Senate President: Still good politicians out there

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

News

Christine Kangaloo –

SENATE President Christine Kangaloo says despite continued public backlash against the profession, there are still honourable politicians out there.

She was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 11th Commonwealth Youth Parliament at the Red House on Monday morning.

Participants of the 11th Commonwealth Youth Parliament, stand at the Rotunda after the opening ceremony, Red House, Port of Spain on Monday, November 21. – Photo by Angelo Marcelle 

Quoting the Greek philosopher Aristotle, she said, the two noblest professions are teaching and politics.

“It is something to be regretted that while teaching appears to have maintained much of its esteem, parliamentary politics have not always done as well,” Kangaloo said.

Because of this, she said, the youth parliament is happening at an “opportune juncture in parliamentary history.

“Today, perhaps more than at any other time, the Commonwealth and the world need to be reminded of the fundamental tenants of the parliamentary democratic process that once inspired Aristotle to muse so approvingly about politics.

“There needs to be a re-education about the essential nobility that lies at the heart of parliamentary participation.”

She said there was no denying that some people and situations have led to parliamentarians getting their “fair share of criticism…

From left, Ahmad Alif Amri Bin Ahmad Kawazi of Malysia and Siti Jamilia Syuhada Binti Jailani of Malysia, Isaac Greetree and Marcella Mittins of Saint Helena, Gwion Dafydd Rhisiart of Wales and Amaris Skeete of Trinidad and Tobago at the opening ceremony for the 11th Commonwealth Youth Parliament, Red House, Port of Spain on Monday. – Photo by Angelo Marcelle

“But there’s equally no denying that among the ranks of parliamentarians are honourable, hardworking and committed people who deserve far better than they have got in the way of the seemingly omnipresent public bashing that appears to have become so fashionable of late.”

She urged current politicians to try learning from the 56 young people, between 18 and 29, set to participate in the youth parliament.

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Pooran steps down as West Indies white-ball captain

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

Sports

Nicholas Pooran –

Nicholas Pooran has stepped down as captain of the West Indies white-ball team.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced this in a statement issued on Monday.

Pooran served just six months at the maroon skipper. He was appointed in May after his fellow TT player Kieron Pollard announced his international retirement.

On relinquishing his role as regional captain, Pooran said he is “not giving up,” but believes “it’s in the best interests of the team” and for him “personally.”

Pooran’s decision came after two-time T20 World Cup winners West Indies were eliminated in the early stages of the tournament last month in Australia.

“I have given the captaincy a great deal of thought since the enormous disappointment of the T20 World Cup. I took on the role with great pride and dedication and have given it absolutely everything over the past year.

“The T20 World Cup is something that must not define us and I will readily get involved in the upcoming reviews. And whilst it will be several months until we reconvene as a squad, I want to give CWI plenty of time to prepare for the matches against South Africa in March and beyond.”

West Indies tour South Africa next year and will play two Tests, three One-Day Internationals and three T20Is.

Pooran added, “I remain ambitious and still view the captaincy of West Indies cricket as an honour that is bestowed upon you. There is no doubt I remain fully committed to West Indies cricket and I look forward to providing my services as a senior player in a supportive role.”

He plans to concentrate on what he can deliver to the regional side as a player.

“I desperately want us to be successful and the most value I can give to the team is through fully focusing on the role of consistently scoring runs at crucial times.

“I am very thankful to CWI for the opportunity and faith shown in me and for the support that I have received (from) our devoted fans since taking the role, and to my teammates who have worked so hard as well. I know we have it in us to carry West Indies cricket forward and be proud.”

CWI director of cricket Jimmy Adams thanked Pooran for leading the two teams.

Adams said, “On behalf of CWI I want to thank Nicholas for his time leading our white-ball teams. Having spoken with him I know he remains fully committed to West Indies cricket and I am convinced he has a big role to play in our future.”

Last year and earlier this year, Pooran led the West Indies in the absence of Pollard, and enjoyed a T20I series win against Australia at home (4-1).

Overall, Pooran led the team in 17 ODIs and 23 T20Is, recording series wins against the Netherlands (ODI 3-0) and Bangladesh (T20I 2-0).

The West Indies’ next white-ball series is against South Africa in March 2023 (directly after the two-Test match series) and consists of three ODIs and three T20Is.

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Pooran steps down as WI T20I, ODI Captain

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: INews Guyana
Nicholas Pooran steps down as WI T20I & ODI Captain (Photo: CWI)

See below statement from Cricket West Indies on Nicholas Pooran stepping down as T20I & ODI Captain:

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Cricket West Indies (CWI) confirmed today that Nicholas Pooran has decided to relinquish the white ball captaincy of the West Indies Men’s team following the team’s exit from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 tournament just completed in Australia.

Pooran said: “I have given the captaincy a great deal of thought since the enormous disappointment of the T20 World Cup. I took on the role with great pride and dedication and have given it absolutely everything over the past year.

“The T20 World Cup is something that must not define us and I will readily get involved in the upcoming reviews. And whilst it will be several months until we reconvene as a squad, I want to give CWI plenty of time to prepare for the matches against South Africa in March and beyond.”

He added: “This is not me giving up. I remain ambitious and still view the captaincy of West Indies cricket as an honour that is bestowed upon you. There is no doubt I remain fully committed to West Indies cricket and I look forward to providing my services as a senior player in a supportive role. By stepping down now as the West Indies white ball captain I believe it is in the best interests of the team and for me personally, as I need to concentrate on what I can deliver to the side as a player. I desperately want us to be successful and the most value I can give to the team is through fully focusing on the role of consistently scoring runs at crucial times.”

“I am very thankful to CWI for the opportunity and faith shown in me and for the support that I have received by our devoted fans since taking the role, and to my teammates who have worked so hard as well. I know we have it in us to carry West Indies cricket forward and be proud.”

CWI Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams thanked Pooran for his time leading the two teams.

Adams said: “On behalf of CWI I want to thank Nicholas for his time leading our white ball teams. Having spoken with him I know he remains fully committed to West Indies cricket and I am convinced he has a big role to play in our future.”

Last year and earlier this year, Pooran led the West Indies in the absence of Kieron Pollard, enjoying a T20 International (T20I) Series win against Australia at home (4-1). He was officially appointed West Indies Men’s white ball captain in May this year when Pollard stepped down. Overall, Pooran led the team in 17 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 23 T20Is, recording Series wins against the Netherlands (ODI 3-0) and Bangladesh (T20I 2-0).

The West Indies Men’s next white ball series is against South Africa in March 2023 (directly after the two Test Match Series) and consists of three ODIs and three T20Is.

West Indies Men’s Tour to South Africa 2023

Thursday, 16 March: 1st ODI at Buffalo Park, East London (day/night)
Saturday, 18 March: 2nd ODI at Buffalo Park, East London (day/night)
Tuesday, 21 March: 3rd ODI at JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
Saturday, 25 March: 1st T20Is at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Sunday, 26 March: 2nd T20I at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Tuesday, 28 March: 3rd T20I at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg (night)

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SLHTA Receives Government Grant To Train Unemployed Youth – St. Lucia Times News

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: St. Lucia Times News

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One hundred unemployed Saint Lucian youth are poised to benefit following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association (SLHTA) and the Office of the National Authorising Officer (NAO).

The SLHTA is among seven institutions that will receive grants from the government of Saint Lucia, under an EC$16.8 million financing agreement between the government and the European Union (EU).

The financing agreement is aimed at supporting the Generation of Employment through Private Sector Development (GEPSED) project, and seeks to enhance the employability skills of the youth by providing them with opportunities for training, apprenticeship and employment.

The MOU signing was held on Thursday, November 18, 2022 at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Union Complex, Union.

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In attendance at the historic event were EU Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean States H.E. Malgorzata Wasilewska, Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, National Authorizing Officer Claudius Emmanuel and representatives of the various institutions.

The grant will be used to expand the SLHTA’s On-The-Job Training Programme and will fund inter alia mobilization efforts, orientation seminars, psychosocial counseling and stipends for trainees.

SLHTA CEO Noorani Azeez described the signing as a watershed, since it is the first time in the SLHTA’s sixty-year history that the Association has received a grant of this nature.

The grant, he said, signals a show of confidence of the NAO’s office in the capacity of the private sector to play a key role in the development of our nation’s human resources.

Pointing to the ongoing on-the-job training programme, the CEO indicated: “This financing now allows us to ramp the numbers up from thirty-four to one hundred young people! These are individuals who possibly before have never had an opportunity to explore careers in the industry. So the ability to find themselves within the hospitality industry, and play their part in a sector that contributes close to 60% of the GDP of our country, is a very privileged accolade. To be able to work along with them and provide that experience for them is really an exceptional opportunity for the SLHTA.”

Under the programme, participants receive training at hotels and restaurants around the island in addition to Customer Service and Personal Development training.

Azeez is confident that the programme will continue to expand and provide even more opportunities for the youth. “Inasmuch as we are looking at targeting one hundred persons before the end of November, we believe that our slate of success will put us in a very coveted position to access even more financing to train even more persons going forward. Ideally, we would like to look at possibly 6-800 persons per year.”

Ambassador Wasilewska said that the EU has always placed a significant importance on its longstanding partnership with the government and people of Saint Lucia.  She stated that the EU member states are big fans of vocational training, describing it as a “driving force of sustainable development in modern economies.”

Said the Ambassador: “I’m very excited to be here for the signing ceremony. Society is gradually coming to terms with how important vocational training is…We are very excited to join forces with the government of Saint Lucia in support of the reform of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training landscape in the country. Given the vulnerabilities and the fragility Saint Lucia is continually exposed to, the improved alignment of education, training and exposure to experience in the labour market is imperative. Therefore, we’re very excited to have several training institutions partnering with the private sector to create more opportunities…I really hope that this helps as many young people as possible!”

Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre stressed that an environment must be created where more of the tourism dollar remains in Saint Lucia.  Ensuring that the labour force is made up of as many Saint Lucians is critical to achieving that goal, he noted.

Said Pierre: “This is why training is so important. We are going to be training young Saint Lucians to give them the necessary skills so that they can produce.”

He continued: “The problem of unemployment is a scourge that affects all of us. The scourge of social upheaval and the problems of crime will follow us if we do not find a way to engage our young people; find a way to get them meaningfully employed. I am very pleased and very excited to be here this morning. I think it’s a step in the right direction when the government and the private sector can work together! We have to have a workforce that is flexible and capable, and a country where the problems of crime are reduced.”

SOURCE: Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association

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Vie chère, sécurité : les maires d’Outre-mer au bord de la crise de nerfs

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Guadeloupe FranceAntilles

POLITIQUE

Mary Bildy

Réunis à Paris, les maires de Guadeloupe et de tout l’Outre-mer sont venus plaider leur cause et demander le soutien de l’État face à la double crise de l’inflation et de l’insécurité.

Vie chère, immigration, insécurité : les thèmes qui font les
gros titres de l’actualité dans l’Hexagone ces jours-ci sont connus
des maires ultramarins depuis de longues années déjà. « Dans
l’Outre-mer, les crises sont graves depuis bien longtemps : la
pauvreté y atteint des taux 5 à 15 fois supérieurs à ce qu’ils sont
dans l’Hexagone
», rappelait le président du Sénat,
Gérard Larcher,
lors de son discours d’accueil envers les
maires ultramarins.

Réunis à Paris à l’occasion du Congrès annuel des maires, les
élus sont venus de Guyane, des Antilles mais aussi de Polynésie
française ou encore de Mayotte et de l’océan Indien pour participer
à des ateliers, rencontrer leurs collègues hexagonaux, mais aussi
et surtout interpeller les au

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Usain Bolt, Chris Gayle, Usher and more in Abu Dhabi for F1 Grand Prix Loop Cayman Islands

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Cayman Compass
Loop Lifestyle

4 hrs ago

(L-R) Cricketer Chris Gayle; Talent Manager Nugent ‘NJ’ Walker; and Olympian Usain Bolt share a selfie frame.

One thing about Jamaican sporting legend Usain Bolt is that wherever he works, he’ll also find time to play.

The ‘fastest man alive’ was the VIP guest at the Puma Family event in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, November 20.

Naturally, he was invited to make a presentation and relied on flashback clips of Puma ads to ‘energise’ his delivery.

Later that day, Bolt and company shared some downtime with a few popular folks at the Yas Marina Circuit, the venue for the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

In a caption that read: “Great time @f1”, Bolt shared several images with fans, friends, and the CEO of the Formula1 Group Stefano Domenicali.

The Universe Boss Chris Gayle, R&B megastar Usher, Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh, fellow Olympian Marcell Jacobs, French footballer Patrice Evra, comedian Martin Lawrence, rapper will.i.am and countless fans and ell-wishers were among those in attendance, that also joined Bolt for photo ops.

See some images shared via Instagram/@usainbolt below

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Raheem Sterling helps England rout Iran 6-2 at World Cup Loop Jamaica

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Jamaica News Loop News

When Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford last walked off the field at a major international soccer tournament, they were bombarded with racist abuse.

Three goals for England in the team’s opening match at this year’s World Cup was their immediate riposte.

Saka scored two before giving way to Rashford, who added another in the second half of England’s 6-2 rout of Iran on Monday.

The jubilant scene at the Khalifa International Stadium was in contrast to the tears shed following England’s penalty shootout loss to Italy in last year’s European Championship final. Saka and Rashford both failed to convert from the spot and were targeted on social media.

“It is a moment that has been with me and will be with me forever,” said Saka, who was only 19 during Euro 2020. “But I am so blessed and so grateful to have the coaching staff, not only here with the team at England, but also at Arsenal.

“My friends and my family put their arm around me along with my teammates and the nation supported me to help me get back to a good place. I feel that love from everyone around me.”

England’s Bukayo Saka (right) celebrates with teammates after scoring his side’s fourth goal against Iran during the World Cup group B soccer match between England and Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium, in Doha, Qatar, Monday, Nov 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

The win also provides encouragement for coach Gareth Southgate, who has faced the most troubled period of his England tenure over the last year. In a difficult buildup to the tournament in Qatar, he was booed after a 4-0 loss to Hungary in June and was humiliated by his own fans when they chanted, “You don’t know what you’re doing.”

Hundreds of fans missed the start of Monday’s match because of an issue with digital tickets. When they eventually made their way to their seats, they witnessed an utterly dominant display from England.

Jude Bellingham’s first international goal opened the scoring in the 35th minute.

Saka then got his first of the match in the 43rd and Jamaican Raheem Sterling added another in first-half stoppage time. Saka scored his second shortly after the hour, but Mehdi Taremi pulled one back for Iran in the 65th minute.

Rashford struck six minutes later to extend England’s lead to 5-1, and Jack Grealish also stepped off the bench to score a sixth in the 90th. Taremi added another for Iran from the penalty spot deep in stoppage time after John Stones was penalized for holding Morteza Pouraliganji’s shirt in the box.

The game was delayed for several minutes in the first half when Iran goalkeeper Ali Beiranvand clashed heads with a teammate. He was eventually taken off the field on a stretcher with the score still 0-0.

Iran’s goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand collides with Iran’s Majid Hosseini (right) during the World Cup group B soccer match between England and Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Monday, Nov 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

His replacement, Hossein Hosseini, was left with the unenviable task of facing England’s potent attack.

The match had a total of 29 minutes of stoppage time, 15 minutes in the first half and 14 in the second.

After the match, Iran coach Carlos Queiroz pleaded with fans to support the team following apparent boos during the national anthem amid protests in the nation for women’s rights.

“All the Iranians in the stadium are welcome, and feel free to criticise,” he said. “Those who come to disturb the team with issues that are not only about football opinions are not welcome. They are just simple football boys. They have one dream, to play football. It is not their fault that the World Cup happens at the moment.

The moral is: Let the kids play the game. They want to represent the country, represent the people.”

Brilliant BellinghamBellingham had not even made his senior debut by the time of the last World Cup in 2018. Now the Borussia Dortmund midfielder is one of the most coveted players in Europe and is expected to spark a major transfer battle at the end of the season. Monday’s performance is likely to see his reputation grow even more.

Kane’s okaySouthgate said Harry Kane was not injured despite concerns when he went down under a challenge in the second half and was later substituted.”I think Harry is fine,” the coach said. “It looked a bad tackle, but he carried on and we took him off because we thought it was a moment when we could do that.”

Up nextEngland faces the United States on Friday and Iran takes on Wales.___By JAMES ROBSON

AP Soccer Writer

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Commonwealth Parliamentary Association: Members becoming republics not a threat

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

News

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Secretary Stephen Twigg, speaks at the 11th Commonwealth Youth Parliament, Red House, Port of Spain on Monday November 21. – Photo by Angelo Marcelle

SECRETARY-GENERAL of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Stephen Twigg said member countries seeking to become republics is not a threat to the Commonwealth. He urged open discussions on the Commonwealth’s “problematic history.”

He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 11th Commonwealth Youth Parliament at the Red House on Monday morning.

Twigg said just before the opening, there was a meet-and-greetevent with the 56 participants at which he was asked about the future and role of the Commonwealth going forward.

He said the question was “very correctly located in the context of some of the controversy of the history of the Commonwealth…

“The colonial legacy, the impact of slavery. “An opportunity to have an open, honest debate about the problematic history of the Commonwealth only serves to strengthen our organisation going forward.”

He acknowledged the presence of representatives from Barbados, noting that the country recently became a republic.

Republics can remain members of the Commonwealth, and Barbados opted for this, as did TT in 1976.

That decision, Twigg said, “prompted a lot of discussion around the future of the Commonwealth.

“(But) actually, the majority of members of the Commonwealth are republics. It is no threat to the Commonwealth.”

He said with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III taking over, there is an opportunity for young people to discuss what the Commonwealth means to them.

“(Discuss) what the Commonwealth means – yes, in terms of its history and its legacy – but the Commonwealth today and perhaps most importantly, the Commonwealth of the future.”

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Fondes Amandes NGO leads bush, forest fire policy talks

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

News

Merikin tradition: Akilah Jaramogi remembers hill rice was just one of many crops her grandmother planted as part of a Merikin tradition of agricultural self-sufficiency. Photo by Shereen Ali

THE ST ANN’s community-based Fondes Amandes Community Reforestation Project (FACRP) has engaged private- and public-sector stakeholders for its second series of consultations to develop a comprehensive draft national bush and forest fire policy (DNBFF).

Earlier this month the FACRP, led by co-founder and executive director Akilah Jaramogi, hosted a workshop for a number of crucial stakeholders from the police and fire services, the Environmental Management Authority, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Forestry Division and the Institute of Marine Affairs, among others.

It was staged in partnership with UWI’s Institute of Gender and Development Studies (IGDS).

Technical director and environmentalist Kemba Jaramogi told Newsday the second of three workshops was designed “to (measure) how we’re doing with this policy; where we’re going; what can be done differently; what more needs to be added; and what type of work they (public stakeholders) are doing to complement the work we’re suggesting or promoting in the policy.

“The original idea is that we wanted to set up a national fire management plan, and then, because the pandemic started, we had to switch gears and we thought, ‘What better way to have that concrete, long-term impact?’”

Among the main goals of the draft policy are: to reduce the frequency, intensity and prevalence of bush and forest fires (BFF) in TT; improve co-ordination of BFF management resources, knowledge and skills among stakeholders; updating the legislative framework governing BFF; develop an integrated technology-enabled system for BFF monitoring and data-sharing; and increasing participation of the public in BFF management.

Although the FACRP wants to complete the draft policy by next July or August, Jaramogi is wary, knowing policies can and do sometimes take decades to be implemented.

And, apart from adopting a policy, Jaramogi said, there is the important matter of policing and enforcement, which has proven the biggest hurdles in preventing and combating forest and bush fires.

“In terms of looking at policing and holding people accountable, long-time you could’ve said, ‘That’s a man from the community,’ and you hold him and carry him to the police station…

“Now (you have) a situation where there is so much disaggregation in communities; you don’t have the gelling in communities like you used to. You have people moving out and moving in.

“In terms of policing, we really need the State to play an active role just because people are more careful for (their safety).”

Policy consultant Taresa Best explained the relationship between the FACRP and UWI’s IGDS in developing the policy.

“One of our greatest challenges when it comes to all policies is the inability for us to conceptualise the different ways in which any issue affects men equally, differently and in (different) contexts.

“So what you found is that in the last ten years, the UN has made a point of implementing and promoting the implementation of policies from a gender-mainstreaming perspective.

“It’s not about looking at women,” she said, but about looking at the different ways policy affects different genders.

“When it comes to BFF, we understand a couple things. We know that men are particularly involved in fighting of fires.

“What we also know is that when it comes to the tending of land, women play a particular role.”

Best said the FACRP, for example, was led by an “influential patriarch,” but later dominated by a group of mostly women when he passed on.

“There’s another way of looking at it: when a house floods, how does that affect a family? The cleaning up, taking care of the children, who’s setting the fires (leading to floods), what’s the reason for setting the fires?

“It takes a gendered lens with a view to understanding the role that men and women may play differently so that we can also effect change with that in mind.”

The FACRP celebrates its 40th anniversary as a formal organisation this year. Although founded in 1982 by husband and wife team Tacuma and Akilah Jaramogi, the organisation’s unofficial roots date back to the 1970s.

Since the early 1990s, the community project has been transformed from an informal group to an award-winning organisation, trusted with private and public grants to undertake ecological restoration works and many other initiatives.

The FACRP has been subject to a number of case studies, including one funded by the EU and published in 2010.

One of its findings was that: “The annual occurrence of fires set during the dry season for farming, hunting, garbage-burning, bush-clearing, for mischief or by accident, began to further transform the landscape, establishing areas of fire climax grassland punctuated by bamboo, cocorite palm and other fire-tolerant species.

“By the 1980s, Fondes Amandes was identified as a fire ‘hot spot,’ the frequent origin of fires that would then sweep up and pass over adjacent ridges.”

The prevalence of bush and forest fires is exacerbated, many stakeholders agree, by climate change.

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Pres Ali announces double payment for artistes who performed during One Guyana Cricket Carnival shows

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: INews Guyana
President Dr Irfaan Ali with artistes and other stakeholders at State House this morning

President Dr Irfaan Ali this morning announced that the PPP/C Government will double the payments for all the local artistes who performed at the various ‘One Guyana’ shows during the inaugural Cricket Carnival.

The Head of State made this revelation at State House where he engaged the artistes and other stakeholders who participated in the Cricket Carnival events.

According to Ali, he is proud of the talent displayed by Guyanese during the two weeks.

There were some 89 local artistes on the ‘One Guyana’ stage and according to the President, the government stood the cost of production while corporate sponsors were brought in to buy the tickets.

He added that all of the monies earned – $6.9 million in total – went to those 89 artistes, whose payments ranged from $100,000 to $300,000.

“But as your president and having committed that I always want better for you and I want more for you, after reviewing the entire CC and looking at ways at which we can further help you… I want to double what you get and the government is putting a further $6.9 million.”

This will see the artistes getting a minimum of $200,000 or a maximum of $600,000.

President Ali explained that the Cricket Carnival initiative was built to not only put Guyana on show and attract tourists but also showcase local talents.

As such, the Guyanese Leader bashed all those who have criticised the event and urge artistes to be bold in standing up for their talents.

“We are here to support you. We will defend you, we will stand up for you, we will promote you… This is what we are doing. We are also investing in the infrastructure but you have to help us… We have to all now become bold enough to tell those who continuously want to keep Guyana back that we are all for One Guyana now… All of us [must] stand up against the narrow-minded message or narrow-minded behaviour of [critics]…”

“I am not telling you to be political or embrace a common political party, I am asking everyone to embrace a common vision – united in purpose, vision, in strategy and in people,” he stated.

President Ali recalled that many were not confident that Guyana could pull off the Cricket Carnival but after the two-week success, which also includes hosting the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) semi-finals and final for the first time, there are many persons now – in the diaspora especially – asking for next year’s dates.

“We have been able to build a product that brings economic prosperity with it, artistic development, cultural development and one that I am sure will help us to improve and to be better.”

“We continue to be your partner in your own development and in the development of your culture, development of your talent in proportion of a One Guyana as a destination that is not only diverse by people and culture but is rich in talent and ready to explore on the international stage,” the president posited.

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