Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 15-09-2020

TUESDAY 15th September, 2020

' No.106123

Power companies left in the ‘dark’ SEE PAGE 03

–– Minister Indar ‘shines light’ on billions in debt left by APNU+AFC

Lifeless body, suspected cocaine found 02 on illegal aircraft PAGE

This crashed aircraft is one of two found by members of the Joint Services, in the vicinity of Nine Miles Airstrip, Issano, Middle Mazaruni River, on Friday

Henry boys not murdered on coconut plantation

–– but elsewhere, says police; two suspects being sought, DNA samples being processed

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Lifeless body, suspected cocaine found on illegal aircraft

–– three foreigners arrested

TWO Cessna aircraft that were reportedly heading to Suriname, landed in Mazaruni, Region Seven, resulting in the arrest of three foreigners, on Sunday night. One of the aircraft had a lifeless body with illegal items which suggests that it might have crash-landed days prior.

The men were only identified as a 38-year-old pilot from Boa Vista, Brazil; a 29-year-old, who is also a pilot but from Venezuela, along with a 35-year-old Internet technician from Manaus, Brazil.

The second of the two illegal aircraft was discovered hours after by a Joint Services operation after it crash-landed in the jungle on Friday.

It is alleged that, after the first plane crashed, the second one was dispatched to rescue the pilot and the illegal supplies he carried.

Reports indicated that police, acting on information received, visited Nine Miles Airstrip, Issano, Middle Mazaruni River, and discovered a red and white Cessna with the three foreign nationals.

Using a google translator, police were told the planes were heading to Su-

The men who were arrested

The item suspected to be cocaine that was discovered on one of the planes

The crashed aircraft found in the jungle

riname when one of them developed mechanical problems, causing it to crashland.

“As a result of the observation, the pilot crashed-landed the aircraft at Nine Miles which caused one of the occupants to sustain a fractured right arm and minor bruises about his face of which he confirmed he received from the sudden impact. The other aircraft crashed, and the body of a man was discovered,” police said.

Reports indicated that the aircraft which crash-landed on the airstrip was examined but there was no visible damage seen on it. Police also conducted searches on the aircraft in the presence of the three passengers onboard and on their person but nothing illegal was found.

The police also searched in the vicinity where the aircraft was discovered but nothing illegal was found.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Power companies left in the ‘dark’

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-- Minister Indar ‘shines light’ on billions in debt left by APNU+AFC

By Navendra Seoraj THE first day of the 2020 budget debates kicked off on Monday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) and, while it was well ‘lit’ inside, Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, argued that local power companies were left in the ‘dark’ with billions of dollars in debt, by the former APNU+AFC administration.

From the onset of the debates, Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Raphael Trotman, who started the day, argued that progress was visible, over the past five years, under the APNU+AFC administration, but contrary to his claims, Minister Indar said a rapid assessment of all agencies under his ministry proved otherwise.

“We did a rapid assessment of all agencies to determine what kind of a government we inherited… in the area of energy, GPL right now, when we took office, has $1.9 billion in a bank account and that would have taken them to the end of October,” said Minister Indar.

In the past three years alone, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) “racked up” $8.7 billion in losses, a situation which the minister used to debunk Trotman’s claims of progress over the past five years.

“When we talk about progress, look at GPL,” Minister Indar lamented, adding that the former administration, over the past five years, invested only US$1 million to put “base load” capacity into GPL.

As it is now, the national grid is providing 120 megawatts of electricity, an amount which is equal to the consumer demand of 117-120 megawatts of power. This leaves no room for reserve

dent Power Producers (IPP).

The utility company, under the past administration, had sought to improve this system and acquire more power early this year through private producers, but that project never

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar

power.

“This is why we are finding blackouts everywhere, every day… there is zero revolving capacity… every time an engine goes down, people get blackout… there is no revolving capacity!”

Minister Indar argued.

Heckling from the opposition side of the bench was not enough to silence the minister, who went on to say that government, in an effort to add reserve power to the grid, has resorted to purchasing power from Indepen-

purchased by GPL. “The previous government had lent GPL US$50 million to buy five generating sets… each weighs 150 tonnes and they are somewhere in Finland… the other

former APNU+AFC administration owes GPL $13.1 billion, an expense which was inherited by the new government. This debt, according to the minister, is four per cent of government’s $329.5

Opposition MP, Raphael Trotman

materialised.

POSITIVE RESPONSE Minister Indar, however, assured that there is movement on this front, as 40 producers have responded to the Expressions of Interest (EoI) issued recently by GPL. The company, which is said to be at a financial disadvantage because of past decisions, will now have to purchase power from private producers instead of benefitting immediately from five generating sets which were

part of that contract was $994 million for civil work that would take 10 months to get done,” Indar lamented.

He said the job is only 15 per cent completed, so the money spent there will not benefit Guyana until April 2021. Meanwhile, the power company has been left at a financial disadvantage because US$2.3 million of the US$50 million was taken from its coffers.

COMPANY OWED In adding “fuel to the fire,” Minister Indar said the

billion budget for 2020.

Government, he said, will also have to provide much-needed bailout to the subsidiaries of the Hinterland Electrification Company Inc. (HECI).

The HECI is a subsidiary of National Industrial and Commercial Investments Ltd. (NICIL), and is a “holding” of all satellite electricity companies owned by NICIL. The satellite companies are the Linden Electricity Company Inc. (LECI), Kwakwani Utilities Inc. (KUI), Lethem Power Company Inc. (LMPC),

Port Kaituma Power & Light Inc. (PKPL), Mahdia Power & Light Inc. (MPL), Matthew's Ridge Power & Light Inc. (MRPL) and the Mabaruma Power and Light.

Loud “sighs” were heard around the room, after the minister said the total debt “racked up” by those companies was $981 million.

“On Friday, I made a supplication to Cabinet to provide $89 million to Kwakwani (KUI)… there are 1,089 consumers of electricity there… the company did not have money to pay workers, they did not have fuel to run generators,” said Minister Indar in his effort to paint a vivid picture of what was happening at those companies.

This, he argued, was due mainly to the former government’s neglect of the HECI, a company which provides electricity to 15 per cent of the local population from the hinterland.

Like the case at KUI, he said the company in Linden, a known stronghold for the coalition, was underfunded by the past administration. And, over at Matthew’s Ridge, there was blackout for eight weeks because the generator there was not serviced in time and was missing a single part. This problem has since been rectified by the new administration.

The minister again used these examples as premise to debunk Trotman’s claim of progress, noting: “When we talk about progress, do you categorise that as progress? No!”

Lifeless body, suspected cocaine ...

The three men were arrested and taken into custody along with their personal belongings such as cellphones, satellite phone, ID cards and other items.

However, along with the body of the man on the other aircraft, law enforcement also found what was suspected to be cocaine.

Police Press Officer, Assistant Commissioner, Royston Andries-Junor, said Joint Services ranks made checks within the vicinity of Nine Miles Airstrip, Issano, Middle Mazaruni River, and found a blue and white

The items seized from the men in police custody

The first plane discovered by police after the crash in Region Seven

FROM PAGE

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Beechcraft at the western end of the Nine Miles Airstrip in a clump of bushes entirely damaged with some bags of an undisclosed amount of items suspected to be cocaine.

There was also a lifeless body of a male suspected to be a foreign national on the craft. His name and age are unknown. The crash site has been secured by Joint Services ranks for investigation.

The body was taken to the district mortuary as both aircraft remain in police custody as investigation is done.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE,Tuesday, September 15 ,2020

Alexei Navalny: Poisoned Russian opposition figure 'able to leave bed' (BBC) The poisoned Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny has been removed from ventilation and can leave his bed, the Berlin hospital treating him has said.

Mr Navalny collapsed on a flight from Siberia on 20 August, and tests have shown he was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent.

He was transferred to the CharitĂŠ hospital in the German capital.

His team alleges he was poisoned on the orders of President Vladimir Putin - the Kremlin denies any involvement. * Alexei Navalny: Russia's vociferous Putin critic * Two hours that saved

Alexei Navalny's life * What are Novichok nerve agents?

The CharitĂŠ hospital gave the update in a tweet on Monday. It said he continued to improve and was "currently undergoing mobilisation and is able to leave his bed for short periods of time".

Separately, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cancelled his trip to Berlin for talks, scheduled for Tuesday, Russian media reported.

They quoted Russia's foreign ministry as saying the cancellation followed a change in schedule by German counterparts.

The latest news on Mr

Alexei Navalny was transferred to the CharitĂŠ hospital in the German capital

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2020 Navalny also came as results were announced from Russia's council elections.

Opposition candidates won seats in two Siberian cities where the anti-corruption blogger had been campaigning before being poisoned.

The pro-Kremlin United Russia party claimed a clear win overall.

What is the latest on the poisoning?

Germany's government has said that laboratories in France and Sweden have

now reconfirmed German tests showing that the poison used on Mr Navalny was Novichok.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he did not expect his country to be criticised now that the confirmations had been made.

He was referring to the Kremlin's response to the tests. Russia has said Germany has not provided it with details.

Following the French laboratory confirmation, French President Emman-

uel Macron spoke with Mr Putin by telephone.

"The president expressed his deep concern over the criminal act perpetrated against Alexei Navalny and the imperative that all light be shed, without delay, on the circumstances and responsibilities of this attempted assassination," Mr Macron's office said.

Mr Putin told him it was "inappropriate" to make such groundless accusations, the Kremlin said, repeating his call for Germany to hand over full details of the medical tests.

The Kremlin has said it is carrying out its own inquiries into the matter and will not be pressured by other countries.

What is the background to the poisoning?

Mr Navalny is an anti-corruption campaigner who has long been the most

prominent face of opposition to President Putin.

Mr Navalny's supporters believe his tea was spiked at Tomsk airport on 20 August. He became ill during the flight, and the plane made an emergency landing in Omsk. Russian officials were persuaded to allow him to be airlifted to Germany two days later.

A nerve agent from the Novichok group was also used to poison ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, in England.

They both survived, but a local woman, Dawn Sturgess, died after coming into contact with the poison.

Britain accused Russia's military intelligence of carrying out that attack. Twenty countries expelled more than 100 Russian diplomats and spies. Moscow denied any involvement.

GUYANA CHRONICLE,Tuesday, September 15 ,2020

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T&T CoP: Change laws on private properties first (TRINIDAD GUARDIAN) Police Commissioner Gary Griffith has come to the defence of the Police Service and himself after Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley called for the arrests of all who were found to be partying.

He is calling on the Government to amend the current laws as it applies to police responding to events held on private properties.

Dr Rowley stated that the law should be applied across the board during a press conference on Saturday, as he joined the ongoing commentary on the recent Bayside Towers pool party.

Following the Bayside event, several expressed the belief that the police had given preferential treatment to the group by not arresting or fining those involved but rather issuing two warnings.

“We expect that the law will be applied to every person regardless of race, colour, creed, class or social standing,” said Dr Rowley.

Griffith responded to the prime minister via a media release yesterday in which he expressed disappointment that, in his view, the Police Service had been “thrown under the proverbial bus.”

“The TTPS stands ready and committed to enforce ALL laws passed by the Gov-

ernment, however, we must be wary of simply responding to public or political pressure especially as it relates to potentially abusing the rights of individuals and/or acting illegally in a quest to satisfy public or political pressure.

The simple question before the TTPS is can we enter private property without a warrant and charge persons for committing violations of the Public Health Ordinance simply because they number more than five?”

Griffith said further, “We have sought and received several legal opinions on this and are indeed comfortable with our current interpretation of the law and therefore our response to the matter at hand. The law as currently constructed does NOT diminish a person’s constitutional rights as a whole and in particular, their rights to enjoy property. This makes for a difficult judgement call on the part of the TTPS.” Griffith pointed to similar warnings given during the election campaign when political parties constantly had gatherings which then exceeded the limit of 10 per group, saying that except in those cases there was no ambiguity as those events had occurred in public spaces.

“We did then what we did in Bayside; caution per-

Caption: Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith.

sons! Is the issue with this Bayside matter the number of people, or the fact it was a party, or the fact it was on social media, or the fact that they are perceived as rich?

As the TTPS, we respond to breaches of the Public Health Ordinance. We don’t respond to perceptions of race, creed, or class.”

He added, “The suggestion that somehow persons at one location have gotten privileges that others haven’t gotten is ridiculous, misinformed, and dangerous, and

only inflames an already delicate situation. The solution to this matter lies in the hands of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and not the Police. If the GORTT wishes to have enforcement of the regulations on private property and inside persons homes, they need to amend the legislation or provide new legislation that would allow the police clear and unambiguous authority to do what the Prime Minister has

insinuated should be done.”

Opposition Senator Jayanti Lutchmedial also sided with the Commissioner of Police’s stance that an adjustment to the law would be required for the police to act, and agreed that the TTPS had been thrown under the bus by the Prime Minister.

Lutchmedial said, “The Government demands that the police exercise powers they simply do not have and which they have failed to take the necessary steps to give. It is clear that the Honourable Prime Minister is not being properly advised by his Attorney General regarding what the police can and cannot do under the existing Regulations implemented by his Minister of Health.”

She said the legislation would have to return to the Parliament to flesh out a law to avoid such occurrences.

“You cannot give the TTPS a cork to plug one of several holes and then blame them because the ship is still sinking. Give them the necessary tools to help keep the ship afloat,” she said.

Earlier in the week another UNC MP Dinesh Rambally argued that the Bayside

incident was not an instance of preferential treatment, but a case of ambiguity under the Public Health Regulation.

Griffith writes officers Meanwhile, Guardian Media has received a copy of a private document which Commissioner Griffith sent to all Heads of Divisions telling officers to adhere to their oaths and maintain the law. When contacted, Griffith confirmed the document was sent out to officers. It stated: “In relation to the PM’s misleading perception and trying to throw the police under the bus due to his failure to draft laws giving police authority to charge persons for breach of Health Regs in private property, please advise all Officers to adhere to their oath and enforce laws. A press conference cannot enact a law. We can take the easy way out and listen to him and start arresting any house with more than 5 visitors. But we are professional. Let us adhere to enforcing the law. All we can do if there is mass assembly in private property is to advise, warn and disperse. We arrest and the State pays for wrongful arrest.”

TUESDDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Tackling violence THE world is a jungle, peopled with beasts – or so it would seem -- given the animalistic behaviour of people right across the globe who think that hurting, even killing their fellow humans is the right thing to do.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that each year, over 1.6 million people worldwide lose their lives to violence. Violence is among the leading causes of death for people aged 15–44 years worldwide, accounting for 14 per cent of deaths among males and seven per cent of deaths among females.

The World Health Organisation's definition of violence is, "The intentional use of physical force or power -- threatened or actual -- against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in, or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, mal-development, or deprivation."

The statistics in this report may have sadly gone higher, the demographics and characteristics unfortunately remain an extant reality in world affairs.

Internationally, violence resulted in deaths of an estimated 1.28 million people in 2013, up from 1.13 million in 1990. Of the deaths in 2013, roughly 842,000 were attributed to self-harm (suicide), 405,000 to interpersonal violence, and 31,000 to collective violence (war) and legal intervention. For each single death due to

violence, there are dozens of hospitalisations, hundreds of emergency department visits, and thousands of doctors' appointments. Furthermore, violence often has lifelong consequences for physical and mental health and social functioning and can slow economic and social development.

In 2013, of the estimated 405,000 deaths due to interpersonal violence globally, assault by firearm was the cause in 180,000 deaths, assault by sharp object was the cause in 114,000 deaths, and the remaining 110,000 deaths from other causes.

An advisory posits: “Violence in many forms can be preventable. There is a strong relationship between levels of violence and modifiable factors in a country such as a concentrated [regional] poverty, income and gender inequality, the harmful use of alcohol, and the absence of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships between children and parents. Strategies addressing the underlying causes of violence can be relatively effective in preventing violence, although mental and physical health and individual responses, personalities, etc. have always been decisive factors in the formation of these behaviours.”

A UN Report entitled: “A New Era of Conflict and Violence”, stated, inter alia: “The nature of conflict and violence has transformed substantially since the UN

was founded. Conflicts now tend to be less deadly and often waged between domestic groups rather than states. Homicides are becoming more frequent in some parts of the world, while gender-based attacks are increasing globally. The long-term impact on development of inter-personal violence, including violence against children, is also more widely recognised.

“Separately, technological advances have raised concerns about lethal autonomous weapons and cyberattacks, the weaponisation of bots and drones, and the livestreaming of extremist attacks. There has also been a rise in criminal activity involving data hacks and ransomware, for example. Meanwhile, international cooperation is under strain, diminishing global potential for the prevention and resolution of conflict and violence in all forms.”

Guyana has been engulfed by politically driven racial conflict that has divided the people of this country for decades, especially prior to, during and subsequent to each electoral process whenever the PPP/PPPC achieves victory at the polls, except at times when GECOM succeeds in rigging the elections to deny PPP/PPPC electoral victory; and at no time was this more evident than occurrences that transpired subsequent to elections 2020, with the world witnessing and condemning the anti-democratic rhetoric and actions of political and GECOM protagonists.

The politically-driven violence that has ensued in loss of lives and properties, murderous assaults on innocent citizens that have caused debilitating injuries, dislocations of lives because of commuters’ inability to freely and safely traverse roads that were blocked by riotous, violent and even criminal elements; and other horrendous incidents are directly attributable to incendiary race-baiting, divisive rhetoric that opportunistic politicians incited through ostensible concern over the murders of the Henry cousins.

It is interesting to note that at no time these politicians ever condemned the perpetrators of the many horrendous murders by bandits and home invaders, or render comfort or help to the victims; so it is reasonable to assume that this belated concern for the two lives lost, and their race-baiting rhetoric is an opportunity to instigate riotous actions by their supporters to fructify their oft-stated intention of making the Irfaan Ali-led administration ungovernable.

Unless and until leaders of societies and nations take cognisance of the power they have to change human behaviour, and become saviours of mankind – individually, regionally, within communities, and in global demographics -- instead of destroyers, their actions may one day precipitate Armageddon.

Women lawyers condemn brutal murders THE Guyana Association of Women Lawyers (GAWL) condemns the recent spate of violence perpetrated on the young males, Darrell James, Orlando Jonas, Joel Henry, Isiah Henry and Haresh Singh and the intimate-partner violence against the young woman, Lunisa Peters.

We note that the media,

both print and electronic, continue to issue reports of numerous instances of women and children who have experienced in the most monstrous and brutal ways varying levels of violence resulting in their untimely deaths.

As an association, we are appalled and saddened at these brutal killings and join in the call for transparent

investigations so that the perpetrators of these heinous crimes be brought to justice.

An analysis of this level of violence leaves the association to assume that persons in our society no longer have respect for and care towards their fellow humans.

Further, the association is of the view that the penalties meted out to crime-doers in

the past have not acted as a deterrent to end the cycle of violence. The question, therefore, is what more can we do as a nation to reduce such levels of violence in our society? While the GAWL is aware of the efforts of the authorities and civil society organisations to curb crime, interpersonal violence, intimate-partner violence and

other forms of violence in our communities, it has reached unacceptable levels.

We can no longer ignore the fact that unless these organisations and other stakeholders pool their resources to build capacity, possible solutions to curb all forms of violence may lie beyond our reach. We firmly believe that the moment is now for a

recommitment by all stakeholders to find appropriate solutions to curb the escalating levels of violence in our society. We express our sincere condolences to the families affected. May their souls rest in peace.

Yours sincerely, Guyana Association of Women Lawyers

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Dismissed sugar workers anxiously await estates reopening THE Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) has recognised that the one-month old Irfaan Ali administration has hit the ground running and is working assiduously on delivering its campaign promises. One of the administration’s foremost commitments was to re-open the closed Skeldon, Rose Hall and Enmore estates which were shuttered by the APNU+AFC at the end of 2017. Even prior to his election, President Ali had admitted that it was very difficult to resuscitate Wales Estate which was closed in 2016 as the estate’s factory has largely been dismantled and what basically remained was a shell.

We have seen the President committing to establish a Wales Development Authority aimed at creating new economic ventures in the communities linked to the former sugar estate.

In terms of Skeldon, Rose Hall and Enmore estates, the GAWU was heartened to learn from no lesser than the President himself that he remains not only committed to re-opening the estates, but to also resuscitating and rebuilding the entire sugar industry. This commitment was reiterated to our union when we engaged Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha not too long ago. It is no secret that the coalition treated the industry as a cast away.

We contend that the former government had one intention and that was to weaken the industry to the point of collapse. We do not believe that our claim is outlandish, as we saw just a few weeks ago former President David Granger ignoring a request from GuySuCo for a lifeline.

Mr Granger acted only when GuySuCo’s plea became public and, in our view, he and his government had every intention of causing the industry to grind to a halt.

We are aware that special management teams, led by experienced sugar administrators, have been installed at the closed estates. We understand that the teams are currently evaluating the state of the factories and cultivations. The estates have been virtually abandoned for nearly three years now as the former administration’s plans to keep the estates operable until their planned divestment fell through. The resuscitation of these estates will not come easily nor cheaply, but we believe the investment is worthwhile. In this regard, we recognised that the 2020 national budget has earmarked

funds to be channelled into three estates to begin rehabilitation works.

Of course, the resumption of operations is most eagerly anticipated by the thousands of workers who were put on the breadline. For many of those workers, the last three years have been the most difficult of their lives. Many of them were forced to entertain thoughts they probably never did before. They had to wonder many days how they would eat, or how to pay their bills or send their children to school. Many of the little pleasures of life they enjoyed while they were employed became figments of their imagination. Their communities were equally impacted and the shop owners, market vendors, fishermen, bus and taxi operators who depended on the workers were severely impacted. The communities were described as having their lives sucked out from them and gloom became the new normal.

A socio-economic study which was commissioned by the ILO, arising from GAWU’s representation after the former government bluntly refused to conduct such an important assessment, demonstrated the direness of the situation the workers and their communities are facing.

The report which is presently being finalised has made startling and revealing findings.

While at this time we are not allowed to use the data pending the report’s release by the ILO, we have been able to examine some of the findings and have recognised the sad realities facing the former sugar workers. We are hopeful that soon we can be able to speak in a fuller manner from the report.

It is in this context that the GAWU welcomes and fully supports the re-opening of the estates. Our union had long recognised the dreadful realities found by the study commissioned and warned the APNU+AFC. That government remained deaf to the union and workers’ calls and shut the estates down without a second thought. At this time, many workers are looking forward to resuming employment and seeking to put their lives back together.

For some, unfortunately, life cannot go back to the way it once was. Moreover, we are hopeful that children who were forced to leave school can resume their learning and realise their dreams and aspirations. Indeed, the workers, we believe, have come to cherish their jobs even more dearly and have experienced firsthand the heartlessness of

the coalition.

As work begins to accelerate on the closed estates, the GAWU is willing to lend its experience and expertise and to play an active role in ensuring that the re-opened estates are able to be efficiently and productively operated.

Moreover, we see the need for a similar emphasis on the currently operable Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt estates. We recognise that those estates, despite all the fanfare from the coalition when it was in power, have also been ignored. Those estates are also

at their lowest ebb and require focused attention. On this score, we have been informed about plans to install soon a new board of directors and to review the current management of the state-owned corporation. This we see as a positive step, but hold too that the contributions of the workers who were badly battered by the APNU+AFC should not be ignored. Currently, the workforce is demotivated, having seen many of their benefits just ignored or cast aside and there is a meaningful need to address this sad

situation. Indeed, we contend that the workers play the most critical role and their inputs should not be disregarded.

With renewed focus and a commitment to the sugar industry’s turnaround and sustainability, the GAWU is excited to see what the future will bring. As a responsible and significant stakeholder we will continue to play a proactive role in those efforts. We believe that the best days for sugar are still ahead and many opportunities exist for a secure future. The GAWU

holds that there is no need to re-invent the wheel but to grasp at the available opportunities, creatively and innovatively. We believe with capable management, a supportive shareholder and a motivated workforce, the industry can reach new heights and play an even more meaningful role in our nation.

Yours sincerely, Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Henry boys not murdered on coconut plantation

–– but elsewhere, say police; two suspects being sought, DNA samples being processed

By Rabindra Rooplall ISAIAH Henry and Joel Henry were murdered at one location and taken to another, said Press Officer, Assistant Commissioner, Royston Andries-Junor, as police are continuing their search for the primary site where the boys were killed.

Their mutilated bodies were found on a coconut plantation at Cotton Tree Village, West Coast Berbice, one day after they left their Number Three Village, West Coast Berbice home on September, 6, 2020.

“The Guyana Police Force wishes to update the general public that the probe into the murder of Joel and Isaiah Henry is ongoing and offers assurances that the investigators assigned to this probe are committed to discovering the truth about the circumstances surrounding this gruesome murder,” the assistant commissioner said.

Initially, he said the investigators were confronted with some challenges, particularly as it related to accessing the crime scene, with the roads being blocked.

Once the ranks on the ground ensured safe passage for the investigators and crime scene ranks, the press officer said preliminary findings showed that the bodies of the Henry boys were discovered at a secondary crime scene.

“The heinous murders were not committed where the bodies were found. Per-

rensic Laboratory for DNA analysis to be conducted.

“DNA samples were also

Press Officer, Assistant Commissioner, Royston Andries-Junor

son moved the bodies after the murder and placed them at the locations where they were subsequently discovered,” the assistant commissioner said.

Further, Andries-Junor said, after the crime scene ranks classified the location where the bodies were discovered as a secondary crime scene, forensic evidence was discovered at the said area.

Adding that the forensic evidence was identified, Andries-Junor said it was collected, preserved and submitted to the Guyana Fo-

TWO MORE SUSPECTS “The investigators are

Dead: Joel Henry

Dead: Isaiah Henry

collected from the suspects who were in custody and sent for a comparative analysis to be conducted against the forensic evidence collected from the secondary crime scene. Results are expected within three weeks,” he noted.

At this time, the assistant commissioner said the investigators are actively in search of the primary crime scene which would greatly assist in the probe as the primary crime scene will have an abundance of evidence linking the perpetrators to the crime.

tors to justice.

Meanwhile, the Police Force can expect aid from

all actively following up every lead and information received from members of the public who have come forward to assist investigators. Also, as of today, all the suspects arrested were placed on bail and are required to make scheduled visits at the Blairmont Police Station. Further, police are actively pursuing two additional suspects,” the press officer disclosed.

He assured the general public that the afore-mentioned challenges will not deter the Force’s continued efforts to bring the perpetra-

the British Government and the Regional Security System (RSS) within the next nine days to help resolve the brutal murders of teenage cousins Isaiah and Joel Henry.

This was disclosed by President Irfaan Ali, who said his government has engaged the British Government and the RSS to lend support to the investigative capacity of the GPF. “To support the work of the police, we have already activated a mechanism to have regional help from the RSS and the British Gov-

ernment. We are hopeful that in another eight or nine days that help can be here to support and complement what the police is doing,” President Ali said during a recent interview with the News Room.

“It is of critical importance that we solve these gruesome murders and bring those barbaric individuals to justice,” the Head of State said.

President Ali expressed confidence that the GPF, together with the expected support from the foreign team, will lead to “that justice we all so badly want”.

He then called on the nation to reflect on this period in prayer to overcome the tragedy.

“Let this occasion be one which strengthens us as a people, strengthen our resolve for unity and for peace,” the President said.

President Ali also said he remains deeply disturbed over the events of the past week and plans to launch an international Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the riots on the West Coast Berbice.

“The CoI is important because it was not only the murders but what took place after. So our immediate task is to get the investigation concluded then, as I said, we’re exploring an international CoI,” the Head of State said.

Four more arrested for taxi driver’s murder

FOUR more persons have been arrested as the police intensify their investigation into the murder of Mohamed Haniff, 47, a taxi driver of Lot 56 Experiment, West Coast Berbice, who was chopped to the head when three masked men invaded his home last Friday.

Haniff died hours after the attack at the New Amsterdam

Hospital.

According to the police, at approximately 21:00hrs, Hamid and his wife were at home when three unidentified men armed with a gun, cutlass and an iron bar pounced on them.

During the attack, one of the men fired several chops to Hamid’s head, after which they demanded cash and valuables.

However, when the victims responded that they had none, the men escaped empty-handed.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that one of the four suspects in custody admitted to having a role in the commissioning of the crime with help from the dead man’s wife.

Reports are that the wife is facing financial troubles and

reportedly pawned the house unbeknownst to her husband.

The Major Crime Unit during its initial investigation recognised that the wife’s account of the incident did not add up; hence, she was detained pending investigation, and in view of the alleged confession, she remains in custody.

Hanif arrived in the country

last Friday and reportedly had in his possession some US$8,000 and a quantity of jewellery that he hid from his wife. According to a source, the intention of the attackers was to relieve the man of the cash and jewellery and murder was never the motive.

The Investigation continues.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Gov’t unveils menu of measures to adequately address ‘labour’ matters –– and to get newly re-established ministry up and running at full throttle

By Tamica Garnett CAPACITY building, human development and the protection of the rights of workers through measures such as the enforcement of the Joint Workplace Safety and Health Committee Regulations, are some of the areas that the newly re-established Ministry of Labour (MoL) will be focusing on going forward.

Also expected is an increase in focus on the role of the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) to appropriately train Guyanese to address the reality of the employments needs of the economy.

These were just some of the points highlighted by Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton during his contribution to the debates of the 2020 Budget, which commenced at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) on Monday.

The first speaker of the day on the government side, Minister Hamilton highlighted that his ministry is currently operating with just 63.5 per cent of its necessary staff capacity, which, over the years, has hindered the ability of the government to address labour issues across the country.

“For the last Ministry, the complement of staff should have been 137; today there are only 87. That is the condition of how [the previous administration] ran labour and the reason why they could not have done anything tangible for the workers,” Minister Hamilton said. “You could

not have proper workplace inspection; proper investigation of accidents, because you don’t have the necessary employees to carry out the functions,” he added.

Over the past five years, under the previous administration, the MoL had been converted into being the Department of Labour, and was absorbed under the Ministry of Social Protection. During that period, the labour sector has been managed by four varying Ministers, and faced several critical labour issues of national proportions.

Some of the local issues included an impasse between the Guyana Teachers’ Union and the Ministry of Education (MoE); issues with the Guyana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) and the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo); and issues at the Guyana Public Service Cooperative Credit Union (GPSCCU).

UNRESOLVED MATTERS Issues of abuse by security companies, which at times went months without paying their employees, were never addressed by the Ministry, and continue to currently occur, unabated.

Much attention was also placed on situations involving foreign companies stationed in Guyana. Issues arising out of those situations included the still unresolved contentions between Guyanese workers and the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc (BCGI) owned by the Russian aluminum giant, RUS-

AL; as well as the death of a Guyanese employee at Troy Resources, a gold-mining company owned by an Australian corporation. Despite

“The Ministry of Labour is to be re-established, and… will be built and stand on three pillars: Capacity building; human development;

Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton at Parliament on Monday

the DoL having conducted an Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) report on the latter situation, it was never released to the public.

There were also issues at the Canadian- owned Aurora Gold Mines (AGM), and a situation arising with local workers claiming discriminatory remuneration at American- owned ExxonMobil. Many, including several trade unionists, had disagreed with ‘Labour’ being converted from a Ministry to a Department, and have hence hailed as a good move, the restoration last month of a Ministry of Labour, following a change of government.

As such, Minister Hamilton said, much work is needed to truly restore ‘labour’ as a Ministry.

protection of the rights of workers. Going forward, those are things we need to do,” Minister Hamilton told the National Assembly.

“We propose to do staff development; we plan to organise and conduct training seminars and awareness sessions on OSH,” he said, adding: “The COVID-19 means that is another set of activities OSH has to monitor; we have already engaged the MoH to give us the necessary guidance in this regard.”

And with regard to manpower, Minister Hamilton said that major growth is expected in that area, and with greater emphasis being placed on establishing a permanent presence in all of the regions countrywide.

“Our intention is that in

every region, we must have at least two OSH officers; presently, they don’t exist, therefore, employers, whether in mining or forestry, cannot be properly monitored,” he said, adding: “Workplace inspections were unheard of under [the previous] government.

Efforts will also be made to continue the development of Labour Officers to monitor the situation in Guyana’s recent offshore oil-and-gas industry.

“We have already engaged the American Chamber, Exxon, Tullow, and the ILO, which will help us to do the necessary training, so that our OSH and Labour Officers can be able also to regulate and supervise the space in the Atlantic. Presently, they are land-based.”

SUITABLE WORKING CONDITIONS And in an effort to ensure that workers are employed under suitable conditions, the Minister emphasised that Joint Workplace Safety and Health Committees (WSHC) will be made a priority, even as he called out the previous administration for its complacency in that area.

“The Joint Workplace Safety and Health Committee regulations have been approved by Cabinet, and is expected to be brought into force. They approved it, yet it languished; we have to bring it into force,” Minister Hamilton said.

“We need to plan and establish the Joint Workplace Health and Safety Committee regulations. We have to

train members of the workplace committees; we have to create an awareness and advertisement of the safety measures, and conduct inspections,” he added.

In Guyana, the Occupational Safety and Health Act requires businesses and workplaces that have more than 20 staff members to have a JWSHC, while workplaces with less than 20 but more than five employees are required to have a Joint Workplace Safety and Health Representative.

The main objective of having these joint committees is so as to encourage cooperation between employers and employees in investigating, developing and carrying out measures to ensure the safety and health of employees.

The role of the Committee is primarily advisory, and not policy-making or regulatory in nature. Organisations are also required, by law, to have what is called an Accident Register.

Committees are important, in that they are essential components for the effective implementation of OSH policies and practices at the workplace.

In April 2016, steps were taken to make mandatory the establishment of a Joint Workplace Safety and Health Committees/ Representatives (JWSHC/R) to guide practices and policies, given that the 75page regulation has been in draft since 2001/2002.

Duo arrested in firearm, cannabis find

A MAN and a woman are in custody after police officers at a roadblock outside the Weldaad Police Station stopped a white Nissan Juke and after a search of the vehicle seized a .38 revolver with live rounds and over 4000 grams of cannabis.

Reports indicate that the driver is a 34-year-old of Lamaha Park, Georgetown and the passenger, a 28-year-old female of David Street, Kitty, Georgetown. Both are unemployed.

The police found the.38 revolver with live rounds under the driver’s seat and six parcels of wrapped cannabis in the bonnet of the vehicle.

The duo were cautioned by police and taken into custody as investigations continue.

The seized parcels of cannabis

The seized firearm with the live rounds

10

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Right time for good airstrips, maritime plan –– new opposition MPs propose to the House OPPOSITION Members of Parliament (MPs) Devin Sears and Amanza Walton-Desir, as first-time debaters in the National Assembly, on Monday, criticised the 2020 Budget and made recommendations of their own for its improvement.

In Sears’ opinion, Budget 2020 does not represent the will of the people and builds on the achievements of the APNU+AFC administration.

He claimed that, upon taking up office in 2015, his party brought democracy back to Guyana, embraced a green energy strategy, and put Guyana on the right path towards development.

People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) MP Sanjeev Datadin, who addressed the House immediately after Sears’ presentation, said not so, pointing out that in the five months following the March 2 General and Re-

Opposition MP, Amanza Walton-Desir

gional Elections, the world watched the breakdown of the rule of law in Guyana and the threat to its democracy at the hands of the former APNU+AFC government Sears also told the House that there is need for matter management of the country’s resources and contended that Budget 2020 does not

Opposition MP, Devin Sears

have much for Linden and does not cater for new investments, transformational infrastructural works, or job creation.

It must be noted that, contrary to what MP Sears stated, Budget 2020 speaks to job creation in the new, emerging, and traditional sectors. It speaks to invest-

ment in the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) for the creation of jobs; the opening up of 10,000 acres of farmland which will create 1,000 jobs and generate economic activity; the completion of the Linden Call Centre which will generate over 200 jobs; the attraction of investors in new hotels which will create service jobs; the utilisation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for job creation and strict adherence to the local content guide-

lines in the oil and gas sector.

Apart from his criticisms, Sears also made a number of recommendations. He said health workers in Region 10 need more Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and ventilators.

He called for a new water ambulance for the Demerara River and risk allowance for medical laboratory technicians and other staff of the Linden Hospital Complex.

Government had earlier announced that $150M will be allocated for frontline health workers.

Sears also recommended that budgetary provisions be made for maintenance of the Takama Savannah Road which will service parts of Ibini, Calcuni, and the Lower Berbice River.

In addition, he called for a review of Region 10’s Plan of Action for Regional Development (PARD); the raising of the old-age pension to half of the current minimum wage; subvention for Region 10’s Constituency Sports Associations; the rehabilitation of all airstrips; an increase in technical education and major provisions that support the creative industry.

Meanwhile, in her pre-

sentation, Walton-Desir said budget 2020 does not put enough emphasis on planning within the maritime sector and this should be considered given the anticipated growth in maritime traffic as a result of increasing offshore oil and gas activities.

The Member of Parliament put forward: “Mr. Speaker Maritime Spatial Planning must be given priority in the immediate term as there is an urgent need for a cross-cutting policy tool which will enable a strategic, coordinated and integrated approach to the management of our maritime space. We wish to strongly urge Mr. Speaker, the commissioning of a National Maritime and Port Sector Master Plan. Such a plan will serve to strengthen the international competitiveness of the maritime and port sectors; set out a plan of action for the realisation of priority projects and provide a framework for the safe, environmentally responsible management of competing interests.”

Mining executive killed by falling tree THE gold-mining community in Region Two has been plunged into deep mourning after news spread that Marques Cornelius, 29, lost his life, after a tree fell on him. The incident occurred around 10:00 hours on Monday in the Big Hope, Waini, Region One district.

Cornelius at the time of his death was general manager of Singh’s Mining Operations. According to the owner of Singh’s Mining, Deleep Singh, he received a call from his son, Navin Singh about the incident around 11:00 hours.

Some men were clearing large bushes in the Waini area when the incident occurred.

Singh said his son called to inform him that a tree fell on Cornelius. Workers attached to the mining camp

The deceased, Marques Cornelius

tried to free the general manager but their efforts proved futile.

Singh described the accident as unfortunate and said his company will take full responsibility for all funeral ex-

penses. Efforts are currently being made to uplift the body, through Supenaam, using the Buckhall Terrain.

Cornelius has been working with Singh’s Mining for the past 15 years and was described as a dedicated worker.

According to the mother of the deceased, Eva Adams, her son left for the backdam about three weeks ago.

He was the youngest of her children. She thanked the owner of Singh’s operation for taking prompt action in bringing out her son’s body from the interior. The matter was reported to the police and other relevant authorities. The deceased was a father of one and resided at Charity on the Essequibo Coast.

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Democracy will breathe again

–– Datadin tells National Assembly GOVERNMENT Member of Parliament (MP), Sanjeev Datadin, said, on Monday, that the measures outlined in Budget 2020 will strengthen democracy and the rule of law in Guyana.

Datadin, a lawyer by profession, told the National Assembly, in his inaugural address, that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration is on a mission to restore the rule of law which has been blatantly eroded over the past five years.

In the five months following the March 2 General and Regional Elections, the world watched the breakdown of the rule of law in Guyana and the threat to its democracy at the hands of the former APNU+AFC government, he added.

Before that, Datadin reminded that many months passed before the AP-

NU+AFC Administration accepted that it fell as a result of a successful no-confidence motion. These acts, he told the House, are unacceptable and should not have occurred as only the Guyanese people suffered as a result.

“Mr. Speaker, we cannot wait for the period December 21, 2018 to June 18, 2019 for a government and for the leadership of a country to figure out 33 is the majority of 65. We cannot wait 179 days for leaders to appreciate, understand, and apply the most elementary principles of Mathematics. The rule of law was undermined because the Coalition Government of the day wanted not to respect the Constitution,” Datadin said.

He said, too, that the expenditure of the former administration during this period without the parliamentary oversight leaves many questions as to the

legality of its transactions.

Added to this, Datadin said that it took another 20 days from June 18, 2020 to July 8, 2020 for the APNU+AFC to understand that Article 177 of the Constitution was obvious and that the votes had to be counted.

The attorney-at-law appeared confident and comfortable addressing the House for the first time, perhaps as a result of his years of experience in addressing the courts.

He said that, in any country, the law must apply to everyone including those who make them and, with the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Administration at the helm, rule of law, as well as democracy, will thrive in Guyana.

“The Honourable Member, Mr. Trotman, has said that no weapon formed against APNU+AFC will prosper. I humbly submit

Government MP, Sanjeev Datadin

to you, he’s wrong. It has been formed already, it’s called the Caribbean Court of Justice and that weapon has stood for the people of Guyana and against the destruction of the rule of law

and it continues to do so,” the MP said.

He added that since the no-confidence motion there have been four cases that engaged the court in which lawyers represented the gov-

ernment and were paid for by the people of Guyana.

He said: “No government should be permitted to undermine the will of the people and to use the court system as an instrument of oppression, to delay, to undermine, the declaration of an election result.”

Datadin put forward that the presentation of Budget 2020 is a monumental step to restoring the rule of law and democratic principles in the country which have been under threat since December 2018.

He said that budget 2020 represents the restoration of Parliamentary oversight over government spending and the restoration of constitutional mandate.

Datadin emphasised: “The mere presentation of a budget in this House represents the democratic principles and Guyana must be proud that this is being undertaken. Guyana must be proud that it is being undertaken in the record time with which it is.”

Over $15M in illegal fuel seized

The vessels that were transporting the illegal fuel

FIVE persons were questioned by police and released, after the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) discovered over $15M worth of illegal fuel, in two vessels, at the Parika Stelling, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) last Friday. GEA had done laboratory tests which indicated that the approximately 20,000 gallons of fuel in both vessels was illegal.

Reports indicated that the first vessel was captained by a 56-year-old from Meten-

Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara, while the other was in the control of a 44-yearold from Greenwich Park, EBE. At the time of the search and seizure, vessel one had a three-man crew comprising of a 55-year-old of Good Success, Wakenaam; a 54-year-old of Orenstein, EBE and a 20-year-old of Meten-Meer-Zorg, WCD. The vessels named Edmond Harris and Mother Ganga Neil are under police

guard as investigations continue.

One of the vessels is registered to a businessman who has gas stations in Region Three.

Prosecution is expected to be done in collaboration with the Guyana Revenue Authority and the GEA as the file will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for advice.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 15, 2020

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Coursera online programmes...

Registration deadline extended to October 31 –– over 24,000 Guyanese registered as of Sept. 9 GIVEN the overwhelming response by Guyanese to the Coursera online programmes, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, has secured a one-month extension of the September 30 deadline to register for the free courses. The new deadline is October 31, 2020.

Earlier this month, the Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Education, announced its collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning to provide free access to online courses offered by Ivy League and other reputable universities through Coursera.

The Ministry noted that the objective of the initiative is to provide opportunities for Guyanese to improve their skills and competencies to enhance their performance and employability. The initiative will serve to help unemployed Guyanese and those who may need to transition to new occupations.

Within five days of the September 4 launch, some 24, 498 Guyanese had registered on the platform and 161

persons have completed their courses or graduated. The initial deadline for registration was September 30, 2020.

The Minister of Education engaged the Commonwealth of Learning and explained that, because of the prolonged election process and our country’s failure to take up the offer previously, Guyanese were not on equal footing with the rest of the Commonwealth and would therefore be disadvantaged.

Coupled with the tremendous response and interest, the Minister of Education sought an extension of the September deadline.

So far several Caribbean countries have benefitted from this programme and will have their citizens graduate on September 22, 2020.

Persons who are interested in the programme can visit the Ministry of Education’s Facebook page for additional information.

Family of D’Urban Park stabbing victim offers reward for ‘info’ ONE month after the body of 51-year-old Clint Gravesande was found at D’Urban Park, Lodge with multiple stab wounds, an arrest is yet to be made.

On Friday, August 14, 2020, Gravesande, who regularly slept on one of the stands at D’Urban Park, was discovered lying motionless in a pool of blood.

He was picked up and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Though Gravesande had chosen to live on the streets, he still kept in close contact with his family, and was last seen alive the night before his lifeless body was discovered.

His family remains hopeful that one day there will be closure.

This has moved them to offer a substantial reward in an effort to solicit information that can help find those responsible for taking Gravesande’s life.

Persons with any information are asked to contact the nearest Police Station, or the family on 646-7270. All information provided will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

13

‘No more vampire strategy!’

14

GUYANA CHRONICLE,Tuesday, September 15 ,2020

-- Indar says Dr. Ali-led administration ‘pumping blood’ into economy -- Trotman commends gov’t for assistance to mining, forestry sectors

By Navendra Seoraj GUYANA was diagnosed with “anemia” by Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, who, though not being a doctor, made the diagnosis because he believes that the “country’s” blood was drained by the former APNU+AFC administration, through its “vampire strategy”.

In comparing the former government to the mythical blood-sucking creature, Minister Indar said: “the economic philosophy of the previous administration was tantamount to a vampire strategy, sucking blood out of the country.”

His comments created tension in the National Assembly during day one of the Budget 2020 debates.

Minister Indar’s remarks

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2020 Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar

were directed at Opposition Member of Parliament (MP),

Shurwayne Holder, who argued that government’s pro-

Opposition MP, Raphael Trotman

posed $329.5 billion budget focuses mainly on private sector development and does not address the issues of the people.

Holder rode on the back of Opposition Front Bencher, Raphael Trotman, who “started the ball” by saying that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) government inherited an economy which was described as the fastest growing in this hemisphere, if not the world.

In citing Guyana’s positive shift in global rankings and past economic performances, Trotman said: “Guyana, under the Granger-led administration, experienced five straight years of sustained economic growth, at an average of 3.6 per cent, with 5.4 per cent being the highest.”

“Ratings is one, but Guyana has lived through the villages…the country lives through its villages and at the village level there is mass job losses, depletion of basic necessities to operate and live,” said Minister Indar in response to Trotman.

He argued that the hospitals do not have drugs and the infrastructure in villages is “next to nothing.” This, he said, was compounded by the heavy tax measures imposed, not just on the ordinary people, but the private sector which is seen as the engine of growth in any economy.

“Them saying it is private sector and does not address the people shows the collec-

tive, misguided philosophy of the past administration…the private sector is the engine of growth so you have to make sure you do not strangle them…and over the past five years there was a strangulation of taxation that caused some of them to shut shop,” said Minister Indar.

The increased taxes, he said, was evidenced by the increase revenue intake by government. In 2014, revenue intake by the PPP/C administration was $135 billion, and at the end of 2019, after four years of management by the coalition government, $226 billion was raked in through taxation.

SQUANDERMANIA “Where did the extra $91B come from? It came from pockets of poor Guyanese…every single Guyanese became poorer because $91B was taken from them all, to furnish and help a lifestyle of squandermania,” Minister Indar lamented.

The new government, while in opposition, had said that the former administration extracted some $300 billion more in additional taxes over the past five years.

Some persons even argued that tax measures, instituted by the past administration, were cumbersome.

Additional taxes included Value Added Tax (VAT) on utilities and reducing the list of zero-rated items. In economics, zero-rated supply refers to items subject to a 0 per cent VAT on their input

supplies.

“The Dr. Ali-led administration saw hardship measures and we are removing that,” said Minister Indar, adding that a number of reversals and removals of VAT and other taxes have already been announced by the new government.

In addressing specific areas, the minister said the previous policies to tax agro-chemicals and other agriculture and mining-related items, were like taxing development, so this is why the new government is removing them.

Government has already announced the removal of VAT on equipment for farmers and miners, a move which Indar believes will leave money in the pockets of those stakeholders.

“Any of you ever went into the backdam? It is toiling…got to be gang to gang, working from six in the morning to six in the night, so the dollars are hard earned…so by taxing these things, you are being cruel… the Ali-led administration already put in the estimates, to remove all VAT on ATVs, tractors and all farming and mining equipment,” said Minister Indar.

Government’s emergency measures introduced to assist the forestry and mining sectors were commended by Trotman.

“I want to sound a loud caution that while you incentivise miners to rush back to the backdam, you have to be mindful of the environmental impact to lands and the contiguous communities,” said the Opposition MP. Trotman, who was Minister of Natural Resources under the APNU+AFC administration, advised the government to ensure that these measures receive periodic review.

Minister Indar assured that the Dr. Ali-led government will do everything to make life easy for every Guyanese.

He said the President’s economic philosophy is to drive industry; ensure there is infrastructure in housing, roads, bridges, ports and so on, as this is the vision of the PPP/C administration, to pump blood into the economy.

15

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Budget is about job creation, poverty reduction, economic development –– Ministers Persaud, McCoy inform House

Minister within the Ministry of Local Government, Anand Persaud

By Rabindra Rooplall BUDGET 2020 has provisioned a total of $53.25 Billion for the Local Government Sector, and this is indicative of the government’s commitment to job creation, poverty reduction, and economic development when projects are implemented.

This is according to Minister within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Anand Persaud in his maiden speech during the budget debates on Monday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.

Persaud said the Budget is being presented after a fallout from the 2020 elections, and at a time when the economy is under tremendous stress and shock, which must be addressed fervently to bring relief to all Guyanese.

“The Budget contains plans and projects which cater to everyone: The ordinary man, the farmer, the law enforcement officer, the public servant and, most importantly, our medical professionals,” Persaud said.

He explained that provision will be made for infrastructural developments, such as the expansion of community markets and community centres to benefit citizens.

Sanitary landfill sites will also be upgraded to facilitate proper solid waste management.

The ministry, he said, will update the inventory of solid waste disposal sites in each of the 10 administrative regions, to determine, based on appropriate location criteria and the open disposal sites, which are to be closed and those to be upgraded to a controlled safe landfill.

Further, Minister Persaud

Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy

said it is envisaged that the implementation of the 2020 Budget will set a foundation for renewed hope and confidence for all Guyanese to promote investment, job opportunities, village economies, and enhanced community involvement as part of the support initiatives.

Notwithstanding the destruction of the economy, as well as the rise in poverty and hopelessness, Minister Persaud said the PPP/C, in its first budget, mere weeks after taking office, has provided a suite of measures targeting all Guyanese, from the coast to the hinterland, schoolchildren to the elderly, public servants and the private sector.

GOVERNMENT FOR ALL Meanwhile, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy

APNU parliamentarian, Maureen Philadelphia

also voiced similar sentiments as Minister Persaud, in that he reaffirmed that the benefits provided by government will go to all Guyanese, whether they support the PPP/C government or not.

“It goes to every single Guyanese; and that is how we govern. We govern in a transparent and an accountable manner,” Minister McCoy said, noting that this was absent during the APNU+AFC tenure in office.

He explained that government has exceptional policies and initiatives, which will also develop the State media and all government communications agencies.

Minister McCoy said all human resources must be developed by implementing training programmes to keep persons upgraded so that they could meaningfully contribute to national development.

He said all aspects of media development will occur under his tenure, along with the upgrading of the broadcast sector.

“We are here to seriously develop this country, and to be able to make the difference the APNU+AFC couldn’t make. To make the difference in the lives of every single Guyanese; not for one village and not the other,” Minister McCoy said.

He called on the Opposition to be a party that works in the interest of all Guyanese on a daily basis, because the government will implement programmes and policies that will develop the lives of all citizens.

However, in her maiden speech, Opposition APNU+AFC Member of Parliament (MP), Maureen Philadelphia claimed that the Budget is one for the private

sector and not for the people, but failed to substantiate those claims.

Instead, she opted to speak about the management of the oil-and-gas sector, with the aim of focusing on transformational opportunities.

“It is imperative that the revenue derived from this sector be maximised and used to transform Guyana’s economy to one which is internationally diversified,” she said, adding: we need to take full advantage of the contributions of the oil sector to ensure our future generations are prepared to function in a petroleum state,” Philadelphia said.

She said human capacity is needed in Guyana to handle the transformation that will eventually come.

Man wanted for murder allegedly stabs police A MAN who was wanted in connection with the murder of Earl Peters, a pensioner, on September 05, 2020, on Monday stabbed a policeman several times about the body at the Port Kaituma Police Station.

He was subsequently arrested.

Police Lance Corporal Bertland Scotland was stabbed on his left hand,

left hip, left lower abdomen, left eye brow and left buttock by the 27-yearold unemployed man of Arakaka, North West District.

Police said the suspect is also wanted for seriously wounding Troy Roberts, who is presently a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and Police Con-

stable Edwards at the Arakaka Police Outpost on August 20, 2020.

According to the police, “Today, acting upon information received, ranks went to S1A Junction, One Mile, Port Kaituma, NWD where they confronted the suspect in the upper flat of a two-storey building, and during the process apprehend-

ed him. He whipped out a knife and wounded the Lance Corporal, who initially received medical attention at the Port Kaituma District Hospital, but is now en route to the Eugene Correia International Airport via medivac. His condition is regarded as serious but stable.”

INJURED: Police Lance Corporal Bertland Scotland

16

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Seven-year-old launches lip-care, hair accessory line

By Clestine Juan MANY people have their hearts set on owning their own businesses, but for seven-year-old Corey Skyler McEwan, it is a dream come true with her lip-care products.

Corey, the owner of ‘Sky Kiss,’ a company which specialises in 100% handmade lip-care products, was launched on August 15, 2020. All of her products are available at the Babe Cave, Duncan Street, Georgetown.

‘Sky Kiss’ offers vegan lip glosses, natural lip scrubs and hair accessories for kids.

All the products are adult and kid-friendly.

The young business owner is a Grade Three student of the School of the Nations and her hobbies are drawing, riding and skating.

Corey is following in her mother Mariska McEwan’s footsteps. Mariska is the chief executive officer of a local hair-care and skin-care business in Guyana.

During an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Mariska explained that Corey always wanted to help her when she was in the studio making soap, but such a process is not safe for kids.

“It always got to me that she [Corey] wanted to create and craft with me but was unable to… So knowing she loves to play with my lipsticks and lip glosses I decided to let her do this as her own creation,” the mother explained.

Not wanting her daughter to feel left out, Mariska began teaching Corey to craft lip glosses and this eventually led to the creation of her

own small lip-care business.

Corey’s lip glosses are handcrafted with all-natural oils and butters such as shea butter, castor oil and coconut oil.

Shea butter is a rich source of fatty acids and antioxidants. It contains anti-inflammatory properties which are great for healing and preventing chapped lips.

It leaves the lips soft and moisturised.

Meanwhile, castor oil is a great humectant which helps the skin to retain moisture.

The flavours of the lip glosses include cotton candy, pink lemonade and tropical punch, which can be used by both adults and kids.

Corey explained that she loves her business and see herself continuing to do it to make other kids happy.

As a career path, Corey

said she had always wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps and become an aeronautical

engineer. Becoming a veterinarian was her second choice.

Currently, Corey juggles

Young entrepreneur Corey Skyler McEwan

Some of the handmade products available at Sky Kiss

school on the weekdays and her craft on the weekend.

The youngster explained to the Guyana Chronicle that her mother is her role model since she admires her kindness and her business skills.

Corey encourages persons her age to be respectful and to work hard at school and in everything that they do. She also urges her peers to be happy and to do the things that they love.

She also encourages young business-owners to follow their dreams, be patient and to work hard to achieve the results they want, while ensuring that they are having fun.

Corey’s mother said that she is extremely proud of her daughter’s success thus far and is relieved to know that she will have options in the future which will ensure that she becomes a successful and well-rounded young lady.

Sky Kiss Berry Fusion Lip Scrub

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 15, 2020

‘Carib Kids’ lends a helping hand --to those grandparents trying to raise children left behind by their offspring MANY grandparents have taken on the role of parents in the lives of their grandchildren, and have worked valiantly to provide for and nurture them as if they were theirs.

And this is exactly where family-oriented non-governmental organisation (NGO), ‘Carib Kids International’ comes in, as it has been making a valiant effort, since it was founded back in 2007, to make a difference in the lives of quite a few children.

Founded by Sondra Antoine and Lucy Daniels with the main aim of lending a helping hand to those grandparents and guardians of children whose parents are no longer with them, Joycelyn Bowman-Turner, who volunteers with the Group, told the Guyana Chronicle that they are currently helping over 18 families monthly, by way of either monetary contributions or providing school supplies such as school uniforms, backpacks and other essential school items.

She said that the aid is directed towards families with older guardians, since the administration of the group is aware that these persons may not be as spry as they once were, much less able to find a job, especially if they are above the retirement age. And this is one of the main reasons that the group decided that they would aid these persons, as they move forward, in making the lives of their grandchildren better.

“Our objective is to be supportive to grandparents and guardians of the children; to identify families in need, and find sponsorship to assist them, and all this while remembering that these children deserve the best opportunities that could be provided to them with our aid,” Turner said.

She said that the group’s ultimate goal is to help with the educational and social needs of those grandchildren that have been left behind by providing them with the necessary resources for school and their academic lives,

as well as facilitate their transportation to ensure that they, being mere children, don’t have to worry about being able to get to and from school.

In addition, she said that the group aims to provide assistance with medical care for the children, as they have been doing over the years for children who have special medical needs, and ensuring that those families have the support to get them the necessary medical care that they may require.

She stated that based on referrals received by the organisation, the administration is able to select families that would be best suited to receive assistance.

She said that besides forging strong ties with vulnerable families, ‘Carib Kids’ doesn’t work in a vacuum, as it has cultivated a working relationship with the Ministry of Education; the Child protection Agency; and the National Care and Treatment sector.

Turner stated, too, that the group has been able to be of significant help to many families in this COIVID-19 season, especially since many of the breadwinners have lost their jobs.

In those cases, she said that in addition to the monthly cash contributions, the group has been able to help those families with two sets of hampers, replete with food and other household items, and is in the process of preparing to make a third distribution in October.

‘Carib Kids’, Turner said, works to not just provide items for the families, but to also show the children and their guardians that they’ve got their backs, and in keeping with that, the group organises various activities throughout the year, including Fun Days, so as to ensure that during the times of rest and relaxation and celebration, the children and their families have the opportunity to be a part of it.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 15, 2020

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Two quick quick--fire goals earn Wolves win at Sheffield United

By Peter Hall

SHEFFIELD, England (Reuters) - Wolverhampton Wanderers got their season off to a flying start with two goals in the first six minutes through Raul Jimenez and Romain Saiss to earn a 2-0 victory at Sheffield United in the Premier League yesterday.

Wolves’ 2019-20 season only finished on August 11 after a mammoth campaign which took in 59 games in all competitions, but they showed no signs of weariness as they took the lead inside three minutes in the sunshine at Bramall Lane.

The goal came from a familiar source - the club’s top scorer last season Jimenez - and 205 seconds later they scored again as Saiss headed in a corner to stun the hosts.

It meant Wolves are the first Premier League side to score two goals inside six minutes on the opening day of the

season.

United stepped it up a gear after the interval and almost got back in the match through John Fleck, but the Scotland international’s powerful strike came back off the post.

Wolves should have extended their lead in the 71st minute after home goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale brilliantly tipped Saiss’ strike onto the post but Jimenez stabbed the ball just wide with the empty goal at his mercy.

The hosts kept coming but, while they created plenty of openings, Chris Wilder’s side could muster only two shots on target in the match as their second season back in the top flight began in disappointing fashion.

“We started fast and aggressive,” said Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo, who has just signed a new three-year deal. “We went for the game in those moments and it made all the difference.

‘No one has forgotten...

CONTINUED FROM BACKPAGE

doesn’t know what is going on behind the scenes.

“I don’t think he has spoken to (ECB chief executive) Tom Harrison. I have spoken to Tom and we have stuff running in the background.”

England also wore Black Lives Matter logos on their shirts during their Test series against West Indies, but opted not to continue the practice against Pakistan and Australia.

Although England’s cricket team stopped taking a knee, the country’s soccer team took a knee before their UEFA Nations League matches while Premier League clubs have also continued to do the same after the new season kicked off over the weekend.

England and Australia are level at 1-1 in the one-day international series with the decider to be played tomorrow in Manchester. The hosts won the three-match Twenty20 series 2-1 in Southampton last week.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday September 15, 2020

LeBron stars as Lakers reach first Western Conference final in 10 years LeBRON James scored 29 points as Los Angeles Lakers reached their first Western Conference in 10 years with a 119-96 win over Houston Rockets.

The las t time they reached this stage was when Lakers legend Kobe Bryant led them to the 2010 NBA title.

Thiem tames ‘Big Match Match’... ’...

By Sudipto Ganguly

LeBron James scored 29 points as Lakers wrapped up a 4-1 series win over Houston Rockets.

Bryant, 41, and his daughter Gianna, 13, were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in January.

James, who joined Lakers in 2018, said it was an “honour” to play for the team and continue the “legacy”.

Five-time NBA champion Bryant spent his entire 20-year career with Lakers and is the only player in league history to have two shirt numbers retired with the same team after wearing both for a decade.

“The reason I wanted to be a part of this franchise is to take them back to a place they were accustomed to being,” said three-time NBA champion James, 35. “And that’s competing for a championship.

“It’s an honour for me to wear the purple and gold and for us to try to continue the legacy and just play great basketball for our fans.”

Kyle Kuzma scored 17 points for Lakers, Markieff Morris got 16, Danny Green contributed 14 and Anthony Davis 13, while James Harden finished with 30 points for Rockets.

Lakers, who won the series 4-1, will face either Los Angeles Clippers or Denver Nuggets in the next round, with Clippers leading that series 3-2. (BBC Sport)

(REUTERS) - Dominic Thiem ended a six-year wait for a new name on a men’s Grand Slam trophy on Sunday with his U.S. Open triumph but it was not just Alexander Zverev that the Austrian had to battle on court to fulfil his “life goal”.

Rafael Nadal had denied Thiem the French Open trophy at the previous two editions of that tournament, while at the start of 2020 it was world number one Novak Djokovic who outlasted him in the Australian Open title clash.

Thiem did not have to go through Djokovic, Nadal or Roger Federer, the sport’s ‘Big Three’, during the two weeks at Flushing Meadows this year but that presented a unique mental challenge as the 27-year-old wrestled with long-time friend Zverev, 23, for success in his fourth Slam final.

“We both didn’t face one of the ‘Big Three’, so I guess that was in the back of the head for both of us,” Thiem told reporters. “That’s why we were nervous. (It) was a very good chance for both of us.”

The experience of playing three Grand Slam finals previously was supposed to be an advantage for the Austrian against an opponent who was featuring in his first final at a major.

But it proved to be a burden for Thiem, who found himself two sets and a break down against the big-serving German before fighting back to win 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(6).

“Honestly, I think it didn’t help me at all because I was so tight in the beginning.

Maybe it was not even good that I played in previous major finals,” he said.

“I mean, I wanted this title so much, and of course there was also in my head that if I lose this one, it’s 0-4. It’s always in your head.

“Is this chance ever coming back again? This, that, all these thoughts - not great to play your best tennis, to play free. That’s what exactly happened in the beginning.”

But Thiem managed to quell those doubts and levelled things against Zverev before winning a nerve-jan-

gling final set tiebreak to achieve “a life goal, a dream”.

Thiem hopes to play more freely with fewer nerves in future, having finally tasted success at one of the sport’s biggest stages while also becoming the first man since Croat Marin Cilic won the 2014 U.S. Open to secure a maiden Grand Slam trophy.

He is also the first player born in the 1990s to claim a men’s Grand Slam, and the first outside Nadal and Federer, who both missed the tournament, and Djokovic, who was disqualified, to win a major since Stan Wawrinka’s 2016 U.S. Open triumph.

CHARTING OWN PATH Thiem will now face heavier expectations in future Grand Slams but has proved he is not one to shy away from pressure.

The Austrian, who faced his share of criticism for playing in Djokovic’s ill-fated Adria Tour event, declined to contribute to an emergency fund for financially struggling lower-ranked professionals during the COVID-19 shutdown, fully aware that he would draw flak from pundits and fellow players for his stand.

Thiem, who has earned almost $27 million in career prize money, stood his ground in the face of criticism, proving that he was ready to chart his own path forward.

Most of Thiem’s early success came on claycourts, where long baseline rallies test a player’s patience and endurance, but he showed the first signs of a smooth transition to hardcourts when he won last year’s ATP Masters at Indian Wells.

Reaching the season-ending ATP Finals further underlined his development while he put any lingering doubts about his hardcourt prowess to rest by progressing to the Australian Open final in Melbourne earlier this year.

“Before I started to work with him, when I saw him like a spectator, I said he can play everywhere, not only on clay,” his coach Nicolas Massu said.

“He can have the same results on every surface because of his shots, he’s talented, he has everything.

Maybe he needs to adjust small things.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Osaka climbs to No.3, Azarenka returns to top-15 in rankings (REUTERS) - U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka has climbed six spots to third in the latest WTA rankings released yesterday while Victoria Azarenka’s career revival gathered traction as the Flushing Meadows finalist returned to the top-15.

Australian Ash Barty and Simona Halep of Romania continued to occupy the number one and two spots in the rankings respectively despite opting against travelling to New York for the Grand Slam.

The 22-year-old Osaka, who beat Azarenka in a thrilling final on Saturday for her second Grand Slam title in New York and third overall, was the only player in the top10 to gain places.

Osaka also reached the final of the Western & Southern Open, which was held at Flushing Meadows this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but had to withdraw against Azarenka due to an injury.

Azarenka, also a former world number one, arrived in New York having not won a match this year and ranked 59.

Naomi Osaka of Japan celebrates with the championship trophy on Saturday after her match against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus (not pictured) in the women’s singles final of the 2020 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre. (Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports)

But the two-time Australian Open champion went on to win the U.S. Open warmup event and capped her spectacular comeback by reaching her first Grand Slam final in

seven years.

It helped her climb to number 14 in the WTA rankings - her highest since January, 2017.

American Jennifer

Brady, who lost to Osaka in the U.S. Open semi-finals, was also a big mover in the ladder and was ranked 25th, 16 places higher than her previous ranking.

Messi top of Forbes money list in 2020, Cristiano Ronaldo second

BARCELONA forward Lionel Messi has topped the Forbes list for highest-earning footballers in 2020.

Forbes estimated Messi’s yearly earnings at $126M (£97.2M) with Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo second on $117M (£90.3M).

Neymar was in third with Paris St-Germain team-mate Kylian Mbappe fourth.

Three Premier League players – Mohamed Salah, Paul Pogba and David de Gea – made the top 10, as did Real Madrid and Wales forward Gareth Bale.

Welshman Bale came eighth in the list at $29M (£22.4M) despite a disappointing 2019-20 season, on a personal level, which saw him fall out with Real boss Zinedine Zidane and only feature in two of his club’s last 14 matches of the campaign.

Liverpool forward Salah was fifth, ahead of Manchester United midfielder

Pogba in sixth, with United goalkeeper de Gea in 10th.

Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann was seventh and Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski was ninth.

The top three were in the same order as in 2019, although Mbappe rose three places from seventh to fourth.

Argentine Messi, 33, tried to leave Barcelona this summer and submitted a transfer request in August, but decided to stay because no club would be able to afford his release clause.

FORBES LIST OF HIGHEST EARNING FOOTBALLERS Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina) $126M (£97.2M) Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus and Portugal) $117M (£90.3M) Neymar (Paris St-Germain and Brazil) $96M (£74.1M) Kylian Mbappe (Paris St-Germain

Lionel Messi made his first appearance for Barcelona since his failed attempt to leave the club last week.

and France) $42M (£32.4M) Mohamed Salah (Liverpool and Egypt) $37M (£28.5M) Paul Pogba (Manchester United and France) $34M (£26.2M) Antoine Griezmann (Barcelona and France) $33M (£25.5M) Gareth Bale (Real Madrid and Wales) $29M (£22.4M) Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich and Poland) $28M (£21.6M) David de Gea (Manchester United and Spain) £27M (£20.8M)

Nadal says Djokovic unlucky,, but should unlucky show self self--control

Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic pose ahead of their Final singles match - ATP Cup at Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney, Australia - January 12, 2020. (REUTERS/Edgar Su)

(REUTERS) - Rafael Nadal has offered some sympathy for world number one Novak Djokovic after his great rival’s shock default from the U.S. Open for hitting a lineswoman in the throat with a stray ball.

With Nadal absent Serbian Djokovic was a huge favourite to win the title in New York but his run came to a sudden end in the fourth round against Pablo Carreno Busta when he accidentally hit the official with a ball after losing a point.

Had Djokovic won the title he would have moved to 18 Grand Slam titles, one behind Nadal and two behind Roger Federer in the battle for all-time greatness.

“The consequences have been always the same. Nothing new on that. Novak was unlucky. The rules say clearly that’s a default,” Nadal said in a news conference at the Rome Masters where he will resume his season this week after a seven-month hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Sorry for him. He had an opportunity there.

But in some way you should not be doing this.

It’s very unfortunate, very unlucky situation.

But it’s important to have

the right self-control on the court, because if not, you can be unlucky.”

Nadal was one of several players to opt out of playing at the U.S. Open because of his concerns about travelling during the pandemic.

Austrian Dominic Thiem, the man Nadal beat to win the last two French Opens, claimed his first Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows, coming back from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev in a gripping final on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday.

Thiem’s victory ended a run of 13 Grand Slam titles won by Nadal, Djokovic or Federer and made him the first new major winner since Marin Cilic in 2014.

“Happy for Dominic! He is somebody who deserves to win a big title, super hard worker. Very focussed on his goals. Good person, good human person. He deserves it,” said Nadal, who will be aiming to win a record-extending 13th French Open when the re-scheduled claycourt event starts at the end of September.

Nadal will open in Rome against Carreno Busta.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday September 15, 2020

FIA looking into Hamilton anti-racism shirt gesture

By Alan Baldwin

LONDON, England (Reuters) - Formula One’s governing body is considering whether Lewis Hamilton broke any rules in wearing a T-shirt with “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor” on it before and after Sunday’s Tuscan Grand Prix.

“We are giving this issue active consideration,” said a spokesman for the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA).

He added that the discussion was also about how to proceed in future.

Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was killed by police officers who burst into her apartment in Louisville, Kentucky, in March.

One police officer involved was fired by the city’s police department in June.

Two other officers have been placed on administrative reassignment. No criminal charges have been filed against any of the three.

Hamilton has regularly worn a ‘Black Lives Matter’ T-shirt when taking a knee in an officially-sanctioned anti-racism protest before the start of races this season.

Sunday’s shirt was a de-

Lewis Hamilton wore the T-shirt before and after the Tuscan Grand Prix.

parture from that, with a photograph of Taylor on the back and ‘Say her name’.

Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka recently wore a face

mask with Taylor’s name at the U.S. Open.

Hamilton said on Sunday Osaka had been “an incredible inspiration”.

Race stewards did not open any investigation into Hamilton’s actions at Italy’s Mugello circuit.

It was not immediately obvious in any case what statute Hamilton might have broken.

The FIA, which maintains a non-political stance, is working with the Briton, Formula One’s only Black driver, on a diversity commission and has promoted an anti-racism campaign.

The sporting code bars teams from using “political or religious” advertising but does not mention the drivers.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff also made clear he had

no problem with whatever Hamilton chose to wear.

“It is entirely his decision. Whatever he does, we will support,” the Austrian told reporters last Saturday.

“The team is fighting against any kind of racism and discrimination and it is Lewis’s personal fight for Black Lives Matter and with all the support we can give him.

“The much broader movement is obviously the fight against any kind of racism and discrimination -- and we as a team and as a corporate have always put an emphasis to fight against that injustice.”

Stafanie Taylor smashes 71 to lead team to victory in warm-up squad match

West Indies Women’s captain Stafanie Taylor scored an unbeaten half-century to help her team scored an eight-run win over Deandra Dottin’s in their first warm-up match at the University of Derby on Monday ahead of their T20 series against England, in a week’s time The 18 members of the squad were divided into two teams captained by Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin, respectively.

Taylor scored 71 from 52 balls. She smashed nine fours in her knock as the team racked up 131 for 6

from their 20 overs. Britney Cooper contributed a useful 24 to the score. Bowling for the opponents, Aaliyah Alleyne used her pace to good effect taking 3 for 35 while Shakera Selman finished with 2 for 15.

Needing 132 to win Dottin led her team from the front scoring a brisk 41 from 43 balls but the efforts of Sheneta Grimmond (2 for 16) and Shamilia Taylor (2 for 23), proved good enough for Taylor’s team to eke out a close victory.

Head coach Andre Coley was pleased with the performance of the women.

Stafanie Taylor slammed 71 from 52 balls

“We’ve been here for two weeks doing a combination of various skills sessions

in the nets, strength and conditioning and game-planning but today was our first time

Date in History: September 14, 1996 CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2020)

COMPLIMENTS OF XTRA ENERGY DRINK – STABROEK BAZAAR (Tel: 683-9500) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD- 83 Garnett street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) TLendl Simmons-356 runs (TKR) (2)Nicholas Pooran-100* (GAW) Today’s Quiz: (1) Who took most wickets in Hero CPL 2020?

(2) Who had the best bowling figure in a single game in Hero CPL 2020?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

to get as close to a game scenario with this practice match,” he said.

Terrence Alli returns to clash with rising local star ` `Six Six Head Head’’ Lewis

BASED in the USA, Terrence Alli returned to Guyana in September 1996 to clash with rising local star Andrew `Six Head’ Lewis.

The fight was held on the 14th of that month at the world-famous GCC ground and promoted by People’s Syndicate Promotions headed by Keith Bazilio.

At stake was the vacant welterweight title of Guyana. It was to be the 25-year-old Lewis’s last fight on home soil in nine years.

A power-puncher, Lewis put away the aging warrior in two rounds. Lewis never looked back

and racked up 11 more victories before claiming the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title, becoming the first Guyanese to wear a world crown.

Alli on the other hand, saw his already dulling career take a further nose-dive after the Lewis defeat. He lost his next three fights and with the writing on the wall, hung up his gloves in 1997.

Alli was born on June 26, 1960. He was a 23-year-old lightweight boxer when he challenged Puerto Rican Ivan Montalvo on November 12, 1983. The fight was held at the Showboat Hotel

“We split the teams as evenly as possible and some very promising performances came out of that. Both teams were able to bat the full 20-over innings and the players spent time at the crease building partnerships.

So, that was good to see and we are happy with how things went. Now it’s just about fine-tuning and building momentum leading into the series next week.”

The first match of the five-match Vitality Series is set to bowl off on Monday, September 21 at the Incora County Ground.

(Sportsmax)

and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada and was his eighth bout in the USA. Alli stopped his opponent in the fifth round of a schedTerrence Alli uled 10-rounder to improve his record to 18-3-1. The Guythree unsuccessful bids for world anese was undefeated in five titles. Two were in the lightweight fights during that year, with division while the other was as a three victories coming by way of junior welterweight. stoppage.

His career spanned 18 years The following year the and he boxed a total of 549 quick-fisted Alli reeled off six vic- rounds for an average of 30 tories in as many fights. He made rounds per year.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Wehby Report

CWI sets timelines for consultation consultation,, implementation of recommendations

CRICKET West Indies (CWI) have established timelines for consultation and implementation of the recommendations of the Wehby Report.

CWI Board of Directors proposed a way forward following a presentation by president Ricky Skerritt of a Board Paper entitled ‘Governance Reform Report – Next Steps’.

The paper called for the Board of Directors, Territorial Boards and their members, and all stakeholders, to do all that is possible to stimulate, encourage and facilitate the reading, discussion and consultation of the report, which was widely distributed on August 17, 2020.

According to Skerritt, Senator Don

Wehby has offered to make himself and other Task Force members available to provide explanations and facilitate constructive discussion on the report’s findings, if needed. The paper encouraged all stakeholders to engage in any consultation they deemed necessary to help pave the path forward towards implementation.

“There will be COVID19-related timing challenges, and likely political head-winds ahead, but I assure all stakeholders and lovers of West Indies Cricket that I will personally champion the important process of CWI Governance Reform, no matter how long it takes now that CWI has received and

distributed such a pragmatic and doable cricket-centric report from Senator Wehby and his team of highly qualified and experienced advisers,” Skerritt said.

“Hopefully good sense will prevail, and CWI will show the world that we are serious about modernisation and improvement.”

According to the Board paper, the first deadline is for the report reading and consultation process to be completed by Friday, October 16, 2020. But that would depend on the ability of Territorial Boards to effectively consult with their membership under the COVID-19 protocol group gathering limitations.

During the same period, CWI will

be seeking advice on legal processes and actions that would be required to implement the recommendations of the report. The Board paper also calls for final feedback from CWI Board members and Territorial Boards to be documented and submitted to CWI by the middle of November.

Any resulting suggestions and decision-making, including actual resolutions for change of Articles, should be completed by November 26 and put before an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) which CWI hopes can take place face-to-face by the middle of December 2020.

(Sportsmax)

CWI president Ricky Skerritt

New LBI cricket facility to be unveiled in days to come - Sanasie /Floodlights to be mounted this weekend

Cricket Guyana Inc. (CGI) executive Anand Sanasie

By Clifton Ross THE LBI Indoor/Outdoor multi-purpose facility, Guyana Jaguars new training

base, is expected to formally open its doors in the coming days, with the floodlights being erected this coming weekend; according to Cricket

Guyana Inc. (CGI) executive Anand Sanasie.

The local scene has been relatively quiet going into its 7th month now, following the COVID-19 outbreak. Guyana’s position has been similar to that of other countries around the world, where its sports fraternity has been on lockdown up until the last month or so when a few international and regional/tournaments and series managed to squeeze in some action under strict bio-secure guidelines.

Cricket locally has yet to resume although the national side remain engaged in daily virtual ZOOM sessions, coupled with their own quaran-

tine-style methods of training as they await normalcy to return.

Sanasie, yesterday broke some good news during a brief interview with Chronicle Sport, confirming that the LBI facility, which has been under some meticulous refurbishing over the last few months, is now finally ready to be opened.

Although Cricket West Indies (CWI) director did not specify a day for the official opening of the venue, he did, however, point out that within the coming days Jags players as well as academy youngsters will have full access to their new home for training and practice; in preparation for the

upcoming Regional 2020/21 season.

One confirmation regarding the venue was that this weekend the facility’s floodlights will be mounted ahead of the grand opening ceremony. Also, the cricketers were expected to resume action this month with the 2020 Jaguars Franchise League 50-Over and 3-Day tournaments, breaking months of inactivity due to lockdown.

However, with COVID cases on the rise locally and the Government of Guyana maintaining their strict safety guidelines, venues of all sport niches remain closed until the end of September.

The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) secretary explained that with lockdown extended, CGI has decided to further keep their academy closed for another month, while tournaments have also been put on hold until the country’s next COVID-19 update.

Also, some 8 to 10 new Jaguar faces, according to Sanasie, are expected to have their rookie contracts issued to them following the reopening of the Academy.

Upon the easing of the current lockdown phase, cricket action will resume under strict guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and its COVID-19 Task Force Unit.

NBA Play-offs:

Denver Nuggets level series 3-3 against Los Angeles Clippers DENVER Nuggets overcame a 19-point second-half deficit to beat Los Angeles Clippers and take their Western Conference semi-final to game seven.

The Clippers recorded 10 consecutive misses in the third quarter, allowing Denver to cut the points gap and take control to win 111-98.

Nikola Jokic scored 34 points to help force a series decider today.

“We don’t have pressure,” Jokic said. “All the pressure is on them. To us it’s just another game seven.”

Nuggets needed seven games to beat Utah Jazz after trailing their series 3-1 in the last round and have now become the first team since the 1970 Los Angeles Lakers to force multiple deciders in the same NBA play-offs run.

If they win today to set up a Western Conference final against Lakers, Denver would become the first side to recover from 3-1 down twice in the same play-offs.

Clippers are aiming to reach a first conference final in their 50-year history.

Speaking after the defeat

Denver’s Jamal Murray (right) finished with 21 points five rebounds five assists.

at Disney World in Orlando - where games are taking place in the coronavirus quarantine bubble - Clippers star Kawhi Leonard said his team “couldn’t buy a basket” during Nuggets’ comeback.

“It was beautiful,” said Clippers coach Doc Rivers.

“Then we stopped moving the ball, stopped playing.

That’s what let them get back in the game.

“We clearly have the right formula. We just lost it. We lost our pace.” (BBC Sport)

Dominique Thiem of Austria won the US open on Sunday in five sets.It was his first singles title in a grand slam evet.

Thiem tames ‘‘Big Big Match Match’’ nerves to break Grand Slam barrier PAGE

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England fast bowler Jofra Archer (left) and former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding

((REUTERS) - England fast bowler Jofra Archer has said they have not forgotten about the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement after former West Indies bowler Michael Holding criticised the country’s board (ECB) when players stopped taking a knee before matches.

England and West Indies players took a knee before each game in their three-Test series in July but the symbolic gesture was discontinued for the Pakistan series as well as the two limited overs series against Australia.

ECB had released a statement justifying their decision to stop taking a knee which was described as ‘lame’

by Holding, who also took issue with Australian captain Aaron Finch’s statements when the visitors said they would not take a knee.

“We have not forgotten, no one here has forgotten about ‘Black Lives Matter’,” Archer said.

“I think it is a bit harsh for Michael Holding to not do some research before criticising. I’m pretty sure he Turn to Page 23

‘No one has forgotten about Black Lives Matter’, Archer tells Holding Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208

TUESDAY,SEPTEMBER 15, 2020