Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_01_11_2020 by Guyana Chronicle

1st November, 2020

, No.106170

Plans on stream for new West Dem. four-lane highway

SEE PAGE 03

–– will open lands for housing, agriculture, tourism CXC, Tech. Voc students return to schools Nov. 9 13 PAGE

Bringing the dying back to life

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-- DeJonge talks about her family’s secret of healing snake bites with calabash & high wine

US approves sale of four Bell helicopters to Guyana

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One of the Bell 429 helicopters which was approved, by the United States, for purchase by Guyana

Prominent elections lawyer appointed to represent Lowenfield

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, November 1, 2020

Plans on stream for new West Dem. four-lane highway

–– will open lands for housing, agriculture, tourism

GOVERNMENT will, in a month’s time, start clearing a path from the site of the new Demerara Harbour Bridge on the West Bank of Demerara to Parika on the East Bank of Essequibo, as part of a broader plan to construct a new four-lane highway. It was reported, recently, that the country’s infrastructural transformation is expected to be catalysed by the construction of a new ‘fly-over’ Demerara Harbour Bridge which will stretch from Nandy Park on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) to La Grange on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD). The new four-lane highspan bridge, which is scheduled to be completed in three years after the commencement of work, will replace the existing structure which was built in 1976, over four decades ago. Testimony to the new bridge’s ability to catalyse infrastructural development is government’s plan to construct a new four-lane highway, which will not just reduce traffic congestion, but open lands for housing, agriculture and tourism. President Irfaan Ali, following an inspection of the path for the new road link on Saturday, said the highway will open thousands of acres of land for housing, massive

road project to conform to the loan available to execute the major works. The new fourlane East Coast-East Bank Linkage Project will extend from Ogle to Haags Bosch, rather than to Diamond.

President Irfaan Ali along with Prime Minister, Brigadier (rt’d) Mark Phillips; Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill and other officials examining what appears to be a map of the area (Office of the President photo)

agriculture and agro-related projects, and for tourism and other related activities. The President, during his inspection of the site, was accompanied by Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d), Mark Phillips; Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill; junior Public Works Minister, Deodat Indar; representatives of the Guyana Defence Force and other government officials. Included in the team were local experts who will, in effect, reduce the cost gov-

ernment would have incurred had it hired foreign consultants. The team toured every potential spot for the road alignment, stopping at all the intersections and bridges from Canal No.1 Polder, WBD, all the way to De Kinderen, West Coast Demerara. Based on what was observed, President Ali was confident that the entire stretch, all the way to Parika, will be graded within a month, as the team’s hope is to complete the project by the end of April, 2021.

Development will not stop there, said President Ali, adding that the road will clear a path for the construction of a road from Parika to Bartica, in Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni). The potential 56-kilometre road from Parika to Bartica is expected to run along the Del Conte Road on the East Bank of Essequibo to Monkey Jump and then to Bartica. Additionally, the government has already retailored the Ogle to Diamond bypass

mence on the construction and rehabilitation of roads in hundreds of communities; new infrastructure will be created; and there will be major developments in every

President Irfaan Ali engages the team during the inspection of the path for the new four-lane road link (Office of the President photo)

Progress, in a past report, said development is expected on all fronts in 2021, the year of investments and development. “What you will see next year is a flurry of development… there will be active work on the new Demerara Harbour Bridge, the new four-lane road, new hotels and the creation of 50,000 homes,” said the President, following a recent inspection of the site for the new harbour bridge. He said work will com-

sector. Additionally, private-sector investments are expected to increase, stretching from the construction of new shore bases to service the oil-andgas sector, to new office complexes and other private development projects. The President anticipates that with increased construction, there will be an increased demand for quarry and construction materials and labour.

GGDMA condemns illegal mining at Iwokrama

FOLLOWING the reports of illegal mining within the Iwokrama conservation, the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) has registered a strong condemnation of those illegal operations. The association, in a press release, called on the relevant authorities to remove the illegal miners who have been mining outside of the mining zone and in the protected area. “The GGDMA supports the rights of miners and will continue to advocate for miners’ rights but it will not tolerate, support, or encourage illegal mining. Everyone must respect the protected areas of Guyana and the re-

stricted zones,” the GGDMA release noted. In the week of October 16, 2020, Iwokrama staffers, along with full support from the Ministry of Natural Resources Corp of Wardens and the Guyana Police Force witnessed more intrusions of illegal mining operations. Their discovery came as a result of a planned programme of monitoring and enforcement. These operations, according to the Iwokrama International Research Centre, happened not only in the Iwokrama protected forest, but also in the one-kilometer buffer zone on the other side of the Siparuni River. These activities, the centre believes,

Illegal mining found within the buffer zone on the other side of Siparuni River

are being perpetuated by individuals taking advantage of the current restrictions and lockdown protocols established to combat the COVID-19 virus. Section 2 of the clause

titled “Control of the Programme Site” of the Iwokrama Act states: “Subject to section 6 (1), and notwithstanding anything in any other written law – (a) no mining, forestry

or other resources utilisation activity shall be carried out on the Programme Site by any person other than the Centre, except with the prior written permission of the Centre; and (b) no lease of land or permission to use land in the Programme Site shall be issued by any person other than the Centre, and all activities on the Programme Site shall be in accordance with regulations prescribed therefor under this Act. Section 3 of the Act prescribes penalties. Furthermore, the Association emphasised that it will continue to work alongside the mining authorities to help stem the scourge of illegal mining. Illegal mining de-

prives the country of revenue but also encourages some of the worst mining practices and illegal activities. Recently, the Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, said that there is evidence to support that Guyana’s gold, which may have been illegally mined, is being smuggled to neighbouring countries. So far, he said that one person was charged for illegal mining in Iwokrama. “We call on all miners to respect the mining regulations in place and to work with the authorities to help improve the industry. Illegal mining must end. Protected areas must be respected,” the GGDMA said.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, November 1, 2020

Prominent elections lawyer appointed to represent Lowenfield –– APNU-appointed GECOM Commissioner rails against decision

By Navendra Seoraj

On August 31, the A Partnership for National Unity

Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield

THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), by way of majority, has appointed one of the leading elections lawyers in the Caribbean, Senior Counsel Anthony Astaphan, to represent Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield in the elections petition case.

+ Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition, through its lawyer, Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde, filed the petition on behalf of Claudette Thorne, while on September 17, Attorney-at-Law Mayo Robertson filed documents on behalf of Heston Bostwick, who both want the High Court

to determine the legality of the elections, and the results

contested the elections, as it wants the High Court to can-

APNU-appointed GECOM Commissioner, Vincent Alexander

that led to the declaration, and allocation of seats in the National Assembly. The ‘Coalition’ had named several respondents, among them Lowenfield, Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo, as well as representatives of several political parties that

cel the polls and order fresh elections within 90 days. The case comes up again on November 24, 2020 for the preliminary hearing, and ahead of this, the Commission has appointed Astaphan to represent Lowenfield, a decision which did not sit well with APNU- appointed GECOM Commissioners. Astaphan practises in Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Lucia. He was made Senior Counsel by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in 1999, and is the former President of the Bar Association of Dominica. The decision to appoint him was made during a meeting of the Commission, on

October 27, said APNU-appointed Commissioner, Vin-

PPP/C-appointed Commissioner, Sase Gunraj told the

Senior Counsel Anthony Astaphan

cent Alexander during a virtual press briefing on Saturday. Alexander said the commissioners, at a prior meeting, had agreed that the Commission would appoint a battery of lawyers following nominations from the CEO and commissioners representing both political parties. But, in his estimation, this process was not followed. Alexander is upset at the fact that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)appointed commissioners rejected the nomination of Senior Counsel Neil Boston to represent the Commission, as suggested by APNU-appointed Commissioner, Desmond Trotman. When contacted,

Sunday Chronicle that Boston was rejected because of positions he took in matters before the court, which sought to assail decisions adopted by the Commission during the five-month-long elections impasse. “I cannot understand; you have a lawyer who advocated against the decisions and the proposals of the Commission, and you want him to represent the Commission,” Gunraj lamented. Alexander however contended that Lowenfield was not allowed to make a nomination, nor was he allowed to be involved in the consultations. TURN TO PAGE

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, November 1, 2020

COVID-19 death toll moves to 126

- 19 new cases recorded TWO more persons, who tested positive for COVID-19, have lost their lives, bringing the total number of deaths to 126, while 19 new cases from 258 tests were recorded on Saturday, according to the Ministry of Health. The latest fatalities are a 48-year-old female identified as Bibi Khan from Vryheid’s

Lust, East Coast Demerara, and a 67-year man from Region One; both persons succumbed while receiving care a medical facility. Of the 19 new cases reported, there were 11 males and eight females; these cases were recorded in Regions One (four cases), Two (seven cases), Three (one case), Four (five cases) and 10 (two

cases). So far, 4,162 positive

Guyana and 3,228 persons

cases have been recorded in

have recovered.

Nine other persons are in the ministry’s COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), while 79 persons are in institutional quarantine. A further 716 persons are isolated at home. The government has further relaxed the curfew to 22:30 hours to 04:00 hours effective November 1, until November 30, 2020 unless earlier terminated, extended or amended by notice of the Minister of Public Health after an assessment of the

Prominent elections lawyer appointed to ... “It is highly procedurally incorrect for the CEO to be named to represent the Commission, and not to have been involved in the decision; the precedent has been, over the years, that the CEO be the one who engages the attorney,” Alexander reasoned, adding that this and other issues were raised by the APNU-appointed commissioners, but Chairperson of GECOM, Justice (rt’d) Claudette Singh agreed to the appointment of Astaphan. In response, Gunraj said the CEO is a “Creature of the Commission”, and as such he is subjected to its direction and control. “As a consequence, he has to obey the dictates of the Commission; if he does not want to do that, he could find his way out,” said the PPP/C-appointed GECOM commissioner. Gunraj contended that Astaphan’s appointment is conscionable, because the attorney is not connected to Guyana, and is an elections lawyer who has been

involved in multiple cases, even at the level of the United Kingdom (UK)’s Privy Council. The attorney’s qualification is, however, not a matter of concern for the APNU-appointed commissioners, but rather comments he’d made subsequent to Guyana’s March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections. Astaphan’s comments were related to a Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruling, which invalidated the June 22, 2020 ruling of Guyana’s Court of Appeal, along with the June 23 elections report submitted by Lowenfield, who had allegedly invalidated over 115,000 votes to hand victory at the polls to the APNU+AFC coalition, although the certified figures from the national vote recount showed a victory for the PPP/C. Lowenfield had said that he’d relied on the Court of Appeal’s ruling, which amounted to an interpretation that ‘more votes’ meant ‘more valid votes’. Astaphan had advised

that Lowenfield at that point had no other option but to comply with the ruling of the CCJ. The attorney had also said that Lowenfield’s actions had amounted to an affront to democracy in Guyana, and the Caribbean region by extension. Although being displeased with the decision to appoint Astaphan, Alexander agreed that the CEO, for all purposes, is represented by the Commission, and is not appearing in his personal capacity during the case. Alexander also relayed that the CEO had agreed to work with the decision of the Commission. Lowenfield and his Deputy Chief Elections Officer, Roxanne Myers, along with GECOM employees, Michelle Miller; Denise Bob-Cummings; Returning Officer for Region Four, Clairmont Mingo; Shefern February; and Information Technology Officer, Enrique Livan are currently facing several charges relating to electoral fraud and misconduct in public office.

They are all accused of inflating the results of Region Four, Guyana’s largest voting district, to give the APNU+AFC coalition a majority win at the March 2 polls, when in fact it was the PPP/C that had won

FROM PAGE

prevailing public health conditions of the pandemic. As per these measures, all persons are required to wear face masks when leaving their homes. Physically distancing and adequate sanitisation are also important. Persons with symptoms of COVID-19 are asked to call the COVID-19 hotline numbers 231-1166, 226-7480 or 180/181 for assistance.

by 15,000 more votes. The PPP/C emerged victorious in the aftermath of the fivemonth election impasse. According to Guyana’s laws, the validity of votes can be challenged only through an election pe-

tition, after the overall election result has been declared, and a Government is in place. At this point, an investigation will be done, and the case tried in court, based on the evidence presented.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 1, 2020

On peace and perseverance THE Irfaan Ali-led administration is determined to pursue peaceful means to conflict resolution and the perseverance of the government is seemingly bearing fruit. A recent visit to Buxton by Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, elicited an appreciation by the once-besieged village; and a productive engagement where developmental and restoration ideas were shared and promises made for the resuscitation of that community to its former glory days, making agriculture one of its main developmental planks. Increasingly fewer persons are heeding calls for protest actions against the monthsold government as Guyanese across all the divides are recognising that the current administration is strategising to create synergies to incrementally, as and when funds become available, enhance the quality of life of all the citizens of the land. Every Saturday AG Nandlall schedules, within a busy calendar, time to listen to the people’s concerns and problems and subse-

quently find solutions and/or proffer advice on the way forward for anyone seeking resolution to problems. Every human being aspires for a good, if not luxurious life for themselves and offspring; and the help and facilitation to better lives the government has promised is being delivered to every citizen – without fear or favour, even in the most remote regions. The reality of the current government’s determination to enhance the lives and lifestyles of every Guyanese citizen, with none left behind, is slowly beginning to be absorbed into the minds of the sceptics and the disbelieving; most of whom have been misled into believing allegations that have no merit against the leadership of the government. The nation is increasingly responding to the overtures of the administration, as is evident by the rapport shared by the Agriculture Minister and the residents of Buxton. Guyanese are above all a religious and gregarious people, united in times and things that matter; and nowhere is this more

evident than when we celebrate and observe our national holidays, when we share our gifts and delicacies with neighbours and friends – Diwali, Phagwah, Easter, Eid-ulAdha, Youman Nabi and Christmas -- are all celebrated on a national scale. All our religions have a common message of peace, love and God’s overarching love for the family of humanity. Government’s perseverance to achieving peace in the land is prevailing in the national landscape. If, as a nation, we reflect on the underlying messages that are the threadwork of each religion in Guyana and then decide on our focus for the future for ourselves as individuals; and also as responsible citizens of this nation, we would recognise that our foremost priority should be on the upward mobility of national developmental graphs. This could only be achieved and sustained if there is unity in the land; and a recognition that fighting between ourselves is retrograde at every level of individual and national development. In local parlance, ‘it takes two hands to

clap’, and while the government can make monies available and create synergies and policies for development, this cannot eventuate optimally if there is constant bickering in the National Assembly by national leaders and strategies formulated to impede the development momentum that will catalyse Guyana on a trajectory that will lead to faster and expanded economic growth and greater social development. Many Guyanese attend mosques, temples and churches during festive seasons. These occasions impel need for reflection on the spiritual aspect of these celebrations; and one wonders whether this customary attendance at houses of worship during these festivities are prompted by merely ritualistic adherence to the mores of tradition, a fashion parade, a social outing; or whether the actual spirit of each religious holiday will be observed with the solemn consideration of the uplifting connotations inherent in the observances of these significant holidays, or holy days.

Doesn’t this type of attitude smell of hypocrisy? ON Tuesday October 26, 2020, I noticed a post on social media indicating that Attorney General, Mr. Anil Nandlall and ANUG Chair, Mr. Timothy Jonas were appointed as Senior Counsel (SC) by the President. As Guyanese, including myself, started to offer their congratulations, my mind immediately flashed back to the case that Mr. Jonas has brought before the High Court challenging the legality of appointment of four SCs by President David Granger on the grounds that such authority exists with the High Court and not with the President. I immediately drew this apparent contradiction to readers, who produced several explanations, including the response that Mr. Jonas was moved to take such action because Mr. Granger was a Caretaker President and had no standing to make such an appointment. I insisted that was not the reason and sent a copy of the Stabroek News’ article on the case. On the following day, Mr. Jonas was congratulated by the GlobeSpan Moderator, Dr. Vishnu Bisram, who appeared puzzled when Mr. Jonas’ response reflected ambivalence over the appointment. While he

claimed that he was contacted before and agreed to accept a SC honor, he nevertheless conceded that was contingent upon the requisite approval by the Judiciary. In a letter to Stabroek News on October 30, 2020, Mr. Jonas sought to clarify his position. Mr. Jonas writes that the grant of silk (SC) which “used to be exercised by the Queen, has now in Guyana passed to the judiciary, and any involvement by the Executive is ceremonial, subject always to the imprimatur of the Judiciary.” He did not say when that authority was passed onto the Judiciary. He continues: “politicisation of the process and lack of transparency reduce public confidence, and cheapen the process itself.” The perception conveyed is that Mr. Jonas is committed to legal procedures, non-politicisation, and transparency, and that the process was politicised and not transparent. Whatever Mr. Jonas’s rationale, it could not mitigate his duplicity and effort to embarrass the government. Despite the fact that his appointment was made in consultation with the Judiciary (and Mr. Jonas himself says “the legal requirements identified by me had been met”), Mr.

Jonas was still skeptical and indicates that he will wait until a ruling is delivered in his case that is before the High Court. Mr Jonas also writes the Chancellor of the Judiciary requesting not to take any steps in convening the Full Court of the High Court to admit him into the “Inner Bar,” until his case is heard and determined. This sounds like hyprocrisy to me! Did Mr. Jonas’ purported appointment present an opportunity for him to highlight a role of moral gatekeeper of Guyanese politics? Was his action ethical having been assured that the appointment has the imprimatur of the Judiciary? Furthermore, when the David Granger’s list of the SCs was first announced with Mr Jonas’ name included, he did not object then to the process. It was only after his name was struck off the list by Attorney General, Basil Williams, that he decided to challenge the validity of the appointment of the SCs and chose to bring this case only after the PNC/R left office. Doesn’t this type of attitude smell of hypocrisy? Mr. Nandlall says in his Court submission that (i) the President, as the Supreme Executive Authority of Guyana, is vested

with the exclusive prerogative to confer Silk upon attorneys-at-law; (ii) the prerogative or power to confer Silk was never vested in the judiciary of Guyana; and (iii) the President’s prerogative to confer Silk does not infringe on judicial independence, nor is it unconstitutional in any other way. Even Mr Jonas’ lawyers suggest that the Judiciary might not have the power to confer silk upon any attorney-at-law. While Mr. Jonas still believes that the Judiciary has the authority to confer SC, and that the role of the Executive is ceremonial, Mr. Nandlall reminds us that the grant of all honors, including SC, is the prerogative of the President. A review of court filing document (020-HC-DEM-CIVFDA-627) reveals that Mr. Nandlall has produced several precedents to support his position that the President is the proper authority to confer SCs, as all other honours, while acknowledging that the consent of the High Court adds credibility to the occasion. Yours truly, Dr. Tara Singh

SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 1, 2020

Who will win US Presidency? Dear Editor,

BECAUSE I write voluminously on US events as related to the diasporas of Guyana, the Caribbean and India, I have been approached by groups and media in India and the Caribbean for my views on the outcome of the US elections. Guyanese, other Caribbean and Indian Americans have been querying me who will win the US Presidency in this coming Tuesday’s general elections? (America is divided by ethnicity with each group (hundreds of them) championing its own ethnic or diaspora or national interests. So it is not unusual for group members to rally around a candidate or party that they feel is best for them). Guyanese in Guyana and in other parts of the diaspora also contacted me for my view on the elections. Some also ask what is the implication of the outcome and which candidate is better for US-Guyana relations, US-Caribbean, and US-India relations? I appeared on several webinars over the last couple weeks to answer those questions. Although I studied political science and taught US politics for some 25 years, prior to which I taught international

relations, does not mean my views are ‘correct’. There is no correct view. It is only an informed viewpoint based on analysis or a study. In addition to the presidential contest, there are also elections to Congress and to statewide and local offices all over the US. One needs be informed that the President alone does not determine foreign policy. He makes, shapes, and guides foreign policy (FP). But Congress, the Senate in particular, also plays a major role in FP. Congress provides funding to the President to effect America’s foreign policy. Thus, those interested in US politics (elections) need to also pay attention to the Congressional contests. And one cannot give a non-partisan analysis without examining the issues and their significance in how people vote. Domestic issues also play a role in how people vote. The issues in the US elections centre on COVID-19 response, unemployment, ethnic relations, immigration, economy, foreign aid, international relations, criminal justice, healthcare, climate change, abortion, and gun policy, among others. In some matters, voters rank Trump as better equipped to handle them and in others Democratic challenger, Joe

Biden, gets the nod. Biden leads in Foreign Policy. A majority of Americans tell researchers that Foreign Policy is very important in this election. But so is the pocket book issue that is always very important in an election. People vote based on how well they do financially and who will put more money in their pockets as well as protect their community. And they are not doing financially well, no fault of incumbent Donald Trump, a Republican. COVID-19 has affected the economy. Trump may pay a hefty price for their shrinking pocket. How are Indo-Caribbeans (Indo-Guyanese) voting? There are no polls among Guyanese or Caribbean people. But based on my estimates of people I conversed with and interviewed, a surprising 25 per cent will vote for Trump. An opinion poll conducted among Indian Americans by a group of scholars revealed that some 28 per cent are voting for Trump. My own interaction among Indo-Caribbeans and Indian Americans finds that in this election, there is also a higher voter turnout among both groups than in previous elections. Afro-Guyanese and Afro-Caribbean turnout and voting trend is in line with that of Black Americans. Some 93 per cent are voting Biden.

I have not come across many Afro-Guyanese or Black Americans who say they are voting for Trump. But a significant number of evangelical Black Americans, as indeed most White evangelicals, are voting for Trump. The base of Trump’s support is White Americans. But he also gets a significant portion of Hispanic and Asian votes. Indian Americans who vote Trump do so because of threat of terror against India, lower taxation policy, and perceived threat posed to India by China and Pakistan. US and India have become very close partners under Trump to counter China’s threat in Asia and the Pacific, and Indian Americans as well as Indo-Guyanese feel Trump is best for US-India relations. (Many Guyanese do follow issues in their ancestral homeland, India). Indo-Guyanese who vote Trump say they do so because Republicans tend to protect democracy (free

and fair elections) in Guyana. They point to the Democrats ousting the PPP governments in 1964 and 2015 and Secretary Pompeo, a Republican, saving democracy in Guyana. I did an analysis of dozens of polls conducted on the elections. I objectively conclude that Biden will win a landslide in the electoral votes and also obtain majority of popular votes. The electoral votes matter. A candidate needs 270 of the 538 votes. Biden is projected to get over 300 votes. My analysis of the polls also finds that Democrats will capture the Senate and improve their hold on the House. I must confess that the polls were wrong in 2016 – showing a Trump defeat. So it is possible the polls could be wrong again. The contest in the swing or battleground states is close even though polls have Biden ahead. In terms of foreign policy implications for Guyana or the Caribbean or India, it would not

matter much whichever candidate prevails on Tuesday except for immigration policy. Biden will reverse the restriction of Trump on US immigration. He will probably also provide more development foreign aid to poor countries of the Caribbean and Africa. He will increase COVID-19 Assistance. But American investment, securing democracy, geo-strategic security interests would remain the same relating to Guyana, Caribbean and India. Guyana will remain under US watch geo-strategic interests vis-a-vis Venezuela. Separately, in Richmond Hill, Little Guyana, Jennifer Rajkumar is on the ballot for State Assembly. Guyanese and other American voters are urged to vote for her and for candidates they feel will best represent their concerns in government. Yours truly, Dr. Vishnu Bisram

8 SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 25, 2020

SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 1, 2020 11

Politics & Society Forum Dr. Ramharack’s analysis of My views on the Guyana Diaspora report Jung Bahadur Singh of Guyana

THE circulated report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a thinkNE tankisaffiliated centre struck by two in Washington, D.C, on “The fundamental factors Guyanawhen Diaspora” readingexpands the hisupon what most Guyanese toriography of East Indians have already known about (hereafter Indians) in British their migration. report Guiana betweenThe 1850 and has recycled old news 1950. First, the field in hasa crafted form. May I remind received enormous attenTeamnotably, CSIS that Guyanese tion, in recruitment, have been on the plantation move since transportation, the middle of thepost-indennineteenth experience, and century. Specifically, Guyture adjustment and accomanese have migrated from modation of Indians. rural urban areas, from Thetonarrative of the aforeGuyana to other Caribbean said themes has revealed the regions (intra-regional), from struggle and transformation Guyana to Europe and North of Indians from a sojourn to America (extra-regional), settlers in Guyana’s geographand from these and regions back ical, political, cultural to Guyana which (returnarguably, & translandscape, national). aThere is, of course, deserves canonical space

in the country’s academic domain. The second is the paucity of biographical studies on Indians. Except for Clem Seecharan’s study on Bechu, a radical indentured labourer, and a few other studies like that on Cheddi Jagan, there appear to be limited substantive studies on the biography of Indians emerging from the eighty years of indentured servitude. This is rather unfortunate. The omission or even the neglect of biographical studies generally alienates individual experiences from the larger historical legacy, downplays individual motivations and desires, sidelines meaningful

the in-migration of foreign nationals to Guyana. Some of these movements are still active, revealing consistent patindividual relationships, and terns. Migration is necessary promotes a false logic of hoto experience personal and mogeneity. It is within this familialthat growth and developcontext political scientist ment; migration has become Baytoram Ramharack’s book, synonymous a culture of Jung Bahadurwith Singh of Guymobility; and migration has ana (1886-1956): politician, transformed Guyana ship doctor, labour leaderfrom and an importer to an exporter protector of Indians, radiates of people sincefilling independence with brilliance, one vital in 1966. gap Theofbottom line is missing biographical that whenever and wherevanalysis in the historiography er Indians Guyanese choose to live of in Guyana. beyond their ofborder, they The thesis the book is are JB a product of migration, that Singh played a signifand by icant roleextension, in shaping branch British communities dubbed as The Guianese Indian society in Diaspora. Unfortunately, the the first five decades of the lack of specificities the twentieth century. Yet, in he has various stages of Guyanese remained an obscure figure in migration Indian has artificialised Guyanese historiography, often overshadowed by the better-known political leader, Cheddi Jagan. JB Singh was born in 1886 during indentured servitude but rose from that humble background to be a key player in British Guiana. He was a member of the colonial legislature, a medical doctor, a labour rights advocate, and a family man. JB Singh emerged when Indians were making a transition from indentured servitude to independent survival by combining as well as juxtaposing their ancestral customs with those of their new homeland of British Guiana. Indians were thinking about whether to stay

and lampooned the thought that the pasture on the other side is greener. The mere fact the CSIS hasorsuggested in British Guiana return to tapping into the Guyanese diIndia. The Indians who stayed asporatopunctuates the point began achieve some success ofbusiness success and among Guyanese in agriculture, but abroad. may be lack the they wereThat reeling from case for some Guyanese, and of rights, inadequate political so, we welcomepoor the report representation, health insofar untangling some care, andaslimited exposure to chimerical viewsJBofSingh Guyanese basic education. took migration. up the mantle of leadership for Team howevIndians inCSIS thoseclaims, areas without er, that “Guyana’s emigration renouncing his Indian identity. rateSingh is one of the that highest in JB believed it was the Hindu world, numbering about his Dharma, sacred 30,000toannually.” figure is duty, serve hisThis communia surprise. does not ty throughThe thereport British Guiprovide specificAssociation time frame. ana Easta Indian Until this report, empirical ev(B.G.E.I.A). idence reveals that the peak of Ramharack informs that Guyana’sJBemigration despite Singh’s occurred success in thepopularity 1980s when and in the the populaIndian community, he faced continuous challenges in the latter part of his life from the 1940s and early 1950s until he died in 1956. His main nemesis was Cheddi Jagan, a descendant of Indian indentured labourers and a medical doctor as well as someone who was clamouring and competing for the ideological leadership among Indians in British Guiana. Singh and Jagan “shared an ideological perspective and a political vision,” says Ramharack who argues, “that were located on the opposite ends of the political spectrum, very far apart and very difficult, given their personal and ideological persuasions” (p. 239).

tion decreased from 759,647 in 1980 to 723,673 in 1991, some 36,000 during the then SinghNational was a gradualist, People’s Congress believing that changes Brit(PNC) dictatorship. Thein Guyish Guiana should take(2012) evoana population census lutionary also showssteps that with sincethe theelites colat the helm, was lapse of thewhile PNCJagan in 1992, a Marxist revolutionary who the population has increased wanted radical changes based gradually to around 746,955 in on a the bottom-up approach 2012, most recent reliable favoringInthe working-class. figures. previous decades, With Singh’s electoralsome loss Guyana has achieved in 1953, his passing in 1956, levels of growth in healthcare, and the abandonment the infrastructure, education of which B.G.E.I.A, Jagan captivated are invariably different from the days Indian masses withwere his the when Guyanese charismainand revolutionary investing airline tickets and Marxistwith ideology. Singh’s voting their JB feet. It is legacy,tohowever, on as logical question lives that 30,000 an Indian are nationalist laid Guyanese leaving who annually the groundwork the social, since the report for premised this movement on the so oft-cited push-pull theory of migration. This theory explains that individuals are pushed out of their homeland by deteriorating conditions and pulled to overseas destinations for better livelihood opportunities. The pattern is in sync with the hierarchy of migration. The individuals from less-developed regions will move to developed do-

miciles, and not generally the other way around. However, as conditions improve in the political, andregions economic adpush-sending the need vancement of Indians emergto out-migrate will diminish. ing from the dehumanising The CSIS report espouses the and authoritarian of opposite, claiming structure that Guyana plantation toindenture. Ramcontinues face the brainharackdynamics advises that leaders in drain of migration search an action planindiand with theofflight of skilled a path towards a future that viduals and capital at the foreguarantees ethnicbe security and front. That might generative reconciliation might want to but not the predominant trend. examine the leadership dyTo rely merely on the brainnamicscharacteristics following the to abolition drain define of indentureship in 1920 with Guyanese migration discredits JB Singh at the millions core. Ramand effaces in harack’s rich, remittances senteye-opening by overseas account demonstrates that JB Guyanese to sustain Guyana. Singh belongs in might the pantheon Some Guyanese be ofof greatby Guyanese and Caribfended the myopic views bean activists and leaders. of their dedicated efforts and ask, why not see Guyanese migration as a fruitful brain exchange phenomenon between homeland and overseas? Shockingly, the brain exchange label is not even mentioned in the report. Yet, the report recommends that the government encourage the diaspora to invest in Guyana. If one is willing to forego that the report “has un-

Professor Lomarsh Roopnarine dertaken an in-depth study The study has unraveled ofthethe Guyanese and diaspora” complexities multiand that the authors “infaceted contexts so associated terviewed approximately 40 with the post-indenture periindividual members” withod amid tension, retention, out a clearly stated research assimilation, and merging design, then in there are a few of identities a conflict-hatakeaways. The most inbituated plantation society structive is that theand Guyana where race, class, idengovernment tity matter. should engage and JB partner with Guyanese Singh was in the overseas communimidst ofbranch these dynamics, ties in Guyanabut in not toasinvest a bystander, aastwo-way relationship. someone who was The acGuyana government tively involved in the has reacknowledged the report, structuring, reordering, promising to buildofupon the and reorganising British recommendations of CSIS. Guianese society. One must In the meanwhile, my mescommend and congratulate sage here is Ramharack not to roast for the Baytoram report but to reveal a loose this scholarship (lomarsh. and ongoing narrative about roopnarine@jsums.edu). Guyana’s past, present, and future since the discovery of oil and gas in 2015. Do you remember the New York Times’ controversial report on Guyana that generated mixed feelings across the land of many rivers? Well, this report is not far behind as an agent of a civilising mission (lomarsh.roopnarine@jsums.edu).

Why not donate a retired cruise liner to the Caribbean Region Dear editor,

“Among the ships being recycled at Aliaga, are three Carnival cruise liners — Inspiration, Imagination and Fantasy, which had just been refurbished in 2019. The world’s largest cruise company reported a loss of $2.9 billion in the quarter ending on August 31 and announced that it would remove 13 of its older, less efficient ships from its global fleet.” The above quote is from an article in Friday’s edition of the New York Times headlined, “Where Cruise Ships Are Sent To Die”. According to the article, a number of cruise lines are retiring ships as part of their reorganised busi-

ness models resulting from the Coronavirus pandemic which has negatively impacted the cruise industry. While most are the older vessels from among their fleets, others are recently refurbished. These ships are being sent to Turkey to be sold as scrap iron. These cruise ship companies have made billions over the years plying the Caribbean Sea and the exotic islands of the Caribbean. It shouldn’t be too difficult for one of the companies to donate a ship to the Caribbean Region through the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) to undertake intra-regional (among the countries of the region) travel and tourism. Promoting intra-regional tourism would certainly help to

strengthen regional integration at the people level. An intra-regional cruise tourism service would also help Caribbean people to learn more about their neighbours while affording them an opportunity for leisure and relaxation that may not be otherwise affordable. I call on CARICOM and other regional governments and the CTO to look into the possibility of my suggestion. Discussions could also be had with the US Government to offer the donor cruise line company a tax incentive for its donation which would offset the revenue it would have earned from a scrap metal sale. Regards, Wesley Kirton

SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 1, 2020

Understanding Energy - Guyana deploying more efficient technologies offshore

OIL companies are constantly investing in new technologies to make the exploration and development of oil-andgas reserves more efficient, more environmentally friendly, and cheaper. FPSOs are one example that’s particularly relevant for Guyana. These massive and technologically advanced vessels allow for the production of oil in more remote areas and in deeper waters than would have been economically possible in the past and will play a critical role in Guyana’s oil future. An FPSO, or a Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel, is a state-of-the-art oil –andgas production ship used in lieu of a stationary drilling and production platform. It’s equipped to produce, process, and store crude oil. The full well stream, which arrives at the ship directly from deep- water wells via flowlines and risers, is separated into crude, water and gas. The crude is treated and then stored on board. Crude cargoes are then periodically offloaded to shuttle tankers that deliver the oil to refineries.

Stabroek block in the next few years. Analysts at Rystad Energy predict that Guyana’s offshore blocks could require up to 10 FPSOs by 2030, with one new vessel added per year. That would represent more than 1 million barrels per day of oil production and a huge increase in government revenues. Guyana’s Liza Phase 1 project already includes the Liza Destiny, an FPSO that can produce up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day, with a storage capacity of 1.6 million barrels. Liza Phase 2 will host the Liza Unity, which is already under construction and is expected to be online in 2022 and is designed to produce up to 220,000 barrels of oil per day. And finally, the recently approved Payara project will be serviced by the Prosperity, which is expected to produce another 220,000 barrels per day and is expected to see first oil in 2024. Guyana’s newest FPSOs, Unity and Prosperity, will be equipped with the most efficient and advanced production and safety technologies currently available. Both are part of SBM Offshore’s “Fast4Ward Project,” which is an

The Liza field is planned to be developed in phases (Photo: Hess Corporation)

In addition to increased flexibility to operate in deeper waters, FPSOs also help reduce the environmental impacts of oil production. Modern FPSOs are designed to avoid routine flaring of natural gas and instead reinject that gas into the ground and use it for on-board power generation or export it via a pipeline to the shore. Produced water is treated and tested to comply with strict regulatory specifications before it is discharged overboard. Exxon and its partners in the Stabroek Block already have one FPSO in operation and are planning to bring two more online in the

international effort by the oilfield services contractor to reduce costs for companies and countries by standardising designs, increasing the lifespan of the hulls and raising storage capacity to up to 2.3 million barrels of oil. The Fast4Ward FPSOs also have a shorter build time, which allows projects to come on line sooner. The Prosperity will be designed in the style of the Liza Unity, now under construction, which incorporates the Fast4Ward programme’s updated and standardised technologies that aim to reduce emissions and completely eliminate

routine flaring. Although there has been some flaring in the Stabroek Block so far, this is unlikely to continue long term, except for flaring during process upsets. According to Morgan Bazilian, a Professor of Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines and a former lead energy specialist at the World Bank, flaring during project start-up and mechanical issues is both common and a crucial safety measure for offshore development. Updated technology could also unlock new opportunities for Guyana and its people. The natural gas produced offshore by FPSOs could facilitate a switch from heavy fuel oil to natural

gas for power generation. If key infrastructure such as pipelines and a new gas-burning power plant can be built, gas produced by FPSOs could provide Guyana with significantly cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy. A similar switch from high-emission coal to cleaner-burning natural gas in the U.S. has driven major reductions in the types of pollution that cause climate change. Cheaper energy could also create cascading positive impacts that would be felt across the country—increasing the ease of doing business in Guyana and reducing costs for households everywhere.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 1, 2020

The Science of COVID-19

COVID-19 and Children ...let’s not be complacent THE global experience with children in the current COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated a much milder illness, in this otherwise vulnerable population. The reason for this fortunate difference is open to scientific speculation. Chemicals (cytokines) are released by the body when exposed to an infection or injury. Adults have a much stronger immune system, often resulting in an exaggerated response (cytokine surge) to infections which can damage various organ systems including the lungs, the heart and the kidneys. It is believed that because of their immature immune system, children cannot mount this “cytokine surge,” resulting in milder disease. Despite this predominantly mild disease in children, we cannot be complacent since, they can be the potential carriers to the most vulnerable in our population. We also know that children with certain risk factors can be susceptible to moderate and severe symptoms with increased hospitalisation and deaths. Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is a new disease entity with a broad spectrum of clinical presentations predominantly seen in children. The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) announced this week that there was a significant increase in cases in children in the past two weeks in the United States. Whether this is a result of school openings is unclear, but it means that there are more kids who can potentially transmit the virus to the more vulnerable in the population. A number of studies have demonstrated that children with COVID-19 have more viral loads in their nasopharynx. However, there is no conclusive evidence that they are more of less contagious. Special precaution should be taken to avoid exposure to the elderly, such as grandparents. The symptoms of COVID-19 are similar in children and adults, but the frequency of the symptoms vary. Fever and cough are the predominant presenting symptoms, but vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, muscle pain, loss of smell and headaches can all be seen in isolation or concurrently. “COVID toes,” characterised by purple blisters on the distil parts of the toes have also been described. In a systematic review by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of 7,480 children, less than 18 years of age with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection, information about symptoms and severity was available for 1475. Among these, 15 percent of cases were asymptomatic, 42 percent were mild, 39 percent were moderate (example, clinical or radiographic evidence of pneumonia without hypoxemia), 2 percent were severe (example, dyspnea, central cyanosis, hypoxemia), and 0.7 percent were critical (example, acute respiratory distress syndrome, respiratory failure, shock). There were six deaths in the entire study population (0.08 percent). Risk factors for severe disease include but are not limited to obesity, diabetes and asthma. Since the disease is very mild in most cases, there is no specific treatment except supportive care. Appropriate isolation, contact tracing, handwashing and mask- wearing are the cornerstone to preventing the spread. Patients that meet hospitalisation criteria will often require oxygen, high flow or rarely mechanical ventilation. Dexamethasone is often used in moderate to severe cases and the antiviral drug remdesivir is available for emergency authorisation. Neither of these drugs has been well studied in the paediatric population. The author has used both of these drugs in two severe cases and both brought about full recovery. MIS-C is a rear, but increasingly recognised disease related to COVID- 19. It is similar to another illness termed

Kawasaki’s Disease (KD), which presents with some characteristic features, including persistent fever, conjunctivitis, lesions in the mouth, swollen glands, skin rash and dilatation of the blood vessels of the heart. There are, however, some significant differences to MIS-C. The symptoms generally begin three-four weeks after exposure or infection with COVID-19 (see Figure 1). The most common comorbidities are obesity and asthma and are seen in a disproportionate percentage of Black and Hispanic children. Figure 1: Time course of MIS-C in PCR-positive COVID-19 cases

This lag of three to four weeks suggests that the illness is likely a pos- infectious complication, since it coincides with the timing of the body acquiring immunity. Many patients have a negative PCR test but have circulating antibodies to COVID-19, confirming that this is not an acute infection. The mechanism by which this disease causes multisystem damage is under investigation (see Figure 2). This illness results in significant inflammation in many organs in the body, resulting in the release of certain proteins into the blood called inflammatory markers. Figure 2: Possible mechanisms of inflammatory processes for MIS-C

There are a number of such markers, but the most common ones measured are C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and procalcitonin. These tend to be extremely high, especially in the first subtype and are measured serially to gauge recovery. There appear to be three subtypes: 1. MIS-C without overlap with KD, or acute COVID-19 (35%) -- patents in this group have significant heart dysfunction and often present in shock. 2. MIS-C overlapping with acute COVID-19 (30%) -these patients have a pneumonia similar to that seen in adults. Most of these children have a positive PCR for COVID-19 and the mortality is much higher than the other two groups. 3. MIS-C overlapping with KD (35 %) -- many of these patients have a number of symptoms consistent with KD, without heart and lung involvement. The author has provided care for seven such in the paedi-

atric ICU in the US. All of them had varying involvement of the heart and most of them fell into subtype 1. None of them was PCR positive for COVID-19, but five had circulating antibodies suggesting recent infection. All seven had an elevation in troponin levels (proteins released into the blood when the heart is damaged) and varying degrees of heart failure as seen on echocardiogram. Five of them required medications (inotropes) to improve the function of the heart. All required oxygen and one required mechanical ventilation for severe shock and respiratory failure. For the successful treatment of these patients, it is crucial to recognise that the condition exists and be vigilant. The treatment consists of supportive care including close monitoring in an Intensive Care setting (providing oxygen to support the lungs and inotropes to support the function of the heart). Since this condition is thought to be an immune-mediated reaction to COVID-19, therapy is directed towards suppressing the exaggerated immune response using intravenous immune globulin (IVIG). This has been found to be very successful and full recovery of the heart function is seen in most cases. Dexamethasone is often utilised as part of the treatment protocol, especially in children with significant lung involvement. Clotting of the coronary arteries and other vessels has been described with KD and MIS-C and therefore low-dose aspirin is used prophylactically. Cases of MIS-C have been reported in low and middle-income countries (LMIC). Because of the lack of recourses, including IVIG, steroids are a cheaper and more readily available option. Their potential to induce broad immunosuppression might be hazardous in countries in which tuberculosis and HIV infection are highly prevalent and where diagnostic facilities (to exclude other types of infection) are scarce. Therefore, steroid use needs to be restricted to short-term courses in children who have been hospitalised with MIS-C and who are severely ill. We are very fortunate that the most vulnerable in our population, our children, have been relatively spared from COVID-19. Let us not forget that they can be potential carriers and, therefore, wearing masks, hand-washing and social distancing are crucial to preventing the spread of the virus. Parents and clinicians alike need to be aware that there is a group of high-risk children who are more susceptible to severe disease. In addition, MIS-C is a new entity and with the opening of schools and the potential increase in cases, we need to be vigilant for an increase in such cases in the next few months. Only incude PCR-positive cases in London, UK. Data taken from Public Health England. Figure courtesy of Alasdair Bamford and MyrsiniKaforou. MIS-C = multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. SARS-CoV-2 = severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Contributed by: Dr. Narendra C. Singh BSc, MB.BS, FRCPC, FAAP, FCCM, MSM, MBA, Hon LLD. Humber River Hospital Associate Clinical Professor McMaster University Canada This article is part of the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 public information and education programme

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, November 1, 2020

Bringing the dying back to life

–– Urlene DeJonge talks about family secret of healing snake bites with calabash and high wine By Jeune Vankeric BECOMING a traditional snake-bite healer was furthermost from the mind of Urlene DeJonge. Whenever her father-in-law had s snake-bite patients to attend to, she would take her fishing hook and go fishing at Ikura, on the Canje River. But one day, her now deceased father-in-law, Leland DeJonge, chose her from among his many daughters-inlaw to be taught the traditional way of healing snake bites. “Bebe, I got something to teach you; Dem tha know too much. I know de wuk, and dem want teach me. Dem can’t know a thing from me,” she recalled the elderly man telling her over 31 years ago. It was in 1989 that she had her first patient, and countless have since followed. Patients come from as far as Essequibo and within the Counties of Demerara and Berbice here in Guyana, and neighbouring Suriname. When a snake-bitte patient reaches DeJonge, she first lights and attaches a young “goobie (small calabash)” filled with ‘High Wine’ and other ingredients on the spot where the person was bitten, so as the venom can be drawn out and prevented from spreading to other parts of the body. “Immediate neutralisation of the circulating venom is most important,” DeJonge said, adding that certain bush medicines are also given to the patient, depending on the type of snake that had bitten them, which is ideally identified by the tell-tale bite-marks the serpent left behind. “Currently, a pregnant woman from Soesdyke, on the East Bank Demerara, who was bitten a ‘carpet labaria’, is being treated; I would travel to treat her,” the ‘medicine woman’ said, adding: “After she was bitten, she was hospitalised. However, she was not responding favourably to the treatment; the foot remained swollen and became infected, and the patient was unable to walk. I got my ‘goobie’ and high wine; I shake it, and I draw out the venom from the foot, after which I gave her some snake medicine (a mixture of herbs and other secret ingredients). I also took out the shell (of the snake’s fang, which has a look similar to the tooth of a ‘bangamary fish’) which was left in the foot.

Urlene DeJonge treating a young snake-bitte patient at her home in New Amsterdam, Berbice

A young calabash ‘cup’ draws out the venom from the foot of a snake-bite patient

Afterwards, the swelling subsided, and the patient is now able to walk.” As we speak, another patient from Ross Village, on the West Coast Berbice, is currently undergoing treatment, after being bitten by a rattlesnake. IDENTIFYING SNAKES BY THEIR BITE “My father-in-law taught me how to identify snakes and their bites,” DeJonge said. “I also learnt the difference between the male and female bites. And according to the measuring, we will know if it is a ‘labaria’ and the type, as there are several species, or if it is a ‘bush master’ or a rattlesnake,” she related to this newspaper. DeJonge observed that persons who reside in lower flats within the East Canje and Corentyne areas frequently have encounters with the labaria. “Around washing sinks, some persons are bitten because of the way they dispose of their kitchen waste, which sometimes encourages rats, which, in turn, are prey for the labarias,” she noted. There are other snakes which are also venomous, such as the “Imarally”, which is found primarily in the Berbice River. “My father-in-law told me how to treat that snake

years old. Some who were living far distances had to be accommodated at the DeJonge residence in New Amsterdam. “It’s easier to treat a child; all I need is toys as a distraction. But the adults! Oh my! They are generally fearful; they lose consciousness! Some have to bite towels

The patient’s foot after the venom has been drawn out of it

bite; the patient has to go over ‘Bobby cut (smoke)’ for 40 days and 40 nights, because when that snake bites, it loosens your flesh,” the swnakebite expert said, adding: “But my husband, Lindon, he advised me to double the anti-venom dose; and after I did so, it helped the patient. The venom of the ‘Imarally’ travels very fast to the heart, so treatment must be quick; the venom must be kept below the heart, and persons must avoid drinking water for

two days or so, as the poison circulates faster around the body. Juice or milk should be used instead. TREATMENT “If I am contacted minutes after a snake- bite, then the patient will just have to undergo two treatments; but if it is over a day, then the treatment is doubled.” Over the years, the traditional healer said, besides adults, she has had to treat children as young as three

or even bite me or persons assisting,” she recalled with a giggle. She advised that there are several ways to avoid being bitten by a snake, which includes having a rattle snake ‘pin’ in one’s pocket (which will rattle whenever a snake is around), or having a ‘snake cut’, which is three small incisions made at the various joints and applying a snake powder. Following this application, the subject cannot bathe for three days. And to maintain its potency, nothing that ‘flakes’ can be used; neither can one use a calabash or be beaten with a broom. And while a ‘snake cut’ may last forever, it sometimes has to be renewed. DeJonge is grateful to her father-in-law for entrusting her with his knowledge to treat patients in the traditional way, which has afforded her a better life, and beautiful home for the seven of her eight children who are still alive. She is currently teaching four of them the family secret. “If you like talk; you can’t learn,” she said, when asked why she is not passing on the knowledge to all of them.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, November 1, 2020

First Lady lobbies for employment opportunities for differently-abled persons

First Lady, Mrs Arya Ali and officials of the company tour the facility

First Lady, Mrs Arya Ali (center) engages the company’s General Manager, Sean Hill (right) and Corporate Secretary, Yolander Persaud (left)

FIRST LADY, Mrs Arya Ali, on Friday last, toured Guyana Shore Base Inc.’s (GYSBI) facility at Houston, on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD), in an effort to better understand the work of some stakeholders in the oil and gas sector. She used the opportunity to lobby the company’s General Manager to examine the possibility of hiring differently-abled persons. The First Lady recently procured a list of differently-abled persons who are seeking employment, and has been pushing for private companies to employ some of these persons. Mrs Ali is of the view that Guyana’s development is being accelerated partly because of its emerging oil and gas sector, and for this reason Guyanese must familiarise themselves with the work of these companies, a press release from her office noted on Saturday. According to the Office of the First Lady, GYSBI provides specialised shore base management and integrated logistics services for operators in Guyana’s Petroleum Industry. Prior to the tour of the facility, the First Lady met with the company’s General Manager, Sean Hill, and Corporate Secretary, Yolander Persaud, who provided an

overview of the work being done at the facility. During that presentation, the First Lady questioned the company about its commitment to environmental regulations and local content. Mr. Hill explained that GYSBI honours its obligations to protect the environment and reduce its carbon footprints. He also disclosed that 94% of GYSBI staff are Guyanese, and in the coming months, more Guyanese will be employed at the company. According to the release, the First Lady used the opportunity to lobby the company’s General Manager to examine the possibility of hiring differently-abled persons. Mr. Hill and Ms. Persaud both committed to examining the list of differently-abled persons, and where the possibility exists, to employ some of them. The First Lady was also able to get the company to commit to adopting an orphanage, in keeping with its corporate social responsibility. The Office of the First Lady will launch a pilot project in December which aims to get private companies to adopt an orphanage. The idea of the initiative is to ensure that these orphanages are adequately funded to care for the children who reside there, and to compensate the staff.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, November 1, 2020

CXC, Tech. Voc students return to schools Nov. 9

–– move to counter views on learning loss, lifelong damage By Vishani Ragobeer MORE than 20,000 students who are expected to write examinations with the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) and those who require facilities for technical learning will be returning to schools from November 9. At a press conference held at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) on Saturday, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, related that schools will be reopened for face-to-face engagement for students in Grades 10 (Fourth Form), 11 (Fifth Form) and 12 (Sixth Form) from November 9. These students will be writing the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Examinations and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE). Additionally, all practical instructional and technical vocational education centres will be reopened simultaneously. The various dorms which house students are being prepared and will be reopened to facilitate the students who will be returning to schools. Due to the unusual circumstances presented by the current COVID-19 pandemic, schools have been closed for physical engagement since March. Since then, the Education Ministry has been trying to facilitate learning through the use of broadcast media, the internet and worksheets. The Minister highlighted, “We remain sure, however, that nothing we do will match the effectiveness or the value of a teacher in front of a classroom in face-to-face engagements.” According to the recent gazetted measures in the COVID-19 Emergency Measures (No. 11), schools have been given the ‘greenlight’ to reopen. In addition to complying with mandatory measures listed in the notice, schools will also have to comply with any guidelines or instructions issued by the Ministry; these are aimed at preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. PRECAUTIONS On Saturday, the Education Minister said that that decision to reopen schools emerged out of extensive discussions between many stakeholders including parents, teachers, the health authorities, the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) and the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC). Additionally, she assured that the decision was also informed by statistics, global best practices and cognisance of the Guyanese reality. To ensure that safety is assured, an assessment of schools’ readiness was done in collaboration with the GTU. Following this assessment,

the Ministry has been preparing schools; this preparation encompasses installing sinks, ensuring restroom facilities are up-to-par, ensuring there is adequate ventilation, and ensuring the ability to physically distance students. Minister Manickchand emphasised that there will be regular temperature checks, frequent sanitisation and the provision of supplies such as masks and sanitisers for personal safety. The reopening of schools may involve an adjusted school week, an extended school term and class rotation but Minister Manickchand noted that the schools’ administration will be responsible for that novel structure and crafting their own timetables. Also, teachers of the other grades will be tasked with supporting their colleagues who will be teaching the examination classes. Minister Manickchand also highlighted that teachers with younger children at home will be accommodated and supervised at schools. Students and teachers will not be required to get COVID-19 tests before returning to school. If a student or teacher does become infected with COVID-19 while engaging in face-to-face learning, Minister Manickchand said that the health authorities will be immediately contacted to take control of the situation. “What happens if someone is tested (positive) whether it is in a home or any place, there is contact tracing done and certain periods of quarantine that happens,” she explained, reminding that these are the standard actions being taken by the Ministry of Health while treating with COVID-19. LEARNING LOSS Importantly, Minister Manickchand disclosed that teachers, parents and CSEC and CAPE students themselves registered their concerns that they are not being engaged adequately to prepare them for their 2021 examinations. The CXC has not yet decided what form the examinations will take, though the regional body published an advertisement encouraging students to register for the May/June examination. “So worried are the students that we have received an alarming number of requests from students to repeat the year they feel they will lose if we continue to stay out of school. So worried were teachers that many have already returned to the classrooms for face-to-face teaching in all levels at various parts of the country,” the Education Minister said. Moreover, she said that international studies illustrate that there is a strong likeli-

hood of “learning loss” and a high possibility of “premature school leaving” which would be exacerbated the longer students stayed out of schools. “We are keenly aware that this will cause us to squander significant gains as a country but, more importantly, that this can easily result in lifelong and irreversible damage to the opportunities for all of our affected children

Students will get their temperature tested, and their hands sanitised as a precautionary measure, similar to when schools partially re-opened last June for NGSA

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, November 1, 2020

Alexander admits GECOM needs ‘fixing’ A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) appointed Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Commissioner, Vincent Alexander has admitted that there are aspects of the electoral body which need ‘fixing,’ but he still believes that the commission has time to discuss readiness for Local Government Elections (LGE). Those elections are constitutionally due next year, but it was reported that public trust in the commission has been diminished as a result of events that followed the March 2 general and regional elections. The protracted electoral process had “raised eyebrows” not just in Guyana, but internationally. President Irfaan Ali, last week, made it clear that the elections machinery at GECOM needs to be rectified before there is any move to

hold LGE. “I am not getting into Local Government Elections now….what we have to do is fix what is there first to ensure we have a system that is working, a system that we can trust, a system that is professional, and a system that operates in an unbiased manner, so that the people of our country can have confidence,” the Head of State had told reporters at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. The President emphasised that he is not saying no to holding LGE, but is merely acknowledging and highlighting the need to fix the electoral machinery. But when asked on Saturday whether he believed that GECOM “needs fixing”, Alexander said: “GECOM has always had things that need to be fixed and we went through the elections with-

out fixing those things…we always needed to fix the voters lists…people who have argued and insisted that we can go to the elections without the list, are saying things need to be fixed.” Recent calls for a new electoral register (voters list) and house-to-house registration came from Leader of the Opposition, Joseph Harmon. Harmon, in a statement, said there needs to be sufficient allocations for the urgent commencement of house-to-house registration to create a new electoral register. When asked about the request for house-to-house registration, Alexander said: “I am not sure about that request.” He, however, said GECOM is a constitutional body and it has a mandate derived from the constitution. The responsibility to

announce a date for LGE lies solely with the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development. When asked about GECOM’s ability to conduct those elections if called, Alexander said: “GECOM has not discussed the matter and I am quite sure GECOM has the capacity, given the time, to address the question of readiness for the prescribe date of elections.” People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) appointed GECOM Commissioner, Sase Gunraj, when contacted by the Sunday Chronicle, said the systems at GECOM have to be such that the stakeholders are comfortable before the country goes to another election. “We have seen the shenanigans and skullduggery which have been perpetuated against this nation subsequent

--but says commission has time to discuss readiness for Local Government Elections to the holding of the regional and general elections and, as a consequence, I would want to see those things fixed in a proper manner before we go to elections,” said Gunraj. Gunraj believes that the lack of confidence is not specific to the machinery, rather key officers of GECOM who have perpetuated ‘shenanigans.’ “As is publicly stated, there are certain inquiries which will be conducted into GECOM and its operations, and it is my hope that those inquiries will reveal where we went wrong and what steps can be taken to fix it to ensure that there is no reoccurrence of what obtained,” said the PPP/C-appointed Commissioner. President Ali had committed to reviewing the events related to the protracted electoral process and

launching an international Commission of Inquiry (CoI) to probe the weaknesses of the elections body. When asked about the status of the potential CoI, President Ali had said: “We have not named anyone as yet…there are many issues going on simultaneously in relation to the elections commission, so that team has not yet been identified…we have not named that team, but I have been engaging various international stakeholders.” The CoI is expected to help in identifying issues, challenges, weakness, opportunities and threats related to the electoral system and the machinery.

COVID-19 testing to be ramped up in Region Two MINISTER of Health Dr. Frank Anthony has disclosed that more ventilators and antigen tests will be dispatched to the regional hospitals in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) in an effort to increase COVID-19 testing in the region. Minister Anthony was at the time addressing frontline workers on Saturday at the Oscar Joseph Hospital at Charity, on the Essequibo Coast, where he noted that the decision was taken to increase testing since the figures are lower than expected in this region. As of October 31, Region

Two only had 73 known cases. "We might have a false sense of what the actual figures are; we need more tests to be carried out... Therefore, we are providing the region with more PCR tests,” Dr. Anthony said. Persons who are not showing symptoms of the deadly virus will also be tested, given the fact that more than half of Guyana’s over 4,000 cases are persons who are asymptomatic. The Health Minister said that there has been a rise in COVID-19 cases, particularly in Regions Four (Demerara-Mahaica); Three (Essequ-

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony and his team at the Oscar Joseph Hospital at Charity

ibo Islands-West Demerara); and One (Barima-Waini), and he is surprised that so far, the Pomeroon-Supenaam region has less than a 100.

He said the Ministry is working actively to ensure that there is adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for all frontline workers.

Meanwhile, Chairwoman of Region Two, Mrs. Vilma DeSilva thanked the Minister and his team for visiting the region, as

she pledged the support of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) towards the effective delivery of health services in the region.

American Airlines to resume Guyana flights from Monday AMERICAN Airlines will resume scheduled commercial flights to Guyana on Monday with six flights per week until November 17 and daily thereafter. This was confirmed by Director-General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, Lt. Col. (ret'd), Egbert Field Incoming passengers are being reminded that they must present a negative PCR COVID-19 result from a test that was taken within 72 hours of their travel. The Eureka Lab has the capacity for on-arrival testing and has expressed its readiness and availability to do so at the Cheddi Jagan Internatonal Airport (CJIA). American Airlines also requires travellers to provide confirmation of being COVID-19 free two weeks before travelling. “When you check in, you’ll be

asked to confirm you’ve been free of COVID-19 symptoms for the past 14 days. Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from getting sick,” the airline’s requirement noted. The airline also requires mandatory face coverings, except for children under two years old. “If you decline to wear one, you may be denied boarding and future travel on American [Airlines],” the airline warns. For those passengers with a negative test result within five to seven days, they will have to subject themselves to an additional test upon arrival in Guyana at the airport. The passengers will have to stand the cost for that test.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, November 1, 2020

New rice variety expected to boost production

–– Agri. Minister affirms that rice is priority for Guyana GYANA’S newest rice variety, GRDB16, has the potential to increase Guyana’s rice output significantly as the government looks towards using this crop to help ensure the country’s development. On Saturday, Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha officially launched GRDB16 at the Burma Rice Research Station in Mahaicony on the East Coast of Demerara. According to a release from the Ministry of Agriculture, this variety of rice has the potential to produce up to 60 bags per acre, which is equivalent to an average of nine tonnes per hectare. The GRDB16 has already demonstrated several qualities that have been desired by rice farmers for a number of years. At the launch, Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) Chief Scientist Dr. Mahendra Persaud said that with this new variety, Guyana’s rice-productivity levels will increase tremendously. According to the release, Dr. Persaud said that Guyana is part of a small group of rice producers which can produce over six tonnes per hectare “I would like to see our productivity increasing constantly, hopefully achieving seven tonnes per hectare in the coming years. This candidate variety that we are launching today has demonstrated a good partnership between the researcher and the farmer, because without the farmers we couldn’t have achieved the type of results that we have today,” Dr. Persaud said. He also spoke about the need for new varieties in order to improve the production levels of the farmers. According to him, there has been a 50 percent increase in productivity -- from four tonnes per hectare in 2005 to six tonnes per hectare in 2019 -- at the farm-level. This, he said, illustrates that farmers and the research station have been working adequately. Earlier in the month while the variety was still considered a candidate variety, Minister Mustapha along with a team from the Ministry and the Rice Board, visited one of the demonstration plots in Region Three to get a firsthand look at the performance of the variety while under cultivation. During that tour the ministry noted that the GRDB16

had the characteristics of a premium game-changing variety which maintained its greenness throughout the crop, didn’t lodge as fast as the other varieties and can come through standing water of up to nine inches. It was also noted that GRDB16 takes only 110 days to reach its maturity stage. For the past 15 years GRDB has been releasing new varieties of rice to farmers, each demonstrating improved characteristics over the previous one. To date, GRDB has released nine varieties, each variety having higher yields than previously released ones. Rice Producers Association representative Leakha Rambrich said that it is important for farmers to understand that while GRDB16 appears to have great potential, farmers must allow the variety to work its way up into the system. The ministry’s release said that farmers who attended the event all shared that they were eager to have seeds for this new variety to commence their first crop of 2021. One farmer, who reportedly travelled from Wakenaam, said that he was impressed with GRDB15 and after hearing about the qualities of this new variety, remains optimistic that this new variety will boost his production significantly. RICE IS NICE At the launch of GRBD16, Minister Mustapha emphasised that rice, and agriculture by extension, is important to Guyana’s development. “Rice remains a strategic part in government’s plan for prosperity. Given the annual contribution to Guyana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), we can see that you, the rice farmers are making a tremendous contribution to the development of our country, that which amounts to about $46.7B of foreign exchange in our country,” Minister Mustapha said. “The importance of this industry cannot be emphasised enough, and rest assured that the government will not in any way, shape or form turn away from the rice industry.” He also gave the assurance that the government will provide a favourable environment and grant special incentives for all investors in the rice industry. Transfer of technology, support for research and developing

Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha showing the newly launched GRDB16

working relationships are also priorities. TURN TO PAGE

Farmers and other stakeholders gathered at the launch of the GRDB’s new rice variety (Adrian Narine photos)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, November 1, 2020

Manickchand mulls sanctions for negligent CXC teachers

By Vishani Ragobeer FOLLOWING the discovery that grades for SchoolBased Assessments (SBAs) were not submitted by some public schools, Minister of Education, Priya Manick-

chand, highlighted that the ministry is considering sanctioning the teachers responsible. After the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations and Caribbean Advanced Profi-

ciency Examinations (CAPE) results were released on September 22, the ministry was not aware that the grades were not submitted, hence, she approached the examination body only to later find out that the grades awarded

by CXC were based on the performance it saw. Following a press conference on Saturday, the Minister was questioned whether the Ministry was exploring sanctions for those teachers who were negligent with

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand (Delano Williams photo)

their submissions. She said, “We are looking at it.” The discovery that some teachers did not send the SBA grades was a disappointing one with the potential to “change people’s lives”. It is for this reason, she posited, “We are taking a very, very firm look at it with a view to making sure that it doesn’t happen again.” Previously, it was reported that Minister Manickchand was unclear what was really done regarding the grades since they weren’t submitted. Regardless, she noted on Saturday that she has constantly engaged CXC to have a look at the SBAs and factor in the grades to ensure that students are not disadvantaged since they have done no wrong. “People are still hopeful that some of these things will be resolved but we haven’t been conclusively told by CXC as yet that they will absolutely not be resolved,” Minister Manickchand told reporters. The CXC’s report on the review of the examinations will be issued in about a week’s time. It was also reported that there were instances where partial information for the SBAs was submitted, resulting in students receiving

ungraded results. The Education Minister noted that, in some cases, there was a missing cover page or the absence of a score for the practical component of the SBA. “Once they determine that these things were done before the submission deadline, they were willing to look at it for us and that’s why they looked at it and sent back grades for those subjects,” she said. ANNOUNCEMENT OF RESULTS Given the fact that the discrepancies are being reviewed, the Education Ministry has not yet announced which students have gotten the most Grade One passes as yet. These students are usually considered to be the nation’s top performers, though a period permitting reviews is given. Usually, as well, after the Ministry’s announcement of the results and that review period, the CXC would recognise the regional top performers. “We thought it prudent this year for us to wait until CXC makes the announcement about who got what in which country, about who topped and those kinds of things,” Minister Manickchand highlighted.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, November 1, 2020

$4.5M road to connect two Amerindian communities

NEARLY 2,000 residents in the riverine village of Wakapau, Pomeroon-Supenaam (Region Two) stand to benefit from the construction of a $4.5 million road that will link two communities. Deputy Toshao, Mr. Lloyd Pereira, told the Department of Public Information(DPI) that the road will enhance the living standard of residents since there will be improved connectivity between Yarashima and Mabel Sandy communities. “It is quite a major kind of development that we are going to see in Wakapau… farmers are going to benefit as much as school children for getting from one point to the next,” the Deputy Toshao was quoted as saying by DPI. Mr. Pereira bemoaned the condition of the road. He said the previous administration provided little assistance and

residents were forced to pool their own resources to rehabilitate the road. However, those efforts were quickly overcome by the erosion caused by a nearby creek. “We had used some monies from the Presidential Grant some years ago. That was quite insufficient, but now that we have the $4.5 million, we are going to build on that,” Mr. Pereira said. The Deputy Toshao said Wakapau is satisfied that the Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali-led Government has, in a tangible manner, included the Amerindian people in the 2020 Emergency Budget. Additionally, members of Wakapau’s Village Council would be moving ahead, with Government’s assistance, to install solar panels on the Yarashima, Wakapau and Mora health posts. Those panels are ex-

‘Serve the communities’ - Commander Ramlakhan reminds ranks of their oath

Commander Ramlakhan and team ‘inspecting’ at a police station within the division.

COMMANDER of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Superintendent Jairam Ramlakhan, has urged ranks to leave their seats and get to know their communities as he encouraged them to remain professional in the execution of their duties. The Commander made this disclosure on Wednesday last, after he wrapped up several visits within the division. The inspection commenced on Tuesday last in the number one Sub-Division which covers Central, Sisters, Reliance and Lewis Manor Police Station/Outposts. It continued on Wednesday in the number two and three Sub-Divisions which cover Albion, Rose Hall, Whim, Mibicuri, Adventure, #62 and Springlands Police Stations/Outposts. “Remember the oath you took; be impartial in your enquiries and investigations. Our citizens rightly expect professional services and protection from us. Protect them from those who wish to do them harm and engage in crimi-

nal enterprises. Protect their homes, their schools and their businesses” the Commander emphasised. He further added: “During your spare time, open the Standing Orders, the Police Act Chapter 16:01, the Police Disciplinary Act Chapter 17:01 and read them. You will not only learn from them but they will make you a rounded policeman.” He also reminded ranks that Standing Order 12 speaks of appearance and conduct which he said should be high on the agenda of every law enforcement officer. Additionally, the Commander also instructed that weekly drills and instruction classes be held in keeping with the Force’s Standing Orders. Accompanying the Commander during the visits/ inspections were Superintendent Yonnett Stephen, Superintendent Karl Wilson and Assistant Superintendent Shreenarine Laljit, along with the division’s human resource officer, Woman Inspector A. Solomon.

Deputy Toshao of Wakapau Village, Mr. Lloyd Pereira (DPI photo)

pected to boost healthcare delivery for the far-flung communities.

A resident walking through Wakapau Village (DPI photo)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, November 1, 2020

US approves sale of four Bell helicopters to Guyana –– to conduct maritime surveillance, patrols, search-and-rescue THE US State Department has approved the possible foreign military sale of two Bell 412Epi and two Bell 429 helicopters to the Government of Guyana which will be used to conduct maritime

surveillance and patrol, search and rescue, interdiction; counter narcotic trafficking and transnational criminal organisations. According to the Defence Security Cooperation Agency,

the principal contractor will be Bell Helicopter Textron Incorporated (BHTI), Piney Flats, TN. The defence agency approved the sale with a future acquisition option of up to

US$256M. The sale is not finalised, as it depends on the final requirements of and acceptance by Guyana, says the Defence Security Cooperation Agency, which notified the US Congress on October 30.

Public Affairs Officer of the United States Embassy here, Violeta Talandis told reporters on Saturday that negotiations for the sale of the helicopters began last year under the previous administration. Meanwhile, Director General of Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (CCAA), Lt. Col. (ret’d) Egbert Field, told the Sunday Chronicle that the helicopters would assist Guyana in many ways, especially in the field of search and rescue. The four light helicopters will have unspecified customer-unique modifications. The sales package also includes two WESCAM MX-10 cameras, mission equipment, contractor-provided pilot and maintainer training, ground support equipment and spares. “Guyana will use the enhanced capability to strengthen its homeland defence; conduct maritime surveillance, patrol, and interdiction;

counter narcotic trafficking and transnational criminal organizations; deter regional threats; and support coalition partners overseas,” the Defence Security Cooperation Agency noted, adding, “Guyana will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.” The agency said there are no known offsets as part of the proposal. The Bell 412Epi has a range of 672km and is a modernised, four-bladed version of the UH-1 Huey utility helicopter. It is often used for police roles, as well as offshore oil rig worker and military troop transportation. The Bell 429 has a range of 41nm and is a four-bladed, twin-engined light utility helicopter. It is typically used for VIP transportation, medical evacuation, police roles, and offshore oil rig worker transportation.

Sunday, November 1, 2020 -- 04:00 HRS

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, November 1, 2020

Commander Watts 'resuscitates' - to host scout training, Leonora Police Ground athletics, gymkhana events POLICE Commander of Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Senior Superintendent, Errol Watts, is resuscitating the Leonora Police Ground in order to host developmental activities in the division, targetting scout training, athletics, activities for delinquent youths, and an eventual gymkhana. Commander told the Sunday Chronicle that the resuscitation efforts commenced Sunday last and are

Commander of Region Three, Senior Superintendent, Errol Watts

Deputy Commander, Superintendent Boodnarine Persaud addresses a gathering at the Parika Stelling

Work activity at the Leonora Police Ground

expected to be completed in 10 days. He explained that the preparation of the field is on the north of the division’s headquarters. He said that the ground was first prepared and fully maintained by retired Assistant Commissioner Ovid Glasgow. “This project will defi-

nitely see an enhanced physical environment,” Commander Watts said, adding, “This venue will be fully used and maintained. The young people, especially our athletes, will be provided with all opportunities to participate in a sports discipline of their choice and be exposed to coaching from regional sports liaison officers attached to the Ministry of Sports and Culture.” Further, the Commander noted that agricultural crops will be planted to secure the perimeter of the venue; the venue will be used to host fun days, competitive sports, police annual physical assessments drill competition, along with yoga events.

Bleachers will be constructed to accommodate patrons and youths who will be engaged in lectures and other forms of mentoring. Meanwhile, Deputy Commander, Superintendent Boodnarine Persaud, held several outreaches in the region to discuss issues pertinent to security as well as COVID-19 restrictions and protective measures. The Superintendent met with residents in several communities and discussed community-oriented policing, forming and resuscitating Community Policing Groups (CPG), helping youths through sports and education and team policing.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, November 1, 2020

Giftland to begin supplying GPL grid from today tem,” he explained. “We are going to have some of our operators spend about two weeks with them to give them a feel on operating the power system,” Mr. Phil added. The GPL Inc. will be paying Giftland Mall $35M per month for the supply of energy through a Power Purchase Agreement.

Manager of GPL’s System Control and Engineering Services, Mr. Deryck Phil

THE Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) will begin receiving a maximum five megawatts (MW) of power from the Giftland Mall on Sunday, according to Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Operations, Mr. Samaroo Ramtahal. Mr. Ramtahal said this initiative forms part of GPL’s efforts to provide more reliable energy to Guyanese. “We are working aggressively to bring on this five-megawatts of power to the GPL grid because of the generation capacity shortage that we have. From time to time we have reliability issues, so we are hoping that this five-megawatts [sic] would be on stream Sunday,” Mr Ramtahal was quoted as saying by the Department of Public Information (DPI) The 5MW of power will be added to GPL’s Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System. According to the DPI, Mr. Ramtahal added

that the company is training 12 operators of the Giftland Mall to ensure a smooth transition and operation of the system when up and running. “…We have a full team here to provide the training, dot the Is and cross the Ts, so that when we go live we have no issues or challenges,” the Deputy CEO said. Manager of GPL’s System Control and Engineering Services Mr. Deryck Phil conducted the training. Speaking on the importance of the training, he said that Giftland was like an island which supported itself, but when connected it will be “a different kettle of fish.” “You have a network of over 140 megawatts of power and they are just five megawatts. So, coming on to the network there will be a number of issues. They will have to be able to synchronise … their system with ours. They have to look at load flows; they have to understand the dynamics of the power sysFROM PAGE

New rice variety ... The release also stated that Director-General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Madanlall Ramraj, highlighted that Saturday’s achievement has put Guyana’s paddy and rice in a position where it is able to compete with other major rice-producing nations across the world. He encouraged the scientists to continue on their quest to deliver varieties that have a tolerance for soils that have moderate salt levels, among other things. Meanwhile, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) Country Representative in Guyana, Wilmot Garnett reportedly disclosed that the organisation has been working closely with the research

arm of the GRDB to develop a bio-fortified variety of rice, a first in Guyana and the Region. “Dr. Persaud and his team have done quite a bit of evaluation and so far we have some very good candidates. With the current pandemic, global health officials have been recommending that persons take their vitamin C and their Zinc. Now you can have it in your rice,” Mr. Garnett said. “We've seen where precision agriculture has become the new norm as Guyana continues to modernise its agriculture sector and certainly demonstrate leadership in the Region and elsewhere.”

Manager of GPL’s System Control and Engineering Services, Mr. Deryck Phil training Giftland Mall operators as the preparations move apace to boost power supply.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, November 1, 2020

Support bases needed for domestic violence victims

–– Commissioner Radzik THERE is need for the establishment of survivor support groups to offer victims of domestic violence a safe space, according to Women and Gender Equality Commissioner, Vanda Radzik. Radzik said such groups

will help victims to grow from their past abusive situations. “If there are more supportive bases for survivors, then their chances are increased for having a period of time, just like when they’re in the safe house;

survivors of gender-based violence or domestic violence that are within a community that can meet or speak … to give support and guidance from the position of having been a victim and survivor of domestic violence,” she said during a recent interview. It is Commissioner Radzik’s belief that sur-

vivors should be able to access financial aid or assistance that can be used to aid them in creating a sense of financial independence; to increase their self-esteem, and to help them care for their children. She explained that domestic violence is most prevalent among marginalised and vulnerable groups

Women and Gender Equality Commissioner, Vanda Radzik

of women. “Assistance should be offered to poor women; marginalised women and vulnerable women that don’t have the financial resources to move and easily break the cycle of abuse,” she expressed. Furthermore, it is also the belief of the Women and Gender Equality Commission that the government should utilise a large portion of the profit expected to be generated from the oil-andgas sector towards the development of the country’s human resources. According to the Indian Journal of Community Medicine, in an article titled, “Addressing Domestic Violence Against Women: An Unfinished Agenda”, domestic violence is defined

as the power misused by one adult in a relationship to control another. It is the establishment of control and fear in a relationship through violence and other forms of abuse. This violence can take the form of physical assault, psychological abuse, social abuse, financial abuse, or sexual assault. The frequency of the violence can be on and off, occasional or chronic. The article also notes that domestic violence is a global issue reaching across national boundaries as well as socio-economic, cultural, racial and class distinctions. This problem is not only widely dispersed geographically, but its incidence is also extensive, making it a typical and accepted behavior. Domestic violence is widespread; deeply ingrained, and has serious impacts on women's health and well-being. Its continued existence is morally indefensible; its cost to individuals, to health systems and to society is enormous, yet no other major problem of public health has been so widely ignored, and so little understood. Additionally, the 25th of November has been dedicated by the United Nations as the “International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women”.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, November 1, 2020

SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 1, 2020

Super sub Jota sends Liverpool top of the Premier League

Diogo Jota came off the bench to score the winner as Liverpool beat West Ham 2-1

(AFP)-Diogo Jota came off the bench to score the winner five minutes from time as Liverpool came from behind to beat West Ham 2-1 and move three points clear at the top of the Premier League on Saturday. Pablo Fornals took advantage of a depleted Liverpool defence to put the visitors in front early on, but just as against Sheffield United last weekend, Jurgen Klopp’s men fought back thanks to Jota’s flying start to his Liverpool career. Despite scoring against the Blades and Midtjylland in the Champions League in midweek, the Portuguese had to settle for a place on the bench. But after Mohamed Salah levelled from the penalty spot, Jota scored twice in quick succession after being introduced 20 minutes from time. Jota’s first effort was ruled out after a VAR review for a foul by Sadio Mane, but as they so often showed by scoring late winners in their romp to the title last season, Liverpool were not to be denied as the Portuguese fired home from Xherdan Shaqiri’s pass. Liverpool’s defensive

woes without the injured Virgil van Dijk continued as they have now conceded more goals than any other side in the Premier League this season. Nathaniel Phillips made his league debut for the champions at the heart of the defence with Joel Matip and Fabinho also out injured. But it was Liverpool’s other first-choice centre-back Joe Gomez who was at fault for the opening goal as his misplaced header went straight to Fornals, whose low shot found the bottom corner via the inside of the post. David Moyes’s men had been on an impressive unbeaten run in the Premier League, taking eight points from games against Wolves, Leicester, Tottenham and Manchester City over the past month. - Salah on target The visitors sat in doggedly to defend their lead, but lacked threat on the counter-attack to add to it without the injured Michail Antonio. And the Hammers gave Liverpool a route back into the game three minutes before half-time when Salah made the most of Arthur Masuaku’s

Harris and Pucovski ... three seasons due to mental health and concussion issues. The pair went to tea at 0 for 233, already having established a lead of 33, and then piled on 185 runs in the last session as South Australia wilted woefully. Pucovski gave a life on 119 when he was dropped at leg slip attempting to pull a short ball, but the pair were otherwise untroubled by a toothless Redbacks attack. Harris’ new alignment was tested as South Austra-

lia’s pacemen went around the wicket regularly and he passed with flying colours. He was well behind in the race for 200 midway through the last session but feasted in the last hour to beat Pucovski to the milestone. Pucovski was attacked briefly by some short stuff earlier in the day but, for the most part, looked impenetrable. His composure, placement, and timing were a feature throughout the day. He was unfortunate to be

challenge to win a penalty. The Egyptian smashed home his 14th consecutive successful spot-kick to bring the Reds level and ward off a potential first league defeat at Anfield since April 2017. Masuaku nearly made amends early in the second-half putting in a low cross for Fornals who could only shoot tamely into the arms of Alisson Becker. However, the vast majority of the action was still taking place in the West Ham half as Liverpool penned the visitors back. Klopp turned to Jota and Shaqiri for inspiration off the bench and the changes worked to perfection. Jota thought he had scored the winner earlier as he smashed home a loose ball after Mane clashed with Lukasz Fabianski and Angelo Ogbonna, but the goal was ruled out for a foul by the Senegalese. But the Portuguese did register his fourth goal in seven Liverpool appearances since joining from Wolves in September as he kept his head with a cool finish from Shaqiri’s brilliant pass to open up the mass ranks of West Ham defence. FROM PAGE 37

stuck one run shy of his second Shield double hundred but he looked content to bat for a week if necessary. Chadd Sayers was the only Redback to concede less than 3.5 runs per over as they failed to either contain or truly threaten the Victoria pair at any stage. They trail by 218 runs with two days to spare and will need a repeat of last week’s heroics against Tasmania to avoid defeat. (ESPN Cricinfo)

CONCACAF executive Howard McIntosh says that it is not financially possible to hold competitions in a biosecure environment in the region. He was speaking on Tuesday last at a University of the West Indies, Mona webinar hosted by the Faculty of Sport, which addressed the issue of bubbles as a means of holding sporting events to safeguard against the coronavirus. Va r i o u s c o m p e t i t i o n s worldwide have used the framework as a means to complete their respective tournaments and leagues which were either interrupted or cancelled because of the pandemic. “Having heard about the cost of West Indies cricket and the NBA, which is in millions of dollars, close to maybe billions, it can’t happen in our region because we just can’t afford it,” McIntosh said. Regional competitions have been postponed since March because of the pandemic. However, the C CONCACAF League has

restarted recently with frequent COVID-19 testing before matches and the format being changed for seeded teams to host single elimination games up to the quarter-final round. McIntosh said that having competitions in more controlled environments, with continuous testing, would be the direction going forward to restart football in the region, similar to how major European leagues operate. “The approach that we have taken, moving from the contained biosecure bubble is a contained environment with high-frequency testing. That is what is being used now in the English Premier League,” he said. Cricket has been one of the few sports that managed a sports bubble in the region. Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Director of Operations Michael Hall was also on the panel and said that just the costs of testing for all personnel for their recently concluded season ranged between US$150,000 to US$200,000 (just under J$22 million to $J29 million). He

said that to host such events, a commitment had to be made to take pay cuts across the board. “Everybody associated with the event was asked to take a 30 per cent cut in their normal remuneration,” Hall said. “It’s a sacrifice that we all agreed to make in order to project the CPL brand because well felt that to have our brand absent for an entire year would have been too damaging to the league commercially.” With the National Premier League tentatively set to start on November 14 in the absence of a bubble environment, McIntosh said that the focus would be on safeguarding players, given their limited resources to restart football regionally. “The question now is how to do it in a place like Jamaica, and in the Caribbean, to get those leagues started at a professional level without a biosecure bubble, and what can be done to ensure that we protect all the persons involved,” he said. (Reprinted from the Jamaica Gleaner)

Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird announce engagement

TWO-time World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe and WNBA basketball star Sue Bird have announced their engagement. Bird, 40, revealed the news by posting a picture on social mediaof Rapinoe, 35, kneeling and placing a ring on her left hand. The two Americans have been an item for more than three years.

Rapinoe won World Cups with the US team in 2015 and 2019 and the women’s Ballon d’Or in 2019, while Bird is a four-time Olympic gold medalist. Bird also recently won her fourth WNBA title with the Seattle Storm after missing all of the 2019 season because of a knee injury. Rapinoe has made head-

Holder seals victory ...

cameo from Holder, off just 10 balls and including three sixes, secured the win with 35 deliveries to spare. The victory means the Sunrisers climb up to fourth place on 12 points with just one round of fixtures in the round-robin stage remaining. However, they are only ahead of Kings Punjab XI, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders on run-rate with the race to make the play-offs set to go down to the wire. Josh Philippe had held together RCB’s innings with a composed knock, making 32 off 31 balls after Sandeep Sharma (2-20) had removed Devdutt Padikkal (5) and Kohli in quick succession. The Bangalore innings c o n t i n u e d t o s p l u t t e r, though, and when Philippe was caught off leg-spinner

Rashid Khan (1-24), any momentum was lost. Experienced duo Wriddhiman Saha (39) and Manish Pandey (26) had the Sunrisers coasting, both eventually falling to Yuzvendra Chahal (219). When Kane Williamson softly drove left-arm seamer Isuru Udana into the hands of Kohli with the score on 87-4, the Royal Challengers had a ray of hope. Yet Holder took any pressure off his team by clobbering sixes off Udana and Navdeep Saini, then hit the winning runs with another maximum off Chahal. HOLDER HOLDS HIS NERVE Disciplined spells at the start and end of Bangalore’s innings from the West Indies Test captain led to good bowling figures of 2-27, but it was the manner in which

lines globally for her strong opinions and committed campaigning for equal pay, an issue which led the US women’s team to file a lawsuit against its own federation. US presidential candidate Joe Biden was among those to congratulate the happy couple by tweeting a message saying: “Love will always win.”

FROM BACK PAGE Holder finished off the game with the bat that was more impressive. “I was positive with the bat and just set out to win the game, so it was pleasing,” Holder said in the post-match presentation ceremony. “Being a replacement here it is a while since I have played IPL cricket, so I’m just trying to make the most of it.” KOHLI SINKS TO SANDEEP AGAIN With 424 runs at an average of 53.00 in this year’s IPL heading into the match, there was an expectancy Kohli would again be the key for Bangalore. Instead, he was dismissed cheaply by a familiar face, Sandeep Sharma getting the India captain for the seventh time in the Twenty20 format.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 1, 2020

A history of Gayle’s six-hitting WHEN Chris Gayle tonked young Kartik Tyagi over the lengthy leg-side boundary for his seventh six of the night, for the Kings XI Punjab against the Rajasthan Royals, it took him up to an incredible 1000 career sixes in T20 cricket, the first to get to the mark. Already more than 3000 runs in front of Kieron Pollard when it comes to most runs in T20s, Gayle has – again – gone where no man has in the shortest format, stretching his lead at the top of the sixes’ chart to 311 by the time he finished up, with Pollard second at 690. “A thousand maximums – another record? Oh, man,” he joked when asked about the achievement on Star Sports. “I don’t know, I just have to give thanks. Have to give thanks for hitting it well at age 41. A lot of dedication and hard work has paid off over the years. Still here, still doing it, same way. Very grateful.”

Legend Lloyd wants Da Silva groomed as specialist opener ...Says move to carry only two opening batsmen to New Zealand could backfire BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — Iconic former West Indies Captain Clive Lloyd is concerned by the inclusion of only two specialist openers for the two-Test tour of New Zealand but believes uncapped Joshua Da Silva should be groomed to fill the crucial position. Owing to the brevity of the series, selectors opted for the opening pair of Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell but Lloyd said the move could backfire, especially if either batsman found themselves badly out of form. “We have to try and bat long and that’s the problem that we have,” said Lloyd who presided over the dominant Caribbean side of the late 1970s and 1980s. “This is the first time on any tour I know where we only have two openers, so if they’re failing who do you turn to? And I think it is a funny situation. “We have the guy Da Silva — I think he can act as an opener or groom him as an opener. He looked a good compact sort of player.” Lloyd’s comments on StarCom Radio’s The Mason and Guests cricket show come against the backdrop of the form of Brathwaite and

Campbell, both of whom have struggled in recent times. Brathwaite, the senior member of the partnership, averaged a paltry 12 from ten Tests prior to the England tour earlier this year during which he finally managed to carve out his first half-century in nearly two years. Campbell has managed only one half-century in 18 innings since making his debut last year January when England toured the Caribbean and averages just 25. The 22-year-old Da Silva, who is part of a six-man reserve group for the New Zealand series, was also a reserve for the tour of England where he shone in an inter-squad match at Manchester with an unbeaten hundred and half-century. He gathered 502 runs at an average of 50 for Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in the last regional first class season, scoring his maiden century batting at number five. Lloyd, who led West Indies to the capture of the first two World Cups in 1975 and 1979, said West Indies faced a difficult time against a welldrilled Black Caps side and would need to execute in all departments to come away

with a positive result. “They’re a well-disciplined side and it’s quite obvious they’ve done very well. The Captain Kane Williamson is quite an astute guy; they believe in the talent they have and they’re playing at home,” Lloyd pointed out. “So, it’s going to be difficult but you can never say [never]. Cricket, as they say in the old adage, is a game of great uncertainties. “You have to do well in all aspects of your game. We have to be fit enough, we have to take our catches.” West Indies left the Caribbean on Tuesday for New Zealand, where they will undergo two weeks of quarantine under the COVID-19 protocols before undertaking preparation in earnest for the series. The opening Test is set for Seddon Park in Hamilton from December 3-7, with the second Test carded for the historic Basic Reserve in Wellington starting four days later. A three-match Twenty20 International series starting November 27 will precede the Test tour and will be played in Auckland and Mount Maunganui.

SHEFFIELD SHIELD CRICKET

Harris and Pucovski smash records with huge opening stand

Here’s a look at Gayle’s incredible achievement, through numbers. 1001 – Sixes for Gayle in T20s. His first six came playing for Jamaica against Bermuda in the Stanford 20/20 in 2006. He has 1041 fours in the format too, just 40 more than his number of sixes. 349 – Number of sixes by Gayle in the IPL, which are the most by a batsman in any T20 league. He also has the most sixes in the CPL (162), Bangladesh Premier League (132) and T20 World Cup (60). 263 – Sixes by Gayle for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the most he has hit for a single team, followed by 124 for the Jamaica Tallawahs, and 105 sixes for West Indies (in T20Is). 61 – Sixes Gayle has hit against the Kings XI Punjab, his most against a single opposition. He has also smashed 84 sixes for Kings XI since he joined them in 2018. 135 – Sixes hit by Gayle in 2015, his most in a calendar year. He next best is 121 in 2012. Overall, he has hit 100-plus sixes in six different years – 2011 to 2017, barring 2014. 18 – Most sixes by Gayle in a T20 match, for the Rangpur Riders against the Dhaka Dynamites in the BPL final in 2017. He hit 17 sixes in his knock of 175* for the Royal Challengers in 2013. No other batsman has hit more than 16 sixes in a T20 match. 17 – Sixes for Gayle against Dwayne Bravo in T20s, his most against a single bowler. He has hit 12 sixes against Imran Tahir and 11 each against Piyush Chawla, Rashid Khan and Shahid Afridi. 18 – Number of times Gayle has hit ten or more sixes in a T20 match. No other batsman has done it more than three times – Evin Lewis, Andre Russell and Shreyas Iyer. (Cricinfo)

RECORDS were shattered at Glenelg Oval in Adelaide as Marcus Harris and Will Pucovski batted throughout the second day to set a new record for a Victoria Sheffield Shield opening stand with an unbroken pairing of 418 against South Australia. Harris reached his second Shield double century shortly before the close but Pucovski will sleep on 199 in his first first-class innings as an opening batsman with the pair sending significant reminders to the Australia selectors. It was just the fifth time in Shield history a duo had combined for a 400-run stand and the second-highest opening stand in Shield history. They need just 14 runs in the morning to move past Geoff Marsh and Mike Veletta’s first-wicket record of 431. Incidentally, new Victoria coach Chris Rogers sits third on the alltime partnership list. The pair cruised past Victoria’s previous highest Shef-

field Shield stand of 390, set by Julien Wiener and Jeff Moss in 1981. Harris and Pucovski now own the second-highest partnership for Victoria in first-class cricket, behind Ernie Mayne and Bill Ponsford’s stand of 456 set in 1923.

his technical set-up, cruising to his 14th first-class century just before tea, his fifth against South Australia. Pucovski reached his fifth Sheffield Shield century just an over later, having declared this week that he was in the best mental state of his

Marcus Harris and Will Pucovski celebrated centuries during an enormous opening partnership( Getty Images)

Harris, who has not played a Test match since he was dropped following the 2019 Ashes, was rewarded for some off-season work on

young career having regularly missed games over the last TURN TO PAGE 36

SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 1, 2020

Hakim Darul Khan –Essequibo’s most successful cricket administrator By Elroy Stephney IT has been over 30 years of selfless sacrifice and endurance that exemplified the outstanding contribution made by a champion administrator, Hakim Darul Khan, age 64 who resides in Henrietta on the Essequibo Coast. In an exclusive interview with Chronicle Sport, Khan expressed satisfaction with having made quite an impact in the administration of cricket in Essequibo. “I did it for the love of the game and to support our players in every regards” Khan humbly stated. The highly regarded personality has been a tower of strength to the sporting community in Region 2 and with a high degree of humility, he had crossed many hurdles with resounding success. Khan started his decorated career by forming the Gunners Sports Club in 1988 along with Colin Gordon, Joseph Livan and Mark Stephney. He was elected as president and led the Club to being one of the most successful in the history of Essequibo’s cricket. During that glorious era, Gunners dominated Club cricket at both the Junior and senior level. The wide collection of trophies and other memorabilia is testimony to

an institution of supremacy. Khan’s transition was rapid as he was elevated to the Chairmanship of the North Essequibo Cricket Committee where he again showed his prowess at administering the game. He held the position for a number of years during which time he transformed the quality of cricket to another level.

Former GCB vice-president and president of the Essequibo Cricket Board, Hakim Darul Khan

North Essequibo was unbeatable and won a number of competitions including the SN Singh Trophy and the Bristol Cup at the national level. The Team was duly recognised by the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and was voted as the Team of the Year on three occasions during the early 2000s.

Khan was extremely instrumental in providing the balance and avenue by structurally promoting cricket locally. He was also credited for being the first to introduce female cricket in the Region and had invited Mark Harper and Emily Dodson to further promote the women’s game. “We had a striving and very competitive club base where we had competitions being played on a regular basis, including three day cricket” acknowledged Khan with confidence. “I personally took pride in ensuring that our players were given the best opportunity to showcase their talent and I did it on many occasions with my own financial resources” Khan revealed. It was during that golden period of Essequibo’s cricket the likes of Trenton Peters, Jaimini Singh, Rovendra Mandolall, Mark Stephney, Beesham Seepersaud, Ramesh Narine, Orin Belfield, the late Berchmore Reid, Bentley Bishop and Ramcharran Singh emerged, among others. The dominance of NECC, however, did not go unnoticed, but for the wrong reason as there was widespread objection for the NECC to play as a body while the other areas played as a club. By then though,

NECC stood tall among the best in the country. In all of this, Hakim Khan was the driving force behind every result, including the rise in appeal for the game from the younger players. Not to be undone, Khan made further progress and was elevated to the presidency of the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) in 2011. He had replaced former rice magnate, Beni Sankar, and subsequently was also elected as vice-president of the Guyana Cricket Board. Khan continued to serve with distinction including being an ICC Certified Match Referee who officiated at the national level. Khan was also recognised for shepherding the careers of Fidel Cameron, Lawrence Farnum, Dinesh Joseph, Ray Reid, Brian Stephney and Clain Williams; all of whom played for Gunners S.C. Due to his sterling contribution to Sports, Community Development and Social Work, he was bestowed with the Medal of Service (MS) by former President, David A. Granger in 2018. The National Awardee is a father of four and is also a popular businessman who remains as Essequibo’s most prolific administrator.

USA Cricket unveils ambitious 2030 plan USA Cricket has launched its first strategic plan outlining initiatives to be launched until the end of 2023 with the target of becoming a full member of the International Cricket

Council (ICC) by 2030. The USA Cricket Foundational Plan identifies five objectives – growing engagement, increasing participation levels, improving the performance of its

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER Sunday, November 01, 2020 COMPLIMENTS OF XTRA ENERGY DRINK – STABROEK BAZAAR (Tel: 683-9500) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD – 83 Garnett street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) (1) (2) (1) (2)

ANSWERS TO YESTERDAY’S QUIZ:

Ajinka Rahane-103* (RR vs RCB) 6 centuries

TODAY’S QUIZ:

Which wicketkeeper effected most dismissals in IPL 2012? What was the highest ever partnership for any wicket in IPL 2012?

ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

national teams, operating sustainably and building trust across the local cricket community. It also plans to launch a domestic T20 professional league – Major League Cricket – by 2022 and develop at least two more ICC one-day international accredited venues by next year. Currently, the country has one such facility in Florida. “The launch of this Foundational Plan is the culmination of a lengthy but important piece of work which now sets the roadmap for the development of the sport in the United States over the next few years,” USA Cricket Chairman Paraag Marathe said.

“Many of the underlying initiatives that have been identified still need to be developed and that reflects USA Cricket’s embryonic stage of development. “We’ve been encouraged by the great progress we’ve been able to make across a number of different areas despite the obvious challenges of these times and we anticipate that our growth will accelerate now that the organizational direction has been very clearly set.” Historical records as early as 1709 have chronicled the existence of cricket in America. By the mid1800s, around 1 000 clubs in 22 states were playing the game. (Reuters)

Windies begin quarantine period in New Zealand after 54-hour journey West Indies have begun their two-week quarantine period in Christchurch ahead of their T20I and Test series in New Zealand, after a gruelling 54-hour journey from Barbados. Squad members not involved in the IPL left Barbados on Tuesday, initially flying to London before further stops in Dubai and Auckland. Having already played a three-Test series in England in July, West Indies are the only international team to have embarked on two overseas tours in the Covid-19 era.

series, about half the squad are going to fly back to the Caribbean, and about half the team - along with the six reserves, and probably the 14th and 15th members of the Test squad - will form an ‘A’ team,” Grave said. “For some of those T20 players who have played so much white-ball cricket for West Indies during the West Indies Championship over the last couple of years, it’s going to be the first opportunity they’d have had in probably two years to play some red-ball crick-

West Indies assistant coach Roddy Estwick

After passing their first health test on arrival, the touring squad will initially be based at the New Zealand high-performance centre at Lincoln University in Christchurch, where they will be able to train after day four of their quarantine period. The low incidence of Covid-19 in New Zealand means that players will be able to interact with society following their quarantine, unlike on the England tour when the squad was confined to a biosecure bubble. Speaking to the Mason and Guest radio show in Barbados, Cricket West Indies CEO Johnny Grave said that the board had learned from the England tour that it was important to keep those players not picked for the Test side active, and as such, two fourday West Indies A fixtures have been scheduled: the first at Mount Maunganui to run alongside the first Test, the second at Nelson coinciding with the second Test. “At the end of the T20

et.” While discussions are ongoing as to which players will stay on, Fabian Allen, Brandon King and Nicholas Pooran are expected to be among them. Grave also confirmed that players and support staff will continue to receive 50% of their salaries, as has been the case since July, though match fees will be paid in full. The backroom staff on the tour are largely similar to the group that travelled to England, with Monty Desai, Andre Coley and Trevor Penney added and Floyd Reifer - who is standing as an MP in Barbados - replaced. West Indies were winless on their last tour of New Zealand in 2017-18, losing both Tests, all three ODIs, and escaping with a 2-0 defeat in the T20I series thanks to a no-result in the second match. Roddy Estwick, one of the assistant coaches, admitted that New Zealand would be a “very, very difficult” side to play against, but said on arrival that he was optimistic about their chances.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 1, 2020

Maradona at 60: The star of Mexico 1986 – and the World Cup handball king WHENEVER you stand on football’s GOAT debate, you can’t deny the legacy of Diego Maradona. Some would place him behind Lionel Messi as Argentina’s greatest ever footballer, and short of Pele in the sport’s pantheon of the mighty; others would say Maradona eclipses them all. It’s a debate that has raged for decades, and one that is not likely to be settled for some time. But nobody can argue that, in Mexico in 1986, Maradona produced a string of performances to rival anything the World Cup has ever witnessed. From the group stage to the final with West Germany, via the ‘Goal of the Century’ and a brazen moment of cheating, Maradona was so far above his contemporaries that the sheer idea of anyone else winning the Golden Ball was laughable. Argentina beat South Korea, drew with Italy and

defeated Bulgaria in their group, then saw off Uruguay, England and Belgium in the knockouts before a 3-2 final defeat of West Germany. As Opta data shows, Maradona was the beating heart of the Albiceleste’s second World Cup triumph.

TAKE MY BREATH AWAY Gary Lineker was the only player to score more goals (six) at the 1986 World Cup than Maradona (five). That’s about the only category where he did not come out on top. He added five assists to those five goals in his seven appearances, giving him the most goal involvements (10) of any player, ahead of the USSR’s Igor Belanov (eight), and Lineker, Careca and Preben Elkjaer Larsen (six). It stands to reason that Maradona also created more goalscoring chances (27) than any other player. Next on the list was France’s Alain Gir-

Aleem Dar set to break record for most ODIs as on-field umpire

Aleem Dar has officiated in 387 international matches so far, the most by any umpire. (ICC via Getty)

ALEEM Dar, the 52-year-old from Pakistan, will go past South African Rudi Koertzen’s mark for officiating in the most ODIs as an on-field umpire when he steps out for his 210th match in the format, the second ODI between Pakistan and Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi today. Dar already holds the record for officiating in the most international matches, 387, as well as the mark for Test matches, 132; he earned the Test record last year when he officiated in his 129th Test - Australia vs New Zealand in Perth in December - to go past Jamaican Steve Bucknor’s mark. He is second only to compatriot Ahsan Raza when it comes to T20Is, having officiated in 46 of them. “It is a matter of great honour for me to be on the top of the list of both Tests and ODIs for umpires,” Dar said in a statement released by the ICC. “When I had started out in the profession, I had never imagined I would get this far. I can only say that I have enjoyed every moment on the field and learning has been an ongoing process all this while.” Dar, who played 17 first-class matches, mainly as a legspinner, between 1986-87 and 1997-98 and also turned out in 18 List A games, made his international debut as an umpire in February 2000, in an ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Gujranwala, his hometown. He has been a part of the ICC’s elite panel of umpires for 16 years, something Adrian Griffith, the ICC’s senior manager for umpires and referees, put down to Dar being “a very consistent umpire over the years”. (ESPN Cricinfo)

esse (24), then Klaus Allofs (23), Michel Platini (19) and Careca (17).

bles across the tournament, a tally that puts the rest of the competition to shame.

proach from the opposition. Maradona was fouled 53 times, more than double the

Diego Maradona produced a string of performances to rival anything the World Cup has ever witnessed in 1986

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH Everyone, most famously West Germany, tried to manmark Maradona out of the equation. None succeeded. He completed 53 drib-

The next highest number was recorded by USSR’s Ivan Yaremchuk, who managed 16. Of course, that kind of dazzling play will always attract a more prosaic ap-

number of anyone else (Enzo Francescoli was next on 27 fouls won). EDGE OF HEAVEN Maradona’s all-round impact on proceedings could only come from a player

given freedom to drop deeper and seize the ball from lesser men. It’s incredible, then, that he managed 44 touches in the opposition box, eight more than the next-highest on the list, Brazil’s Careca. Lineker, winner of the Golden Boot, had 31 such touches. Lineker and England have, of course, never forgotten Maradona’s impact on their 2-1 quarter-final defeat in Mexico City. It was the scene of his greatest goal – a mazy, miraculous waltz through the heart of the opposition that ended with the bamboozling of goalkeeper Peter Shilton – and his crowning moment of infamy, when ‘The Hand of God’ punched Argentina into the lead. Perhaps that wasn’t such a one-off, though. Since 1966, no player has committed as many handballs at the World Cup as Maradona (seven) – and they’re just the ones the referees spotted. (Sportsmax)

Mumbai consolidates position at the top after beating Delhi Capitals Mumbai Indians (MI) consolidated their position at the top and moved to 18 points after they beat Delhi Capitals (DC) by wickets in Match 51 of the Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 on Saturday. After Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult, who picked three wickets each, restricted DC to 110/9, Ishan Kishan slammed an unbeaten 72 as MI sealed a nine-wicket win at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium to confirm a top-two finish. In the chase, MI made a watchful start, scoring 10 runs in the first three overs. Ishan Kishan and Quinton de Kock though teamed up to hit three fours in the fourth over before Kishan added two more fours to his account as MI moved to 38/0 after 6 overs. The pair completed a fifty-run partnership in the ninth over before MI moved to 68/0 at the halfway stage of the chase. But DC managed to break the opening stand after Anrich Nortje got de Kock out for 26 in the 11th over.

Kishan then brought up his third half-century of the season and 6th overall in the tournament. While Suryakumar Yadav scored 12*Kishan hammered 22 runs following his fifty to power his side to a win, with 5.4 overs to spare.

DC, Prithvi Shaw and Harshal Patel returned to the team while Pravin Dubey made his debut. MI struck in the first over as Trent Boult dismissed Shikhar Dhawan for zero after Suryakumar Ya-

Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult picked three wickets each while Ishan Kishan (centre) slammed an unbeaten 72 as Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Capitals by nine wickets

Earlier, MI, who elected to bowl after Kieron Pollard won the toss, made two changes to their team as Jayant Yadav and Nathan Coulter-Nile replaced Hardik Pandya and James Pattinson. Meanwhile, for

dav took a good low catch. The left-arm pacer picked his second wicket in his second over as Quinton de Kock held on to a skyer as DC lost Prithvi Shaw. MI kept things extremely tight and limited DC to

22/2 at the end of the powerplay. While Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant added 35 runs together, DC then lost three wickets in the space of 13 runs. First, Iyer got out in the 11th over as de Kock completed a sharp stumping off Rahul Chahar’s bowling. A over later, Jasprit Bumrah bowled a two-wicket over, dismissing Marcus Stoinis and Rishabh Pant. The speedster picked his third wicket of the match as he trapped Harshal Patel before the wickets as MI left DC reeling at 73/6 after 14 overs. MI continued to chip away as Coulter-Nile got his first wicket of the match after he dismissed Shimron Hetmyer. MI eventually limited DC 110/9 in 20 overs. Brief Scores: Mumbai Indians 111/1 (Ishan Kishan 72*, Quinton de Kock 26; Anrich Nortje 1/25) beat Delhi Capitals 110/9 (Shreyas Iyer 25, Rishabh Pant 21; Jasprit Bumrah 3/17, Trent Boult 3/21) by nine wickets.

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CONCACAF Executive Howard McIntosh SEE PAGE 36

Holder seals victory in style as Sunrisers move into IPL top four

West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder hit an unbeaten 26 with the bat and captured 2-27 with the ball

JASON Holder smacked an unbeaten 26 as Sunrisers Hyderabad boosted their hopes of an Indian Premier League play-off spot with a five-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore. Bangalore posted 120-7 after being asked to make first use of a slow wicket at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, captain Virat Kohli (7) failing to make an impression with the bat. The Sunrisers suffered a wobble as they closed in on the total, but a brutal TURN TO PAGE 36

SEE PAGE 39

Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird announce engagement

Megan Rapinoe (left) and Sue Bird have been dating for more than three years

Maradona at 60: The star of Mexico 1986

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2020