GPF rakes in $400M in traffic fines; close to 60,000 tickets issued
Construction of $74M bridge at Alliance Road, Timehri to commence next week –Min Mustapha Corentyne labourer charged with murder of exconvict
Govt remains committed to ensuring diabetic patients receive highest standard of care – Health Minister
"Prepare yourselves, do not be left behind" – hemp organisation urges farmers, youths
Guyana has recorded a decrease in murders for 2024 so far, but there have been increases in other serious crimes.
This is according to Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, who at the time was addressing the gathering at the launch of the Guyana Police Force’s Christmas Policing Strategy on Thursday at the Annex of the Police Officers’ Mess in Young Street, Eve Leary, Kingston, Georgetown.
During his presentation, the Crime Chief provided an analysis of crime trends for the year, focusing on key areas such as murders, robberies, illegal firearms, and the GPF response to these issues.
One of his most significant revelations was the decrease in the number of murders in 2024, with 100 homicides having been re-
ported up to November 11. This marks a decrease from the previous years, and for 2020, when 157 murders, the highest rate in recent history, was recorded.
Blanhum has described the reduction in homicides as a positive development, but has cautioned that the overall crime picture remains concerning.
“The release of these crime statistics is in no way intended to indicate that there is no crime in our country. For emphasis, let me repeat: the Guyana Police Force recorded 1,042 serious offences for this year, as opposed to 1,217 reports last year,” he detailed.
The decline in murders is encouraging, but the Crime Chief has highlighted that the vast majority of homicide victims in 2024 were male.
“88 per cent of the vic-
tims of homicide were males, while the remaining 12 per cent were females,” Blanhum noted as he reflected on the ongoing gender disparity in violent crime.
Robbery, gun crimes on the rise
Although there has been a decrease in murder,
Blanhum noted, there have been increases in other violent crimes, particularly robberies. Gun robbery has seen an 11 per cent rise in 2024, and this is a worrying trend, given that the police have made efforts to remove illegal firearms from circulation.
“We continue to see a rise
in gun-related robberies,” the Crime Chief declared, as he added that the police are making significant strides in removing firearms, but continue to face challenges with the prevalence of these weapons in the criminal underworld.
In addition to gun-related robberies, aggravated robberies rose by 3.3 per cent, contributing to the uptick in violent crime.
“The rise in robberies and aggravated robberies (is) linked to the growing use of firearms in (commission of) these offences,” Blanhum explained.
He has described these increases as concerning, especially given the broader context of crime reduction efforts across the country.
Burglaries and larcenies
Blanhum also discussed the challenges of burglaries and larcenies which have remained prevalent in Guyana. He said the police recorded a 15.3 per cent increase in burglary cases in 2024, which underscores the persistent threat of property crime.
“Break-and-enter/larceny remains one of the most prevalent crimes in the country,” Blanhum has said, noting that while there was a slight decrease in larceny from the person, it continues to be a significant issue, particularly in crowded urban areas.
Larceny from the person and other thefts also remain concerning, with many crimes targeting individuals in busy shopping areas, markets and streets. These crimes often occur in areas where people are distracted or are vulnerable, he said, and the police continue to work on educating the public about personal security.
Rape and other sexual offences are also on the rise, and Blanhum has reported an 8.3 per cent increase in rape cases in 2024. From January 1 to November 11, a total of 195 cases have been reported, compared to 180 being reported for the corresponding period in 2023.
“We continue to see an alarming rise in sexual violence, and this is something we are committed to addressing with both enforcement and outreach,” he said.
The Crime Chief also touched on the GPF’s efforts to reduce the flow of illegal firearms into the country. He said the police seized a significant number of firearms in 2024, but the rise in gun-related crimes indicates that these efforts are far from sufficient. He reported that a total of 162 firearms
were taken off the streets in 2024, while 157 were seized in 2023.
“We are working to remove illegal firearms from circulation, but gun violence remains a significant concern,” Blanhum disclosed as he called for continued vigilance and stronger enforcement to tackle this issue.
While the police have made significant strides in disrupting firearms trafficking, the sheer volume of guns still in circulation poses an ongoing challenge, he explained.
“Despite our efforts to reduce gun violence, we are still seeing a rise in gun-related robberies,” he said.
Trends in regional crime
Blanhum has also highlighted regional variations in crime, with Region 4A (Georgetown) continuing to report the highest level of criminal activity. However, Region #6 (East BerbiceCorentyne) has seen a surprising shift in crime patterns.
“Region 6 has never tied with Region 4A for having the highest concentration of serious crimes,” Blanhum remarked, but the rise in gun robberies and other violent offences in Region 6 has been described as “unprecedented,” with robberies and burglaries in that region nearly being doubled compared to the previous year.
Blanhum assured that the police are responding to these shifts with targeted operations and strategic interventions.
“We are actively addressing the situation with specialized patrols and strategic interventions (in order) to bring the situation under control,” he stated.
The crime statistics for 2024 present a mixed picture for Guyana. While there is some cause for optimism due to the decrease in murders, the increase in gun-related robberies, aggravated crimes, burglaries, and sexual offences indicates that much work remains to be done.
Blanhum has acknowledged the ongoing efforts of the GPF, but has emphasized that the battle against crime is far from over.
“We continue to build capacity, engage with key stakeholders, and rely on our community policing services,” Blanhum has said. He has explained that the Guyana Police Force is gearing to increase patrols and implement crime prevention strategies to ensure public safety during the Christmas holidays. However, the challenges of the 2024 crime trends would likely require continued attention and resources moving forward.
(LaWandaMcAllister)
The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:
Friday, November 15 –03:45h-05:15h and Saturday, November 16 – 04:30h-06:00h.
The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:
Friday, November 15 –15:30h-17:00h and Saturday, November 16 – 16:10h-17:40h.
Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h, 18:30h daily.
Winds: East North-Easterly to East South-Easterly between 2.23 metres and 4.47 metres.
High Tide: 15:56h reaching a maximum height of 2.89 metres.
Low Tide: 09:31h and 21:58h reaching minimum heights of 0.49 metre and 0.30 metre.
to rent power ship
same” as if GPL were to generate power – VP Jagdeo
ice President Bharrat Jagdeo has defended the Government’s move to rent a second power ship to supply electricity to the national grid, arguing that the cost to buy the electricity would be almost the same as if the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc were to generate the power itself.
On Wednesday, the State-owned GPL signed a contract with the Joint Venture of Turkish-based Karpowership Global DMCC and Qatar-based UCC Energy International LLC JV, to charter a second power ship with a total installed capacity of 75 megawatts (MW) for two years.
In the first phase, the power ship will dispatch 60MW to the grid in approximately six weeks followed by an additional 15MW, once works are completed on an additional transmission line.
The contract requires GPL to pay the Joint Venture 8.52 US cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) as a monthly charter fee for the new power ship and a monthly operation and maintenance fee of 0.98 US cents per kWh, based on electricity generated. Under the contract, GPL is also responsible for providing Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) for the operation of the ship’s generators.
This second power ship will be located in the Demerara River and will be interconnected with GPL’s grid at 69 kilovolts (kV). According to GPL, it has already commenced preparatory work to accommodate the floating power plant and the interconnection to the national grid.
However, the procurement of a second power ship has been criticised by Opposition parliamentarian and Alliance For Change (AFC) Chairman, David Patterson, who believes that the billions being spent on the rental of the vessel could be redirected into upgrading GPL’s aged system.
Patterson, who was the Public Infrastructure Minister in the previous A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)/AFC coalition Administration, accused the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP?C) Government of having zero plans for the power sector, claiming that Guyana would be paying $126 million per day and $46
billion per year for the rental of these two power ships.
But Jagdeo on Thursday rubbished Patterson’s arguments as “pure nonsense”, stating that the Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) failed to take into account the cost of generation if GPL were to supply the 75MW that is being procured from the power ship. In fact, he noted that the cost of the power ships was not only the rental fee but includes the costs of capacity, operation and management (O&M) and fuel.
“So, it’s nearly almost the same that we would’ve spent to generate one kWh than what we’re buying it for,” the Vice President posited.
The first power ship is generating electricity at 20.5 US cents per kWh while the second power ship would do so at an estimated 22.5 US cents per kWh.
“So, that’s the difference… This [second power ship’s] price is slightly higher… but that’s not just for the rental of the ship… To generate the same amount of power, GPL would’ve had an amount of cost. [Patterson] ignores that cost totally so it sounds like a lot of money we’re paying just
for rental. We’re renting capacity and they’re doing the O&M, and it’s for two years. So, it’s bridging power until the Gas-to-Energy Project comes on stream,” Jagdeo contended.
Currently, GPL is selling power at approximately 22-23 US cents per kWh. However, the cost for generation and transmission is nearly 30 US cents per kWh and that difference is being subsidised by the Guyana Government.
“People should know that US$70 million in subsidy is keeping their power bill at the same rate as in 2020 although we’ve seen an escalation in fuel costs. And secondly, you can’t calculate the rental of a ship as though you don’t have a counterpart cost if you generate the same power.”
“It’s pure nonsense about billions being spent on rental so people will say ‘Oh, this government is wasting a lot of money.’ But we’re trying to get more power into the system because the demand is growing because of the development [happening] here and because you did nothing [while in office to upgrade the existing power system],” VP Jagdeo posited.
Government has stated that this 75MW power ship will be deployed to Guyana in another month to assist in supplying the continuously increasing demand for reliable power in the country. Electricity demand during peak hours is currently 205MW.
This power ship will be the second one that the Government, through GPL, has chartered to assist in offsetting generation shortfalls of the national grid. Through an agreement with the JV partners, the first floating power ship arrived in Guyana in May of this year and is currently stationed at Everton in the Berbice River. It is supplying 36MW of electricity to the Demerara Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS).
As part of that agreement, GPL had paid a US$1 million mobilisation fee, a fee of 6.62 US cents per kWh as a monthly charter fee for the vessel, and a monthly O&M fee of 0.98 US cents per kWh based on electricity generated. Additionally, GPL is required to provide HFO for the operation of the generators onboard the vessel. (G8)
Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064Accounts: 225-6707
Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Industrial Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com
Yesterday, November 14, marked World Diabetes Day, a day that urges the world to unite in combatting diabetes
a disease impacting millions and recognized as one of the leading causes of premature death worldwide.
Under the theme “Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps”, Guyana’s Ministry of Health is intensifying its efforts to address the rising incidence of diabetes, focusing on breaking the barriers to healthcare access and bridging gaps in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. This year’s observance of World Diabetes Day was a testament to how vital early detection and comprehensive care are in curbing the severity and consequences of this chronic condition.
Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony recently announced an ambitious series of initiatives to transform diabetic care in Guyana. Recognising that diabetes and its complications are largely preventable, these efforts emphasize early detection, evidence-based treatment, and improved access to essential services and medications for those in need.
A significant milestone is the introduction of updated national guidelines for diabetic care. These guidelines highlight the role of lifestyle modification, early diagnosis, and comprehensive management plans aimed at delivering individualized, high-quality care across the nation. For instance, Guyana has made HbA1C testing a standard for diagnosing and monitoring diabetes. This advanced screening tool, now available in 82 health facilities, provides a threemonth average of blood glucose levels, allowing for more accurate treatment adjustments and better long-term outcomes for diabetic patients.
The Health Ministry has also expanded specialized care to address common complications associated with diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy, which could lead to blindness if untreated, is now being closely monitored in ophthalmology clinics available in four health facilities. These clinics offer crucial retinal exams to catch vision issues early, providing patients with the resources they need to protect their eyesight. Similarly, nephrology services have been expanded across regional hospitals to address diabetic nephropathy, a condition that can severely impact kidney function, and lead to dialysis if not managed properly.
In response to the frequent occurrence of diabetic foot complications, the Health Ministry has established foot clinics across the country. These clinics, staffed with trained specialists, provide wound care, preventive services, and patient education on proper foot care, a critical component in preventing infections and amputations. The increase in these clinics is a strategic effort to enhance quality of life for diabetic patients and prevent serious complications.
Further, access to medications like insulin is now more secure, thanks to the Ministry’s initiative to maintain a steady supply of diabetes medications in public health facilities. This availability eases the financial burden on patients, making essential treatments more accessible to those in need.
As Guyana continues to advance its approach to diabetes care, the Ministry of Health remains committed to empowering healthcare providers through advanced training and increasing community-based programmes that educate the public on diabetes prevention. Research and data collection would be prioritised to better understand diabetes trends, ensuring that future policies are data-driven and are responsive to the nation’s healthcare needs.
The efforts in Guyana underscore a commitment to delivering better outcomes for diabetic patients, and building a healthier, more resilient Guyana. On this World Diabetes Day, there should be unity to break barriers and bridge gaps, building a future in which diabetes is no longer a leading cause of suffering in our communities.
World Diabetes Day 2024 calls for “Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps”. There are still many barriers to be overcome, and many gaps to be bridged for people and families living with diabetes.
Millions of people with diabetes face daily challenges in managing their condition at home, work and school. The need for resilience, for meticulous organization of their daily lives, and the financial stress they face have onerous impacts on their physical and mental wellbeing. Diabetes care in our health institutions, further reinforced by the National Guidelines, places almost its whole emphasis on managing blood sugar levels. While this is important and is an imperative, it is not a successful strategy, and leaves too many people living with diabetes overwhelmed.
Three out of 4 people living with diabetes have experienced anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions because of their diabetes. Four in 5 people living with diabetes experienced diabetes burnout. Seventy-five percent of people living with diabetes would like to receive more support for their emotional and mental wellbeing from their healthcare providers. These statistics, from the global research conducted through the International Diabetes Foundation (IDF), represent an urgent call for action to address the mental health status of people living with diabetes.
Impacting mental health is the fear of developing life-threatening diabetes-related complications, a fear reported by 83% of persons. Among other fears are the daily management (76%), stigma and discrimination (58%), and fear of needles
(55%).
On World Diabetes Day 2024, the Presidential Commission on the Prevention and Control of the NCDs urged a more wholistic approach to managing the lives of diabetics. While we must aggressively intensify our prevention efforts, ensuring fewer persons develop diabetes, we must acknowledge that, for years to come, far too many people do live with diabetes.
The health sector must up its game when it comes to mental health for diabetics. Guyana’s NCD Commission wants to ensure that all persons living with diabetes must have access to social workers, counsellors, psychologists, and other mental health providers. The MoH must articulate within the Diabetes Care Guidelines a mental health care and treatment component.
The Commission is of the view that the mental health component of the National Guideline is woefully weak. We urge the minister to personally ensure that this weakness in the national programme is remedied without delay.
Our call for a more comprehensive approach to dealing with the mental health crisis among diabetics in no way diminishes other serious, life-threatening, diabetes-related complications such as kidney and renal failure, retinopathy, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), strokes and other microvascular complications.
The Commission acknowledges investments and improvements in national efforts to deal with nutritional support for people living with diabetes, with the efforts to ensure people have full access to blood sugar and HBA1c testing; consistent
and reliable access to medicines, including insulin; programmes to reduce complications, such as diabetes food care access across the country; and access to routine testing to pick up early renal complications.
However, we would be dishonest if we do not express concerns with obvious weaknesses in these efforts. Many health centres still do not have reliable capacity for blood-sugar and HBAIc testing. No hospital – Levels 3, 4 or 5 - should ever not be able to test for blood sugar and HBA1c every single time for every single person. We are disappointed that primary care is still not making routine the availability of albumin, creatinine and bun testing.
We question why every hospital does not have a footcare programme in place. We urge also that more efforts be put in place to ensure regular oral and dental health care are available for diabetics. We also urge that a special programme to diagnose COPD and other respiratory problems be put in place for diabetics.
In this regard, we commend the Ministry’s Oral and Dental Health Department for beginning to roll out special programmes for diabetics. We also commend the TB Programme for including in their 2025 budget a new kind of portable x-ray system that could be taken into remote areas to screen people for respiratory deficiencies.
We acknowledge the continued efforts to ensure that children with Type 1 Diabetes have all the diagnostic and medical needs, including pen insulin administration systems. Still, the supply chain sometimes experiences shortages; this must end once and for all. We also continue to be dismayed
that the children and parent annual diabetes camps have not yet been resuscitated. In addition, we need to resuscitate the expert patient programme with both children and adults.
In 2023, the Commission urged the public health sector to consider introduction of new medicines that have become routine in developed countries, and that have made a major difference in diabetes management, including in the management of diabetes complications.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or GLP1s, are a type of medicine for people with diabetes. They lower blood sugar levels, can help with weight loss, and protect the heart and kidneys.
Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, or SGLT2s, are a type of medicine for people with diabetes. Similar to
GLP-1s, they lower blood sugar levels, can help with weight loss, and protect the heart and kidneys. Because GLP-1s and SGLT-2s work in different ways, they can be taken together.
These are expensive medicines, and Guyana might not be in a position to provide every diabetic patient with these kinds of medicines, but a strategy must begin now for the introduction for some patients.
The Ministry of Health and the Government are making a valiant effort to combat the scourge of diabetes in our country. The Commission continues to push for further improvements to ensure that the global trend of increasing morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes is not Guyana’s reality.
Dr Leslie Ramsammy Chairperson
Dear Editor,
I have perused yet again that the long-delayed election fraud court matters are about to be resumed, (but) with a fresh set of “preliminary issues” to be resolved. Now the trial will be held in the Georgetown court of Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty, who has taken over the trial from her predecessor, Senior Magistrate Leron Daly, who had been on medical leave since September 2024.
This trial involves several high-profile defendants, all accused of conspiring to rig the results of the 2020 National Elections. However, the ‘elusive’ trial remains in limbo, as it is set to resume with a fresh set of legal issues that must first be resolved. What a waste of time, and more so with 2025 ‘elections fever’ already in the air. I say what a waste of time because this is the way of the Opposition, whether it is the PNC (People’s National Congress) or the PNC within the APNU/AFC (A Partnership For National Unity/Alliance For Change).
Let me illustrate. First,
it took a long wait of some five months after the March 2020 Guyana Elections for the then-opposition candidate, Irfaan Ali, to be been sworn in as Guyana’s president. The PPP/C took office in August all because the country had to deal with the unnecessary allegations of vote tampering, a recount and a lengthy legal battle. Dr Ali, the winner, was inaugurated only in early August 2020. Indeed, this was a waste of time, and a shame too, as the entire world was witness to the rigging attempts that followed the March 2020 polls. And why? It was only because of infantile gamesmanship, as all had to await the pronouncement of the CCJ (Caribbean Court of Justice) before ‘right’ was enacted. That ‘right and Rule of Law’, as expected, came about when the CCJ, in July 2020, threw out a controversial Guyana Court of Appeal decision that inserted the word “valid” into the consideration of votes for the election of a president. In that judgement, CCJ President Adrian Saunders explained that the decision of the
Guyana Court of Appeal was ‘null and void’ and of ‘no effect’ -- (So, after all the time-wasting) clearing the way for GECOM (Guyana Elections Commission) Chair Justice Claudette Singh to immediately move for the declaration of the recount result, which showed that the opposition PPP/C did win the election.
That CCJ ruling, quite inevitably, was what made way for the GECOM Chair to immediately move for the declaration of the recount result, authenticating the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic’s (PPP/C’s) victory.
I mean, we all knew, but still had to endure what we did endure at the hands of APNU/ AFC.
Here is another piece of bizarre behaviour to illustrate the stupid time-wasting tactics of what is ongoing. It goes back to, and maybe is, the genesis of all this silliness. I speak here of the NCM (No Confidence Motion) that was passed in December 2018. The natural course of the event should have been elections in a three-month time frame.
Initially, the APNU/AFC accepted defeat, and did acknowledge being toppled, and was left with a mandate of only three months in office. However, led by the said Nigel Hughes, who is the leading lawyer in the current trial, the motion was challenged, and all had to wait until June 2019 for the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to throw out this clumsy government argument when it ruled that the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) on December 21, 2018 was indeed validly passed.
In handing down the CCJ decision, Justice Adrian Saunders said, “The Court found that 33, and not 34, as the Government and supporters have argued, was the majority the Opposition needed out of 65 Members of Parliament (MPs) to pass the motion.”
Hughes was foisting the idea of 34.
Editor, even so, elections were held in March 2020, and not as soon as possible after this June 2019 ruling. Overall, the APNU/AFC ruled illegally for at least a year.
The new nonsense now from
President Ali will not tolerate disruptions
Dear Editor, Pearl Harbour awoke a sleeping giant. This country’s advancement as a thriving nation is guaranteed, as the PPP/C Administration is determined to take all measures to convince any careless, carefree and corruptive contractors, consultants, engineers, Government officials and all related stakeholders that complacency will not be compromised with collusion.
The elephant in the room has been identified, and ‘war break’ was the call to summon all stakeholders to the battlefront. The General read them the Riot Act, and is leading the fight with a ‘no- nonsense’ war against the lapse that has contributed towards the non-completion of projects on time.
Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs: businessman, inventor, investor and technologist, once wrote, “For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”
His words fell on the deaf ears of the PNC, who remained blind to reality and drowned in the deep dungeon of self-preservation and selfish survival. Guyanese lost 33 years of their lives due to PNC’s political suppression. For 33 years, the PNC kept Guyana at sea with their dissonant ABC
mantra of ‘Anti Behavioural Cacophony.’
As the livelihood of the man in the street was kept in abeyance by being impoverished from all the economic and social amenities which never made the small man the real man, it was the privileged few who enjoyed the good life at the expense of running Guyana twice into economic bankruptcy because of mismanagement.
The PNC never wanted to change their policies, so that all the people may live peacefully, progressively and prosperously. The PNC were bitten by the “greeneyed monster”, and were so consumed with greed that they pursued a path pierced with the contraption of corruption and crime.
Ordering the non-engagement of audited accounts for some 10 years and the conclusive deaths of many key figures is confirmation for such a claim. Embracing racism as a tool to divide and conquer, the Party chose their “kit and kin” for employment. The paramountcy of the party was brandished as their flag flew above the judiciary. A nation was driven by fear as the party was protected by the armed forces. The PNC remained in power through the back door of ‘election rigging.’
The assiduous PPP/C Party, under the unabated visionary and workaholic President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, continues to surprise, not shock, the nation with his unprecedented style of managing the af-
fairs of this country, taking it out of the jaws of slow death into the field of fertile land, with the breath of fresh air.
Relinquishing the test of perpetual lackadaisical approach, a vibrant Dr Ali has trended a vigorous path to wake and shake all the slumbered “Sleeping Beauties” who are caught napping as they dose in a drowsy siesta!
Unable to awake to the alarm of incredulity, many “invitees” snoozed and missed the morning drill. Every country boy and every country girl knows that “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
No Guyanese can afford to sleep late. Hindu Monk Swami Vivekanand said, “Arise, awake, stop not until the goal is reached.” President Ali’s navel string is buried in the country area, and he knows that “the early bird catches the worm.”
Guyana agriculturally-inclined, and farmers know the significance of waking early to tend and till the land. The urban areas probably need roasters to acclimatise to the needs of this country.
President Ali and the PPP/C will not allow this country to deter to the detriments of disloyalty, disrupted democracy, or delayed development.
Yours respectfully, Jai Lall
Dear Editor, The Minister of Education has lamented the high rate of absenteeism among teachers. The resulting scenario of unattended students can have dire consequences: children being deprived of education, disorderly classrooms, bullying, horseplay, vandalism, disrupting other studious classmates etc.
This situation is unacceptable, and needs a many-pronged approach to remedy it. One of those prongs is the existence of an in-school substitute timetable in each school.
I worked for 20 years as a teacher/ administrator in Belize, and can attest that this system is effective, especially in schools with at-risk students, who can trash the classroom if left unattended. One of my duties/ responsibilities was to create a substitute timetable at the beginning of the school year, after each teacher’s timetable is finalized. I would print copies of each timetable, then make a spreadsheet
of all the teachers who had non-teaching periods from period 1 to 7 each day. Then I would make a substitute timetable.
If two teachers had non-teaching periods on Monday first period, they would be substitutes 1 and 2 for that period, and so forth. In that way, all classes were taught. The substitute teachers were made aware of the timetable, and it was posted in the staffroom. They were expected to be on standby during the periods they were slated to substitute. Those with more teaching periods, about 28, would be timetabled to substitute less than those with less periods, about 20. If perchance more than two substitutes were required for a period, then a third free teacher was asked to fill in.
Some teachers would complain that they are rarely absent, and it is unfair to them. This point is taken, and they should be called upon to do less substituting when a third or fourth substitute is needed for the same period. Otherwise, teachers substitute for others because they also are
Nigel Hughes is that the legal principle of de novo, or a fresh start, should be invoked. He contends that the case should proceed without being bound by previous decisions made by Magistrate Daly. However, on the Government’s side, this should not be. The end for now, until December 9, 2024, is that Magistrate McGusty would hear oral arguments on the issue of this “fresh start”, after which a date would be set for commencement of the trial.
How long must we tarry? How long can they hide? As a consideration, I urge the PPP/C to await the ultimate conclusion of this issue before announcing the date for the 2025 elections.
Guyana needs to ‘clean-up’ its political garbage. Too many smelly issues and people are in the biosphere of the land. Currently, Guyana has quite a
dung heap to deal with: District Four (Demerara-Mahaica) Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo; former Health Minister under the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) government, Volda Lawrence; PNC/R activist Carol Smith-Joseph; former Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield; former Deputy Chief Elections Officer Roxanne Myers; and GECOM employees Sheffern February, Enrique Livan, Denise BabbCummings, and Michelle Miller. Together, they are facing 19 conspiracy charges related to alleged electoral fraud. All defendants have denied the charges and are currently out on bail.
Yours truly, Hargesh
B Singh
Not only contractors need to be held accountable, but public servants also
Dear Editor, The name, blame, shame exercise conducted at State House last Tuesday, November 12, 2024, was long overdue, not in terms of the method the President undertook, but in the context of accountability of the public purse. The point has been clearly made: fire up, or get fired!
The country is pervaded by a toxic culture of sloppiness and bribery, wherein Government people do not do their jobs efficiently. Combined with a predominant culture of ‘nobody cares’, the general populace - especially the poor, who have no ‘connections’ - suffer.
The fact that the President has to undertake such a task clearly illustrates that he has a no-nonsense, low-tolerance approach to those who acquire state funds and cannot perform jobs as stipulated in their respective contractual agreements. Not only should physical work be evaluated by His Excellency, but social ser-
vices are woefully clumsy, as almost no public servant performs with any semblance of alacrity. After three decades of Independence, there is much difficulty in the areas of passport, NIS, health care. A complete overhaul with new regulations and personnel is the way forward, but the sector that needs a complete rebirth is first and foremost the Police Force.
Finally, the President must look at the source of many failed contracts accompanied by the inevitable shoddy work and cost over-runs: The Procurement Commission. Many contractors do not have the equipment, engineering skills, labour force, along with reliable material supply and contingency plans to complete their respective projects; while there are other contracts in the pipeline that need to be investigated.
Sincerely,
Leyland Chitlall Roopnaraine
sometimes absent, and the students are taught, and not left unattended.
At the same time, each teacher is required to lodge a folder in the office with about five lesson plans, to be replenished as required. The substitute teachers would then uplift a lesson plan for each class they cover. This can be implemented in secondary and tertiary level educational institutions in which teachers have non-teaching (formerly known as free) periods. It would also preclude the need to outsource/employ educators from outside to substitute/supply in schools daily. There are other damage control methods which the Ministry of Education may implement.
My input is a preventative, proactive, workable solution; not a reactive, punitive one.
Sincerely,
Karan Chand MEd – Educational Leadership
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2024
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Anonymous
This creative kids’ craft mixes the wonderful worlds of pistachios and percussion instruments. Prepare for a yummy and fun musical experience.
Materials
Large bag of pistachios (in shells)
Cardboard
Scissors
Glue
Markers
Paper towel or toilet paper roll
Sticks (chopsticks, or a thin twig)
Directions
Directions for making shakers, clackers (also known as castanets) and a güiro
To make your clackers, cut a rectangular piece of cardboard, about the length of your hand, and about the width of two pistachios. Bend the cardboard in the middle so it makes a “V”.
Glue one pistachio shell onto each end of the cardboard so that the outside of the shells click each other when you
bend the cardboard together.
Let the glue set for 5-10 minutes, then decorate the clacker.
To make your güiro and shaker, use a cardboard toilet paper roll, or cut a paper towel roll in half. Glue 5 to 10 pistachio shell along the length of the cardboard cylinder.
Let the glue set for 5-10 minutes. Take your remaining pistachio shells and put them inside the paper towel roll, and seal each end with tape. Your güiro now doubles as a shaker/maraca!
You can now decorate your instrument with markers or paint to make them look unique and exciting!
Rhythmically rake a stick up and down the pistachios to create the güiro sound. You can also shake it to create a completely different sound! (Adapted from pbs.org)
GuyExpo 2024 has highlighted the government’s strong commitment to fostering growth within the Private Sector, especially for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), as over 300 entrepreneurs and business owners showcased their products and services.
The event, celebrated as the country’s premier trade and investment expo, has drawn thousands of participants, attendees, and stakeholders, all keen to witness the economic vibrancy of the country.
Held at the National Exhibition Centre, this year’s expo focuses on building a sustainable future for SMEs through increased visibility, collaboration, and networking opportunities.
The Government has emphasised its dedication to creating a business-friendly environment where local businesses can thrive, by implementing supportive policies, incentives, and infrastructure among other initiatives.
President Dr Irfaan Ali, who delivered the keynote address at the event’s opening, reaffirmed the Administration’s intention to diversify the economy and strengthen the Private Sector as a key driver of economic resilience.
“The Government has directly supported SMEs by distributing over $1 billion to 4000 SMEs, providing training to over 10,000 businesses across our country. These are real results. This is real work, not a fragment of the imagination of those
who are tested and failed. This is the result of hard work, continuous work, going to the grind every day and getting it done, not sleeping on the wheels of development,” he declared.
“My friends, let me continue on SMEs. Our partnership with financial institutions facilitated hundreds of new loans, totalling billions of dollars to SMEs. We unlocked the possibility of SMEs getting capital with targeted policies that supported the financial institutions and reduced the risk in lending to SMEs.”
Further, the Guyanese Leader highlighted the Government’s achievements in boosting wealth creation through the build-out of new and existing industries.
On this point, he disclosed plans to prioritise financial literacy, encouraging citizens to invest in opportunities that generate sustainable income.
“Wealth creation is about investing in people, equipping them with
the knowledge, skills and opportunities to thrive in a growing modern economy. By focusing on human resource development, we enable individuals to achieve and contribute to the economy, but also invest in the foundational pillars of personal well-being, affordable housing, accessible health care and quality education.
“These investments transform individuals into empowered citizens who can seize new opportunities and drive the spirit of enterprise.
“Wealth creation requires a forward-looking perspective, one that values and welcomes both local and foreign investments as a catalyst to economic transformation. It is not about being myopic or fearful of outside influence, rather it is about understanding that investors take on significant risks to help build our industries, infrastructure and workforce. These investments lay the ground-
work for a more dynamic economy, one that creates jobs, enhances our skills base and modernise key sectors,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Tourism, Industry, and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond also praised the role of SMEs in job creation and economic growth, pointing out how Government initiatives like tax incentives, and low-interest loans and grants have provided crucial support for small businesses.
Highlighting that the Expo provides a stage for launching products, and exposes businesses to new markets, Walrond encouraged local businesses to capitalise on the opportunity.
“The Expo features a diverse array of attractions including an international and service pavilion, a main auditorium, dedicated spaces for our processors, a tourism village, an international food court, a children’s zone, and daily life and entertainment.
“You will see products that have grown with us through generations, some of which have evolved into internationally known brands, as well as
new trend-setting innovations paving the way for the future. And we are committed to supporting the small and medium enterprises of today, among which may be international brands of tomorrow,” the Minister noted.
This year’s GuyExpo features over 300 booths, showcasing various sectors, including technology, agriculture, manufacturing, and the creative industries. For many, this Expo is a chance to connect with potential investors and expand their reach, both locally and internationally.
Representatives from
neighbouring Caribbean nations and further afield were also in attendance, indicating the growing interest in Guyana’s expanding Private Sector. Many exhibitors noted the Expo’s role in enhancing the visibility of Guyana’s entrepreneurial landscape and attracting foreign investment.
GuyExpo 2024 stands as a testament to the Government’s ongoing efforts to make Guyana a hub for Private Sector development and entrepreneurship, where small businesses and SMEs have an integral role in shaping the country’s future economic prosperity.
Justice Nigel Niles on Wednesday instructed the State to pay $24 million for the unlawful killing of Quindon Bacchus which occurred on June 10, 2022, at Haslington, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
Bacchus, a 25-year-old father of one of Golden Grove, ECD, was gunned down by a team of Police ranks. The incident was first described as an undercover sting operation by the Guyana Police Force which led to a shootout with the deceased and members of the GPF.
The Police claimed that Bacchus was going to sell an undercover officer an unlicensed firearm and after he revealed himself as a Police rank, Bacchus started to flee and, in the process, discharged several rounds at the Police.
The Police claimed that they subsequently returned fire, fatally hitting him. However, investigations revealed that there was no authorised Police operation in that area and no Police Commander was aware of such.
Further, examination of the firearm allegedly recovered at the scene revealed
that the firearm the Police claimed Bacchus used to shoot at them was inoperable and could not have been fired by the deceased. There is also no civilian witness who saw Bacchus fire at the Police.
As a result of the incident and subsequent investigation by the Police, several ranks were allegedly placed under close arrest one of those officers, Lance Corporal Kristoff DeNobrega, was charged with the offence of murder and has since been committed to stand trial in the High
Court.
Two other Police men Lance Corporal Thurston Simon and Cadet Officer Dameion McLennon were charged with attempting to obstruct the course of justice. Lance Corporal Simon was also charged with the offence of conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline.
The post-mortem report noted that Bacchus died from multiple gunshot wounds. Government Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh in that PM report revealed that Bacchus received six gunshots and also confirmed that he was shot five times to the back and once to the chest. He had left to mourn his family and friends, including his three-year-old son.
The circumstances which led to the death of Bacchus caused great public outcry, protests and the temporary lockdown of certain areas of the country.
The mother of Bacchus filed an action against the State for the unlawful killing of her son. This action was filed by Dexter Todd and Associates Law Firm. The State first defended the action, denying liability for
the killing and claiming that Bacchus died during an authorised Police undercover operation.
However, by letter dated July 24, 2024, the Office of the Attorney General wrote the Attorneys for Bacchus mother, as well as the Judge, indicating that the State has accepted liability for the brutal shooting and requested that the court decide on the quantum of damages to be granted to the estate of the deceased.
The court invited submissions from both sides and subsequently made its decision. The Judge found that the brutal killing of Bacchus breached his right to life, as protected under the Constitution of Guyana.
The court indicated that it looked at recent matters of a similar nature and considered the settlement and judgment amounts in those matters before making its own decision in this case.
As such, the court ordered that the State pay to the estate of Bacchus the sum of $1 million for his funeral expenses, $22.5 million as damages for the breach of his right to life, and $500,000 in costs.
Raj Reece, called “Chunoo”, a labourer of Number 55 Village Corentyne, Berbice, has been remanded to prison on a charge of murder, committed on Akash Pechia between May 16 and 17, 2022 at Number 55 Village Corentyne, Berbice.
The 20-year-old Reece was not required to plead to the indictable charge in his arraignment on Wednesday before Magistrate Tuanna Hardy at the #51 Village Magistrate’s Court, and will make his next court appear-
ance on December 11, 2024.
Reece, who had been on the run for more than two years, was arrested last Sunday in his home village.
Recap
It has been reported that Akash Pechia, also called
“Logoo”, an ex-convict, was found dead weeks after his release from prison.
Following the discovery of his body, two persons were taken into custody, including one of the suspect’s cousins.
Police had been working on the theory that Pechia might have been killed elsewhere and his body dumped in the village a short distance from the #55 Village cemetery. As per the injuries he had sustained, he had also been tortured.
In August 2021, Pechia had escaped from custody of the police at the #51 Station after he had been arrested on a larceny charge. He had been rearrested and charged; and after his release from prison, the victims of his larceny acts had allegedly been hunting for him.
Already, 21-year-old Derick Sugrim and 20-yearold Radesh Thaman, called “Bangalee”, labourers of Number 55 Village Corentyne, have been charged with Akash Pechia’s murder.
President Ali’s decision to summon to State House all those responsible for delayed Government projects before day-clean: at 5:30am, to be exact -- for a dressing down -- has received widespread commentary!! What is noteworthy is that he didn’t exclude members of his Cabinet and administration from being called on the carpet, many of whom strut around like cocks of the walk when they’re around us, the ordinary people!! To your Eyewitness, that alone was worth the exercise!! Imagine, those same folks elected these people who diss them to look after THEIR interests; yet, once in office, they suddenly behave like kings and queens to whom the masses must bow!! Well, they certainly got their comeuppance, didn’t they??
Now, some are saying Pressie shouldn’t have embarrassed them in public!! But hello…?! Aren’t these officials embarrassing the man’s administration - for which he has to take the blame and the flak?? Well, if the buck stops with him, and the buck is delayed getting to where it was supposed to go, shouldn’t the President hold accountable those whom he appointed to move the buck along?? Your Eyewitness thinks so!!
Part of the problem with us as a people is that we don’t like taking responsibility for what we’re responsible for!!
Take those tardy contractors whose projects were dragging on and on. There are all sorts of stink and dutty cusses being hurled at the Ali Administration: that the reason for the delays is the contractors are “friends and family”!! And not only do they get contracts before others more deserving, but they then drag out the projects until “thy kingdom come”!! So, isn’t what Ali did with his public dressing down showing us there are no sacred cows??
Contractors, ministers, and indeed all of us, gotta take our responsibilities at least as seriously as we take our rights!! If something gotta be done by a particular time, including showing up for a meeting, then we gotta let folks know the reasons for any delay ahead of time – along with when is the new schedule!!
Then there was the bitching about the conclave being held at the “unholy” hour of 5:40 am. This caused several officials and contractors to be locked out at the gate for being late, and having to cool their heels on Main Street!! Maybe these ministers and staff would now appreciate how citizens who may’ve come from the outlying regions - which they had to leave THE DAY BEFORE!! - feel when they can’t even get a hearing when they finally reach these ministers’ offices in Georgetown!!
Pres Ali should continue these public dressing downs until the tardy straighten up!! No one would take us seriously - even if we do have money - if we don’t take OURSELVES seriously!!
With Biden and his administration gone after Jan 20, 2025 – just two months away, thank you!! – your Eyewitness wonders what’s going on in the PNC’s Brooklyn Posse, who rode on the coattails of House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries!! Jeffries lived in Crown Heights - just like the Posse’s chief cook and bottle washer; attended the same Church, and seemed to’ve shared several common interests!
He’d plotted and worked tirelessly to become Speaker of the House – which he used as his bully pulpit to the White House. He must’ve travelled more than 25,000 miles during the campaign, supporting the Democratic candidate across the country. But it was all for naught!! And who knows, being so closely identified with the Democratic Party’s radical wing might’ve even hurt their chances!! There’s a whole lotta soul searching that must be going on in Brooklyn right now!!
It is your Eyewitness’s hope that Jeffries would quit his 1960s-style ranting about race and get on with trying to Make America Great Again!!
…care
Pres Ali’s announcement that the $100,000 payout to every adult Guyanese is scheduled before Christmas warms the cockles of your Eyewitness’s heart!! Hey!! Christmas comes but once a year, so it’s absolutely fabulous to be assisted in celebrating in style!!
As the holiday season approaches, Region 4A (Georgetown), encompassing the capital city of Georgetown, is gearing up for an unprecedented boost in Police presence.
Commander Simon McBean announced that more than 180 additional ranks, along with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and advanced technology, will fortify Region 4A’s Christmas policing strategy. This robust plan, developed with guidance from the Commissioner of Police, will roll out from November 15, 2024, and run through January 1, 2025.
"Our Christmas policing plan is all about providing safety and reassurance to the public, especially in a city like Georgetown that sees a surge in commercial and social activities during the holiday season,” McBean shared at the launch event on Tuesday.
The increased Police presence aims to tackle potential risks associated with the bustling shopping season, social gatherings, and an influx of visitors to the capital.
Georgetown, home to over 120,000 residents, presents unique policing
challenges according to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) as its busy markets and transportation hubs attract high foot traffic and potential criminals. Commander McBean stressed the importance of targeted policing during this period.
“Georgetown is our major urban city, and with that comes a concentration of crimes and traffic incidents,” he said. “While we’ve recorded a 33 per cent drop in serious crimes this year, challenges remain, including a rise in murder rates.”
To counter these issues, the plan divides Region 4A into 15 sectors, each commanded by an inspector, with patrols strategically allocated based on crime data and the city’s layout. Each shift will deploy 185 patrols, totalling 315 officers on duty, ensuring widespread coverage of Georgetown’s hotspots.
These patrols will include foot, bicycle, motorcycle, and vehicle units, with additional support from mountain and canine patrols.
Commander McBean explained, “We’ll be everywhere we’re needed –markets, bus and car parks,
hotels, commercial zones, and even residential areas. Our aim is to provide a safe environment for all residents, visitors, and shoppers throughout the season.”
Also, in this year’s security measures, the GPF is deploying drones for aerial surveillance, along with digital billboards displaying live video feeds. The surveillance billboards, already in use at Stabroek Market in Georgetown, allow the public to observe the area in real time.
“The public has access to these surveillance billboards to see what’s happening
around them,” McBean said. “We’ve already seen a significant reduction in incidents at Stabroek Market since installing this technology, and we plan to introduce similar setups in other areas.”
High-risk zones, including Stabroek Market, Regent Street, and Robb Street, will be heavily monitored. Statistics indicate that Thursdays and Fridays are the most crime-prone days in Region 4A, with most incidents occurring between 18:00hrs and midnight.
“Our data-driven ap-
proach allows us to focus on these high-risk times and locations with precision,” McBean explained. “Motorcycles remain the preferred escape vehicle for criminals, so we’re stepping up our motorcycle and vehicle patrols in these key areas.”
The plan also addresses Georgetown’s heavy holiday traffic, particularly in known accident hotspots such as Camp Street, Cummings Street, and Mandela Avenue. With a 21.5 per cent decrease in traffic accidents this year, the division is optimistic about further progress, although fatal accidents have seen an increase.
“Speeding and inattentiveness remain primary causes,” McBean said.
The GPF’s holiday policing strategy also prioritises engagement with local stakeholders, including city constabularies, private security firms, and the business community. This collaboration, McBean explained, is essential to creating a safe environment and reducing crime and traffic incidents.
“Our strategy is about maximising presence, efficiency, and community trust,” he noted.
In addition to deploying patrols, the GPF will be offering safety advice to shoppers and residents, encouraging caution during the season.
“We’re advising people to carry only essential cash, avoid wearing expensive jewellery, and always be aware of their surroundings,” McBean advised.
“With the high quality of security cameras in some areas, the public is safer, but we also encourage people to consider safer payment options like credit cards to reduce risks.”
The public is encouraged to report any suspicious activity to the Police through the 24/7 GPF command centre, reachable at 911, or the operations centre at 2271149. For additional convenience, a WhatsApp hotline at 620-0541 has been set up to connect citizens directly with senior officers.
As he concluded his remarks, Commander McBean expressed confidence in the Force’s capability to ensure a safe holiday season.
“With these patrols and the latest technology at our disposal, we’re ready to ensure a safe and festive Christmas for all in Region 4A,” he affirmed. (G9)
The Education Ministry is distributing scores of high-quality textbooks and exercise books to students across Guyana, with the intention of enhancing education services.
The Ministry’s specialised Book Distribution Unit (BDU) facilitates the timely distribution of textbooks for primary, secondary, and nursery students in every region, ensuring each child’s education needs are met regardless of their location.
Speaking on the Ministry’s “Education Spotlight” programme, Darshini Balac, a key coordinator at the BDU, shared an in-depth overview of the initiative’s goals and achievements.
The BDU collaborates with regional education officers in Guyana’s 10 sub-districts to monitor the needs of every school and timely address any textbook-related issue.
In its efforts to ensure that students receive the highest quality of education,
the BDU sources textbooks directly from local and internationally accredited pub-
lishers and provides original copies to students. According to Balac,
“Everyone would be receiving brand new books as well as books that are in good condition, they will still be using that.”
Every textbook is of the finest available standard and contains pertinent information necessary for passing important examinations including the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams.
The books cover an expansive range of topics including traditional subjects like Mathematics, English, Social Studies, and all 36 subjects offered at CSEC.
A key objective of this programme is to ensure that secondary school children are well-equipped to perform excellently in regional exams, elevating the country’s overall performance rate.
Acknowledging the needs of the younger children, the BDU also distributes books that include specialised
learning exercises for nursery and primary schoolchildren.
These books will specifically target the developmental needs of the youth and promote fast and fulfilling learning.
Further, for the first time, students will receive workbooks to write in, giving them a sense of ownership while facilitating interactive learning.
The books will be replaced every year for new batches of students. Secondary students will also receive single-line, double-line, plain art, and graph books.
To modernise and streamline the textbook distribution process, the Education Ministry has introduced a new WhatsApp contact service to allow parents, teachers, and students to report book shortages or request additional resources directly.
LIAT (2020) Ltd on Thursday announced its re-entry into Guyana’s market with an inaugural flight on November 19, 2024.
This new route will offer increased connectivity across the Region, strengthening ties between the Eastern Caribbean and South America.
The introduction of LIAT 2020’s Georgetown route marks a significant milestone in the airline’s expansion strategy, offering a crucial link between the Caribbean and Guyana’s emerging markets. Georgetown, as Guyana’s capital and economic hub, is a key destination for business and leisure travellers
alike.
The airline, in a release to the press on Thursday, stated that travellers can immerse themselves in Guyana’s vibrant ecotourism offerings, supporting sustainable local economies as they explore lush rainforests, pristine rivers, and breathtaking wildlife.
LIAT 2020 Chief
Executive Officer Hafsah Abdulsalam stated that “Georgetown is an exciting destination with immense potential for both tourism and business. By launching this new service, we are offering our passengers more options for exploring Guyana and its growing economy. At LIAT 2020, we are dedicated to delivering convenient and reliable air travel across the Caribbean and beyond”.
In addition, Tourism, Industry, and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond expressed enthusiasm about the launch of LIAT 2020, emphasising its significance for tourism and trade.
“The launch of LIAT 2020 is a pivotal moment for the tourism industry,” she stated. “It enhances connectivity and opens additional options for travel.”
Walrond highlighted that while LIAT 2020 provides direct connections between Guyana and Antigua, its extensive network offers even greater opportunities for travellers from re-
gions such as Europe and the Middle East to reach Guyana.
“Every new airline operating here signals increased confidence in Guyana’s growing tourism sector and our robust economy. I am delighted that LIAT 2020 recognises the potential of the Guyana route, and I am confident this decision will prove mutually beneficial,” the Minister said.
She also pointed to the large Guyanese Diaspora residing in Antigua and Barbuda, many of whom are eager to reconnect with their homeland and witness Guyana’s economic and social transformation.
Further, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill underscored that the people of Guyana stood to benefit immensely from the relaunch of LIAT.
“This increased airlift will create jobs, stimulate the local economies, and provide more travel options for our citizens. By making it easier to travel to and from Guyana, we are im-
proving the quality of life for all Guyanese,” Edghill said.
He further explained that the increased airlift, coupled with the Government’s investments in airport infrastructure, would unlock new opportunities for economic growth and development.
“By enhancing connectivity to the Caribbean region, we are positioning Guyana as a regional hub, attracting more visitors, investors, and businesses. This will not only stimulate economic growth but also create jobs and generate revenue for our local communities,” he noted.
Edghill also underscored, “By providing more convenient and affordable travel options, we are empowering our citizens to explore new cultures and seize business opportunities across the Caribbean. This increased connectivity will enrich our lives, strengthen our communities, and contribute to the overall well-being of our nation.”
...10 murders, 66 rapes recorded
The Police’s Regional Division Six has recorded an 18.2 per cent increase in serious crimes from January 1 to November 11, 2024, when compared to the corresponding period last year.
The figures were revealed on Thursday by Regional Commander, Senior Superintendent Shivpersaud Bacchus as he launched the region’s Christmas policing plan.
During his presentation, he stated that 10 murders have been committed in the division so far this year compared with 15 for the corresponding period last year and 14 for the same period in 2022.
As it relates to robbery under arms where firearms were used, there have been 20 recorded in the region as compared with 12 for the same period last year. For robbery with violence, the figure stands at 11 compared with six for the corresponding period last year and seven for the same period in 2022.
For the “other robberies” category, the figure stands at nil for the year, for the same period last year, it was 3, and in 2022,
nought as well.
“When we analysed what was happening in Region Six, we started to change our strategy and for the last quarter, we have seen a reduction in regards to robbery under arms; we continue with that effort and I am hoping that for this last quarter, it will continue to go down,” Senior Commander Bacchus reported.
“At the end of it all, with all the stats, we have an increase of 8.2 per cent. In addition, there were 66 reports of rape in the region so far this year. This represents a 53 per cent increase over last year’s figures. For the corresponding period last year, the figure was 32.
“Most of them are statutory rape,” Bacchus explained.
Referring to rape as a social problem, the Commander said the Police are working with several stakeholders, including the Human Services and Social Security Ministry, and more persons have been coming forward to make those reports.
As it relates to narcotics, so far this year,
Region Six Police Commander Shivpersaud Bacchus addressing the gathering
through eradication exercises and other forms of policing, a whopping 18.6 billion grams of cannabis were confiscated and 29 persons were brought before the courts compared with 24 for the corresponding period last year when 24.8 million grams were found.
Eighteen firearms were removed from the streets this year compared with 15 for the corresponding period last year.
“…most of these firearms were found during eradication exercises,”
Bacchus explained.
The Commander noted that most of the serious crimes were not organised crimes, and “we have seen that guns and cutlasses are the more prevalent instruments used in robberies and larceny from the person.”
Addressing traffic, Bacchus pointed out that there were 16 fatal accidents resulting in 19 deaths so far this year. The figures were the same for the corresponding period last year. The most com-
mon causes of those accidents were inattentiveness and speeding.
Of the 19 persons who died on the roads in Region Six so far this year, 10 were motorcyclists, one a pedal cyclist; two, drivers; three, pedestrians and one, a passenger.
Commander Bacchus said there are too many reckless motorcycle users on the roadways.
“Reckless, in the sense that they are not using the motorcycle in the way that they ought to. You find some riders who are lying flat on the motorcycle and you can hardly see their head if you are approaching, they lose control.”
Bacchus also pointed out that many motorcycle users do not wear safety helmets. (Andrew Carmichael)
Construction of an access bridge at Alliance Road, Timehri, East Bank Demerara (EBD) is scheduled to commence in a few days, according to Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha during a meeting with farmers on Wednesday.
Mustapha reported the contract was awarded to R.S. Builders to the tune of $74 million and mobilization will be done before the end of the week.
“We already awarded the contract for $74 million for
one of the bridges: the one at Alliance Road. Construction will commence in a few days. The contractor will begin mobilisation before the end of the week, so in a matter of days materials will be on site to commence construction. I also spoke to the
Minister of Public Works [Juan Edghill] and they will do the second bridge so both bridges will be done by this Government,” he explained.
Farmers present told Minister Mustapha that a lot has been done to improve the drainage and irrigation infrastructure in the area, but said more work was needed.
Responding to issues raised, Mustapha said the Ministry through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) will work with farmers to ensure all of the drainage problems are addressed and encouraged them to join the farmers’ groups in the areas.
“We’ll help as many persons as possible. I believe
if we can work with groups rather than individuals, we’ll produce more. So, all the drainage works that were mentioned, we’ll do. We have the NDIA engineers here. They will look to see what needs to be done and work out a programme for those works. Those works will commence in the coming weeks,” he noted.
Furthermore, the Minister told the farmers that the government has invested heavily to support agricultural activities in the area. He also told farmers that support would be given to assist farmers with crop diversification to boost production and the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (New GMC) will assist with securing
markets for their products.
“We have to examine the possibilities of expanding cultivation by planting different crops. Most of you cultivate lettuce but we have to look at other crops. Crops that we have ready markets for. NAREI [National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute] will meet with you to see what you need; they will do the necessary soil tests to determine the types of crops suitable for the area then we’ll give you all the planting materials you need to expand. The New GMC will also assist you with the markets for these crops,” he added.
Farmers will also benefit from free acoushi ant bait and other inputs such as seeds and agro-chemicals.
Staff of the Housing and Water Ministry’s Project Department have pledged to strengthen their oversight and enforce stricter compliance measures in order to ensure that projects meet deadlines and high standards are maintained.
This commitment was made earlier in the week, when Ministers Collin Croal and Susan Rodrigues met with them following President Dr Irfaan Ali’s no-nonsense early-morning meeting at State House on Tuesday.
During the Head of State’s engagement with ministers, permanent secretaries, engineers, consultants, technical staff and contractors, he sent a clear warning that delays and mismanagement of public projects would no longer be tolerated. In response, the ministry summoned engineers, clerks of works, and other staff of the Projects Department to remind them of their responsibilities: to maintain project quality, submit accurate progress reports, and work as a team.
In a brief interview with this publication/newscast, Minister Croal emphasised that President Ali’s recommendations for keeping public projects on track have been reiterated, and immediate changes have been made aimed at improving performance, transparency, and efficiency within the department.
“It is our internal issues we’re addressing, as well as some of the instructions that might have been given (on) the guidance. So, for example, ensuring that documentation is done, continuous writing of letters, and sticking to the project timelines
that are provided”, Minister Croal disclosed.
“One of the things when you’re presenting projects is to ensure that you’re updated and you have a progress report being done; so, from your progress report, (it) will (be determined) whether there are delays; whether there are interventions that have to be made. So, all of that will be derived, and based on the sort of information that is provided, it will determine the course of action that has to be taken. That is an ongoing process, a continuous process, in any project implementation,” Minister Croal has said.
Croal explained that while such meetings are mandatory, the ministry has renewed its commitment to accountability in order to reassure the public of its dedication to meeting Guyana’s housing needs.
“So, you realize we have a large project team, and if you’re managing so many projects, it’s important that we meet collectively…,” the minister has said.
“We meet weekly with the leaders from the Project Department; but collectively, with a group, we do that now and then. But that’s a continuation, it’s a norm. However, some of the things that were pointed out, we use the opportunity to reinforce that in this engagement,” he explained.
Clamp down During Tuesday’s engagement with those present, the Guyanese Leader had expressed frustration at the alarming state of delay across the country, and had warned that contractors whose projects remained uncompleted by year-end and they are more than four months overdue would face termination and blacklisting.
The Head of State had also warned that Government would impose liquidated damages on those failing to meet their contractual obligations; had underscored the need for a shift in mindset across the public sector; and had emphasised that the culture of complacency in proj-
ect execution must end. The message was unequivocal: going forward, all parties involved in national development are expected to meet the highest standards of responsibility and timeliness.
“If you have projects to be completed, finish them before you bid again; because you will find yourself not being able to bid, because you’ll be blacklisted. All of the projects that are here that have not been completed before the end of the year will be terminated, and the records will be sent to the Tender Board”, the President had warned.
“From this very meeting, the approach of some of the contractors and engineers told me that the right balance of energy does not exist for an effective project management environment. If you don’t have the right structure for an organization, the right attitude, you’re starting negatively,” the President had admonished.
Following concerns raised
over the awarding of contracts to selected contractors, and their inability to meet project deadlines or build according to specifications, the Government has, in the past few months, embarked on the pursuit of greater accountability within the procurement processes across all sectors. Among the initiatives announced are the establishment of a Contract Compliance Unit (CCU) within the Ministry of Legal Affairs, and other units being established within the various ministries to assess the performance of contractors.
It was also announced in August that a nationwide initiative is underway to digitize contractor evaluations in order to combat and eradicate corruption in the public procurement process. This new system aims to standardize and enhance the ability of the Evaluation Committee of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) to monitor infrastructural projects and the allocation of Government contracts to various entities.
Contractors are currently required to report to the Evaluation Committee on the status of ongoing projects and the percentage of work completed on those projects. However, due to the dishonesty of several contractors, Government, by way of a direct order from President Ali, has begun to pursue liquidated damages for delayed state projects. In this regard, as of July, approximately $3 billion in charges for liquidated damages have been instituted over delays in public projects awarded through the Ministries of Public Works, Housing and Water, and Agriculture, among others. The Public Works Ministry had, as of July 2024, issued letters to contractors on 365 projects which had experienced unjustified delays, seeking liquidated damages of $934.65 million.
Additionally, Government has made it clear that regional administrators and engineers would also be held accountable if they do not penalise contractors for breaches of their contracts.
Govt remains committed to ensuring diabetic patients receive highest standard of care – Health Minister
In alignment with the theme for World Diabetes Day 2024: “Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps”, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has announced a series of sweeping initiatives aimed at improving prevention of diabetes, diagnosis of diabetes, and treatment of diabetes nationwide.
Diabetes remains one of the leading causes of premature death and illness worldwide, and in Guyana, the Ministry is moving to address this issue with targeted strategies to improve patient outcomes and quality of life.
Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony has emphasized the urgent need for these initiatives, highlighting that while diabetes and its complications are largely preventable, early detection and effective management are crucial to reducing theimpact of this disease on individuals and healthcare systems alike.
“We stand committed to ensuring that diabetic patients receive the highest
standard of care, with a focus on preventing complications and enhancing quality of life,” he has said.
Updated national guidelines
The MoH recently introduced new, evidence-based national guidelines for preventing and treating diabetes. These guidelines outline best practices in diabetes care, with an emphasis on lifestyle modification, early diagnosis, and comprehensive treatment plans tailored to individual needs. Further, they prioritise regular patient monitoring, and provide healthcare providers with the tools they need to deliver effective individualised care.
In a significant update to diabetes care, the Ministry has implemented HbA1C testing as a standard tool for diagnosing and monitoring diabetes. HbA1C tests offer a three-month average of blood glucose levels, providing a more comprehensive view of blood sugar control than traditional glucose testing.
The Ministry has expanded access to HbA1C testing in 82 health facilities across the country, allowing healthcare providers to track patient progress and adjust treatment plans as needed.
Expanded diabetic retinal and nephrology services
To address diabetes-related complications, the Ministry has introduced diabetic retinal exams in four health facilities, enabling early detection and management of retinopathy, a condition that could lead to blindness if untreated. Equipped with specialised diagnostic tools, these ophthalmology clinics offer crucial eye care services to at-risk patients.
Additionally, the Ministry has expanded nephrology services in regional hospitals to address the high risk of kidney disease among diabetic patients. With access to regular kidney function testing and specialized nephrology care, patients can benefit from early intervention aimed at preserving kidney
health and preventing dialysis.
Foot Clinics, medication
In order to combat diabetic foot complications, the Ministry has increased the number of foot clinics nationwide. These clinics provide foot examinations, wound care, and education on proper foot care, thereby helping patients to avoid infections and injuries that could lead to amputation.
Staffed by trained specialists, these clinics offer essential support for diabetic
patients, particularly those with reduced sensation or blood circulation in their lower limbs.
Moreover, recognizing the importance of availability of medication, the Ministry has secured a stable supply of essential diabetes medications, including insulin, at public health facilities. This ensures patients across Guyana can access the treatments they need without financial strain.
Future plans
Looking ahead, the
Ministry plans to expand diabetes care by investing in advanced training for healthcare providers, and developing community-based programmes to educate the public on diabetes prevention.
The MOH also intends to enhance research and data collection efforts to track diabetes trends in Guyana, ensuring responsive, evidence-based policy-making.
“With these new initiatives and guidelines, we aim to empower healthcare providers and patients alike, working towards a healthier Guyana with reduced diabetic complications and improved patient outcomes,” Dr Anthony has said.
The recent passage of World Diabetes Day has seen Guyana standing as a committed participant in the global fight against diabetes, promoting access to essential services, life-saving treatments, and education aimed at breaking barriers and bridging gaps for all citizens.
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has recorded an unprecedented $400 million in traffic fines this year, with nearly 60,000 tickets issued as part of an intensified campaign to curb road infractions.
Amid an increase in both traffic and road-related fatalities, the GPF’s enforcement drive, led by Traffic Chief, Senior Superintendent Mahendra Singh, targeted high-risk violations like speeding, reckless driving, and impaired driving.
Singh on Thursday attributed the majority of fines to speeding, a persistent issue that continues to drive up accident rates across the country.
"Speeding remains our top issue," the Traffic Chief stated.
Of the nearly 60,000 tickets issued, over 47,000 were related to speeding, accounting for around $280 million of the total revenue garnered from fines. Fines for infractions like drunk driving and unsafe vehicle maintenance also contributed significantly to the total.
The GPF has expanded its approach to traffic enforcement through increased patrols, strategic checkpoint placements, and investments in monitoring technology. These efforts reflect a commitment to both pre-
vent accidents and hold drivers accountable for unsafe behaviours. Key stretches of major highways and highrisk urban intersections have seen a rise in Police presence, with mobile units deployed to ensure adherence to the law.
The Senior Superintendent, during his address, underscored that “if we can improve road discipline, we’re saving lives and reducing strain on emergency services”.
Traffic enforcement this year has incorporated a new traffic command centre to assist with real-time monitoring and incident response. Equipped with Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) coverage and communication technology, the command centre allows officers to address potential issues swiftly, from high-speed pursuits to major traffic disruptions. The data-driven approach has enabled the GPF to identify and respond to traffic violations, hotspots, and emergencies, ultimately enhancing its capacity to mitigate both congestion and risks.
According to the GPF, this year's financial gains from tickets are not just a windfall for the Government but also a vital step towards sustained road safety. Reckless driving in Guyana is an ongoing challenge, resulting in frequent and sometimes deadly road
accidents. The economic toll of these accidents, from emergency medical care to damage repair costs, has been high for both the State and its citizens. Singh reiterated the importance of this rigorous enforcement, noting that reducing accident rates could save many lives and preserve State resources.
One priority for the GPF has been enhancing educational outreach to promote responsible driving habits. Public awareness campaigns, often targeting young drivers, emphasise the importance of safety measures like helmet use for motorcyclists and mandatory seatbelts. The GPF has also
collaborated with schools and community organisations to foster long-term behavioural change among drivers. Acknowledging that enforcement alone cannot address deep-seated cultural issues informing road behaviour, Singh affirmed that “changing a culture takes time, but education is crucial to achieving meaningful progress”.
As the holiday season approaches, the GPF anticipates increased travel and potential spikes in road accidents due to heavier traffic and festive gatherings. In response, they are preparing additional traffic control measures, including tempo-
rary road adjustments, designated parking zones, and extended patrols at high-traffic locations like shopping centres and transportation hubs. Singh indicated that maintaining road safety during the holidays would be a priority, aiming to protect public welfare while supporting local business activity and tourism.
"During the holiday season, our priority is to ensure that everyone reaches their destination safely," Singh stated.
The GPF has also coordinated with regional commanders across the country to prepare for localized traffic control, especially in high-density commercial zones such as Lethem, Bartica, and major shopping districts. Emergency parking zones, like the Providence National Stadium tarmac, are designated to help handle overflow, while additional ranks will be positioned at critical intersections to facilitate traffic flow.
Under Singh's leadership, the GPF Traffic Department has also proposed and implemented several measures aimed at reducing accidents and improving road safety. These include staggered enforcement teams focusing on impaired driving and speeding, expanded use of smart traffic lights, and increased
road signage. The GPF has also submitted proposals for illuminated road markings and congestion pricing in key areas to alleviate heavy traffic flow.
It has also rolled out mandatory helmet enforcement on the Demerara Harbour Bridge, in partnership with the bridge’s management. “If you aren’t wearing a helmet, you won’t cross,” Singh stated firmly, reinforcing the GPF’s zero-tolerance approach to safety violations.
Highlighting the broader social and economic impacts of road accidents, Singh pointed out the strain on healthcare resources and the lost productivity due to accident-related injuries.
“We intend to reduce these incidents through consistent enforcement and public awareness,” he stated. The GPF’s efforts, he noted, aim not only at controlling traffic but at reducing the financial and social burden of road accidents on families and communities.
As the GPF intensifies its holiday operations, Traffic Chief Singh concluded with a message to the public: “Observe traffic rules, use designated drivers, and prioritise your safety and the safety of others on the road. Together, we can make this holiday season safer for everyone.” (G9)
“We believe in our Ministers, it’s just tough love” – Jagdeo defends Ali’s fiery 5:30h meeting
President Dr Irfaan Ali’s meeting with Government Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, engineers, and contractors at 05:30h on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, has been the
most engaging topic this week. Some have deemed the meeting, which addressed delays in many infrastructure projects of more than four months, as warranted while others have said it was distasteful and a bad reflection on the Government.
At his press conference on Thursday, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo defended the President's approach, noting that the Government believed in the capability of its Ministers, but must give “tough love” when required.
“This is called tough love, that is how we work, it is tough love. We believe in our Ministers and their competence; that’s tough love and how we work,” he told re-
porters and those tuned into the livestream of the press conference.
According to Jagdeo, the concerns addressed during Tuesday's meeting directly resulted from complaints from citizens nationwide.
“We’re not disconnected from the people…people would send me a picture of a road… What you saw there is just, because several people might have complained to the President and he spoke on those issues to see that those people's voices are also heard,” Jagdeo explained.
According to the Vice President, the President’s meeting only addressed issues with five per cent
of the public contracts.
“We are not going to just ignore the five per cent that has not been done well, the shoddy work etc, just to create an impression that everything has been done good…,” he noted.
According to Jagdeo, there are nearly 2000 small contractors who have been working on small contracts and have been doing a good job. He outlined other improvements that are ongoing to provide a better standard of living to the people of Guyana.
The Vice President compared the stance taken by his government to that of the former A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government.
“[Former President David] Granger was never on the ground, he never consulted with people on the ground, he never visited communities; at his own event – a rally where people sought to take a photo with him, they had to do so with a cardboard cutout. He had no engagement on the ground, was not concerned with their problems” the Vice President noted, adding that "there was a great deal of arrogance, aloofness".
At Tuesday's meeting, President Ali sent a clear message to delinquent contractors and complacent government officials, warning them that delays and mismanagement in public projects will not be tolerated.
Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has joined in condemning the cash-strapped Georgetown Mayor and City Council for granting a 25 per cent tax waiver to One Communications, formerly known as GTT.
“It’s ridiculous! They claim they don’t have money! These are big companies; they have huge assets here…they should pay their fair share of taxes at the City Council. Why do you have to give a foreign company that’s flush with cash…and you’re giving them waivers? It’s ridiculous!” the Vice President said during his press conference on Thursday.
According to Jagdeo, if the M&CC wants to grant tax waivers, it should do so in the form of an across-theboard policy. However, the Vice President said foreign companies ought not to benefit from such policies.
“Why should we be giving rich foreign companies, that make a ton of money, waiver of their taxes in the city?” he contended.
Town Clerk Candace Nelson explained that the decision to grant the tax waiver had been taken after the multi-billion-dollar company had raised an issue with the Council.
“GTT raised…that they believe that the taxes that they were paying on one of their properties seem to be too much, compared with
another business that they mentioned. So, it was decided then, in a nutshell, that they could do another valuation for that property, and when that valuation is presented to the Council, well, the Council basically is going to meet and decide how they’re going to deal with it,” Nelson explained.
She added that following the revaluation of that prop-
erty, it was proposed that a 25 per cent waiver be placed on the interest accumulated by the company.
“The mayor later attended one of the Finance Committee meetings, and he raised the issue on ‘any other business’ and the recommendation was made at that Finance Committee meeting that when the valuation is provided by GTT, it (would) most likely be backdated, and the interest that would be accumulated on that account should receive a 25 per cent waiver,” she detailed.
“So that recommendation is what was sent to the Council… and the Council by majority approved that recommendation,” she added.
Local Government and Regional Development Minister Sonia Parag has since lambasted the M&CC over its decision.
“This decision comes at a time when the Council continuously laments its financial woes and requests bailouts from the Central
Government, claiming to be cash-strapped. It is baffling that while pleading poverty, the Council finds it prudent to forgo significant revenue that could have been utilised to improve vital services, such as garbage collection, market management, and overall sanitation; all areas in which they have consistently and miserably failed,” Parag had argued.
Parag has also noted that the move is unlawful. She explained that Section 215(3) of the Municipal and District Councils Act, Cap.
28:01, clearly stipulates that any discount on rates due must not exceed 10 per cent. This controversial move comes some months after the Council had passed an ‘Institutional Rate Policy’ seeking to exempt political parties from paying rates and taxes, or reducing those sums as low as 25 per cent – a move that would benefit the Peoples National Congress-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), which owes the Council millions in taxes.
"Prepare yourselves, do not be left behind" – hemp organisation urges farmers, youths
With the multi-billion-dollar hemp industry on the rise in Guyana, Vice President of the Guyana Hemp Industry, Michael Kirton, is urging farmers to seize the opportunity and avoid being left behind in this burgeoning market. This urgency has been expressed during an interview with Guyana Times on Thursday.
Specifically targeting two of the main prosperous regions, which he foresees as key production areas, Kirton has told farmers to get their land documents checked, and be prepared and ready.
“I call upon my farmers in Region 10 and Region Six. The first three years were illegally marked as unconfirmed farmers. Put your land papers in order, do some research on hemp and its various products, and prepare not to be left behind. Make certain that when the application is out for licences, you will be able to apply,” Kirton has admonished.
His views align with remarks President Dr Irfaan Ali made to the recent UK Trade Mission, whom he urged to develop the hemp industry.
“I support the President’s words in total. I am thinking that - and I hope and I know that - the farmers, now aware that it’s a lucrative crop, will not only produce hemp and hemp products for Guyana, but will also tap into the global mar-
ket, which has been growing due to increased consumer demand for eco-friendly products. Guyana is on the right track, and in the nottoo-distant future, it will become an economic hemp powerhouse,” Kirton has predicted.
Not only did he relay this, but he has also put his money where his mouth is proverbially by sharing some of the initiatives the Guyana Hemp Industry is currently undertaking to cultivate hemp.
The hemp industry, in association with a hemp company from the USA, would be establishing a processing plant in Region Six to process hemp products; will be cultivating hemp on a large scale in Region Six; and, as part of their programme, would be establishing, in
Region 6, a hemp academy which will also include farmers and potential farmers from Region 10. This academy would teach all aspects of hemp production, from cultivation to manufacturing to marketing.
“Hemp is a wonderful crop,” Kirton emphasizes. “Guyana as a whole, and Guyana Hemp Industries, along with other groups, will continue to work with the Government of Guyana to establish a robust, lucrative hemp industry. We realize that a small farmer, a small producer, needs to have the good life that was promised by a previous administration but was not achieved.”
Kirton has also mentioned that past initiatives by the hemp industry are currently being revamped in order to engage more people on the benefits of hemp cultivation.
“My brother, over the last few years, we have had hundreds of outreach programmes, from Point-aPierre to all the creeks and rivers. Hemp will also help within the prisons and police to have farms. We would also like for hemp to be a topic in schools,” he declared.
Although the industry is predicted to be a boomer, Kirton relayed that there could be challenges if hemp is grown only in limited areas.
“The only problem I really see is that, at some stage, you will have to scale down
the industry. If we look at Regions 6 and 10, we also need to consider other regions, because when other farmers in other regions see the returns coming in for farmers in Regions Six and 10, they will start to approach the Government as if they have been forgotten,” he predicted.
Having highlighted this longstanding issue, he is urging the Government to address it as early as next year.
“So, I think that’s why the Government will have to seriously look at this next year, to open the industry and let other regions get involved. Also, I think what a lot of people have been looking at is the statement made by the President about investors, which is important,” Kirton has said.
What has majorly stood out from Kirton’s statements is that Guyana’s main goal should not be to sell hemp,
but rather to process it to derive greater value from the product.
“We do not need to sell a lot of hemp. We need to process hemp to create value-added products. That’s where the money is. We can’t afford to plant hemp and then sell it to somebody else to make the hemp products. We in Guyana grow hemp, make our hemp products, and put them on the world stage labelled ‘Made in Guyana.’ So, I see a great future for the farmers, processors, and even the consumers who are now seeking eco-friendly products,” Kirton has said.
Guyana’s National Assembly approved the Industrial Hemp Bill back in August 2022, paving the way for the legalization of industrial hemp in the country. Local stakeholders have since been awaiting the establishment of a licensing authority to kickstart the
commercial cultivation of hemp.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha told <<Guyana Times>> on Wednesday that Cabinet has already approved the members of the Guyana Industrial Hemp Regulatory Authority, and the body would soon be formally established.
“I already identified the members, and got Cabinet’s approval. So, it will be set up in two weeks,” Minister Mustapha has said. He had previously disclosed that lands have been identified in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) and Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) for small-scale farmers to cultivate one to two acres of industrial-type hemp.
Hemp is a multi-billion-dollar industry that facilitates the production of hundreds of items. Hemp is used in the production of rope, textiles, clothing, shoes, food, and belts. Hemp is often confused with marijuana, but it is crucial to understand the distinction between the two. Hemp and marijuana are both varieties of the cannabis plant, which includes more than 100, and as many as 156, different strains, the two most recognized of which are hemp and marijuana. With approximately 100,000 to 150,000 potential uses and products, hemp can be a versatile addition to Guyana’s economy.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Lima on Thursday, kicking off a week-long diplomatic blitz in Latin America by inaugurating the massive Chancay deep-water port, one of Beijing's most ambitious infrastructure investments in Latin America.
Xi will participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Lima before heading to the Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro next week. Xi will also conduct state visits to Peru and Brazil, both major sources of metal ores, soybeans, and other commodities that sustain key Chinese industries like electric vehicles and pork, as well as guaranteeing food security for the country's population of 1.4 billion.
Xi's first order of business in Lima is to headline an inauguration ceremony for the Chancay port, along with Peru's President Dina Boluarte.
2024 (Reuters/Agustin Marcarian photo)
"Chancay...will revolutionise trade and dynamise the Asia-Pacific economy," Boluarte said in a speech on Thursday at the APEC CEO Summit.
The China-controlled megaport, built by Cosco Shipping Ports and located on Peru's Pacific coast north of Lima, has already drawn $1.3 billion in Chinese in-
vestment for its first phase, with billions more expected.
The inauguration of the port comes at a time when Beijing is looking to further tap into resource-rich Latin America, amid trade tensions with Europe and concerns about future tariffs from the incoming Trump Administration.
(Excerpt from Reuters)
The High Command of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has instructed that two Police Officers involved in the fatal shooting of three men in east Kingston earlier this week be detained while the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) continues its probe into the incident.
The detention was ordered based on information received , according to a JCF news release on Thursday morning.
The incident, which occurred on the morning of November 10, 2024, in-
volved two members from the Kingston East Division.
The cops reported that while on patrol, they encountered a group of men along Windward Road and, during the encounter, gunfire was exchanged, resulting in the death of three men.
One of the cops sustained a non-life-threatening injury and two illegal firearms were reportedly recovered from the scene.
It was also initially reported that the now-deceased men were suspected to be involved in a robbery ring.
According to the release, The High Command reiter-
ates its full support of members who act within the law in the execution of their duties and is committed to the principle of accountability.
The High Command wishes to assure the public of our commitment to support thorough and impartial investigations carried out by INDECOM, ensuring that the ends of justice are served, the release stated, adding We remain steadfast in our pursuit of professionalism, transparency and will continue to cooperate fully with the relevant oversight bodies in this and all other such matters. (Jamaica Observer)
Residents of Solino and Nazon, central neighbourhoods in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, fled their homes on Thursday as gangs spread to one of the few remaining areas of town not already under their control.
A coalition of gangs known as Viv Ansanm has been cementing their hold over the country while the political leadership has been wracked by infighting and a long-delayed foreign security mission has made scarce progress.
Reuters on Thursday witnessed crowds of residents running down the streets, many carrying suitcases, backpacks and small children as cars packed to the brim sped past.
It was unclear immediately how many people had fled, though the neighbourhoods appeared to quickly empty out. Local media reported that the security situation had
worsened after a Police Officer in the area was killed.
More than 700,000 persons have been forced to flee their homes in Haiti due to the extended conflict, according to the International Organisation for Migration. Thousands of people have been killed amid reports of widespread sexual violation, ransom kidnappings, and ex-
tortion, while some 6000 persons have been plunged into famine-level hunger.
Prime Minister Garry Conille was removed from his post by the country's transitional presidential council this week after just a few months in office, with infighting between council members slowing progress on tackling security. (Excerpt from Reuters)
Nicaragua has expelled Bishop Carlos Herrera, the head of the country's conference, a lawyer tied to the Catholic Church told Reuters on Thursday, amid an extended state crackdown targeting the Church.
Local media earlier reported that Herrera, 75, had been expelled to Guatemala where he was received by members of his Franciscan order. Guatemala's presidency confirmed to Reuters that Herrera had entered the country.
"Bishop Herrera has been banished," Martha
Molina, a lawyer with close ties to Nicaragua's Catholic leadership, told Reuters. "This has shocked us very much."
Molina said Herrera had suffered "persecution by the dictatorship", from several leading security and administrative officials.
She said he had been expelled because he complained about disruptions to his mass made by people tied to the Mayor's office of north-central Jinotega.
Herrera's mass had been interrupted by people setting up loudspeakers outside, added Costa Rican
Bishop Manuel Eugenio Salazar in a post on social media.
"May the Immaculate Conception crush the old serpent's head!" Salazar said.
Nicaragua's government did not immediately respond to requests from Reuters about Herrera or about Molina's comments.
During the country's 2018 anti-government protests Herrera had advocated for several young people who had been arrested in Jinotega, and arranged for them to be released.
(Excerpt from Reuters)
Pope Francis on Thursday morning received the Prime Minister of Barbados in audience in the Vatican.
A statement released by the Holy See Press Office said that following the meeting with the Pope, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, accompanied by Monsignor Miros?aw Wachowski, Under-Secretary for Relations with States.
During the cordial discussions in the Secretariat of State, satisfaction was expressed over the good relations between Barbados and the Holy See, the statement read, noting that several topics of mutual interest, such as the care for our
common home and the effects of climate change, as well as current socio-political issues in the country and the region were also discussed.
The meeting concluded with a reaffirmed commitment to promoting the common good of the people of Barbados.
Prime Minister Mottley is in the Vatican to participate in a conference organised by the Pontifical Academy for Life entitled Common Good: Theory and Practice.
(Excerpt from Vatican News)
Aman killed himself with a bomb outside Brazil s Supreme Court after trying to enter the building on Wednesday, officials said, stirring security concerns before the country hosts global leaders from the Group of 20 major economies.
The blasts come five days before the G20 Heads of State meet in Rio de Janeiro, followed by a state visit to the capital Brasilia by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The first of two explosions went off on Wednesday evening in a parking lot near the court building and a second blast came seconds later in front of the court, where the man s body was found.
Federal District Vice Governor Celina Leao said preliminary information suggested the man had killed himself with explosives after trying to enter the Supreme Court. She
The US Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, said on Wednesday that the country is not safe and criticised the previous President for a failed security policy and refusing to accept American assistance.
"The reality is that at the moment Mexico is not safe,"
Salazar said during a press conference at his residence in Mexico City.
The Ambassador criticised former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador directly, saying security coordination between Mexico and the US had suffered during his term.
"Unfortunately, this coordination has failed in the last year, in great part because the previous president did not want to receive help from the United States," he said.
Lopez Obrador's attempt to address the root causes of violence, a strategy he called
"hugs not bullets", did "not work," Salazar said.
He added he hoped that President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office last month, would have greater success in fighting crime and violence by investing more in security.
(Excerpt from Reuters)
said he owned a nearby car in which another explosion blew open the trunk.
Leao said she hoped it was the crime of a lone wolf , but she could not be sure. Police said they had not made a final identification of the dead man as they were confronting the risk of additional explosives on the body.
The explosions took place around the Plaza of the Three Powers, an iconic square in Brasilia connecting the principal buildings of Brazil s three branches of federal government. It was the scene of riots on January 8 last year when supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro ransacked the buildings to protest his electoral defeat.
Police deployed a bomb squad with an explosive disposal robot to the square in the heart of the Brazilian capital to investigate the blasts.
(Excerpt from Reuters)
Ninety Democratic lawmakers urged US President Joe Biden to sanction members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over anti-Palestinian violence in the West Bank, according to a letter released on Thursday.
rude oil futures edged higher on Thursday, though the US benchmark closed below US$69 per barrel, as a large surplus is expected in 2025.
Global crude supplies are expected to outstrip demand by more than one million barrels per day next year led by robust growth in the US, according to the International Energy Agency’s monthly market report.
UBS slashed its price forecast for global benchmark Brent to US$80 per barrel from US$87 previously on weakening demand in China, the world’s largest crude importer.
OPEC on Tuesday cut its demand growth forecast for the fourth month in a row.
Oil prices have fallen more than four per cent since Donald Trump won the US presidential election as the dollar has surged. A stronger greenback can depress oil demand among buyers that hold other currencies. (CNBC)
cases
Measles cases rose 20 per cent last year, driven by a lack of vaccine coverage in the world’s poorest countries and those riddled with conflict, the World Health Organisation and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday.
Nearly half of all the large and disruptive outbreaks occurred in the African region where the number of deaths increased by 37 per cent, they said.
“At this moment, every single country in the world has access to measles vaccine, so there’s no reason why any child should be infected with the disease and no child should die from measles,” WHO’s Natasha Crowcroft, a senior technical adviser on Measles and Rubella, told reporters.
Measles is caused by an airborne virus that mostly affects children under the age of five, but it is prevent-
able with two doses of the measles shot. However, immunisation coverage was “inadequate” globally, the WHO and the CDC said.
About 10.3 million cases of the highly contagious infection were reported in 2023, compared with 8.65 million reported in the previous year, a report by the two agencies showed.
The number of deaths associated with the disease fell to 107,500 due to improved access to health services and vaccines in high-income countries, such as Europe where cases surged last year.
Regardless of the decline, the death toll was “unacceptable”, the agencies said.
The “biggest and the most overwhelming” cause of the spike in cases is the systems’ failure to reach children with vaccines, said WHO’s Crowcroft. However, vaccine hesitancy has also played a role. (Excerpt from Reuters)
Urging Biden to send a message to US partners before he leaves office, the members of Congress said Israeli Cabinet members Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had incited violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied territory.
The letter, signed by 17 senators and 71 House members, said Israeli settlers have carried out over 1270 recorded attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, averaging more than three violent attacks per day.
The United States has, for decades, backed a twostate solution between Israel and the Palestinians and urged Israel not to expand settlements.
The West Bank is among
territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and where Palestinians, with international support, seek statehood. Most world powers deem Israeli settlements in the area illegal.
Israel disputes that, citing
historical claims to the West Bank and describing it as a security bulwark.
Meanwhile, a senior Lebanese official has signalled that Hezbollah is ready to pull its forces away from the LebaneseIsraeli border in any ceasefire, while rejecting Israel’s demand for freedom to act against the Iran-backed group in Lebanon in the future.
An Israeli Minister indicated that a ceasefire was closer than at any other point since the war began.
In Syria, 15 persons were killed in Israeli strikes on residential buildings in Damascus on Thursday, Syrian State media reported, and Israel said the attacks targeted military sites and the headquarters of the Islamic Jihad group. (Excerpts from Reuters)
Trump opts for personal ties and TV chops in choosing his team
In staffing his incoming administration, President-elect Donald Trump has so far veered from the conventional to the confounding. But his choices all seem to have one thing in common: A bond with Trump himself.
From his chief of staff to those he’s tapped to lead the Justice Department, the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security, Trump is picking people who have been familiar fac-
es at his campaign rallies, frequent visitors to his Mara-Lago resort in Florida, or reliable defenders of him on TV.
It’s a sharp contrast from his first go-round in the White House, when Trump, then a neophyte Republican politician, ended up with members on his team with whom he had no prior working relationship and no level of trust.
For Trump 2.0, the President-elect is reward-
ing his staunchest allies with plum roles. Some have almost no relevant experience for their positions, and a few could face a difficult Senate confirmation process even with a Republican majority.
Trump has tapped Pete Hegseth, a Fox News personality with no administrative experience, to oversee the sprawling Pentagon; nominated Matt Gaetz, a longtime conservative provocateur who lacks
a law-enforcement background as Attorney General; and asked the governor of rural South Dakota, Kristi Noem, to be the nation’s top Homeland Security official. He also has tasked billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump rally mainstays, with streamlining the federal bureaucracy although neither has ever worked in Government. (Excerpt from Reuters)
The Sri Lankan president’s coalition, the National People’s Power (NPP) posted an early lead in a parliamentary election, local television channel Ada Derana said on Thursday.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake called for a snap general election in September to seek a mandate to take forward his policies in the island nation struggling to emerge from a severe financial crisis.
Thursday’s election will
Sri Lankan President and National People’s Power (NPP) party
leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake meets his party supporters after casting his vote on the day of the parliamentary election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 14, 2024 (Reuters/Thilina Kaluthotage photo)
decide if the Indian Ocean island nation will give its new leftist President greater legislative power to help the poor as the country recovers from a financial meltdown. Just over 17 million Sri Lankans were eligible to elect lawmakers to the 225-member Parliament for a five-year term. A record 690 political parties and independent groups are in the fray across 22 electoral districts. (Excerpts from Reuters)
ARussian attack on Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa on Thursday struck a residential building, knocked out a heating supply boiler plant and damaged a pipeline, officials said.
“Yet another terrorist act in Odesa. A strike on a residential building,”
Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app.
Unofficial Telegram-based news outlets posted a video of a building in flames, with firefighting equipment stationed nearby.
“The enemy attack has damaged the main pipeline for heating supplies,”
Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov said on Telegram. “One of the city’s boiler plants has been forced to shut down.” Officials and the military had warned of drones approaching Odesa before the attack. Trukhanov said the attack was still under way more than 30 minutes after an air raid alert was issued. (Reuters)
Don’t jeopardize your health or let anyone talk you into making a physical change. Stick to what you know best and complete what needs to get done. Be true to yourself and make physical fitness a priority.
Reevaluate your lifestyle and consider what’s next. Check your options, get certified for whatever you want to pursue or revamp your skills so that you can apply them to something that motivates you.
Check the information you receive before sharing it. Be discreet; it’s best to have everything in place and functional before you make any big moves.
Adjusting your routine will help you finish things on time. Pay attention to detail and offer to spend only what’s necessary. Showing others how efficient you can be will help you advance.
Get things done and head into the weekend filled with gratitude. There is power in knowing that you’ve done your best. You can make a difference to someone or something you care about.
Experience things firsthand, and you’ll benefit from each encounter. Getting information and feedback from a direct source will help you expedite your plans succinctly and encourage the best results.
Fill your head with information. Today is all about expansion, gaining perspective and considering what you want to do next. Follow your heart instead of letting someone make choices for you.
Share your thoughts and plans with like-minded people, and the backand-forth will help you adjust. Let go of what’s no longer applicable and embrace the future optimistically.
Be aware of what’s happening around you. Absorb information and consider every angle before signing up for something with hidden costs. Listen and observe.
Stick to statistics, truth and facts. Someone will make you look bad if you give them the chance. Do something honorable or help a cause that touches your heart.
If you make changes without proper preparation, you will face setbacks and personal interference from someone you least expect. Choose your words wisely.
Problems with friends, relatives, neighbors and those you live with will surface. Don’t share personal information or promise the impossible. Choose peace and love over chaos.
The National Gymnasium was graced with spectacular baskets on Wednesday night as Pacesetters and the University of Guyana (UG) Trojans pulled off ecstatic wins in the Guyana Basketball Federation Elite 16 Knockout Basketball Tournament.
The Pacesetters decimated the Jets in their first game after losing their coach. Owing to their ability to
counterattack, they dominated the tempo and had a 1412 advantage after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Jets scored 11 points, bringing their total to 23, while the Pacesetters demonstrated their experience by continuing to swish the ball for 11 points, totaling 25.
After that, the Jets demonstrated their ability with the defensive line restricting Pacesetters from
extending their lead as the scoreline read 44-42 in favor of Pacesetters.
The Jets run in this year’s competition came to an end as the Pacesetters ’offensive game with their decisive performance as they game ended 64-52 securing a 12–point victory.
In his post-game remarks to media operatives Pacesetters Coach Clement Brusch spoke on the key areas needed for the win.
With each team having a point to prove in terms of futsal dominance, North East La Penitence and Gold Is Money have found themselves contesting the finals of the first Chung’s Global Champion of Champions Tournament, the semifinals of which was a hotbed of upsets when it was played out on Wednesday at the National Gymnasium.
Known for their class, Gold is Money, led by Shamar Koulen, secured a 4-nil victory over Stabroek Ballers. Koulen’s accuracy allowed him to score the first goal of the evening in the 8th minute, and complete his brace in the 21st. A short while later, Andrew Murray joined the action by adding his goal in the 26th, while his teammate followed with a banger of a goal to seal the victory in the 30th.
With an all-round performance, North East La Penitence managed to again pull off the upset of the night, when they defeated North Ruimveldt, with one goal being the decider. With the help of their keeper in the early minutes of the first half, Antonio Allen gave his team an advantage in the 15th minute, and that saw North Ruimveldt, with their flair, attempting to score; but the North East keeper held them off as his team members
packed their bags, heading into the finals.
The Championship game of the inaugural Bent Street Champion of Champions Tournament would be heavily contested as the finals will be played at the same venue on Saturday, November 17.
The winner of this event would pocket $1,000,000 and the championship trophy, while the second-, third-, and fourth-placed finishers would receive $500,000, $300,000, and $200,000 respectively.
Brusch said, “Alright. We stick to the game plan and execute down the stretch. Early in the game, we were trading basket. We were letting the play get to our heads. But then, down this final stretch in the fourth quarter, we end up sticking to the game plan and it gets us home.
Stopping the key players from attacking. Number 7- I don’t know his name exactly. But once we restrict him, the game becomes easier. Alright.”
University of Guyana Trojans defeated Retrieve Raiders with three points being the separations Despite the Raiders dominating the first quarter, leading 14-11, as they set the tone for the rest of the game.
The Raiders with their all-round performance man-
aged to maintain the lead in the second quarter as they managed to put up 35 points while the Trojans were restricted to 32 points going into the third quarter.
The Raiders managed to pull away from their competition in the third quarter as they extended their lead by 8 points the Raiders with consistency inputting the ball through the net as ended with 51 points and the Trojans with 43 points.
However, the Trojans with a point to prove managed to pull off a come-from behind victory as they secured the win in the fourth quarter as the scoreline read 71-68.
West Indies women and their Ireland counterparts are set for respective white-ball tours to India in December and January. The series, part of the 2022-2025 Future Tours Programme (FTP), would see India play West Indies in three T20Is in Navi, Mumbai and three ODIs in Vadodara next month, followed by three ODIs against Ireland in Rajkot in January 2025.
It will be Ireland women’s first-ever bilateral tour of India, and the teams’ first series against each other since 2006. The T20Is against West Indies are scheduled for December 15, 17 and 19, followed by the ODIs on December 22, 24 and 27. The three Ireland ODIs are set to be played on January 10, 12 and 15. Both these ODI series would be part of the ICC Women’s Championship.
With the next ODI World Cup set to be played in India
next year, the hosts began their prep for the tournament with an ODI series against New Zealand in Ahmedabad, which they won 2-1, right after the T20 World Cup in October.
They are also set to play three ODIs against Australia in Brisbane and Perth in December, before the series against West Indies.
India last played in Vadodara in 2019, in an ODI series against South Africa. Rajkot, meanwhile, would host India women after a gap of 14 years, with their last match at the venue coming in January 2011 against West Indies.
West Indies last played a white-ball series in India in 2016. They won the T20Is 3-0 and lost the ODIs 0-3.
Ireland have lost all of the 12 ODIs they’ve played against India so far. The sides last met in the T20 World Cup in 2023, which India won by five runs. (ESPNCricinfo)
Akeal Hosein’s 4 for 22 kept West Indies in the
fore Motie missed out again when Shimron Hetmyer failed to clasp a tough low chance at deep midwicket. Livingstone had 21 at the time and, in the next over, took 16 off Joseph to put England in front, before holing out to long-on as Hosein’s fourth. Rehan Ahmed, drafted in for the rested Adil Rashid, had the honour of carving the winning runs over point.
West Indies rung the changes with the trio of Joseph, Shai Hope and Hetmyer drafted in for Matthew Forde and Brandon King - both injured - and Sherfane Rutherford. And yet they still endured another botched start.
Hope lasted just two balls, run out by Jacob Bethell at backward point
after aborting what looked a comfortable single. That was the first of four powerplay wickets to fall across 17 deliveries, including the destructive lefthanders Evin Lewis and Pooran through wayward hacks against Mahmood and Jofra Archer, respectively. Mahmood was not done there, nicking off Roston Chase before Hetmyer followed his fellow southpaws with another woeful heave, caught deep square leg. With two matches to
are already the most for an England bowler in any series during that period of a T20I.
Powell and ShepherdWest Indies top-scorers in the series - set about another face-saving stand, this one an impressive 73 from just 57 deliveries. But no sooner had they reached a respectable 110 for 5 after 15 overs, Overton instigated a collapse with three dismissals in seven deliveries, dismissing both set batters.
A breezy 28 for the ninth wicket between Gudakesh Motie and Joseph gave them something to work with. Alas, it was the same old story, albeit one that confirmed
play, the Lancashire quick’s eight powerplay wickets
only England’s second T20I series win in the last two years. (ESPNcricinfo)
Some 48 tape ball teams from across the country will put physical and religious differences aside as they compete from this Sunday in the Ethnic Relations Commission’s (ERC) Harmony League T10 Tape ball tournament.
Aiming at unifying communities through sport, the Harmony League is geared to assist the ERC in pursuing this mandate, and would see action bowling off this Sunday, November 17th, at the Transport Sports Club Ground in Georgetown.
ERC Chairman Shaikh Moeenul Hack had the following to say during the official launch of this tournament at the ERC location at Peter Rose and Anira Streets in Georgetown on Thursday afternoon.
“At the ERC, our mis-
sion is clear: to promote harmony and understanding among all the ethnic groups residing in Guyana. Through this tournament, we take another meaningful step towards that goal.
The ERC T10 Harmony
League is more than a cricket tournament; it is a platform for unity, inclusion, and mutual respect. It brings together teams from across Guyana, teams from Kuru Kururu, Mocha, Zeeburg, Diamond,
Following a preliminary round that produced unexpected results, the semifinals of the inaugural National T20 League, sponsored by BetCAGESports under the patronage of His Excellency Dr. Irfaan Ali, would commence today with Berbice Piranhas, Demerara Pitbulls, Essequibo Jaguars and Essequibo Anacondas participating.
With both matches being played at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD), the first semifinal match would see Essequibo Jaguars looking to continue their impressive performance in the tournament when they come up against Berbice Piranhas at 14:00hrs.
Then Demerara Pitbulls would battle Essequibo Anacondas under lights at 19:00hrs.
At the pre-match press conference on Thursday, media operatives spoke to each captain. Demerara Pitbulls skipper Christopher Barnwell emphasised the areas that need improvement and the importance of keeping the momentum when he said, “It was a decent tournament so far. The guys played
excellent cricket. We had two off days where we didn't get things done well in the field, and that caused us two games. But we know where we went wrong as a group, and also as individuals, we know what we need to do as a team going into the semifinals, coming up against a good Esssequibo team. We had the better of them in the early rounds, so it's important for us to continue in the same vein, and even better what we did in the early group stage games.”
Captain of Essequibo Anacondas, Anthony Adams, expounded that the powerplay would be key to the game and their aim to get the win.
“Our last game, I thought we fell short in the powerplay, which affected us from getting the total that we wanted on the board, which would have helped us to feel comfortable going into the second innings.
“Nevertheless, we fought, (but) it didn't go the way we wanted it,” Adams shared.
He added, “We lost the game in the last ball. So, like I said, the powerplay for us is going to be key moving into this semifinal against
Pitbulls.
“As Christopher Barnwell said, our last encounter, they won that, so we're looking to…or even come even with them come tomorrow.”
Akshaya Persaud, Vice- Captain of the Berbice Piranhas, detailed the key aspects needed to win the game and eradicate the image created as underdogs.
Persaud said, “Coming into tournaments, we have sort of been labelled as the underdogs, and we have so far shown a good image of our team. We have a young team, and winning these games, we gel as a team, everybody pulls their own weight. Coming into tomorrow, we just stick to our strengths, back ourselves as a team, and everybody do their thing.”
Meanwhile, Essequibo Jaguars Captain Ricardo Adams on what has worked for the team, identified their ability to bounce back from one loss suffered in order to reap success.
The National T20 League’s third-place playoff and final are scheduled for the same venue today. The action begins with a Women’s exhibition match from 10:00hrs today.
Essequibo, Mahdia, East Bank, and Central Georgetown, among many other locations, creating an opportunity for players from various communities to connect, compete, and grow together.”
The 10-overs-a-side tournament is being organised by ‘Oak Tree’, better known as FL Sport, who have adopted a new name
to distinguish themselves from their Livestream services aspect.
Co-Director John Ramsingh, in revealing some of the tournament’s key details, expressed the group’s elation at being part of such an important event when he said, “We at Oak Tree are happy to assist the ERC in executing this excellent tournament. Unifying people and communities through sport is a noble endeavour that aligns with our core objectives in promoting the sport. Judging from previous T10 tournaments, there has been quality play on the field, and we certainly hope to see such continue, and fans come out in their numbers.”
The teams will first compete in a round of 24, then 12, then 6; owing to the tournament’s straight knockout format. To arrive at the 4 semifinalists, the 3 game winners in the Round of 6 would automatically
advance to the final four, while the team from the losing three with the best net run rate would advance alongside the winners.
The Harmony League would see a $500,000 grand prize, with second-place having to settle for $250,000. The two losing semifinalists would both be rewarded with $100,000. While individual awards such as highest wicket-taker, highest runscorer, and player of the final will carry a $60,000 price tag, trophies provided by the renowned Trophy Stall would accompany those accolades.
When the first day’s action bowls off, Success Strikes will take on Ministry of Agriculture – Hydromet; IBS would battle KFC Guyana; the Kings go headto-head with Queenstown, and Ministry of Human Services and Social Security trades punches with The Other Guys.
Dinar’s Trading has again demonstrated its unwavering commitment to the development of sports in the Linden community, particularly football, through its sponsorship of the ongoing ExxonMobil Futsal Championship.
Organized by New Era Entertainment, the tournament is currently taking place at the Retrieve Hard Court, and has been drawing enthusiastic crowds.
In a presentation done at the Georgetown location of Dinar’s Trading, company representatives Christopher Singh and Abdulla Yahya handed over an undisclosed sum to Shareef Major, one of the directors of New Era Entertainment.
This gesture reinforces the strong partnership between Dinar’s Trading and New Era Entertainment, a relationship that has flourished over the years, particularly in supporting sporting events that uplift the Linden community.
New Era Entertainment has expressed gratitude to Dinar’s, whom it has welcomed as a long-time partner. The significance of this support has been emphasised, and it has been noted how instrumental this support has been in advancing sports initiatives, particularly football, within Region 10.
“We are extremely grateful to have Dinar’s Trading on board once
again,” said Shareef Major. “Their continued support over the years has not only helped us organize successful events, but also contributed to the growth of futsal in Linden. We look forward to many more years of collaboration.”
Dinar’s Trading has a rich tradition of backing events organized by New Era Entertainment, showing consistent support for sports and community development.
Their longstanding partnership has been a driving force behind several key sports events, underscoring
the commitment of Dinar’s Trading to fostering local talent and providing a platform for athletes to showcase their skills.
The ExxonMobil Futsal Championship has been heating up, with Tuesday evening’s quarter-final action deciding the top four teams to move on to Saturday’s semifinals.
Fans eagerly anticipate the grand finale, which is set to take place on November 23. The tournament has been a highlight on the Linden sports calendar, bringing excitement and fostering community spirit.
