‘Shameless, unsympathetic’
- President Ali, Minister Manickchand upbraid Norton over comment about ‘conditions’ on grants for children - points to APNU+AFC’s removal of support for Guyana’s youth
Children’s Mashramani parade lights up city streets
‘Rapid-response team’ to work ‘after hours’ on child abuse cases
- new unit which includes trained childcare, protection officers to be launched by mid-April
Guyana exploring every avenue to fortify, enhance poultry industry
laboratories to participate in healthcare voucher
- as bird flu hits US, President Ali says - approximately 500,000 persons to benefit, - Dr. Anthony says
New, modern facility for rehabilitative care on the cards
(Ministry of Education photos)
‘Shameless, unsympathetic’
- President Ali, Minister Manickchand upbraid Norton over comment about ‘conditions’ on grants for children
- points to APNU+AFC’s removal of support for Guyana’s youth
By Trina Williams
ASIDE from the political opportunism displayed by the Opposition, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali said that they are clueless about the policy matrix.
Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton is now promising cash transfers to schoolaged children, if elected, although the APNU+AFC government, which he was a part of, took away the “Because We Care” grant in 2015.
President Ali, during the sod turning for a
“Today (Friday), they said, when we get to office, we will give you the Because We Care grant, but this must be linked to attendance… The very people who looked your children in their eyes and took away the Because We Care grant between 2015 and 2020, coming back now to tell you we will give you the grant.”
Unlike the Opposition, the government has shown interest in the children of Guyana and the President pointed to the investments being made to support
in government when we found oil and they took it away. Running a government is not the fanciful luxury of luxuriously moving yourself around.”
Education Minister Priya Manickchand called the opposition out for being callous with their plans to place rigid conditions on the “Because We Care” grant that was reinstated by the PPP/C.
In response to the Norton’s plan to tie the children’s grant to attendance, the Education Minister reminded Guyanese of when the
new modern West Demerara Regional Hospital, on Friday, told citizens that with it being election season, they will hear a lot of promises.
Norton on Friday said, if they were to assume governance, under his leadership, cash transfers for school-age students will be linked to their attendance.
The President said:
this vision.
Speaking more on the Opposition, he said: “They don't have a clue about the policy matrix and policy framework. And let me remind you of something. We gave that Because We Care grant without oil and gas and we increase it every single year. They [APNU+AFC] took it away when we found oil. They were
APNU+AFC removed the grant when they assumed office.
The minister stated that the only requirement is for the child to be on the register and for the school to submit it, which is then checked by other entities.
In response to the PNCR’s conditions for the grant, the Education Minister said: “They
President, Dr. Irfaan Ali
have no sympathy.”
APNU+AFC’s “shameful” past on the children’s grant is compounded by the lack of investments in the education sector, especially in terms of transportation and meals.
Under the PPP/C, the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant which is available to each private and public-school student annually, has increased to $50,000 from $40,000.
Also, the uniform voucher allowance of $5,000 will continue to be paid, meaning each schoolchild will now get $55,000 each.
Even though the APNU+AFC touted their 5 B’s initiative, Minister Manickchand stated that they did poorly in that area too.
It is important to understand that even after taking away the children’s grant and implementing the 5 B’s programme, the Opposition delivered only 34 buses from 2015 to 2020, the minister disclosed.
Notably, this was for 205,000 school-aged children, she reminded Guyanese.
However, from 2020 to now, the PPP/C has given more than 58 buses.
Also, from 20152020, APNU+AFC only gave 29 boats, the Education Minister said, noting that thus far, the PPP/C has given more than 94 boats.
As for the ‘B’ in breakfast, the minister said that the APNU did not give a single child breakfast on Essequibo Coast; East Bank Demerara; along with several other regions including One and Ten.
In 202, when the PPP/C returned to office, consistent with their promise of not only restoring the “Because We Care” cash grant and increasing it, every single child on the coast gets breakfast from grades three to six, the minister said.
In addition to this, every primary school child in the hinterland gets breakfast and a hot meal.
For nursery school children, they get juice and biscuits and for both the non-residents and residents of secondary school dormitories, those children are getting a hot meal.
Norton had said: “When we do cash transfer to children and family, you don’t want to do it for people to do their nails and their hair.”
In response to this, the minister said that this statement is insensitive.
She said that this statement by Norton does not reflect the reality on the ground, and he has no moral or ethical standing to tell parents how to manage their monies.
“You have never helped them when you were in government or otherwise, to look after their children,” she said to Norton, adding: “We (PPP/C) trust to look after your children,” adding: “We see the sacrifices you make every day.”
Education Minister Priya Manickchand
‘Rapid-response team’ to work ‘after hours’ on child abuse cases
- new unit which includes trained childcare, protection officers to be launched by mid-April
By Shaniya Harding
WITH reports of child abuse continuing to reach the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security at all hours, a new after-hours Rapid Response Team is being developed to take calls and tackle cases even outside regular working hours.
Director of the Childcare and Protection Agency, Levine Gouveia, told the Guyana Chronicle, the project is well underway and is set to be launched by mid-April.
Gouveia, revealed that in 2024, the ministry received 4,038 reports of child abuse, with 1,202 cases being child sexual abuse. So far, in 2025, an additional 275 cases have already been reported.
During a press conference
at the National Communications Network (NCN) at Homestretch Avenue on Saturday, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, said that the initiative will be piloted in Region Four to address the current challenge of responding to reports that come in at night when officers might not be readily available.
Described as a collaborative effort, the new team will feature trained childcare and protection officers who will address cases reported during late hours.
The ministry has already made significant strides in developing the programme, Minister Persaud said.
“We have taken a number of steps in developing the rapid response team. We
have identified a vehicle, and we are now in the process of identifying designated officers, and this is after-hours response. So, if cases come in in the night, whether through the police, through 914, somebody might message me, and we don’t necessarily have an officer at that time, we’d have to pull officers out of their home. But the intention now is to create this team that works after hours,” Dr. Persaud said.
According to the minister, the need for such a team has become more pressing, as a wide range of reports continue to reach the ministry. While sexual abuse remains a significant concern, cases of neglect, emotional abuse, and physical harm are also prevalent.
“We do have reports of cases of abuse, and as you know, abuse is not only limited to sexual abuse. There are various aspects of abuse, and that includes neglect, physical, emotional—a number of those. Right at the top of that, neglect is right there,” Dr. Persaud said.
She further highlighted that the Rapid Response Team will be vital in assessing cases
of abuse immediately.
Dr. Persaud, however, acknowledged that while the Ministry is committed to ensuring nationwide coverage, human resource constraints remain a major challenge.
“Our challenge is, as I mentioned, is human resource. We want to get more persons on board so that we can actually have these things work across the country. So that’s the real challenge,” she said.
Minister Persaud highlighted that while officers are currently stationed in all regions, the ministry continues to face limitations in the hinterland. To address this, the ministry is introducing a para-professional programme in collaboration with the University of Guyana.
"We are looking at how we can have members of the hinterland communities, our indigenous populations, while they work with us, they are a part of this para-professional training programme, to equip them with the essentials of
social work, with the understanding that they will move on to degrees and subspecialties in social work,” she related.
Beyond staffing efforts, the ministry has been implementing several programmes to support children and families. One such initiative is a parenting programme designed to equip parents with skills to better care for their children.
"Over time, we would have delivered a number of programmes, and a few of those programmes involve our parenting programme. This was a new initiative that was developed. A trainer of trainers manual was developed, a workbook for parents, and this programme is in the early stages where we work with parents on parenting techniques and skills when it comes to raising children and dealing with the various dimensions of child care,” Dr. Persaud said.
In addition, the ministry has been working closely with UNICEF to finalise
an Early Childhood Development Policy, which will soon be launched.
“Today, we have an Early Childhood Development Policy, which we would have worked on with UNICEF, which would be launched very soon, and this focuses on children between the ages of zero to three years, nine months,” Dr. Persaud said.
To further support early childhood development, the government has allocated funds in the national budget to construct two day-night care facilities.
The Minister said: “To this end, the Government of Guyana expended in its budget, sums of money to construct two day-night care early childhood facilities, which will be opened this year. These will work as the model centers and also have the functional capacity of providing day-night care and early childhood development services. It's a brand-new model. In fact, it's the only model of its kind in the region.”
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud and team during the press conference at NCN, on Saturday
At least 15 killed in New Delhi station crush
A CRUSH at New Delhi Railway Station has left at least 15 people dead and a further 10 injured.
Dr. Ritu Saxena, deputy medical superintendent of Lok Nayak Hospital in New Delhi, confirmed the numbers to BBC Hindi after thousands of people reportedly crammed into the railway station on Saturday evening.
The Reuters news agency reported that three of the dead were children, while 10 were women.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said
his thoughts were “with all those who have lost their loved ones” in a post on X.
Eyewitnesses told BBC Hindi a “huge crowd” had gathered at the station, through which many people were travelling to and from the Hindu religious festival, the Kumbh Mela.
Ruby Devi said the crowd at the Indian capital’s main railway station had been so big she was unable to get inside.
Another person said police were doing their job, “but the crowd be-
came too much”.
Inside the station, according to officials, two trains had been delayed, while a third that was heading to Prayagraj where the Kumbh Mela is held, was waiting to depart.
“There were far more people than I have ever seen at this station,” Dharmendra Singh, who was hoping to travel to Prayagraj, told India’s PTI news agency.
“In front of me, six or seven women were taken away on stretchers.”
KPS Malhotra, dep-
uty commissioner of police, said the situation had been “out of control for a brief spell of 10 to 15 minutes due to overcrowding”.
Indian Railways had initially dismissed talk of a stampede as a “rumour”, according
to Reuters, but later confirmed that an undisclosed number of people had been injured and taken to hospital.
The incident comes weeks after dozens were killed in a predawn crush at the
Kumbh Mela festival in northern India, where tens of millions of Hindus had gathered to take a dip in sacred river waters on one of the holy days of a six-week festival.
(BBC World)
Deafening Silence
THE recent incendiary comments from Working People's Alliance (WPA)
Leader David Hinds targeting Afro-Guyanese have outraged and alarmed many, but the deafening silence from sections of the media is also equally disturbing.
President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has been absolutely right to call out this glaring silence in a disturbing trend of selective reporting endangering Guyana's multiethnic society.
Hinds' revolting characterisation of Afro-Guyanese exercising their democratic
right to vote for political parties of their choice as "lick-bottom house slaves", and "sellouts" is not only extremely offensive, but also a betrayal of ideals previously held by the WPA under Walter Rodney's leadership. Such vitriolic rhetoric has no place in a modern, democratic Guyana, and ought to be roundly condemned by all. This failure of sections of the media to appropriately react to such comments is a sharp reminder of the double standards inherent in much of our public discourse.
As President Ali pointed
out, such outrage on selective basis seems to be part of an overall agenda to try to destabilise the ruling government, rather than strive for real national unity and progress. This practice is not just a discredit to the journalistic profession but to the citizens of Guyana who rely on balanced and honest reporting in making informed decisions.
It's particularly tragic to see this type of strategy being employed by individuals who claim to inherit the mantle of Walter Rodney, a genuine nationalist who fought on behalf of all Guya-
nese, regardless of what their ethnic backgrounds were.
The contrast between Rodney's vision of unity and the current WPA leadership's ideology of division could not be more revealing.
Minister Kwame McCoy's condemnation of Hinds' attack is also used here to underscore the toxic nature of this discourse.
It confirms the opposition's ill-conceived approach to politics and race in Guyana, an ideology in fundamental conflict with the values of inclusivity and national cohesion.
The Association of the
People of African Descent (APAD) has also rightly been denouncing Hinds' statements, upholding the very basic right of all Guyanese to belong to political parties of their choosing without fear of denigration. It is a reflection of the spirit of democracy and respect for diversity that should pervade Guyana's political climate.
As Guyana develops, we must ensure that we do not adopt such polarising strategies, and focus on the real developments that benefit all Guyanese. The history of the government speaks for itself, and we observe that
the populace recognises and accepts these developments. In short, the media's inability to cover this issue is not just a journalistic failure; it is a missed opportunity to build a more respectful and inclusive political discourse. Going forward, it is important that the whole society, including the media, come together against the type of rhetoric that separates people rather than bringing them together. Only by coming together in this way are we likely to build the really united Guyana that we all want to create.
Religious tolerance, peace must always be paramount in our teachings
Dear Editor
REGARDING the issue of President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali attending the inauguration of the Lord Shiva murti at the Badrinaath Ashram, Spring Garden, Region Two, which seems to be a catalyst for criticism and derogatory comments in some quarters in society.
I wish to remind everyone that Guyana is a secular country firmly rooted in a multifaceted society encompassing culture, religion and ethnicity.
That said, President Ali was not elected through an Islamic slate, or from any
religious list. As Head of State, he has every right, once requested, to participate in public events, religious or otherwise, that is in keeping with his office.
While Guyana is not without its challenges, both historically and current, generally, it is known for its enviable sense of religious tolerance. This is glaringly evident in the public participation of all ethnic groups in national religious festivals like Easter, Phagwah, Diwali, Eid, and Christmas. This has been the bedrock of the tolerance we have seen, over time, and which has been fully
incorporated within our institutions of learning, as seen through participation in “Culture Day” and events for the observances of national religious holidays.
Similarly, this is further demonstrated in many work places across the country, in both the public and private sectors, where a sense of pride is imbued in one to participate and reflect on each other’s culture, of which religion is a major component.
Our Heads of State have been steadfast in their participation in such events. President Ali’s predecessor, President David
Granger, a devout Christian, participated in the playing of Phagwah, and had members of the Hindu community engaged in Chowtal singing, and hosted a Diwali Utsav at State House while in office. Those are mere examples from a plethora which space would be a constraint for me to list.
I believe that the participation of these officials in such events not only demonstrates our country’s secular characteristic exemplified especially by the Head of State, but promotes appreciation for other religions. This is invaluable to fostering our
enviable sense of tolerance, as aptly reflected in our national motto; One, People, One Nation, One Destiny.
This is built upon by President Ali’s One Guyana initiative to strengthen bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood, and the furtherance of tolerance and harmony. This, I believe, is what Heads of State are expected to do within the context outlined.
It is, therefore, most unfortunate that some would view President Ali’s participation in the inauguration of the Lord Shiva murti in Region Two, through a myopic
and partisan lens. Rather than accentuating its positives and using it as another opportunity to foster tolerance and peace, regrettably, their position is counterproductive to such efforts from all involved. We must, therefore, remain relentless in our endeavours to enlighten our citizens on these issues, an enlightenment which is vital for better understanding and which leads to appreciation and tolerance.
Yours truly, Neaz Subhan
Isn’t this a relentless insult of African Guyanese?
I AM going to list some names here of persons who say that they represent African Guyanese interest and speak for African Guyanese. Do not take my word. Just go to their social media postings, go to anything they write and just look at the nature of their output; all in service of African Guyanese who they claim to represent.
Sometimes I wonder if Nigel Hughes should not have a word with them and tell them that their style and linguistics insult African Guyanese. If you are representing a culture or religion or race, you make sense to those you are directing your remarks and you proselytize your target audience when you access history, sociology, political theory and economics and produce intellectual content from that access. Someone like Louis Farrakhan is brilliant in that respect. Farrakhan is skillful in the art of intellectual delivery for the purpose of winning over hearts and minds.
You appear irrational, unbalanced, stupid and vulgar when in your presentations, there is no analytical perspective but cuss down vocabulary and infantile personal insults. How do young minds feel about you when they are looking to you for explanations that can add to their understanding of Guyana, its political economy
and its sociology?
We start with David Hinds. In a disparaging expression against Leonard Craig and James Bond for embracing the Guyana Government, Hinds cited not one analytical note, but his entire programme was a cuss down circus in which 28 times he used scatological references to sexual body parts.
Next is Rickford Burke. This man’s criticism of people who support the government is a demonstration of personal vulgarities directed to his detractors that can only attract someone whose mind is similar to Burke’s. All you get from Burke is gutter-language. And it goes on and on. And when he is finished, there isn’t even one concept about the Guyana Government that African Guyanese can reflect on.
Next is Lincoln Lewis. In a disagreement with me on one occasion and with Minister Priya Manickchand another time, Lewis referred to both of us as ugly. You claim to represent African Guyanese, and you want them to understand what is happening to them, but you criticise a minister of government not with intellectual rebuttals, but crossing the line of civilised behaviour by telling people you are better looking than the minister. If African Guyanese do not believe it, they should,
because what he said was– he is a better looking human than the minister.
Next is Mark Benschop. I know USAID funded Mark Benschop’s computer school on Thomas Street, next to Balwant Singh Hospital, funded his local government election participation and his 2015 presidential campaign. He replied to my column on these facts last Tuesday and there is not one word of rejection of my contention, but there is a parade of anti-Kissoon scurrilities in which nothing about my politics or activism is mentioned. So those who listened to Benschop have learnt nothing about my activism but heard only the cussdown that he engaged in.
Next is Charles Ceres, another one who claims he speaks for African Guyanese. In a letter in the press, there is no examination of my political positions and my social activism but like his acolytes mentioned above, his output is a personal attack in which he claims that I am not properly educated. What was the relevance of that? But in fact, I am far more educated than Ceres. In the end, his readers only learned about my qualification and not my politics.
Next is Eric Phillips, another in the long list of those who say they speak for Afri -
can Guyanese. Phillips informed his readers that I suffer from “normalised schizophrenic idiocy.” I can mention a few others like the names I referred to above, but I think I have made my point and my point is that which young African mind these people educate?
How can you undertake a mission to represent an ethnic community and all you do in trying to educate them is cuss-down in the most vulgar, asinine
and insane manner?
This is a country with dozens of thousands of young educated African people.
When they listened to David Hinds last week on his social media programme, I will not accept that even one of those young educated minds became a convert to what Hinds said about Craig and Bond.
I once wrote that all those names cited above, will not go in a symposium and debate PPP intellectu-
als in front of an audience full of senior high school kids. They know the reaction they will get. So they preach their scatology under the safety net of their demented Facebook postings.
DISCLAIMER:
The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.
What has David Hinds ever done for Afro-Guyanese?
DAVID Hinds’ eyes pass every Guyanese of African Descent or ancestry. He is disrespectful to the maximum level. He has not changed his extreme behaviour and political discourse; he is guilty of hiding behind the thin veil of so-called intelligence and hyper-masculinity when he really is a dullard, racist, and pathetic excuse of a man who, in turn, cannot express himself and his emotions with class and integrity.
This, of course, forces and compels the political leader to seek to denigrate and bring down black men and women in today’s society for using their brains and reasoning abilities to make informed decisions about their future, taking into consideration their past experiences, both lived and told to them.
So, he seeks to label them as “lick bottoms”, “sellouts”, and “house slaves” because they dare to vote differently than the other black men and women who vote for the opposition parties, which, he thinks, supports black empowerment, black superiority, black governance and blackness even if it means his version of shared governance and national unity.
Hinds is confused by
this bold and brazen attempt by these brothers and sisters of African Descent, and is showing signs of mental decline and frustration because he feels he owns their minds and they are his property to control like the slave owners and masters of the decades-old slavery story.
He is likely to show more signs of desperation this year, as Hinds and other opposition politicians lose major political grounds as the election draws closer.
Firstly, no one can tell any right-thinking Guyanese that Hinds is not a political miscreant, and should not be trusted with power, authority, and control.
Let’s be clear, Hinds’ commentary made on the social media platforms to the world exposes his innermost thinking about African Guyanese who chose to vote differently from their own. It shows the fact that he does not respect the choice that they are making freely for whatever reason. He then labels them and treats them with scorn as opposed to looking into their choices with a view of establishing causation, and seeking to remedy the situation or problems, if he could.
It's disappointing, to
say the least, and hurtful that Hinds spoke in this way of black Guyanese who he seeks to lead; it is offensive and dangerous to make a comment about African people or Guyanese in that way. It is racist, even if it was not intended to be taken that way.
Hinds must face the legal consequences of his utterances, whatever they may be. He is a shame and embarrassment to academia, and the body politics locally because he dabbled in racist, divisive and inflammatory politics. African Guyanese must never forget the words uttered by Hinds, and all those men and women, particularly of African Descent, who stood silent and are now seeking to explain it away, and want to unjustly shield Hinds from the public’s outrage. They will remember the insults hurdled at them for choosing their choice to lead the country at the ballot boxes. They will make sure Hinds remains in opposition and is never elected to any office in this country that is comprised of citizens of proud African ancestry who laboured and toiled for them to be able to exercise their franchises how they see fit and freely.
Hinds does not own any one race or people in
this country. As a matter of fact, he does not own Black or African Guyanese much less Buxtonians. He can’t control their thought process or impact their lives either positively or negatively. He is a minus rather than a plus to the people. What has Hinds done for people of African Descent here as opposed to cause them harm, and create division and racial strife? How much money or resources flowed from Hinds pockets directly into the empowerment movement in Guyana? How has this politician made the lives of normal Guyanese easier and brighter?
What had he done through his emissaries in the parliament and Government of David Granger and the APNU+AFC from 2015 to 2019 August and 2011 to 2015? What do other not-so-extreme members of the opposition parties think of Hinds as a politician?
What does Aubrey Norton think about the chances of having a man like Hinds besides him, if he wins the presidency? And, what is a David Hinds and what is his claim to fame?
Secondly, Hinds should be afraid to label African Guyanese a “sellout” or “lick bottom” when he is licking the bottom of the
People’s National Congress Reform and selling out his party daily to the highest bidder.
Hinds recently signed an agreement again with the PNC, the very same party that killed the WPA’s founder Walter Rodney. He may be guilty of selling out, which is why he is seeking to portray his “lick beetee” politics on a section of society.
After all, he has single-handedly redefined the WPA from a party of intellects and the highest form of leaders, integrity, honesty and justice to a party of followers, paper intellectuals, masked loyalty and rejects. There is no pride in calling oneself a WPA Member publicly, nor being part of Hinds’ racist and problematic politics. He has stolen the party, and seeks to lord it over its non-existent membership for personal gains and aggrandisement.
Hinds must not use the rhetoric he did because he is opening a can of worms not only for himself but for the other three members of the WPA. This is not the first time that Hinds has spoken controversially, but it seems to be always within the context of creating racial division and race hatred within a group or to another group.
Recall when he said at November 2021, “undermine the enablers of the government, the businesses; dem does come with big truckload… Dem from Black Bush, but dem come
ah Plaisance Market fuh sell; dem ain’t from here”. He further extended his call for “the enablers” of the government to be undermined, saying: “We cannot go to Mon Repos Market and buy black pudding.”
So, he and the WPA are not new to political controversy, and they flare up at every election period.
What Hinds should be focused on instead is rebuilding the WPA party and making it seem electable and trustworthy. The truth is, since the party chose to coalesce with the killers of Dr. Rodney, and even before that in the early 90s and 2000s, it has been seen as an extremely dangerous, violent, racist and divisive entity.
The goodly doctor should focus on rebranding the party and reshaping its image. He should focus on redefining its image and getting back to Walter Rodney’s groundings and principles, which would never see it working with Burnham’s party, once it has not changed.
He should seek to empower the African Guyanese voters, through non-violent and intellectual ways, about what they should be doing to get involved with politics as opposed to calling them names and belittling them for exercising their constitutional obligations freely. He should apologise, but he won’t.
He should focus on do-
TURN TO PAGE 9
Gender-based violence: The victims
IN my last article, I dealt with the police and their sometimes casual attitude towards victims of domestic and gender-based violence.
Today, I would like to address the victimsboth former and present. For as those who have suffered or are suffering domestic abuse, you must learn what measures you can take to either end an abusive relationship or safeguard yourself once it is over.
Statistics show that, worldwide, there are still too many cases of domestic violence - affecting one in three women. Too many women are still remaining with violent partners or leaving and returning to the relationship. There is a legion more who are reluctant to even report abuse, though family,
friends and neighbours may know.
What those of you who remain in abusive relationships need to know is that you can and should get out. The decision is never easy, especially if children are involved. But children are exposed to greater harm when they witness their mother being constantly physically assaulted by her husband or intimate partner.
As
Melinda Smith and
Jeanne Segal, two experts on the subject, write, "You deserve to be treated with respect...You deserve a safe and happy life...Your children deserve a safe and happy life".
There exists in this country a very powerful Domestic Violence Act, which not only seeks to protect victims, but ensure that they are not displaced from their homes - the abuser has to leave even if he owns the property or
What has David...
FROM PAGE 8
ing and saying things that are positive to the struggle and empowerment of African Guyanese in modern Guyana, which would be a plus for him, the PNCR, and thr WPA.
It is important to note that the public should not wait to hear condemnation about this from Vincent Alexander or his political unit, IPADAG. They are complicit, and are only awoken by the PPP/C and Bharrat Jagdeo if they were to mention something as crass and disingenuous as Hinds did.
Finally, African Guyanese are proud people who, each day, are capable of making decisions about their lives and future freely. They do not need Hinds or the WPA to tell them which way they should go; they are independent thinkers and real intellectuals that are leading and driving some of the industries that make
Guyana great.
They don’t need another lecture, or a politician to guide their decisions about who to vote for; they know who to trust. They choose development, and they choose the forward movement of Guyana, and are wary of people like Hinds who want to belittle and stop them from making sound choices.
They know that preaching about blackness, black empowerment, and Africanism does not automatically make one a black or African leader of high esteem or intellect. Being African Guyanese in today’s society is much more complex than Hinds could ever begin to put his one-cell brain to understand.
For African Guyanese, the struggle begins with making a choice based on facts, track record, history, and commonsense, as opposed to dealing with emotion, race, and other
is renting (Occupancy and Tenancy Orders). The Act also has a Protection Order which is designed, among other things, to ensure that your abuser does not come within a certain distance of you.
However, you should first make a report to a police station, where you can request to see and read a copy of the Act or have the relevant sections explained to you by a police officer.
If a copy is not available at the station then you should visit the magistrate's court, where you can speak to the clerk and apply for one or more of the Orders.
Meanwhile, former victims should take measures to safeguard themselves. Try, at least initially, not to go out on your own - not even to the corner shop. Be aware of your surroundings - where someone may hide or whether you are being stalked - and never
agree to meet your former abuser under any circumstances. If a meeting is necessary, let it be at the police station in the presence of officers.
To avoid cyberbullying, block all cell phone contact and report any incidents that may occur. If you have a landline telephone then hang up the phone when your abuser calls. Do not enter into any conversation with that person no matter how much they plead- as many do.
As we say in local talk, 'Ya gaffa mek ya mind hard' and as another saying goes, ' You have to stick to your guns'. Too many of us give in to pleas and promises and as the police complain, ' Dey does come back an beg fuh de man...de man does
sweet talk dem an de nex ting ya know dey drop de charges!'
The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), within the US Department of Justice points out, "Domestic violence not only affects those who are abused, but also has a substantial effect on family members, friends, co-workers, other witnesses and the community at large". They also speak of its devastating effect on children - my next article.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.
subjective factors.
It’s taking pride in one’s race and turning every single challenge into a successful opportunity. Some African Guyanese may be on the path of successfully challenging the economic and social stereotypes that are still out there about the race that are haunting their collective existence and forward movement from slavery to true freedom and economic development. Guyana has no place for old racists like Hinds in modern society. There is no place for these puerile and racist remarks against some or all African Guyanese. Who wants to be like ‘David Hinds’? Nobody!
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.
Can the opposition muster an iota of original thought?
DEAR Lincoln Lewis, if you are going to keep insisting, like a broken record, that GECOM adopts biometrics in order to eliminate electoral fraud, then, for heaven’s sake, stop copying and pasting text from artificial intelligence apps and passing it off as your own!
If you want an authentic election process, perhaps it’s a good idea to start with being honest. And shame on Demerara Wave and Village Voice for allowing an ac-
tivist and a champion of labour rights in Guyana to publish articles in his name when it should be obvious to an editor with a gram of skill that they were written by an AI. What gets me every time is the irony of an opposition that can’t seem to muster an iota of original thought, but wants to school the nation on ethics and morality. Last Sunday, Lewis published yet another article on biometrics in Village Voice, a mouthpiece of the PNC. This time, he used Ghana as
an example of a nation that adopted biometrics in the space of six weeks ahead of its 2012 elections. The entire article was an AI hack job.
Lewis failed to tell Guyanese that many Ghanians— there are about 34 million of them— were not convinced when all was said and done, that the 2012 election was fair or even credible. Adopting a biometric system that used fingerprint recognition did help eliminate duplicate registrants, but what Lewis omitted was
the glaring fact that Ghana outsourced its voter registration process to Superlock Technologies Limited (STL), an Israeli company. That’s not all.
The Electoral Commission of Ghana (ECG) further outsourced the biometric verification machines that were used on Election Day to yet another company, GenKey, a Dutch-based biometric technology company. Widespread technical failures of the equipment on Polling Day led to extensive delays, and required voting extensions. Let Vincent Alexander, Nigel Hughes and Aubrey Norton try telling their most ardent admirers to come back tomorrow to vote, because “de machine bruk”.
Even though the contracts that the ECG signed with STL, GenKey, and others were never properly scrutinized, the ECG tried to justify outsourcing the process because they said it saved them the financial resources required to build up their own in-house capacity.
Why would Lewis take the time to research the Ghanaian 2012 election and use it to shame GECOM, but fail to mention that the ECG handed over control of the country’s critical election infrastructure to multiple third-party companies?
I submit that his omission was on purpose; Lewis knows that the majority of Guyanese and the PPP/C would never agree to outsource the most fun-
damental aspect of their democracy to dubious foreign companies.
And yet Amanza Walton-Desir has the audacity to call the PPP/C “lazy”. Her party had five years; counting the months after the December 2018 no-confidence vote, and five months of pain and agony they inflicted on the nation following the 2020 elections, and they handed a doddering political economy to the PPP/C. Numbers expose APNU+AFC’s lethargic and sluggish approach to the welfare of Guyanese.
For the first time in the history of Guyana, six new hospitals will be opened this year. A new maternal and pediatric hospital is being constructed at Ogle. New Amsterdam will have a new hospital, and so will Moruca, Kato and Kamarang. These new hospitals will come equipped with digital x-ray equipment, CAT scans, mammography and MRI machines. Walton-Desir’s government built nothing.
In 2020, President Ali authorised that every dialysis patient receive $600,000 a year. Last year, there were 550 patients receiving dialysis in Guyana, and the government assisted them by paying for all their laboratory tests, and footed the cost of their expensive medication.
In 2019, Walton-Desir’s government supported 64 dialysis patients, and gave them a one-off $300,000 grant. Many of them died because they couldn't af-
ford to pay for their dialysis treatment.
Between 2020 to 2024, 2,563 heart disease patients were treated, free of cost, and they are alive today because this government removed barriers to allow doctors to insert as many stents as required to keep them alive. Walton-Desir’s government was so entangled in bureaucracy, that only 37 heart patients received stents in 2019.
The PPP/C facilitated the 68,000 eye examinations nationwide last year alone, while the APNU+AFC turned a blind eye to a problem affecting the lives of thousands of young Guyanese.
And, for the first time in the history of Guyana, this government conducted 12,000 HPV tests to check for the virus that causes cervical cancer. And last year, the Ministry of Health conducted 13,000 Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) tests.
Instead of berating the PPP/C for doing a job they’ve failed at, I would much prefer the APNU+AFC applaud from the sidelines, like happy cheerleaders entertaining Guyanese at half-time or during warm-up sessions, because this government is just getting started.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.
Guyana’s Bright Future in STEM: Highlights from the Mousetrap Car Competition
In an exciting celebration of creativity and innovation, Guyana recently hosted its largest-ever Guyana-Monaco Mousetrap Car Grand Prix Competition, drawing in over 600 eager participants at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. This event, organised by SBM Offshore Guyana in partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, brought to life the incredible potential of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education for our youth.
STEM isn't just a buzzword; it's the backbone of innovation and economic development. Companies like ExxonMobil Guyana recognise this and have been supporting various educational initiatives. Over the years, they've backed programmes like The
Fam
ily, Awareness, Consciousness & Togetherness (FACT) organisation's after-school initiative, which aims to keep children in school and away from harmful activities by engaging them in STEM subjects. The competition took this mission a step further, inviting students to design and build vehicles powered solely by a mousetrap, all while applying physics principles. The event featured three categories: Acceleration, Advanced, and Innovation and Creativity, showcasing the diverse talents of the participants.
Returning favourites like Abram Zuil Secondary and St. Rose's High took home first places in the Acceleration and Advanced categories, respectively. However, the highlight of the day was undoubtedly the performance of Paramakatoi Secondary from Region Eight, a newcomer
who won first place in the Innovation and Creativity category. Their ingenious design used Reed grass, a unique material tied to their cultural heritage that is used to craft arrows. It was a creative twist that genuinely caught the judges' attention.
With Guyana experiencing significant economic growth with the advent of the oil and gas sector, the importance of STEM education cannot be overstated. ExxonMobil and other industry stakeholders are committed to ensuring that the young minds in Guyana have the skills necessary to thrive in this evolving landscape. The winners received trophies, medals and $350,000 to bolster their schools' science laboratories.
John Thomas, a student from Marian Academy, aptly noted, "I believe this competition increases morale, competitiveness,
and engineering." His enthusiasm reflects the sentiment of many participants who were inspired and motivated by the event.
Not to be overlooked, schools like Johanna Cecilia Secondary and Friendship Secondary also made their mark, showcasing their talents and cre -
ativity across various categories.
It is clear that the Mousetrap Car Competition is more than just a fun challenge; it's a stepping stone towards a brighter future for our youth and our nation. With the proper support and opportunities, perhaps one day, we will see Guyanese
students leading innovative projects on a global scale.
DISCLAIMER:
The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.
Gov’t to develop integrated health platform for enhanced access to specialised medical care
- President Ali
IN an effort to standardise healthcare services, the government is developing an integrated digital health system to connect all healthcare facilities nationwide.
President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali explained that right now, healthcare facilities across Guyana operate independently, leading to inefficiencies in resource allocation and specialist access.
“If you have a doctor that is highly specialised in LaGrange, and you have in Leonora a doctor that does not have that specialty [then], Leonora would not benefit from that specialty, because there is no integration,” he highlighted during the sod turning event for The New West Demerara Hospital on Friday.
To address this challenge, the government is modernising healthcare by constructing The New West Demerara Hospital, the De Kinderen Regional Hospital, and in the next term, upgrading the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
These major hospitals will be digitally linked to smaller facilities across the country through an integrated patient management system.
According to the Guyanese president, discussions have already been initiated to have this platform integrated with major international healthcare providers, including Mount Sinai, Northwell, and leading institutions in India. This system will not only be implemented in
public facilities, but will also be incorporated into private facilities.
“We’re investing to give people these specialty services, and that platform can be available 24/7. Imagine what that will do for healthcare,” the president expressed.
The Head of State elaborated on how this will improve patient care.
For example, if a patient in a remote health post along the Demerara River needs urgent medical attention, the on-site medic immediately connects with a doctor at the New West Demerara Hospital via the digital platform. This will allow a doctor to access the patient’s preliminary diagnosis and order ‘lab’ tests remotely.
He said that by the time the patient is transported, doctors at the receiving hospital would already have a treatment plan.
By pooling medical talent onto a single national platform, the system will enhance healthcare delivery, and ensure that specialised services are accessible to all, regardless of location or whether they are in the public or private sector.
“That is what we’re targetting [in] building these facilities, so that there is an equitable baseline access of healthcare across the board,” the head of state underscored.
President Ali is confident that by 2030, Guyana will have one of the most advanced and integrated healthcare systems in the Caribbean region. (DPI)
‘I believe in my guide runner more than myself’, says blind Indian athlete
"When I was growing up, everyone in my village would say: 'She is blind, she is a waste'," says Rakshitha Raju. Now, aged 24, she is one of India's top middle-distance para athletes. "It makes me so proud," she says.
Rakshitha was born blind in a remote village in southern India, and had lost both her parents by the age of 10. She was raised by her grandmother, who is hearing and speech impaired.
"Both of us are disabled, so my grandma understood me," she says.
When Rakshitha was about 13, the sports teacher at her school took her aside and told her she had the potential to be a great athlete.
"I wondered: 'How? I am blind, so how do I run on a track I can't see?'" she recalls.
Her teacher explained that visually impaired runners can have a guide, who runs alongside them. The athletes are joined by a tether, a short strap with a loop on both ends for each of them to hold on to.
For a while, other pupils acted as guide runners for Rakshitha. Then, in 2016, when she was 15, she competed in the National Games, where a man called Rahul Balakrishna spotted her.
A middle-distance runner, Rahul had previously competed in the 1500m himself. He had been introduced to para-athletics by a coach at the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) a few years earlier, while recovering from an injury.
There was a shortage of guides and coaches, and Rahul decided to take on both roles. The government pays him a salary for the coaching side of his work, but it does not pay guide runners.
However, if a visual-
practise together for long before their first international competition, the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Japan, just a few weeks after they met.
Their first race, the 100m, ended in disaster.
Simran became the first Indian woman with a visual impairment to win a Paralympic medal.
But Simran is worried how long Abhay will stay as her guide. He has his own career to think of, too.
share of any prize money they win. But Rahul and Abhay would like more support from the State, and want to be allowed to apply for public sector jobs reserved for sportsmen and women, like the athletes they work with.
ly-impaired runner wins an international competition, their guide also gets a medal, something Rahul had not achieved in his own running career.
"I felt proud that I could do this for myself and my country," he says. He invested his own time and money to support Rakshitha, helping her move to Bangalore in 2018 so she could have access to better training facilities.
When they are running "it's the small things that matter", says Rahul. "When they are approaching a curve, the guide has to alert the athlete, or when a competitor is overtaking, he has to tell the athlete so they can put in a little more effort."
Competition rules mean they can't hold hands; they can only be connected by the tether, and the guide-runner is not allowed to push, pull or otherwise propel the visually-impaired athlete.
Over time, the pair have built up a strong bond, and now "I believe in my guide runner more than myself", says Rakshitha.
They won gold medals at the 2018 and 2023 Asian Games, returning to a resounding welcome in Rakshitha's village. She smiles as she describes how the people who used to taunt her organised a procession for her, cheering and waving flags.
Rakshitha became the first blind Indian woman
to qualify for the 1500m in the Paralympics, and she competed with Rahul in Paris in 2024.
They missed out on a medal in France, but India's only other visually impaired female athlete to qualify for Paris, sprinter Simran Sharma, did make it to the podium, bringing home a bronze.
Simran is partially sighted, and when she started running, she ran alone.
But in 2021, when Simran competed in the Tokyo Paralympics, she strayed out of her lane and realised that she would need a guide if she wanted to carry on running.
But the search proved challenging. "It can't be any athlete; you need someone whose technique matches yours, and who runs as fast as you do," she explains.
Simran finally spotted a young athlete called Abhay Kumar, who was training at the same place as her.
The 18-year-old was between competitions, and guiding Simran was an opportunity for him to get experience at international events.
"They sent me videos, and after watching them, I thought: 'I am a fast learner, this is going to be easy'," he says. "But when I ran for the first time, it turned out to be very difficult." Every movement has to be synchronised.
Simran and Abhay did not have time to
"Neither of us knew the rules properly," says Simran. Abhay "thought he had to stop to let me cross the line first, so he stopped completely". They were disqualified, as he should have kept going and crossed the line just behind her.
But by the time they got to the 200m race, they knew what they were doing and struck gold. Simran became the World Champion in the T12 category.
Riding on that high, they went to the Paralympics in Paris. They came fourth in the 100m, but won bronze in the 200m race, and
Although guide runners get a medal when a pair wins, the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) says it cannot support guides with salaries, cash prizes, or offer a long-term career path.
"All we can do is support short-term needs like their food, accommodation, transport and training facilities," says the PCI's national athletics coach Mr. Satyanarayana, who goes by one name.
Both Rakshitha and Simran now have sponsorship deals which help fund their training. They pay their guides themselves, and give them a
Despite the uncertainty around her future with Abhay, Simran is already looking ahead to the next Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. "I won't rest till I change the colour of this medal," she says, hoping that next time she will win gold.
Rakshitha is hoping for a medal next time too, with Rahul at her side. "She must win a medal," he says. "There are many like her in villages. They don't know about sports and the possibilities. Rakshitha would be a role model for them." (BBC World)
Rakshitha Raju, the first blind Indian woman to compete in the 1500m in the Paralympics
GPL responds promptly after three utility poles fall at Homestretch Avenue
- restores power to area
THE Guyana Power and Light (GPL), on Saturday, responded promptly after three utility poles fell in front of the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, Homestretch Avenue.
According to information from GPL, two teams were promptly dispatched to the location to assess the situation.
"The evaluation confirmed that the poles were installed according to the required depth. However, the recent rainfall and the accumulation of excess water in the nearby
drain contributed to a high level of saturation of the earth around the pole base, causing the poles to collapse," GPL said.
The teams have since repositioned the poles and restored power to the area.
Children’s Mashramani parade lights up city streets
New, modern facility for rehabilitative care on the cards
- President Ali announces, touts plan to have emergency diagnostic centre in every region
By Trina Williams
BUILDING on the momentum of developing a world-class healthcare system, the construction of a modern rehabilitation centre will start this year, complementing the new state-of-the-art regional hospitals that will soon come onstream, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has announced.
From the construction and rehabilitation of health centres nationwide to the training of thousands of Guyanese, President Ali, during a recent live broadcast, spoke extensively on how the healthcare system has evolved since 2020.
“As you know, a lot of our people are affected by stroke, and we don’t have a modern ‘rehab’ centre, so, this year, we’re going to commence the building of a ‘rehab’ centre that will look at the comprehensive rehabilitation in different areas,” the Head of State related.
This centre will be completed by 2027, and will supplement the investments made so far in Guyana’s healthcare sector, which is being designed to ensure all Guyanese have equitable access to crucial medical services.
On that note, the President said that 25 health centres have been built, thus far.
From the works to digitise the healthcare sector to the implementation of telemedicine, the government is putting in place modern technologies
that would aid in improving service delivery and empowering patients.
It is important to understand that already the telemedicine project is taking shape in various hinterland villages.
Approximately 300 health facilities across Guyana are expected to be connected to Starlink by June 2025, thereby enhancing telemedicine services nationwide, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony recently announced.
Starlink, a satellite-operated Internet constellation, is being utilised to improve healthcare delivery, particularly in remote areas.
Currently, 53 telemedicine sites are connected to Starlink, with plans to expand to 85 by year-end and exceed 100 by 2025.
This cutting-edge technology ensures efficient and wide-reaching healthcare services, particularly in
Cash grant distribution
progressing smoothly
[DPI photos]
New legislation to strengthen child protection in Guyana
MINISTER of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud has announced plans to introduce a new ‘Protection of Children
International Measures’ legislation geared at enhancing the protection of children in Guyana. She made the announcement during a
press conference on the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) services hosted by the National Communication Network (NCN) on Saturday.
“If all goes well on the legislative agenda Monday, we will be taking another new piece of legislation on the floor, and that is the Protection of Children International Measures in line with the Hague Convention,” she stated.
The move follows the recent enactment of Hague Convention legislation concerning inter-country adoption. This has led to the resumption of international adoption in Guyana under a newly established central authority.
The enactment of inter-country adoption allows individuals between the ages of 18 and 65 to apply for adoption through CPA using forms provided by the Guyana Central Authority (GCA).
Local applicants must submit a specified application and medical forms to the CPA, while overseas applicants must apply through a licensed adoption agency in their country of residence.
Minister Persaud also highlighted the work of the Family Enhancement Services Unit, a division under Programme Two of the ministry. The unit focuses on family stability, healthy relationships, and early intervention for juveniles at risk.
Based at the Palms Compound, the unit operates beyond Region Four, assisting identified cases by working with both children and their families to prevent and address risky behaviour.
She noted that these initiatives among others, speak to the government’s commitment to strengthening child protection systems while ensuring the well-being of vulnerable children across Guyana. Meanwhile, the minister was accompanied by members of the ministry and CPA. (DPI)
Guyana exploring every avenue to fortify, enhance poultry industry
- as bird flu hits US, President Ali says
By Trina Williams
GUYANA will not sit idly by as the avian influenza (bird flu) rocks the global supply chain, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali has said, noting that there are ongoing efforts to ramp up the local production of broilers.
The President said this during a recent live broadcast, where he addressed the bird flu outbreak, which has affected several large nations such as the US.
Guyana imports more than 52 million hatching eggs and this year, the demand will increase, President Ali said. It is important to understand that almost all of those hatching eggs come from the US
More than 20 million egg-laying chickens in the US died last quarter because of bird flu, data from the US Department of Agriculture shows.
This is the highest number to hit the country's egg supply since the outbreak started.
Most of Guyana’s imported hatching eggs, if not all, come from Georgia and Miami, the President noted.
Those areas have not been affected, as yet, by the bird flu, but the outbreak has still disrupted the supply chain in the US.
“When you have a situation where the US, which is a major player in the market, has such a big impact, then of course they will have to meet their local demands and of course this will have an impact on the global supply chain,” President Ali said.
Notably, although Guyana’s poultry industry has seen some significant growth, President Ali said: “We are trying to ramp up our production of broiler meat, the demand is projected to increase tremendously this year.”
In this regard, efforts are being made to support local farmers in order to ramp up production.
For the first time, Guyana was able to produce hatching eggs owing to a
pilot programme launched last year. Owing to this programme, Guyana was able to produce one million hatching eggs.
The Head of State then said the government is looking to see how Guyana can become self-sufficient in the production of hatching eggs within three to four years.
“So, this year will have heavy investment and support to the private sector consortium in building out the industry, so that we can increase more of the hatching eggs that we produce locally,” Dr. Ali said.
Also, the PPP/C administration has introduced black belly sheep, swine, breeding bulls, and other livestock to enhance farmers’ stock.
Further, Guyana’s Ministry of Agriculture has an actionable task force that is liaising with the World Animal Health Organization and the US, Dr. Ali said.
The President disclosed that there are daily meetings being done so Guyana can keep abreast with what is
happening in relation to the global bird flu scenario.
PROTECTING GUYANA
President Ali said that the implementation of measures to mitigate or reduce the effects of this global challenge is being taken serious by the government.
As such, drones and other forms of technology are being utilised to aid in monitoring.
Guyana is also a part of the global information sharing network that would
allow it not only to generate information, but also to proactively and aggressively address these issues since they could have severe implications in the supply chain, especially if Brazil gets affected.
The second highest producer of meat and eggs on the market, is Guyana’s neighbour, Brazil.
Now if Brazil gets affected, this will cause a major disruption in the global poultry market, Dr. Ali stated,
noting that Guyana needs to plan with this in mind.
The Head of State said:
“So it's very important also for us to work closely with Brazil to ensure that their production system is insulated and secured against this bird flu scenario that we are faced with. So, this is an important, global situation that, we are faced with and we are looking at, mitigating, or reducing the effect of this challenge, globally.”
New, modern facility...
FROM PAGE 17
hinterland regions. It also allows health professionals in remote areas to consult with their counterparts in the city, aiding in patient diagnoses and treatment decisions.
Telemedicine facilitates real-time sharing of medical data, en -
abling remote professionals to observe the same details as on-site staff and issue electronic medical transfers where necessary. Additionally, the digitisation of Guyana’s healthcare sector through the addition of electronic health records is expected
to move ahead in the coming year, as the contract for same is to be awarded soon.
This was according to Dr. Anthony who, during his end-of-year press conference, said that some progress has been made in this regard.
He said that the IDB-funded project
went to tender earlier this year, and several expressions of interest were received.
Life-saving emergency services will be available in every region, President Ali said, marking a significant step towards having stronger healthcare infrastructure for all.
Dr. Ali stated: “We understand also that the national emergency healthcare system, we have to invest in this, so, very soon, we’re going to put together a team to look at ways in which we can enhance emergency healthcare.”
In this regard, he stated that the government is looking at having a world-class, scalable emergency healthcare diagnostic centre in every region, which will support the regional hospitals.
These diagnostic centres will have ultrasound, x-ray, Computed Tomography (CT) scan, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facilities and mammography machines installed. Notably, out of the 12 upcoming hospitals, six of them will be replacement facilities.
A new hospital is being constructed by the government in Region Six (East Berbi-
ce-Corentyne), specifically at No. 75 Village. The objective of this project is to replace the existing Skeldon Hospital and enhance the range of services available to the community. Additionally, the construction of new hospitals at Anna Regina, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); DeKinderen, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); Diamond and Enmore, Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), and Bath, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) is in progress.
To support the building out of a world-class healthcare system, so far, more than 3,700 Guyanese have been trained in the healthcare system.
This was highlighted by President Ali, who explained that these citizens were trained in various areas, from administration to nursing.
As the government moves to roll out the new universal healthcare voucher initiative, Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony has said that all accredited medical laboratories across the country will be involved
All accredited medical laboratories to participate in healthcare voucher initiative
- approximately 500,000 persons to benefit, - Dr. Anthony says
AS the government moves to roll out the new universal healthcare voucher initiative, Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony has said that all accredited medical laboratories across the country will be involved.
According to Dr. Anthony in a post on his official Facebook page, this innovative initiative aims to provide 500,000 individuals with access to essential laboratory tests, marking a substantial step forward in the nation's healthcare landscape.
The programme, set to commence in 2025, will offer a $10,000 universal healthcare voucher to every Guyanese citizen.
This voucher will cover the cost of a basic menu of health tests, focusing on early detection and prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The government has allocated an impres -
sive $5 billion for this initiative, demonstrating its commitment to improving public health outcomes.
The participation of all accredited medical laboratories will ensure widespread availability and accessibility of health services.
This collaborative effort between the government and laboratory partners is expected to significantly enhance the reach and effectiveness of preventive healthcare measures.
President Dr. Irfaan Ali had emphasised the importance of this initiative, stating, "This universal health voucher will help us as we work to build a healthy, strong and resilient population".
The programme aligns with the government's broader vision of achieving universal health coverage, and reducing financial barriers to accessing healthcare.
‘Cabotage exemptions not a whimsical undertaking’
- MARAD clarifies, says issued with strictest terms, conditions attached
THE Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) of the Ministry of Public Works has responded firmly to the “glaring untruths” and “misconceptions” about an article published on the popular social media platform, Facebook, on Saturday, February 15, 2024.
The publication, according to MARAD, which falsely alleged corrupt practices on the part of the Senior Minister of Public Works, and/or the management of the MARAD is “grossly misleading and downright mischievous”.
“The ministry categorically stated that the grant of cabotage exemptions is provided for by Section 10 of the Guyana Shipping Act, and is not a clandestine process as is erroneously suggested.
“While in Guyana, cabotage is exclusive to Guyana-flagged vessels, exemptions are allowed, and are based on a thorough assessment of the circumstances or justifiable reasons presented by the applicant,” the Department said in a press release on Saturday.
Additionally, MARAD said these exemptions are issued with the strictest terms and conditions attached, in the interest of maritime safety, safety to the marine environment, and maritime security.
All vessels to which these exemptions apply are subject to rigid port state inspections, which include inspection of the hull and machinery, and statutory documents to ensure compliance with established local and international regulations.
“The grant of cabotage exemptions, therefore, is not a whimsical undertaking, as cabotage is a measure of protection for the local shipping industry. However, consideration is often given
to the unavailability of local flagged vessels and the legitimacy of the operations for which cabotage is requested.
“Upon applying for the grant of cabotage exemptions, foreign registered vessels are required to pay an administrative fee that is fully accounted for by the MARAD,” the Department said.
From 2022 to late 2024, there was an exponential increase in the demand for vessels (particularly tugs and barges) to transport sand and aggregates in Guyana. This was driven by a myriad of construction projects underway, including the Gas-to-Energy (GTE) project.
Local vessel owners did not possess the capacity to meet this demand. Thus, at the request of companies, several foreign-registered vessels were approved to operate domestically during this period.
Also, during this time, many Guyanese companies invested in and purchased several tugs and barges, and they are registered in Guyana, thereby increasing local capacity and causing lesser reliance on the use of foreign vessels.
“Further, cabotage exemptions issued to foreignflagged vessels are of a temporary duration, usually for a single voyage or for short periods, but not exceeding one year. It is also poignant to note that the exemption to which the article mischievously alluded has expired.
“The Ministry of Public Works, in keeping with the policies of the Government of Guyana, will continue to ensure that all of the agencies under its purview will continue to deliver excellent service with transparency and integrity to the people of Guyana,” MARAD said.
All Region Four NDCs to be equipped to maintain community drainage networks
- with gov’t investment of over $238M to procure excavators
AS part of the government’s efforts to empower local government authorities across the country, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha handed over four mini-excavators to four Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) on the East Coast of Demerara.
The machines, each valued at approximately $14 million, will be used to carry out drainage works in the residential communities within their respective Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) catchment areas.
Minister Mustapha, while addressing residents and farmers at the handing over ceremony which was held at the Ministry of Agriculture’s Complex at La Bonne Intention (LBI) on Saturday, said all 17 NDCs in Region Four will soon have access to an excavator, thanks to the Government of Guyana, representing a total investment of approximately $238 million.
He told residents that as part of the government’s vision to develop a comprehensive drainage system across the country, the Ministry of Agriculture, through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), has a critical role to play when it comes to providing drainage and irrigation in both cultivation and residential communities.
“We are developing a comprehensive drainage system that can withstand one of the problems we are currently facing in this part of the world, climate change. Over the last few years, Guyana, like many other countries in the region, has been experiencing unseasonal weather patterns. The existing drainage system in our country was designed to drain approximately one-and-a-half inches of water in 24 hours. If funds are not allocated to improve the existing system, we will continuously encounter serious difficulties. If we want to fully restore our status as the breadbasket of the Caribbean, we have to invest and develop a comprehensive drainage system,” he explained.
Prior to Sunday’s activity, Minister Mustapha had said that President Dr. Irfaan Ali and Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo had instructed
that resources be allocated to empower local government authorities to be able to maintain the drainage systems within their communities.
Minister Mustapha also said that the government is actively working to develop a drainage system that is needed to effectively drain vulnerable areas in this country on time.
“Following the 2005 floods, the PPP/C government started to develop the system that is needed to effectively drain vulnerable areas in this country in a timely manner. That’s why we constructed the high-level canal at Hope, which we refer to as the Hope Canal. When we built that canal, a lot of persons, specifically the Opposition, had a lot of negative things to say,” Minister Mustapha said.
“We lived to see that very same structure playing a very critical role in 2021 when Guyana experienced another major flood; the most devastating flood in our country’s history. Every other part of the country was severely affected, except for the East Coast of Demerara and Georgetown. We are now constructing similar structures in Regions Six, Five, and Two. These are ‘mega’ projects that require largescale investments. An investment in this sector is an investment in this country’s infrastructure,” he added.
He also said that while the machines are being handed over to the NDCs, they will be managed and maintained by the NDIA, as the NDCs may not have the capacity to finance the upkeep of the machines.
The most recent beneficiaries of support are the Cane Grove NDC, Unity/ Vereeniging NDC, Mon Repos/La Reconnaissance NDC, and the Beterverwagting/Triumph NDC. Each NDC will now have to develop a work plan to guide the maintenance of the internal drainage systems in their communities, while the NDIA will focus on maintaining main canals and other major drainage and irrigation infrastructure.
Minister Mustapha said that before the end
of the year, all local government authorities in Guyana will have a mini-excavator to execute works to upgrade internal drainage systems in the communities. (Ministry of Agriculture)
As part of the government’s efforts to empower local government authorities across the country, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha handed over four mini-excavators to four NDCs on the East
Coast of Demerara
Police arrest
Guyanese woman, Venezuelan husband over unlicensed firearm, ammunition
A 48-year-old Guyanese businesswoman and her 41-year-old Venezuelan husband, both of Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo, were arrested by ranks of Regional Division #Three after they were found in possession of an unlicensed nine mm pis-
in the presence of the woman and her husband, Wiollian Rivero, the ranks discovered a bulky plastic bag on top of a wardrobe in a bedroom. The bag, which was opened in their presence, contained a nine mm pistol with six matching rounds.
tol and six matching rounds of ammunition.
According to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), acting on information received, a team of police on Saturday visited the couple's Lot 65 Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo home, where they met the woman, Latchmin Romotar.
According to reports, one of the ranks informed the woman of the reason for their visit, and she consented to a search of the house.
During the search, which was conducted
Both occupants of the house were told of the offence committed and cautioned.
Under caution, Latchmin replied, saying: “Officer, I gave a boy an ounce of gold, and he gave me the gun until he repay me.”
The husband, on the other hand, denied any knowledge of the gun or ammunition.
They were both arrested and escorted to the Leonora Police Station, along with the firearm and ammunition. They remain in custody pending further investigations.
The unlicensed nine mm pistol and six matching rounds of ammunition found hidden at the couple’s Vergenoegen home
Latchmin Romotar
Wiollian Rivero
Shafali Verma, Niki Prasad star as DC seal last-ball thriller
(ESPNCRICINFO)
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Barely 24 hours after 202 was chased down easily on the opening night of WPL 2025, a target of 165 proved to be tricky on the same pitch for Delhi Capitals, who got over the line on the last ball against Mumbai Indians for a two-wicket win. It came down to 30 from 18, 10 from six, two off the last ball and eventually a matter of centimetres as Arundhati Reddy put in a dive to make her ground that turned out to be the winning runs.
soon lost 7 for 35. Shafali Verma’s 43 off 18 set the tone for the chase to hammer away 60 runs for DC in the powerplay, but they soon lost four wickets for 16 runs that made the equation far more tense and took it down to the last ball.
The three contentious run-outs that weren’t
As the match got closer and closer with DC losing wickets, there were three run-out decisions that all went to the third umpire Gayathri Venugopalan, and those decided the game. The first came in the 18th
umpire, again, was heard going by when the stumps were visibly broken. Radha then smashed the next ball for a six and brought the equation down to 10 off the last over.
The last instance was on the last ball of the game, when DC needed two off two. Reddy put in a dive while trying to complete the second run and the stumps lit up when the bat seemed to be on the crease line but the third umpire gave it not out again and it sparked off celebrations for DC.
the last powerplay over with two fours and a six although she mis-timed one in the same over to midwicket.
Two WPL debutants hold their nerve for DC
Two balls later Lanning fell when Ismail got a fourth straight over and it soon became four wickets in four overs when Jemimah Rodrigues was dismissed by Amelia Kerr and Annabel Sutherland missed a shooter from Sciver-Brunt. When DC thought the partnership between Alice Capsey and
Under-19 World Cup-winning captain Niki Prasad will remember her WPL debut for taking DC within touching distance. She held the chase together in the end with her 35 off 33 and started the last over with a four when they needed 10 to win but holed out when the equation was two off two.
The game otherwise saw collapses in both innings after blazing knocks from the frontline batters. Nat Sciver-Brunt led MI to a respectable total with her unbeaten 80 off 59 and Harmanpreet Kaur blasted 42 off 22, but they
over when Shikha Pandey was given not out on her first ball, which resulted in DC getting a bye. No part of Pandey’s bat seemed inside the crease when the LED wicket lit up, but the third umpire gave it not out, basing her decision on a later television frame in which the bail was visibly dislodged.
The second came in the next over when DC needed 16 from eight. Radha Yadav was given not out when she ended up bouncing her bat off the ground while diving in; the bat was in the air when the wicket lit up but the
Shafali swings the powerplay in DC’s favour Shafali came out all guns blazing even as Shabnim Ismail made Meg Lanning look clueless against her outswingers and beat her six times in 12 balls before eventually knocking over her off stump. Shafali, at the other end, tore into Saika Ishaque with a belligerent hit for a 22-run over. She followed a big six over the covers with four consecutive fours, three of which raced to the off-side boundary and one straight back over Ishaque’s head. Shafali then took Hayley Matthews for 15 runs in
Prasad of 33 was bringing them back on track, Capsey found Ismail at long-on and DC were in trouble, still needing 56 off 31 with five wickets down.
The match turned again when another WPL debutant, Sarah Bryce, also punished Ishaque and then followed an edged four off Sciver-Brunt with a six on the leg side. Bryce soon fell though, for 21 off 10, but Prasad held her nerve to chaperone the lower order into the last over before it went down to the last ball.
Radha Yadav exults after Delhi Capitals complete the two that won them the game • WPL
Bellingham sent off as Osasuna hold Real
JUDE Bellingham was sent off as Real Madrid missed the chance to move four points clear at the top of La Liga in a frustrating draw against Osasuna.
The England midfielder, who scored Real’s late winner at Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday, was shown a straight red in the 39th minute for foul and abusive language towards referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero.
Bellingham’s only previous dismissal for Real came after the final whistle in a 2-2 draw at Valencia in March 2024, when he received a second yellow for complaining to the referee.
France forward Kylian Mbappe had given Real the lead at Estadio El Sadar, latching on to Federico Valverde’s inch-perfect cross to fire home his 17th league goal of the season.
But Osasuna were given a lifeline in the 58th minute
after Eduardo Camavinga was adjudged to have fouled Ante Budimir in the box - and the home striker equalised from the spot.
After the match, Bellingham insisted he had been expressing his frustration and not insulting the referee.
“It’s difficult when a referee isn’t sure, to determine that I’ve said something that I haven’t, and as a result it kind of hinders the team,” he said.
“I think you can see clearly in the video... I remember the incident very well, it was an expression to myself.
“I’m not even directing myself towards the referee, but obviously there was a misunderstanding. He’s believed that I’ve said [something insulting] to him.
“There was no intent to insult him, there was no insult, and for that reason I think you can see there was a misunderstanding.”
In a post-match news conference boss Carlo Ancelotti
explained, in Spanish except for English swearing, that Bellingham did use an expletive, but it was not aimed at
the official.
“I think with Bellingham’s red card [the referee] didn’t understand the English well.
I don’t think it’s something offensive,” Ancelotti added.
“I think the red card came out because the referee was
nervous. Bellingham did nothing today to have been sent off, absolutely nothing.”
As the second half wore on, 10-man Real continued to push for a winner, but Mbappe wasted an opportunity to find Vinicius Jr in acres of space in the Osasuna box.
The Brazil forward carved out a chance to fire Real back in front with 15 minutes remaining, dribbling past two defenders in the area before his effort was headed off the line by Alejandro Catena.
Vinicius also dug out a back-post cross with 10 minutes remaining but Luka Modric could not direct his side-foot volley on target.
Atletico Madrid, who are two points behind Real, will go top if they win against Celta Vigo later on Saturday.
Hansi Flick’s Barcelona will also leapfrog Real on goal difference if they beat Rayo Vallecano on Monday night.
‘Sad day for tennis’ - Sinner doping ban ‘leaves sour taste’
(BBC) - Jannik Sinner’s doping case has divided the tennis world for months, with the announcement he will serve a three-month ban leading to further questions.
Some players have said “they don’t believe in a clean sport any more”, while others say Sinner is “taking responsibility for the mistakes of others”.
The World Anti-Doping Agency initially sought a ban of up to two years but reached a settlement after accepting the Italian inadvertently ingested a banned substance and “did not intend to cheat”.
The world number one has not been on court since his Australian Open triumph last month and will now be banned until 4 May, returning in time to begin preparations for the year’s second Grand Slam at the French Open.
‘It leaves a pretty sour taste’
Current and former players have criticised the decision, with Switzerland’s three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka posting on X: “I don’t believe in a clean sport any more...”
Tennis pundit and former British number one Andrew Castle told BBC Sport: “Any talk of settlement or agreement when it comes to drug bans or suspensions makes people feel very uncomfortable.
“There’s a huge reputational risk for the man who is world number one but also for tennis as well.
“But you can’t say that these sorts of cases should be black and white.”
Former British number one Tim Henman told Sky Sports: “When I read the
statement this morning it just seems a little bit too convenient.
“Obviously having just won the Australian Open, to miss three months of the Tour and therefore to be eligible to play at Roland Garros, the timing couldn’t have been any better for Sinner, but I still think it leaves a pretty sour taste for the sport.”
Former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios, who previously said Sinner and Iga Swiatek’s doping cases were “disgusting’” for the sport, wrote: “Obviously Sinner’s team have done everything in their power to just go ahead and take a threemonth ban, no titles lost, no prize money lost.
“Sad day for tennis. Fairness in tennis does not exist.”
British player Liam Broady posted: “Didn’t realise you could reach a settlement regarding a doping ban… Interesting. Back in time for French Open I guess?”
Former French Open doubles champion Feliciano Lopez defended Sinner, responding to Wawrinka on X: “It’s very clear he hasn’t done anything to enhance his performance, that’s proven.
“He’s taking full responsibility for the mistakes of others. A longer suspension would have made the sport cleaner? I don’t think so.”
‘Bias is unacceptable for all athletes’
The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) has criticised the apparent inconsistencies between recent doping cases.
Last month it launched a new scheme offering players facing allegations of doping or corruption access to pro bono legal support.
The scheme was co-founded by former British doubles player Tara Moore, who served a two-year absence because of a doping ban which was later overturned.
Reacting to the news of Sinner’s ban, Moore posted on X: “Can someone explain how a negotiation was possible?”
A PTPA statement read: “The ‘system’ is not a system. It’s a club. Supposed case-by-case discretion is, in fact, merely cover for tailored deals, unfair treatment, and inconsistent rulings.
“It’s not just the different results for different players. It’s the lack of transparency. The lack of process. The lack of consistency...
“This bias is unacceptable for all athletes and shows a deep disrespect for every sport and its fans.”
Former Wimbledon champion Simona Halep has previously accused the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) of double standards - a claim it has strenuously denied.
Halep was given a fouryear ban for two separate doping offences in 2022 which was later reduced to nine months.
Halep was critical when it was announced world number two Swiatek would serve a one-month doping ban in November, posting on Instagram at the time: “I stand and ask myself, why is there such a big difference in treatment and judgment?
“I can’t find and I don’t think there can be a logical answer. It can only be bad will from the ITIA, the organisation that has done absolutely everything to destroy me despite the evidence.”
Jude Bellingham has been sent off twice in his Real Madrid career
CWI First-Class Championship…
Permaul’s 34th ‘5-for’
By Sean Devers
A mesmerising spell from Veersammy Permaul during which he captured his 650th First-Class wicket and registered his 34th 5-for spearheaded Guyana Harpy Eagles (GHE) to first innings points in their rain-affected third-round day/night CWI First-Class Championship against West Indies Academy last night at Providence.
The 35- year-old Berbican grabbed 6-75 and when he dismissed fellow Guyanese Mavindra Dindyal he took his First-Class wicket tally to 650.
The left-arm spinner has 31 wickets from nine Tests since making his First-Class
debut against the Windwards in Grenada in 2007.
Permaul got support from his Albion club mate
Gudakesh Motie (2-63) and fellow Berbican Nial Smith (2-57) as the Academy fell for 249 replying to Guyana’s 253 after losing their last three with the score on 249.
Joshua Bishop reached the boundary seven times and cleared it once in his 47ball 54 and Revaldo Clarke stroked seven boundaries in his 81-ball 50.
Akeem Auguste (43) and Dindyal (32) were the other main contributors for the Academy.
Guyana in their second innings slumped 44-4 while Kemol Savory was forced to retire hurt for seven after
being hit on his left shoulder as he ducked into a bouncer from Johann Layne.
Raymond Perez was bowled with the first ball of the innings by Blades while Matthew Nandu (0) was caught behind off Layne who removed Kevlon Anderson (4) as Guyana slumped to 15-3 in the fourth over.
Kevin Sinclair hit four fours in 24 before he tried to Revaldo Clarke over the top and caught a mid-off.
Skipper Tevin Imlach (7) and Renaldo Ali-Mohammed (1) were the not-out batters when the captains agreed to call off the contest at 7:35 PM.
Earlier, the Academy resumed the final day in glorious sunshine on 123-4
and Clarke soon reached his second first-class fifty.
With the score on 141, Smith produced a quick short ball which ‘got big on him’ and the Umpire gave him caught down the legside, a decision the Bajan batter was not too pleased with.
His overnight partner 20-year-old Dindyal swept Motie for four while Joshua Bishop reversed swept Sinclair for an important boundary.
Bishop soon reached his fifty but with the score on 201, Motie got one to turn enough to take the edge of Bishop’s bat for Wicket-Keeper Imlach to hold the catch as the fourth batter in the match failed to convert a
fifty into a century.
Zishan Motara joined Dindyal who used his feet to hit Permaul over mid-on and lapped him to fine-leg for boundaries to break the shackles after his ultra-cautious start.
However, with first innings points just 27 runs away, Dindyal swept Permaul to Thaddius Lovell on the square-leg boundary to give the 35-year-old from Albion his 650th first-class scalp and 572nd for Guyana.
With a score of 227-7, Layne joined Motara with their team to first-inning points within five runs of overhauling Guyana.
Layne (12) was bowled by Permaul at 249-8 to register his five-wick -
et haul before removing McKenny Clarke (0) without addition to the score.
Motie bowled Motara (22) as the Academy lost their last three wickets for no runs as the Harpy Eagles clawed their way to first innings points.
The rain resulted in Guyana being unable to start their second innings until 6:50 PM and was called off after eight overs.
Guyana who beat Barbados Pride and CCC in their first two games, face Jamaica at Sabina Park in Jamaica on March 5 while the Academy will battle with T&T in Antigua after a two-week break.
Campbelle to lead Guyana in Women’s Super50 Cup
Shemaine Campbelle has been appointed captain of the Guyana squad for the forthcoming CG United Women ’ s Super50 Cup , with Ashmini Munisar as vice - captain The tournament , organized by Cricket West Indies , will be held in St . Kitts from February 24 to March 7 . The Guyana Cricket Board announced the
14 - member team on Thursday , highlighting a balanced mix of seasoned players and emerging talents. “The selected squad reflects our commitment to nurturing women ’ s cricket in Guyana ,” the Board stated The team selection follows the recent Inter - County competition , where Berbice claimed the title , showcasing the depth and potential with -
in Guyanese cricket Squad : Mandy Mangru , Realeanna Grimmond , Katana Mentore , Shemaine Campbelle ( c ), Shabika Gajnabi , Cherry - Ann Fraser , Ashmini Munisar ( vc ), Yonette Welcome , Plaffiana Millington , Niya Latchman , Kaysia Schultz , Tricia Hardat , Lauren Williams , Shenetta Grimmond
Clive Grimmond has
been appointed Head Coach , supported by former Guyana and West Indies player Tremayne Smartt as Manager Guyana ’ s first match is on February 24 at the Conaree Sports Club from 10:00h In 2024 , Guyana finished second to Jamaica in the Super50 tournament . This year’s T20 Blaze will be played later.
Da Silva century salvages draw for Red Force
CMC – Trinidad and Tobago captain Joshua Da Silva scored his second successive century on an otherwise uneventful final day of the West Indies Championship third round, which saw all three matches end in predictable draws.
Despite his performance, the Red Force drew with the Leeward Islands Hurricanes, the Windward Islands Volcanoes and Combined Campuses and Colleges also played to a stalemate, while the rain held up just long enough for the Guy-
ana Harpy Eagles to gain first innings points over the West Indies Academy.
At Warner Park: Joshua Da Silva followed up his first innings knock of 152, scoring an even, unbeaten century as the match between the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force and Leeward Islands Hurricanes petered out into a draw.
The Hurricanes made a valiant effort, but eventually fell short of T&T’s first innings total of 529-5 declared, being eventually dismissed for 433. Resuming the day in a
strong position of 317 for three, the Hurricanes were undermined by the spinning duo of Khary Pierre and Yannic Cariah, who took five wickets apiece.
Once overnight batsmen Jewel Andrew, who made 40 and Karima Gore, who made 68 were dismissed, the Hurricanes lost their last six wickets for 55 runs.
Pierre finished with 5-93 while Cariah took 5-103.
Da Silva then raced to 100 off 108 balls, with 11 fours and one six, before the match was called off
2025 Caribbean Boxing Championship… Allicock to lead 18-member team
The Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) has officially selected an 18-member squad, alongside four coaches, to represent the nation at the highly anticipated 2025 Caribbean Boxing Championship.
Set to take place from February 27 to March 3 in St. Lucia , this marks the return of the prestigious event after a fouryear hiatus, with Guyana aiming to reclaim its regional dominance.
The Caribbean Boxing Championship has long been the premier battleground for the region’s top amateur fighters.
Guyana, a powerhouse in Caribbean boxing, last secured the overall championship title in 2018 when it was hosted on home soil. In 2019, the team delivered an impressive performance in Trinidad and Tobago, and now, with the tournament’s return, the national squad is determined to assert its supremacy once again.
Heading the contingent is Olympian Keevin Allicock (57kg), whose accolades include gold medals in the 2017, 2018, and 2019 editions of the tournament.
The dynamic featherweight fighter remains undefeated in the regional event and is eager to extend his streak, further cementing his legacy.
and raw power, positioning Guyana as a formidable force in the competition.
The next generation of Guyanese boxing talent will also have their chance to shine in St. Lucia. The Junior division will feature promising prospects Ken Harvey (57-60kg), Keyon Britton (48-50kg), and Lennox Lawrence (54-57kg), all eager to gain invaluable experience on the regional stage. In the Youth division, Tofina Barker (54kg), Simeon Haymer (63-66kg), Joshua Tambaran (52kg), and Terroz Wintz (66-70kg) will be looking to make their mark, demonstrating the depth of talent within Guyana’s boxing pipeline.
A seasoned coaching team, comprising National Coach Lennox Daniels, renowned Cuban trainer Francisco Roldan, Clifton Moore, and Jeff Roberts, will guide the squad.
Meanwhile, Steve Ninvalle, president of the GBF, expressed confidence in the team’s ability to excel at the championship.
with the Red Force on 191 for three.
At Windsor Park: Only 11 overs were possible on the fourth and final day between the Windward Islands Volcanoes and the Combined Campuses and Colleges.
Resuming the day on 29 without loss after conceding a first innings lead of 32, the CCC added a further 31 runs before showers ended the day’s proceedings.
Openers Damel Evelyn ended unbeaten on 37 while Kieran Powell was not out on 20.
Allicock will be joined by experienced pugilists Sharquain James (67kg), Travis Inverary (71kg), heavyweight powerhouses Emanuel Pompey (92kg) and Aluko Bess (86kg), as well as elite super heavyweight contenders Abiola Jackman (80+kg) and Zidnan Wray (91 +kg).
Adding further depth to the team are Desmond Amsterdam (75kg), a bronze medallist at the 2022 South American Games , along with Ronalo Sutton (51kg), Joel Williamson (63.5kg), and Leon Albert (60kg).
This formidable lineup boasts the perfect blend of experience, technique,
According to Ninvalle, “we have assembled a squad that blends experience with youth, ensuring that Guyana ’s presence in regional boxing remains dominant. Our fighters have trained hard, and I am looking forward to seeing them showcase their skill and determination in St. Lucia.”
Ninvalle also lauded the return of the Caribbean Championship, highlighting its importance in fostering boxing development across the region.
“The resumption of this tournament is a significant moment for Caribbean boxing, and we extend our gratitude to the St. Lucia Boxing Association for hosting this significant event. The GBA remains committed to providing avenues for our athletes to gain exposure and hone their skills in competitive environments,” the GBF president said.
West Indies Championship third round…
Ashmini Munisar
Shemaine Campbelle
CNOOC /MOE Nationwide Schools Table Tennis C/ships…
Rosignol Secondary emerge Champions in Region five
After a grueling competition held at Bygeval Hall Secondary School auditorium, Rosignol Secondary claimed the top spot in the Region 5 CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited and Ministry of Education Nationwide Schools Table Tennis Championships hosted by the Guyana Table Tennis Association last week.
Rosignol had to contend with the likes of host Bygeval, Bush Lot, Belladrum and Mahaicony Secondary schools as they made their way to the top steps.
The tournament saw play in the Boys U15 and U18
singles and under Girls U18 singles with over 40 players battling over the table tennis board.
In the team finals Rosignol Secondary stopped Bygeval Secondary after Lakeraj Hemraj and Nathan Krachand won their singles matches and combined to win the men doubles against Zackney Fuvainte and Vuai Kalpu in straight sets.
The Boys U18 singles saw Nathan Karachand defeating Lakeraj Hemraj in straight sets 11-7 and 11-6 to take the overall singles title
In the semis prior, Nathan Karachand got the better of
Vijay Kalpu 11-7, 7-11, 1210 to reach the finals while Lakeraj Hemraj swept Aaron Etwaru 11-6 and 11-8.
The ladies had to tussle it out in a Round Robin Finals featuring Kiara Hamilton, Marcia Joseph, Tiffany Bailey, Divyana Narine, Lilyana Haroon and Oscehia Harry.
Narine grabbed the first place with Kiara Hamilton 2nd and Lilyana Haroon third.
The U15 boys was won by Akeem Barnes who stooped Joel Gordon after three sets 9-11, 11-7 and 11-8.
Jushawn Maxwell and Devonte Vaux shared the bronze medal position.
The Schools Table Tennis championships see Regional Competitions held in Regions 2, 3,4,5,6,7,10 and Georgetown geared towards crowning the individual school’s team and singles champions.
The GTTA organized the event with support from the Regional Department of Education and ITTF coach and Umpire Candacy McKenzie
The nationwide National Schools Table Tennis Championships competition is sponsored by CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited and the Ministry of Education.
Junior Golden Jaguars eye historic World Cup spot
Guyana’ s U-17s have a shot at qualifying for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar, but they face a tough ask in their final Concacaf qualifying group match against the British Virgin Islands this evening.
A win is crucial for the Junior Golden Jaguars, but their fate also rests on the outcome of the other Group G clash between leaders Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago.
That match kicks off at 21:00 hours local time, after Guyana’s 18:00 hours encounter with BVI.
Stage set for today’s
One Guyana Mashramani Softball Cup …Amaya
Milk throws support behind tournament
THE inaugural One Guyana Mashramani Softball Cup is slated for today at the Bath Settlement Sports Ground, West Coast Berbice, commencing at 9.00 am.
organised by R.S. Sports and Roraima Community Developers in association with Bath Settlement Sports Club. The teams will be vying for cash incentives while trophies will be awarded to the winners,
The latest entity to throw its support behind the tournament is Amaya Milk Company.
Managing Director of the company, Omkaar Sharma, disclosed that he is very pleased to support the event, more so the female category.
runners-ups, MVPs, players with the best bowling figures and most runs in a match, player of the final . The best player in each match will also be awarded with a trophy.
Guyana needs a big win to significantly improve its goal difference (+3) and potentially overtake Costa Rica (+17). This hinges on Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago (+11) not scoring heavily in their games.
draw against tournament favorites Costa Rica.
It’ s a challenging scenario, but the young Guyanese side has already made history with a stunning 2-2
That result, achieved on Costa Rican soil, is a testament to their progress. Guyana, ranked 21st
among U-17 World Cup contenders, went toe-totoe with the sixth-ranked Costa Ricans, giving them a glimmer of hope for qualification.
The Guyanese need a perfect performance this evening against the British Virgin Islands
Sharma pointed out that in the past the game was mainly played by male and it’s a joy to see that females are supporting the sports by being part of the actual games.
Sharma opined that softball cricket brings people together because it’s the grassroots of all cricket and is a village sports.
Sharma wished all the teams the very best and praised the organisers for reaching out to his entity to be part of the tournament.
The organizers expressed thanks to Sharma for supporting the event and wished his company all the best.
The one-day limited overs competition has so far attracted a number of male and female teams from Regions 4, 5 and 6 and is being
Among those supporting the tournament are J &G Supermarket, M.K Hoosain Construction, Wazim and Sons Trucking Service, Vice Chairman Rion Peters and PT Hatchery, ATL Engineering , S. Chattergoon 65 Sports Store, Khan Agri Centre, Rex Singh , Angad Ganesh, Wakar Steel Fabrication, Revision Optical, Cozy Pub, Furniture Pro, Mahendranauth Ramjit and Regal Stationary and Computer Centre.
There will be lots of side attractions such as snatch-de -bottle, sack race, 100m sprint, tug-o-war, dancing competition , and more. According to the organizers, all funds raised from the activity will go towards the upliftment of the Bath Sports Club.
Rosignol Secondary after winning Region 5 Table Tennis competition
Amaya Sharma, left, hands over the winning female trophy to Laxhmi Ramnarine.
The evergreen Veerasammy Permaul reached 650 wickets yesterday with his 34th five-wicket haul
Permaul leads the players off the field yesterday after reaching 650 wickets (CWI photo)