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Friday May 21, 2021
ONLINE DAILY NEWSPAPER
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TWIN BROTHERS EXCEL AT CSEC WITH IDENTICAL PERFORMANCES
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FORMER SENIOR POLICE
COALITION ACCUSES PPP
OFFICERS CHARGED WITH
OF SEEKING TO DISMANTLE
$10M FRAUD CONSPIRACY
PROFESSIONALISM IN GPF
Friday May 21, 2021
TWIN BROTHERS EXCEL AT CSEC WITH IDENTICAL PERFORMANCES
Shivshankar Chaitram and his brother, Shivnarine Chaitram, from the Saraswati Vidya Nikitan Secondary School
The hard work and dedication of twin brothers have earned them two spots in the top ten list of performers for Guyana at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination. Shivshankar Chaitram and his brother, Shivnarine Chaitram, from the Saraswati Vidya Nikitan Secondary School, secured the 6th and 7th spots. Shivnarine got the sixth spot while
his brother claimed the seventh, with identical grades of 17-grade one and two-grade two passes. This announcement was made on the eve of the overall announcement of the country’s performance for 2020. The two related that they are the first in their family to reach this height. They however insisted that many others have done well
but not in the range of the top ten. “It’s something new because we never had someone in our family with this placement, so they are very proud. They have even continued their support inside the CAPE Exams and yes, they continue to give us their support,” Shivshankar maintained. Speaking on their experience to get to that height, they two
said that despite the COVID-19 Pandemic that posed a challenge they succeeded by working with each other, as always. “For both of us, CSEC in the advent of the COVID-19 Pandemic was tough but as always me and my brother, I kept on working together. It was not as hard, I guess, as working alone as compared to other students.
“Because we had each other we were able to pull through this examination,” Shivshankar said The older twin, Shivnarine, added that their success was because of the support system they had from their parents and their school. “This is an unorthodox situation and it has been somewhat difficult preparing for the examination but we
have done it, as you can see from our results. And, ever since the COVID-19 was on we have been on online classes so we have been receiving teaching. Nothing much has changed really,” Shivnarine added. The twins said that they plan to continue their studies until they reach the height of becoming a neurosurgeon and a cardiothoracic surgeon.
FORMER SENIOR POLICE OFFICERS CHARGED WITH $10M FRAUD CONSPIRACY
A number of former senior police officers were paraded before the courts today on fraud-related charges. Those charged before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus, today, were former Assistant Commissioner Clinton Conway; former Assistant Commissioner Ivelaw Whittaker, retired Senior Superintendent George Fraser, retired
Superintendent Mark Gilbert, Former Police Finance officers -, retired Senior Superintendent Michael Sutton, and staff of the Police Finance Office Assistant Superintendent Marlon Kellman. The other defendants, retired Assistant Commissioner Paul Slowe and Woman Senior Superintendent Marcelene Washington,
are out of the jurisdiction. Up to today, Slowe was making efforts to come to Guyana. The defendants are accused of conspiring to defraud the Guyana Police Force of some $10 million. Those who appeared in court were placed on $100,000 bail. Sutton was placed on an additional $100,000 bail on the charge of signing seven payment
vouchers for a sum totaling $1.8 million as payment to the other defendants. The charges are related to the preparation of a renewed police Standing Orders. Slowe said that up to today he was not made aware of any charge. He said that the hierarchy of the Guyana Police Force can find him. “They have my phone numbers, my e-mail and other relevant information. There was
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no contact.” He is also charged with sexual misconduct, an allegation that he denies. He spoke of the involvement of political figures being involved in getting the accuser to make the charge. The view is that these charges are related to the position taken by the Police Service Commission on which both Slowe and Conway sit. They are insisting that an officer with complaints against him cannot be promoted
until these complaints are heard and disposed of. However, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, has been insisting that the way should be clear for certain appointments and promotions to be made. To this end the matter ended up in court. A ruling on this matter would be handed down on Monday. There is the view that these charges were rushed to court before the court ruling.
Friday May 21, 2021
COALITION ACCUSES PPP OF SEEKING TO DISMANTLE into a political weapon to the realisation that to target and persecute the ruling is likely to PROFESSIONALISM IN GPF political opponents and uphold the professional
The APNU+AFC Coalition is outraged at the continuation and intensification of the campaign of vulgar political persecution of professionals in Guyana. The latest episode has been the arrest of former senior police officers and members of the Police Service Commission (PSC) – Assistant Commissioners (Rtd) Clinton Conway and Ivelaw Whittaker, and
retired senior officer George Fraser. It is reported that there is a plan to also arrest PSC Chairman and distinguished and internationally respected Assistant Commissioner (Rtd) Paul Slowe. These are frightening and chilling developments that signal, beyond debate, that Guyana has sunken into a state of naked dictatorship. The charges
are spurious, vexatious, and without merit or basis. They are trumped up and designed to intimidate these former senior police officers who have been executing their work as Chairman and members of the PSC with the highest degree of professionalism and integrity. The PPP is clearly now attempting to tarnish their impeccable reputations
and dismantle the professionally constituted PSC to install their cronies, who will, in turn, do their bidding and promote pliant and favoured officers to the hierarchy of the Police Force. The PPP is hellbent on completely eroding all vestiges of professionalism within the Guyana Police Force and completely render it
the citizens of Guyana who oppose their authoritarianism. This is the PPP’s well-known modus operandi – to destroy constitutional and other institutions and to install their own cronies who will execute their political directives and bidding. The PSC serves as a critical guardrail of democracy in Guyana and the independence of the police force from political interference. The PPP is now attempting to demolish this guardrail and render democracy in Guyana comatose. The PPP regime is fully aware that Chief Justice Roxane George is set to rule on matters before her regarding the PSC on Monday, May 24. It is evident that the regime has come
A Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) Prosecutor has found himself in some hot water. He was caught in a sting operation collecting money from a man charged for illegally mining. The payoff was to drop his case. The prosecutor in question is Sherwin Crandon, a 44-year-old, of George Street, Werk-enRust. In a statement on the matter, the Guyana Police Force said, yesterday, that a gold miner paid them a visit at CID Headquarters
at Eve Leary, Georgetown, and related that back in 2019, he was charged by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission ((GGMC) for illegal mining at Blackwater, Mahdia. The miner later related that Crandon contacted him stating that he is a prosecutor. He said that Crandon told him he is willing to dismiss his case if he pays him $300,000 and that if he does not comply then he will be convicted for the offence. The gold miner said Crandon later gave him a
location to meet him; that is a popular bar in Station Street, Kitty, yesterday, just around 16:00 hrs. With that information given, a sting operation was set up in order to catch Crandon red-handed. A party of Policemen acting upon information arrested Crandon. Crandon was later identified as being a prosecutor for the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission. Later, a search uncovered the sum of $300,000 in $5,000 notes was found in his pants
The cost of verification is very affordable. Currently, for an introductory period of three months, the cost of verification is reduced by 25 percent. Stakeholders are encouraged to take advantage of this offer. With the introduction of this new service by the GNBS, the Guyana Police Force would be one of the key
beneficiaries. Once a verified instrument is correctly used by the GPF in its enforcement processes, the credibility of the test results would be established. These results will now be able to stand up in a court of law during the prosecution of offenders. Just recently, the GNBS conducted training on the use of breathalyzers
and lawful conduct of the PSC and as such, they are seeking to take pre-emptive and alternative action to otherwise discredit the PSC and its members. This will not work and the APNU+AFC Coalition stands in solidarity with the professional members of the PSC. We call on all regional and international law enforcement bodies, governments, human rights organizations, and law-abiding and right-thinking citizens to condemn these reprehensible actions by the PPP as they seek to dominate and impose their singular will on the Guyanese society. The rule of law and the tenets of democracy must be restored and zealously upheld and maintained in Guyana.
pocket. He was then told of the allegation, arrested, and placed into custody. Crandon admitted that he is a Prosecutor at GGMC and that he was prosecuting an active matter against the gold miner at Mahdia Magistrate’s Court. This matter has since been transferred to the Diamond Magistrate’s Court. He admitted that he indeed collected the money from the gold miner, but claimed that he wanted to “borrow” the same.
GGMC prosecutor allegedly caught in $300,000 sting
GNBS verifies breathalysers for Guyana Police Force, other stakeholders
The Legal Metrology Department of the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) has finally built the capacity to conduct the verification of breathalyzers used by the Guyana Police Force, other companies, and organisations. As the institution responsible for measurements in Guyana, the GNBS has long been
sought after by these stakeholders to build capacity to provide this verification service. As a result, the Bureau recently procured a Breathalyzer Test Bench, which is capable of verifying a wide range of breathalyzers. Additionally, Inspectors were trained to provide the verification service by the supplier of the
equipment and by the Measurement Institute of Argentina (INTI). Breathalyzers would require regular verification to ensure accuracy is maintained. On average, the verification process will take about two hours and a verification certificate would be provided to stakeholders for each piece of equipment verified.
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and speed guns for a large number of Traffic Ranks across the country. During these sessions, ranks expressed concern about the need have these devices verified. The GNBS has already procured the necessary equipment to conduct the verification of Speed guns. This service will be rolled out early in the second half of this year.
Friday May 21, 2021
In an effort to clamp down on a racket of stolen vehicles, Police in the Berbice Area has made an arrest of the main suspect while recovering a number of stolen cars yesterday. In a statement, the Guyana
POLICE SMASH CAR THEFT RING
Police Force noted that a party of police ranks headed by an Assistant Superintendent of Police conducted an operation in the Berbice area and unearthed from an area four
suspected stolen vehicles. Those vehicles were later taken to the Rose Hall Outpost pending an investigation. The police reported that the said raid was conducted in the New Market Street, where a white Fielder wagon bearing registration number PVV 6272, and a silver-grey Premio bearing registration number PRR 3989 were found Further checks in Rose Hall, Corentyne, Berbice found more cars, is a silver-grey Premio PTT 9316 and a Fielder
wagon PTT 7651. A search was also conducted at the home of a female nurse of Rose Hall, Corentyne, and in the lower flat, a quantity of car-related documents was found. These were taken to the Rose Hall Outpost and lodged, pending investigation. A search was also conducted at the home of a 75-year-old pensioner of Rose Hall, Corentyne in the upper flat but nothing was found. During the search, a named suspect was detained and is presently in hospital under guard.
BULLYING AND DISCRIMINATING ARE HALLMARKS OF SOME PEOPLE
ADAM’s Notebook The world is full of examples of the strong and powerful taking advantage of the weak. Bullying is a classic example of the powerful subduing the weak. More often than not the bully or the perceived strong and powerful may pick on a person who, though possessing the ability to retaliate, would often shrug and try to move on. While this may work sometimes, for the greater part, bullies being less educated than the average person who would reason or who would let better judgment prevail continues the attack. The past week saw a continuation of the perceived strong and powerful using the seat of power to bring an ordinary person to his knees or at worse, demean him in the eyes of the wider society. This is the case of Brian Tiwarie, a self-made businessman, who climbed the ladder of entrepreneurship and expanded his operations. He set up a number of diverse companies.
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There is the story of the moth and the flame. The moth saw the flame and thought that it looked beautiful. Sadly, it got too close and got burnt. Some people flirted with the flame but decided that it was too dangerous and moved on. But the flame can be unforgiving. There are many people who have found an unforgiving political situation. Most of them worked with a previous administration, some as far back as forty years. These people remained unforgiving and moved to destroy them. The cases of the public servants who were dismissed these past few months are just one example. The placing of other public servants before the courts, even though the charge may fall through is another. The bottom line is that these people charged would have to find money that could have been used in other areas to satisfy legal costs. Soon after acceding to the seat of government, there were people who turned their attention to
Tiwarie. They attacked his ownership of the property; they revoked contracts granted under the previous administration; they threatened to shut Tiwarie out of future contracts. This threat was mouthed by Minister Deodat Indar. He said that he was going to write to the Central Tender Board to have the body refuse to accept tenders submitted by BK International. Indar does not end there. He goes to the press with a statement that Tiwarie is removing sand from Number 63 Beach on the Corentyne. Banks DIH and Demerara Distillers Limited produce a brew that does strange things to some people. If one imbibes too much one could become disoriented. Many people have lost track of time. Some went home but could remember how they did. Indar went to Number 59 Village where he saw a pit resulting from reef sand extraction by BK International. He stood at the location and
announced that he was at Number 63 Village. This must have been the result of the brew produced by Banks DIH and DDL. Indar must have been disoriented not to know where he was. His outburst continued the attempt to bully Tiwarie. He actually said that he would have Tiwarie return the sand to the location, something that he has no power to do. Such was his intention that he got favourable news outlets to publish his utterings on the front page of their newspapers. Despite all the attempts to correct him, Indar simply refuses to change his position. In
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fact, confronted with his mistake he opted to remain silent. And rest assured, there will be no apology to Tiwarie for the embarrassment. And no sooner had the Number 63 Village accusation ended than another surfaced. One of Indar’s followers published another statement designed to accuse Tiwarie of something of which he knows nothing. The accusation is that Tiwarie owns Village Voice, a nascent newspaper that is published online and in hard copy. The writer of the social media post states that Tiwarie is behind the paper and
that Adam Harris is one of the principals. Perhaps the brew that Indar drinks are shared among his followers . It clouds their vision and removes their short-term memory. The man behind Village Voice moved to the courts and secured a writ against the publishers of the newspaper. He named every operative and how much money they were paid. None of the names was Brian Tiwarie and none was Adam Harris. But that information seemed not to make its way into the heads of those who are bent on attacking Tiwarie and slandering him.
Vaccine refusal is as dangerous a pandemic as COVID-19
By Sir Ronald Sanders (The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College at the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own) Vaccine refusal is fast becoming as dangerous to human health and to economies as the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, even before the novel coronavirus was confirmed and began its spread around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that vaccine refusals had led to a resurgence of diseases such as measles in countries that were close to eliminating them. The WHO identified vaccine refusal as one of the 10 leading threats to global health. At
that time, complacency, inconvenience in access, and a lack of confidence were said to be the driving factors for people’s refusal to inoculate against disease. Since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the problem has become worse and so widespread that a comprehensive approach by all governments and non-governmental organizations, globally, is now necessary to overcome it. Promoted on social media platforms by farright organisations and church groups in the U.S., the anti-vaccine propaganda has spread like wildfire, convincing persons at all levels of societies that they would either die from an inoculation or some harmful material would be injected into their bodies. Religious groups in the Caribbean, influenced by fundamentalist U.S. churches, also encourage
their followers not to vaccinate. Research done by the New York Times reported, on April 5, that “among evangelicals in the U.S., Pentecostal and charismatic Christians may be particularly wary of the vaccine, in part because their tradition historically emphasizes divine health and miraculous healing in ways that can rival traditional medicine”. Charismatic churches also attract followers in the Caribbean. The most popular social media platforms used by anti-vaxxers are Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram which have all committed to banning anti-vaccine content. But, accounts on these platforms turn up as quickly as they are taken down. In turn, the propaganda, which includes fabricated videos purporting to show actual events, is communicated tens of thousands of times around the world on
WhatsApp. Governments and social media platforms, such as those named in this commentary, as well as organizations such as the WHO and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), must gather specialists together to find ways to counter the antivaccination propaganda campaigns and to strengthen educational progammes showing the benefit of vaccines. PAHO has started using Facebook to educate about the benefits of vaccines, but more effective communications techniques should be used, including dropping huge images of syringes and needles, that may be reinforcing reticence to inoculate. Groups of persons in many parts of the world, who decline to take the COVID-19 vaccine, now pose a risk to themselves and the people with whom they come into contact, especially their families. They also pose a risk to the opening-up of the economies of their countries. Data, gathered worldwide, shows that the claims of the anti-vaxxers, concerning detrimental effects of the vaccine, are wrong. Figures confirm that the COVID-19 vaccine prevents severe infection and deaths at astounding rates. Studies show that
in Israel for instance, vaccines prevented hospitalization among adults 65 and older by 94%. They also prevented symptomatic infection among healthcare workers by 97% and blocked severe disease by 97.4% in Qatar. Dr. Monica Gandhi, an Infectious-Diseases Specialist, and Professor of Medicine at The University of California at San Francisco, reports that serious infections among vaccinated individuals are extremely rare. She points out that “of over 115 million vaccinated Americans, only 0.0009% contracted severe COVID-19 after vaccination despite the virus continuing to circulate in their communities. As she concluded: “Vaccines truly defang the virus”. In the U.S. and Britain where (at the time of writing on 20 May) 48.09% and 55.49% of the populations have been vaccinated, data shows that vaccines also block transmission. People, who have been inoculated against the coronavirus, are rightly concerned that, despite their responsible action in taking the vaccine, irresponsible persons are asserting their right to refuse it. The question that has to be asked is: whose rights are greater? Are the rights to safeguard lives and livelihood less than the right to put lives
and livelihoods at risk by refusing to be vaccinated? This is not a moral dilemma; it is a commonsense question, deserving a common-sense answer. However, no answer is being attempted as individual governments and their health authorities shy away from the question for political reasons. No ruling political party wants to risk losing electoral support to its rivals on the back of an accusation of depriving people of their rights. Yet, when that right is upheld, it threatens others and entire societies. Just as measles has returned in countries where groups of people decline to be inoculated against it, COVID-19 will not be subdued or eliminated in countries where groups of people refuse to be vaccinated. This conflict must be tackled and resolved by global agreement and action. No one country can act alone. Maybe the answer lies in an intense education programme globally constructed, financed, and implemented. The mantra that “we’re all in this together” assumes a profound global relevance for maintaining life and sustaining livelihoods. Doing nothing is not a solution. The 74th World Health Assembly being held from May 24 to June 1, is the ideal place to start.
Unnecessary hassle at CJIA Dear Editor, On April 25, 2021, I was making the midnight Jet Blue trip to NY. In the departure lounge after clearing Immigration, and preparing to be screened, I had my second most horrifying experience with the screening technician. Because of a radiationrelated cancer surgery I had in 2007, I requested
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a pat-down instead of using the x-ray machine. This request was denied, I was made to parade myself four times in and out of that machine with undue care from uncouth staff. As if this was not enough, CANU continued with the most degrading search on my personal effects. I am a septuagenarian; I was never involved in
transporting any illicit stuff, and would like to know why I am being targeted when attempting to depart Guyana. I would like Mr. Ramesh Ghir and the Civil Aviation Director to note my harassment. These people need to be trained. They are an embarrassment to Guyana. Traumatized citizen.
‘Big Head’ gets 11 years jail in New York
Guyanese Businessman Shervington Lovel
Guyanese Businessman Shervington Lovell also known as “Big Head” was slapped with an 11-yearjail sentence in the US. Lovell, who is the Owner of the Tower Suites Hotel, admitted in a New York Court to conspiring with others to ship Cocaine to the Netherlands. Lovell was charged in 2018 for allegedly conspiring with others to ship more than 1,300 pounds of cocaine to The
Netherlands in a drug trafficking operation that involved laundered money from South Africa and other countries. The drugs were reportedly found in the vessel on the sea during an operation in which Lovell was being watched before as he and others made rounds to different countries in an effort to plan the shipment. Lovell while in Jamaica was arrested as he was under watch by US Agents and other local authorities
in a house in Jamaica. Lovell was later extradited back in 2018 after he was arrested with a number of other suspects by a US Anti- Drug agency during an investigation that spanned from Guyana, Jamaica, and New York. As the allegations were put to the accused, Lovell was the only one who denied the allegation and as such was set to go on trial in 2020 but opted to change his mind and later admitted to the offence.
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