versus the St. Lucia Zouks 56/0 (4.3) - Zouks won by 10 wickets and will now play the Trinbago Knight Riders in the final on Thursday. The TKR has earlier on Tuesday taken care of the Jamaica Tallawahs. Chasing just 56 runs for victory, the Zouks let loose the big hitter Rahkeem ‘Jimbo’ Cornwall and pocket dynamite Mark Deyal and they hammered the bowling to record the fastest completed chase in terms of balls to spare in an innings in the history of T20 franchise cricket. The chasing effort also tied for the 7th quickest chase in all Men’s T20 cricket. The Mumbai Indians used up only 5.3 overs to defeat the KKR in the very first season of IPL in 2008. Zouks did it six balls quicker. The previous fastest chase in CPL history was a target of 129 hunted down in just seven overs in 2017 by the Patriots. Cornwall finished with 32 not out off 17 balls with three sixes and two fours, while Deyal who had a brilliant all-round game scored 19 not out off 10 balls to add to his two wickets for two runs and a brilliant running catch to dismiss his cousin Nicolas Pooran. His effort landed the former TKR player the man of the match award. Earlier, inspirational skipper Daren Sammy won the toss and said: “After watching the first match and seeing rain possibly coming later on, ee want to restrict the Amazon Warriors to a low total and adjust our batting approach to the target. Well, this they did as

Scott Kuggeliejn ripped out the heart of their top order with successive balls in the first over. He removed Brandon King and Shimroin Hetmyer shouldered arms and saw the lights. At that point, there was no turning back and by the fourth over the top four willow men in King, Hetmyer, Pooran, and Ross Taylor were back in the hut probably avoiding manager Omar Khan. All the Zouks bowlers were on their top game and the Warriors just failed to record the lowest ever CPL score of 52, which was made by the Red Steel back in 2013. A beaming Sammy speaking after the match said: “The way our boys have played, to the Zouks fans, they’ve been begging for something like that. I told the guys in the dressing room, this is not what we came here for. We didn’t come here to celebrate a semi-final. Nobody really gave us a chance. The guys we have, we have effective guys. We don’t have guys in the top 5 or 10 in runs but we play as a team. It’s a massive effort to get to the finals with the players we have. We wanted to win the toss and bowl first and we got that right. If you notice the games being played here at 5:30 pm, all the games with the team batting in the first innings in the day have not scored 100. I don’t know if it’s the dew falling on the wicket that makes it difficult batting first but I told Rawl Lewis I have a feeling we’ll restrict them under 100. But I did not foresee 55. Credit must go to Scott (Kuggeliejn). That over getting two of the main batters outset the tone. And then (Muhammad) Nabi getting Pooran, to me he’s been the best batter of the tournament and for Deyal to take that catch, that’s the kind of performances you want in a door-die game.”(Extracted from Trinidad Guardian

By Julien Pretot ILE DE RE, France (Reuters) - Ireland’s Sam Bennett completed his set of Grand Tour victories when he prevailed in the 10th stage of the Tour de France yesterday. The Deceuninck-Quick Step rider, who already had three Giro d’Italia and two Vuelta stage wins to his name, narrowly outsprinted Australian Caleb Ewan and Slovakian Peter Sagan for his first win in cycling’s biggest event. “I’m in shock,” a tearful Bennett told Tour television afterwards. “I just want to thank the whole team ... everybody it took to get to here.” “Sorry - I don’t mean to be a cry-baby,” he added, wiping away tears. The result also meant the 29-year-old Bennett reclaims the green jersey for the points classification from triple world champion Sagan. Sagan is looking to win the jersey for a record-extending eighth time, while Bennett is hoping to become the first Irishman to take the points classification since Sean Kelly in 1989. All 22 teams set off after every rider tested negative for coronavirus on Monday’s rest day, with deputy race director Francois Lemarchand waving the flag for racing to commence in place of his boss Christian Prudhomme, who it emerged had tested positive. French health authorities and organisers Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) have said that should two members of a team, riders or staff, test positive for the coronavirus the whole outfit will be kicked out of the race. The International Cycling Union (UCI) and the organisers said that one staff member each from French outfits Cofidis and AG2R-La Mondiale, Britain’s Team Ineos-Grenadiers and Australia’s Mitchelton-Scott contracted the virus. On a route peppered with traffic islands and roundabouts, several crashes occurred, with France’s Guillaume Martin, third overall, and one

Deceuninck-Quick Step rider Sam Bennett of Ireland wins Stage 10 - Ile d’Oleron to Ile de Re in France. (Pool via REUTERS/Kenzo Tribouillard)

of the main contenders, Slovenian Tadej Pogacar,

being involved in a pile-up 65km from the line.

They both made it back to the main bunch.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Cuban coach’s return a priority, says GBA boss THE Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) will be aiming for return of Cuban boxing coach Francisco Roldan to Guyana. President of the association, Steve Ninvalle, said that the Cuban’s return is one of four priority areas for GBA while he was in discussion with the recently installed government of Guyana. The 53-year-old Roldan was first brought to Guyana in 2012 by the PPP/C government to assist in the development of local pugilists. His sojourn had a tremendous impact and he was credited with pushing this country to the top of the Caribbean ladder. However, his contract was abruptly terminated in 2015, soon after the APNU/ AFC government came to

GBA president Steve Ninvalle

office. However, last year February, through a developmental initiative forged by a partnership between GBA and Guyana Olympic Association (GOA), Roldan

returned to Guyana to work with the locals for approximately six months. The Olympic Association had exclusively footed the bill for Roldan’s stay in Guyana.

Cuban boxing coach Francisco Roldan

He was then primarily tasked with preparing the country’s boxers for the Pan American Championship. In his first stint in Guyana, Roldan was responsible

for preparing fighters for the Commonwealth Games, the World Championships, the South American Youth Games and Pan Am Qualifiers.

“We have already placed on the table that Mr. Roldan’s return is of high priority to our association. Our intention is to work with the government and any other stakeholder to make this a reality,” Ninvalle said. Roldan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Culture and Recreation and in Boxing the High Performance Sports. While here, he was primarily supported by AIBA Three Star coaches Terrence Poole MS and Sebert Blake. Boxing has won Guyana its lone Olympic medal. Michael Parris captured a bronze medal at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow which remains the only Olympic boxing medal won by the English- speaking Caribbean.

Hosein, Simmons sparkle as TKR crush Tallawahs to reach CPL final

TAROUBA, Trinidad (CMC) – Unbeaten Trinbago Knight Riders swept into tomorrow’s final of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) after ruthlessly disposing of an erratic Jamaica Tallawahs by nine wickets in the first semi-final here yesterday. Akeal Hosein laid the platform for TKR’s 11th straight win when he snatched three for 14 with his left-arm spin to restrict Tallawahs to a meagre 107 for seven off their 20 overs. Opener Lendl Simmons then stroked an unbeaten 54 and Tion Webster, 44 not out, as TKR chased down their target with five overs left. “Getting this far now is about the big picture which is

on tomorrow; so for us, we still have to try and keep it level,” TKR captain Kieron Pollard said afterwards. “We still have to try and enjoy our victory as we’ve been doing throughout the tournament but we still have to come in 48 hours and try to play a better game of cricket than we did today.” Sent in, Tallawahs lost Jermaine Blackwood to the fourth ball of the match without a run on the board, bowled by Hosein, as he missed a wild heave and when Glenn Phillips steered left-arm spinner Khary Pierre (2-29) to point in the next over, the innings was already in crisis at two for two. Hosein then quickly

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Answers in tomorrow’s issue

knocked over the promoted Mujeeb-ur-Rahman (0) and Asif Ali (4) to leave Tallawahs tottering on 25 for four before Nkrumah Bonner top-scored with 41 and captain Rovman Powell chipped in with 33, to salvage pride for their side. Bonner struck five fours in a 42-ball knock while Powell counted a four and a six off 35 deliveries, as the pair combined in a 38-run fifth wicket stand. Leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed broke the stand in the 12th over when he got Bonner to play on at 63 for five and with five runs

added, Tallawahs suffered a game-changing blow when Andre Russell was controversially given out by umpire Nigel Duguid, caught at slip for two off off-spinner Sunil Narine. A clearly upset Russell remonstrated angrily before storming off and TV replays confirmed the player’s reaction, showing the ball clearly striking only the pad before ballooning to Dwayne Bravo. With their talisman gone, Tallawahs’ hopes of a competitive total also disappeared and it was left to Powell and Carlos

Brathwaite (13 not out) to add 24 for the seventh wicket, before Powell holed out to deep midoff off Pierre at the end of the 18th over. “We lost four wickets in the power-play and the stats show when you lose four wickets in the power-play you usually end on a (losing) note,” Powell lamented. “There was a lot of inconsistency. The batters didn’t stand up all season and we asked our international batters to bat most of the overs and we just didn’t do that.”

The target was never going to seriously test TKR but when off-spinner Mujeeb bowled Narine for four in the second over with 14 runs on the board, Tallawahs began to dream. However, Simmons and Webster hastily dashed those hopes in a rollicking 97-run, unbroken second-wicket stand. Simmons faced 44 balls and struck half-dozen fours and two sixes while Webster’s 43-ball knock was laced with one six and half-a-dozen fours – the last two of which propelled TKR past their target.

Dates in history - Boxing coach Donald Allison

DONALD Allison was gunned down on September 8, 2005 a few months short of turning 42. Allison at the time was the coach at the Ricola Boxing Gym in Agricola. The gym turned out such boxers as Clive Atwell and Dexter `Chucky’ Wray. Allison was 26 years old and had lost one of seven fights when he met American Kenny Willis on December 8, 1989 in Brooklyn, New York. The Guyanese won the six-rounder by Unanimous Decision. In June of the same year the Guyanese suffered his first professional defeat when he lost to Puerto Rican Jake Rodriguez. Allison was down in the fourth round and even-

tually lost by Unanimous Decision at the end of six rounds. Rodrigues would move on to win the International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior welterweight title while Allison, who competed mostly in the USA, was crowned New York State junior welterweight champion in July 1990 following point victory over Jose Avila. In February 1991 Allison made an unsuccessful attempt to win the International Boxing Council (IBC) title. Then, he was defeated via Unanimous Decision by American Tony Martin. His career spanned six years during which time he secured 14 victories six losses one draw. After retiring from fighting, the

Former boxing coach Donald Allison

dreadlocked Allison returned to Guyana and opened the gym in Agricola.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, September 9, 2020

The evergreen Neil Danns accepts Liverpool FC Academy coaching role

By Ras Wadada

FORMER Liverpool FC Academy student and current professional player, English-born Neil Danns Jr, has been appointed U-13’s and U-14’s coach of the academy where he began his football nurturing at the tender age of 12. The soon-to-be 38-year-old Golden Jaguars player, who has over 500 professional games in England to his credit and 17 International appearances for Guyana, brings to the academy a wealth of experience across all levels of the `Beautiful Game’. Speaking exclusively to Chronicle Sport via WhatsApp recently, the Liverpool born-and-bred midfielder said that his duties will be part-time and he is looking forward to the opportunity to coach. “Coaching is something I have always been interested in. I got my coaching badges 3 years ago, so that when the time comes like now I am ready. “This opportunity at Liverpool has to do mainly with the fact that I came through the youth system there until I was 16 years and also my son plays for the academy so I

am always there watching my son at training and communicating with the coaches who thought it would be best for me to join the coaching staff in order to pass on my knowledge to the younger generation. “It is indeed a great opportunity for me since it does not interfere with my playing and I am really excited I must say,” Danns declared. “What makes this opportunity more special is that some of the coaches who helped me hone my talents there from 12 years old are still there and coaching my son. It is unbelievable to hear them calling my son the same name they used to call me; Yorkey or Dwightee in reference to Caribbean legend Dwight Yorke whom I admired so much as a youth. It’s amazing and it makes me proud.” Danns, who currently holds a UEFA `B’ Licence certificate is aiming to secure his `A’ Licence next summer and feels this is the ideal start to his coaching career. At the moment he has no immediate plans to quit playing although he admits in a couple of years’ time he will hang up his boots and go fulltime into coaching. “This involvement at the academy will give me good experi-

FLASHBACK! Guyana’s Neil Danns came in for high praise from media and fans at the Gold Cup. Danns accounted for all three of Guyana’s goals scored at the Gold Cup in 2019. (Samuel Maughn photo) ence and prepare me for full-time coaching. It is important to pass on whatever knowledge you have, so whenever I am in Guyana I sure will be sharing what I have learnt with coaches and players,” Danns assured. The youthful-looking golden jaguar explained that he will give four sessions of 2 hours each week and when he has an off-weekend from playing he will overlook the

Australia beat England by five wickets to regain T20 top ranking

(REUTERS) - Australia avoided a series whitewash as they survived a mid-innings wobble to beat England by five wickets in the third T20 international and regain their top-ranking in the sport’s shortest format on Tuesday. Having restricted England to 145 for 6 at Southampton they appeared to be cruising as they reached 70-1 off seven overs before three wickets for inspired spinner Adil Rashid slammed the brakes on their progress. But England’s fielding was ragged and they spilled several catches before Mitchell Marsh plundered 13 off paceman Mark Wood’s final over to ease Australian nerves and put them firmly back in the driving seat. In the end it was reasonably comfortable for Australia with Marsh striking the winning single off Chris Jordan with three balls left to finish unbeaten on 39. Jonny Bairstow had earlier top-scored for England with 55 in 44 balls. England won the series 2-1 and will now face Australia in three ODIs in Manchester, starting on Friday.

Australia had slipped to second in the ICC’s T20 rankings after falling 2-0 down in the series. Captain Aaron Finch said it was a relief to get a first win on the board since they returned from a long international hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially after throwing away the first match from a winning position. “We know where we messed up in the first game, we know where we could improve. We played good cricket but couldn’t finish it off, but tonight Mitch and Ashton (Agar) got us over the line,” he said. “It’s been great learning curve after a long lay-off.” England, captained by Moeen Ali for the first time with Eoin Morgan having a night off, laboured early on after Josh Hazlewood had Tom Banton caught behind in the second over. Bairstow initially struggled to middle anything and England were 33-1 after the six powerplay overs. Dawid Malan and Bairstow broke the shackles before Malan was out for 21, Marcus Stoinis taking a good

catch at deep mid-wicket off spinner Adam Zampa. Bairstow found his range with one huge slog-sweep six off Zampa but the spinner hit back to dismiss Sam Billings who gloved an attempted reverse sweep to Finch. Bairstow was caught and bowled by Agar after top-edging and Steve Smith then superbly caught Moeen on the deep mid-wicket boundary off the rapid bowling of Mitchell Starc. Opener Matthew Wade gave Australia a fast start and after he departed for 14, Stoinis continued the attack. Bairstow dropped a sitter off Finch before Stoinis fell to Curran for 26 off 18. Australia were in danger of imploding when Glenn Maxwell reverse swept Rashid to backward point and two balls later Rashid bowled Finch (39) through the gate with a ripper. Malan failed to even get a hand on a routine catch when Marsh edged Denly but Smith chipped one straight back to Rashid for a routine catch to leave Australia on 100-5. Marsh kept his cool though to guide Australia home.

games of the youths at the academy. Danns Jr got reconnected to his roots in Guyana, thanks to Guyana’s former captain Christopher Nurse and football agent Fizul Khan, who invited him to join the Golden Jaguars and without hesitation he responded in the affirmative. “My connection to Guyana is through my grandfather, Edmond Danns, who was born and raised in Linden as I found out. I am thankful also to one of my cousins in Guyana, Carwyn Holland, who gave me so much knowledge about my roots and where my grandfather was from. “He made me visit Linden and

I was able to see where my roots are on my father’s side and man, it was amazing. Unfortunately my grandfather died while my dad was young so I never had the chance to meet him. It was so fulfilling to finally get to Guyana and see exactly where my DNA was from and ever since I first came to Guyana I fell in love with the country and the people. It has given me some of the most amazing life experiences that I could have ever wished for; so to represent my grandfather and carry his name on my back when I am playing for Guyana is something very special. “It was such a special feeling, especially at the Gold Cup and there is no better way I could have honoured him, having never met him,” recalled the man who scored all 3 goals for Guyana at their debut appearance of the Gold Cup last year. Danns stated that it would be a dream come true, to one day coach the Golden Jaguars, “Maybe in the distant future I will be able one day to take up the role as head coach another dream of mine. “To be able to take up such a role would be something very, special as football continues to bless me with so much. I would love for that day when I will be able to lead out Guyana as head coach and more importantly pass on my experiences. “At the moment I think coach Maximo is doing an absolutely fantastic job with the National team and it’s a pleasure to be part of his plans

and what he is building”. The midfielder, whose professional career began in 2000, at the age of 18, has played over 500 games in England at various divisions from Premiership to League One and scored over 100 goals at central midfield, but his greatest moment was scoring for Guyana at the Gold Cup. “Scoring the penalty against Panama remains my greatest moment as a golden jaguar since it was Guyana’s first goal at a major International tournament. It is a moment I will cherish forever and it will live with me forever. I still watch the footage and every time I watch it I am filled with so much pride since I know most Guyanese watching the game live and on TV felt just as proud”. “Everything I do, I do to the best of my abilities, whether it’s playing football or raising my children. Everyone has got talent. It doesn’t matter if you are blessed with more talent, or less talent than anyone. The only thing that matters is that you push yourself into being the best that you can be. “When I am finished playing and go into coaching full-time I will have the same mentality and give it my all and if that is enough to get me into a job at the Championship or Premier level I would be grateful,” proclaimed the scorer of nine goals from 17 appearances as a Golden Jaguars player.

Mark Deyal, second from right, of St Lucia Zouks celebrates the dismissal of Chanderpaul Hemraj of Guyana Amazon Warriors during their Hero Caribbean Premier League semi-final match at Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, San Fernando, last night. (Photo by Randy Brooks - CPL T20/CPL T20 via Getty Images)

Zouks crush the Warriors to reach first CPL final PAGE

By Rawle Toney THE Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), announced on Tuesday, that their Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will not be played in the FIFA match windows of October or November 2020, and will instead begin with the first round in the FIFA match window of March 2021. In a release, the Confederation said the decision came following recent discussions with its member associations, FIFA and other stakeholders as they continue to plan for the resumption of its competitions across the region. The reason, CONCACAF stated, is because many parts of the region

FLASH BACK!USA’s Christian Pulisic (#10), about to make a move on Guyana’s Brandon Beresford during his side’s 4-0 win at the Allianz Stadium in Minnesota during the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. (Samuel Maughn photo)

qualifiers against Trinidad and Tobago, president of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Wayne Forde, said he’s worried, that the current guidelines set by the country’s National COVID-19 Task Force, will be a bugbear for the country’s preparation plans. “Absolutely nothing is taking place because nothing can take place until such time that we have the approval and the guidance and protocols from the Ministry of Health and the COVID-19 Task Force,” Forde said during an appearance on NCN’s Guyana Today TV show on Friday. The Golden Jaguars were drawn in Group F in the CONCACAF zone of the 2022 Qatar World Cup Qualifier, alongside Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts and Nevis, Puerto Rico and The Bahamas. According to CONCACAF’s schedule for their leg of the 2022 Qatar World Cup

CONCACAF shifts Qatar 2022 World Cup Qualifiers to March 2021

continue to have very challenging public health situations.

Additionally, several countries across the Confederation have travel restrictions and quarantine requirements,

which would make international football involving 30 national teams extremely difficult.

Guyana’s Golden Jaguars were drawn in Group F alongside Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts and Nevis, Puerto Rico

and The Bahamas. With just one month to go before Guyana kickoff their 2022 Qatar World Cup

qualifiers, the Golden Jaguars are set to travel to Trinidad

TURN TO PAGE 23

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WEDNESDAY,SEPTEMBER 9, 2020