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No.106348
Audit into motion scales finds supplier was APNU+AFC associate
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US$75M oil services facility almost complete –– will have G$161M nuclear calibration, storage plant to service oilfield operations SEE PAGE 03
CJIA gets $400M 16 screening equipment President Irfaan Ali
CJIA staff demonstrating the 3D scanning capabilities of the new CTX 5800 explosive detection system (EDS) on Saturday (Delano Williams photo)
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Online scholarships reach 19 Regions 2 & 3 PAGE
Wanted man planned to flee Guyana days after killing fiancée 02 PAGE
Wanted: Shaquawn Alleyne
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
Wanted man planned to flee Guyana days after killing fiancée –– told friend he wanted ‘a new life’ By Rabindra Rooplall
INVESTIGATORS have intercepted several voice recordings between wanted man, Shaquawn Alleyne, and an overseas-based friend, which revealed his plan to flee the jurisdiction even before the discovery of the partially decomposed body of his 20-year-old fiancée, Shonnette Dover, police confirmed. When contacted, Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum confirmed that detectives are following several leads, including the voice recordings. Dover, who was missing since April, 3, 2021, was found on Friday morning in a shallow grave in Alleyne’s backyard at Canvas City, Wismar, Linden Based on the recordings obtained by the Sunday Chronicle, Alleyne had reached out to a friend in French Guiana days after Dover went missing, seeking assistance to leave Guyana and somewhere to stay. According to the recording, Alleyne’s friend in French Guiana consistently questioned his motives for wanting to leave Guyana, while underscoring that it will appear as if he is responsible for Dover’s disappearance. “You put this thing into full consideration before you just up and run just like duh?
Because it won’t look nice if you just up and run like duh yuh know. First of all, when you up yourself and run like duh, and you run ya done know you gon go on the wanted bulletin list and they will make you the main suspect because they will want to know what is the main reason you disappear for and you know the girl is missing. Think about it,” the friend told Alleyne in the voice note. Alleyne then explained he was frustrated with inquiries from the police and having to visit the police station every Wednesday and Friday. “Me ain’t care [how] it look, the police and all of them trying to f@#$ around me right now, I does got
Dead: Shonnette Odessa Dover
to deh at the Station every Wednesday and ever Friday and it looking bad buddy, me ain’t able deal with that, I just gon left every f#$%ing thing behind and just roll out,” Alleyne said. His friend replied: “This will send a bad signal for you, when you end up on the wanted bulletin, you will end up on Interpol and from you go on the wanted bulletin, you know you can’t go back to Guyana, you can’t even go back to see your family if somebody dead because anytime the police see you anywhere, they would arrest you, so you better think straight what you really doing.” Suspecting there was more to the story that Alleyne was relating to him, the friend questioned the rush of skipping the jurisdiction when there was nothing to fear since Dover was only missing and might return when she cools off. “You want to throw away everything to just come and deh with me and go into a relationship with a man, I understand, but when you throw away all of that, friend, what will you do? “Is like you would be a ghost, you would be a foreigner living in a country with no identity, I don’t really know what you want do friend,” the friend from French Guiana noted. Alleyne then explained that he had thought of all the scenarios and made up his mind to leave Guyana behind. “I just want to go along my way, and just start life brand new, so that is why I
Wanted: Shaquawn Alleyne pushing so bad to roll out and leave everything. Between me and you, the only person that know I beating out is you.” In further trying to persuade his friend to help him escape, Alleyne said: “I done think it over buddy, I don’t want no girl, no more, me ain’t want to be in a relationship no more and thing. I feel I want to go more into dealing with guys and them thing, me ain’t want got no relationship with no girl, I want to try something new.” He continued: “I can’t try something new in Guyana buddy, because you know I can’t be with no man in Guyana around me family, around certain people, my friend dem and dem sort of thing, so that is why I just want to roll and start new.” In trying to offer guidance and perspective, his friend related the consequences of his decisions, and repeatedly advised him against it. But Alleyne elaborated to his friend that he needed his support in making this decision and
expressed his strong desire in making it a reality by starting over in French Guiana. “Me plan is that I gon just roll out, come away and do what I got to do. I got trade, I know to do things in life that can pay me and give me money and them sort of thing, so me ain’t got to study if I gon mek it or if I ain’t gon mek it. “I is not no dunce, I could learn the language, I just want to come and ease meh head, get some time for myself, choose the life I want to choose, and then after that then I will decide if I want to make contact with my family,” Alleyne said. In offering the friend more reasons why he wanted to leave Guyana, Alleyne said Dover’s family and cousins were out to harm him since it appears as if his every move was being trailed and he was fearful of ending up in the hospital or dead. “These men done see me and stalking me and thing, the police don’t planning to f@#$ around me. You know what the people saying, the people saying how I is a drugs dealer, I selling drugs since 2016, I does deh in all kind of bad business with people, and I does get a set of enemies because I always in some fight,” the suspect reportedly noted. He event threatened to do harm to himself if he did not get to leave the country. “Yo want deh over there and hear somebody do me something and I deh in the hospital and yo got to come and visit meh, or the police hold on pun meh. God forbid, somebody do that girl something, and you will got to send some money for bail, then is jail and how much years and all kind of sk@#$ buddy…when all of that could be avoided buddy, I done mek up meh mind,” Alleyne professed. The friend then advised Alleyne that if he did not commit a wrong act, he should not be fearful and should instead follow the required protocols by going to
the police station as required. On Friday, a wanted bulletin was issued for Alleyne, called “Iswe”. Police said Alleyne’s last known address is Lot 555, One Mile, Wismar, Linden; he is a barber. Police have since taken Alleyne’s father and Dover’s 15-year-old sister into police custody. Dover’s sister told police that she saw when Alleyne shot and killed her sister on the night of April 3 and then later buried her in the backyard of his house, after visiting his father’s house in the neighbourhood and explaining what had occurred. His father then advised him to pick up a spade and bury her in the yard where she was shot. Reports indicate that investigators contacted Dover’s sister on Thursday night at about 23:35 hrs and about 01:00hrs Friday. Detectives, in the presence of a Child Care and Probation Officer, at the Wismar Police Station Criminal Investigation Department, interviewed her on video. She told police that on the night the victim went ‘missing’, Alleyne was oiling ‘his brownish gun in their living room’; he then pointed the gun at Dover, who told him: “He like play and he should put away that thing.” The sister reportedly told police that she then heard a sound like a squib and Alleyne said, “oh shoots, I shoot that girl.” She then saw Dover’s mouth open and blood on her face and she said to Alleyne, “Let’s take her hospital” and he said, “No, she dead already.” Alleyne and the sister were also part of the numerous search parties for Dover, along with family and friends. After April, 3, when Dover was declared missing, Alleyne proceeded to share news articles and various posts about persons who went missing.
SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
US$75M oil services facility almost complete
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–– will have G$161M nuclear calibration, storage plant to service oilfield operations
By Navendra Seoraj
JUST three months after announcing the move of its regional base to Guyana, Schlumberger, one of the world’s leading oil service providers, has wasted no time in initiating efforts to cement its position in the local oil sector, as work is progressing expeditiously on the company’s US$75 million (approximately G$16.1 billion) base at Houston, on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD). Schlumberger, a renowned Fortune 500 company, is the world’s leading provider of technology and digital solutions for the oil and gas industry. In 2017, this company made a decision to invest significantly and establish a long- term footprint in Guyana. The oil service provider supports Guyana’s oil and gas exploration and production operations across the entire value chain, from pore to pipeline. But, with ExxonMobil – the key stakeholder in Guyana’s oil and gas sector – set to expand its operations in the near future, Schlumberger has evidently taken steps to ensure that it stays in line with the oil company’s strategic direction. Phase one of the company’s local development was commissioned in late 2018 and phase two, which includes the construction of a new facility to house the company’s Guyana, Trinidad and the Caribbean (GTC) office, is underway, Managing Director of Schlumberger
Construction of Schlumberger’s new US$75M facility underway at Houston GTC, Ernesto Cuadros, had said in a previous report. “We anticipate that this development will be completed in the first half of 2021. Upon completion of phase two, all Schlumberger operations in Guyana will be supported and maintained via our local office by our locally-based team,” Cuadros had said. In an invited comment to the Sunday Chronicle, the Managing Director revealed that the overall construction of the company’s facility is expected to cost US$75 million. A major component of the company’s new complex is a US$750,000 (approximately G$161 million) nuclear calibration and storage facility, which is under construction at the Houston site. Schlumberger had submitted an application to the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) for environmental authorisation for this project. The EPA, in a notice dated April 11, said that after screening the application to assess the potential environmental impacts, it determined that the project will not significantly affect the environment or human health, so it is exempted from the requirement for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). However, in keeping with the Environmental Protection Act, Cap.20:05, and the Environmental Protection (Authorisations) Regulations, 2000, any person, who may be affected by the proposed project, may rebut the agency’s decision through a written appeal to the Environmental Assessment Board, within 30 days of the date of the publication of the notice. In speaking about the intended purpose of Schlumberger’s new facility, Cuadros told the Sunday Chronicle: “Some of our drilling tools use small radioactive sources, approximately the size of an AA battery. These sources help the tools image the ground around them, similar to how a medical X-Ray works. This is common practice in the oil field and these tools are safely used in our operations worldwide.” He related that strict standards govern how the company uses, stores and monitors those radioactive sources to ensure safety. “Our internal standards meet or exceed some of the toughest regulatory compliance laws from various coun-
tries where we operate. We also have trained employees on site to ensure compliance to these processes,” he related. By providing this service from Guyana, the company is one step closer to its commitment to operate “for Guyana from Guyana,” bringing to the country additional training and skills that are invaluable to the petroleum sector. “There has been sporadic exploration activities taking place offshore Guyana for many years, and Schlumberger is proud to have supported those operations. Our activity in the region has accelerated in line with the increase of exploration that began in the early 2000s,” Cuadros had said in a previous report. The company’s Guyana operations, prior to the now famous Liza Phase One discovery in 2015, were mostly supported by its base in Trinidad and Tobago, while a small team was stationed locally. Schlumberger’s shift and investment is seen as timely, since it was reported that the year 2021 is shaping up to
be significant for exploration and appraisal operations in the Guyana-Suriname basin, with more than 12 exploration and appraisal wells scheduled for Guyana alone. “Drilling activity in the Guyana-Suriname basin continues to accelerate, driven by the industry’s focus on ‘advantaged barrels as a result of the unique combination of prospect sizes, reservoir quality, low carbon intensity and low breakeven metrics (US$25 to US$35 per barrel), available offshore Guyana,” Westmount Energy had said. Norwegian independent energy research and business intelligence firm, Rystad Energy, had stated too that 2021 holds “a lot of promise” for Guyana’s burgeoning petroleum sector. According to Rystad Energy, ExxonMobil, in addition to the Canje Block, will be “firming up” resources in the southeastern part of the Stabroek Block, where deeper plays have been observed underneath the existing discoveries. The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800
square kilometers), with current discovered recoverable resources estimated at more than nine billion oil-equivalent barrels. The 19 discoveries on the block to date have established the potential for at least ten floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels producing more than 750,000 barrels of oil per day by 2027. ExxonMobil’s first offshore Guyana project, Liza Phase One, began producing in late 2019, well ahead of the industry’s average for development time. Liza Phase Two remains on track to begin producing oil by early 2022. Liza Phase Two will produce up to 220,000 barrels of oil per day at peak rates, using the Liza Unity FPSO. Late last year, the oil giant, following an agreement with the Government of Guyana, decided to proceed with the Payara field development offshore Guyana. Payara is ExxonMobil’s third project in the Stabroek Block, and is expected to See page 4
Construction of Schlumberger’s new US$75M facility underway at Houston
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
Audit into motion scales finds supplier was APNU+AFC associate
AN audit into the controversial purchase of three motion-scales valued at $72.2 million has been completed, and according to Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill, investigations found that the former government purchased the equipment from a company headed by one of its associates. “The company that the Ministry of Public Infrastructure bought the scales from is a company that is directly linked to Mr. Alston Stewart,” Edghill told the Sunday Chronicle. He said that this was just one of the many findings of an audit into the questionable purchase of the scales. Edghill reminded too that Stewart is the Jamaican national who was instrumental in cementing the coalition of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC), leading up to the 2015 General
and Regional Elections. In January, the purchase engaged the attention of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), having been flagged in the Auditor General’s Report for that year. At the meeting, Vladim Persaud, the relatively new Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, now renamed the Ministry of Public Works, said that the scales were purchased from a Jamaican company named NevPro Realization Limited. He explained that two of the scales were shipped to Guyana and have remained in a storage bond at a local wharf. Four years have passed and the scales are yet to be delivered to the Government of Guyana. Persaud had informed the PAC that several attempts were made to contact the supplier, but authorities under the new People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)
Sunday May 2, 2021 10:00hrs - 11:30hrs
government have not had any success in locating the company. “It seems as though they have come off the face of the earth. We can’t find any information of the company,” Persaud informed the parliamentary committee. The PAC, in its inquiries, heard that the contract was signed by former Permanent Secretary, Balraj Balram, and that it contained no dates, bore no witness signatures, nor displayed the verification number from the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB). Even more glaring was the fact that the contract was signed even before Cabinet had approved the purchase. Balram, upon being questioned by the PAC, was unable to provide answers on the undertaking, defending that it had been five years since the contract was signed. The 2016 audit report also indicated that “a performance bond was not presented for audit examination”. It also stated that as of September 2017, the scales, which had a 90-day delivery period attached to it, had still not been delivered. This remains the case in 2021. The purchase of the devices was made under the Ministry’s Equipment/tools line item.
Former Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson The contract provided for an advance payment of 50 per cent of the contract sum within 30 days of signing of the contract and the balance on delivery,” the report specified. However, it was reported that as at December 31, 2016, the contract sum was paid in full. The Auditor General’s report also pointed to the lack of any evidence that an addendum to the contract was ever prepared. In its official response to the Audit Office, the ministry, then led by David Patterson, said that the observations were all correct and that the ministry was working to remedy the situation. Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, had referred to the
Jamaican Businessman, Alston Stewart situation as being unacceptable, expressing dissatisfaction that no disciplinary actions were taken against those responsible for the botched purchase. “There has been no calling in of anybody to investigate, even the police. There has been no lawyer’s letter… I can’t understand a Ministry being so indulgent,” she had said. Minister Teixeira reasoned that the then National Procurement and Tender Administration Board could not have awarded the contract without the no-objection from the then David Granger
Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill Cabinet. Media reports have indicated that in 2018, the then Ministry of Public Infrastructure paid $10 million in value-added tax to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) for the two scales. However, the cheque was rejected as the GRA had just adopted the new integrated customs management system, ASCUDA World. The three motion-scales were sourced to be placed in sections of the country where there were roads prone to damage by overweight vehicles.
US$75M oil services facility almost ... from page 3
produce up to 220,000 barrels of oil per day, after startup in 2024, using the FPSO vessel. The US$9 billion development will target an estimated resource base of about 600 million oil-equivalent barrels. “Rystad Energy data suggests that close to 300 million barrels of oil equivalent have been discovered on average for each exploration well (wildcat and appraisal) drilled in the country over the past six years,” Analyst attached to Rystad Energy’s upstream team, Santosh Kumar, said in a recent report. According to Westmount Energy, Guyana, with its positive prospects and vast potential, remains one of the few areas of “blue-chip” interest in high-impact exploration. Investopedia defines blue-chip stocks as secure investments because they pay out dividends as well as consistently and steadily grow over time.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
Adjusting margins could mitigate price burden on consumers –– President Ali advises local private sector By Navendra Seoraj
PRICE constraints, initiated by the COVID-19 pandemic, have disrupted household consumption and reduced the spending power of individuals significantly; however, a possible short-term solution, as recommended by President, Dr Irfaan Ali, could be an adjustment in the margins of businesses. Rising commodity and service prices are not unique to Guyana, as countries the world over have been contending with the COVID19-induced situation since early 2020. The International Labour Organisation (ILO), in a report issued in December last year, said that the pandemic along with the associated lockdowns, mobility restrictions and physical-distancing rules, have not only led to a significant increase in unemployment and considerable income losses for many people, but have also altered the spending patterns of consumers and the level of price inflation [the rate of increase in prices over a given period of time] that they face. In particular, the lockdown measures have affected the supply of and demand for certain products and, hence, their prices. In August 2020, according to the ILO, the prices of all goods and services were on average 2.7 per cent higher than in August 2019. It has been proven that increases in food prices could have a dire impact on living standards of lowerincome households, which generally spend most of their incomes on food. Even a small increase can confront the members of such households with difficult decisions, the ILO cautioned. While Guyana is revered as a food-secure nation, the cost of various imported commodities which are oftentimes a necessity, have affected consumers and, by extension, households. During a press conference on Wednesday last at his official residence, State House, President Ali responded to a question about the issue of rising prices, and explained that with the world still contending with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, production facilities across the world are still not operating at full capacity, as some are even functioning at less than 50
per cent. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has said that the pandemic represents an unprecedented disruption to the global economy and world trade, as production and consumption are scaled back across the world. Specific to food production, President Ali said there is a major global debate on this topic, especially because of what is happening in two of
“Once that goes up, it affects the cost of poultry, meat,” President Ali lamented. Price fluctuations are unavoidable, even with the government making the poultry industry zero-rated. In future, the volatility of costs in the poultry sector could be less, since the government is offering special incentives, inclusive of land,
that Guyana’s economy remains stable amid fluctuations on the global scene. In the case of the private sector, the President believes that their role could be extended even further, especially as part of their social responsibility. “While we work in partnership with the private sector, they have a responsibility, a social responsibility President Irfaan Ali
A customer leaving Ariel’s with her purchases (Delano Williams photo) the leaders in this regard, India and Brazil. Both of those countries have been facing the brunt of COVID-19, with India recording over 19 million cases and over 212,000 deaths, and Brazil, 14.7 million cases and over 404,000 deaths. “India and Brazil are affected the most by COVID-19; of course we will see added pressure on commodity price and price for services,” President Ali reasoned. Additionally, global trade has also been impacted, as travel restrictions, instituted in many countries to reduce the chances of imported cases, have driven up the cost of shipping. “The cost of shipping has gone up enormously… nine months ago, to ship a container out of China it was about US$2,500; today it is close to US$10,000 [a 75 per cent increase],” President Ali said, while providing a realistic example of the situation. The cost burden also extends to food production, since the price for grains [a product used in poultry farming] has gone up tremendously globally.
for planting of corn and soya bean to satisfy the local and regional feed-mill demands. As it is now, not just in the poultry, but also in other sectors, increasing prices cannot be controlled easily. “…we have no control over these factors, it is imported inflation and costs we have to take care of,” President Ali reasoned. Further, the President said: “What we have done by adjusting on the tax side, adjusting on the vat side, is our local response to cushion and minimise the effect.” The government has also been working closely with the private sector to ensure
to adjust margins to help the consumer, and we are hoping that the private sector would help also and there would not only be government policy and measures in addressing this global issue,” the Head of State related. A coordinated local effort is needed, especially with the WTO saying in March that the relatively positive short-term outlook for global trade is marred by regional disparities, continued weakness in services trade, and lagging vaccination timetables, particularly in poor countries. COVID-19 continues to pose the greatest threat
to the outlook for trade, as new waves of infection could easily undermine any hoped-for recovery, the organisation said. “The strong rebound in global trade since the middle of last year has helped soften the blow of the pandemic for people, businesses, and economies,” WTO Director-General, Ngozi OkonjoIweala said, adding: “Keeping international markets open will be essential for economies to recover from this crisis and a rapid, global and equitable vaccine rollout is a prerequisite for the strong and sustained recovery we all need.” “Ramping up production of vaccines will allow businesses and schools to reopen more quickly and
help economies get back on their feet. But as long as large numbers of people and countries are excluded from sufficient vaccine access, it will stifle growth and risk reversing the health and economic recovery worldwide,” she said. Guyana has so far been fortunate in this regard, as the country has been able to access enough vaccines, through proactive means, to conduct an ongoing, aggressive vaccination campaign. As of Tuesday last, 128,740 people had received at least their first COVID-19 ‘jab,’ while more than 2,941 persons have already received their second doses, which means that they are fully immunised.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
Oil wealth and economic development GUYANA is becoming increasingly attractive to foreign investors, and, of course, there is likely to be heightened excitement by the Private Sector and the Guyanese people in view of Guyana’s new found oil wealth. Guyana is poised to earn between $100 billion and $200 billion annually for the first five years. Bearing in mind that other oil companies may come on board and increase production levels, it means the oil revenue would increase proportionately, and the more oil finds made would mean production levels may increase further, which would mean proportionate increases in revenues. In the first decade, Guyana’s nominal GDP could potentially expand by more than 200 per cent. Now, what is GDP and economic growth? And what is the difference between the two? GDP, which is the acronym for Gross Domestic Product, simply means the sum total of all the goods and services produced in an economy at market values in a given time period – usually a calendar year. Real GDP, on the other hand, is a macroeconomic measure of the size (nominal GDP) of an economy adjusted for price
changes and inflation. Real GDP, then, is used to measure the economic growth rate. The economic growth rate is the percentage change in the quantity of goods and services produced from one year to the next. In other words, economic growth is the increase in the ability of an economy to produce goods and services over time; whereas GDP is the monetary value of all goods and services. Economic growth, in turn, is used to determine economic welfare comparisons, international welfare comparisons, and business cycle forecasts. Economic welfare measures the nation’s overall state of economic well-being. For seven reasons, real GDP is not a perfect measure of economic welfare: (1) quality improvements tend to be neglected in calculating real GDP, so the inflation rate is overstated and the real GDP understated. (2) Real GDP does not include household production; that is, productive activities done in and around the house by members of the household. (3) Real GDP, as measured, omits the underground economy, which is illegal economic activity or legal economic activity that goes unreported for tax avoidance reasons. (4) Health and life
expectancy are not directly included in real GDP. (5) Leisure time, a valuable component of an individual’s welfare, is not included in real GDP. (6) Environmental damage is not deducted from real GDP; and (7) Political freedom and social justice are not included in real GDP. Human development is all about human freedoms: freedom to realise the full potential of human life, not just of a few, nor of most, but of all lives in every corner of the world – now and in the future (UNDP, 2016). Yale University (2004) published a paper on “Economic Growth and Human Development”. The paper showed the linkages between economic and human development – arisen from a study – in some states. It was found that the two-way relationship suggested that nations may enter into a virtuous cycle of high growth and large gains in human development, or a vicious cycle of low growth and low rates of human development improvement. In these states, levels of economic growth and human development are mutually reinforcing: either leading towards an upward spiral of development, or to a poverty trap. Countries may also find themselves in a lop-sided state, at least temporarily, with relatively good growth
and relatively poor human development, and vice versa. There may be various reasons for “economic growth lopsided” nations; that is, those which have high rates of GDP growth relative to improvement in human development indicators, including low social expenditure, government corruption, or inequitable distribution of incomes. The resultant effect of such cases suggest that good economic growth not accompanied by increases and/ or improvements in human development may prove to be ultimately unstable. In putting the aforementioned discussions into perspective, what all that preamble simply means is that, with the potentially huge growth in GDP on account of large sums of oil revenues, it does not necessarily mean that the quality of life on a broader spectrum would be improved and/or experienced by a wide-cross section of the Guyanese people. Therefore, the important task for policymakers to achieve the desired outcome of improved human development and broad-based and inclusive development of the economy depends on how well the resources earned are managed and deployed into diversification of the econ-
Walton-Desir’s comments on PPP supporters reprehensible Dear Editor, AS the saying goes, “If you allow a lie to be told over and over again about a group of people without anyone objecting to it, it becomes believable and difficult with a passage of time to prove it as being a lie or concoction.” This quote rang true in my head as I listened to one opposition Parliamentarian speak with professor David Hinds on his ‘Politics 101’ podcast. This MP is Amanza Walton-Desir from the People’s National Congress Reform-led A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change Coalition. She said that PPP supporters were not seemingly “free” to decipher what’s wrong or right, make decisions for themselves, and were happy with not questioning the various rationale put forward by the PPP politicians. If this wasn’t bad enough, the MP then said the PPP supporters/members were “trapped”, “in bondage” and are “mentally lazy”. She ended her diatribe by comparing us to the PNC/R/APNU+AFC supporters
whom she described as being “far more enquiring and inquisitive and have a far more appreciation for the democratic process…” Firstly, I confess I thought the MP was living in a world that had no Guyana when she made those statements. The MP could not be speaking about a part of our population or Guyanese for that matter in the way that she was speaking. I forgive this lack of knowledge, evidence, critical analogy and conscience that she seemingly displayed which has been a feature of far too many political talking heads in the party. But I will never forget what she truly thinks about PPP supporters and members. That she thinks we are not able to decipher for ourselves is almost laughable and crazy at the same time. I want to give her an invitation to come into the PPP family and you will see what makes our politics worthy of being superior to the current opposition in terms of track record while in and out of government, development and thinking. We are critical thinkers. We know what or who we want as our leaders. We could decipher for ourselves. We know who we can trust with the governance of this country
and our future. We are responsible, grown and mature Guyanese. We are not enslaved or “shackled” nor are our backs in a corner. We are not trapped or mentally lazy. The fact that Walton responded the way she did is mentally lazy. It’s unintellectual, unscholarly and bankrupt. It is unreasonable and it is politicking. It is a critical analysis of a sitting member of a political party or legislature. It is a school boy synopsis of things or people in the modern world. I resent this shameful level that this MP has taken her “reasoning skills or lack thereof to”. It must be condemned and points to a wider problem in society that is leading to many of the dilemmas we are faced with including racism and pent up anger. The supporters/members of PPP have contributed to this country in critical ways that have to do with thinking far more than any politician has in the current opposition. Just look at our infrastructure and agriculture development for example. We take hold of this disgraceful politician as an example of the way the APNU+AFC thinks about the people that
they wanted to lead at the last election. When they come to our homes again, we will shun them. You see we are a proud and peaceful people. We don’t fight our leaders in the public or malign them secretly or covertly like the PNC/APNU+AFC does. Just look at your own house while throwing stones. Finally, if the opposition really can think critically or free as Walton suggests, why are we still reeling from their attempt at rigging our national elections? Why are still trying to make sure everyone who participated in the rigging is held accountable for their actions. And finally, why is the opposition still losing in all the courts? This is an unfair assessment of one section of the population. I might be even bolder to suggest it is indicative of a racist, narcissistic and narrow way of thinking. Guyana deserves better thinkers. The PNC APNU+AFC does itself a disservice if it is going to think like this. Yours truly, Attiya Baksh
SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
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Our gratitude to the US must be everlasting Dear Editor,
THIS is in reference to “US Ambassador Meets Fishermen in Corentyne” (April, 30). I applaud the Ambassador Sarah Ann Lynch for her visit to Upper Corentyne and her engagement with fishermen and the business community. I cannot recollect when was the last time any ambassador and the top American diplomat credited to the country, visited the Corentyne and holding a meeting with business folks and fishermen. It is not an accident that the ambassador chose to deliver a message about over fishing. America is deeply worried about an alien power overfishing acquiring rights to fish in waters off the US. Guyanese fishermen are also worried about depleting fish stocks and reduced catch. Conversations I had with people who attended the meeting with Her Excellency said they felt most honoured for the visit of a diplomat of the most powerful country. Every single person praised Her Excellency for the visit and hopes to have continuous exchanges with her on fishing and farm issues as well as on increasing trade between Guyana and America. They want her to visit the Corentyne more often. I also spoke with other Guyanese who praised the Ambassador for her frank remarks. Berbicians are treated like step children; at times, people in town
feel like Berbice is not part of Guyana. It should be noted that more Berbicians and their descendants live in America (and the diaspora) than Guyanese from other two counties. Berbician Americans and other Guyanese Americans I interact with are also very pleased with Lynch’s visit. They want Guyana to strengthen ties with America and feel Guyana should sign a fishing, security, and trade agreement with the USA. America has been the greatest guarantor of peace, democracy, and stability in Guyana and of security of our sovereignty. The ambassador said she visited Upper Corentyne to hear firsthand the views of fisherfolk on the illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in Guyana’s waters. It is something that also troubles fishermen all over Guyana as they remarked to me in conversations when I was there a few weeks ago. She also noted that President Biden is very concerned about climate change and unregulated fishing; the President held a climate summit last week and fishing was also one of the topics discussed. The US will punish countries that don’t regulate their fishing industry or that allow domestic companies to front for other countries, especially those that the US has signalled as a threat to her interests. One cannot fool or deceive Uncle Sam whose intelligence network is wide. The consequences would be severe and would include cancellation
of American visas like what happened to APNU+AFC politicians who attempted to rig the elections. Guyanese Americans are deeply troubled by overfishing in Guyana waters and illegal fishing, especially by those fronting for another government. They complain of scarcity and higher than usual prices of Guyanese fish in neighborhood stores. Unregulated fishing in our waters hurt Guyanese at home and in the US and the rest of the diaspora; there is less Guyanese fish in American markets and at home. Prices are also skyrocketing as I found out in my visits to markets and engagements with consumers and vendors in New York and in Guyana. I visited Upper Corentyne in early April and engaged fishermen. Fishermen are deeply troubled by reduced catch in recent years and particularly so over the last few months. They complain bitterly about a foreign-owned fishing depot on East Bank that they fear would further impact on their catch, their income, and on the price of fish for local consumers. Indeed, fish price has been constantly on the upward tick. That recent visit and inquiries about pricing have led me to conclude that the price of fish is substantially higher on the Corentyne and in Berbice in general, than in the greater Georgetown or urban and West Coast areas. Reduced catch and price of fuel have reduced the income of fishermen as well as fish vendors. It is very unusual for
a diplomat to visit a far off, kind of a remote rural area. And diplomats don’t normally engage local people on domestic issues. It must have been an issue that troubles the US for its ambassador to visit and to send a strong a message on unregulated fishing. Fishing has become a national security issue. The fishermen should work closely with the US for advice on how to secure their livelihoods safe by not overfishing and allowing the fish stock to increase. Now, more than ever, our government should also team up with the US to monitor fishing. Unregulated fishing does not serve our interests. Her Excellency Sarah Lynch has been reaching out in a subtle way with
Guyanese in several parts of the country and in addressing issues that have been impacting on their livelihood. The US is interested in good governance, increased trade and investment, enhanced development of Guyana’s youth and women’s entrepreneurship, and increased security. And the US has been very supportive in these areas; and Guyanese are grateful for the assistance. The ambassador’s visibility is cheered. She should visit more places and make America’s views known, particularly when the US is displeased with Guyana’s ties with other countries, especially those in the east that threatens US interests. Guyana’s relationship with the US should
be strengthened. I say this from my knowledge and expertise in studying US foreign policy and national security issues. When ties become sour, serious consequences follow as happened in 1953, 1964, and 2015. The US stood with us in 1992 and 2020 in protecting democracy and allowing a Government to be sworn in that won a free and fair election. Our gratitude to the US must be everlasting. Our commitment to the US should trump everything else. Now is the time to reinforce Guyana’s partnership with America. Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
Politics & Society Forum Post-indenture dynamics in British Guiana between 1920 and 1940: criss-crossed migration, savings, and remittances
Professor Lomarsh Roopnarine
THE limited literature on the aforesaid title during the period under discussion suggests that when indenture immigration ceased from India in 1917, so did Indian migration in British Guiana. This characterisation is a misnomer. Indians were not non-migratory people but quite on the contrary showing myriad migration dynamics that have unfortunately escaped analyses. The mere thought that Indians had travelled thousands of miles to labour in foreign colonies would imply that they would continue this movement looking for better livelihood opportunities. Their indentured contract obligation did not pin them down to a specific spot in a specific colony as narrated elsewhere. Migration is rarely one-dimensional. Some indentured Indians were trans-migratory for over 15 years, spending five years in British Guiana, five years in Mauritius and another five years in
Natal, South Africa, for example. Moreover, the repatriation of Indians continued until 1955, private migration from India continued after 1920, migration from the estates to rural settlement and urban areas and within the Caribbean and even to Great Britain increased exponentially after 1920. The focus here is on the return of Indians from British Guiana to India and the arrival of Indians to British Guiana between 1920-1940, a rather so-called quiet period of Indians in British Guiana when compared with other periods. I label this movement as crisscrossed, meaning some Indians were leaving and entering British Guiana at the same time. I start by showing the return migration of Indians from British Guiana to India in graph one, according to British Guiana Immigration Agent-General report for the years 1920, 1928, 1936, and 1938. See page 9
The graph shows, for example, for 1920, of a total of about 2,275, some 1,500 males and 750 females left British Guiana. Indian female migration was always lower than male migration. The indenture system favoured young Indian males, believing that Indian females would be a burden to plantation work routine because of child-bearing and rearing responsibilities, Sigh! Indian females were reluctant to travel on their own, fearing the lack of safety from the patriarchal system and breaking of customary caste rules. The total figure of returnees dropped
as time wore on toward the 1940s and 1950s. Indians had become to see British Guiana as their home, which stymied out-migration. Paralleling this return migration was an influx of Indians who arrived in British Guiana on ordinary ships after the abolition of indenture, which was sometimes equal to the number of returnees. For instance, in 1924, 1926, 1931, and 1938 in graph two, the returnees and arrivals were identical in numbers, according to British Guiana Immigration Agent General report for those years.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
Understanding Energy
Explaining the cost recovery process
GUYANA is set to be one of Latin America’s largest oil producers in the next decade, surpassing the production levels of
regional energy giants like Venezuela. According to a recent Wood Mackenzie report, Guyana could one day be just
Post-indenture dynamics in British Guiana ... From page 8
The figures in the early-post indenture or independent movement from India to British Guiana raise a fundamental question to the whole narrative of Indian indenture as being a new system of slavery. Why would these Indians want to go to British Guiana, return to India, and come back for a second time on their own accord, paying their own passage, if the indenture system were semi-slavery? One can only surmise that India was worse than British Guiana as far as labour relations are concerned. We do not know how many women arrived during this early post-indenture migration period. It is likely that about 25 per cent of them were women. We do have, however, an idea of how much savings post-indenture and returning Indians accumulated. To clarify, the post-indenture Indians were those Indians who were in the colonies for some time and not the ones who arrived from India after indenture was abolished. In 1928, the Post Office Saving Bank shows that there were 34,836 depositors of all races in British Guiana. Of this figure 9,443 were Indians. The total amount of money deposited was $1,836,650,78, an average of $52.72 for all races. Indians deposited $913,778,79, an average of $96.76 per depositor, according to the Immigration Agent General report of 1929. It is noteworthy that not all Indians deposited their money in the banks but rather stashed their savings in mattresses and in tree holes, implying that the bank deposits were not an accurate reflection of Indians’ savings. Interestingly, too, is that stories have been told that some Indians would deposit their savings in banks and then would go back within a few weeks and withdraw some savings to ensure that they were there, according to the trove of Indian oral village sources and traditions. What the above statistics reveal is that Indians were not the majority depositors of savings in the colonial bank but the amount of money they deposited surpassed all races; a pattern they have supposedly continued to practise in the modern period. What is also interesting is that in 1933 and 1934, 520 and 503 Wills were made by Indians, indicating that they had accumulated some savings and property, according to the Immigration Agent General report of 1934 and 1935. The challenge here, however, is to determine how much of these savings stayed in British Guiana or were remitted to India. The record shows that in 1928, the sum of $10,311,46 was remitted to India, a marginal figure when compared to $913,778,79 that stayed in the colonial bank as revealed by Immigration Agent General report of 1929. HAPPY INDIAN ARRIVAL DAY! (lomarsh.roopnarine@jsums.edu).
the eleventh oil producing country in the world to surpass the one million barrels of oil production per day mark, with an estimated production capacity of up to 1.4 million barrels of oil per day. But since oil development is still in the very early stages, it’s especially important now to understand how the revenues from that production are divided between recovery of past costs and profits. Under the terms of the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), the three Stabroek Block co-venturers bear the cost and risk for investments, and there is a formula for sharing the revenues that are generated later on. Right now, 75 per cent of revenues from the oil being produced is used to recover the costs of exploration, drilling, development and production, all paid for by the Stabroek Block co-venturers. The remaining 25 per cent of revenues are split evenly between the Government of Guyana and the Stabroek Block co-venturers. Once the costs of development are paid off, the share of profits versus costs will increase dramatically. New costs will be added to the Stabroek Block “cost bank” as new projects are approved and construction begins, but those projects will also “grow the pie” of revenue over the next decade, meaning that even 25 per cent of revenues will be a growing amount. The combined effect of reducing costs to be recovered and growing total revenues is why the government
is expected to generate billions of dollars in revenues annually within the next decade. Production sharing contracts like Guyana’s allow governments to transfer 100 per cent of the exploration and development cost and risks—including billions of dollars in upfront costs—to private companies. If oil is not found, the exploration risk is entirely on the companies and with no production, there is no opportunity for cost recovery. But if oil is discovered, investors can retrieve the money spent during exploration and discovery through the sometimes misunderstood process of cost recovery. Guyana’s PSA with the Stabroek Block co-venturers works similarly to contracts that are commonly utilised around the world to reduce risk, attract investment and align the long-term interests of governments and oil companies. Operators can use revenues from up to 75 per cent of oil production to recover eligible costs, after the 2 per cent royalty is paid to the government. The remaining production revenues are split equally, 50 per cent each to the operator and partners and the government. These revenues, along with royalties, are what the government has been saving in its Natural Resource Fund, which currently holds more than US$267 million that can be used for infrastructural development and social programme funding. The costs of development
cover a wide spectrum, but companies would have little incentive to invest huge sums of money if they were not eligible for recovery after production. Costs include billions of US dollars spent on exploration drilling, development wells, sophisticated subsea equipment and construction of the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel. Employee salaries and normal maintenance costs are also eligible for cost recovery and subject to audits. The Stabroek Block operator, ExxonMobil Guyana, has confirmed that other items, such as repairs to the Liza Destiny’s flash gas compressor or charitable contributions like the $20 billion GYD Greater Guyana Initiative are not eligible or won’t be claimed for recovery. Another example of how this process will work is gas to power. ExxonMobil Guyana has said that the Stabroek Block co-venturers will construct the pipeline that will carry gas to an onshore gas treatment facility and subsequently, to a power plant. The cost of this pipeline, gas processing plant and other required civil works —around US$900 million—will also be recovered using oil and gas revenues. Without this arrangement, Guyana would have to borrow this money on international markets and likely pay a high interest rate. With cost recovery, howev-
er, Guyana can repay costs through oil revenues over time, interest-free. Thus, the economy will benefit from cheaper and more reliable electricity without taking on external debts for the pipeline. A nuanced understanding of recoverable costs is also critical when thinking about issues like local content. Understandably, there is widespread enthusiasm for policies that would put Guyanese companies at the forefront of development. But it’s important to carefully balance potential costs with the benefits of growing local industry and individual companies. Higher project costs increase the amount that will be recovered, reducing the overall profits that Guyana will share with the Stabroek Block co-venturers. This is why the government and ExxonMobil Guyana have a shared incentive to reduce costs. Understanding cost recovery is critical to the country’s future. Even if the oil companies offshore Guyana bear the initial risk for exploration and production, growing profits by managing the cost of projects and growing total revenues over time are the key to funding the country’s development goals.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
The Science of COVID-19
COVID-19 and Surgery Contributed by
Dr. Navindranauth Rambaran, FCCS DMT, MBBS, PGDip. Surgery (UG) Trauma Surgery (u Ottawa) Head Dept. General Surgery, GPHC Associate Professor in Surgery
Chairman of the Medical Council of Guyana SEVERE acute respiratory syndrome Corona virus-type 2 (SARS Co-V-2), which causes the COVID-19 infection, was first documented in Wuhan Hubei Province,
China after a number of cases of pneumonia of unknown origin occurred in late 2019. A pandemic was subsequently declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. The virus continued to spread rapidly throughout the world and, to date (November 12, at the time of writing), has infected 49.7 million and resulted in 1.2 million deaths globally. No region or country has been spared, though infection and mortality rates vary among countries. Some countries, including New Zealand and Australia, have been successful in keeping rates of infection down, while America and parts of Europe, including Britain, have experienced significantly higher rates of infection and mortality. The Caribbean picture has shown a mixed pattern, with many smaller territories such as Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, being able to contain the disease relatively early in the pandemic, while others with larger populations, such as Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Jamaica, have experienced rising infection rates over several months. SURGICAL SERVICES The pandemic has impacted surgical services in several profound ways. Importantly it has resulted in significant deployment of surgical resources to treat COVID-19 patients and has increased the demand for other critical resources, including ventilators and blood components. Together, with the increased risk of transmission to both patients and surgical staff within surgical institutions, the pandemic has resulted in: * Reduced surgical staff to care for patients with surgical issues * Reduced surgical bed space * Shortage of blood components * Increased surgical operative complications among COVID-19 patients * Transmission of the disease to surgical staff * A suspension of non-urgent surgeries CLASSIFICATION OF PATIENTS Patients who need surgical services can be broadly categorised into two areas. First, there are electives, that is, those whose conditions require surgery for improved functioning and quality of life but, which are non life-threatening. This category includes appearance augmentation surgeries. Thus, there is no danger when such surgeries are done on a schedule of over weeks to several months. On the other hand, the second category, which is the emergent type of surgical conditions, does require urgent surgical intervention to prevent deterioration of health and in many cases to prevent death (reduce mortality). This category includes patients with cancers, life-threatening infections and injuries. RISKS AND NON-OPERATIVE MANAGEMENT Evidence has emerged which shows
Dr. Navindranauth Rambaran
patients who undergo surgery and contract COVID-19, in some cases from -7 to +30 days of surgery, have increased respiratory complications and worse surgical outcomes than those who are uninfected. Due to this risk, many surgeons have opted to operate on COVID-19 infected patients only if safe non-surgical options are unavailable. During this period, surgeons carefully select patients for non-surgical management, including those with uncomplicated appendicitis, cholecystitis and diverticulitis. Of course, failure of conservative management would result in the surgical operation being conducted. Suffice it to say that many COVID-19 patients, who required emergency life-saving operations during the pandemic, have been successfully operated on, while guarding against the potential for bad outcomes. RISKS TO SURGICAL STAFF Due to the potential for increased aerosolisation of viral particles during operative procedures, there is a significantly higher risk of transmission to surgical staff when performing surgery on patients with COVID-19. These risks can however be mitigated by improved safety protocols that have evolved during the pandemic. These include the use of special personal protective equipment (PPEs) by surgical staff, such as impervious surgical suits and goggles and the refitting of operating rooms with air filters and new dynamic airflow systems. OUTPATIENT SURGICAL SERVICES New strategies have been utilised in the organization of surgical outpatient services to reduce the need for patients to visit surgical clinics, thereby decreasing the risk of COVID-19 transmission among patients and staff. These new strategies to treat and follow up patients include: * Telemedicine * Virtual Clinics * Telephone follow ups * Call-in inquiry services for patients A smaller number of patients with special needs or with deterioration of their surgical conditions are still required to visit the clinics in person. BACKLOG OF SURGERIES The cancellation of routine/elective surgeries for the reasons already cited has resulted in an increased backlog of cases. Since there is the risk of deterioration of surgical conditions, as the wait time for surgery increases, patients need to be re-assessed and other solutions sought, even as the pandemic persists. One solution being looked at is the phased restart of certain types of non-urgent surgeries over the next several weeks and months. This process will prioritise patients based on the seriousness of their condition and also prioritise those surgeries that can See page 11
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
Only 28% of Region Two residents vaccinated against COVID-19 By Indrawattie Natram
WHILE efforts have intensified in the Pomeroon-Supenaam region to immunise the population against COVID-19, persons are still somewhat hesitant to take the vaccines, according to Regional Health Officer, Dr. Ranjeev Singh. During an interview with the Sunday Chronicle, Dr Singh said he desires for more persons to come forward and take the vaccines so that the region can achieve 70% herd immunity. Dr. Singh disclosed that only 8,800 persons in Region Two took the vaccines from a total of 30,500 who are eligible, representing only 28 per cent of the population who got inoculated. “I believe that we can do far better as a region; we need to get 70 % to achieve herd immunity in this region and if that happens, then our lives can come to some degree of normalcy, but first persons need to take the vaccines,” Dr. Ranjeev said. According to the Regional Health Officer, active cases in the region continue to climb with April 29 recording one more positive case, taking the total to 92.
public relation campaigns to educate and sensitize persons using various mediums expressing the importance of taking the doses of the vaccines. Apart from the fix sites every weekend, there are several vaccination drives along the Essequibo Coast. These sites are usually published on the region’s Health Services Facebook page in advance, while a sound truck would journey to various areas spreading the word. Dr. Singh said that the Regional Health Services have partnered with various religious organisations and agencies to conduct the drive.
A Cotton Field, Region Two, resident recently took the COVID-19 vaccine As it relates to sensitization, the Regional Health Services has intensified its
COVID-19 and ... From page 10 be done in an ambulatory fashion, that is, surgeries which can be done as same-day admission and discharge. This approach to restarting routine surgery keeps in mind the possibility of a resurgence in COVID-19 infection rates during the roll out, hence making any necessary scaling back less complicated. NEED FOR INCREASED RESOURCES Surgical facilities must now adopt new recommendations and emerging benchmark safety measures when conducting surgeries in the future. These changes will likely result in an overall increase in the cost for surgical services that must be met by institutions, government and patients alike. These changes include: * New and more efficient surgical pathways for scheduling and conducting surgeries (same-day surgery being one key example) * Perioperative screening and COVID-19 testing * Purchase of special PPEs for surgical staff * Redesign of surgical facilities and operating rooms MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGERIES Before COVID-19, minimally-invasive procedures were on the increase and in
most modern surgical institutions were the standard for many types of surgeries. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, appendectomy and colectomy are some examples of such surgeries. These surgeries were temporarily on hold in many institutions due to the perceived risk of increased aerosolisation of the virus during these procedures. However, evidence-based reports which have now emerged suggest that surgical facilities can safely restart laparoscopic, endoscopic and other minimally invasive procedures by making simple adjustments to reduce the aerosolisation risks. SECOND WAVE OF COVID-19 From a surgical perspective, a return to full surgical operational capabilities is desired. While this author looks forward to a roll out of routine surgeries in the near future, the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19 infection must be kept in mind and guarded against by all stakeholders. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and, in this critical phase as we fight to further lower infection rates, surgical facilities through its staff will continue to do life-saving surgeries and offer other important surgical services, while at the same time planning for the next phase of routine surgical operations. This article is submitted as part of the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 public information and education programme
House-to-house vaccination Additionally, Dr. Singh said that vaccines are being released by the Ministry of Health based on the demand and if persons are not taking the vaccines, then the region will be behind. He also hinted that there will be a house-to-house vaccination programme to encourage persons to take the vaccines, thereby protecting them from getting infected with the deadly COVID-19. Dr. Singh emphasised the importance of persons getting vaccinated since they can use their immunisation card as a passport to travel. Only recently, President Irfaan Ali said the government is prepared to introduce a “vaccine pass-
port” to prevent the spread of the disease, which has killed 58 persons here for the month of April alone. Dr. Singh has, therefore, echoed calls for persons to reach out to the various vaccination sites available in the region to ensure that they take the ‘jab’. He said that once the region achieves herd immunity, then persons would be able to walk without a mask but will still expect to practice social distancing. “We can do this. I am urging Essequibians to come out and take your vaccines; we have the Sputnik-V vaccines available and also the AstraZeneca one, both vaccines require two doses, and once you get them, it helps you from getting severely sick from the virus” Dr. Singh explained. The vaccines stimulate the body’s natural defences, causing it to produce its protection in the form of antibodies. The Sputnik-V vaccine was documented as the first registered COVID-19 vaccine in the world on August 11, 2020. It is being manufactured by the Russia Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) in collaboration with the Gamaleya Centre. The vaccines are usually injected into the person’s muscles and are given in two doses. The Ministry of Health has advised those who were vaccinated to continue to take precautions.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
Region Two residents urged to file grievances with PM’s rep.
THE Prime Minister’s Representative in Region Two, Arnold Adams, has said that his office continues to represent Essequibians, including the victims of sexual crimes who are still awaiting justice. Adams told the Guyana Chronicle, during a recent interview, that on a daily basis his office facilitates countless persons seeking help with housing and police-related matters. He said he is happy that his office has managed to get most of these issues
resolved. He related that as recent as Wednesday, a family approached his office stating that their daughter was sexually abused and that the perpetrator continues to walk free despite a charge being laid against him. The family took their concerns to Adams, who immediately made contact with the relevant authorities. Adams said it appears as though the police were acting slowly on the matter. He told this publication that it is
alleged that the female was sexually abused by a relative and the police did not charge him nor was a proper investigation launched. Adams said that as a result of his intervention, the matter will soon be in the hands of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The victim’s relatives told this newspaper that they were losing hope as they were not getting justice. The mother of the victim said that she is currently depressed as the entire community knows
of the issue and the perpetrator continues to walk free. “We feel much better when we know the file will be sent to DPP. Every time we were asking the police for answers, they were pushing us around and we were helpless. We are very happy for Mr Adams’s help,” the woman said. Like that family, Adams said he represented many other abused females who have reached out to him. He said he partners with the Guyana Police Force and
other stakeholders in the region when such matters are reported to him. “I continue to say that my office is always open to anyone who has problems. I will continue to represent personal interest and I am here to serve,” Adams said. His office is located at Anna Regina, next door to the Eureka Lab.
Prime Minister’s Representative, Arnold Adams.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
Cotton Tree land-titling project resumed
APPROXIMATELY 3,000 residents of Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) are set to receive their Certificates of Title for plots of land which they have been occupying for decades, but have no documentation to prove ownership. In 2013, former President Donald Ramotar had visited the community and announced a land-regularisation exercise for the locality through a land-registration process that is enshrined in the country’s laws; he had also pledged some $43 mil-
lion to conduct the survey of the parcels of land. When the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) demitted office in 2015, the registration exercise, which required much government assistance, was disregarded. However, while out of government, attorneys Anil Nandlall and Priya Manickchand provided legal assistance to the residents to facilitate the process as far as possible. Now back in government and appointed Attorney General and Minister of Education respectively, Nandlall
and Manickchand visited Cotton Tree on Thursday last when they announced that the process will recommence with the full support of the government funding the entire initiative. The process involves declaring the area a “registration area” under the Land Registry Act, surveying the parcels of land occupied and upon completion of the survey, submission of applications for title to the Land Court, which will conduct hearings and take evidence of occupation before ownership is granted.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, S.C, addressing residents of Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice, Region Five (Mahaica – Berbice) on Thursday last
Ramcharran Singh, a resident of Cotton Tree Thus far, the plans are being drafted and are almost complete, and some applications were already made to the court. However, apart from lack of government support, the county of Berbice has been without a sitting Land Court Judge for the last three years, another hinderance to the process. As an interim measure, given the bulk of applications in the system, a Land Court Judge from the county of De-
Jasmattie Lall, a resident of Cotton Tree. She removed her mask for the purpose of having the photograph taken merara will visit the county to dispose of the matters in a timely manner. The first matters are expected to be heard in August this year. While recognising that there might have been changes in circumstances since the commencement of the process some years ago, and technical challenges as well,
the Attorney General announced that as a means of fast forwarding the process, the applications without complexities will be dealt with first. Jasmattie Lall, a resident of Cotton Tree, told the Sunday Chronicle that she has been living in Cotton Tree since 1972; she was relocated to a plot of land by the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA-ADA) in 1982, with the promise of a land title one year after; she has been waiting since. Ramcharran Singh, also a resident of Cotton Tree, lauded the recommencement of the initiative; he is hopeful that the government keeps its word to facilitate a smooth process. “Right now, this village hold up, right now you can’t get a loan, you can’t sell your land, you can’t get a small loan – nothing; everything suspended in this village because of this land-titling process” he said.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
144 scholarship applications submitted during Region Two outreaches
As the government continues to roll out its landmark Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) initiative, the people of Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) are not being left behind. On Saturday, scores of persons from all along the Essequibo Coast and its surrounding riverine areas turned out to the three ministerial outreaches being hosted simultaneously, to uplift their scholarship applications. Some persons even used the opportunity to apply on-the-spot, and at the end of the outreaches, a total of 144 Public Service Minister, Sonia Parag, engages Forapplications were completed eign Affairs Minister, Hugh Todd, at the Johanna Cecilia Secondary School, ahead of the outreaches
Jennel Henry of Capoey Lake
Emmanuel Jeffery of Henrietta village
Amar Boodram of Reliance village and submitted. The outreaches, led by Public Service Minister, Sonia Parag, also featured the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, in Charity, while Foreign Affairs Minister, Hugh Todd, attended to the crowd at the Johanna Cecilia Secondary School. At the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) in Anna Regina, Minister Parag encouraged the residents to take full advantage of the opportunity to benefit from wholesome, internationally recognised programmes that are being fully financed by the Government of Guyana, with “no strings attached.” Currently, the scholarship programme is being facilitated via six reputable universities in India, Germany and the Caribbean, including the University of the West Indies (UWI). These opportunities stem from certificate courses, and advance all the way to master degrees. Among the persons who applied on Saturday is 18-year-old Jennel Henry of Capoey Lake. In a brief interview with the Sunday Chronicle, Henry said that she hails from a poor family, and that she was the only one among siblings afforded the opportunity to sit the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC). The teenager related
Veteran teacher and prospective scholar, Elsie Schadde that as soon as she heard of the online scholarship programme, she immediately began gathering her documents to apply for a scholarship in the field of information technology and nursing. The young lady said that if she is able to earn a scholarship, she would happily serve her community. Minister Parag had said that some of the universities offer preparatory courses, which is counted as a substitute for qualifications garnered from the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC). Amar Boodram, 19, of Reliance Village, is just one of the persons who will be applying for the Bachelor Preparatory Programme (BPP), which would pave the way for him to apply for a scholarship to further his education in International Finance. Boodram explained that since he does not possess a Caribbean Advance Proficiency Examination (CAPE), the completion of the BPP remains necessary for him to continue with the degree programme. The young man has promised if granted one of the 20,000 scholarships, he will assist in educating the youths of his community in the same field. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Emmanuel Jeffery of Henrietta Village has his sights set
Anuradha Rebai of Anna Regina New Housing Scheme quite high. He is interested in acquiring a scholarship in the field of aviation. The aspiring pilot admitted that at present, money is the main thing that separates him from fulling his dreams, since his mother, a single parent, is unable to finance his academic advancements. Jeffery is currently working in the Laboratory of the Caricom Rice Mills Limited as a means of assisting his mother financially. The young man is hopeful that the acquisition of a scholarship would transform his life forever, and enable him to fulfil his dreams and better serve his family and country. Anuradha Rebai, of Anna Regina New Housing Scheme, holds similar aspirations for the development of herself and family. She is hoping that her application to pursue a degree in the field of Information Technology would be successful. The young woman told the Guyana Chronicle that ever since she was a child, she harboured a passion for the wonders of technology. However, her family is not yet financially able to nurture her dreams by sending her to the University of Guyana. As such, she has her eyes, ears and heart set on achieving one of the heavily touted scholarships that could improve her life exponentially. RETIRED AND READY Nonetheless, after spending years teaching the students of Lima village, 54-year-old Elsie Schadde is ready to become a student once more. As she approaches the age of retirement, “Miss Elsie” is eager to pursue studies in areas of women empowerment. The veteran teacher commended the efforts of the Government of Guyana and the Ministry of Public Service for ensuring that Essequibians are part of the dynamic See page 15
SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
A love for languages led to the launch of Fluency Express
MICHAEL Graham has always loved languages and he still remembers the days he worked alone tutoring students at their homes. But he eventually thought, ‘Why not bring everyone to me under one roof?’ And that was when Fluency Express was born –
business, which also offers ESL (English as a second language) for non-natives, is recognised by the United States Embassy here in Guyana as one of the agencies providing visa and support services. The beginners’ programme runs for six months,
The 28-year-old has always had a love for languages
Fluency Express aims to help students begin speaking the language from day one an agency that offers various language services. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Graham said he was forced online – a move he doesn’t for a minute regret because it only served to grow his business. Whereas he was only able to accommodate students from Georgetown and its environs, he has now been able to extend his services to all parts of Guyana and even internationally. The 28-year-old got started in 2019 and from that time to now, has already had 40 students completing his programmes. At the moment, he told Sunday Chronicle that he is working with over 70 more students. Having started up in an office on Regent Street, Georgetown, Fluency Express is now conducted strictly online. The idea was birthed when Graham felt that there were not enough language services being offered to Guyanese in a manner that was flexible, convenient and affordable. Fluency Express provides interpretation services, translation of documents, and language courses (which are their main focus) in Spanish, French and Portuguese for both adults and children. The
gramme from others is that our methodology is more oral-based. We aim to have our students speaking from the very start. Our biggest emphasis is not on writing but on speaking because we’ve observed people can write the language but can’t speak it,” explained Graham
Both adults and children benefit from classes in Spanish, French, Portuguese and ESL (English as a second language) and the intermediate one for four months. An advanced level is eventually going to be introduced; payment plans are in place so that those who need the facility can be able to pay in installments. “What separates our pro-
who speaks three foreign languages namely, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. One of his future plans is to introduce Mandarin into his curriculum. He has included 30 guided conversations with a native speaker trained by Fluen-
144 scholarship ... From page 14 process. Minister Parag has repeatedly encouraged older Guyanese to apply for the GOAL scholarships, since it accommodates persons 16 years and older, with no upward age limit. “Anybody can apply, and everybody should apply,” Parag emphasised. Other members of the ministerial scholarship outreaches in Essequibo were Regional
Chairperson Vilma De Silva; Regional Executive Officer, Devanand Ramdatt; and Regional Vice Chairman, Humace Oodit. Some of the institutions that have partnered with GOAL to offer the scholarships are the University of the West Indies Open Campus in Barbados, the Indira Gandhi National Open University and the Jain University in India, the University of Applied Sciences in Germany, and the University of the Southern Caribbean.
cy Express to reinforce what the students would’ve learnt in class. Meanwhile, the last
batch of students for 2021 will be taken in this July. Graham, the author of four book, has also completed his first poetry collection. He has hired a mixture of tutors who hail from different countries and are thus fluent in the languages he’s offering. Reflecting on his accomplishments so far, Graham expressed: “It’s a surreal experience because I remember I had the idea and it was only an idea at first. I remember sitting and crying and complaining I wasn’t getting any clients and today I feel very happy and privileged to grow the business.” He is grateful to the support from friends and family and noted how his work so far has taught him humility and patience as he seeks to
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Proprietor of Fluency Express, Michael Graham continue building his brand. “I don’t like to limit myself. It’s all about the mindset and I always push myself to do more,” he said, adding that he also wants to be able to help and inspire others to achieve their goals.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
CJIA gets $400M screening equipment By Jared Liddell
FOUR new pieces of screening equipment costing $400M were commissioned on Saturday at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), at Timehri, East Bank Demerara, to help detect such civil aviation threats as the illegal trafficking of drugs, explosives and other substances and products. The new scanners are ideally intended to help de-
tect the threats at reference quickly, and aid law enforcement in its fight against narco-trafficking at Guyana’s main ports of entry. The new machines have automatic detection capabilities, and will allow the screener to manipulate and further examine anomalies detected in passenger luggage. The equipment that were commissioned are the CTX 5800 explosive detection system (EDS), which uses a single X-ray generator to
The new staff-screening checkpoint which is equipped with baggage scanners and full- body scanners for airport security personnel and owners of concessions and their staff (Delano Williams photos)
provide high-resolution 3D images for quick and accurate threat analysis; the dual x-ray HI-SCAN 60402, which generates reliable, high-quality dual-view images; the Rapiscan 620DV, which uses innovative dual-view technology to generate a horizontal and vertical view of the object under inspection; and the IONSCAN 600, which provides accurate trace-explosives and narcotic detections simultaneously or individually. Two of the new screening equipment will be deployed at the Passenger In-transit and Staff Screening Points, while the other two have been designated for passenger use. Minister of Public Works with responsibility for Aviation, Bishop Juan Edghill called the moment historical, as the new equipment will be replacing an over 60-year-old scanner. He noted that the government, in combatting crime, is committed to taking airport and aviation security to “the next level” through the use of modern pieces of innovative technology. “The President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s administration is taking aviation security, airport security, countering the traf-
At Saturday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony are, from left: CEO of the CJIA, Mr. Ramesh Ghir; CJIA board member, Ms. Dawn Elis; Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill; CJIA Chairman, Mr. Sanjeev Datadin; and Commissioner of Police (ag), Mr. Nigel Hoppie ficking of narcotics and other that this move is in keep- this is being done to enillegal drugs and substances, ing with the government’s hance the security procepreventing the passage of commitment to the mod- dures of the airport. explosives and other illegal ernisation and transformaSTAFF PURPOSES items through our airport tion of Guyana. He explained that the Minister Edghill noted seriously. T h i s i s a 4 0 0 - m i l - change in the physical infra- that with the inclusion of lion-dollar investment structure of the CJIA must be the new pieces of equipfunded by the CJIA, with complemented with the tech- ment, staff members, airsupport from the govern- nology to support innovative port security personnel, and the owners of concesment, and, essentially, we advancement. He said that the govern- sions and their staff will, are removing equipment that is almost 60 years old ment understands the link be- for the first time, have acin one instance, and putting tween modern infrastructure cess to their own scanners, in new modern equipment,” and economic growth, and and will not be utilising the its intent is to have Guyana same passenger scanner Minister Edghill said. continue to rise as a tourist as they make their way to destination. their designated locations THE LARGER “If we are going to be throughout the day. PICTURE “We don’t want men and Minister Edghill noted able to have that, we have
CJIA’s new CTX 5800 explosive detection system (EDS) to have the capacity to move passengers along quicker and safer; and once you’re enlarging and expanding, you have to ensure that you take care of possible risks,” Minister Edghill said, adding: “We as a government, while we’re a peace-loving developing country, we don’t take anything for granted. So, in our modernisation layout, while we’re inviting the world of investors; attracting foreign direct investment; bringing in the international companies, we are thinking about ensuring our own safety precautions are being taken.” The government had previously indicated its intent to have Guyana and the CJIA become a hub that links the Caribbean with South America. One of the new pieces of scanning equipment is being designated for use by passengers using the CJIA as a transit point to other countries;
women who are being enticed with filthy lucre to compromise a system; we don’t want people who would delete images and prevent prosecution. We want people who are honest; people who are upright; people who are properly equipped,” Minister Edghill said. Besides the four new scanners, the CJIA has updated several of its security equipment, which include its ProVision Automatic Target Detection (ATD), which quickly screens passengers, using the safe active millimeter wave (MMW) radio frequency technology to automatically detect concealed objects made of a broad variety of materials, be they metallic or non-metallic. Upgrades were also done to the CJIA’s Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras which now feature facial recognition and licence plate recognition cameras.
SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
COVID-19 relief hampers for Albouystown, Kingston residents
PRIME Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips on Saturday distributed over 1,500 food hampers to residents of Albouystown and Kingston, in Georgetown. The Prime Minister, who walked through the two communities, also met with residents to listen to their concerns and to encourage them to follow the COVID-19 guidelines and to get vaccinated. He said that the government understands the harsh effects the pandemic has had on households and is working to bring relief to all Guyanese, particularly those in need. “The whole idea is to reach out to poor people who we know, because of COVID-19, are enduring some difficulties in earning money and acquiring foodstuff for their families,” the Prime Minister was quoted as saying in a release from his office. It is the second time that
Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips distributes food hampers to residents of Albouystown and Kingston
the Prime Minister has visited the Kingston community on such an exercise. During September last year, he had distributed over 100 hampers in that community. Resident of Kingston, Joseph Hamilton, said that he was absent on the first occasion but that he is pleased to see the Prime Minister return to the community. “The last time they shared I wasn’t at home to get it, so I’m very happy to see them come again and I’m thankful to have received today,” Hamilton said. Meanwhile, another community leader and resident of Kingston, Tracy Bobb, said that she was pleased by the government’s approach. “I’m very much thankful for the Prime Minister to come and do a door-to-door distribution of hampers and to meet everyone and attempt to satisfy their needs. He also listened to every-
one’s complaints and we appreciate that.” Resident of James Street, Albouystown, Anchinalu Cannings, said that the residents of her community were also pleased by the government’s timely intervention. “Today we’re thankful for the assistance that we are receiving from the government, there are many people who are here to accept it and they are very pleased by it.” Prime Minister Phillips leads the National COVID-19 Task Force and has taken a hands-on approach in the fight against COVD-19 since his assumption of duty. In addition to the distribution of hampers and coordinating enforcement activities, he has also engaged in several public-awareness activities, whereby he encouraged persons to adhere to the COVID-19 measures, while distributing thousands of masks.
Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips interacts with residents
Bandits shoot, rob ‘money changer’ on America Street
TWO armed motorcycle bandits, on Saturday, shot and robbed a ‘money changer’ of $600,000 cash on America Street and Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown. Police Headquarters, in a statement, noted that 49-yearold David Wilson was standing on the pavement of America Street when the suspects turned into the Street from Avenue of the Republic and he approached them raising his hands in a gesture to change money. Police said the bandits stopped and the pillion rider jumped off the motorcycle brandishing a hand gun and demanded the victim hand over the cash in his hands. Wilson was reluctant and the suspect discharged a round to his upper left leg, after which the victim handed over the cash. The perpetrators made good their escape on the black XR motorcycle that was without number plates. The victim was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where he was treated for the injury. Investigations are ongoing.
Two remanded for robbery of Chinese businessman
Dequan Small
Joel Witter
TWO men, who are accused of robbing a Chinese businessman on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD), were remanded to prison on Friday last. Dequan Small of Lot 542
Diamond Housing Scheme, EBD and Joel Witter of Lot 53 Block Y, Grove, EBD, were charged with the armed robbery of Liang Geng Mu. According to Police Headquarters, the duo was
The motorcar, PTT 4564, which was used to commit the robbery
arrested on April 28, for the alleged robbery, which occurred on April 24. The businessman was relieved of articles totalling $700,000 in value. The accused appeared
before Chief Magistrate. Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, where they pleaded not guilty and were remanded to prison until May 11.
SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
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Govt’s online scholarships rolled out in Region Three A section of the gathering at the event (Delano Williams photos)
AS the Government of Guyana continues to roll out its 20,000 Online Scholarship Programme countrywide, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand on Saturday said the administration is here to serve every Guyanese by providing. Minister Manickchand told those in attendance at the Leonora Synthetic Track and Field Facility in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) that their presence is evidence that Guyanese are buying into the initiative and recognise the benefits that are possible by applying for a scholarship under the programme to pursue a course of study. This scholarship programme is being managed by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of the Public Service and executed by the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL). Minister Manickchand said that the establishment of GOAL is a promise being delivered to provide learning opportunities to Guyanese across Guyana at no cost to them. She said the programme was crafted as a result of consultations and engagements at the community level to ascertain what the needs of the population are, as they relate to academic development. She explained that through GOAL, which is led by Professor Dr. Jacob Opad-
eyi, Guyana is collaborating with renowned universities from Asia, Europe and the Caribbean to provide online courses that offer certificate,
repairs, among others. According to the Education Minister, successful applicants are not required to pay an application fee to
Minister of Education Priya Manickchand assists this resident with his application
diploma, bachelor’s degree, master’s and PhD qualifications to successful students. Further, she said that among the over 80 programmes available, some do not require formal qualifications. She added that there is the Bachelor’s Preparatory Programme (BPP) that allows persons who have not obtained the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) to pursue a degree programme upon completion. Minister Manickchand told residents of Region Three that there is a programme for everyone, from medicine, nursing, teaching and education, dairy farming, motorcycle servicing and
the universities, tuition fees nor a fee to collect their certificates. “As a government, we are paying for it and we believe that is us buying for you a brighter future. This will be free of cost for each of you that is successful.” Minister Manickchand comforted those gathered that after being awarded the scholarship, they will not be left alone to complete the programme. She said that successful applicants will continue to have the support of the Government of Guyana. “We are holding your hand through this programme. We are ensuring that while you go to work
and look after your families, we are walking with you and supporting you to give you the push you need to reach the next level. You will get
whatever support you need to go on this programme and be successful,” Minister Manickchand remarked. Meanwhile, Minister
Minister of Education Priya Manickchand interacts with residents during the launch of the online scholarships in Region Three
within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, who is from Region Three, said that he was happy to see the turnout and interest in the programme. “This programme is for every boy and girl who were told that they can’t do better…You can do better with education,” Minister Indar noted. He spoke of his humble beginnings and said that he wished such an opportunity was available to him when growing up. He encouraged residents to choose this moment to take the next step at developing themselves, so that they can improve their standard of living and enjoy a better life.
Residents of Region Three enquire about the online scholarships
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Guyana steams ahead with 150,000 vaccines target for weekend
SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
–– nearly 140,000 people received first dose at end of Friday AT the end of Friday, 139,844 people received their first dose of one of the three COVID-19 vaccines distributed locally and the local health authorities are steaming ahead with the aim of
taking the vaccination total to 150,000 by the end of this weekend. The almost 140,000 people vaccinated at the end of Friday was highlighted by Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony
when asked by the Sunday Chronicle. He also related that 5,051 people also received their second dose by this time. In a statement released on Friday night, the Health Ministry noted that
it is aiming to vaccinate 150,000 people by the end of this weekend. A host of outreach activities were held on Saturday, with the aim of vaccinating scores of people. Several of these activ-
A woman receives her first vaccination dose ities are expected to continue on Sunday in various communities across Guyana. In Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) alone there will be 11 vaccination sites. This region has had the lowest vaccination uptake out of all administrative regions and the Health Minister, during several of his daily COVID-19 updates, emphasised that there will be outreach activities in this region to encourage more people to get vaccinated. The ministry, in its statement, lauded officials
for taking the vaccines and for encouraging others to do the same. On Friday, it was noted that Opposition APNU+AFC Member of Parliament and Shadow Health Minister Dr. Karen Cummings took her jab and encouraged others to do the same. The ministry reminded members of the public that vaccine hesitancy is a complex issue, exacerbated by unfounded myths and fake stories. Such things, the ministry said, harms the people who fall prey.
Home Affairs Minister visits Dover’s family
Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, on Saturday visited the family of Shonnette Dover, whose body was found Friday in a shallow grave at her boyfriend’s backyard at Canvas City, Wismar, Linden. Also visiting the family was Commander of the region, Senior Superintendent, Hugh Winter and his administrative team along with three pastors from the Cops and Faith Association; words of comfort were offered to the family (Guyana Police Force photo)
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
$34.7M contract inked for water supply system in Kaibarupai by Minister Croal, of the government’s commitment to delivering potable water to every community where possible, further noting that hinterland communities will not be left out from the government’s developmental agenda. The scope of this project includes the drilling of potable water well, supply
Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal (second left) hands over the signed contract to the Managing Director of R. Kissoon contracting services, Rudranauth Roopdeo, in the presence of others MINISTER of Housing and Water, Collin Croal and Minister within the Ministry, Susan Rodrigues, on Saturday, signed a $34.7 million contract for a water supply system that will serve the community of
Kaibarupai, Region Eight. The contract was inked during a simple ceremony at Kato and handed over to the contractor, Rudranauth Roopdeo, who is the Managing Director of R. Kissoon contracting services.
Among those present at the signing were GWI’s Hinterland Services Director, Ramchand Jailall, and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Housing, Mr. Andre Ally. Residents were reminded,
Two more COVID-19 deaths, 121 new cases recorded THE Ministry of Health has recorded two more deaths due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), taking the number of deaths recorded since the detection of the virus in March last year to 298. The latest fatalities are two females-- a 71-year-old from Region 8 (Potaro-Siparuni) and a 73-yearold from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice). The Ministry of Health reported that both individuals died while receiving medical care at a government facility on April 30. The recent deaths also took the COVID-related death toll for the month of April to 65, making it the deadliest month for COVID-19 here. Previously, October 2020 was the deadliest month with 44 deaths recorded. Meanwhile, Guyana also recorded 121 new cases of the disease, taking the number of confirmed cases in the country to 13,404 from a number of 123,884 tests conducted. Of this total, Region One (Barima-Waini) recorded three; Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), three; Region Three (Essequibo Islands – West Demerara), 18; Region Four
(Demerara-Mahaica), 74; Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), two; Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), six; Region Seven (Cuyuni – Mazaruni), eight; Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), two; and Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), five. Of the newly infected persons, 53 are males and 68 females. There are currently 17 persons in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 89 in institutional isolation, 1,701 isolated at home, and 10 in institutional quarantine. All Guyanese are urged to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 emergency measures, which emphasise the need for correct and consistent use of a face mask when leaving home, the importance of maintaining six feet physical distance from others, and the need for good hand hygiene to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. If anyone you know is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or needs any additional information, kindly contact the COVID-19 Hotline 231-1166, 2267480 or 624-6674 immediately or visit the Ministry of Health at www. health.gov.gy.
and installation of a distribution network, installation of a pump and photovoltaic system, construction of an elevated storage system and installation of storage tanks, service connections and interconnection to the distribution network. An estimated 438 persons will benefit from access to potable water following the
completion of this water supply project. GWI’s Hinterland Department will execute resistivity logging of the community to determine the location where the well will be drilled. The duration of this project is an estimated three months. Also, a donation of sports equipment was made to the community.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
GPA President elected to head Caribbean Media Association
–– but says she may not run again for local association
THE incumbent President of the Guyana Press Association (GPA), Nazima Raghubir, was elected President of the Association of Caribbean Media (ACM) Workers on Saturday at the ACM’s 10th biennial general assembly. Joining Raghubir on the Executive Committee is Emmanuel Joseph, the first Vice-President (Finance); Wesley Gibbings, the second Vice-President; Harvey Panka, the General Secretary; Denis Chabrol (of Guyana), Assistant General-Secretary; Myriam Malmin, Floor Member and Kenton Chance, Floor Member. They were all elected to serve on the Executive Committee of the association for the period 2021 to 2023. The election was held virtually since, according to Raghubir, the regional associations voted for a resolution on such a virtual election last year. Raghubir, who was previously elected First Vice-President of the ACM, told the Sunday Chronicle in an invited comment that she hopes to address several issues that are common among journalists across the Caribbean that were raised in country reports submitted. Some of these issues include how the pandemic has affected access to officials, the lack of access to information and how the cyber-crimes laws in various territories have negatively impacted the work of media professionals; the effects of the pandemic, generally, and natural disasters (such as the ongoing volcanic eruption in St. Vincent and the Grenadines). “Based on what is raised in the country report and the type of feedback that we had, that [has] informed our agenda for the next couple of years,” Raghubir said on Saturday. On a more personal note, she said: “I see my role over the next couple of years as building the capacity of regional journalists, advocating for their rights and that the profession moves us in such a way that we continue to build capacity.” Raghubir highlighted that the association has developed tremendously over the years and that it would be turning 20 years in November of this year. Raghubir was also happy to note
Newly elected President of the Association of Caribbean Media workers, Nazima Raghubir that the association has always had a “good mix of people” who have a grasp of the issues in the Caribbean and have good connections with other journalists in the Region. LOCAL ELECTIONS Meanwhile, Raghubir said that she may be taking a break from an executive position in the local press association. She, however, underscored that working in the GPA is an opportunity for personal growth and for advancing the interests and rights of local media professionals. The GPA, like many other media associations in the Caribbean, has been unable to host its elections due to the restrictions presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Raghubir highlighted that the GPA has, however, explored the possibility of engaging the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) on granting permission for the hosting of those elections. Currently, the GPA’s elections cannot be held via a virtual platform since the association’s constitution does not permit same.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
The truth about the fight against COVID-19
THERE is a ‘feeling’ in the public domain that government is not doing its best to stem the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is also some who say the relaxation of the curfew has allowed the weakening of law enforcement’s fight to contain the deaths and keep the public safe. They allege that the opening up of the economy poses several health risks and government should bring the curfew back to 06:00pm to 06:00am regardless of the suffering of small-scale businesses such as bars, clubs, and tourism. And finally, some believe that the vaccines that have been approved for use in Guyana are not effective or efficient against any strain of virus so they heap skepticisms on the government’s rush to have widespread vaccination completed. While many things have been said, and accusatory finger pointed here and there, those issues mentioned as “feelings” and “beliefs” are what is causing the big “lie” about how to fight the virus effectively. They are causing so many myths and perception about COVID-19 to get ‘serious’ though they are not deserving. The truth is, government’s management of the pandemic has been sound, stellar and effective in the case of Guyana. From the time it got into office, the government has taken the pandemic seriously and devoted a large amount of resources -- financial and human -- to ensuring that the public is kept safe. Under the previous administration, there was no real well-thought out policy or plan that geared Guyana for this fight. The health sector was basically just ‘responding’ to the emergencies that were taking place granted it was early days since the virus first infected someone in Guyana. The government’s lackluster and laid-back approach saw it loosing valuable time and resources. There wasn’t a clear and precise approach to the detection of the virus, so “testing” was not done in every part of Guyana and by every institution that had all the resources to deal with the threat of COVID-19. In other words, there was clearly no leadership with the President
imploring one thing, and the minister, along with advisers, doing another. Now, the Irfaan Ali Administration has taken over and a new clear outlook in terms of the Policy Articulation, Evaluation and Implementation is occurring. They seem to have changed the gear a bit from being ‘reactive’ to ‘proactive’. Many of communities and regions in Guyana are now testing for the virus and the inoculation programme seems to be widespread with 135, 000 or more people already accessing the vaccine. Also, this government is not deaf to the concerns of the businesses about the curfew imposition nor its negative impact on the socio-economic wellbeing of the populace. The government, it would appear, assessed the situation with the pandemic. Threading carefully, it eased on the restrictions to doing business in Guyana and slowly adjusted the curfew. This is while the number of persons being tested and vaccinated climbed drastically. In Guyana, though the problem remains, the numbers of persons being documented as having COVID-19 and dying from the virus – 295 — my last check -- is too much. The government needs to sharpen its response on the ground to the guidelines it issued in order to protect people against this onslaught. It needs to move to a mandatory policy of wearing masks while in public places, doing business, or travelling. (These have already been done) It may be prudent that there is a full public relations campaign that is designed to cause the necessary behavioural change that is necessary. This behavioural change is the underlying thing that will result in positive results being had. This campaign should be two-fold targeting the prevention as well as compliance and regulations. The myths referred to about the vaccine offered here can be fact-checked online via the World Health Organization and PAHO as well as other reputable sources and new sites. As a collective, the government must use the campaign to drive out fear and boost the persons’ confidence in taking
the vaccine in order to get Guyana safe again. Resorting to changing the policies back to what it was will not help the economy, including putting pressure back on the shoulders of small businesses that are still very much re-opening. The answer to fighting this
pandemic lies in stopping the virus through testing and inoculation until a cure is found. Instead of complaining about what government is doing, the Opposition and Civil Society groups need to stand side by side with the government, creating the
strongest possible barriers against COVID-19. They can join in campaigns and awareness sessions that will cause a united front and one message to be sent. Use all available avenues to keep the government on its toes when it comes to fighting the battle against the
virus. The time for audits and investigations will come into how government has been spending its COVID-19 funds but now is time to stem the tide and stop COVID from weakening our immune systems and killing us.
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English Racing Tips Newmarket 08:15 hrs Francesco Guardi 08:50 hrs Global Storm 09:25 hrs A’Shaari 10:00 hrs Queen Power 10:40 hrs Sacred ( 1000 Guineas ) 11:15 hrs Berkshire Phoenix 12:20 hrs Sayifyouwill Salisbury 08:00 hrs Out In Yorkshire 08:40 hrs Staff Secretary 09:05 hrs Boss Power 09:35 hrs Mellow Magic 10:10 hrs Big Boy Bobby 10:45 hrs Samoot 11:20 hrs In The Cove Irish Racing Tips Sligo 08:45 hrs Alice Kitty 09:15 hrs Hell Bent 09:50 hrs Hayyel 10:25 hrs Stellify 11:00 hrs Mickey The Steel 11:30 hrs Manhattan Dandy 12:00 hrs Brave Display South Africa Racing Tips Greyville 08:20 hrs Captain Ransom 08:55 hrs MK’S Pride 09:30 hrs Mount Laurel 10:05 hrs Midnight Badger 10:35 hrs The Bayou
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Medina Spirit delivers trainer Baffert record seventh win at Kentucky Derby
AFTER a COVID-enforced detour to September last year, the Derby returned to its traditional date on the first Saturday in May, and Medina Spirit took advantage of perfect conditions to win the 147th Kentucky Derby. The win marked a record seventh Derby victory for trainer Bob Baffert and fourth win for jockey John Velazquez. Medina Spirit, a yearling once purchased for $1,000 (US), got out to an early lead over the field, with Soup and Sandwich on the outside. Pre-race favorites Hot Rod Charlie and Essential Quality were well off the lead early, but began closing at the halfmile mark. At the three-quarter mile mark of the 1 ¼-mile race, Essential Quality began making the move from fifth, but as the field came down
the stretch, Medina Spirit just held the lead. The winning time: 2:01.02. Essential Quality came into the race as a prohibitive favourite, going off at 3-1 odds and trained by Brad Cox, who grew up just a few blocks from the track. Rock Your World, off at 9-2, rolled in with three big wins at Santa Anita. Hot Rod Charlie, the horse owned by a consortium including several former Brown football players, also began the race at 5-1. A little further down the odds sheet, Known Agenda started at 11-1, in large part because of the unfavorable draw on the inside rail. Midnight Bourbon began the race at 12-1, with two-time Derby-winning jockey Mike Smith aboard as jockey. Another notable horse, Highly Motivated, started at 11-1
Ramdhani battles hard against Mexican, but bows out in PAN AM Round of 16 NARAYAN Ramdhani produced a spirited performance when he faced high-ranking Lino Munoz in the Round of 16 battle, at the XXIV PAM AM Individual Championships on Friday evening in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The 22-year-old was excellent in his first senior PAN AM event and had made it through two rounds before he lost to the 5th seeded Munoz. After drawing a bye in the Round of 64 in the badminton competition, Ramdhani was able to get past Barbadian Shae Martin 2118, 21-12 in the Round of 32. In his Round of 16 battle, Ramdhani, who is studying in Canada, performed well against 30-year-old Munoz, who competed in the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil and has a string of PAN AM Games and Central American and Caribbean Games medals under his belt. In the end, Ramdhani succumbed 16-21, 15-21. Coach of the team, Gokarn Ramdhani said he was elated with his son’s performance. “His performance was
excellent considering it’s his first tournament after a year and a half. His attendance is mainly to get ranking points to qualify for Olympics.” The senior Rahdhani pointed out that his son was also using the senior event as a springboard to get seeded, since the championships attracted a number of world champions. The young man would now have to wait to see his progression. “ H e c a n ’t b e s e e d ed during the tournament. Seeding depends on ranking points. So we can’t know this until a next tournament come around,” Gokarn explained. Along with Narayan, his sister, Priyanna also competed at the Championships. She lost to Nairoby Abigail Jimenez - one of the top female badminton players in the Dominican Republic. That game ended 21-8, 21-12. Prior to Narayan’s round of 16 battle, the siblings had competed in the Mixed Doubles, but went down to home players Antonio Emanuel Ortiz and Alejandra Jose Paiz Quan 21-13, 21-13.
odds, but faced some significant headwinds. No horse has ever won from the No. 17 slot, and neither Highly Motivated’s trainer Chad Brown nor his jockey Javier Castellanos had ever won in
the Derby before. Medina Spirit had been listed at 15-1 coming into the weekend, with odds finishing at 12-1. Mandaloun finished second to place, with Hot Rod Charlie coming in third
to show. Medina Spirit’s performance surprised even his trainier. “I knew he was training well, but I’m really, really surprised,” Baffert said after the race.
“When I saw him on the easy lead, I kept waiting for these horses to come at him, but Johnny had him in a perfect spot. If you have him on the lead, he’ll fight.” (Yahoo Sports)
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Jayawickrama’s six-for sets up Sri Lanka’s imposing lead … Bangladesh lose last seven wickets for 37 to fall far behind
PRAVEEN Jayawickrama’s six-wicket haul shaped Sri Lanka’s ascendancy over Bangladesh in the second Test in Pallekele. The 22-year-old left-arm spinner took the best figures for Sri Lanka on Test debut - 6 for 92, including the big wickets of Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim. The stunning debut performance, which is better than Upul Chandana’s 6 for 179 against Pakistan in 1999, left the visitors trailing by 242 runs; Bangladesh losing their last seven wickets for 37 runs. Sri Lanka, however, didn’t enforce the follow-on and ended the day on 17 for 2, losing Lahiru Thirimanne and Oshada Fernando to Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam respectively. The story of the day, however, was Bangladesh’s collapse on either side of tea. They lost three big wickets in the space of 24 balls. Rahim was out in the last over before the break, lbw to Jayawickrama, after making 40. Shortly after the interval, Ramesh Mendis trapped Mominul Haque lbw on 48 with a full toss that struck him flush
on the toe. Liton Das was next to go as he guided a sharp-turning Jayawickrama delivery to Lahiru Thirimanne at slip. Ban-
zarre fashion when Taijul Islam was out hit-wicket, when his shoe came off from his back foot. Jayawickrama had taken
for a second duck in a row following his 163 in the first innings of the first Test. After Iqbal and Haque steadied the situation for just
ball 92. Again towards the end of the second session, Jayawickrama struck. He hadn’t bowled all that well against Rahim, who struck him for six boundaries. But that was
until the stroke of tea, when he slipped in an arm ball to trap him lbw. Rahim was out for a 62-ball 40. Apart from Jayawickrama’s six wickets, Mendis and Lakmal took two wickets each. (Cricinfo)
SCORECARD
Left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama claims 6-92 as his country’s fifth bowler to take five wickets on Test debut
gladesh’s lower-order caved in after that. Mehidy Hasan Miraz missed an arm-ball to give Jayawickrama his five-for, before he had Taskin Ahmed lbw off a review. The collapse ended in bi-
away Bangladesh’s momentum in the first two sessions as well, with late strikes. He had Saif Hassan caught at gully for 25, to break a 98-run opening stand with Tamim Iqbal. Najmul Hossain Shanto fell next
over an hour, Jayawickrama had the big fish when he had Iqbal caught at slip. Only a delivery earlier, he’d decided to change his angle and bowl from around the wicket. It undid Iqbal, who struck a 150-
SRI LANKA 1st innings 493 for 7 decl. BANGLADESH 1st innings Tamim Iqbal c Lahiru Thirimanne b Praveen Jayawickrama 92 Saif Hassan c Dhananjaya de Silva b Praveen Jayawickrama 25 Nazmul Hossain Shanto c Lahiru Thirimanne b Ramesh Mendis 0 Mominul Haque lbw Ramesh Mendis 49 Mushfiqur Rahim lbw Praveen Jayawickrama 40 Liton Das c Lahiru Thirimanne b Praveen Jayawickrama 8 Mehidy Hasan lbw Praveen Jayawickrama 16 Taijul Islam hit wicket b Suranga Lakmal 9 Taskin Ahmed lbw Praveen Jayawickrama 0 Shoriful Islam b Suranga Lakmal 0 Abu Jayed not out 0 EXTRAS: (lb-9, nb-1) 12 TOTAL: (all out, 83.0 overs) 251 Fall of wickets: 1-98, 2-99, 3-151, 4-214, 5-224, 6-224, 7-241, 8-243, 9-246. Bowling: Suranga Lakmal 10-0-30-2, Vishwa Fernando 7-1-190 (nb-1), Ramesh Mendis 31-7-86-2, Praveen Jayawickrama 32-7-92-6. SRI LANKA 2nd innings Lahiru Thirimanne c Nazmul Hossain Shanto b Mehidy Hasan 2 Dimuth Karunaratne not out 13 Oshada Fernando stp.. Liton Das b Taijul Islam 1 Angelo Mathews not out 1 EXTRAS: 0 TOTAL: (two wkts, 7.0 overs) 17 Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-15. Bowling: Mehidy Hasan 4-2 -7 – 1, Shoriful Islam 1 -0 - 8-0, Taijul Islam 2-1-2-1.
Hasan Ali’s career-best 5 for 36 clinches innings victory for Pakistan HARARE, Zimbabwe - Fast bowler Hasan Ali registered career best figures of 5-36 to lead Pakistan to a comprehensive innings and 116 run annihilation of Zimbabwe in the first Test in Harare yesterday. The 26-year-old finished with 9-89 in the match as Zimbabwe’s batting crumbled for the second time in the match, all out for 134 with an hour remaining on the third day at Harare sports club. The victory gives Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. The second Test is also in Harare from May 7. Zimbabwe, who were bowled out for 176 in the first innings, were facing an innings defeat at tea with the total at 118-5. Hasan had already picked up the first wicket of the innings when he had Kevin Kasuza leg-before for 28 to end a promising opening partnership of 48. After tea he stepped up a gear as he bowled Donald Tiripano for two and Tendai Chisoro, caught in the slips off his second ball for nought, to mark his 50th wicket in Test cricket. That opened up the tail and Hasan ripped through them too, hitting Blessing Muzarabani’s leg stump as the
Zimbabwe pace bowler tried to slog his team out of trouble. Finally, he bowled Richard Ngarava off a low full toss and with the last man Prince Masvaure unable to bat due to injury, Pakistan players celebrated the victory. Regis Chakabva remained not out on 14. It was Hasan’s fourth five-wicket haul in 12 Tests, improving on the 5-45 he took against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi in 2018. Spinner Nauman Ali earlier picked up the wickets of Milton Shumba and Brendan Taylor before tea to finish with 2-27. Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam praised Hasan and centurion Fawad Alam for Pakistan’s first-ever innings victory over Zimbabwe, 11th in 18 Tests overall. “Hasan was outstanding in this Test and so was Alam,” said Azam, who was dismissed for a first-ball duck. “It was an outstanding finish by Hasan; he has been improving with every match.” Zimbabwe skipper Taylor, standing in for unfit Sean Williams, lamented poor batting. “Getting bowled out in two sessions on day one let us down and to then field for 130 overs put us behind the
eight-ball,” said Taylor. “We need to work on our batting as a group.” In the morning Pakistan were bowled out for 426 with overnight centurion Alam the last man out for 140. HASAN SHINES Trailing by 250 runs in the first innings, Zimbabwe were off to a solid start before Hasan ran riot.
had Shumba caught behind by Mohammed Rizwan for four. A well-set Musakanda was run-out for 43 while needlessly attempting a third run. He hit five boundaries in a fighting 84-ball knock. First-innings top scorer Roy Kaia lasted just four balls for his duck, falling leg-before to Faheem Ashraf. Stand-in skipper Taylor
Hasan Ali took nine wickets in the match, including a career-best 5 for 36 in the second innings
Openers Kasuza and Tarisai Musakanda reached lunch on 36 without loss and took their partnership to 48 before Hasan provided Pakistan with the breakthrough. Hasan, who took 4-53 in the first innings, trapped Kasuza, who had already been dropped on 15, leg-before for 28 while Nauman
tried to hit his team out of trouble, smiting two fours and a six in his 29 before holing out to Hasan running back from mid-off. Earlier, Pakistan were dismissed for 426 after resuming at a healthy 374-6 before Fawad Alam became the last man out for 140. Alam, who was 108 not
out overnight, hit 20 boundaries in his three-minute short of five hour batting. He tried to hit Muzarabani to the leg side but edged to wicketkeeper Chakabva. Hasan used the long
handle most effectively in his 26-ball 30 which included two sixes and three boundaries. Muzarabani finished with 4-73 while Tiripano had figures of 3-89.
SCORECARD
ZIMBABWE 1st innings 176 PAKISTAN 1st innings Imran Butt c Regis Chakabva b Richard Ngarava 91 Abid Ali c Brendan Taylor b Tendai Chisoro 60 Azhar Ali c Tarisai Musakanda b Donald Tiripano 36 Babar Azam c Roy Kaia b Donald Tiripano 0 Fawad Alam c Regis Chakabva b Blessing Muzarabani 140 Mohammad Rizwan b Blessing Muzarabani 45 Faheem Ashraf c Tendai Chisoro b Donald Tiripano 0 Hassan Ali c Regis Chakabva b Blessing Muzarabani 30 Nauman Ali c Tarisai Musakanda b Blessing Muzarabani 0 Sajid Khan c Regis Chakabva b Richard Ngarava 7 Shaheen Afridi not out 4 EXTRAS: (b-1, lb-3, nb-8, w-1) 13 TOTAL: (all out, 133.0 overs) 426 Fall of wickets: 1-115, 2-176 i, 3-182, 4-226, 5-333, 6-334, 7-395, 8-395, 9-412. Bowling: Blessing Muzarabani 31-8-73-4, Richard Ngarava 29-4-104-2 (nb-3), Tendai Chisoro 34-7-89-1, Donald Tiripano 23-6-89-3 (w-1, nb-5). ZIMBABWE 2nd innings Kevin Kasuza lbw Hassan Ali 28 Tarisai Musakanda run-out Sajid Khan 43 Milton Shumba c Mohammad Rizwan b Nauman Ali 4 Brendan Taylor c Hassan Ali b Nauman Ali 29 Roy Kaia lbw Faheem Ashraf 0 Regis Chakabva not out 14 Donald Tiripano b Hassan Ali 2 Tendai Chisoro c Imran Butt b Hassan Ali 0 Blessing Muzarabani b Hassan Ali 2 Richard Ngarava b Hassan Ali 5 EXTRAS: (b-2, lb-5) 7 TOTAL: (all out, 46.2 overs) 134 Fall of wickets: 1-48, 2-68, 3-92, 4-95, 5-117, 6-124, 7-124, 8-128, 9-134. Bowling: Shaheen Afridi 11-1-35-0, Hassan Ali 12.2-2-36-5, Faheem Ashraf 10-2-22-1, Nauman Ali 9-1-27-2.
SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
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Fury v Joshua mega fight
‘dead in the water’
(AFP) - AN all-British heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury in July or August is “dead in the water”, according to Fury’s promoter. Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said on Thursday he was “100 percent confident” the fight would happen despite concerns over delays in finalising the super fight. Saudi Arabia, where Joshua won a rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr in December 2019, has reportedly offered a huge sum to host the fight. Bob Arum, though, believes it will not now be possible to complete negotiations in time and has called for the two boxers to arrange other fights. “It will take months for the Saudis to do their due dil-
igence on such a huge deal,” Arum told the Telegraph. “It is not just a site fee; there are ancillary demands
from the Saudis stretching into the broadcast deals and other things. It could take months for it all to play out. It could even
Tyson Fury (left) and fellow British heavyweight Anthony Joshua have signed a two-fight deal
take until 2022 the way it looks right now. “The fight in July or August is dead in the water as far as we are concerned. The two fighters need to go and have other fights this summer while the negotiations for that fight in the Middle East conclude. “It is absurd what Hearn is saying that it is a done deal. If we had just done a site deal without all the other complications that have arisen, we would have a fight by now. Tyson Fury is fuming about it and is refusing to keep waiting.” The fight will be the richest in British boxing history, with the two men holding all four of the major world titles in the heavyweight division between them.
Zimbabwe’s Langton Rusere makes history ZIMBABWE’S Langton Rusere has become cricket’s first black African to umpire a Test match. The 35-year-old is one of the on-field umpires for the five-day game between Zimbabwe and Pakistan that began on Thursday and ended yesterday at Harare Sports Club. Rusere’s first international match as an umpire was a Twenty20 between hosts Zimbabwe
Zimbabwean cricket umpire Langton Rusere
and India in Harare on July 19, 2015. Three months later, he made his one-day international (ODI) bow as Zimbabwe took on Afghanistan in Bulawayo. After that he went on to officiate at the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2016 in Bangladesh and the 2017 Women’s World Cup 2017 staged in England. The highlight of his
career so far was his appointment as one of the on-field umpires for the Women’s World T20 final in 2018 between Australia and England in Antigua. In February last year, he got his first-ever overseas appointment for a bilateral series after he was appointed to officiate in the threematch ODI series between New Zealand and India. (BBC Sport)
Top five successful chases in IPL history Team
Score
Target
Opponent
Rajasthan Royals
226/6
223
Kings XI Punjab
Mumbai Indians
219/6
219
Chennai Super Kings
2021
Rajasthan Royals
217/7
215
Deccan Chargers
2008
Delhi Daredevils
214/3
209
Gujarat Lions
2017
Kings XI Punjab
211/4
206
Sunrisers Hyderabad
2014
Season 2020
Real Madrid beat Osasuna to maintain pressure on Athletico REAL Madrid remain two points behind La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid after late goals from Eder Militao and Casemiro sealed victory over Osasuna. Centre-back Militao eventually ended Osasuna’s resistance when he headed in Isco’s corner after 76 minutes. Fellow Brazilian Case-
miro then met Karim Benzema’s pass to confirm the points four minutes later. Atletico Madrid had stretched their lead at the top to five points with victory at Elche earlier on Saturday. Barcelona, who missed the chance to go top in losing to Granada on Thursday, can move level on points with Real with victory against Valencia
on Sunday, while fourthplaced Sevilla can stay within three points of the summit if they beat Athletic Bilbao on Monday. In his first start since January, Eden Hazard went close to an opener but was denied by a fingertip save from Sergio Herrera. The Osasuna goalkeeper also kept out Militao’s powerful first-half header,
while Chimy Avila’s finish was ruled out for offside as Osasuna threatened before the break. Real struggled to create opportunities in a second half which saw centre-back Raphael Varane leave the field through injury, until Militao delivered with his side’s first effort on target after the restart. (BBC Sport)
Warner replaced by Williamson as Sunrisers Hyderabad captain
David Warner has a highest score of 57 in this year’s IPL
AUSTRALIA’S David Warner has been removed as captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad for the rest of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL), and replaced by New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson. Sunrisers are bottom of this year’s IPL table with only one win from six games. Warner, who averages 32.16 from six innings, was in his fifth season as captain and had led the side to their only IPL title in 2016. The franchise said the decision had “not come lightly”. Sunrisers, who are coached by ex-England coach Trevor Bayliss, play Rajasthan Royals in their next game today with seven matches to follow in the group phase. Williamson, 30, led
Sunrisers in 2018 after Warner stepped down following Australia’s ball-tampering scandal and again in 2019, before Warner was reinstated the following year. He has scored 108 runs in three innings this year and is yet to be dismissed. Sunrisers also said they will be “changing their overseas combination” for today’s game against Rajasthan. Like Warner, England batsman Jonny Bairstow has occupied one of the four overseas slots in every game this season, scoring 218 runs at at an average of 43.60. A change could mean fellow England international Jason Roy will make his Sunrisers debut, or possible recalls for West Indies Jason Holder or Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi. (BBC Sport)
CRICKET QUIZ CORNER
SUNDAY, May 02, 2021 COMPLIMENTS OF XTRA ENERGY DRINK – STABROEK BAZAAR (Tel: 683-9500) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD – 83 Garnett street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) (1) (2)
ANSWERS TO YESTERDAY’S QUIZ: Rashid Khan-44 matches (AFG) Curtly Ambrose/Ian Bishop-61 matches
TODAY’S QUIZ:
(1) Who is the first player to score a hundred in his 100th ODI match? (2) Who is the last player to hit a century in his 100th ODI game?
ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
Man City beat Palace 2-0, can win Premier League today MANCHESTER City could clinch the Premier League title today after two goals in the space of 83 seconds saw off a stubborn Crystal Palace. City will secure a third title in four seasons if second-placed Manchester United lose at home to Liverpool. After a scrappy first half at Selhurst Park, Sergio Aguero thumped City ahead with a clinical finish before Ferran Torres drilled in a low shot. That ended the resistance of Palace, who stay in 13th place. Roy Hodgson’s side had chances in the first half through Christian Benteke, who flicked a header wide and had a
close-range shot blocked by City keeper Ederson. But once City made their breakthrough when Aguero smashed high into the net, quickly followed by Torres’ precise finish, the result was not in doubt. Now it is a question of when, not if, Pep Guardiola’s side will be crowned champions again after relinquishing the crown to Liverpool last season. “We can start to put the champagne in the fridge not to open yet, but to think about it,” said Guardiola, whose side moved 11 points clear of United. “The Premier League is already there - it is in our hands. We need one more victory, two more points.”
Sergio Aguero, who had never scored at Selhurst Park, became the 12th player to score at 30 or more different stadiums in the Premier League
Diego Maradona care deficient and reckless, medical report says ARGENTINE football icon Diego Maradona received “deficient and reckless” health care before his death, a panel of medical experts has concluded. Prosecutors in Argentina asked the panel to investigate Maradona’s medical team after the footballer’s death in November last year. Maradona died of a heart attack at his Buenos Aires home, aged 60. He had successful surgery on a brain blood clot earlier in November and was to be treated for alcohol dependency. One of the greatest football players of all-time, Maradona had a troubled personal life marked by cocaine and alcohol addiction. The death of Maradona, who captained Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986, plunged the footballing world into mourning, and raised questions about his medical treatment. A few days after his death Argentine prosecutors launched investigations into the doctors and nurses involved in his care. In March, prosecutors convened a panel of 20 medical experts to examine Maradona’s cause of death and to determine if there had been any negligence. What does the panel’s report say? The panel’s findings were reported by local media in Argentina on Friday. In a 70-page report, the panel said Maradona had
become seriously ill about 12 hours before his death. During this period he was “not properly monitored”, the report said. Citing the report, Argentine newspaper Clarín said the panel accused Maradona’s medical team of leaving his survival “to fate”.
port, prosecutors will decide whether to bring any charges. Clarín said manslaughter could be among the charges being considered. The legal proceedings were prompted by a complaint filed by two of Maradona’s daughters. They raised concerns about
Diego Maradona was inspirational as captain when Argentina won the World Cup in 1986
The medical experts said Maradona may have had a better chance of survival had he been treated at a medical facility rather than his home, the newspaper reported. The panel concluded that the action taken by Maradona’s health team was “inadequate, deficient and reckless”, according to Reuters news agency, which obtained a copy of the report. Maradona’s personal doctor Leopoldo Luque, 39, and his psychiatrist are among the medical professionals being investigated by prosecutors. Now that the medical panel has released its re-
their father’s treatment after the brain operation. Dr Luque has not been charged. He denies any wrongdoing. At an emotional press conference in November, Dr Luque cried, saying he had done all he could to save the life of a friend. At one point, the doctor shot back at reporters: “You want to know what I am responsible for? For having loved him, for having taken care of him, for having extended his life, for having improved it to the end.” The doctor said he had done “everything he could, up to the impossible”. (BBC Sport)
AGUERO INSPIRES CITY ONCE AGAIN Not for the first time, but perhaps the last, Aguero provided the inspiration for City as they close in on another trophy. The 32-year-old Argentine will leave when his contract expires at the end of the season after playing such an instrumental role in their success since arriving in 2011. While he might no longer be deemed by Guardiola as a key starter in City’s biggest games, there was a sense of inevitability that Aguero would still have a significant impact in their chase for the Treble as his iconic spell at the club comes towards an end. Playing slightly deeper behind Gabriel Jesus, Aguero was at the heart of City’s brighter attacking moments in a first half when they lacked quality
in the final third of the field. Yet they had not managed a shot on target until the ball came into the Palace box from the left and Aguero took a deft touch to create space and blast a powerful shot into the roof of the net. It was a reminder of the quality he still possesses, which is leaving the leading clubs in the world reportedly eyeing a move for him in the summer. “I’m so happy because it has been a long time since I played 90 minutes and the goal was good because maybe we can win the Premier League,” said Aguero, who said he did not know if he will watch United’s game against Liverpool. “Always I’m ready. I am feeling good. I always want the opportunity to play like today.” (BBC Sport)
Walsh not afraid to blood young talent ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) of giving them that role.” “And I think it was very – Head coach Courtney Teenaged fast bowlers, successful in identifying where Walsh on Friday said he had St Lucian Zaida James and the players were and having an no misgivings about blooding Vincentian Jannillea Glasgow, idea of what we needed to do young players at internation- were named in the training and can do, and how we were al level once they merited group, as Cricket West Indies going about it. selection, as he reiterated continued their efforts to ex“For this camp coming up the importance of developing pand the talent pool. now, I am using two themes new talent with the crucial Japhina Joseph, Rashada – consistency and game awareWorld Cup Qualifiers at Williams, Caneisha Isaac, ness. I am going to try to get year-end. Shanika Bruce, Mandy Man- them to be more consistent Selectors last week an- gru and Rachel Vincent – all in every department of the nounced eight uncapped play- without international experi- game, on and off the field, and ers – including two 16-year- ence – are all set to feature in awareness in terms of individolds – in a 30-member training the camp, the second of the ual awareness, team awareness squad for a month-long high year as West Indies prepare and game awareness.” performance camp which gets for ICC qualifiers in Sri Lanka Walsh is hoping to turn underway today. which determine the last three around the team’s current Walsh, a former West In- spots at next year’s 50-over slump that has seen them fail dies captain, said the current World Cup. to win any of their last six core group of experienced Walsh said while the first One-Day International series players provided the ideal en- camp in January was used and lose 14 of their last 17 vironment for the introduction to assess players, and gauge matches. of these young players. and improve their fitness, the Individual performances “I would not throw young upcoming camp would be fo- have also declined with only players into international cussing mainly on consistency the likes of Taylor, who avercricket if they were not go- and game-awareness. aged 42 in the last three years ing to be able to cope, but I “At the (earlier) camp, I up to the last ODI in 2019, and have nothing against playing a had not seen them (players) Deandra Dottin who averaged youngster who has the talent, before, so it was more or less 31, scoring consistently. the skill-set and can perform at an assessment camp,” Walsh “It is not that we will not that level,” said the legendary explained. do any stuff to improve the fast bowler who snatched a skill-sets, but these two areas record 519 wickets from 132 are very important,” Walsh Tests. continued. “I will definitely expose “Consistency cannot be them to that level, and it will only three players. We need be a good thing to expose them consistency. If you are playing when you have senior players six batsmen, not everybody such as the captain (Stafanie will come off all the time, but Taylor), Deandra Dottin and you need four or five players Hayley Matthews around. consistently producing. “If you have all of those “You cannot have the senior players around and you same three players performhave a youngster that is good ing all of the time, so that enough and has the potential to will be an area that we will have an extended career, this is be focussing on, and every probably the best time to get player in the team must be them going. able to perform at a “Once that perconsistent level and son is up there, must be aware I have no of the game issues situation.” West Indies Women’s head coach Courtney Walsh
SUNDAY CHRONICLE May 2, 2021
35
Fredericks returned unopposed as president of UDCA
Newly elected members of the Upper Demerara Cricket Association (UDCA) after being elected . President Bradley Fredericks is standing fourth from right
BRADLEY Fredericks was returned unopposed to head the Upper Demerara Cricket Association (UDCA) on Friday when the annual general meeting and elections were held at the Old England Sports Club Pavilion in the Mines on the outskirts of Linden. Fredericks retained the position of president with Andrew Forsythe being elected unopposed as Vice President. The Secretary is Mr. Aubrey Douglas while the Assistant Secretary is Ms. Pheona Ali John with Mr. Clayton Van Hersel elected as Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer is Ms. Annette Rambharrat while Ms. Jacquey Bourne was reelected unopposed as the Public Relations Officer. The Returning Officer was Compton Fraser JP
Nine of the twelve affiliated clubs of the UDCA attended that meeting, namely West Watooka, Royal Champions, Christianburg, Ituni, Muritaro, Yararibo, Three Fri8ends, Spieghtland and Coomacka. Meanwhile, the UDCA executive will meet on Saturday at a venue to be named where the committees and their chairpersons will be appointed for the Finance, Cricket Development and Competitions. Fredericks thanked all clubs who stayed and supported the UDCA during the long battle which affected the staging of tournaments saying now it is time to get cricket rolling, “We have won all court battles and cricket will now be better in region Ten, grounds will be fixed.” (Joe Chapman)
ICC to expand men’s ODI World Cup to 14-team event THE International Cricket Council (ICC) is to set to expand the scope of the men’s 50-Over World Cup from the next cycle. There has been a debate over whether to expand the size to 16 teams but, in all likelihood, ICC directors will settle for a 14-team format, played thrice before - in 2003, 2011 and 2015. The current format of 10 teams that has attracted widespread criticism, largely from the Associate members who have been deprived of taking part in the pinnacle championship, will be done away with. The inference is that the arrangement - aimed largely to ensure more India games so that the broadcaster can leverage on that financially -- is so lopsided that even a couple of full members - Ireland and Zimbabwe - failed to compete in the championship in 2019. For the last couple of months, ICC members have been deliberating on the size of the World Cup periodically through virtual conferences, and a couple of members of the world body have confirmed to Cricbuzz that consensus is
fast emerging on the 14team format for the ODI World Cup in next eightyear cycle, from 2023 to 31. There was certainly a demand to have 16 teams
the chief culprit. It now wants to have the eightyear blue print ready by this year end. The media rights are expected to be sold by 2022.
The 2019 edition, which England won, was a 10-team affair (Getty)
too, like in 2007, but the idea does not have the approval of the majority. The need to finalise the shape of the global events in the cycle is exigent given that ICC will have to go to the market to conclude the media rights partners and sponsors. The general impression is that ICC is already behind schedule in finalising the next cycle, the global pandemic being
SIX OR EIGHT DILEMMA The next big question before ICC is whether to have six or eight World Cups in the cycle. An eightevent cycle was approved in principle in 2019 with dubious participation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at one meeting. An elected management which took over the BCCI
later has made some noises but the latest impression is that there is a sense of optimism among ICC decision-makers that they will be able to convince the BCCI to drop its opposition to the one World Cup every year plan. Clarity still has to emerge on this but consensus is being arrived at. More could be heard on this front soon in the coming days. THE DUBAI SWITCH FOR T20 WORLD CUP Although one of its managers, meanwhile, has conceded that options are open to switch the T20 World Cup later in the year to UAE from India, the BCCI office-bearers insist that efforts will be made to retain the staging rights. The rapid rise in COVID-19 cases has certainly weakened the BCCI’s claim. Besides, the UAE is a favourite for this in the current situation. With the entire UAE population set to be vaccinated - in fact the UAE government is reportedly contemplating a vaccine tourism policy - everyone concerned may understandably prefer to be safe than sorry. (Cricbuzz)
Roach career-best eight-wicket haul sends Hampshire to historic defeat
LONDON, (CMC) – Veteran West Indies seamer Kemar Roach snatched a career-best eight-wicket haul to to pass 400 first class wickets, as Surrey inflicted Hampshire with their worst-ever post-war defeat in the County Championship here Saturday. Trailing by 468 on first innings after Surrey carried their overnight 513 for three to 560 for seven declared, Hampshire collapsed for 179 in their second innings, to lose by an innings and 289 runs on the third day at the Oval. The 32-year-old Roach, who struggled for success in Surrey’s opening two games, was at the heart of their success claiming eight for 40 in a superb exhibition of seam bowling. He ended with match figures of 10 for 80 following his first innings brace in Hampshire’s 72 all out last Thursd a y, as Surrey picked up their first win of the n e w season. South A f r i c a n Hashim Amla Fast bowler Kemar Roach celebrates a wicket during the third day of the County Championship match against Hampshire
retired hurt on his overnight 215 while Jamie Smith added 12 to his unbeaten 66, before becoming one of four wickets to fall before Surrey declared mid-way through the morning session. Faced with an hour before lunch, Hampshire crashed to 51 for four at the interval after Roach scythed t h r o u g h t h e t o p o rder to snatch three wickets. Seamer Rikki Clarke (240) got the first wicket when he trapped opener Joe Weatherley lbw for 14 in the eighth over but Roach then dominated to leave the innings in tatters. He hit opener Ian Holland on his toes with a full length delivery to gain an lbw decision for 18 and three balls later in the same over, had new batsman Sam Northeast caught at second slip by Clarke without scoring, driving at one that straightened. Tom Alsop (6), dropped at slip off Roach before he had scored, lasted another 21 deliveries before perishing with the score on 44, caught at second slip off
the Barbadian after being squared up. On 51 for four at lunch, Hampshire lost captain James Vince for 10 to Clarke on resumption but then got the best stand of the innings when wicketkeeper Lewis McManus struck 51 in a 54-run, sixth wicket partnership with Liam Dawson who made 33. Roach returned to break the stand, however, getting Dawson to play around a sharp in-swinger and be plumb lbw, and then brought up his five-wicket haul by trapping Scott Currie lbw on his crease for one with another delivery which nipped back. Stumbling on 145 for seven at tea, Roach wiped out the tail by claiming all three wickets in the final session. First, he prised out Kyle Abbott for 21 to a catch at second slip, the batsman pushing tentatively outside off before accounting for Brad Wheal witho u t scoring, lbw to a full length delivery. And he finally knocked over the defiant McManus, getting the righthander to glove a short delivery and give wicketkeeper Ben Foakes a diving leg-side catch. Roach, who lies eighth on the all-time We s t I n d i e s Test list with 214 scalps, now has 406 first class wickets. At New Road, Alzarri Jos e p h ’s Wo r c e s ters h i r e reached 3 0 2 for five after resuming the day on 37 without loss, in reply to E s sex’s massive 561 for eight d e clared. At Bristol, Kraigg Brathwaite’s Gloucestershire converted their overnight first innings 176 for six into 275, but then watched as Leicestershire cruised to 125 for three to lead by 271 runs overall heading into Sunday’s final day. At Hove, Bermudian Delray Rawlins top-scored with 45 to help Sussex up to 154 all out in their second innings. He struck five fours off 78 balls. Lancashire had earlier been dismissed for 230 in their first innings after resuming on 103 for six and set 253 for victory, closed on 124 for two with opener Alex Davies hitting 73.
Pollard blitz seals last-ball thriller for
Kieron Pollard of Mumbai hits one towering straight six a distance of 103 metres (Photo courtesy IPL Media)
Mumbai Indians DELHI, India (CMC) – Kieron Pollard held his nerve to smash 16 runs off the final over, as his scintillating half-century propelled reigning champions Mumbai Indians (MI) to a dramatic last-ball, four-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) here yesterday. Chasing an imposing 219 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Mumbai got a stunning 34-ball unbeaten 87 from West Indies whiteball captain while South African Quinton de Kock chipped in with 38, opening partner Rohit Sharma, 35, and Krunal Pandya, 32. Even then, Mumbai found themselves still up against it on 203 for six at the end of a thrilling penultimate over which served up two sixes and two wickets. However, Pollard took matters into his own hands. He refused a single off the first delivery of the final over from South African
speedster Lungi Ngidi before inside-edging the next ball to the ropes at deep square and then carting a high full toss to the fine leg boundary. He was kept scoreless off the fourth ball but then cleared the deep square leg boundary with a full toss, leaving two runs to get off the final ball of the game. Pollard then stabbed an excellent fulllength delivery down the ground and scampered two with Dhawal Kulkarni, to deliver a sensational win for Mumbai. “When he does something like this you’re genuinely speechless,” said Pollard’s teammate Hardik Pandya, who bludgeoned two sixes in the 19th over in a seven-ball 16. “It’s fantastic, I would say inspirational to watch someone consistently do it and on his day, do something this amazing.” Pollard belted half-dozen fours and eight towering sixes – three coming in the 13th
Guyana’s top male badminton player Narayan Ramdhani performed well at the championships
over from left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja as Mumbai gathered a staggering 138 runs in the last 10 overs. His 53rd T20 half-century was the fastest of the tournament, needing just 17 balls, and was achieved with the last of three fours in the 15th over from Shardul Thakur which leaked 23 runs. Man-of-the-Match Pollard had earlier grabbed two wickets in two overs of slow medium which cost 12 runs as CSK, sent in, marched to an impressive 218 for four of their 20 overs on an excellent batting track. Ambati Rayudi top-scored with an unbeaten 72 off 27 deliveries while England’s Moeen Ali (58) and South African Faf du Plessis (50) chipped in with half-centuries. Ruturaj Gaikwad (4) fell to the fourth ball of the contest but Moeen and du Plessis combined in a 108-run, second wicket stand to revive the innings. Both departed in the space of seven
balls in successive overs, however, and when Suresh Raina failed with two as Pollard struck twice in the 12th over, CSK were stuttering on 116 for four. However, Rayudu punched four fours and seven sixes in a frenetic, 102-run, unbroken fifth-wicket partnership with Ravindra Jadeja who made 22 not out, to provide a late flourish. In reply, de Kock and Rohit put on 71 off 46 balls for the first wicket but a clatter of wickets saw the run chase falter with Mumbai stumbling to 81 for three after 10 overs. Pollard then inspired an 89-run, fourth-wicket stand with Krunal and then a 32-run partnership with his brother Hardik, to claw Mumbai back into contention. CSK, who were without veteran all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, remained top of the league on 10 points despite the defeat while Mumbai moved up to fourth on eight points.
SEE PAGE 31
Medina Spirit delivers trainer Baffert record seventh win at Kentucky Derby
SEE PAGE 31
Ramdhani battles hard against Mexican, but bows out in PAN AM Round of 16 SEE PAGE 33
Medina Spirit #8, ridden by jockey John Velazquez, crosses the finish line to win the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby ahead of Mandaloun #7, ridden by Florent Geroux, and Hot Rod Charlie
Top five successful chases in IPL history
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE MAY 2, 2021