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Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), the party he founded and contested the 2020 General and Regional Elections with, but he now backs the development plans of the governing People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C).

Shuman was one of hundreds of persons who gathered at Babu Jaan, Port Mourant in Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne) on Sunday for the PPP’s annual memorial event honouring the legacy of the party’s founding member and former President, Dr. Cheddi Jagan.

He was dressed in a red shirt similar to the hundreds of PPP/C supporters and members. But when asked by the News Room if he had now joined the PPP, Shuman was hesitant to respond.

The LJP’s Lenox Shuman joined hundreds of PPP supporters and members at the memorial event held at Babu Jaan (Photo: News Room/ March 10, 2024)

Instead, he affirmed that he is still part of the LJP and that there have been no plans to merge that party with the PPP/C.

“I’m still with the LJP but I think one of the things I’ve looked at is that the PPP has led the country in a manner that I think supports development (and) that is inclusive.

“…If we want Guyana to progress and to go forward, we cannot be obstructionist and I quite support what they’ve done so far,” Shuman said on Sunday when engaged by the News Room.

Shuman launched the LJP in 2019 and gave up his Canadian citizenship as he joined the race to become Guyana’s President in 2020.

Shuman and the LJP later joined two other smaller parties: New and United Guyana (ANUG) and The New Movement (TNM), to share a single seat in the National Assembly on a rotational basis. He was the first representative of the joinder list to occupy the seat in Parliament and eventually become the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.

Shuman was also appointed an advisor in the PPP government but resigned from that post earlier this year to set up a new Guyanese airline.

Members of the Trinidad and Tobago chess team strike a pose after the tournament

Johnson and Khan carefully maneuvered their pieces for advantage, but both players went all the way to the endgame.

With equal material of Rook, Bishop, and pawns remaining on the board, the top Trinidadian and Guyanese player, agreed to avoid further risk and emerged with half a point each from the truce.

FM Anthony Drayton, Jessica Callender and Shazeeda Rahim lost to FM Quinn Cabralis, WCM Ysvett Hermoso Rodriguez, and Zara La Fleur, respectively.

Drayton went down to Trinidadian Cabralis in a fighting endgame, but the Guyanese had to contend with a weaker position from lost material. A confident Cabralis with a force of extra pawns and an active King forced his Guyanese counterpart to resign.

Members of the Barbados team at the presentation ceremony

The winning teams were presented with medals, trophies, and cash prizes by Davion Leslie, Programme Manager responsible for Sports Development within the CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana.

The cash prizes, trophies, and medals were sponsored by the CARICOM Secretariat.

Guyana’s Taffin Khan gained 8.5 points, while Zara La Fleur from Trinidad and Tobago gained nine points in the nine-round round-robin competition, making them the top scorers in the week-long event.

The Barbados Team, comprising Emar Edwards, FM Phillip Corbin, WCM Katrina Blackman, and Hanna Wilson, took home the third-place prizes.

Guyana’s Team Two scored a victory over Dominica 3-1 in round nine. Keron Sandiford and Kyle Couchman drew with Nigel Francis and Nicholas Goldberg, while Sasha Shariff and Aditi Joshi defeated Zahidu Henry and Ayani Casimir.

The top three teams at the end of the inaugural tournament. From left are Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana

The tournament was supervised by International Arbiter Kelvin Daniel from Barbados, FIDE Arbiter John Lee, and National Arbiters Kim Shing Chong, Odit Rodrigues and Ricardo Narine.

Trinidadian National Arbiter Sandy Razark was also present to assist. Lee was also the technical personnel behind the scenes with the live streaming of the games on guyanachess.gy for viewers on their devices.

The Guyana Chess Federation expressed its sincere gratitude to the CARICOM Secretariat for its collaboration in making this historic tournament possible and to the participating member states for competing and visiting our shores.

The Federation is incredibly grateful to the sponsors for their generous support.

Thanks to Texila American University, ENet, Exxon Mobil, Topco, Republic Bank (Guyana) Ltd., KFC, Guyoil, Starbucks, Optique Vision Care, Rouge Salon and Spa, Platinum Investments, New GPC Inc., Sterling Products Ltd., Semekiah Supercentre, Regency Mall, Marics and Co. Ltd., GSK Inc. Guycan Inc. Icon Investments who came on board to support the event.

Thanks to the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel for their support and sponsorship.

The GCF also wishes to acknowledge the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and the Confederation of Chess for the Americas (CCA) for their kind support.

Furthermore, the Federation expressed immense gratitude to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport for its sponsorship of the event.

“The contributions of these sponsors were instrumental in making the event a success, and the GCF could not have done it without their support,” the Federation said in a press release.

“The Board of Directors and the membership are immensely proud of the Guyanese players who represented their country in this inaugural chess tournament. Congratulations are extended to all of them.”

The inaugural tournament has attracted participation from The Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname and St. Lucia.

Follow the GCF on Facebook, and Instagram, and check out the website, guyanachess.gy for information on how to become a member.

new drainage canals similar to the massive Hope canal on the East Coast Demerara (ECD) and President Dr. Irfaan Ali says the forthcoming structure in Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne) should reduce flooding in the region by about 70%.

“(Construction) will commence within the next five to six weeks and in this region, that one project would reduce the possibility of flooding by 70%,” President Ali said on Saturday.

He spoke at the commissioning ceremony of Republic Bank’s new Williamsburg branch in Region Six. There, the President highlighted that the government intends on making heavy investments in the region.

Included in those plans is heavy public spending on much-needed infrastructure to improve drainage and irrigation. This is necessary, he said, because the region focuses heavily on agricultural production and is poised to be a hub for major commercial activity in the coming years.

So, the President believes the Hope-like drainage canals will be a welcomed investment in the region- one that will also reduce the risk for financing new agricultural projects.

The Hope canal was built to drain excess water from the East Demerara Water Conservancy into the Atlantic Ocean to avoid pumping that excess water into rivers such as Mahaica and Mahaicony, causing flooding for those riverain communities.

President Ali previously announced that similar structures are being built in Regions Three, Five and Six to help with Guyana’s water management. Some of Guyana’s carbon credit funds will be pumped into the construction of these canals.

avenash@newsroom.gy

Like in so many villages across Guyana, cricket is an age-old pastime in the sugarcane community of Enmore, East Coast Demerara.

Located approximately 16 miles east of the capital Georgetown, Enmore has produced several cricketers of repute, among them West Indies and global T20 star Sherfane Rutherford, West Indies Youth player Amir Khan, former senior national wicketkeeper Sheik Mohamed, national youth players Anil Jairam, Safraz Ally, Adrian Persaud, Kevin Bazil and Javed Mohamed.

For sport fanatic turned entrepreneur Ravi Etwaroo, who grew up with his three brothers a stone’s throw away from the Enmore Community Centre ground, the passion for cricket was palpable.

The brothers not only played the different forms of the game, but they have for decades supported the development of the sport in various ways.

In 2006 after migrating to the United States, Etwaroo started his own retail business, Cricket Zone USA, selling cricket gears on a part-time basis for a year before going full-time.

Importantly, Etwaroo opted to supply gear from reputable and authentic cricket brands across the globe to the North American market.

Managing Director of Cricket Zone USA and founder of the E4 brand, Ravi Etwaroo (right) shares a moment with West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle, who visited the store in 2021

The establishment grew incrementally over the years, attracting top cricketers through its door at 1656 Castle Hill Ave, Bronx, New York, no less than Chris Gayle in 2021.

Soon enough, Cricket Zone became one of the leading retail outlets for cricket gear and apparel in the USA, not only catering for walk-in customers but also creating an online presence and shipping to various destinations.

In 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Etwaroo took the bold step of unveiling his indigenous brand E4, supplying his own line of cricket gear to the North American and Caribbean market.

Guyana and West Indies batsman Sherfane Rutherford (left) used the E4 bats during CPL 2023. Here he is seen with Managing Director of Cricket Zone USA and founder of the E4 brand, Ravi Etwaroo

Initially, coming up with a name for the brand was a bit of struggle. After long and careful thinking, Etwaroo opted to settle for E4, a fitting tribute to his surname and his siblings.

“We’re four brothers and we all played cricket in different forms in Enmore, also in Canada and the US, and it was only fitting that I kept the legacy of the name Etwaroo, hence E4,” Etwaroo explained.

To grow the brand and make it reputable, Etwaroo engaged leading manufacturers in the industry to not only deliver top-quality equipment and apparel to customers, but also create attracting branding.

That method has brought tremendous returns, with the E4 brand rapidly gaining popularity over the last five years.

“People are starting to start accepting the brand as their own now,” Etwaroo said.

“We carry about three to four models on a yearly basis. Bags are built differently, completely different from the other suppliers. The products are outstanding and well accepted by the cricket community and more and more players are calling us to be aligned with the brand.”

ICC recognition

Determined to get his brand on the global stage, Etwaroo reached out to the International Cricket Council (ICC) three years ago and on March 5, 2024, E4 was successfully approved to be used in all formats of international cricket (Tests, ODIs and T20Is).

Effective immediately, the E4 logo can legally be displayed on clothing and equipment used in international cricket.

To gain this accreditation and approval, it was important the E4 brand catered to all levels of cricket- male, female, senior, junior and youth.

Guyana and West Indies batsman Sherfane Rutherford batting with E4

It is understood that E4 is the first-ever Guyanese affiliated brand to gain this recognition, an achievement Etwaroo is particularly proud of.

“This is a big thing for us,” the elated businessman Etwaroo declared.

“Because it’s built now as a brand worldwide where we can now attract international players from all the cricket playing nations that are affiliated to the ICC.”

This expansion would take E4 beyond the North American and Caribbean market, with the initial targets being Australia, England, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

“The family support is heavy behind this and everyone is happy at this new development. The Friends of Enmore group is also excited by this recognition that someone from their village was able to receive,” Etwaroo concluded.

Young Guyanese batsman Adrian Hetmyer is the latest player to use the E4 brand

Over the years, Cricket Zone USA, through E4, has sponsored several cricketers across the region, among them Sherfane Rutherford, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Gajanand Singh, Kennar Lewis, Matthew Nandu, Kimani Melius, Navin Stewart, Oraine Williams, Tevin Imlach, Adrian Hetmyer, Akshaya Persaud and West Indies female cricketers Stafanie Taylor, Rashada Williams and Natasha McLean.

It is the hope of Etwaroo that list will grow significantly in the coming years, as the brand goes global.

According to him, West Indies all-rounder Raymon Reifer and regional cricketer Kadeem Alleyne are in line to use E4 soon.

What started out as a passion several decades ago has found its purpose, and Etwaroo is hoping his fellow Guyanese can achieve same in their respective endeavours.

“It was a lot of work, but it was worth it in the end. I would advise my fellow Guyanese brothers and sisters to have a goal and work towards it. Nothing is impossible,” Etwaroo advised.