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Warriors eyeing comeback win, with important Guyana leg looming  Sep 18, 2024 Sports Nathan Sowter will have big shoes to fill in that of Amazon Warriors captain Imran Tahir 2024 Caribbean Premier League… GAW vs. TKR  Kaieteur Sports – Defending Champs Guyana Amazon Warriors are eyeing a much-needed rebound victory tonight against home team Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR), ahead of their return home for what could be the most crucial leg in this year’s tournament. The Warriors felt the woes of defeat after Quinton de Kock’s ton in the last game and saw the Champs take their first L. A few changes to the team, most notably the bowling unit with no captain Imran Tahir, the attack suffered slightly in the previous game despite some success from their seamers who were expensive. With TKR hovering below Guyana despite both teams having six points, the hosts could look to exploit the Warriors by use of their home turf conditions. Captain Kieron Pollard, in-form Nick Pooran, England opener Jason Roy along with in-form players like Keacy Carty, Shaqkere Parris and others will be their key for the Knight Riders batting. Spin wizards Sunil Narine and Akeal Hosein will be tasked with bowling efforts along with overseas spinner Waqar Salamkheil, pacer Jayden Seals among others. Guyana should see the return of spinner Tahir in a few days should he heal from his injury successfully. His partner in Gudakesh Motie has been an X-factor and could form a nice team with latest draftee, Australian leg-spinner Nathan Sowter. Fast-bowlers Dwaine Pretorious and left-armer Raymon Reifer have given the Warriors ideal depth, but all-rounders Kevin and Jason Sinclair will need to step up their games as key pieces of the spin unit and batting department. Azam Khan’s string of failures has forced the Warriors into a position of possibly dropping the Pakistani for another option. TKR are a dangerous foe and will not be underestimated. (CPL) Shimron Hetmyer remains the key with Shai Hope, Tim Robinson and their host of all-rounders in Englishman Mooen Ali, who had a good debut game, Keemo Paul, who had been one of the better finishers this seasons, Reifer and Pretorious. Both sides have a deep history, whether in Regional 50-Over, 4-Day and now franchise T20 cricket, making for another storied battle this evening in front of what will be a sold out Queen’s Park Oval crowd. The Warriors will be keen on winning this battle and gathering as much momentum as possible, ahead of their last leg of the tournament which will be held in Guyana from Friday. Tonight’s game starts at 19:00h. Related Similar Articles

Guyana open its medal quest today in Argentina Sep 18, 2024 Sports Guyana’s Powerlifting Team in Argentina: Sarah Sanmogan (2nd right) is flanked by, from left, Naranjan Singh, Kheon Evans and Kerma Singh. South American Women’s and Men’s Classic Powerlifting Championships Kaieteur Sports – Making her international debut last year in Peru and setting the tone for what was a very successful sojourn for Guyana, Sarah Sanmogan will once again be setting the stage for another successful campaign when the South American Women’s and Men’s Classic Powerlifting Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina, enters its second day, today. The Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPLF) is being represented by three athletes this year in Sanmogan, Kheon Evans and the indefatigable Naranjan Singh who will be celebrating his 80th birthday, next month. Sanmogan, who snatched four gold medals and one silver, will be going all out to even better last year’s performance and the only athlete standing in her way is Antonia Madrid of Chile is rated as the number one athlete in the junior’s 69kg category. Other competitors in this category are Sophia Cabrera of Peru, Luana Delgado of Uruguay, and the host nation’s Kira Yashnyk. Coach of the Guyana, Kerma Singh, who a few days ago, completed the IPF Basic Training Education Course, is once again confident that his charges will do well for themselves and the nation. “I do not doubt that our athletes will keep the Golden Arrowhead flying high. We had a bigger team in Peru last year and they represented well by capturing 14 gold medals, two silver, and five bronze overall. That was indeed an inspiring performance and I can assure you that this year will be no different in terms of our success.” The other two lifters, Kheon Evans and Naranjan will be taking the platform on Saturday both in the 83kg class, Evans in the Open and Naranjan in the Masters 4. Evans will have to pull out all the stops in his category as he would be taking on lifters Peru, Chile, Uruguay, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, and Bolivia. It will be tough competition but Evans said that he is up to the task and prepared for the battle. Singh on the other hand is the lone competitor in his weight class and has promised that; notwithstanding, he will be putting on a classy performance. He has expressed gratitude to the GAPLF for once again ensuring that Guyana is represented at these championships and promised that once he has life and good health, he will continue to represent the Golden Arrowhead with pride. Federation President, Franklin Wilson, who is also in Argentina and will be attending the South American Federation Congress this evening, met with the athletes and Coach yesterday and congratulated them for once again making the sacrifice to represent Guyana, noting that he is once again expecting solid performances. Wilson is expressing gratitude to the Hon. Charles S. Ramson Jr. Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle, and President of the Guyana Olympic Association, Godfrey Munroe for their continued commitment towards the further advancement of powerlifting. Related Similar Articles

Jockey Ross anticipates exciting President’s Cup Sep 18, 2024 Sports Jockey Colin Ross expects a high-quality race at President’s Cup. Kaieteur Sports – One of Guyana’s best jockey, Colin Ross, is expecting fireworks on Sunday September 22 at Rising Sun Turf Club when the President’s Cup horse racing takes Centre stage. One of Guyana’s best jockey, Colin Ross, is expecting fireworks on Sunday September 22 at Rising Sun Turf Club when the President’s Cup horse racing takes Centre stage. More than 10 horses were imported for last month’s Guyana Cup and more were added to that list for the upcoming President Cup. Ross has been working along with the top horses, with the likes of Easy Time, Stat, Spankhurst, and Mapa Do Brazil; and according to him, the horses are more ready than they were for the Guyana Cup. “So far, preparation is going quite well. No complains. Everyone is going comfortable, the trainer doing a good work, grooms doing a good job, so right now everything is going well.” “We have a lot of new horses, but now they are more accustomed to the conditions. They have acclimatized, they are more comfortable with the track,” Ross said. When asked about his expectations, Ross said: “The race gets stiff. A lot more new horses coming in and everybody want to win. The Guyana Cup champion going back is seeking to now win the President Cup. Easy Time will be there, Mapa Do Brazil, is there and he is a very good horse. Spankhurst is also set to return.” Ross won jockey of the year for 2023 and he remains one of the most decorated jockeys in Guyana’s history. “I expect to have a good race this time. I will try my best.” “A lot of work going into the track at Rising Sun. So, we expect to have a good race,” the champion jockey echoed. Nine races are on the programme for the 2024 President’s Cup, and more than G$15 million will be up for grabs. The feature race, running at approximately eight furlongs, will be open to all horses, three years old and over. Registration closed on September 17 and organisers have indicated that no late entries are permitted. Related Similar Articles

Ramdhani, de Boulet cop Bronze in Costa Rica badminton tourney Sep 18, 2024 Sports Guyanese badminton star Priyanna Ramdhani and her Trinidadian partner Chequeda de Boulet copped Bronze in the Costa Rica Future Series Women’s Doubles. Kaieteur Sports – Guyanese badminton star Priyanna Ramdhani and Trinidadian Chequeda de Boulet copped the Bronze in the Costa Rica Future Series Women’s Doubles. The duo lost their semi-final match in the Women’s Doubles on Friday, falling to straight sets, 21-10, 21-11. They lost to the pair of Fernanda Munar and Rafaela Munar of Peru, thus ending their campaign in the tournament. In the Round-of-16, the Bronze medalists defeated Gabriela Barrios and Margareth Revelo of El Salvador, two sets 21-12, 21-13 to qualify for the quarter-finals and then the duo of Costa Ricans Jenny Ng and Emma Rodriguez 21-9, 21-6 to advance to the semi-final before suffering their agonizing defeat. Ramdhani had also competed in the Women’s Singles. In her Round-of-32 game, she won 21-9, 21-7 against her Costa Rican opponent Yaslin Sanchez to advance to the Round-of-16. She then lost 21-13, 21-10 to Mariana Paiva of Portugal. Related Similar Articles

Sowter called up by Amazon Warriors  Sep 18, 2024 Sports Nathan Sowter will replace Imran Tahir who is dealing with an injury. – Jordan drafted by TKR  Kaieteur Sports – England international Chris Jordan will join the Trinbago Knight Riders for the remainder of the 2024 season while Aussie Nathan Sowter will cover for the injured Amazon Warriors skipper Imran Tahir. TKR Will have the services of England pacer Chris Jordan. The experienced all-rounder will replace USA international Ali Khan who was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to injury.Meanwhile, Guyana Amazon Warriors have signed the Australian leg-spinner Sowter as a temporary replacement for skipper Tahir who is currently recovering from injury and is expected to be unavailable for around 10 days. Related Similar Articles

Spending like crazy on roads  Sep 18, 2024 Editorial Kaieteur News – The PPP/C Government is running on a fast road.  In the first six months of this year $25.5B has been spent on roads. Whatever is used to describe such a huge amount of spending on roads in such a short space of time falls short of identifying the priority and the frenzy.  It is eye-popping when compared to other sectors, mouthwatering when this great amount is considered, and how much it could make happen.  After all, the more that is spent, the more the opportunities surface to take advantage of the mad rush, by slipping a fast one into the excitement generated by the express speed of road activity.  Who is going to know, and by the time anybody finds out anything, the interest to do something would have died down. Using a 180-day half year convention, the $25.5B in road spending works out to slightly over $141.6M per day.  And working with a 10-hour day, it is just above $14M per hour spent by the PPP/C Government on roads.  We acknowledge that there are several road projects that are ongoing at the same time, so the demand for men and material is like a vacuum: it sucks up all in its path, and that costs money.  This raises a few pertinent questions.  Considering Guyana’s severe shortage of a skilled labor force, who is there to oversee these road projects flying past at dizzying speeds?  What kind of quality oversight are Guyanese getting for their billions?  Are projects being probed to ensure proper adherence to the technical requirements?  Or are they simply signed-off on the run, and with those having oversight responsibility keeping their fingers crossed while hoping that there is no rupture nor cave-in later?  In a nutshell, are the Guyanese taxpayers getting value for their $14+ million expended every hour? Accountants and auditors are vital components in the machinery of checks and balances.  Do we have enough of them, and do they have the time to be fully focused on the job before them, or are they stretched thin?  It is a consequence of life that when people have their hands full, and are forced to rush, then mistakes are all but inevitable because important areas could be overlooked, and costly errors made.  The government may take offense at these questions, and comfort itself by claiming that the detractors in Guyana don’t want to see progress.  Only someone who is very shortsighted, or intellectually famished, could arrive at such a silly and narrow-minded conclusion.  How else to describe such a conclusion, such a self-serving piece of insipidity? The bitter and repeated experience of Guyanese has been that when there were less roads built, and significantly less millions were spent, the quality of too many completed road projects handed over fell apart too quickly.  Guyana has not since built up a reservoir of skills and talents to supervise the rash of projects (roads, hospitals, bridges, schools, and so forth) that spring up all over the place.  It can be said with conviction that though there have been changes, they are not of enough strength.  In other words, the numbers are too small.  Both President Ali and Vice President Jagdeo have spoken repeatedly about the skills deficit and the urgent need to build capacity.  So, the question raises its head again: where are the capable people to see that specs are met?  In the absence of those, what confidence can be placed in the technical overseers that are present?  Do they have what is required to function at very demanding levels?  When engineers are scrambling to pay flying visits on a continuing basis to cover their portfolio of projects, chances will have to be taken. The $25.5B spent in six months then take on a different appearance. Should anyone think that we are against road building and such, we say dismiss the thought.  We recognize infrastructure expansion, due to the utility that such represents, and the differences that are contributed to the quality of Guyanese life.  But this will only happen when every dollar spent delivers as stated.  This takes on special meaning when there are thousands of Guyanese who struggle to feed their families.  Every budget dollar counts, and must deliver in spades. Related Similar Articles

Irfaan Ali’s dilemma and the shadow of Jagdeo Sep 18, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom Kaieteur News – If history is to be trusted, the bourgeoisie of any society has always been marked by unity of purpose. Their economic interests, control of capital, and appetite for expanding influence provide them with a solid foundation upon which they can stand together, no matter the political climate. Guyana’s bourgeois class is no different—united in its pursuit of profits, patronage, and policies that ensure its financial well-being. This group has long aligned itself with the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), the ruling party they support, influence, and essentially control. Yet, beneath this superficial unity, fault lines are beginning to show. The once-cohesive oligarchic subset of the bourgeois class is starting to fracture. In a curious twist of history, the seeds of discontent are emerging. The leadership of the PPP/C, under the administration of President Irfaan Ali, is beginning to look unsettlingly familiar to what existed in the past. This is sparking anxieties about the future of the government. The unease is fueled by memories of the pre-2011 PPP/C regime, headed by Bharrat Jagdeo—a government that became sufficiently discredited by the time of the 2011 elections. Sufficient numbers of PPP/C supporters either did not vote or supported the AFC, and this led to a PPP/C minority regime in 2011, and, ultimately, to the PPP/C’s loss of power in 2015. Elements in the bourgeois class now fear that the Irfaan Ali administration is beginning to bear an uncanny resemblance to the Jagdeo years. While Jagdeo’s return to the government as a Vice President was seen as a means of assuaging the bourgeois class that its interests will be protected under the new government, paradoxically, Jagdeo’s high-profile presence has begun to overshadow the leadership of President Ali and to unsettle elements in the bourgeois class. There are elements within the powerful bourgeois class who wish to see a clear differentiation between the present administration and the discredited regime of the past. They want to see this while ensuring that their interests are not threatened. The fear is that if the present government looks and smells like the pre-2011 PPP government, then the same fallout that took place in 2011, could reoccur. Jagdeo, it appears, has become his party’s principal spokesperson. But he has also become the main mouthpiece of the government. President Ali’s voice is being drowned out by the omnipresent Jagdeo. Elements within the bourgeois class feel some unease at this situation and the electoral repercussions that can result especially from a young electorate who may feel that Ali is being overshadowed. Some elements within this elite group are beginning to wonder whether their continued patronage of the PPP/C, in its current form, is in their best interests. In particular, they fear that a Jagdeo-dominated administration will alienate the non-traditional supporters of the PPP/C—those who were won over by Ali’s promises of a more inclusive governance model. If the Ali administration begins to resemble too much the regime of Jagdeo’s past, it could easily cost the PPP/C the support of these new, critical voters, and ultimately undermine the PPP/C’s electoral dominance that has kept the bourgeoisie’s interests protected for decades. This growing schism is rooted in the very dynamics of power and influence that define the Guyanese bourgeoisie. There is growing discontent among some major financiers of the party who had hoped that under President Ali, the government would pivot away from the unpopular practices of Jagdeo’s era. Yet, they now find themselves confronting a situation that appears all too familiar. Elements within the oligarchic elite want a more assertive president, someone who can balance the interests of the old guard with the aspirations of a younger, more progressive generation of Guyanese voters. The specter of Jagdeo haunts them because it represents a return to a political and economic model that led to the toppling of the PPP/C in the first place. To put it bluntly, the bourgeoisie is not interested in nostalgia. They are interested in winning elections, securing contracts, and ensuring the stability of the country’s business climate. What they do not want is a repeat of the discredited, policies that alienated so many voters in the 2011 and 2015 elections. What we are witnessing, therefore, is a class once unified by economic interests, now being fragmented by political insecurities. The stakes are high. If the PPP/C government cannot differentiate itself from its past, and if Ali cannot distinguish himself from Jagdeo, the ruling party risks losing its grip on power in future elections. The bourgeoisie is all too aware of this. And herein lies the heart of the schism—while they continue to benefit from the largesse of the PPPC, they are increasingly questioning whether the current trajectory of the government can sustain their long-term interests. It would be a mistake to think that this rift would automatically translate into the bourgeoisie abandoning the PPP/C. That is not how power operates in Guyana. The political machinery that keeps the ruling party in place is too valuable for the elite to relinquish easily. But the discontent is real, and it will have consequences. If the Ali administration cannot carve out its own identity—distinct from the previous Jagdeo regime—the bourgeois class may start looking elsewhere for a political ally who can ensure that their economic interests are safeguarded. They may opt to back an independent candidate and this will mean a loss of support and campaign financing for the PPP/C. The oligarchic elite will always find a way to align themselves with power. That is the nature of their existence. But power, as they are beginning to realize, does not remain static. The economic landscape in Guyana is changing; powerful external interests now have vested economic interests in Guyana and can even displace the local bourgeois class in terms of influence. The local bourgeoisie, though slow to react, is beginning to feel the tremors of this shift. They are worried, and rightly so. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.) 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